Mag-log inTAJ STOPPED what he was doing when he heard three consecutive knocks on the closed door of his office. From the document he was reading, he briefly looked up before speaking. “Come in,” he said.The door slowly opened, and from there his secretary Cynthia came in.“Sir?” Cynthia called out, hesitation in her voice.“What is it?” Taj asked, eyes still not leaving what he was reading.He had a lot of pending papers to sign, because of several things that happened these past few days. He needed to sign all of them by tomorrow because he’d be flying to Manila for his weekly meeting with the board of directors of Consunji Real Estate and Construction Company.“There’s someone who wants to talk to you,” Cynthia said, standing in front of her boss’s desk.Taj paused mid-signature. He frowned as he looked up from the document he was reading. He knew he didn’t have any appointment today until tomorrow.“Did I miss something?” Taj asked Cynthia, eyebrows furrowed, who immediately winced. “Di
THE ALPHA'S PAVILION, DUBAIAs expected, The Alpha’s Pavillon was packed. It had a capacity of up to five thousand. Huge banners from Tori’s fans were scattered all around. Most of the people there were Filipino OFWs who’d been fans of hers since she first entered the music industry. Others started becoming fans of the popstar when she entered acting, and was paired with Everett Lozares.The tickets were sold out, and some people didn’t even make it because they ran out.The Herederas, Tori’s fandom, and ToRett, her fandom together with the Duke of Philippine R&B, Everett, came together.Some people there even came from countries near Dubai, who specifically set that day for the Infinite Star’s concert. There were also foreigners around who were brought by their Filipino friends.The whole place was noisy because of the nonstop cheering from the fans. Tori just finished her eighth set of performances, and the whole pavilion was roaring because of the positive reaction from ever
*MANGGAHAN FESTIVAL, GUIMARAS*“Good evening, Jordan!” the female host yelled, referring to the people of Jordan, the capital of the province of Guimaras.She looked around the wide open ground and a sweet smile immediately appeared at both corners of her lips. Loud cheering with whistling echoed all around, a sign of everyone’s happiness and participation in the celebration of the Manggahan Festival.“Happy festival to all of us here tonight. I know many of you came from different towns of Guimaras, so a warm welcome to all of us. The Lord has given us another abundant year, that’s why we’re here to celebrate the annual Manggahan Festival, a celebration of gratitude for a bountiful year,” the host continued, still with a happy smile on her lips.It was such a beautiful night. The wind was gentle and cool. Everyone could really smell the sweet scent of ripe mangoes coming from the lined-up fruit stands just outside the fence of the open ground.There were a lot of tourists who came ju
GREENWOODS CABIN, a private farm resort owned by Taj in the middle of Sebastian Plantation. There was one big swimming pool for adults and another for kids. There were also ten native-style cottages surrounding what was probably a four thousand square meter farm resort. There was one main hall where Hajie’s birthday party would be held, and another extra hall for those who wanted to sing, using a videoke machine.All in all, the place was very well-kept.Not that many people were invited to Hajie’s fifth birthday. Just a few close friends and family of Taj. Only Auntie Belen came from Tori’s remaining relatives. She wasn’t close to her half-siblings, so she didn’t bother inviting them.Some people Tori got close to at Taj’s office also came, like friends Sandra and Hannah, and Troy and Lenon.Cynthia and Raymond also came with their two-month-old baby, Kathleen. Tori’s manager Ember was there too, plus Jessa and her publicist Tanya. Everett couldn’t make it because he was in his fi
“IS IT TRUE that your ex-husband Taj Sebastian is the father of your child, Tori?” That was immediately one of the many questions that greeted Tori as she came out of R5 Network, which was owned by the Rodriguez‘.She just finished guesting for a midnight talk show, and they were currently walking toward their car. After the announcement about the postponement of her comeback tour, this was the first time Tori appeared on national TV again. And she knew news travels fast, so she wasn’t surprised the media got windy about her child.“You heard what you heard, and that’s just what it is,” she answered the reporter shortly before continuing to walk out.Tori’s publicist and her manager Ember immediately stepped in.“I’m so sorry, but all of your questions will only be answered by Tori in an exclusive one-on-one interview with Miss Cheska. For now, we won’t be saying anything,” Ember, her manager, said.“If the grandchild of the late billionaire Alberto Consunji is the child’s father
THE TRUTH OVER SNACKS“SO, WHEN are you planning to tell me the truth?” It was Cynthia. Tori looked at Cynthia in front of her. She froze for a moment and stared at the woman she’d already considered a friend in such a short time. Because of how strict her mother was, Tori never got the chance to have real friends. Her mom always watched everything she did, to the point that even the people who got close to her needed her mother's approval.At first, that was fine with Tori, but in the past years while she was abroad and facing a new life as a mother alone, she realized how important having friends was.And that’s when Wanji came into the picture. He came at a time when Tori needed someone to lean on. He was Filipino-Chinese, based in Los Angeles. At first she doubted him getting close to her, especially since the issues about her in the Philippines hadn’t completely died down.Months passed, but the Wanji didn’t give up on her. And he was also the one beside her the day she gave







