7

Shit…

Izzy cursed under her breath after reading the short text message sent by the man who, despite helping her mother, she knew had a bad attitude.

Seth Santiago…

Of all the days, why did he have to invite her for lunch at his house today? And at a time when she had no excuse to refuse.

Izzy let out a deep sigh and shifted her gaze to her smiling mother.

She returned the smile before slowly approaching her while discreetly slipping her phone into her pocket.

"Is there a problem, dear?"

Her mother’s voice still sounded weak.

"N-no, Mom… Are you feeling better now?"

"A little better. My wound still hurts a bit, but I can breathe much easier now…"

"T-that’s good to hear. Don’t worry, when you get out of here, I’m sure you won’t feel any more pain. I know you’re going to make a full recovery, Mom…"

She forced a smile, but for some reason, guilt immediately consumed her as she saw the happiness in her mother’s eyes.

It was guilt that she tried to hide behind her smile, which only intensified when her mother spoke again.

"Yes, I hope so. I’ll do my best to recover quickly, so we won’t be an embarrassment to the charity you said helped us."

Izzy instinctively held her breath when she heard her own lie repeated. She glanced at Carl, who had remained silent but whose disappointment was evident.

"By the way, can you call the head of that charity, dear? I’d like to personally thank them."

"That’s a great idea, Hilda," her Uncle Oscar chimed in. "In fact, I’d like to thank them as well. One and a half million pesos is no small amount for your treatment. It’s only right that we express our gratitude."

Izzy’s anxiety spiked.

Who was she supposed to call when such a charity didn’t even exist?

Why did she have to come up with a lie that was so difficult to cover up?

With no way to respond, she unconsciously scratched her head—something her best friend immediately noticed. She silently thanked him when he stepped in.

"Oh, Aunt Hilda, Uncle Oscar, I think it might be hard to contact the head of that charity. But don’t worry, I’ll try to find a way for you to talk to them."

"Oh? So, you went with Izzy to ask for help?" her mother asked.

Carl and Izzy exchanged glances before Carl quickly nodded.

"Yes, ma’am. I went with Izzy. You know how shy your daughter is—she clams up when talking to people."

Carl lied smoothly, making Izzy’s guilt even worse.

She felt like her lie kept growing, forcing her to tell even more lies. Even her best friend Carl, who had no idea what was really going on, was getting dragged into her mess.

Izzy exhaled heavily for the second time, just as her phone rang again.

But this time, it was from an unknown number.

"H-hello?"

She answered hesitantly.

"Hello, is this Miss Izzy?"

A voice she didn’t recognize spoke on the other end.

"Y-yes, this is Izzy. Who’s this?"

"Ma’am, this is Robert, Sir Seth Santiago’s driver. He sent me to pick you up. I’m outside in a black car. Sir is waiting for you."

Robert spoke at length, and Izzy cursed under her breath at the reminder.

She had completely forgotten about Seth’s text.

"O-okay… I’m on my way. Just a moment."

She muttered before quickly ending the call.

"Is something wrong?"

Her mother asked worriedly. Izzy quickly shook her head, forcing a smile.

"N-no, it’s just… work."

Another lie.

"Oh? But I thought you were on leave until your mother was discharged?"

"T-that’s what I thought too, but they’re short-staffed at the coffee shop today, so I have to go in. B-but I won’t be gone long, and I could use the extra money."

Izzy nearly bit her tongue from lying. If only she could tell them the truth without putting herself in a tough spot, she would. But it wasn’t that easy.

Like it or not, she had no choice but to keep lying.

"Alright then, hurry along. Your boss must be waiting. I’ll take care of your mother."

Her uncle assured her.

"I’ll take you there."

Carl offered, causing Izzy to panic. She shook her head rapidly.

"N-no need… There are plenty of jeeps passing by. I’ll just take one to save you some gas."

Carl frowned at her refusal, but Izzy didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she quickly approached her mother, kissed her cheek, and hurried out.

Izzy inhaled sharply the moment she stepped out of the hospital.

A sleek, jet-black luxury car greeted her.

At first glance, it was obvious that its owner wasn’t just rich—they were loaded.

On top of that, nearly everyone passing by stopped to stare at the vehicle.

"Wow… If I didn’t know this car belonged to Seth Santiago, I’d think a celebrity or even the president was inside."

She muttered, shaking her head as she peered into the tinted windows. She probably looked like a nosy gossip.

"Miss Isabel Vergara?"

"Oh my god!"

She shrieked in shock and spun around to face the owner of the deep, booming voice.

She barely stopped herself from laughing when she saw his outfit.

"Are you Miss Isabel Vergara?"

The man asked seriously. He was so tall that Izzy had to tilt her head up.

"Y-yes, that’s me… Are you a member of the ‘fan barrier squad’?"

"Fan barrier squad?"

The man looked confused. Izzy nodded solemnly.

"Yes, you know, the guys who clear a path for celebrities when they walk through crowds."

The man frowned, making Izzy slightly nervous.

"Robert. Sir Seth’s driver. He’s waiting. We need to leave now."

His dull response made Izzy frown, but she had no choice but to step back as he opened the car door for her.

"I-I’m supposed to get in there? Are you sure, sir?"

She grimaced, staring at the pristine interior.

"I-it looks cleaner than my bedroom. I-I might get it dirty…"

She added, wincing even more when Robert remained silent.

"C-can I just take a taxi instead?"

The awkward silence stretched, making the moment even more uncomfortable. With a resigned sigh, Izzy hesitantly climbed into the car.

Once she was settled, Robert shut the door and quickly got in the driver’s seat.

A few moments later, the car started moving.

Inside, Izzy sat stiffly, trying not to breathe too deeply. She kept her back away from the seat, afraid of dirtying it, gripping onto anything she could whenever the car hit a bump.

"You can sit down, Isabel. You can also lean back. Nothing’s going to happen to the car seat. And can you please try to relax? You’re all tensed up."

Izzy felt the color drain from her already pale face at the sound of the familiar deep voice from the front seat.

"S-Seth Santiago???"

She tensed up even more when he glanced back at her with a smirk.

"Nice to see you again, Izzy…"