Nagmamadaling lumapit si Gael sa kani Jasmine at Charlie at marahan silang iginiya palabas ng club. Pagdating sa entrance, nakita niyang pumarada ang pamilyar na big bike ni Gray Samaniego, Jasmine's family friend, sa harap ng club. She hasn't seen Gray in a long-time. Three years to be exact. Gray took off his helmet, got off his bike and walked over at them in few long strides. "Thanks for the heads up," anito kay Gael bago bumaling kay Jasmine. "C'mon, Jasmine. I'll take you home," pormal na pahayag nito bago iniabot ang hawak nitong helmet sa kaibigan niya. She felt Jasmine's hand tightened on hers. Kung bakit, hindi niya alam. It took a few more seconds before Jasmine let her hand go and hesitantly took the helmet from Gray. "M-mauna na 'ko, Charlie. I-I'll text you when I'm home," anito bago tuluyang naglakad patungo sa big bike ni Gray. She would've wanted to send Jasmine off but Gael quickly took her hand and led her back to her car. On the way, nakasalubong nila si Theo

"Getting a solid connection with the Mondragons will give SSL an opportunity to finally work with the European market. We've been working on that for ages, Sam. But every effort doesn't seem to prosper. Maybe Charlie's marriage with Theo will do that. We need to enter the European market. In that way, SSL will be more stable when Charlie takes over.""I know that but... it's marriage, Aaron. I feel like we're selling our child over some business connection.""Please dont put it that way. I feel awful when you say that word sell. Hindi naman natin ibebenta si Charlie. We are just giving her and Theo a slight push. Besides, mukhang gusto naman ng mga bata ang isa't-isa. They even went out with just the two of them tonight for the first time. If that isn't a sign that they like each other then I don't know what is.""What if Charlie will not agree with the plan?""Oh, she will. She's a good girl. Trust me, she will."Charlie balled her fist as she recalled the conversation she overheard

Naalimpungatan si Charlie dahil sa mabangong aroma ng kape na na amoy niya. How many gallons of coffee have they made in the kitchen that she can smell its heavenly aroma up into her bedroom?She shifted a little on her bed and hugged the pillow she was holding, keeping her eyes closed. She had a good sleep and a nice dream. Napaniginipan niya na kasama raw niyang natulog kagabi si Gael. Sinabi pa nito sa kanya na mahal siya nito-- bagay na kahit ngayon na gising na gising na siya, hindi pa rin niya makalimutan. Honestly, she doesn't want to wake up today just yet. She wanted to sleep some more in the hopes that maybe she'd dream of Gael again. Because in the dream world, Gael is close and he loves her. An illusion she cannot bring into the real world-- her real world. She sighed and slowly opened her eyes. Halos madilim pa, she new the sun has not risen yet. Unang bumungad sa kanya ang kulay brown na sofa na sa pagkakatanda niya ay wala naman sa kuwarto niya. She also has become a

"My sister, Lady Catherine, was ecstatic when I told her about Theo getting married soon," masiglang umpisa ni Camilla Mondragon, ang nanay ni Theo. The old woman looked thinner now dahil na rin sa pinagdaanan nitong medical scare. Subalit gano'n pa rin ito, sopistikada, magaling magsalita at attention-getter. She used to like the woman because she was really kind and had not shown anything ill towards her. Subalit ngayon, hindi maintindihan ni Charlie kung bakit bigla siyang nainis sa nakatatandang babae.She sighed and took a swig from the glass red wine in front of her. She wanted to enjoy the exquisite taste of the wine served especially for tonight's dinner but enjoy was the very last thing in her mind right now. She's pissed, utterly pissed that people are planning for life and future as if she's not there!Today has been a total disaster! After her Dad forced her to go with Theo for an early lunch, hindi siya agad nakabalik sa SSL dahil inaya siya ulit ni Theo sa bagong bu

Ang malakas na pagtawag ng kanyang pangalan na nagmumula sa kung saan ang tuluyang nagpagising kay Gael. He tried opening his eyes only to shut it once again when he realized that a glaring light from somewhere was hitting his face. “Gael!” muling tawag sa kanya ng pamilyar na tinig. Boses iyon ng T’yo Berting niya. He huffed and slowly opened his eyes one again, realizing it was already morning. Not a minute longer, the memory of yesterday filled his mind. Theo taking Charlie to somewhere and his boss putting him in a forced furlough without any clear reasons—relieving him from all his duties as an elite bodyguard for SSA. Not that he didn’t ask his boss Eric Samaniego. He did, dozens of times until he got all fed up and almost shot him in annoyance. Subalit iisa lang ang sinabi nito, kailangan daw nitong gawin iyon for smooth transition of things. He groaned and sat up on the cold floor he was in. His damn back was aching and his head was pounding. He looked down and saw from