SC2“Are you ready to go back to Manila?” Heart happily asked Delight as she entered the hospital room, carrying the permit that allowed them to fly him to Manila. Lumeng, her mother took care of him In Lux’s absence, also smiled.The child nodded and smiled, “Yes, Mommy Heart. Can I go to school with Lush?”“Of course! You’ll go to school with Daddy Vandros! Do you like Daddy Vandros?”“Yes. He’s nice, like Daddy Lux.”“Be even nicer there, okay, dear?”Delight nodded.“Grandpa and I will come. We’ll visit you and Lush,” Lumeng announced while arranging the things left outside the bag.“Yes, Owa,” Lush quickly responded to the elderly woman.Vandros persistently teased them to adopt Delight. They asked the child, and since Delight agreed, there was nothing they could do.He always mentioned that Delight is kind and doesn’t change his expression.It’s sad to think about, but he didn’t want to see Silvana, so when he has recovered from the operation, they’ll provide therapy for him. Th
SC 3Heart closed her eyes, and a sweet song she often heard on Lux’s stereo filled her ears. She was in her room, recalling her last memory. They had just returned from the hospital a few days ago. She enrolled for the next sem and picked up Delight. He would stay with them temporarily until the legal adoption papers were processed by Vandros.She had been exhausted and slept heavily last night. Lux had been extremely busy in the past few days. She couldn’t fathom what kept him so occupied, but there must have been a lot, considering the tasks he left behind when they went on vacation.“God gave me you,To show me what’s real,There’s more to life,Than just how I feel…”The beautiful song made her open her eyes, and she looked at the bedside table. She felt better today; no nausea or dizziness. Sometimes, anxiety would creep in, making her worry about the baby in her womb, but she knew it was just her imagination.She frowned and lifted her head when she saw a white envelope on t
EPILOGUE A stunning woman in a black miniskirt and a red blouse stepped out of a luxurious car. She is wearing a black blazer, gazing up at a towering building where she will start her work as the CFOO of the company. She graduated with flying colors two years ago, her first significant achievement in life. Graduating summa cum laude was a source of pride for Heart. After receiving her diploma, she studied Finance to master the subject. Though not an Accountant, she passed the exam when applying for her husband’s company. Driving her own car became easier for her than obtaining a license. Through perseverance, she finally learned to navigate her car. Manang Pipa, their new house helper, emerged from the backseat with Love, their one-year-old youngest child. Today marked Heart’s first day at work, and she brought Love along, unwilling to leave the child at home. Lush and Delight attended the same school, though they weren’t in the same class. They discovered from Charles that Delig
Her mind was drifting as she walked, holding a tray filled with food that cost at least ten thousand pesos per plate. She was directionless after the news that shook her whole being earlier. She almost dropped her cellphone because of it, as she started sobbing in the bathroom.“Your father is in the hospital, fighting for his life!”Her mother’s voice thundered in her ears and continued to echo inside her head. Her father needed five hundred thousand pesos for the heart operation he had in their province of Oas, Albay, while he was pulling the carabao in the fields earlier. She was from Legazpi City, a Bicolana who was forced to go to Manila and stop her college education due to the hardships in life. She was beautiful, if beauty was the criteria, but she lacked the height to compete in beauty pageants, so she never stood a chance as a candidate.If only she was blessed with height, she would probably be able to earn and support herself in her studies. But she was short, standing onl
Chapter 1Heart estimated how her body moved as she opened the door to her manager’s office. A blast of cold air hit her as she entered, courtesy of the powerful air conditioning inside. Along with it came the pleasant scent of her manager’s perfume from the restaurant.Vandros Montero was sitting in his chair, holding a cigarette in his hand. His face had an unreadable expression. And she was on the verge of crying, even before speaking. Heart had barely crossed the threshold of the open door.Vandros looked at her and motioned for her to come in. He remained expressionless. Vandros was a serious person. He didn’t smile and his demeanor was unsettling, but beneath that, he was kind. He never yelled at them or treated them badly. He always spoke to them with respect and professionalism, but in return, he expected their loyalty and dedication to their work, as his true nature might occasionally reveal itself if they don’t abide.Heart did as she was told. She closed the door and sta
Chapter 2 – Lux“WHO’S that?” Lux asked his Abuela as soon as he entered the Montesalvo mansion.He had just dropped off a friend whose car broke down. He had promised his seventy-eight-year-old grandmother, Carmenzita Almendrez-Montesalvo, that he would spend an afternoon with her in her favorite salon. She wanted to get a foot spa, have her nails cleaned, and get a haircut. Damn! He didn’t need grooming, for Pete’s sake. He had no choice. His Abuela was happy treating him like a little boy, even though he was already thirty-one years old. Well, they were the only two who were always together from the beginning. “Oh, here you are,” she said, just having put down the phone. His grandma didn’t have a smartphone. She was the only person in the world still relying on a landline. She had a phone and a registered SIM card, but she didn’t use them. She didn’t have any social media accounts either. She didn’t know how to use modern cellphones. She would only make calls on her basic ph
3Heart is waiting for a call at five o’clock in the afternoon inside her apartment, but there’s still no call. She feels like a cat that can’t give birth in her current state. She peeks through the wooden window, gazing at the road, hoping that a luxurious Nissan Calibre owned by Vandros might pass by in front of their gate.She can’t stay still, constantly holding her cellphone, sitting down, standing up, and then pacing back and forth. The young woman’s eyes keep darting to the clock. It feels like time is racing, and the seconds tick loudly in her ears, matching the rhythm of her anxious heart.Her mind is far away, focused on her father, whose situation is unknown at the moment. Her thoughts are negative; she imagines the worst, that her father is already dying. She stops in her tracks and tears fill her eyes. Maybe her father is suffering right now. Oh God. Heart covers her face with her palms. Her mind should not dwell on such scenarios. It’s wrong. She should be thinking that
Chapter 4Heart breathed a sigh of relief as the initial payment of 75 thousand entered her SCash wallet. Another 75K would be due tomorrow. While she was still in Vandros’s car, on their way home, she already planned to call her mother to find someone who could send the seventy-five thousand. She didn’t know if it was possible to withdraw that amount at this hour. Her father needed the operation.Time was slipping away, and her father’s condition was becoming more critical. Vandros spoke up, “Heart…” which made her look at her employer.“Yes?” She gazed at him with sadness in her eyes.“Why don’t you ask the doctor if it’s still possible for your father to be transferred here? To the Philippine Heart Center, you know? The five hundred thousand can potentially be reduced to two hundred. That’s a significant difference. You’ll need less money. I’ll talk to Senyora Carmen; maybe she’ll allow you to do salary deduction.”She fell silent, contemplating the idea. But what if her father cou