CHAPTER 1: STARTING... AGAIN?

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‎A noisy and chaotic city greeted her.

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‎She just came back here to the Philippines from abroad for a job she couldn't refuse. She's working as a famous architect under a big company in Australia—The Carson Inc.

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‎Her boss Mr. Louis Carson sent her personally. Even though she didn't want to return to the Philippines, he forced her to do it for the project because she was the only one he could trust apart from the engineers he sent to the other country, and because she loved her job, she did the right thing even if it was against her will.

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‎Coming back to her birth country where she was dumped is traumatizing.

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‎Although it’s been years and she has moved on, the memories in the past just keep showing up in her dreams, especially in the last couple of days as her trip to the Philippines came near.

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‎It's been two years since she left. After her failed marriage to her ex-husband Archiver, she decided to start a new life in another country. She studied again and worked hard to become a famous architect—the dream she had since she was a child. But those dreams disappeared when she met and married her ex-husband.

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‎She thought she would be happy because she loved him with all her heart. She thought love was enough to save their marriage. So when her marriage life became sloppy, she didn't know where to start. Her life seemed to have lost its direction for a while.

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‎Fortunately, her friends and family were there to fully support her. Her life had a direction again and her dreams suddenly came to life, and now she had reached them. She couldn't ask for anything more now except to finish the project that her boss, who had become a friend, gave her.

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‎She let out a deep sigh and then dragged her luggage out of the airport. After she got out, there happened to be a taxi waiting for those who wanted a ride at the airport. She raised her left hand to get a ride; the taxi driver came out to help her carry the luggage.

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‎"Good day, Ma’am, to where?" the driver asked.

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‎"At Ollie’s Fortnite Condominium," she replied to the driver.

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‎Ollie Fortnite Condominium—she got a temporary condo unit to live in there while the project was ongoing. She didn't even know the client she was going to meet for the project. The boss just told her that she was building a new branch of his business, so he needed a professional architect to plan the appearance of the building. She even heard that the boss is strict and very snobbish.

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‎I don't know about Louis, and he wanted to keep the client’s name private.

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‎It’s not like I would eat the client if he keeps it a secret.

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‎I said to myself.

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‎Whoever he is, she will present the floor plans that she prepared for the said building. When she was still abroad, Louis told her the details about the project. That's why she planned the proposal one month ahead before she got home.

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‎If there were any changes to the proposal she presented tomorrow, she was sure it would be a minor one and she could afford to finish it in time.

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‎She is a perfectionist kind of person, and she always applies that to her job.

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‎She arrived at the condo at noon. Fortunately, she quickly got the key from the counter. She still had time to rest because tomorrow she would go to the office to talk to the client. She was given the address of the office she was going to, and since she had lived here before, she was sure she would not get lost.

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‎Although the city of Manila changed a bit because of the new buildings, living 24 years in this country, I bet she could still be lost.

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‎She thought she had forgotten the whole place since she left, but it was like a map engraved in the depths of her brain that now she suddenly remembered. That's when she realized that she can forget the people who hurt her but not the place where she was born.

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‎The whole condo unit is completely furnished. She told Louis that even if the condo was not completely furnished, it's fine with her because she won't be staying in Manila for long, and she knows she can finish the project right away. But he still did what he wanted and didn't listen to her.

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‎What a stupid arse.

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‎The room is covered with blue, white, and indigo—her favorite colors. There are also plants on the balcony and the city view is mesmerizing, making the place more relaxing. She then thought that Louis did it on purpose because he knew how stressful being an architect was.

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‎There are times that the client does not understand why what she wants is not followed, especially if what they want to happen is impossible. There will also be a conflict between the contract and negotiation.

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‎Because of what Louis did, she decided to give him a short message saying “thank you” with a picture of what his condo looked like. She laughed softly when she saw the name of her boss slash friend calling her, so she quickly answered the call.

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‎"Are you home yet?" Louis asked her. She couldn't help but smile. He actually called her just to check if she got to the condo properly.

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‎"Yup," she replied confidently.

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‎"Don't forget what I told you. Montenegro hates being late. You need to present your plan to him well," he reminded her again.

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‎Montenegro? It's funny that her second boss and her ex-husband even have the same last name. I just hope they are different persons.

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‎"Yes. You've been saying that to me since yesterday," she promised with a laugh. This is the first time she works away from Louis so acting a bit worried is very new to her. Other than that, she's happy.

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‎"I'm just worried about you. If something happens, please call me."

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‎She just shook her head. He was really worried even now when he was the one who pushed her to come here to the Philippines even though she was having second thoughts. He was still reminding her not to get upset. She wouldn't mind, especially if it was a client.

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‎She doesn’t tend to be late, especially when it comes to work. And one more thing, she worked hard to get to where she is now. She won't be flustered just because she's late.

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‎"Yes, sir," she jokingly laughed.

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‎After that call, she decided to give herself a long bath. After that, she called her friends and said she was home through a video call. They have their own group chat with friends so they can talk even if they are far from each other. Her friends told her that they would give her a party for coming back to Manila after two years this upcoming Saturday. She just shook her head. Her friends are still party poppers to this day.

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‎Tanya, Lira, Mavie and Nashie are her longtime friends since she was in college. They are the only ones who witnessed their love with her ex-husband when they were just starting, so they can't believe that they will end up divorced.

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‎They were the witnesses of their so-called relationship.

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‎Even now they are still asking her why they ended up in such a situation that even she can't answer because she doesn't know either. He said he doesn't have any mistress and yet he still left her without a proper explanation. It's hard to give closure to the past because she doesn't know the reason why they divorced.

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‎Although she had peace with herself already and she promised herself before she left the Philippines for Australia that she would also leave the memories behind.

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‎And I think I succeeded. I think so.

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‎But now, whether there is closure or not, she has forgotten everything that happened to her and Arch. She is happy with her life now.

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‎Mavie: Do you have any news from him?

‎Roxanne: Who is this "him"?

‎Lira: Who else? Your goodie ex-husband.

‎Roxanne: Ex? I have no news of him and please, it's been a long time. Let's move on, guys.

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‎It is true that she has no news of her ex-husband. Since the latter decided to forget everything about them, she also forgot about him. She buried everything she could to forget.

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‎Yes, she admits that she had a hard time forgetting about it. There were no days or nights that she did not cry when she was abroad. Who wouldn't cry if what you thought was a happy marriage between you and your husband turned out to be a complicated ending? If only she had known that, she might not have married Archiver and simply forgotten about their relationship. In that way, she would have saved herself from any heartbreak, but fate is really happy to play with her.

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‎Tanya: Wow. She really moved on.

‎Nashie: It seems like just a day ago, she was still crying.

‎Roxanne: I'm fine. Stop now. I don't care about him anymore.

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‎She really doesn't care about him anymore. Even if their paths cross now, she will only answer him with a smile. She's happy with her new life now. She no longer needs to look at what she and Archiver used to be together because what's the point, in fact, in the past two years of her stay in the country, she has not remembered it.

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‎It was hard at first because she was still in love with the man before, but when she realized that she should pay more attention to herself, that's when she started to recover. She learned to love and appreciate herself more. Sometimes it's really necessary to get hurt, to get hurt before a person can have a righteous path. It's natural to be stupid in love.

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‎Mavie: Sure?

‎Roxanne: Yup. Bye, guys. My jet lag is lagging haha. I miss you all.

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‎After a long chat and updating their lives, she bid farewell and rested for the day.

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‎The next day, Roxanne experienced an unfortunate accident. She woke up early so she could get to the office early, but in an unexpected chance, she got lost. She almost cried because of that. Fortunately, someone saw her and helped her get to where she was going. He pointed the way to the company where she would meet the client. Without wasting any seconds, she ran to reach the time that Louis told her.

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‎It’s already 7:58 and the meeting is 8:00.

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‎What a bad luck she had today.

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‎Arghh, how frustrating.

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‎She reached what Louis said was the time even though she got lost. When she arrived, she looked like a slaughtered chicken because she was sweating profusely and her hair was a mess. She needed to sort herself out before facing the boss of the company himself. So before she went to the office, she first looked for a comfort room and fixed herself there. When she looked presentable, she went to the secretary of the said boss where she would present the floor plans for the building that would be built according to the details that Louis told her.

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‎Just as she entered the boardroom, it seemed that fate was playing with her again.

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‎Is this a joke? she said to herself.

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‎She was now staring at the man sitting in the front, in the middle, while also staring at her. It had been two years since the last time she had seen him. Even though it was nauseating to think about it, she couldn't deny that he looked even more handsome in his black suit with his hair brushed up. He was looking at her with a very sharp look.

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‎It was as if she lost the ability to breathe and think again. The memories that she had buried in oblivion suddenly returned to her. The pains she had suffered since she left returned to her again. Now that the two of them met, she seemed to want to eat what she told her friends. They will surely laugh at her now when they find out who her client is.

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‎It’s not possible. What if he is there in front of me? I still have to do my job even if he becomes the second boss.

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‎"Shall we start?" he told her coldly, as if she was the only one who had been waiting.

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‎Roxanne took a deep breath and began to present to him the plans she had based on the details Louis had told her. After the presentation, she silently stared at Archiver as if waiting for his comment.

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‎"I like your presentation, Ms. McBeal, but I think something is missing. Please put into consideration that this is another branch of Montenegro Inc. under Montenegro Cruise Shipping Lines. I want the building to have a homey atmosphere. MCSL will be their second home. Especially for the cruise ship builders themselves."

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‎Under Montenegro Cruise Shipping Lines? Why did she just now think of that familiar name on the paper that Louis had shown her when they were still together? If she had remembered, she wouldn't have agreed to what Louis wanted. Just in case, she's here. If she ran, she was sure that she would be called a coward. Archiver might even think that she still hasn't forgotten what he did even though it's been a long time and it’s been two years.

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‎She nodded. "I will present another floor plan next week."

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‎"No. I actually want your floor plan. I just want you to change your preferences to mine. But don't worry, this is only a minor change,” he said.

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‎"Okay," I simply replied. Nothing more.

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‎He looked away—removed his gaze from her. She knew she couldn't stay in this room for another minute or second with her ex-husband. Being with him inside a room like this is enough to suffocate her.

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‎"Roxanne."

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‎He stopped her when she was about to walk away. She looked at Archiver, trembling.

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‎"How are you?" he asked her casually. Roxanne couldn't stop clenching both her palms.

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‎How are you? Is that how you'll greet your ex-wife after two years? she screamed inside. She wanted to say a lot but she chose to be quiet and act professional because she promised that she would never involve her heart in this job.

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‎She smiled casually at Archiver and then carried her shoulder bag.

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‎"It's Ms. McBeal, Mr. Montenegro. And to answer your question, I'm fine, Mr. Montenegro." She smiled and looked directly into his eyes then exited the conference room, not minding that she left her client behind.

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