MasukThe long conference table was filled with folders, laptops, coffee cups, and various fabric swatches scattered across both sides. At the front of the room, the presentation slides were brightly projected onto a large screen.Aviannah sat quietly, seriously arranging the tablet in front of her. The entire team had their eyes focused on her.“Aviannah, can you walk us through the new concept for the Holiday collection? We need to finalize the color palette by next week,” the manager said.Aviannah took a deep breath before nodding and standing up from her seat.“Sure. The theme revolves around urban elegance—modern and sophisticated, but still warm and relatable. I prepared three variations for the color story.”The slide changed on the screen.“Option A leans toward muted grays with deep crimson accents. It gives off a strong and polished feel. Option B is softer, combining beige tones with teal highlights for a more relaxed and refined look,” Aviannah continued.The marketing head lea
Aviannah slowly opened her eyes after being awakened by the ringing of her cellphone. She had fallen asleep quickly earlier when she arrived at her unit, and if not for the incoming call, she was certain she would have slept straight through until the next day.“Hello? Avie, sweetheart? How are you doing over there?”“I’m good, Dad,” she answered softly to her father on the other end of the line. She noticed that it was already eight o’clock in the evening. She had really slept for quite a long time.“I was talking to Alfred earlier. He mentioned that he dropped you off at your unit earlier than usual. He said you weren’t feeling well,” her father said.“I’m just tired, Dad,” she replied.“Are you sure it’s only because you’re tired? Maybe you should see a doctor already. What are you feeling right now?” her father asked worriedly.What exactly was she feeling right now? To be honest, she didn’t know either. Andrei had completely occupied her thoughts. Even though she knew it was wron
“Y-You’re here, Aviannah…” Khyline softly said to Aviannah, who was visibly surprised by the scene she had just walked into with Andrei.“Uhh…” Aviannah didn’t know what to say.“Why didn’t you tell us you were coming today?” Andrei asked.“We told you last night, but I guess you were busy,” Chris, Andrei’s friend, answered.“Me? Busy? No, I wasn’t busy.”“You also didn’t answer our calls earlier,” Chris added, making Khyline clear her throat softly.“What I mean is… maybe it was too early, that’s why you didn’t answer,” Chris continued.“Maybe,” Andrei replied.“By the way, we brought breakfast. It’s perfect timing since Aviannah is here too. Come on, let’s eat inside,” Chris said as he showed the food they brought.“But we already had breakfast,” Andrei quickly replied, glancing at Alfred, who was still there.“Huh? You two already had breakfast together?” Chris asked.“Yeah—” Andrei stopped mid-sentence when Aviannah suddenly spoke.“Yes. We had breakfast. Uhm… Daddy and Aunt calle
“What’s it to you if we’re together? And are you losing your mind? You seem to be forgetting that we’re here for work. Of course, we’re going to be together often—almost every day,” Aviannah said to Andrei in irritation. “That’s why I’m here.” “What?” “Have you eaten yet?” Aviannah let out a frustrated gasp. “Wow. Quick topic change, huh.” “Don’t tell me you had dinner with him, too?” Aviannah drew in a deep breath. She couldn’t understand Andrei or the way he was acting toward her. She was confused about how she should feel and what she was supposed to make of it all. “And if I did have dinner with him, what does that matter to you?” “So you did eat already?” “Yes—” Aviannah started to answer, but her stomach suddenly growled. “Uhm…” She swallowed hard, and Andrei smirked. “Sit down. I’ll cook for you,” he told her. “No,” she quickly replied. “You don’t have to cook for me. I have food in my unit—” She stopped mid-sentence when Andrei suddenly approached her with a serious
“I don’t want to,” Aviannah replied simply to Andrei.“What?” Andrei asked, frowning at her.“Why would I even follow you? And besides, did I ever tell you to prepare lunch for me? Also, what are you doing here? Why are you even here?”Even though Aviannah was shocked to see Andrei — and to find out he was staying in the unit next to hers — she didn’t let it show. She kept her sassy, intimidating aura in front of him.Andrei took a slow, deep breath while staring at her seriously. Then he crossed his arms.“Okay, fine. Let’s go through this one by one. First, why should you follow me? Because I’m your big brother.’”Aviannah’s brows immediately furrowed at what he said. “What?” She gasped. “You really feel that big-brother role, huh?”“It’s not really like that. But… what exactly do you want me to be to you then?” Andrei asked teasingly.“What?”“Second, you didn’t tell me to prepare lunch for you, that’s true — but I still made you some. Shouldn’t you be at least happy or appreciativ
“If you want me to cook for you, the only thing I can serve is fried eggs,” Aviannah teased Andrei when they arrived back at her unit.“Add some hotdogs too. I bought some,” Andrei simply replied while arranging and setting aside their groceries.Aviannah expected him to get annoyed, but it seemed he didn’t mind at all—even if she could only cook fried eggs for him.“Are you serious?” she asked, sounding more irritated than he was.“Huh?” Andrei turned to look at her.“If you leave now and eat outside, you’ll get something way better than fried eggs and hotdogs.”“At least you cooked it. So I’d still choose fried eggs and hotdogs,” Andrei replied, flashing her a sweet smile.“What’s your deal?” Aviannah asked, exasperated.“Huh? I don’t have any ‘deal.’ I’m serious.”“Oh really? You’re serious, huh?”“I’m always serious when it comes to you,” Andrei added, making Aviannah pause for a moment.She swallowed hard and eventually gave in. She quickly turned her back on him and started prep
Aviannah couldn’t tell how many minutes she had been staring at the blue dress Andrei had bought for her. Of all the clothes she owned, this was her absolute favorite—even compared to the branded and expensive dresses in their mansion. Every time her eyes landed on the blue dress, she couldn’t help
A heavy feeling settled over Aviannah as she opened her eyes. Even though the sun was already shining brightly outside the window, she couldn't understand why she felt so cold. On top of that, her head ached, and she didn’t have the energy or will to move or do anything at that moment.She slowly t
“This, dear. Go ahead and sip some hot soup first,” said Mang Gener to Aviannah as he handed her a cup filled with hot chicken tinola soup that he had cooked himself.“Th-Thank you, Grandpa,” she softly replied as she gently sipped the soup. The hot broth immediately warmed her stomach, easing the
“B-But… I think this is the first time I’m learning that you’re actually scared of leeches,” Rowena said to Andrei, stammering, while Aviannah remained frozen, staring at the man.“There’s still a lot you don’t know about me,” Andrei replied to Rowena, then continued washing the clothes.“Ouch, huh







