ログイン“I need three people from your team to come with me to Cebu,” I began, letting my eyes move across the room. “Vanesya, Migo, and Maggy—you’ll be coming with me tomorrow. We’ll be there for five days, so bring everything you need. We leave early. That’s all. You may return to work.”Tomorrow, we were heading to Cebu to handle a serious issue involving our staff there. I chose three employees to assist me with the tasks I would need to manage. Since we were leaving the next morning, I went home right after work to pack.“You know I really want to stop you from going, Gianna,” Gael said with a sarcastic tone. “But I guess I don’t have a choice. It’s part of your job.”“It’s fine,” I replied. “It’s only five days—and he won’t be coming.”I didn’t need to mention his name. Gael understood immediately.He exhaled deeply. “Alright. Just be careful. And hopefully that man doesn’t suddenly decide to come along and ruin what little peace you’ll have.”“This isn’t a vacation,” I said.“Still,” h
The next morning, I arrived at the office early. The brown envelope Nayumi had given me yesterday was still inside my bag. I hadn’t opened it yet—but curiosity gnawed at me.I pulled it out and was about to open it when the office door suddenly opened.I quickly placed the envelope on my desk and covered it with a pen. Then I turned toward the person who had entered.“Ms. Akeshia? What are you doing here?” I asked, standing up immediately and helping her sit on the sofa. Her belly was already big, and it was obvious she was struggling to walk on her own.She smiled at me. “Thank you,” she said, placing her small shoulder bag beside her.“By the way, where’s L?” she asked. “I came here to see him.”“He hasn’t arrived yet,” I replied. “Would you like something to eat while you wait?”“No need,” she said softly. “Just please call him for me. I need to talk to him about something important.”I nodded hesitantly and walked back to my desk, my eyes landing on my phone.Why am I so nervous?
“What are we doing here?” I asked.She glanced around before pulling me inside. We sat at an empty table tucked away at the far end of the restaurant. I didn’t know why, but it felt as if we were hiding.“Is something wrong?” I asked again.She stared at me for a long moment, barely blinking. A chill crept over my skin.“What do you want from me?” I asked for the third time. Still, she didn’t answer. She looked away and fidgeted with her fingers. It was unsettling.I was about to stand when she stopped me with one hand.“Let go of me,” I warned, but she didn’t.“If this is about your father, then we have nothing to talk about—”She cut me off.“Look, Gianna. I need to confess something. Just… please listen to me first.”I slowly pulled my hand back and sat properly.“Make it quick,” I said.A waiter approached and placed water and menus on the table, but neither of us touched them.“What I’m about to tell you could cost me my life,” she said quietly. “So please, listen carefully.”She
Several days had passed, yet I felt as if I were floating—detached from everything around me. I was constantly lost in my thoughts, barely aware of what was happening in front of me.For days, I avoided Mr. Jim whenever he tried to talk to me again. I didn’t want to see him. I didn’t want to accept the possibility that what he had told me was true. Until yesterday, it seemed he had finally grown tired of trying—he stopped showing up altogether.With so many thoughts crowding my mind, I wished I could disappear, even just for a while. I wanted to run—far away from my problems. I wanted to go somewhere unfamiliar, a place where no one knew me, where the people who caused this pain didn’t exist. I needed time to think. I was exhausted—tired of everything happening in my life.I wanted to ask myself what I had done to deserve all of this.Why me?Why was I the one who didn’t have the strength to fight anymore?“Gianna? Ms. Gianna?”I snapped back to reality, realizing someone had been cal
Gianna’s POVThe day ended without him speaking to me.He didn’t say a word.He didn’t talk about what happened.He didn’t even apologize.And that hurt more than I wanted to admit.What made it worse was how angry I felt at myself—for waiting.For hoping he would at least say sorry.For expecting an explanation I knew I might never get.So now, as the day ended in silence, my chest ached painfully.Maybe I finally needed to accept the truth—he never cared about what we had.Why was I still hoping?Didn’t he use me from the start?Used me for reasons I still didn’t understand.I was walking toward the jeepney stop when a car suddenly stopped in front of me.The window rolled down, and for some reason, my heart began to race the moment I recognized the man inside.“You are Gianna Magsandingan, correct?” he asked.“Yes, sir,” I replied.He smiled and stepped out of the car.“Is there something you need, Mr. Jim?” I asked, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he simply stared at me—as if study
Gianna’s POVI was fixing my skirt when Gael walked into the room. She frowned and stepped closer to me.“Where are you going?” she asked.I walked toward the bed before answering.“It’s Monday. I have work,” I said simply.She froze.“Tell me I heard that wrong,” she said, her brows knitting together. I didn’t answer.I sat on the bed and reached for my sandals.“You’re really going back there?” she asked irritably, sitting beside me.“I thought you were going to resign.”“I’m not resigning,” I replied calmly. I knew that was what everyone expected of me.But no—I wasn’t running away again. I wasn’t leaving this time.I wanted to show them that I didn’t care anymore, that I was done being used.“The company needs me, Gael,” I said. “You know how serious the company’s situation is right now, don’t you?”She scoffed in frustration.“So are you going back because of the company—or because you still want to help him?”I paused at her question. I let out a sigh before turning to face her.







