Lahat ng Kabanata ng My Step-Uncle's Plaything: Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

LanceI wasn’t wrong.Not long after what happened at Alice’s apartment, the pieces on the chessboard began to move.And the first to move were my two half-brothers.Half-brothers by blood, but never family.I was in my office at Richardson Foods when Rene walked in and placed a folder on my desk.“Sir, this came from legal monitoring,” he said as he set it down in front of me. “It looks like the two names we’ve been watching are becoming… active.”I didn’t open the folder right away. I already knew who he meant.My father’s two illegitimate sons.Men who had spent most of their lives lingering at the edges of the picture—shadows occasionally mentioned in quiet family whispers.But now, suddenly, they have become the center of attention.Because of my father, who first put them into position in the company.“Don Carlos has a meeting with the board later this afternoon,” Rene added. “Private session.”A faint smile crossed my face.“Let me guess,” I said as I finally opened the folder.

AliceI don’t know when everything started to feel this heavy.At first, my world had been simple.I had dreams, of course—but they were the kind that felt within reach. Finish college. Find a stable job. Help Mom, even though she always insisted she could handle everything on her own.But when I met Lance, it felt as if my life's direction began to slowly change.Not because he forced it.In fact, it was the complete opposite.He was always the careful one.He was the first to say that we shouldn’t rush things. The one who constantly reminded me that my studies had to come first.That was why—even though part of me wanted us to see each other all the time once our relationship became clear—I still agreed to stay focused on my position in MobTech's marketing department. He told me it would be good for me, that the experience would help me grow.And somehow, I believed him.When my mother found out about us, Lance didn’t try to challenge her authority. He respected her. And he respecte

AliceTen days had passed since the confrontation with Don Carlos at the café… and the day Lance brought me to his condo.I had gotten home late that evening, and since Lance insisted on driving me back, Mom scolded him the moment we arrived. Even though neither of us explained anything, I had a feeling she already knew that something had happened between us.Then again, no one would really believe that nothing unusual had happened between Lance and me—especially when it was obvious to everyone that we loved each other.During those ten days, I tried my best to return to the normal rhythm of my life.Classes in the morning.Projects in the afternoon.And sometimes, late-night calls with Lance whenever he had the chance.None of it had been easy, especially knowing that the tension between him and his father was only getting worse. But if there was one thing I had learned in the past few weeks, it was not to be afraid of battles I never expected to face.So that day, I tried to be an o

LanceThe air inside the boardroom felt heavy as I placed the last folder in the center of the long table.Four days had passed since Dad spoke to Alice, and I could no longer hold everything back.I refused to let my father use the woman I loved just to force me to yield. And I refused to let him use me as a pawn to manipulate Alice.This wasn’t an ordinary meeting. It wasn’t just another presentation or routine discussion.This was the moment I had been preparing for—a moment that would determine who would remain inside the empire of Richardson Foods… and who would be pushed out of it for good.The board members sat in silence as they began flipping through the documents I had laid out in front of them.Bank records.Investment trails.Financial discrepancies that should never exist within a company with a reputation like ours.At the other end of the table sat my father. He hadn’t spoken a single word, but the anger he was trying to hide was written clearly across his face. His eye

AliceTwo days had passed since Mom, Uncle Lemuel, and I talked about the possibility that something bad might have happened to Lance.In those two days, it felt like the world had slowed down. Every hour felt longer than it should, and every minute felt like waiting.I could barely sleep properly anymore.Every time I closed my eyes, the same things returned to my mind—the headlines about his supposed wedding to Jeraldine, the photos circulating online, and the careless comments from people who had no idea whose hearts they were hurting.But more than anything else… I kept thinking about Lance’s silence.Still no calls.Not even a single message.No matter how hard I tried to convince myself that there had to be an explanation, I couldn’t stop the fear slowly tightening around my chest.That afternoon, I was sitting quietly in the living room.The house was calm. Mom was in the kitchen preparing dinner, while Uncle Lemuel stood near the window, speaking on the phone.For the past few