MasukALLYS POV "Miss Mariel, Señorito Leon is here," Lita told me. "Really?" I quickly went out of my room and hurried down the stairs. Before I could even reach the bottom, I already saw Leon sitting in our living room. "Leon," I called out, and he immediately turned to look at me. As soon as he saw me, he stood up from the sofa. I slowed my steps, staring intently at him. I noticed how tired he looked, and I could also see the deep furrow between his brows, as if he had been thinking hard about something serious. "Why are you here? I thought we agreed we wouldn't see each other until tomorrow?" I asked. That was what we had talked about yesterday, after all. I finally reached the ground floor, and I was surprised when he immediately walked over and pulled me into a tight embrace. The maids who saw this quickly averted their eyes and discreetly left the area, giving us privacy. "Leon, is there a problem?" He just took a deep breath, and I felt his embrace tighten even more. He
MELDRID POV "W-What are you talking about, Leon? Do we really need to be in a relationship just for you to have time for me?" I asked, feeling humiliated as I could hear the whispers and feel the eyes of his employees on me. "I-if that's what you want, then we can be in a relationship. You know I like you, right? I have for a long time," I added desperately. I saw him just furrow his brows at me. "Come on, Leon. Don't humiliate me like this in front of your employees. They all know we've known each other for years. What's more, they know that the only thing missing between us is making it official." He took a deep breath, looking as if I was just adding more weight to his problems. Why was he acting like this? He was being so strange! "I don't have time for you, Meldrid. And besides, I already have a girlfriend, and you know very well who she is. So why are you doing this now? Can't you just show us some respect?!" The murmurs around us grew louder, and I felt so ashamed that I
LEON POV "I'm sorry, bro. But Father is right. I need a break from all of this. I don't want the company to fail because of me. I'll go back to El Fuego first thing tomorrow." Kuya Zamrick's words kept repeating in my mind like a broken record. After saying those final words earlier, he immediately walked out of my office, followed by Dad and Mom. I couldn't believe they were leaving the entire responsibility of the company to me. Now that I had been chosen to lead the family business, the time I could spend with Allys would be drastically reduced. Why did this have to happen now? Just when things were going perfectly between us and our relationship was finally on the right track. Why now? I stood up abruptly, grabbed my coat from the back of my chair, and stormed out of my office. As soon as I opened the door, I saw Meldrid talking to my secretary, Lindsy. My gaze turned sharp as I remembered how she had eavesdropped on our family conversation earlier. After what happened ins
MELDRID POV Just like the man said, Leon really wasn't home last night. I leaned back against my seat, exhausted, after parking right outside his company building. I slowly got out and looked up at the towering structure. They better not tell me their boss isn't here again. What has he been doing these past few days? Whenever I call him, he doesn't even bother to answer. I slammed the car door shut arrogantly and walked straight inside. The security guards and some employees in the lobby immediately greeted me. I headed straight for the 40th floor, where Leon's office was located. As soon as the doors opened, I saw his secretary sitting right outside his office. She seemed to notice my arrival and quickly stood up, bowing slightly. "Good morning, Miss Alcantara," she greeted. "Where is your boss?" I asked, glancing at his closed door. "Mr. Mondragon is inside, Miss," she replied. I smiled at her answer. Good, at least he was here now. "Thank you, Lindsy," I said and walked
ALLYS POV "Mariel! You're home already?" Leon and I were in the middle of dinner when two middle-aged women suddenly called out to me. We both looked up, and their eyes almost popped out of their heads when they realized who I was with. "I-It's you, Engineer." Their cheerful expressions were instantly replaced by shock. "And you two are together? What's going on? Are you two dating now, Engineer Mondragon?" One of them looked so surprised that she covered her mouth. "Oh my god! So, your wedding is really pushing through? We thought your engagement was called off a long time ago—that's what Mrs. Alcantara has been telling everyone," the other added. Mrs. Alcantara? Who is that? "Oh please! We all know that family is just delusional. Everyone knows her daughter, Meldrid, is the one chasing after the Engineer." "I can't believe they're spreading such fake news." So, the Mrs. Alcantara they were talking about was Meldrid's mother. Leon cleared his throat and spoke to them in a
ALLYS POV "I love you. I love you so damn much, Allys. You are the only woman who has ever made me feel this kind of intense love. I love you," he said, then kissed me. After we finished showering, we got dressed together. I was standing in front of the full-length mirror inside his walk-in closet, running my fingers through my long hair. I gently bit my lips to make them look redder, and it worked perfectly. "You ready?" Leon asked, leaning against the doorframe. I turned to look at him and nodded quickly. I saw his gaze travel down my body, and then he frowned. "Damn! I told Lucas to pick decent clothes. Is this what he considers decent?" he muttered as he grabbed a black coat from one of the cabinets. I was surprised when he draped it over my shoulders, clearly wanting me to wear it. I couldn't help but furrow my brows at him. What was his problem? I thought I looked fine! I was wearing a black strapless mini dress. It actually suited me very well, making my fair skin stand
LEON'S POV "Please let's go back inside my unit, baby," I said softly to Mariel once she’d calmed down from her crying. The elevator doors opened, and I immediately shot a glare at the people waiting to get in while still holding Mariel in my arms. The two men standing there stepped back when the
ALLY'S POV “No,” I quickly shook my head and stepped back a few paces away from him. “You’re a liar. I won’t believe your lies again, Leon. Not again!” I said calmly but firmly. He only moved closer, his lips nearly touching my ear. I struggled, but he held me tight. “You used me,” I accused him
ALLY'S POV I quickly got out of bed and headed for the closed door. Leon looked surprised, so he immediately stood up and wrapped his arm around my small waist to stop me from leaving. “What is it?! Let go of me! Let go of me, Leon!” I shouted as I struggled to break free from his embrace. Inste
LEON'S POV I stared at Mariel’s car as it drove away. She didn’t even look back at me as she walked out of the restaurant earlier. What was all that about? Why is she so furious with me? We were fine just yesterday! What’s wrong between us now? Why is she so angry? I turned to look at Meldrid beh







