CHAPTER FIVE

THIRD PERSON:

It was almost two in the morning when Sera finally made it home.

She could barely feel her feet anymore from exhaustion.

She slowly opened the door to their small rented room, careful not to wake her brother.

The entire place was quiet.

The only sound was the soft hum of their old electric fan.

She slowly walked toward their small bed, barely big enough for the two siblings to share.

There was Liam.

He was sleeping peacefully.

His face was pale, yet he still had the innocent look of an eight-year-old child who should have had nothing else to worry about except playing and dreaming.

Sera sat down beside him.

She did not realize that tears were slowly welling up in her eyes.

She gently reached out with her trembling hand.

Slowly, she caressed her brother's cheek.

She closed her eyes as she felt the warmth of his skin.

It felt as though an invisible hand had tightly squeezed her heart.

She did not know whether it was a fever or simply the warmth of the child's body.

But it was enough to make her worry even more.

A tear slipped from her eye.

Then another.

Until she could no longer hold them back.

She cried silently.

She did not want to wake her brother, so she gently stroked his hair.

"Little brother..."

Her voice was broken and barely above a whisper.

"We'll keep fighting, okay?"

She bit her lower lip tightly to keep herself from sobbing.

Throughout the entire day, she had forced herself to stay strong. She had forced a smile onto her lips and pretended that she could still handle everything, even though deep inside, she was slowly growing tired and losing strength.

But whenever she looked at her brother...

That was the only time she allowed herself to be weak.

Because Liam was the only reason she continued to fight.

He was also the one who gave her strength whenever she felt like giving up.

Despite all the exhaustion and hardships she faced every day, seeing her brother continue to fight was enough to give her the strength to keep going.

She slowly lowered her head.

Then she wrapped her arms tightly around her brother's small body.

Sera no longer cared about the exhaustion weighing on every part of her body.

She no longer thought about having to wake up early for work the next morning.

All that mattered...

Was being able to hold the only family she had left.

Slowly, she rested her head beside Liam.

Still holding him tightly in her arms, Sera quietly closed her eyes.

Her tears continued to fall.

Until she eventually drifted off to sleep...

Still holding the most important reason she chose to keep fighting every single day.

Her little brother.

*****

DAMIAN'S POV:

I sat silently at the far end of the long, expensive conference table.

Through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the executive boardroom, the entire city stretched out before us.

Some of the wealthiest investors and business partners from different countries were present.

CEOs.

Shareholders.

Executive directors.

All of them...

Were silently waiting for my decision.

At the front of the room, my executive secretary presented the financial projections for the new project, one after another.

"As you can see, Mr. Del Rosario..."

"If the acquisition of three logistics companies in Southeast Asia pushes through, the Del Rosario Group's market share is expected to increase by nearly forty percent within just one year."

I listened in silence.

I said nothing.

Every now and then, I glanced at the documents in front of me.

Meanwhile, the investors kept their eyes fixed on the large LED screen.

"This project requires an initial investment of five billion pesos."

"The projected return on investment is estimated at two hundred percent within three years."

Some of them nodded. Others exchanged quiet whispers.

But I remained silent.

They all knew that impressive numbers alone were not enough to convince me.

One of the foreign investors finally spoke.

"Mr. Del Rosario, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"If we move now, we'll dominate the market."

I slowly closed the folder in my hands.

The entire conference room immediately fell silent.

Every eye turned toward me. I did not need to raise my voice or do anything else to command their attention. My presence alone was enough to silence the entire room.

I calmly looked at each of them before speaking.

"I don't invest because of opportunities."

My voice was cold as I stared directly at the people seated across from me.

"I invest because I already know the outcome."

Silence filled the entire conference room.

"Five billion..."

I paused for a moment before speaking again.

"In my company..."

"...it is not an expense."

"It's a weapon."

"A weapon that controls the market... and crushes anyone who stands in my way."

I slowly rose from my chair.

Silently, I walked toward the floor-to-ceiling glass window and gazed at the vast city skyline below.

With one hand in my pocket, I spoke coldly.

"When I put billions of dollars into something..."

"I don't invest for a simple profit."

I slowly turned to face them.

"I expect three times the return."

"Or more."

A faint smile appeared on my lips, but there was no warmth behind it.

"I don't settle for less."

Silence once again filled the room. Hardly anyone dared to speak.

They all knew that I had never been an emotional man when it came to business. I was not swayed by sweet words or impressive presentations.

Every peso I invested was carefully considered because, to me, business was never about emotions.

It was about making the right decision. I needed to get three or four times the amount back.

Otherwise, I wasn't interested.

I quietly placed the folder back on the table.

"Revise the proposal."

"Reduce the operational risk."

"And increase the projected return."

"Then come back."

That was all I said.

My executive secretary immediately nodded.

"Yes, Mr. Del Rosario."

Meanwhile, the investors exchanged glances.

No one dared to argue.

Because in the world of business...

There was only one rule.

And that rule...

Was Damian Alistair Del Rosario.

*****

SERA'S POV:

I glanced at the old clock hanging on the wall of the bakery.

It was already eight in the morning.

I sighed as I gently wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand.

Then, one by one, I placed the freshly baked pandesal, ensaymada, and loaf bread that had just come out of the oven onto the shelves.

As I arranged the bread...

My mind couldn't settle.

Even early this morning, I had already noticed that Liam seemed to have a slight fever.

And I knew my brother well.

Whenever he started running a fever...

It was never just an ordinary fever.

Most of the time...

That was how the weakness in his body began all over again.

And before the day was over...

His fever could rise dangerously high again, and we might have to rush him to the hospital.

I bit my lower lip tightly.

To be honest, I didn't want to come to work that morning. I wanted to stay beside Liam, watch over him, and make sure he didn't grow any weaker.

But I had no other choice.

I needed to earn money. I needed to work.

Because if I didn't keep going, how would we survive?

So before I went to the bakery, I had already asked Mrs. Nora and Alex to check on Liam from time to time while I was at work.

I had also informed the manager of the restaurant where I worked in the afternoon.

I explained that I might be late for my shift because I needed to go home first and check on my brother.

Thankfully, he understood my situation.

My plan was to finish my shift here at the bakery and then head straight to the hospital. I wanted to make sure Liam was okay.

But before I could even finish my work, my phone suddenly vibrated inside the pocket of my apron.

I stopped what I was doing and immediately looked at the screen.

'Alex Calling...'

I immediately answered the call.

"Hello? Alex?"

But instead of my friend's usual cheerful voice, I heard her breathing heavily.

"S-Sera!"

Just from the way she called my name...

It felt like cold water had been poured over my entire body.

My heart suddenly began pounding.

I gripped my phone tightly.

Whenever Alex spoke in that tone...

It could only mean one thing.

Liam.

My little brother.

The only thought that immediately came to my mind.