Jazz froze as he remembered that he was still in his work uniform. With his eyes crinkling, he tried to gloss over her question, “Do I look too attractive to the point that you can’t tear your gaze off me?”“I can see oil stains on your shirt. Go and get changed,” Yvette replied without thinking much into it.With a playful smile, Jazz got up from his seat. He winked towards Raine behind Yvette’s back as a signal to Raine, so she would help him hide the truth from his mom.She nodded as she got the message. She waved him off to urge him to get dressed quickly.“Raine, didn’t you say you were coming back home with your fiancé?” Yvette asked before taking a few sips of her soup.“He still has to finish up some work before heading here. You’ll get to meet him for sure. I have some pictures of him. Would you like to see them?” Looking at Yvette, Raine raised her head as she replied while filling up the other bowls.“Sure, let’s see them. I’m sure that, for someone who could steal y
In the room. As she sat and rested on her bed, her mind was racing with thoughts of the news reported. When she caught a glimpse of the man on the sofa, her gaze and attention lingered on him.As he was looking through some work documents, the sleeves of his sweater were folded up, showing his toned and muscular arms. His eyes were squinting slightly as he read; he wrote meticulously with a pen in his left hand. ‘We’ve been together for quite some time, but I’ve only noticed that he’s a leftie,’ she thought while admiring him unconsciously.“How long are you going to stare, Mrs. Valentine?” He asked as he kept his head down, only lifting his brows.Embarrassed that she was caught red-handed, she gave a slight cough as she changed the topic, “I think there’s something strange regarding what happened today—the news about me, I mean.”“Go on,” he replied with a slightly higher pitch, signaling her to continue her speculations.“I think this was someone’s set up to defame me, and
Taking a glance at his wristwatch, faint brow furrows appeared on Mark’s chiseled face. “Good morning, give me five minutes,” he said, lifting his head.Immediately right after, he strode to the bathroom.Mark stepped out right on cue in about five minutes, dressing in a flawlessly tailored suit that accentuated his build and poise. “Let’s go.”Startled slightly, Summer asked, “Where to?”“The results are ready today.” Mark’s voice deepened when he saw her looking at him in bewilderment. Summer was surprised and thought, ‘So soon?’ but it was good news as she could finally get to know who was behind the setup.As the black Land Rover drove to their destination, she gazed outside, feeling bored.Suddenly, someone familiar by the road caught her eye. She furrowed her brows and asked, “Isn’t that…your aunt?”Without uttering a word, he shot a glance and narrowed his eyes. Then, the car pulled over at the side of the road.Raine was forced to halt in her tracks, seeing as her path was blo
“You’re an educator, yet you don’t have the answer for the question you’ve asked,” pausing, he shifted a bit in his seat and fixed his posture as he continued, “you still have much to learn and improve on, don’t you think so, my wife?” Summer was rendered speechless. ‘He called me his wife so publicly…,’ feeling surprised, she thought.Despite feeling a pang of pain, Raine still plastered a soft smile on her face. No one except for herself could tell how much her heart hurts at that moment.‘He didn’t even spare me a single glance ever since I’ve returned,’ she thought bitterly.‘And yet they look so happy and blissful interacting with each other.’ After breakfast, Raine had insisted on taking a cab to the municipal office as she had claimed that it was not that far away. Since she seemed persistent in going by herself, Summer did not press her to stay any further, and after they bid their farewells, Raine left. She had worn a black cardigan paired with a long frilly skirt
Nancy nodded her head as she said, “That was just one of the many reasons.” Taking a deep breath, Summer thought, ‘There is still more?! Just how displeased is she with me?’“Do you know what I hate most about you? Even though our appearances and capabilities are on par, all the acknowledgments and compliments would surely go to you. No matter how much I do or how hard I try to be better, I would receive none of those, but that was still fine to me until you lied and hid the truth from me. That was the last straw.” Sitting on the sofa, she sneered as she continued her rant, “I saw you as my closest friend. In the times when you were in a pinch, when have I not been there for you?” Whenever Summer had asked for her help, Nancy would be there, and she had helped Summer plenty. When Summer could not go for classes, she had filled in for her classes. When Summer did not have a place to stay, she gave summer her contacts and even took days off from work to help her clean her new pl
Solomon sipped on some tea before sighing as he heard Summer’s complaint and explained, “She came to us and said she had no place to stay. Plus, she has promised never to repeat that mistake. We can’t possibly chase her out; she’s family after all.”“How can you believe anything she spews? Do you not recall what she had done caused us?” she felt furious talking about her as she continued, “You guys are just too soft-hearted, and she is clearly taking advantage of that!”“I guess the older we age, the more compassion we have for other people. You will understand when you’re our age,” Solomon said as he adjusted his glasses before massaging his legs.She took a deep breath before saying, “Well, what I do understand and know now is that she’s just like an annoying piece of gum. No matter how hard we try to pluck her out of our hair, she remains tangled in it.”Summer knew that her hatred alone would not help at all. As long as her parents condoned Amara’s behaviors, even if Summer wer
Summer spoke immediately, “I don’t have any.”Hearing so, Daisy pressed on, “Then do you know how to get them? Maybe you can get some for her.”“Mom, why are you even putting up with her?”“I’m not. It’s just that you know how she is. If you don’t get it for her, she might take it upon herself and possibly cause a big fuss at the banquet. And, all the guests attending are either notable figures or of the ruling class in Santabaca; I can’t bear to see her put my precious daughter in a humiliating situation.”Daisy reasoned as she lowered down her voice, forcing Amara out of earshot. Solomon also agreed, “Yeah. Knowing her, she would surely cause a scene tomorrow at the hotel. Just get some for her.” Summer felt an intense headache forming; it was as if her head was about to explode, and her chest burned with rage whenever she had to deal with anything Amara-related.Amara peeked her head out from the washroom. Calling out to Summer, she obnoxiously asked, “Could you also send s
“Looking for this?” Mark appeared in the kitchen and asked. He held the wallet in his right while holding a lit cigarette in between his fingers on his left.Raine froze and then nodded her head slowly. She smiled as she said, “You found it. I was looking for it around this small area but to no avail. I thought I had lost it.”Acting nonchalant, he leaned over the door and flicked off the ashes of the cigarette, but his eyes were deep with emotion as he asked, “Don’t you have something to explain to me?” “What? I don’t get what you’re saying,” she answered, feigning calm even though she had panicked slightly. He moved his hands as his slender fingers pulled out a picture hidden within the wallet as he blew out a puff of smoke.The photo was small, but it was clear enough to pick up a man and a woman hugging intimately in it. The man was none other than Mark himself, while the woman was Raine. He strode towards her and held her against the door. With their bodies almost pressin