I pulled out my ring and held it in front of him. "I'm calling off our engagement. I won't - won't marry a cheating bastard like you. You can live happily ever after with someone else, like Blair Anderson. Smile, Jayden - you're finally getting rid of me, may you live happily ever after with your dear girlfriend." I said with a fake smile and cold eyes. "Oh, and before I forget, I, Ashley Van Smith, of the Red Moon Pack, reject Jayden Ronan Keller, of the Crimson Pack, as my mate and fiancé, we are hereby no longer related." ******************************************** In which Ashley Van Smith and Jayden Ronan Keller are mated and engaged. Because of the arranged marriage made by their parents. Problems arise when Ashley finds out that Jayden is involved in an unfaithful relationship. Ashley never thought that she would be in a relationship with a cheater. So she wants to end this engagement because he cheated on her, but fate decides to intervene and Jayden suffers from amnesia that only she seems to be able to deal with. Ashley, despite not having deep feelings for him, feels there is still a bond between them and has a sense of responsibility to help recover his memory and guide him through his difficult times. In the midst of her efforts to help Jayden recover, Ashley is faced with a difficult decision. Will she stay by his side and help him through this difficult time, even though Jayden is in love with someone else? Or should Ashley simply let Jayden go?
View MoreSUMASARA NA ANG talukap ng mga mata ni Daviana nang makatanggap siya ng hindi inaasahang tawag mula sa police station. Laking pagtataka ng dalaga dahil halos hatinggabi na iyon. Tamang-tama lang iyon sa kanyang pamamahinga. Kakatapos lang niyang gawin ang research projects. Lumipad sa kung saan ang antok niya nang malaman mula sa kausap na pulis na nasangkot na naman umano sa gulo si Warren Gonzales. Magulo ang pagkaka-kwento ng kausap niyang pulis kung kaya naman hindi niya lubos maintindihan ang tunay na nangyari. Isa pa, kabadong-kabado na siya dahil kung anu-ano na ang pumapasok sa isipan. Kilala niyang may saltik sa ulo ang lalaki pero hindi naman siguro intensyon na gumawa ng gulo.
“Jusko ka naman, Warren. Kailan ka ba magtitino ha? Isusumbong na kita sa Mommy mo eh! Wala ka pa ‘ring character development eh ang tanda-tanda mo na!” bulong-bulong niya habang nagdadabog na kinukuha ang kanyang jacket, wallet at cellphone at inilagay iyon sa sling bag niya.
Batid niyang mahihirapan na siyang makabalik sa loob ng dorm oras na lumabas siya ngayon. Curfew na. Isa pa ay maulan din ng mga oras na iyon, may sama ng panahon.
“Hija, saan ka pa pupunta? Gabing-gabi na!” natatarantang harang sa kanya ng caretaker ng kanilang dormitoryo na nagsasara na.
Mahigpit ang caretaker lalo at curfew na. Walang valid ditong rason. Oras na magpilit ka ay tatandaan ka niya at pahihirapan. Memoryado na ni Daviana iyon. Batid din niyang bukas na siya makakabalik sa lugar.
“May importante lang po akong kailangang puntahan. Sige na po, palabasin niyo na ako!”
“Alam mo naman ang patakaran, oras na lumabas ka ay hindi ka na pwedeng pumasok dahil simula na ng curfew. Ano? Tutuloy ka?”
“Opo, kailangan ko po talagang lumabas.” marahipit na pagpupumilit pa rin ni Daviana.
Hindi niya pwedeng balewalain si Warren at hayaang abutin ito ng umaga sa loob ng selda. Hindi lang iyon, nag-aalala siya na baka malala ang gulo kaya ito nasa police station. Ang worst pa sa naiisip niya ay baka naka-disgrasya ang lalaki na huwag naman sanang umabot doon. Criminal record iyon na paniguradong ikakabagsak ng pamilya nila.
“Hija, huwag mo sanang masamain pero saan ka pa ba pupunta? Masama ang lagay ng panahon. Nagpahinga lang ang ulan. Kung hindi naman importante ay—”
“Hindi niyo po ako naiintindihan. Sinabi ko na nga pong kailangan kong lumabas dahil importante. Alin po ba doon ang mahirap maunawaan? Hindi naman po ako magpipilit lumabas kung wala lang ito. Kilala niyo po ako since day one noong freshman ako. Emergency lang po talaga kaya lalabas ako!” mangiyak-ngiyak ng wika ni Daviana dito.
Unti-unting binuksan ng may edad ng babae ang gate ng dormitory na tapos na niyang isara. Hinayaan ng lumabas dito ang dalaga.
“Ang mga college students nga naman ngayon, ang titigas na ng ulo. Ang gagaling na rin magsinungaling para makuha lang ang gusto. Ibang-iba na sila noong unang panahon na ang titino at hindi mapapalabas sa dis-oras ng gabi. Hindi na rin sila masabihan dahil ayaw ng makinig sa matatanda na para rin naman sa kaligtasan nila. May sarili na silang mga desisyon sa buhay na akala nila ay madali lang kapag nagkamali. Wala na rin silang respeto sa kanilang mga sarili.” pasaring pa ng matanda na hindi na lang pinansin doon ni Daviana.
Hindi niya pwedeng sabihin dito ang totoo dahil baka mamaya ay makarating pa iyon sa kanilang mga magulang. Pagod na rin siyang paulit-ulit na magpaliwanag. Hindi rin naman nito maiintindihan ang nararamdaman niya kahit na pilitin niya pa. Nagmamadali na siyang lumabas ng building kahit na umaambon na naman, pumara siya ng taxi upang magtungo ng police station.
“Excuse me...” kuha niya ng atensyon ng mga police na naroon, “Narito po ako para kay Warren Gonzales.” kabadong sambit niya.
Kinausap siya ng nasa front desk at sinabi sa kanya ang mga dapat niyang gawin. Nag-fill up siya ng form at naglabas din ng pera. Mabuti na lang at nasa kanya ang secret savings ni Warren na pwede niyang kunin in case na may mga ganitong sitwasyon. Ang lalaki rin ang nagpro-provide ng laman nito.
“Miss, ano ang relasyon mo kay Warren Gonzales?” interesado ng tanong ng police officer na tumanggap ng sinulatang form.
Nagkaroon ng bahagyang pag-aalinlangan sa inosenteng mukha si Daviana. Nahahati ang isip niya kung magsasabi siya ng totoo dito.
“Kaibigan niya po. Magkaibigan na kami mula mga bata pa lang kami.” sagot niyang hindi na piniling magsinungaling at sabihin na siya ang soon to be wife or fiance ng lalaki.
Matalik na magkaibigan ang mga ninuno ng kanilang mga pamilya. Nagsimula iyon sa kanilang mga Lolo na biruan lang sa simula. Nagkasundo sila na ipapakasal ang kanilang mga apo kapag nasa takdang panahon na. Hindi naman iyon tinutulan ng kanilang mga magulang. Tinanggap nila ng maluwag sa puso ang plano na ipapakasal ang mga bata kapag nasa hustong edad na at nakapagtapos na rin ng kanilang pag-aaral. Seneryoso iyon ng dalawang pamilya at maging ni Daviana na mula pagkabata ay alam niya na ang magiging kapalaran niya sa pag-aasawa. Si Warren lang ang magulo sa kanilang kausap. Hindi maintindihan kung gusto ba siya nito o hindi. Kapag tatanungin ng kanilang mga magulang, hindi nito masabi ang kanyang gusto kaya minsan naiisip niyang napipilitan lang ito. Bagama’t natanggap na rin ni Daviana ang lahat ng iyon, hindi niya pa rin tahasang masabi na fiancee siya ng lalaki. Ang palagi lang niyang nababanggit ay dahil magkaibigan sila halos sabay na ‘ring lumaki.
“Iisa lang kasi ang numerong nakalagay sa kanyang emergency contact sa cellphone at iyon ay ang number mo lang kaya ang buong akala namin ay kapamilya ka o girlfriend.” gulantang ang mukha ng police officer ng sabihin niya iyon habang matamang nakatingin sa kanya. “Para sa iyong kaalaman din Miss, kung kaya namin siya hinuli ay dahil gumawa siya ng malaking gulo sa loob ng bar. May report na ang buong pangyayari. Sabi niya ay self defense lang daw at pagtatanggol lang niya iyon sa kasintahan na napag-tripan ng kapwa babae niya sa loob mismo ng bar. Napag-tripan ng magtungo ito ng banyo.”
Ashley POV“Don’t talk like that,” I protested, clenching my fists. “You’re not going to die anytime soon. You’re still young, and coronary heart disease isn’t a slow-killing illness. You can still live a long and healthy life.”He chuckled. “I hope you’re right about that. As for me, I know I can’t go until I have fulfilled my duty as a father and watched you marry your mate and the one you love.”My eyes pricked with tears, the urge to lower my gaze before losing control was overwhelming. No matter how much I wanted to ask Mom. . . no, demand that she stay and help me become the true leader of Red Moon Inc., I could not bring myself to ask the question. How could I, when her true love and her mate were on the verge of sudden death?“I hope you can understand, Ash,” she said, her usually piercing voice now sounding unexpected — soft and flat. “And we both know this is hard for you. But please, be strong. For the company, for yourself — for all of us.”I simply nodded, unable to utter
Ashley POVAfter kicking off my high heels, my feet padded quietly toward the sound, not sure if I could trust my instincts or not, given how drained I was at the time. Yet, I felt both glad and anxious as I found my parents in Dad's study at home. Glad, because I was relieved Dad had left the healing center and finally returned home. Anxious, because the expressions on my parents’ faces left no room for me to feel emotionally relieved.Mom's lips pressed into a thin line as she stood leaning against one of the bookshelves that adorned the wall, while Dad sat behind his desk, his hands covering his face. Various folders and piles of paper were scattered across the desk and the surrounding area. The atmosphere, already filled with something I could not put my finger on, grew even more tense as my parents stared at me and said nothing.“What’s wrong?” I asked.Dad lowered his hands from his face and smiled at me. “Nothing, sweety. We are just looking for some documents.”I figured Mom w
Ashley POVIt was only when I jolted awake from the intense vibration of my phone that I realized I had dozed off. The sensation snapped me back to consciousness, so I quickly grabbed my phone and managed to answer it just in time.“Hello?” I called out, rubbing my eyes.“It’s me,” the caller said. He sounded out of breath as if he had just been working out or rushing somewhere.Feeling flustered, I frantically glanced around, searching for Miles, then sighed in relief as I noticed he was no longer there. “Yes?” I said absentmindedly.“You called me earlier.”“Oh.” Blaming myself for falling asleep in what should have been his office, I looked down at myself. Someone, probably Miles, had covered me with his large, warm plaid shirt.“You did not call me all weekend,” he said, a hint of annoyance in his voice. “And now that you finally called me, all you say is ‘oh’?”“I just woke up from a nap,” I replied, defending myself slightly. “And I was too busy to call you.”“Busy with what?”I
Ashley POVThe sound of the doorbell startled me to the point of almost making me jump up. But even so, his expression had not changed, as he calmly opened the door. He exchanged a few words with whoever was standing outside, then closed the door and headed back to his seat.“Well?” I asked when he refused to speak.His piercing, dark eyes were hard for me to decipher. “If that is what Jayden says, then you have to believe him.”“So I'm jealous and worried for no reason?”“Yes.”I let out a breath of relief that I did not even realize I was holding in. “Great. Okay. Please don't tell him that I have asked you about these things.”“I won't,” he replied simply.I flashed him a smile, and was just about to wonder what exactly he wanted my help with when a loud growl escaped my stomach, knocking me off my feet.“You are starving.”“I think so.” Wrapping a hand around my stomach, as if that would help, I smiled sheepishly. “I will eat something when I get home. Let's move on to you. What d
Ashley POVOnly a few people wandered along the hallway, but I still did not want to talk about my personal affairs out loud. So, as much as his reaction intrigued me, I let the matter drop. Miles simply kept quiet as he led me through the building, except when he greeted people who passed us by. Deep down I wondered how much further we had to walk when he finally stopped to open a door.The door opened into a smaller area that almost looked like a shelter. From where I stood in the doorway, all I could see was a small kitchen in the corner and a seating area for two or three people. This area seemed to stretch further past the seating area, most likely leading to additional rooms or spaces.The carpeted floor was surely not for outdoor shoes, this was evident as I watched him kick off his sneakers and put on the slippers that were already waiting on the shoe rack next to the door.It was with a sigh of relief that was almost a groan that I slipped the shoes off my feet. “Do you have
Ashley POVThe rest of the meeting went by in a blur. I still remembered some parts of that meeting over lunch with Jared. Still, I was so wrapped up in wanting to hear what he thought about my performance that I couldn't care less about what might actually be important information. He kept reassuring me that I was doing well, but I kept overthinking myself as I headed back to headquarters and visited every floor to announce my Dad's resignation and his replacement — myself. I was beyond exhausted after everything was done and almost fell asleep once I got into the car.But that was when my cell phone started buzzing.“Straight home?” David asked.Shaking my head, I read the message on my phone. “Stop by the Starry Sky Entertainment building.”“Shouldn't you rest today? You can meet Jayden another time.”“I will be fine,” I lied.After all, it was not Jayden who sent the message to me.*****“We are here.”I had not even realized that I had fallen asleep on the way to the Starry Sky E
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