Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 61 - Chapitre 70

(Continuation) JACOB ALDEGUIRE'S POV I just stared at him. Then I laughed. A low, quiet laugh. Not in a mocking way, but genuinely surprised. It slipped out of me before I could stop it. Luis didn’t react. Of course he didn’t. He never reacted to anything unless necessary. I leaned back against my swivel chair, the leather creaking softly beneath my weight as I tilted my head slightly, studying him with newfound amusement. “Troublesome,” I repeated. The word lingered in my mouth. Troublesome. Such a cold way to describe something most men spend their lives chasing. Love. Marriage. Devotion. A family. My fingers tapped once against the armrest. “You’ve been watching me for ten years,” I said calmly. “And that’s your conclusion?” His expression didn’t change. Luis remained still for a long moment, his gaze unwavering as always. Then, almost quietly, he spoke again. “There’s… something else,” he said, carefully choosing each word. “Something

JACOB ALDEGUIRE'S POV (Continuation) Dmitri’s question lingered in the air. Slowly, the corner of my mouth lifted. Amused..... I leaned back in my chair, the leather creaking softly beneath my weight as I let the silence stretch between us... deliberate, controlled. My fingers brushed the front of my coat, right where the USB now rested. Right where power lived. Then I spoke. Like a man confessing something harmless. “The same kind as you," kalmadong sambit ko sa kanya. Dmitri didn’t move. But I saw the faint shift in his eyes. My smile deepened slightly. “A man,” I continued, my voice smooth and steady, “who doesn’t stop.” I tilted my head just enough to study him. “To hesitate… is to lose." A pause. “And I don’t lose.. especially not in a game that I started." The jazz music below us filled the silence again, wrapping around my words like silk around a blade. “I’m the kind of man,” I added quietly, “who continues until he finally has the one thing he’

ELOWEN GARCIA'S POV Makalipas ang mahigit isa at kalahating oras na byahe ay huminto ang sasakyan sa isang pamilyar na lugar. Mula sa loob ng kotse at sinuyod ko ng tingin ang lugar... at ng makumpirma ko na tama ang iniisip ko ay bumaling ako kay Jacob. Pero wala na ito sa driver's seat, kundi nasa labas na. Naglalakad patungo sa side ko, at maya-maya pa ay binuksan nito ang pintuan ng kotse sa tabi ko. Agad na bumaba ang tingin ko sa kamay niyang nakalahad sa harapan ko, napangiti ako at buong puso iyong inabot. Inalalayan niya ako pababa sa kotse, at ilang segundo lang ay narinig ko ang pagsara ng pinto nito sa likuran ko. Ngunit ang tingin ko ay abala sa pagmamasid sa paligid.At sobrang daming tao... gaya ko ay nakasuot din ang mga ito ng normal na dresses at maging ang mga lalaki at naka long sleeves lang, habang 'yong iba naman ay simple t-shirts lang."Baby.. I'll be back in a minute," biglang bulalas ni Jacob sa tabi ko, lumingon ako sa kanya at bago pa man ako makapagtano

ELOWEN GARCIA'S POV “Jacob…” mahina kong bulong, pero hindi ko rin alam kung ano ang sasabihin ko pagkatapos. Hindi niya ako sinagot. Sa halip, naramdaman ko ang isang braso niya na marahang pumalibot sa likod ng tuhod ko, at ang isa pa ay sumuporta sa likod ko. Napasinghap ako nang bigla niya akong buhatin. “Jacob!” halos mahina akong natawa sa gulat. “Shh,” usal niya, may bahid ng ngiti sa boses. Nararamdaman ko ang tibok ng puso ko sa dibdib ko habang buhat-buhat niya ako patungo sa kotse. Ang buwan ay tila nakasunod sa amin, tahimik na saksi sa bawat hakbang niya. Binuksan niya ang pinto sa likod gamit ang isang kamay, maingat akong ibinaba sa backseat. Marahan. Parang may hawak siyang bagay na babasagin. Humiga ako nang bahagya sa malambot na upuan, at bago pa ako tuluyang makaupo nang maayos ay mabilis siyang pumasok sa loob at narinig ko ang tunog, nang pagsara ng pintuan ng sasakyan sa kanyang likuran. Nakatukod ang isang kamay niya sa tabi ko, habang a

ELOWEN GARCIA'S POV I shouldn’t have come to work today. The moment I stepped out of the car, my legs nearly betrayed me. Every movement reminded me of last night. My entire body felt heavy… sore in places I never knew could ache this way. I pressed my thighs together instinctively as I walked through the office lobby, hoping no one would notice the slight stiffness in my steps. But of course, someone did. “Elowen? Are you okay?” Trisha, asked the second I reached my desk. “You look pale.” I forced a smile, setting my bag down carefully. Even bending slightly made a dull ache crawl up my spine. “I’m fine,” pagsisinungaling ko upang hindi na niya ako kulitin. “Just didn’t get enough sleep.” That wasn’t entirely false. Sleep barely came. And when it did, it was restless. Every time I shifted in bed, I felt him. Halos ayaw na niya akong tigilan kagabi at inabot kami nang madaling araw. Ginawa namin iyon mula sa kotse niya, sa hotel kung saan kami madalas magkita. Kahi