Charlie carefully watched Gael as he sipped from his cup of coffee. She was sitting opposite him at a round nordic style table inside a coffee shop that doesn't seem to have much customers, just them. And even at that point, she still doesn't know what made her say yes to his invitation. Call it folishness or temporary insanity or whatever. But one thing remains sure, she still believes it's a stupid idea going out with him for a cup of coffee. The man lived and breathed to make her life miserable. He was the cause of chaos in her life. The man who abandoned her and her child because of money. 'He is also the one who helped you with your need', mabilis na dugtong ng isang bahagi ng isip niya, pilit nangunsensiya.She secretly rolled her eyes with the thought. So ibig bang sabihin no'n lagi na lang siyang magpapasalamat dito tuwing magkikita sila? Na palagi siyang magpapakumbaba kahit na inaapi na siya nito dahil may utang na loob siya rito?She bit the inisdes of her cheeks. Bigla

"Just pull the car over right there," utos ni Charlie kay Gael. Itinuro niya ang palikong daan na ilang metro na lang ang layo sa kanila. She wanted to get off near the park they used to frequent to when they were still together. Mas malapit kasi iyon sa mansiyon. Axel and Jacob knows that place. It's still one of her safe places. Sometimes, when she wants to be alone that's her go to place. "To whom are you running from to anyway?" tanong ni Gael, amusement in his voice. "Was that your crazy ex-boyfriend?" dugtong pa nitoMuntik na siyang mapabungisngis. Crazy ex-boyfriend. Why, the description suited him so well!She supressed a laugh. "No. It's my secretary."He chuckled. "You know what, I totally get you. I ran away from Hugo from time to time too. The guy is giving me nightmares sometimes with the endless documents he lets me sign and the boring meetings he'd always put me into," natatawang kuwento nito habang pinapabagal ang takbo ng sasakyan nito. "Hey, I'm good here. Dito n

Charlie kept shifting on her seat. Bakit hindi? Aside from the fact that she's tensing because of Gael's presence smothering her still despite him eating silently beside her, it was the first time in weeks that another person, aside from her bodyguards and Gray and Jasmine, learned about Gael's return. Well, they're not romantically involved anymore but still... Gael wronged her. Her family will go after him now that he's back. Lalo na kapag nalaman ng mga ito na ito ang nasa likod sa tangkang pagpapabagsak sa SSL. Her family will retaliate, she's sure of that. That's why she's been keeping the truth about Gael's return. Gusto na niya sanang umiwas sa gulo. But Eric Samaniego is a family friend. He has worked closely with her family before and is still close with her parents even now that he has retired from intelligence work. She's sure one of these days he will talk to them and then... there will be more chaos again. She will be forced to answer the endless questions inside her

"Charlie, are you even listening?" anang Grandma Liza ni Charlie sa kanya. Mabilis siyang nag-angat ng tingin sa kanyang lola na noon ay kasama niyang nag-aagahan sa family house nila sa Tagaytay. That's where she spent her weekend. She wanted to be away from the city for a while. Away from all her cares. Away from Gael. It was a beautiful Sunday morning. But she doesn't feel beautiful at all. She looks like shit and still feels conflicted. Why wouldn't she? She just learned that her stupid heart still loves Gael. How could she do that? How could her stupid heart do that? Hindi man lang ba siya nadala? Gael is her family's enemy now. Were his threats not enough to make her unlove him? How can she fall for him again-- the man who abandoned her for money? The cause of all her heartaches?She released a slow breath and collected her thoughts. "Sorry, Grandma. I was thinking about... What's your question again?" aniya.Her Grandma studied her face for a while and reached for her han

Gael was staring blankly at the document in front of him. He had been staring at it for the last hour and yet he doesn’t seem to comprehend any single word written on it. The past three days had been the same. Pumapasok siya sa Crown Bank subalit lumilipad ang isip niya. He cannot think straight nor function well when his mind was preoccupied by Charlize. His thoughts are always for her, most from the night he insulted her. He knew he shouldn’t have said what he said. But he was angry when he served him their divorce papers. Kung bakit, hindi niya alam. Sa totoo lang, marami na siyang hindi alam at hindi maintidihan pagdating sa sitwasyon nila ni Charlize. For the past five years of his life he lived and breathed with only one thing in his mind, ang pabagsakin ang mga Sandejas dahil sa kasalanan ng mga ito sa kanya. He still wanted that. His mind was still set on bringing justice to what happened to his T’yo Berting—to him. But his heart, his damn heart doesn’t seem to agree wit