âIâm so sorry for the rough first impression I made on you all,â Lordes apologized to the elegant guests accompanying Celeste in her hut.The three of them responded immediately, with Valentinaâs voice standing out. âAuntie, donât worry about us. We understand your situation. Weâre not here to be served; in fact, weâre here hoping to win your favor.â Valentina gave a warm smile.This behavior was unfamiliar to Luca and Semion. They werenât used to their sisterâs softer tone.âOh, come now! Youâre my guests, of course Iâll serve you,â Lordes started to stand from her wooden chair, then realized something. Embarrassed, she scratched her head. âBut Iâm sorry, my son Felip didnât make any money from the fields today, so I donât have anything prepared for you.ââAuntie, you donât need to worry about us,â Valentina said sincerely. âIf you would accept what we have to offer, weâd be delighted. But it seems like you and Celeste have more pressing matters to discuss right now, so weâll hold off
After Lordes and Celeste had calmed down from their crying, comforting each other, and explaining past events to exchange information, they were now seated peacefully, sipping cold juiceâsomething Semion had ordered his staff to prepare.âSo, knowing the evil of the Allegra family after your demon of a husband abandoned you, itâs clear that youâre really separated, right?â Lordes asked Celeste for confirmation.Celeste nodded repeatedly. âItâs been two months since we separated. Even though I deeply regret not realizing things sooner, Iâm still fortunate that itâs not too late for me.âLords breathed a sigh of relief. âGood! Iâm glad to hear that! Thank goodness youâre safe from the Allegra family!â Lordes then turned her attention to Semion, who was sitting across from her. âSemion, thank you so much for helping Celeste! We owe you a great debt of gratitude!âSemion insisted, âActually, it was Celeste who saved my life. If she hadnât been there, I would probably have lost my life.âL
âMama!âIn the middle of the conversation and laughter among Semion, Celeste, Valentina, and Lordes, a manâs voice dominated the small hut.A man walked through the wooden door, wearing worn-out farm clothes and a headscarf. He was carrying two dirty sacks that were full and looked heavy.âMa?â His brown skin looked sunburned from working in the fields. He dropped the two sacks and looked curiously at the large people in their small hut.âFelip, my son!â Lordes, delighted, stood up from her seat beside the beautiful woman to greet him. âIâm so glad youâre finally home!ââYes, Ma. We finished our work. And by the way, Captain Pablo gave out some corn and sweet potatoes, which should last us a few weeks.ââWow, did you thank him? Even though the captain can be difficult, heâs still a kind man.âFelip laughed. âOf course, Ma.ââGood! But weâll deal with that later, dear.â Lordes pulled Felip to the front of the beautiful people, making him quite nervous. âYou need to meet them! This is, r
For a few seconds, Semion and Felip stared at each other with hostility, their glare crackling like electricity. Both men gritted their teeth but remained silent."Oh my goodness!" Celeste exclaimed, shocked as she processed the sudden turn of events. She felt the tension between the two and couldnât help but cling to Semion's arm.Meanwhile, Lordes grabbed her child with a flurry of agitation. âWhat are you doing? You shouldnât speak like that to a guest!â she said apologetically to Semion. âIâm sorry, dear! He doesnât know whatâs happening, so heâs just saying all sorts of things!âSemion was snapped out of his anger and turned his attention from Felip to his mother. âItâs okay, Ma---ââWhat am I supposed to know?â Felip interrupted impatiently. âFrom what I see, Celeste shouldnât be marrying so soon after everything thatâs happened because she needs to be extra careful! What if this guy is no different from Darson? Celeste is lucky to be alive now, and now sheâs jumping into another
Celeste thought it would be easy to change Felipâs attitude toward Semion by telling him their âfakeâ love story. Instead, it only seemed to worsen Felipâs mood for reasons she couldnât quite understand.âIsnât our love story believable, Semion?â she asked, puzzled, as she dried her wet hair with a towel.She had just finished showering in the small bathroom of their little apartment. She sat on the bed, looked at Semion, who had been fiddling with his phone and was now staring at her with a blank expression.âWhy does it even matter?â he asked. âSo what if that guy doesnât believe it? What can he do to stop the wedding?âCeleste was momentarily taken aback. Was she imagining it, or was Semion really in a bad mood?âItâs not that,â she said. âBut heâs like family to me, so it would be easier if he understood my side. Plus, Val said they donât want any objections to our marriage. What if that ends up making them suspicious of our relationship?ââTsk, I still donât see the point.â Semion
âD-Darson⊠p-please donâtâŠâAs usual, at precisely four in the morning, Semion was awakened by Celesteâs faint whimpers while she was deep in sleep.He turned on his side to look at her face. Cold sweat had gathered on her forehead, mingled with the moisture clinging to her long, thick eyelashes.âDarsonâŠâ Celesteâs face scrunched up in distress, her body trembling.Semion watched her with a cold, expressionless face. He left her like that for a while, unlike before, before he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.âIâm here,â he said without much emotion, gently smoothing her hair.âHmmâŠâ That was when Celeste seemed to relax. Her trembling and whimpering stopped.Semion closed his eyes again.On their first night sharing the same bed, he remembered how much worse Celesteâs sleep disturbances had been. He didnât know what to do since nothing would wake her up. So, he simply held her, and only then did Celeste stop calling out for her former husband.When he asked her about it
âLuca, donât be rude. Eat your vegetables,â Valentina whispered to her brother when she saw him just playing with his food.Luca whispered back to his sister, âI donât get it. Rice and vegetables for breakfast? It feels like lunch.ââWhat? Itâs a typical Filipino thing. Rice in the morning, noon, and night. Youâll need to adapt, since weâre not at home. Just eat your food.âWith a pout, Luca reluctantly tried the vegetables with his rice. He thought it wouldnât taste good, but was impressed when he tasted it. âWow, what kind of vegetable is this?âLittle Lucaâs question was overheard by Lordes, who responded despite talking with Celeste. âThatâs adobong talbos ng kamote, dear.ââWhat? I thought adobo only came with chicken or pork. Thereâs something like this too?ââOh yes, dear. Out here in the province, youâll find all sorts of different dishes! Theyâre delicious even if the spices arenât expensive!ââReally?â Lucaâs curiosity was piqued. âBut too much rice might make me fat. I want
At Semion's ResidenceâŠâThey killed them all,â Celeste uttered weakly after Diego handed her a document on Semionâs orders.âYeah, it seems that eliminating lives is the easiest solution for the Allegra family,â Semion said, sipping red wine. âYour family lawyers, estate planners, accountants, and financial advisorsâtheyâre all dead. And it canât be just a coincidence because, according to the autopsies and investigations, they all died in car accidentsâdrunk driving, brake failure, rollover accidents, and even distracted driving. All ridiculously related! They didnât even try to change their strategy.ââEven my parents and my brother were in car accidents,â Celeste rubbed her temples. âWhat are we going to do? We need them for the documents related to our familyâs properties and assets. How can we prove the land is ours without legal documents?ââWell, before that,â Semion signaled Diego to hand Celeste another stack of papers. âThese are the things you need to know first. Demetrio a
Anna quickly turned around, pulling Danica away from the dangerous scene. They ran as fast as they could, her desperate need to escape the forest pushing her forward. The faint light ahead told her they were nearly outâthe low clouds overhead slowly beginning to disperse.But even as they moved, her mind swirled with confusion. Killianâs words kept echoing in her thoughts, and she couldnât make sense of them. How could he be willing to kill to save her life? Tears welled up in her eyes. She had been wrong. She had misjudged him. Killian wasnât like Primo Alessandro. Just because he was a Lombardi didnât mean he was an enemy. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden, blood-curdling scream: "UNCLE, NO!!"Without thinking, Anna stopped running and turned. She knew exactly who the voice belonged to.But before she could even react, a loud gunshot echoed through the air. A searing pain ripped through her shoulder, and she stumbled, feeling the blood begin to trickle down her arm. She ba
"No! No, no, no!!" Danicaâs voice broke with desperation as she dropped to her knees in front of her. "No, Anna, I wonât do it! IâI can't!" Her gaze shifted to Primo Alessandro, filled with defiance, as she stood up. "Who the hell are you to do this?! Do you really think Iâll play your disgusting game?!""Danica," Anna called out firmly, standing up beside her. Her voice was steady, but the uncertainty that gripped her heart was clear in her eyes.Primo Alessandro stood up abruptly, his sudden movement sending a chill through the air as he swiftly pulled out a gun, aiming it directly at her. Annaâs eyes widened as she instinctively took a step back."Primo," KIllianâs voice rang out, his grip firm as he seized his uncleâs arm, halting him mid-action."What!" Alessandro snapped, grabbing Killianâs arm in turn, but Killian didnât even flinch.Their actions drew the attention of everyone in the room. Killian's gaze, full of intensity, was locked on his uncle. He gripped Primo Alessandroâ
"DĂ©jĂ vu." Primo Alessandro's smile was maddening.Anna could hear every beat of her heart, so loud it felt deafening. The windâs chill brushed over her hands and feet, sending a strange shiver through her body. Her skin prickled, refusing to settle, as she stood frozen, her eyes wide open and fixed on him. Her breath was heavy as she stared into his eyes, and memories of seventeen years ago came rushing back.The pounding in her chest screamed with fury, a fury born from his murder of her parents. The memory of his men beating her mother was still fresh in her mind. The sound of the gunshot that ended her motherâs life echoed in her ears."We've met again," Primo Alessandro said, his smile dripping with the promise of death.Anna couldnât speak. Her tears had dried up, but the sharpness of her glare remained, piercing through him. If her glare were made of knives, his head would have been severed from his neck by now.He hadn't changed at all in appearance or posture. But the gray in
The loud commotion pulled her out of a restless sleep. Anna's eyes snapped open, her head pounding and her vision blurry. It took her a moment to realize she had fallen asleep on the cold, hard floor of her room the previous night.Her sluggish thoughts were quickly jolted into clarity by an ear-splitting explosion that shook the entire mansion. The tremor was so violent it felt as though the earth itself had shifted beneath her.Whatâs happening?She bolted upright, twisting the doorknob and stepping out into the hallway. Her ears rang with the deafening sound of gunfire, and her breath hitched as she peered down the staircase. Smoke engulfed the mansion like a suffocating shroud.Her eyes widened in horror. Men clad in all-black tactical gear swarmed the premisesâuncannily similar to the Lombardiâs men. She froze on the spot, watching as the Costas guards exchanged relentless gunfire with the intruders.âA-are thoseâŠ?â She covered her mouth, a trembling hand betraying her growing p
Decades ago, when she was only six years old, Anna vividly remembered the night her life changed forever.It was late evening when she arrived home from school, walking alone because she had assumed someone would pick her up. Innocent and unaware, she returned to find their house in chaos.Scattered belongings littered the floor, shards of broken glass crunched under her small shoes, and droplets of blood painted a chilling path across the ground. Still clad in her uniform, her bag slung over her shoulder, she froze in the doorway, her voice trembling as she called out.âMama?ââMama? Mama!â Her cries echoed as she searched the house, growing more desperate with each unanswered call. The sound of a babyâs wailing drew her to one of the rooms. There, she found her infant sister, Danica, locked inside a wardrobe.âDanica!â she gasped, her shock momentarily paralyzing her. Without hesitation, she scooped her into her arms. The baby babbled incoherently, managing only, âA... A!ââher attem
"Can you please just stop?!"After an hour of non-stop crying from the baby, Chiarra couldn't handle the frustration anymore. She clutched the infant in her arms even tighter, which only made the baby wail louder."Enough! Enough! Stop it!" Overwhelmed by the incessant noise, she nearly dug her fingers into the small, swaddled body of her child. Her eyes filled with tears, no longer sure what to do to make the crying stop.The exhaustion from sleepless nights spent caring for her baby, combined with the constant arguments with Darson, left her drained and on edge every day. Because of this, all her pent-up anger and frustration were taken out on the maids in the mansionâand on her own child."I told you to stop already! I canât take this anymore! Please, just give me a break!" Chiarra pleaded tearfully, her voice shaking with both rage and desperation as she yelled at the baby."M-Madam⊠I'll take care of Chrystal for you. Please, just get some restâ""If I could, I already would have
Celeste woke up the next morning feeling like she had just competed in a championship sport the night beforeâher body was sore and battered.She rubbed her eyes, stretching and turning her gaze to the man beside her, who was holding her tightly.Sunlight was streaming onto his handsome face. It was no longer the early morning peek but rather noon.She lifted her weak arm to smooth out Semion's thick, disheveled hair. Her eyes traced his prominent brows and long eyelashes. She ran her fingertip down his high nose and over his thin lips.Then she realized Semion was awake, as he couldnât suppress the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile. His cheeks also rose, trying to fight returning to their usual state.Unable to help herself, she smiled and closed her eyes. âS-SeâŠâ She stopped, her voice hoarse, likely from all the shouting and cheering from the previous nightâs joy. âAre⊠um, have you been awake for a while?ââNo.â His eyes remained closed.She tried to remove Semionâs heavy a
Celeste leaned back against the wall as she sat on the low cabinet. The items that were neatly stacked there earlier were now scattered across the floor.Her heartbeat was as rapid as her breaths as she watched Semionâs head between her parted legs.This was the second time he had lowered himself like that in front of her. She was used to seeing Semion with his head held high, as if he never bowed to anyone. But now, the scene before her was the complete opposite.There was something in her feelings she couldnât explain, despite the darkness enveloping the room and the single dim light providing scant illumination.He was torridly kissing her intimate parts, just like how he had kissed her lips earlier. Hungry and thirsty for her essence.âAhhh⊠Ummm, ahhh!â The heat was overwhelming. She was leaking slick fluids that mingled with Semionâs lips and tongue. The addicting sound only ignited every muscle in her body.She gasped for air as Semion spread her long legs further apart. The on
âS-SemionâŠâCeleste gasped as Semionâs soft lips descended on her neck. Biting her lower lip, she dug her nails into the luxurious fabric of his black coat.âMmhhmmp!â She couldn't help but moan at the sensations coursing through her.The room was dark, perhaps because as soon as they entered, Semion had seized her with a kiss, like a thirsty stranger.Her plan to shower and change into comfortable clothes was quickly forgotten due to what Semion was doing to her body.His large hand slid up her dress, moving toward her underwear. Semionâs fingers pressed down on her lower body with a mixture of intensity and possessiveness. Celeste felt it acutely when he suddenly bit her neck!âAhh!â She cried out in pain, her throat dry as she gasped for breath.âMy wife,â Semionâs warm breath invaded her ear, making her shiver and raising the hair on her arms. âI want to mark you as mineâŠâ He kissed the spot he had bitten. âJust for meâŠâ He licked the mark. âAll mine.â His teeth brushed against he