TWO MONTHS HAVE PASSED—the first month of my strong earnings at work was gone when my hours were reduced to just five. I really thought my ten-hour shifts would continue, but they didn’t. The more employees they hire, the more my hours shrink. Now, I’m only working five hours. The restaurant still gets a lot of customers, so they need more staff, and we take turns on shifts. I never expected to reach this point again—where we’d struggle financially. Nanay noticed how often I was at home instead of work, and I explained that my hours had been cut. She was saddened by it, but I was even more devastated. A few more weeks passed, and my earnings were no longer enough to support the twins. They’re now three months old, with big appetites for milk and other needs. Sometimes, I even have to skimp on their milk because I can’t afford it. I didn’t know where else to get money, so I decided to look for another job. I walked around searching, but without realizing it, I stopped. I saw
I was still crying when I reached the front of Quinn’s house. I couldn’t hold back my tears, but I couldn’t let Quinn see me like this. She would wonder why and might figure out that I was the one who left the baby at Zekiel’s doorstep. That only made me cry harder. Zayne is my son—I can’t bear to be separated from him, but if it’s for his own good, I’ll do it. I sat down by the gate, hugging my knees. The bag I had used to carry Zayne was still with me, but I had replaced its contents so that if anyone questioned me, they wouldn’t find any evidence. Zayne is my firstborn. The thought made me cry even more. Did I do the right thing? Was giving him up the right choice? "Claire, is that you?" I looked up in surprise and saw Quinn staring at me in confusion, but her expression quickly turned to concern when she saw me crying. "Claire, it’s you! Why are you crying?!" Her question made me sob even harder, my body trembling. She immediately rushed to me and held my shoulders.
I just ignored the police because Quinn still hadn’t stopped crying. I let her be and stayed quiet. I thought of my child again, and tears fell from my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away. I told Nanay I was leaving for Quinn’s birthday surprise, but she didn’t know I had taken Zayne with me. I glanced at the clock and saw it was almost midnight. “Quinn, stop crying. It’s not your fault, okay? Don’t blame yourself. It’s my fault for carelessly peeing in a place like that.” I also needed to go home quickly because Nanay might freak out if she didn’t see Zayne there. She didn’t know I had taken him—or worse, that I had given him to his father. Quinn pulled away from my hug and shook her head at me. “T-this wouldn’t have happened if—“ “Shhh, it’s over, Quinn. What matters is I’m okay now, right? So why should you feel guilty?” She fell silent at my words, so I forced a smile at her. I couldn’t genuinely smile because of everything that had happened. “It’s your birthday!
ZEKIEL cradled the baby in his arms, their father-son gaze still locked in silent wonder. His breath caught in his throat as overwhelming joy flooded his heart for reasons he couldn’t explain. When he lifted little Zayne, his chest swelled with even greater happiness.“Z-Zayne…”The name slipped from Zekiel’s lips unbidden, and as if responding, the baby squirmed happily in his arms, tiny hands reaching toward his face.Zekiel couldn’t suppress his smile, especially when he noticed the household staff’s reactions to their uncanny resemblance – even their laughter was identical. The moment was perfectly captured by Manang Cecelia’s camera, its audible click making everyone turn toward her, Zekiel most of all.“I couldn’t let such a precious moment go undocumented!” she chirped, making Zekiel’s smile falter as he cleared his throat.“W-where is his mother?”Zekiel’s voice caught nervously at the thought of the woman being nearby.“Just the baby was left at our doorstep, Kiel,” Manang re
“LOVE, we’ll find Claire eventually,” Dylan reassured his wife with comforting words. Three months had passed since they flew to another country for her to give birth, and three months had also gone by since they last saw Claire and her family. “But I wasn’t by her side. I don’t even know what happened to her. They’re no longer at their house—where did they go?” Bea spoke in confusion to her husband. “Don’t worry, the day will come when we’ll find them. Whatever happened, they must have had a reason for suddenly disappearing, right?” Bea fell silent after hearing her husband’s words. There wasn’t a single hour or day when she didn’t think about her friend, worrying for her. She never expected that upon their return, Claire and her family would be gone. They now had a two-month-old baby girl, Bianca, who slept in a crib in their room. As long as their child was still young, they didn’t want to separate her from them. In the midst of their silence, Dylan’s phone suddenly
WHEN they opened the door, they saw Kiel sitting while playing with his child in the crib. They were amazed at how the room was arranged—it was undeniably masculine and so well-decorated that you could immediately tell it was made with love. Given how big Kiel’s house was, he certainly wouldn’t lack the money to design his child’s room. The couple exchanged glances at what they had just witnessed. Both father and child were laughing, which surprised them. It was the first time they had ever seen Kiel laugh like that. Dylan cleared his throat, grabbing their attention. Zekiel also cleared his throat and immediately stood up. “You’re both here,” Zekiel emphasized the word both, but the couple ignored it, especially Bea, who immediately spotted Zayne. “Zayne!!!” Bea immediately ran toward Zayne as soon as she saw him. Zayne was startled by the sudden call, but he didn’t cry—he recognized the young woman’s voice. “Zayne! Auntie-Ninang is here! OMG! You’ve grown so big!
CLAIRE was stunned once again by Bea’s words. She couldn’t believe her friend would judge her so quickly. “You don’t know anything, Bea! Why are you meddling?” Bea let out a bitter laugh at Claire’s words, her eyes visibly pained. Claire herself was shocked by what she had said and wished she could take it back—but it was too late. “You’re right, who am I to interfere? Who even am I?! Hahaha! Are you ending our friendship, Claire?” “I didn’t say that, Bea,” Claire replied calmly. “But that’s what you meant! I hate you! You disappeared like smoke, gave away your own child, and now this is how you treat me?! I hate you!” With that, Bea stormed off before Claire could even react. Claire felt as if a thousand needles had pierced her heart from Bea’s harsh words. Tears streamed down Claire’s face uncontrollably. She had longed to see Bea—her closest friend—but she never expected things to turn out this way. Earlier, when Bea arrived at her workplace, she had wished time w
“Dear Bea, First of all, I want to apologize for not being by your side when you needed me—when you gave birth and when you returned to the Philippines. Trust me, I didn’t want that, but it just happened. Second, I want you to know the reason why. Only a few days had passed after I gave birth before you left, and then Mom died. That day was so painful for me. I didn’t know what to do—whether I could endure it or if I’d ever move on. And then, when Mom’s burial was still fresh in my mind, another blow hit our lives. Bank representatives came and told us we were bankrupt, and all our properties would be used to pay off our debts. We had no choice but to leave the house. We started over, even if it meant renting, and I found a job—until another unexpected thing happened. Zayne got sick; he had dengue. During that time, I began questioning everything happening to us, especially when my eldest almost died. We survived that crisis, and my son lived, but at the cost of the little m
“Oh my God, Zoey, it’s really you! I miss you, my daughter. Mommy misses you so much!” Claire showered her daughter’s cheeks with kisses, overwhelmed with longing. It had been almost two months since she had last held her child under Zekiel’s care. “I miss you too, Mommy!” “Zoey? Is this my grandchild?” The mother and daughter turned at the voice, and Zoey saw an elderly man wearing a crown—someone she recognized from TV, where she had seen him with her mother. “Grandpa!” Zoey immediately ran toward the King, who smiled warmly and scooped her up into his arms. In return, Zoey covered her grandfather’s face with kisses. “Wow, Grandpa, I can’t believe it’s really you! You’re the King? That’s so amazing!” Claire laughed, wiping tears from her cheeks as she watched them. “Haha, my dear, Grandpa’s getting tickled. That’s enough,” the King chuckled as the child finally stopped covering him in kisses and beamed up at him. “You’re so beautiful, my grandchild. You look just
“She’s terrifying!” Hero said. “That doesn’t seem like Zayne! He’s possessed by his father’s spirit!” Dylan exclaimed, earning a smack from Hero. “Damn! Bloodline really makes a difference! Look at him—Gray lineage, the sharpest in business, while Claire’s lineage carries noble blood and excels in combat!” The two fell silent when Zekiel shot them a glare, so they quietly followed him to the hideout. When they arrived, the child reached up to his father. “Daddy, can you trust me?” “Of course I trust you, son,” Zekiel said with a smile, pinching his nose. “Thank you, Dad. Now, here’s the plan...” “WE NEED to act now,” Clark said seriously. “Why does Claire have to come? Just your brother and I should go. Claire, you’re pregnant—you can’t,” the King insisted. They were in the main room, a day after the chaos had unfolded. They had released a statement claiming that a Mafia group had attempted to assassinate the princess and that they would fight back, urging the publ
“Are you okay, Claire?” Clark asked his sister worriedly as she drank something to calm herself. “I-I’m fine now, Kuya. I was just shocked by the sudden gunshot—I didn’t expect that,” Claire said, making Clark nod in response. “Me neither. It’s your day, Claire. But they did this on purpose to kill you. Thankfully, the shooter had bad aim and missed,” Clark replied. If this were any other situation and not so serious, Claire might have laughed at the thought of the shooter missing. But right now, her life was on the line. “What are you two talking about? What’s really going on?! I thought the Mafia was gone, Clark?!” They both turned to their father, having forgotten he was there—and that he had heard everything. “I-I’m sorry, Papa. I lied. I needed to keep your mind at ease after what happened to Mama, but the truth is… the Mafia isn’t gone. They’ve been lying low for a month, waiting for today—this is when they’re starting their war.” The King still couldn’t process wh
“No, YOU are being rude.” The man suddenly sat back down at her words, and the room fell silent. “May I remind all of you? We hired you to be the BALANCERS of this country, not the RULERS. WE are the rulers, and YOU are the balancers. So you have NO right to decide whether to accept me or my late mother as Princess and Queen of this country!” Claire held her head high as she spoke, leaving them speechless. Timothy grinned widely, almost clapping at his friend’s words. “I, the Princess of Spain, declare that the current council will be REPLACED with a new one!” Everyone stood up in protest, but Timothy acted swiftly, slamming his long gun on the table, silencing them. “The princess has given an order, so you MUST obey. Royal blood can make decisions without consulting the king.” Claire smiled as she saw the defeated looks on the men’s faces, then glanced at Timothy, who nodded back. Finally, she had avenged her mother. ’Mama, I know this is what you wanted. We miss you so
Breaking News: After a decade and a half of searching for the Queen and Princess of Spain, they have finally been found. Unfortunately, the Queen has passed away, and only the Princess, Princess Claire, has survived. Reports have also spread that the two royals had been staying in the Philippines, where they lived as ordinary citizens. --- Zekiel turned off the TV after seeing the news. A few days had passed since Timothy went with him to retrieve the body of the late Queen. He desperately wanted to see Claire, but he couldn’t—he had no right to ask about her. Especially now that she was known worldwide, with the strange circumstances surrounding her and her mother spreading everywhere. “Daddy!” He turned to the door and saw the twins running toward him. “Is there any news about Mommy yet?” Zoey asked with a hopeful smile. “Not yet, sweetheart,” Zekiel replied sadly. “Don’t worry, Daddy! Mommy will come back! Uncle Clark promised us!” Zoey said cheerfully. “Zoey’s ri
He was Timothy’s father and Kaithy’s husband. The right hand of the King, his own father. He was the one who taught them how to fight back then, so he could never forget the man—he had played such a huge part in his life. “I miss you so much, Tito!” She pulled away from the hug, and the man held her cheeks. “I couldn’t believe you’d grow up into such a beautiful lady.” Claire smiled even wider at his words. “Mama took good care of me, Tito.” The man’s smile faded at what she said. “I’m sorry about your mother.” “It’s okay, Tito. I’ve accepted it. It’s Papa I’m worried about.” Timothy’s father understood Tagalog but couldn’t speak it fluently since he didn’t grow up in the Philippines, unlike his wife and son, who had spent many years there. “I’ll go ahead now, Tito. I’ll see you later.” She smiled at him, and the man nodded. The news of the princess’s arrival spread quickly throughout the palace, and many wanted to catch a glimpse of her. Some even secretly positioned
Clark bowed his head at her question. “The doctor said your body is completely exhausted, especially after you were hit by a bullet in the shoulder,” Claire touched her shoulder but felt no pain there. No wonder it didn’t hurt—she had been asleep for a week. “The twins, Kuya?! What happened to my children?!” she exclaimed in shock as she remembered her kids. “Calm down, Claire. They’re fine. I had our people watch over them, so everything’s alright.” Claire stopped her hysterics upon hearing this and let out a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry, Kuya Clark. I’m just scared something bad might happen to my family.” Clark nodded in understanding at his sister’s words. Even though he didn’t have his own family yet, he felt the same way about theirs. “Oh, by the way, Kuya, does Papa know I’m here?” Clark shook his head at her question. “Papa doesn’t know. I hid you, Claire, because I want you to be the one to talk to him about what happened to Mama.” Claire couldn’t help but feel
After Zekiel said that, he immediately shot the enemies, causing the other two to join in, each firing at the opponents trying to advance. Since there were three of them, they quickly defeated them, much to the delight of the other two. “Finally!” Hero exclaimed. “We can go home now! Kiel, come on, hurry!” Dylan was the first to run, making the other two shake their heads before following. Dylan stopped at a door where they knew Louise was. “You go first, Kiel, hehe,” Dylan said, scratching his head sheepishly. “See? Acting all tough but actually a coward,” Hero teased, earning him a glare from Dylan. Meanwhile, Zekiel didn’t hesitate—he kicked the door open. But he froze when he saw Louise and Camille lifeless, drenched in their own blood on the floor. “D-Daddy!” He turned toward the voice and immediately ran to the twins. “Zoey! Zayne!” He hugged them tightly as the twins cried into his chest. When an explosion echoed in the distance, Zoey started crying again, b
“IN the count of three,” Zekiel said seriously as they stood at the edge of the garden of the building where Timothy was hiding, holding his family hostage. “One... Two... Three... NOW!” Zekiel’s men quickly scrambled into action at his signal. When they reached the underground passage, two people opened it, and as soon as it was unlocked, they rushed inside one after another. “Go! Go! Go!” Dylan whispered urgently to their teammates leading the way inside. “Make sure to keep it quiet,” Hero muttered to one of the men, who nodded in response. Once everyone else was in, the three of them followed. They had only brought a few men underground since the others were on lookout and would join them once the trap was set. When they entered, they found themselves in an open space that was clearly abandoned. “Start setting things up as planned.” The men nodded and began working on their assigned tasks. They had agreed to place long, sharp metal rods so that when their enemies