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Casey is in need of a defender. The two men who killed her parents were incarcerated, so instead of rotting in police custody, she accepted the help of her best friend's uncle. The man was arrogant, and when they began living under the same roof, it seemed like a certain uneasiness was also brewing in her heart, but not out of fear. It's a different kind of fear she had never felt before, perhaps a crush, only towards the brooding Military Air Force officer on leave, Lieutenant General Miguel Arthur Alonde II, her mother's ex-lover and first love.
Casey couldn't believe that the two policemen, including Ronnie Lagoste, had intentionally visited her at her house, and informed her that the two men who had killed her parents had been released. She struggled to process this information, wondering how it could be possible. She vividly remembered the terrifying ordeal she had endured at the hands of those criminals before managing to escape.
It was a life sentence, how did that happen? Her heart raced as she remembered what she went through at the hands of those two thugs before she managed to escape. She shook his head slowly several times and then looked at the public attorney.
Sitting with the Public Attorney's Office lawyer, Attorney Lagoste, who had taken her case after she could no longer afford a private lawyer, she found comfort in his kind and humble demeanor. He didn't treat her like just another client but more like a friend explaining things to her.
"You're frightened," Attorney Lagoste smiles a bit.
She nods in response as she feels her tears start to well up in her eyes.
"I am," her voice cracks. She has every reason to be struck with fear. The man holds her hand and gently shakes it.
"We'll put them back behind bars; this time, for a lifetime," he assures her. Somehow, it gives her a glimmer of hope, but she still can't shake off her fear. She had experienced enough. She had come close to being assaulted and killed by criminals, and now she's on the edge of uncertainty again.
Three years had passed since her parents' demise, and Casey had tried to move on. All her fears resurfaced as if the traumatic events had happened just yesterday now that those murderers were set free. Her friends had been her support during those times of recovery, but now, it all seemed futile. She had already spent all her money seeking justice for her Mom and Dad.
"The police officers are suggesting 24/7 security. If you can't afford it yourself, they're offering the protection program for you. You're welcome to accept the offer," Ronnie adds.
"For how long?" she nervously asks, feeling dreadfully worried.
"For as long as justice isn't served for the second time."
Her eyes widen in shock. She can't wait that long. It's a long time to endure before those two men are imprisoned again, and she can't rot in the government-assigned safe place. It's as if she's the one imprisoned, not the ones who killed her Mommy and Daddy. But where will she find her protector? She doesn't have a penny to pay for security. If she has any money, it's only for her education and daily meals. She couldn't even find a job because she's still a minor and no establishment accepts her. She will turn eighteen next month. What can she pay a bodyguard with, booger?
Her dream of getting a private lawyer had cost her everything, including her car.
She knew she had to find a solution. Despite Ronnie's offer to lend her money, Casey declined. She didn't want to be indebted, especially to a man. Her parents had warned her to be cautious about accepting help from others, especially men. She knew what that meant.
"I'll accept it for now. But I'll find my own way to get rid of that protector thing. I can't stay under the police's protection custody even just for a month. It'll drive me crazy, Attorney," she says as she leans back on the sofa and rubs her head in frustration.
Ronnie couldn't help but chuckle softly while looking at her.
"Do you need help? I can lend you some money to-"
"No," she interrupts and sits up straight, looking at the young lawyer.
Of course, she can't take advantage of his kindness. Ronnie's professional fee is for free. She doesn't want to burden herself with a debt of gratitude, especially to a man.
She was only fifteen when her parents died, and since then, many have offered her help, most of them coming from her neighbors who are elderly dirty men. She was naïve then, and she still might be now, but that naivety doesn't affect her ability to think clearly. She can't accept every offer and repay them later.
She's a young and beautiful woman, and many have told her that, even when she was a child. Some of the older women in her village advised her to be cautious when accepting offers, especially from men.
Casey stood on her own feet, realizing that her parents had left her with some assets. She had no support from relatives and had even faced inheritance disputes. She was frustrated, particularly with the unresolved issues involving her father's alleged involvement with a criminal syndicate that had led to her parents' death. She needed answers and justice.
Whether her father was involved or not, it's still not right to disrespect her Mom and killed her brutally. Her Mom was a beautiful woman and was raped before those bastards took her mother's life. She was severely traumatized and had to undergo extensive treatment.
She saw that brutality firsthand and was forced to witness it all. If it was so painful for her, how much more for her Dad? Her Dad was on the verge of death due to countless stab wounds, and he could still see that cruelty. She was young, but she already understood how a man and a woman engage in sexual acts. It was etched into her mind as something painful and tragic, and she vowed never to engage in such activities. She's afraid of experiencing what her Mom went through. This is the one thing she never told the psychiatrist who helped her overcome her trauma. Even though it's gone, it will never leave her memory and heart. It's a nightmare that haunts her every day. She's strong because she has friends who don't abandon her.
She leaned back on the sofa, realizing she had raised her voice at the lawyer, who seemed to have ignored it.
"I'm sorry, Attorney. I just want to stand on my own and learn how to face this. I've faced this once, and I know I can still face it now. I know you're already helping me, which is why I don't want to trouble you to find private security for me. I do have a choice, which is to stay in police custody, but I won't let myself rot there," she said and then crossed her arms.
She's aware that Ronnie is looking at her. The man often seems to be staring at her as if she's the only one in the room. Her gaze shifts toward him, and he smiles at her and playfully ruffles her hair. He's a young and handsome man, but he doesn't appeal to her. She might be the only girl in the world without a crush. It's one of their friendship's pledges – no boyfriends until they graduate from College.
"When will I be moved to the custody of the Philippine National Police, Attorney?" Casey asked, ignoring the appreciative gaze.
"You can come with me if you don't want to stay with them," he offered.
She sighed deeply, realizing that the lawyer had a mischievous side. She already said she didn't want that. She doesn't want to be treated like a child who can't stand on her own two feet. She's been living independently for three years and never asked for her family's help. They didn't offer it, either. She doesn't know why, but it hurts her to hear that they don't want to be involved in her problems because her father was involved with a syndicate.
She took a deep breath. "Thanks, but no thanks, Attorney. I can stay with the cops for a couple of days. I'll find a solution for this. I just hope that those murderers will be put in jail as soon as possible. I know your service is free, Attorney, but I hope you won't get lazy in fighting for it, even if I can't pay you anything," she said and blinked.
Her words made Ronnie burst into laughter as if amused by her bluntness. "You're such a witty girl. Don't worry. I don't need anything in return. I was made to help people in need for free," Ronnie smiled at her sincerely.
She nodded and smiled back. She glanced at her cat. They were going to evacuate, and she might have to leave Cutie with one of her friends. She's sure Cutie will miss the neighbor's dog, Bernardo, a few hundred meters away.
She thinks she should call her friends first. She knows she's welcome in her friends' families, but she can't risk their lives. They've been helping her for years, and that's enough for her. She needs to be tougher and stronger this time. She's feeling a range of fear, but if she survived her ordeal with those culprits at fifteen, she can do it now at eighteen. She's Casey Daniella, an Imperial, strong despite her fear. Those thugs can't kill her, and she won't give them the satisfaction.
"Can you come back here, Attorney? I need to talk to my friends," she requested from the man who would take her to the PNP custody.
"Of course. I'll be back after lunch. I'll leave the cops here to keep you safe. We can't afford to take any risks, Casey. Those men are dangerous, and they've threatened you after the trial, even after they were found guilty," Ronnie said, never breaking eye contact.
She nodded and smiled at him. He seemed even more taken with her. She might be in denial, but her friends have noticed the way Attorney Lagoste looks at her. She's the only one who doesn't see it. It's not impossible, though, because she's undeniably beautiful and doesn't look seventeen; she'll turn eighteen in two weeks. She's still young when she talks and makes decisions. She's only been strengthened by time and what happened to her parents. And now, she prays for safety again.
She'll make those men who killed her parents pay. Even if her Dad was part of a syndicate, he deserves justice. As far as she knows, her Dad was good to her and her Mom. He was the best Dad to her, no matter what others say.
Due to Alexa's broken heart, she was forced to return to the hacienda she had left seven years ago. She left and lived her life in the city because of Aslan. Aslan was a 33-year-old man adopted by her parents, but he became her mother's affair. As much as possible, Alexa didn't want to see the man anymore, the one who stole her inheritance and her mother. Aslan took everything that should have been hers. And now that she's back at the Escobar hacienda, she would reclaim what was rightfully hers as the only child and sole heiress from the man everyone calls the rancher, who is actually a fake.
It was Lush's habit to buy a woman. Perhaps he inherited that behavior from his father, but he was a single man seeking amusement. He purchases celebrities and simple women with decent backgrounds. However, a woman approached him and offered herself directly for three hundred thousand pesos. This woman was his employee in his company, and the reason was supposedly to redeem land mortgaged in the province. They had an intimate relationship for a month or two until he found out that this woman was already married to a missing man.
Adamson's obsessions are women and revenge. He lived with those thoughts in his mind and heart because of the people who destroyed his family, causing him to lose his parents. He wasn't happy and had no trace of love in his stony heart. He's a terrible womanizer and a terrible wrecker, but he was enchanted when he saw this young woman: a 20-year-old granddaughter of his butler. He didn't stop until he had her under his control and did terrible things to make her his wife. She became his sweetest obsession, young, beautiful, and shy, Elyzabeth Alexa. She was an obsession that was difficult to overcome, until one day he woke up realizing he already loved her. He loves her, but he doesn't trust her. It's a trauma, and he doesn't know how to fully surrender.
Heart has no other option but to seek help from her manager. Her father needs a heart operation worth five hundred thousand pesos. As the eldest child, the weight of this responsibility falls on her shoulders. She needs to find a way, even if it means making a difficult decision. For several weeks, she'll be at the mistress of an unknown man, for two hundred fifty thousand pesos, because she's a virgin. That was the offer from an unknown, unscrupulous man. Take it or leave it. She'll let herself be used while she's asleep, so she doesn't have a chance to get to know the man she's selling herself to. Due to extreme desperation, she agreed immediately to save her father, who is on the brink of death. She no longer has the opportunity to learn about the man who will be intimate with her and own her. She has to save her dying father, no matter who takes her. But the man she briefly saw is not ugly. He's incredibly handsome and her boss, the billionaire Deluxe Montesalvo, who has been married for three years!
My name is Katia, and I am just trying to survive until my fated mate arrives. Which may be easier said than done. Rejectection is the last straw. Whispering my acceptance of his rejection. I run through the pack house, out across the manicured lawn into the forest. "I'm sorry, my sweet girl," I say to my wolf. I'm sorry you have been stuck with me and have had to suffer everything I have. She whispers," it's not your fault, Katia. We came to a cliff with a waterfall. The hurt keeps pounding at me. I need it to stop. My sweet girl, and I just want peace, I keep running and leap off the cliff. Spreading my arms wide, with tears streaming down my face, I fall, not making a sound, waiting for sweet oblivion where we feel nothing ever again. "I love you, my sweet girl! Until we meet again, "My wolf replied just before we hit the water, "I love you too, Katia. I have never regretted a moment with you." The Snow Moon pack is having their last barbecue of the summer next to the waterfall on their land. The adults are laughing and joking while watching the pups play. The alpha, beta, and gamma are swimming with some of the older children and playing a game of Marco Polo. Someone yells, "Oh my goddess, someone just jumped over the waterfall!" Everyone is frozen as they watch what looks to be a child falling arms spread wide, no one makes a sound. The small body hits the water like a plane crashing into the side of a mountain. The alpha, beta, and gamma, spring into action, swimming towards the area the person went under. The alpha is screaming his wolf is going crazy repeating, "Find her. Find her...find her!" They dive and the beta surfaces with a small person in his arms. Alpha takes the girl from his beta, laying her on the ground. The men are shocked by what they see. She is covered in scars and injuries. Her body is twisted and broken. The Beta asks, "Who could have done this to someone so defenseless?" Alpha drops to his knees, repeating, "MATE...MATE...MATE!"
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”
"Is it considered betrayal to develop feelings for your best friend's boyfriend? What about when fate intervenes, and he turns out to be your destined mate? You might think it's luck and thank the moon goddess for such a twist of fate. That's what I believed until the love of my life uttered those dreaded words: 'I want a divorce!' As I stared at the pregnancy test in my hands, I realized it was better to keep my secret to myself. My name is Violet, and this is my story."
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. “It's time to reveal your true identity, darling.”
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”