He left

Mia came back to her room after mopping the floor downstairs. As she quietly opened the door, she found Francisco sitting on the edge of her bed, the towel still resting loosely in his hands. She closed the door gently behind her and glanced around the room.The floor was damp from the rainwater he'd tracked in, but she couldn't bring herself to complain. She was the one who invited him.Taking a quiet breath, she walked over to him.For a moment, she hesitated before reaching for the towel. Finally, she took it from his hands."You're going to catch a cold," she said softly."You should dry yourself."Slowly, she raised the towel. Although her hands trembled with nervousness, she gathered the courage to make the first move. She gently began drying his wet hair.Her heart pounded so hard it felt as though it might burst from her chest.Francisco closed his eyes. After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice low and distant."The people I love... always leave me alone."Mia gave hi

The bouquet

The next morning, someone rang the doorbell of Mia’s house. It was still very early. Ella was preparing breakfast, while Mia had just come downstairs and walked toward the door to open it.As she opened the door, she was surprised to see a large bouquet in front of her. A delivery man was standing there, holding the flower bouquet.Mia slowly turned back and said, “Yes?”“Is this 3A Block, House 21?” the delivery man asked.Mia nodded slightly.“Mia, whose is it?” Ella asked from behind.Mia replied, “Wait a minute.”She looked at the delivery man and asked, “What is it?”“I have to deliver all of these here.”Before Mia could ask anything else, he handed the bouquet to her. Then, after a second, he and another boy began carrying the other bouquets inside the house.Mia became puzzled as she watched them.“Who sent them?” she asked.The man turned back and replied before leaving, “Everything has been written on the note.”Mia looked at the middle of the bouquet. There, tucked between

Boyfriend?

Mia was too nervous about what to say. Still, she faked a smile and uttered, “Thank you for all the bouquets.”“But what happened?”Francisco slowly smirked and replied in a relaxed tone, “What if I say I got something so important here?”Mia became confused. “Important?”Francisco touched her palm and added, “Relax, I’ll tell you soon.”“But I think your sister doesn’t like the bouquet,” Francisco then turned to Ella and asked in a clear tone.Ella’s face was stern. She was just looking at him and Mia.Mia smiled and said in a happy tone, “No, my sister likes flowers a lot.”“But not gerberas, I guess,” Francisco said in a calm tone.Ella’s face was still stern as she replied, “Mr., it’s not that.”“So, you like gerberas?” Francisco asked immediately.“They’re beautiful. There’s no wonder for disliking them. But I think this is exaggerating,” Ella answered.Francisco arched his brows with a smile, then replied, “She . . .” He looked at Mia. “ . . .is very important to me.”Mia blinke

Where is her father?

“Oh, I see . . .” Francisco said, then added, “Then tell me more about you and your sister...”Mia smiled slightly and was about to tell him, but suddenly, she heard...“Mom . . .” It was Helena.“Helena . . .” Mia called out.Francisco was sitting near the stairs when Helena came down behind him. Hearing her footsteps, he slowly turned around and spotted her holding a panda in her hand. Her blue eyes met his, and he fell silent, simply staring at her. After a moment, he slowly rose from his seat.Francisco didn’t say a word. He just kept looking at her. Then he slowly got up from his seat.Helena’s eyes were on him as well.Suddenly, Ella came over and held Helena. She seemed a bit nervous as she stammered, “Baby, why did you come down?”“I called you so many times, but you didn’t hear me,” Helena answered.Ella quickly said, “Okay . . . Let’s go upstairs.”She took Helena upstairs, and as they walked, Helena asked, “Mom, who is that man?”“Just a guest. You don’t need to know, dear,

Depends on the truth

Ella clenched her fists and said, “Mr … I think you’re asking too many questions in front of a child.”“I’m not comfortable with these kinds of questions at all, and I don’t want to discuss such matters with someone I barely know.”She was about to stand up when Mia stopped her.“Sis, he didn’t mean it like that. Please…”Ella tightened her jaw. She could see the desperation in the nineteen-year-old girl’s eyes, but she knew she needed to stop Mia from getting too involved as well.Francisco, however, spoke before things could become more uncomfortable.“I’m sorry, Ms. Ella. I shouldn’t have asked those questions. After all, I’ve only just introduced myself, and you don’t know me well either.”He paused briefly before adding, “I’ll keep that in mind.”Ella pressed her lips together but eventually relaxed. After a few minutes, the tension eased, and everything returned to normal.After breakfast, Francisco and Helena sat together on the couch, talking. Mia soon joined them.Helena seem

Hazel!

Ella was serving her customers, but her attention kept going to the small phone she had hidden. Only two numbers were saved on it under the names My Sunshine and R.She frowned, looking worried. After serving the customers, she sat on a stool and took out the phone. She stared at the screen for a moment before calling the number saved as R.The phone rang a few times before someone answered.“I think he has found out something,” Ella said calmly. “I need to leave this place.”On the other end, Rafael took a deep breath. Francisco was far more powerful than before. Over the last four years, he had become a successful business executive and a powerful figure in the underworld. Even the government and law enforcement were under his influence.“Hazel, I'm coming tonight to take you both away,” Rafael said firmly.“Rafael, I'll take Mia with me, too.”“That would be too risky,” he replied.“But I can't leave her here and put her in danger.”Rafael stayed silent for a moment before finally