“Auntie, are you really not going to change your decision? You know very well that my older brother worked hard to prepare for that event. He put a lot of effort into it, and all his hard work will just go to waste,” I said, with a hint of persuasion, trying to see if I could still change her decision.I’ve been trying to convince her since we left the convention center until we got here at the coffee shop where I work. Boss Yuki and my coworkers are already back at the shop, since the event got canceled. But I still need to apologize to them—especially to Boss Yuki.“No, my decision won’t change. If you’re saying that because you feel sorry for your brother, then please don’t. You don’t need to apologize to him or feel sad because of what happened, and don’t think that I did this because of you,” she replied, which left me speechless.No matter how much I try not to think about it, the thought still lingers—because to me, it feels like it’s my fault that Aunt Olivia ended up making t
I sighed before facing them. He wasn’t alone after all—my brother was with him, along with his girlfriend who was now looking at me.I blankly looked at the three of them, but my brother’s girlfriend, Rachel, smiled and hugged me unexpectedly. I didn’t expect her to do that since we’re not that close. If it’s her way of trying to get close to me, well then, it’s not effective on me.I don’t like it when people pretend to be close to me, especially when they don’t really like me, just to win me over.“Hi, Erina… it’s so nice to see you here. I heard from your brother that the coffee shop you work at is the one he booked for this event,” Rachel said with a smile, but I wasn’t happy.Did she really have to say that? Right in front of my dad, who was now seriously staring at me.“Ah, yes… if I hadn’t forgotten, you probably wouldn’t be seeing me here right now,” I said sarcastically, forcing a smile at her. “Umm, I’m leaving now… I still have work to do.”“You’re leaving without even sayi
"You're leaving already, Erina?"I immediately turned around when I heard Louie's voice. I was about to open the door, but I stopped."Uh... yeah, we have a lot of orders to prepare for a company event. That’s why I got ready early," I replied, and he stepped closer to me.I instinctively stepped back and avoided his gaze. Not because I was nervous, but because he might do something unexpected again. Not that I was expecting a kiss from him—he might do something more than that.I know I sound assuming, but I’m just being careful."I haven’t cooked your breakfast yet. I thought your shift starts at 8 AM, so—""I-It’s fine, I’ll just eat at the shop," I cut him off and gave a small smile. "Umm, I’ll go ahead. Just cook something for yourself. Take care," I added and quickly turned my back on him. But just as I was about to open the door, I suddenly remembered something."You take care of the apartment. I washed the curtains last night, so I hope you can be the one to rinse them," I said
I'm just lying here on my bed, but I keep glancing around my room. Even now, I still can't believe Louie actually did this.I didn’t tell him this morning to clean my room too. But it turns out he included it anyway. That just made me feel even more embarrassed. A guy cleaned my room instead of me.“Shucks! This is so embarrassing... but should I thank him? Gosh, what should I even say?” I muttered, tugging at my hair.I feel like I’m losing it—I don’t even want to leave my room anymore.I’m not angry that he came in here without asking. What I feel more than anything is embarrassment over what he did."Lord, what should I do? Was what I did even right? Please don’t be mad at me, and I hope you won’t punish me," I whispered while looking up.My gosh! I’m even talking to the Lord now because of my craziness."But I’m not going to stop—I’ll finish what I started," I added, then suddenly rolled over on the bed out of frustration.I need to think of another way. Something more extreme—som
My shift just ended and I’ve already left the restaurant. Right now, I’m at the supermarket—just buying a few groceries and some food supplies. Good thing Faye lent me some money, so I was able to buy what I needed. Finally, Louie and I have something to eat this week.Speaking of him... I wonder how he’s doing at the apartment?I really need to go home soon to find out if he actually did what I asked him to do this morning.“Oh, my gosh!”I stopped in my tracks when my cart bumped into a woman's cart that suddenly appeared in front of me. I gasped in shock at her reaction. But then I noticed the scowl on her face.Wait a minute, why is she mad? She’s the one who suddenly showed up out of nowhere.“Are you blind? Didn’t you see me passing by?” she snapped at me. The people around us started looking because she said it so loudly.I instantly felt embarrassed because of this woman. She looks like we’re around the same age, so I could argue back—but I don’t want to make a scene, especial
*ERINA ISABEL TUAZON POVI let out a deep sigh after putting on my shoes. I stood up and grabbed my bag before heading out of the room. I need to work harder now because I no longer have a source for my daily needs.I’m having second thoughts about the decision I made yesterday. I didn’t want to do it, but I have no choice, especially since it’s not just me who will suffer but also him. It’s not that I want to ask him to leave, but the truth is hitting me hard—I can no longer afford to support his needs. I still have some compassion in my heart, but I have no other choice but to do what Faye told me.Whatever happens, I hope what I’m doing is the right thing and that I won’t regret it."Are you leaving, Erina? Eat breakfast first before you go," Louie greeted me as I was about to leave the apartment.I couldn’t answer, I just stared at him. But then, my conscience visited me again.Oh no, I can’t do this... because I can't follow through with what I’m planning to do."Uh, yeah... I-I
*THIRD PERSON'S POVThe disappearance of Wayne has become a hot topic among many people. It has also made headlines in the news and spread across all social media platforms in the country. However, no one still knows what really happened to him or the reason behind his disappearance.A week later, the news reached Wayne's father, Mr. William Anderson. He had come all the way from Russia for a business trip when he heard the news that his eldest son was missing. He immediately ordered people to search for his son, but he didn't think to ask for the police's help. To him, it would be a waste of time, but the main reason—he didn't trust them."Sir, I still haven't gotten any updates from the person you instructed. Up until now, he still hasn't found your son," said his secretary with a sad expression.Mr. William let out a deep sigh, but it was clear on his face that he was deeply worried and exhausted from searching for his son."Tell him not to stop until he finds my son. Wayne never l
I let out a deep sigh before deciding to knock on the bathroom door where Louie had been waiting for me inside for a while now. The door immediately opened, and his face appeared before me, but I couldn’t see any emotion in his eyes. I didn’t know if he had heard what Derick and I talked about earlier, but I hoped he hadn’t.I didn’t know what to say to him—we just looked at each other, but I was the first one to look away. He might end up reading what’s on my mind, and I didn’t want him to start worrying about me again.“A-Are you okay?” he asked hesitantly once he stepped out of the bathroom. I didn’t answer; instead, I gave him a small smile and gently nodded.“Did he already leave?”“Uhh, yeah… he just came to tell me something and we talked for a bit before he left.”I walked toward the kitchen, and he just quietly followed behind me. But I knew he was already wondering who that man was who came earlier, and what we had talked about.I leaned against the wall, holding a glass of
I slowly opened my eyes when I felt the sunlight hitting my cheek. I didn’t know what time it was, but I guessed it was already noon. My body still ached, but the headache was gone—maybe because of the medicine I took last night and the long rest I had.I decided to get up—I needed to prepare for work even though my body felt heavy. I couldn’t afford to be absent again; I might really lose my job for good.“Holy sh—”I quickly covered my mouth in surprise. I didn’t expect to see Louie here in my room, sleeping soundly on the floor.Did that mean… he slept here in my room??Oh God, how did I not notice?“Even when he’s asleep, he’s still so handsome,” I thought to myself as I stared at him. But suddenly, my eyes widened when I noticed he was slowly waking up, and here I was, frozen, unsure of what to do.I couldn’t even get up because by then he was fully awake, looking straight at me. I couldn’t read any expression on his face—he was just quietly watching me, as if observing my face.