جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 30

MELCHIOR sent Alas a text saying he would be a little late, since he was on his way back to the restaurant and wanted to invite him for a drink. He had just come from Brenda’s place; apparently, the woman was upset with Alas for not driving her home earlier. Twenty minutes later, he finally arrived. “Sorry to keep you waiting, bro,” he said as he walked over. His eyes then fell on Yna sitting beside him. “By the way, who is this?” “Ah, this is Yna, my secretary,” Alas introduced her. “Yna, this is Melchior — the friend I told you about from back in the States.” “Hello, nice to meet you, Yna,” Melchior greeted her. Yna smiled in return. “Come on, let’s have a drink,” Melchior invited both of them. “Sure, but just one glass, bro. I have a big meeting tomorrow — the one I mentioned to you yesterday. The Domingo family is very strict when it comes to business mergers.” “Got it. You’ll handle it well, especially now that you’ve got such a lovely lady helping you out.” “Exa

YNA stepped out of her car full of excitement. She had driven herself, since Alas had plenty of other matters to attend to back in the city — and besides, she felt completely safe here. The people of the village loved and welcomed her warmly. “Hello, good afternoon to everyone!” she greeted cheerfully as she walked along. “Hey, look who’s here — our lovely guest! Go call Captain Larry,” one of the villagers called out. “Good afternoon to you too, Ma’am — please, come right in.” “Wait a moment, I brought some things for all of you,” she said, turning to the group. “Could you help me carry them, please?” They seemed to have no pressing work to do at the moment, probably just curious to see who had arrived. “Thank you so much, Ma’am,” said the eldest among them with a grateful smile. She hoped the food, clothing, and medicine she had brought would be useful. It wasn’t much, but she prayed it would be enough for everyone. Next time, she planned to look for sponsors so she could bring

***continuation*** ALAS followed. “So — what do you think? Is it as good as you’d hoped?” “It’s even better. We still have an hour before sunset — let’s keep going. I saw a waterfall from here, and I’d love to swim there,” she said, her excitement returning as she pointed toward the falls in the distance. “Are you sure? You don’t have a change of clothes — you might catch a chill.” “I’ll be fine! Come on — I want to see it up close.” Five minutes later, they reached the falls. It was even more stunning than it had looked from afar. “Come on in! The water’s amazing!” Yna called, already wading in. Alas laughed softly, pulled off his shirt, and dove in. They splashed and swam together, both forgetting their worries for a little while. “This is perfect,” Yna said. “It’s so refreshing — exactly what we need for our tourism plans. I’ll definitely include this in my article, and take photos later.” “Agreed. But we should head back soon — it’s almost five, and it’ll be dark

JANUS followed Yna the moment she stepped out of the conference room. He was desperate to speak with her, but she wanted nothing to do with him. Instead of feeling happy to see him again, his presence only stoked her anger, and she did everything she could to avoid him. Yna hurried down the hallway, and soon realized someone was trailing her. When she confirmed it was Janus, she walked even faster toward Alas’s office. “Yna, wait! I just want to talk — and congratulations, by the way, on getting the merger approved,” he called out, quickening his pace to catch up. Irritated by his persistence, Yna finally stopped and turned to face him. “Yes? What exactly are you doing here?” she asked bluntly. She needed to hear it straight, so she wouldn’t let her hopes run wild like she used to. “Let’s just say… I started thinking about you again.” “Oh, so you did remember me after all this time?” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Of course I did. And really — standing up to Mr. Ignacio

“CAN I invite you for dinner?” Yna asked Alas as they walked toward where his car was parked, the faint glow of the amusement park’s string lights still catching in her hair, the distant music of the carousel fading softly behind them. Her sneakers crunched gently on the gravel of the parking lot, and she hugged her thin cardigan a little tighter against the cool evening breeze, suddenly nervous she’d overstepped. “Of course — I’d love that,” he replied, his face lighting up instantly as he rounded the car to open the passenger door for her, one hand resting lightly on the roof to keep her from bumping her head. “By the way, where are we headed?” he asked with a warm, crooked smile, guiding her gently inside. She smiled back, her cheeks flushing a little as she settled into the soft leather seat, the familiar scent of his pine air freshener wrapping around her like a quiet hug. Alas slid into the driver’s seat beside her, then leaned over without a second thought, his calloused finge