All Chapters of Twisted Ties: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Pia arrived early at the office, but not because of diligence. She had a plan. Wearing a tight blouse, a high-slit skirt, and her signature red lipstick, she headed straight to the 19th floor where the new security guard was stationed by the gold elevator — the only way to the top floor. The top floor that was now exclusive. The top floor she no longer had access to. The top floor where Ainara and Andres were.I need to know what's going on up there, she whispered to herself.As she approached the guard, she immediately smiled — sweet and flirtatious.“Hi,” she greeted, biting her lip. “You’re here early.”The guard nodded, standing professionally. “Good morning, ma’am.”“It’s so hot on our floor. Too many people,” Pia complained, brushing her hand along her neck. “Maybe I could sneak upstairs for a bit? Just to cool off?”“Sorry, ma’am. The top floor is restricted access. Confidential project.”Pia pouted. “Just five minutes? I promise I won’t make a sound.”“Sorry. We have a list of

The bonfire crackled at the center of the beach, casting warm light on the circle of eight: Jaime, Celia, Santino, Julie, Isabella, Mateo, Ainara, and Andres.Everyone had a drink in hand. The mood was light — or at least pretending to be.Mateo was in storyteller mode again, clearly enjoying the spotlight.“Remember that, Ai?” Mateo asked, laughing. “In Tagaytay? You were freezing, but you still insisted on getting ice cream.”Ainara chuckled politely. “Yeah. That was dumb.”“But cute,” Mateo added with a wink.Andres took a slow sip of his wine, jaw tight. Here we go again.Mateo wasn’t done. “You always had this thing for cold places. But I was the one carrying your jacket, remember?”Andres leaned back, voice calm but cutting. “If you were such a great boyfriend, Mateo… why did you break up?”Boom.The fire popped. Julie blinked. Santino muttered, “Whoa.”Mateo’s smile faltered. “Excuse me?”“You heard me,” Andres replied, still casual. “You’ve been playing the nostalgia card all

The door had barely clicked shut when Ainara locked it behind her mother, her heart still pounding. She leaned against the wood, exhaling sharply, trying to calm the storm inside her. She could still hear Celia’s voice echoing in her head.“Your shirt’s inside out.”She looked down at the black shirt — Andres’s — now hastily discarded on the floor. Her cheeks burned. Not just from embarrassment, but from the memory of the night before. The way his arms wrapped around her. The way they fit together in the dark.From the bed, Andres stirred.“Did she see anything?” he asked, voice still thick with sleep.“She noticed the shirt,” Ainara muttered, walking back toward him. “And that it was inside out.”Andres chuckled, stretching lazily. “She always was sharp.”“She almost saw your boxers on the floor.”“Almost,” he repeated, grinning. “But not quite.”Ainara threw a pillow at him. “This isn’t funny.”He caught it mid-air, then sat up, eyes softening. “Hey. Come here.”She hesitated, then

The sun was hot, but the breeze by the shore was cool. The boat was ready, with life vests on every seat, and Santino’s speaker was playing a mellow summer playlist. The water was calm, seemingly unaware of the emotional waves between the passengers.The group boarded one by one. Julie and Santino immediately sat at the front, excited for the view and selfie angles. Mateo, quiet, positioned himself near the back, holding his camera but still not speaking. Andres went straight to the middle and, as expected, sat beside Ainara. He didn’t ask. Ainara didn’t protest either.But she felt it—every brush of the knee, every glance, every smile that seemed to carry memories. Ainara stayed silent. Not because she had nothing to say, but because there was too much. Her conversation with Mom earlier, the plan to move to Batangas, the possibility of not seeing Andres every day anymore—all of it felt like waves crashing in her chest, again and again.She looked at Andres. He was smiling, leaning ba

The night in Batangas was quiet. The air was cool, laced with the scent of grass and old wood. On the veranda of the old house in the Del Carmen compound, Celia sat holding a cup of tea. In front of her was Ainara—silent, staring at the garden, but her mind was elsewhere.“You know,” Celia began, “I wasn’t the first one to fall in love in my marriage with your father.”Ainara turned to her, slightly surprised.“Joaquin,” Celia continued, “he fell in love with me the first time we met. I saw it in his eyes. In every gesture, in every quiet moment, I could feel it.”Ainara remained silent.“But me?” Celia sighed. “I was in love with someone else back then. A love my parents never accepted. The last name wasn’t enough. The wealth wasn’t enough. He wasn’t enough for the future they had planned for me.”“Did you love him?” Ainara asked, almost in a whisper.Celia smiled faintly. “Yes. I loved him. In a way I never had the courage to fight for.”“My marriage to your father,” Celia added, “w