Lahat ng Kabanata ng Too Late To Love Me: I Already Left With His Twins: Kabanata 51 - Kabanata 60

Dave POVI was halfway through reviewing reports on our international branches when the investor call began.Three screens open.Projected numbers.Expansion models.Two men in Singapore speaking in polished, careful tones about market penetration and distribution channels while I mentally calculated how long it would take before one of them said something tedious enough to justify ending the call early.They did not disappoint.Forty seven minutes in, we wrapped.“Looking forward to closing this deal,” one of them said.“As are we,” I replied.The screen went black.I shut my laptop.Reached for the next file.Then my office door opened without warning.Sera entered carrying an iPad.Urgent face.Never a promising sign.“Sir,” she said, “you need to see this.”I looked up.“What happened?”She crossed the room and handed me the tablet.“Cyn and Iny.”I frowned.“What about them?”Iny is Lydia’s younger sister and I haven’t heard anything from her since my marriage to her sister.I di

Lydia POV“Okay.”I don’t usually trust people like that.But I made an exception for him.I sent my address.He said, “We are practically neighbors. I live eight minutes away.”“I’m already on the road.”And then he hung up.He arrived in eight.Knocked once.Waited.I opened the door with Ava on my hip and Eli halfway under the dining table.Marcus took in the scene.Nodded.“Good morning,” he said, like this was normal.“Marcus,” Ava said immediately.She liked him.That was concerning.He crouched.Looked at Eli.“Why no uniform?”Eli crossed his arms.“It’s uncomfortable.”Marcus nodded seriously.“Valid.”I opened my mouth to correct that.He lifted a hand slightly.Wait.Then to Eli—“What if we try it for one day? If it’s still uncomfortable, we renegotiate terms tomorrow.”Eli narrowed his eyes.“Terms?”“Yes.”“What terms?”Marcus leaned in slightly.“Better socks.”Ava gasped.“Luxury socks?”“Possibly.”Silence.Then Eli crawled out.Slowly.“I will consider it.”Five minu

Lydia POVMarcus kept showing up anyway.Which was… irritating.And increasingly difficult to ignore.He started small.Always small.“Lunch?” he asked one afternoon, leaning lightly against my office door like he had nowhere else to be.I didn’t look up from my laptop.“I eat at my desk.”“That sounds like a cry for help.”“It’s efficiency.”“It’s sad.”I typed.“Send an email.”“That feels cold.”“It is cold.”Silence.Then“I’ll bring lunch then.”I paused.Looked up.He was already halfway down the hallway.I did not say yes.I also did not say no.That was my mistake.He came back twenty minutes later with two takeaway boxes.Set one on my desk.Sat opposite me like this had already been agreed upon.I stared at the food.Then at him.“You’re very comfortable for someone who was not invited.”“You didn’t say no.”“I didn’t say yes.”He nodded.Opened his own box.“Taste it first. Then reject me properly.”I hate that that made sense.I took a bite.Paused.Then kept eating.He di

Dave POVBy the time I got to the conference room, everyone was already seated. Of course they were. My team had that annoying habit of being early when things were going wrong, like punctuality could somehow fix incompetence. The screen was already on. Slides open. Charts. Red lines. Too many red lines. I didn’t sit immediately. Just stood there for a second, looking at the numbers. Then at them. “The Cyn and Iny situation,” I said, finally taking my seat. “Explain to me why it is now affecting my company.” Silence. Brief. Careful. Then my head of PR cleared his throat. “Sir, the issue is not direct,” he said. “But your name has come up in connection with both parties. The media is… connecting dots.” “Incorrect dots,” I said. “Yes, sir.” “Yet here we are.” Another silence. He clicked the remote. Next slide. More red. “Our stock has dipped by 6.8% since yesterday morning,” he continued. “Investor confidence is… shaky.” “Because of gossip?” I asked. “It’s not bein

Dave POVI couldn’t sleep that night.Not even a little.I kept turning.Left.Right.Back again.The bed was too comfortable.The room too quiet.My mind… not quiet at all.Every time I closed my eyes, it was the same thing.Her face.That picture.That name under it.Lydia.I let out a breath and sat up.Checked the time.2:17 a.m.Great.I rubbed my face once and got out of bed.If sleep wasn’t coming, I wasn’t going to sit there waiting for it like an amateur.I picked up my laptop.Opened it.Work.That usually works.Emails.Reports.Numbers.Things that make sense.I answered a few messages.Reviewed a document halfway.Stopped reading it halfway too.Because my head wasn’t there.Which is… new.Annoying.I checked the time again.3:08 a.m.Still not sleeping.Fine.I joined a scheduled call.Canada team.The screen lit up with faces.Too awake for this hour.“Morning, sir,” one of them said.“Evening for you,” I replied.A few polite laughs.They started talking.Updates.Perf