What are you reading?" Marvin asked as he noticed Janet focused on her tablet.
Janet didn't look up immediately. "Nothing… I was just browsing random news," she said, then paused. "This suddenly popped up."
She tilted the tablet slightly toward him.
The word on the screen read: PAMAMANHIKAN.
Marvin let out a quiet chuckle.
Janet finally looked at him, smiling. "What?"
"You're suddenly interested in that?" he teased.
Janet smiled back, leaning a little closer. "Hey… you also did this, remember? Your family did this when you proposed to me."
Marvin's expression softened as the memory came back.
"Yeah," he admitted with a small laugh. "I still remember how nervous I was that day."
Janet's smile widened slightly. "And how serious your father looked. I thought I was going to fail the interview."
Marvin laughed louder this time. "Interview? That's exactly what it felt like."
For a moment, the conversation stayed light, almost nostalgic.
Then Marvin glanced at her tablet again, his tone shifting slightly.
"…Why are you suddenly reading about pamamanhikan though?"
Janet shrugged, still smiling faintly. "I don't know. Just curious."
But Marvin's eyes lingered on her a second longer—like the word had quietly planted a thought he hadn't expected.
Marvin nodded slowly, his eyes softening as the memory came back.
"Yes… I can't forget that," he said. "We were both so nervous. Our hands were cold, sweating—your parents almost didn't agree."
Janet let out a small smile at the thought. "Those days," she murmured. "I can't believe our son is going to do that soon…" She leaned back slightly, still processing it. "I didn't even realize he would end up marrying Anna…"
Marvin smiled faintly. "Me too," he admitted. "But maybe he's thinking something. Tom is a smart kid, Janet."
Janet exhaled, her expression turning thoughtful. "He loves Mildred… so why would he do something like this?" she asked, genuinely confused.
Marvin shrugged, a small smirk forming on his lips. "I don't know, honey," he replied. "Maybe he realized Anna is the right one for him."
Janet immediately shook her head. "No… I don't think so." Her tone was firm but quiet. "Maybe Anna is the right heir of the company, but Tom doesn't like her—not even a little. All I know is… they promised to be like siblings."
She paused, looking down for a moment.
"But marrying someone you don't like…" she added softly, "I think their marriage life would be a disaster."
Marvin leaned back in his chair. "Honey, since Tom was young, he already knew this would happen. That he'd marry someone connected to the company—someone tied to business. That's how our family has always been."
He glanced at her, then softened his tone. "Except for us… I fought for you."
Janet smiled at that, her eyes warming. "Yeah… I'm grateful for that."
A small silence settled between them.
Then she sighed again. "But Mildred…" she said quietly. "She was really kind. I love her, I really do. I treated her like my own daughter. I always thought she would be the one your father would choose for Tom."
Her gaze drifted slightly, filled with uncertainty.
"She even has her own business in Paris… what more could your father want for Tom's future?"
"Papa knew what he was doing in his life. He's a wise man," Marvin said firmly, his tone steady as he defended his father. "He's my dad. Maybe there's a reason why he didn't allow them to get married."
He leaned forward slightly. "In fact, Anna is the rightful heir of his company. She's the granddaughter of his best friend. He chose her because he saw something in her."
Janet frowned slightly, shaking her head.
"I know… but marriage isn't a game," she said softly. "It's not like hot rice you just spit out once you get burned."
Marvin let out a quiet breath, then softened his tone.
"I know, honey… I know." He moved to sit beside her on the bed, reaching to turn off the lampshade on his side. "Tom was drunk at that time. That's why Papa didn't allow it to continue."
He leaned back slightly. "Let's sleep. Don't worry too much about him."
Janet turned off her tablet and exhaled, still looking unsettled.
"I feel bad for him," she admitted. "I already called my brother in the US. I was thinking of helping Tom… maybe getting him out of this situation."
Marvin glanced at her.
"I know," he said quietly. "I heard you talking to him earlier."
Janet paused. "Are you mad?"
"No… no, honey." He shook his head immediately, then leaned in and kissed her forehead gently. "I just want him to be happy too. Not a perfect marriage—nothing like that—but a life where he can actually breathe and be himself."
Janet's expression softened.
"I'm sorry," she said after a moment. "I was making plans without telling you. I should've asked you first."
Marvin took her hand and kissed the back of her palm.
He shook his head. "No worries, honey. I love you."
Janet finally smiled, her tension easing.
"I love you too," she said, leaning in and hugging him tightly as the room slowly settled into quiet.
ANNA POV:
Meanwhile, Anna couldn't sleep.
No matter how many times she closed her eyes, the night replayed itself—over and over again like a scene she couldn't escape. Especially that moment.
Tom kissing her.
Her stomach churned every time the memory surfaced, as if her body still hadn't figured out how to react to it. Her pulse would quicken without warning, heat rising to her face, her chest tightening as if the air itself had changed.
And worse—her mind refused to let it go.
Every time she tried to rest, Tom's face appeared again behind her eyelids, sharp and uninvited, like a thought she couldn't shut out.
It was supposed to be different.
She had imagined it before—her first kiss. Something soft, something gentle. A fairy-tale moment under warm lights, maybe in a garden filled with flowers, where the wind would whisper through leaves and the world would feel quiet and kind. Something that felt like it belonged to her.
But reality had been nothing like that.
It wasn't gentle.
It wasn't chosen.
And it definitely wasn't a fairy tale.
It had been messy, forced, and tangled in emotions she didn't even understand yet. Worse, it had happened in front of everyone—turning her into something she never wanted to be in his world.
A problem.
A mistake.
The "wrong" choice.
Anna turned in bed again, letting out a slow breath as she tried to push the thoughts away. She drank water, hoping it would calm her racing heartbeat, then lay back down, staring at the ceiling.
Still nothing.
She shifted onto her side, then her stomach, pulling the pillow behind her head. Finally, she covered both ears with her hands, as if blocking out the world could also silence her thoughts.
But even then, her mind didn't stop.
Eventually, exhaustion won.
And somewhere between confusion and emotion she couldn't name, Anna finally drifted off to sleep at around five in the morning.
Tom's POV:
Tom woke up the next morning startled, blinking as sunlight crept through the curtains.
And then he froze.
Mrs. Yang was sitting quietly in the corner chair of his room, arms crossed, staring at him like she had been waiting there for a long time.
"Lola!" he greeted her, rubbing his eyes.
The moment he sat up properly, Mrs. Yang stood.
And walked straight toward him.
Smack!
"Damn you!" she snapped as her hand landed on his back.
"Ow—ow—ow!" Tom yelped, flinching with every hit. "Lola! That hurts!"
She didn't stop.
"Are you out of your mind?" she scolded, still furious. "Do you even know what you did last night?"
Tom raised his hands defensively. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry!"
"What about Mildred? Huh?" she continued, voice rising. "My poor baby… are you really sure about this decision? You're going to marry her?"
Tom exhaled heavily, guilt flickering across his face. "I'm sorry, Lola… I disappointed you."
Mrs. Yang shook her head in disbelief. "Oh my! Oh my! You're really going to marry her? I never expected this! And Mildred? What about her?"
Tom fell silent, jaw tightening.
"Can I just talk to Chairman Yang and take it back?" he asked carefully.
Smack.
"OW! Lola—that's enough!" he groaned, rubbing his back. "I said I'm sorry! I was drunk last night… I wasn't thinking clearly!"
"You proposed and kissed her!" she shouted. "Do you think marriage is a joke?!"
Tom sighed, exhausted. "Alright, alright… I'll tell them it won't happen. There's no wedding. I'll take it back."
Mrs. Yang stopped, breathing heavily. "Aiya… this child… God forgive him," she muttered under her breath. "He thinks marriage is like hot rice—something you throw away when it burns."
Tom let out a dry laugh, leaning back against the bedpost.
"I know, Lola… I know," he said quietly. Then his tone shifted, more serious. "But I can't marry her."
Mrs. Yang frowned. "What do you mean you can't?"
He looked away for a moment before answering, voice lower.
"I'm just tired… I'm tired of everything between us," he admitted. "I don't love Anna. I never did. I just… needed to get close to her. That's all."
The room went still.
Mrs. Yang's expression changed instantly—shock replacing anger.
"Tom…" she said slowly. "Using someone is not right. Don't do that. There are other ways."
Tom gave a small, tired smile. "I know… I'm just desperate right now."
"Yes, you are," she replied firmly.
She stood up, sighing deeply. "Come on. Let's go downstairs. You need to fix what you said last night. Marriage is not something you play with."
Tom nodded slowly and got up, following her out of the room—his mind heavy, his thoughts tangled, and the consequences of last night already catching up with him.
Anna's POV
Anna woke up late in the afternoon, her room dim and quiet, like the world had already moved on without her.
Her phone rang.
She blinked at the screen and answered immediately.
"Girl… we thought we lost you…" her best friend's voice came through, half worried, half relieved.
Anna sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. "I'm so sorry, girl… I didn't get a chance to say goodbye last night."
There was a short pause.
"No worries," her friend replied. "I was actually worried. But thank God you sent me a message this morning."
Anna let out a small smile, tension in her chest easing just a little. "Yeah… I'm okay."
"Good," her friend said, brightening again. "Alright, girl. See you next week, okay? I can't wait. Our last semester… we're finally graduating!"
Anna's smile widened slightly. "Yay… true. We're going to be registered nurses soon."
They both laughed softly through the call, like for a moment everything was simple again.
"Alright, bye-bye!" her friend said cheerfully.
"Bye," Anna replied.
The call ended.
Silence returned to the room.
Anna lowered her phone slowly and sat there for a while, her expression fading back into something quieter—something thoughtful, as if the laughter hadn't fully reached the parts of her still tangled in last night.