Another day had dawned. The rays of early sunlight lit up the streets and brought a pearly glow into the sky as the chorus of melodic birdsong drifted in. It's the most important day of Sophia's life. She wasn't a coffee drinker, but she lost sleep last night thinking about her new job and the opportunities that awaited her. Even though her boyfriend wasn't still in full support, Sophia was still determined and focused. It was just 6:30 am and Sophia was already up, and anticipating her new job. She can't wait to meet new people and make friends, too. She opened her wardrobe to select the best dress to complement her position as an office assistant but was lost and developed a headache. She found none of the outfits worthy enough.
Finally, she caught a glimpse of one, a beautiful red gown.
“This fits perfectly,” She smiled in excrement and stood in front of the mirror to admire her beauty. After applying a slight make-up, Sophia dashed to the living in her high heels. She was completely unrecognizable.
“How do I look? Beautiful right?”
She asked Joanna, who didn't even recognize her at first.
"Wow! Stunning and gorgeous. You could pass for a runway model. I could barely recognize you. Where's your company's address? I could come to visit you someday. It'd be so boring without you,” Joana folded her arms. Sophia hadn't departed yet, and Joana was already missing her. They've known each other since they were kids, and now she'd be home all by herself with no one to talk to except Shawn who is still rooted in deep slumber after he came home late last night heavily drunk.
"It's at Mendez close. Just a few miles away from our neighborhood. I love it that way, at least I won't have to spend too much on transportation.”
"And what about Shawn? Has he approved of it?”
"Who gives a damn about his opinion? I'm only focused on my new job. I'll be back soon. Don't miss me too much,” Sophia blew Joanna a kiss and hit the road, searching for a cab heading to her destination. Not long after her departure, Shawn rushed downstairs shirtless. “I heard you talking to Sophia a while ago. Where's she now?”
“Relax, Buddy. She left already. I thought you two already talked about it?”
"Talk about what? We both slept in separate rooms last night. Where did she go?"
“Where else? To her new job, of course. I hope you're not trying to stop her. Because It's never gonna happen. She's long gone,”
"Watch me do that!” Shawn rushed to his room and returned all dressed up.
“Did she disclose the address to you? What am I even saying? Sophia is your cousin. She tells you everything. Would you be kind enough to pass me the address?”
"What are you gonna do with it? You are beginning to sound so obsessive right now. Just let it go.”
“Never, I won't. I'm going out there to find her myself. To hell with the address.” Shawn disembarked and hit the street, searching for Sophia to trail her movement. His instinct tells him She was lying about the whole job thing. He believes the offer was too good to be true. After wandering for minutes, he finally spotted Sophia on the road waiting for a cab. None of the cab drivers seemed to be familiar with the address.
"Who goes to work dressed like that and exposes her body?” he bent his head to avoid being seen. Suddenly, a Jeep parked in front of Sophia, which left Shawn puzzled.
“I knew she was cheating on me."
Mathew stepped out of the jeep and hugged Sophia so passionately. Shawn immediately brought out his phone and took photos of them hugging. That was the moment he's been waiting for.
After gathering enough evidence, he went back home, joyously knowing he had accomplished his mission.
"I told you. It was too late already. I'm sure she'd be performing her duties right now as the new office assistant,” Joana vouched for her cousin and mocked Shawn for wasting his time and energy chasing shadows.
"Not so fast, my dear. Can you recognize these people in this photo?” Laughing mischievously, he showed the picture evidence to Joana.
“Holy Grail! This isn't true.
I can't believe my cousin lied to me about the job.” Joana screamed after seeing a photo of her cousin hugging a strange man.
"Do you know that man?” With enthusiasm and anxiousness, he asked. Judging from her reaction, he could tell Joana knew about the mystery man.
"I'm surprised you don't know him. That's Matthew Callaghan. The same man who drove us home the night we were stranded. He was still the same person who bought Sophia that golden necklace,” Joana further disclosed, leaving no stone unturned. To her surprise, Shawn didn't react. He quietly walked to his room and shut the door.
.
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. It's 9;30 pm and Sophia hasn't returned from work. This troubles Joanna and Shawn so much that they stay awake in the living room awaiting her arrival. “Can you explain this attitude of hers? She isn't even returning my calls or yours,” he paced around the living room with his hands positioned behind.
"It's too early to conclude. She can't possibly ignore your calls or mine. What if she is In danger?”
"Of course, you'll defend her. That's what families do.” Shawn gave Joanna an unfriendly gaze. Moments later, a car zoomed off from the neighborhood. Not too long, Sophia walked inside and tossed herself on the couch, ignoring Joana and Shawn. “What a hectic day it has been. I'm so exhausted. I need a hot bath,"
"Where the hell are you coming from at this time, and who was that man? I mean, the one that just dropped you off. I bet it was the same guy who was hugging you so passionately this morning. Don't you dare lie to me because I've got proof? Start talking now before I lose my temper, you prostitute,” Shawn blasted Sophia and thoroughly washed her in front of Joanna.
“Hey, that was extreme. You shouldn't have called her a whore,” Joanna intervened and berated Shawn for the nasty things he said to her cousin.
“ If he had a job, he wouldn't be running after me like a stalker.,” Sophia mocked Shawn and defended her actions.
She didn't even feel sorry or apologize for the unruly behavior. Shawn was pained, betrayed, and heartbroken.
He pounced on Sophia and beat her to a pulp. Leaving her with bruises. Not even Joana could rescue her cousin. With her last strength, she managed to give Shawn a heavy kick in his balls, leaving him unconscious on the ground to nurse his pain.
Before he could regain consciousness, Sophia had escaped from the house and ran straight to Mathews's mansion. She doesn't know him yet but her safety is important now.
"Sophie, what do you think you're doing? How dare you walk out on me? Have you suddenly lost respect for me? I dare you to come back home now. We still have unfinished business. Can't you see it's late?" Shawn glanced through the window and called Sophia repeatedly, trying to make her return but she ignored him and kept walking faster as though Shawn never existed."Did you see what your cousin did? Sophia just walked out on me. She's not even responding to me. When did all of this start? She wasn't like this before.Did you two plan this? If I find out about your involvement in this, I'll forever be angry at you. You should be a mediator and not a destroyer.``He turned to Joanna to vent his frustration. He has every reason to believe that Joanna might have been involved in this. Perhaps, Joana herself orchestrated it all."Shawn? Please stop this madness. It's making me so uncomfortable. I don't deserve any of this treatment from you.How would you think so low of me? You know I don
Shawn gritted his teeth remembering the adorable moments he shared with Sophia in the past. The only question running through his mind was. "Could my father be right after all? He warned me about her but I refused to listen," His father's warnings are starting to play back in his head. This was the moment he wished he had listened to his father. Perhaps, he won't have found himself in an awkward situation like this. When his father warned him about Sophia, Shawn thought his father never wanted his happiness. His eyes are now widened to the bitter truth.It got to a point where Shawn's father wanted to introduce Shawn to Anita Baker, his friend's daughter who was wealthy too but according to Shawn, he wanted someone from a decent background and he felt Sophia fit in that category perfectly. With Anita depending on her father's wealth, it'll be extremely difficult to control her, so Shawn thought. Sophia may not be rich as Anita but that's Shawn's ideal woman. He wants someone he c
Feeling sorry for letting out Sophia’s little secrets, Joana slumped back on the couch. She peeked at Shawn, he was in all his pain. “ Shawn, you should go and sleep now. It's been a whole lot of trouble for you today. You need to be sane to proffer a better solution to the problem at hand” Joanna pleads. She yawns from exhaustion and rests her back on the couch for comfort. “ You're suddenly feeling guilty for Sophia, aren't you? “ Shawn blamed Joana. He feels betrayed by her too. She knew all along that her cousin was a cheat but hid it from him despite being close to her. “ Oh, c’ mon, Shawn, I'm tired of this argument already. You and Sophia are two adults. You can sort yourselves out. I'm out of here” Joana stomps to her room. The argument was killing her down and she could not continue sitting with Shawn. “I see! You must be in support of Sophia’s actions” Shawn blamed Joana before she finally disappeared from him without saying a word. Infuriated, Shawn punched the couch
Living in a gigantic mansion and being constantly showered with gifts made Sophia lose her mind completely. She had barely spent days with Mathew and her whole life transformed into something else. “ Baby, I want us to start making arrangements on how to get married. You know I need to secure the deal I told you about right?” Matthew said. He kissed Sophia’s lips the more as he lay on the couch in his exquisite living room.Sophia giggled and moaned a bit as his hands fondled other parts of her body but she suddenly halted him.“ What's that look on your face, my love?” Matthew was stunned at Sophia’s sudden change. “ Can you give me more time to process this marriage? You know I have to break up with my boyfriend and convince my Dad about this whole plan. Besides, why does this have to be a contract marriage?” Sophia’s face turned pale. Matthew needs to explain why he wanted her as a contract wife and not his real wife. Matthew chuckled at Sophia’s response and this poked out the
“ Sweetheart” Matthew called Sophia the next morning. “ I got you another phone. Sorry for damaging your phone. I promise never to try such again “ He patted Sophia’s hair gently.Sophia opened her eyes faintly to embrace the rays of the sun. Matthew was holding a brand-new phone in his hands. The phone flashed into her eyes and she blinked twice. “ I don't need your phone. I can get myself a phone if I want “ Sophia frowned. She was mad that she slept on the couch all through last night and Mathew did not try checking on her. Is this his true self? She had been used to cuddling and had never slept alone all by herself before. “ You think buying me a phone would solve the problem at hand? I don't believe you left me and dozed off throughout the night ““ I'm so sorry, I slept off. Never knew you left the room “ Matthew pleaded trying to make Sophia happy. By his right hand, he held a document and Sophia wondered what the document in his hands was.“ Say something, Sophia. You a
When Joana walked in and realized Sophia brought Matthew to be introduced to her Uncle, she felt spiteful towards Matthew.“ Hello Mr Matthew, it's nice seeing you here. I can see you’re having a great time” Joana's hatred grew for Matthew. He was wicked for snatching her best friend's girlfriend Matthew glanced closely at Joana not remembering where they met each other. “ Sorry, have I met you before? Your face looks familiar” “ Oh yes! You have Mr Matthew. At the highway, remember? You helped my cousin and her boyfriend, do you remember now?” Joana fumed. Adrenaline flowed through her bloodstream and she felt like punching everyone seated including Simon.“ Jaona, what are you doing here? What happened to your nose? Sophia asked trying to cut Joana off.“ Uncle Simon asked me to come and I'm glad I met this huge celebration. I can see you and Matthew are getting along with each other very well” Joana giggled.Simon buried his head in shame. If he knew Sophia and Matthew would be
The next day at Shawn’s house, Joana sat all by herself for breakfast. Shawn has been acting weirdly and coldly toward her since she was discharged from the hospital and she was amazed at his sudden change. They did not talk much yesterday before Joana visited her uncle.Talking about yesterday, that was the worst moment in her life. For the first time, She and her cousin Sophia exchanged words aggressively calling each other horrible names.“ Gosh! “ Joana poured more water into the glass and gulped it without being careful. The water passed wrongly in her throat and she coughed heavily to its effects.Shawn walked in immediately to see Joana coughing and he hurried to her.“ What is wrong with you Joan? Why are you coughing?” Shawn said, rubbing her back gently till she became calm.“ Thanks, Shawn! And thank you very much for snubbing me yesterday and making me look like some attention-seeker “ Joana frowned, not looking at Shawn.Shawn cuddled her from the back and chuckled. He m
Joana was stunned for the first time in her life. Shawn has never been headstrong over issues that concern Sophia. Sophia’s actions must have broken him down for this sudden change to have occurred.Opening the door, she ran after Shawn and followed him inside his room since he would not wait and talk to her.“ Shawn, come back here, I'm talking to you. You can't walk out on me like that “ “Oh please let me be Joan. I'm tired of searching for Sophia you can go search for her yourself” he muttered. “ When did you suddenly develop cold feet towards my cousin? Or are you cheating on her as well?” Joana said, pushing her hair backward in rage.“Cheating? Really? Oh c’mon Joana. You of all people know how much I have kept my commitment to Sophia and then what did she do?” Shawn's face became pale but he got himself busy by dressing his bed and the sadness disappeared. “ I understand you never did, but can you look for her and build the love you two have for each other again, please?“ Jo