"You know what? You're so full of drama! It's just Ariah. I'll bring her back afterward. I just couldn't say no to Dad, unlike how you rejected him when he asked to see your child!" Isabella spat at me again.Arik quickly stood in front of me, facing Isabella. Terror overtook her face."A-Arik, please don't interfere in this.""Ariah is my daughter, Isabella, so you don't get to say that to me. You took our daughter. We can fucking sue you for what you did and let you rot in jail. How far does your greed go?" Arik retorted firmly. "You are all fucking sick for involving a six-year-old child for your selfish reasons!""No one is sicker here than you, Rioflorida!" Armando yelled angrily. "How dare you say that to my daughter!""Why, Mr. Yuchengco? Are you hurt for her? Do you feel any pity or pain for Celeste? You abandoned her back then. You threw her away. You took everything from her, yet she mCelesteged to survive on her own and came back here whole. Who's causi

In the corner of the room, Arik and Oliver were having a serious conversation. Just then, Aurora and Kim arrived and immediately came to my side."Shit! I thought you were going to die!" Aurora hissed, and Kim quickly slapped her."I thought so too," I replied."What happened? Why did you have an accident? Do you remember what happened?" Kim bombarded me with questions. I noticed Oliver and Arik coming closer. Oliver kissed Aurora before turning to me."Someone was chasing my three black cars. I don't know, but Genesis was supposed to be following me that day, but he suddenly disappeared. When I looked back, the three black cars were behind me."Arik sat beside me. "Why was that asshole supposed to be following you?" He asked sternly."He wanted to talk to you, so I suggested he come with me to find you," I answered. I noticed Oliver typing something on his phone while listening to my story."Talk about what, Celeste?" Arik questioned me again.I felt a rush of emotions as I remembere

"I'll be back soon. Wait for me, hmm?" Arik bid me farewell after I shared with him what I had heard from Hannah."Is there no one at your place? Where is she? Where's your Dad?" I asked with confusion.Was she alone at home? She seemed so terrified, and I couldn't tell if it was true or one of her hallucinations.Is this what he was telling me? Does Hannah experience hallucinations sometimes?"Arik," I called out to him again when he didn't respond. He seemed agitated, lost in deep thought. I approached him and tried to calm him down."Calm down, please. I won't let you leave acting like this. Something might happen to you on the way."He slumped onto our bed, cursing repeatedly."Damn it. I knew it. Right from the start, I knew he had something to do with Mom's disappearance. Both of them." He said vehemently, as if full of threats.Looking at him, his eyes were filled with danger. He's furious! And I know that when he leaves, his anger will escalate and something bad might happen.

"Why don't you try to listen to me for once? Why are you so hard-headed? Do you even know what you're doing, Celeste?" Arik's voice sounded like thunder when I entered his office."Kim already explained to you what might happen to you if you rush the procedure, didn't she? Do you still not understand that? You can forget your present memory, Celeste! Goddammit!"I bit my lower lip as I could clearly see how he was holding back from exploding. He's holding back himself and I can't do anything to calm him down."I… I-I'm sorry… I just want to help, Arik." I stuttered. "It didn't work out—""Because Kim called me that's why it didn't go through! And what happens when you get what you want, huh?" His tone was more emphatic.I just bowed to the side there.After picking me up from Kim's clinic, he brought me to his office. I thought we were going home but we weren't. He even ignored me the whole time while we were on our way here.And that Kim, I don't know if she considers Arik more of a

"I told you not to let anyone into my office, didn't I?""Even so! Even if it's her, Max!"I heard Arik cursing loudly at the person he was talking to on the phone before he flipped it over on his table.Arik had to lift me and bring me to the connecting room of his office when I couldn't get dressed anymore. Hannah was just watching us angrily the whole time while I was still laughing.Her statement was so funny that I still can't forget it. How could she say that when they weren't in a relationship? Was that some sort of a taboo experience? Those stories that Aurora told Kim and me before? Step Siblings? Yuck. Fuck it."Hey…"I just looked at Arik who was currently fixing his long sleeve and its button while I was putting on my bra.I grinned at him. "Hannah's very mad. What will you do with her? She witnessed us making out, Arik.""I would love to bail out to continue that, Celeste, rather than face her and explain. Fuck. I'm so so&h