Never ever after

I am Samantha Perez. I have big dreams for my parents. I want to be rich, so I applied and started working at a casino in Makati. That’s where I met the man who would steal my heart—and eventually break it. His name is Gabriel Bustamante, son of a wealthy billionaire. Handsome, strong, and a bit of a bad boy—he loved casinos. I’ve always been picky with men and never allowed myself to be fooled… but somehow, he was the only one I ever fell for. This is where my story begins. “Samantha, the boss is looking for you,” one of my co-workers called out. “Erika, just tell him I’ll be there later. I’m finishing something,” I replied. “Hey, did you know the boss has someone with him—and he’s handsome,” Erika teased. But I wasn’t interested. “Ugh, come on. I’m used to seeing faces like that every day,” I answered, unfazed. Then suddenly, my boss walked in, and with him was a tall, handsome, and well-built man. I froze. I couldn’t stop staring at him as I cleaned the glass in my hand.

Gabriel hurried to start his car, hoping to catch up with Samantha.“Excuse me, miss—is Samantha still here?” he asked one of Samantha’s coworker.“She just left, Sir Gabriel. Why?” Samantha’s coworker, Erika, replied.“Just wondering... what time did she leave?”“Around eleven o’clock. She was supposed to clock out earlier, but she was restless, seemed like she was looking for something around here,” said Erika.“Really? Hmm. I’ll try to find her.”He hurried off, speeding in his car—but he completely failed to catch up with Samantha. Meanwhile, Samantha felt irritated and resentful, especially after seeing Gabriel’s flirtatious interaction with Dianne.“I don’t care if you two flirt with each other—I hope he thinks he’s really something. That woman was so annoying. Who does she think she is?” she muttered. She removed her socks and leaned back on the bed. She thought about Gabriel for a long time before finally falling asleep.Later, she asked herself quietly: “Samantha, what’s happ

“You know, there’s only one thing I want right now—and that’s Samantha,” he told his cousin.“Who? That girl from the casino? Is she the one you’re talking about?” his cousin asked.“Yeah, that’s her,” he replied.“What if your mom finds out about her?”“You know, my mom doesn't care about me anymore. With all the girls she introduced to me, none of them lasted.”“Alright, I’ll get going now,” his cousin said, saying goodbye.“Say hi to Uncle Armand for me.”“Didn’t you see him at the casino?”“I haven’t seen him around for a while.”“You and your dad are really the same—ladies' men, even at your age,” his cousin joked as he headed out the door.“It runs in the family. What can we do? We’re just made that way.”Then he turned to the housemaid and gave instructions.“Yaya, don’t let any woman in here, no matter what they say—whether they claim to be my girlfriend, wife, or anything else. Don’t let them in unless it’s Alexa, because she’s my cousin.” Then he added, “I’ll be out later. I

“I’ll go book a flight first, Mama.”“Alright, your dad and I will be waiting here, Gabriel,” she said. He immediately told his cousin what happened.“Alexa, Dad had a heart attack. I need to go back to America.”“What? How’s Uncle doing?”“Dad’s in critical condition. Alexa, please don’t tell anyone I’m leaving. Not even Samantha.”“Okay, you have my word.”From that day on, Gabriel never showed up at the casino again.“Erika, have you seen Gabriel?” I asked my co-worker curiously. It had been almost a week since I last saw him at the casino, and I was starting to feel suspicious.“You’re right, I haven’t seen him either. I wonder what happened. Why don’t you ask the boss—maybe he knows where Gabriel went.”“Right, they are close, aren’t they?”“There’s the boss now, go talk to him.”“Boss,” I called out while he was in a conversation.“Oh, Samantha, is there a problem? Just a second, let me step away. What’s going on, dear?”“Boss, do you know where Gabriel is?”“No, he didn’t say a

“Mom, it hurts so much,” I cried while holding my mother’s hand.“Child, I can’t go in with you anymore. You can do this. I went through the same thing when I gave birth to you. Be strong,” she encouraged.“Okay, Mom,” I replied, and then they brought me into the delivery room.After three hours, I gave birth to mine and Gabriel’s daughter. I lost consciousness after delivering our baby girl.“Doctor, how is my daughter?” my mother asked the doctor.“Ah, are you the patient’s mother? She’s stable now. Where is the baby’s father?”“He’s gone, doctor. He left them,” my mother responded.“I see. Then please go inside, Ma’am, so someone can assist the patient.”“How are you, child?” my mother asked me, full of concern.“I’m okay, Mom, but giving birth really hurts.”“Here’s your baby, Ma’am,” said the nurse, carrying my child.“She’s so beautiful, she looks just like you,” said my mother.“Really, Mom?” I smiled as she held the baby.“My grandchild is so lovely. What are you going to name