Mrs. Ruiz sank down onto the sofa, her whole body heavy with exhaustion. She picked up the glass of orange juice on the coffee table and drained it in one long gulp, as if hoping it would wash away the bitter taste of regret. She set the glass back down with a thud, her body sagging with the weight of her sorrow.Mrs. Ruiz looked at the Sobreranos, her expression grave. "I think you should sit down for this," she said, gesturing to the sofa. "It's not going to be easy to hear."The Sobreranos looked at each other, their eyes wide with worry. Slowly, they sat down, taking their seats on the sofa opposite Mrs. Ruiz. The room was silent, filled with the heavy weight of anticipation.Mr. André sat forward, his eyes fixed on Mrs. Ruiz. "Please, tell us what happened three years ago," he said, his voice soft but urgent. "We need to know the truth."Mrs. Ruiz paused, collecting her thoughts. She could feel the weight of the past three years pressing down on her, but she knew she had to tell t
"Go away, Kathryn! I won't open the door!" Althea shouted, her voice full of anger and fear. She could hear Kathryn's muffled voice on the other side of the door, but she refused to listen to her."Althea!" Kathryn yelled, banging on the door again. "You can't just ignore me like this! Please, I need to talk to you!""I don't want to talk to you!" Althea snapped, her hands trembling as she held onto the doorknob. There was a sudden, sharp knock on the window."Who's there?" Althea whispered, her heart pounding in her chest. She slowly turned towards the window, her hand trembling as she reached out to draw the curtains back. She felt her breath catch in her throat as she saw a face staring back at her from the other side of the glass. It was Timothy.She let out a gasp, her hand flying to her mouth in shock."Althea..." he said, his voice low and urgent. "Please, you have to let me in!" Timothy said, his eyes wide with fear. "I need to talk to you, and I don't have much time."Althea
"Mrs. Ruiz!" Kathryn exclaimed, her voice trembling with fear. "I just heard voices coming from Althea's room! I think Timothy's in there!""We know," Mr. André said, his voice grim. "We heard from Henry and Bella."Mrs. Ruiz's heart sank. She had a sinking feeling that something terrible had happened."Move aside," she said to Kathryn, her voice firm but trembling. "I have the spare key to Althea's room."Kathryn stepped aside, her hands shaking as she watched Mrs. Ruiz unlock the door."I tried to break down the door," Kathryn said, her voice full of regret. "But I wasn't strong enough.""It's okay, Kathryn," Mrs. Ruiz said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We'll figure this out."Mrs. Ruiz stepped into Althea's room, the others close behind her. The window was wide open, the curtains fluttering in the breeze. The room was empty, Althea's bed unmade."Where did she go?" Henry asked, his voice trembling."I have a feeling I know where she is," Mrs. Ruiz said grimly. "With that boy, Ti
Timothy pulled up in his uncle's driveway, which was technically the front yard. He turned off the car, let out a deep sigh, and turned to Althea. "Wait right here," he said, his hands still on the steering wheel.Althea didn't like the idea of being alone. "But where are you going?" she asked."Just wait right here," Timothy said, running his hands through his hair. "I need to do some checking with my uncle, to make sure everything is in order before you come in."Althea still felt uncomfortable. "But..." she started to protest."But nothing," Timothy said, reaching for Althea's face and cupping it in his hands. "I promise I won't be long. I'll be back before you can say...Maya Redfield""Maya Redfield," Althea finished, trying to prove him wrong."That's not how it goes," Timothy said with a light chuckle."Then how does it go?" Althea asked, slowly reaching out to cup his face in her hands.Timothy leaned in close. "Like this," he whispered, and their lips met in a passionate kiss.
"Sir, we've located them at the airport," one of the guards said into his phone, his eyes fixed on the couple standing in front of him. "They were about to board a flight to the Philippines using fake passports."Timothy moved to shield Althea, his hands outstretched in front of her as if to protect her from the guards. His eyes were wide, his body tense, ready for whatever might happen next, ready to attack."Bring the girl back to me, unharmed," a voice on the other end of the line said, the words dripping with menace. "I don't want a single scratch on her, or you'll regret it."The guard looked up from the phone, his eyes cold as he took in Timothy and Althea. "The boss says you're to bring the girl back to him," he said, his voice hard and unyielding. "What about the boy?" he asked, his eyes fixed on Timothy. "What do we do with him?"“Teach him a good lesson!” Adam, the voice on the other side, ordered as he ended the call. He was in a room at the hotel, fitting into his wedding s
Adam's eyes were filled with rage and sorrow. "Maxwell," he said, his voice tight with emotion. "Kill this guard! I won't tolerate anyone harming Althea, not even one of my own men."Maxwell hesitated, but he knew better than to disobey a direct order from his boss. He turned to face the guard, a dangerous glint in his eyes.As soon as Maxwell led the guard out of the room, Adam's heart began to race. He was alone with Althea, and he had no idea what to say. He watched as she turned toward the door, her hand resting on the doorknob."Althea, please," he said, his voice shaking. "Just hear me out."Althea paused, her back still turned to him. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then, slowly, she opened the door about to walk, not giving a thought to Adam's words. Adam's heart pounded in his chest. He couldn't let her leave without saying what he needed to say. So, he gently took hold of her arm and whispered, "Wait."Adam reached out and gently turned Althea toward him, then closed th
Adam and Maxwell entered the room, and Althea, the cleaning lady, quickly moved to the corner, trying to avoid their gaze. Adam looked around the room, and then turned to face the others. "We need some privacy," he said, his voice authoritative. "Can you please leave us alone?"Althea felt her heart skip a beat. She didn't want to be in the room while these two men were talking, but she didn't want to cause a scene by leaving. She glanced at Maxwell, hoping he would take the lead.Althea was relieved when she heard Adam's request for privacy. Her eyes lit up in delight knowing that she would be able to leave without being noticed. She quickly gathered up her cleaning supplies and made a beeline for the door, careful not to make any noise while Maxwell followed suit. As she turned the handle, she let out a silent sigh of relief. She went her way,abandoning the cleaning equipment, heading down the stairs and out the back door, feeling like she had just escaped something terrible.She f
Althea walked up the front steps of the orphanage home, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. The taxi driver had dropped her off and Mrs. Lisa, the godmother of the orphanage, greeted her warmly. As they entered the building, Mrs. Lisa's expression turned from welcoming to one of concern as she looked at Althea, knowing that today was supposed to be her wedding day.Althea told Mrs. Lisa the whole story, though much of it was already known to her. The older woman listened patiently, letting Althea speak without interruption.“Mr. Wilson had been to the orphanage before," Mrs. Lisa said, letting out a deep breath. "He offered us money if we would promise to call him if you ever showed up here. I guess you could say he had a premonition about what would happen."Althea's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe that Mr. Wilson had been to the orphanage and made such an offer. It made her feel even more betrayed and angry. She had no idea that he was so determined to control her l