Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Manila, where the local time is 6:30 A.M. We have safely landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, and we hope you had a pleasant journey with us.
Good morning, Ami and Marcus! We're here in Manila," Messie greeted with a cheerful tone, waking up the mother and son.
"The smell of Manila is in the air," Amiver chuckled, a smile on her face. It had been 7 years since she left Manila, and now he was back. There have been quite a few changes since their last visit to the airport when they traveled with her mother in law, to Hong Kong.
Despite the time that had passed, her appearance remained unchanged. She was still in good shape, her skin glowing from the care and attention she had given to his appearance. Her time in America had taught her to take care of herself even more, and it showed in her improved looks.
Mommy, will we be able to see Grandma?"
Marcus asked from the backseat of the taxi.
She glanced at Messie, wondering if he knew that her grandparents were here in Manila. As far as she knew, she hadn't mentioned anything about her ex-husband to her son.
Grandma Che," Messie responded, sensing her surprise.
"Ah, Lola Che... well, she's not in Manila. She's in Cebu, and we'll visit her during my vacation, okay?" She said in a more relaxed tone.
She let out a sigh, looking at Messie.
"There you go, you're just being paranoid," Messie said with a chuckle, his soft voice trying to avoid Marcus hearing.
One of the reasons she's hesitant to take over the branch in Manila is her avoidance of running into Denmark and her ex-in-laws, fearing that they might discover the truth about their child with Denmark.
Don't worry, Manila is a big place. Plus, Denmark might have other children with Cathee or other women, and they might not even be interested in Marcus anymore," Messie reassured as they entered the condo that Justine provided.
She agreed with Messie's suggestion. After all, they probably wouldn't cross paths with those people. Moreover, she was no longer with Denmark, so she had nothing left to worry about meaning they had no reason to meddle in each other's lives. And if by any chance they were to discover the truth about Marcus, she was prepared to fight tooth and nail before they could take her child away from her.
She wondered if Denmark had done anything to annul their marriage. With his wealth and connections, he could have found a way, even in her absence. Perhaps she could check on the registrar when she had the time.
Amiver's office on her first day as Vice President of the architecture firm in Manila. She is sitting at her desk, going through documents and preparing for the day.
She couldn't help but smile when she saw her name on the desk, "Amiver Moreno, Vice President." She never imagined that the child of a housemaid and an unwanted wife would become a vice president in a big company.
[Amiver's assistant, Maria, knocks on the door and enters the office.]
"Welcome to your first day in Manila ma'am I am Maria and I will be your personal assistant." With a cheerful smile, a young woman exudes an air of youthful exuberance in her speech.
Good morning, Maria. Thank you. Please, call me Amiver.
Of course, Amiver. Just wanted to remind you that your schedule is packed today. You have a meeting with the design team and important clients in 30 minutes to discuss the new mall project. Maria's statement was accompanied by a smiling expression.
Perfect, I'll be ready for that thanks Maria "
After introducing herself to the employees, Justine called her . He thanked her for accepting the position and promised to join her here in Manila."
Amiver's first day at the Manila branch turned out well. Although she still has much to learn, she's confident in her abilities. She also met many new people during those days, but she sensed that some were questioning her new position.
"Amiver, is it okay if I go back to Cebu for just two days? Your vacation is still a bit far off, and I'd like to visit Mom first," Messie asked her while they were in the living room, and Marcus had already fallen asleep.
No problem, and I'll just bring Marcus to the company. Also, sorry if we can't spend much time together for now. You know, I'm still getting used to this new position," she explained with a hint of shyness to Messie.
She had wanted to bring her Nay Che to Manila so they could see each other sooner, as she was already missing her. However, her Nay Che declined, mentioning that she couldn't manage a flight alone anymore.
One morning, she brought Marcus to work with her at the company, drawing curious looks from her colleagues.
"Is he Boss Justine's child?" She overheard a conversation from the neighboring office.
"No, I heard our vice president is a single mom, and she's still married. She's really fortunate to have someone like Sir Justine."
Despite the gossip, she chose to remain silent. She was aware that her situation was complicated due to Justine's romantic interest in her. What worried her more was the possibility of Marcus getting involved in false rumors.
Go back to work," she snapped at them as she opened the door to one of her colleagues' offices. They immediately scrambled back to their tasks, flustered by her sudden interruption.
Amiver, you have a meeting later with the designers and the owner of the shopping mall for their design project. Um, can you leave Marcus with me while you're in the conference room?" Maria said with a smiling expression as she handed Amiver some files.
It's okay, I'll bring Marcus to the meeting room. Don't worry," she declined Maria's offer with a smile. She knew she was overly protective of her child, and she wasn't comfortable leaving him with just anyone.
"Well, I think it's not very formal to have a child running around during a meeting. Also, one of our most important clients is coming in today, so we really need your focus," Maria explained with a patient tone.
She felt slightly irritated by Maria's comment.
"Well, it's not new to me to bring my child to my meetings, even when I was in the US. And I can assure you, my child behaves well, and I'm confident he won't slow down our meeting with the client," she said firmly to Maria.
Maria felt a sense of unease from Amiver's tone, so she quickly bowed, apologized, and excused herself.
'Marcus, just behave there, okay? Mommy has a meeting. Here, take your books and design magazine and look at them for a while. Is that alright?" she said to her child as she seated him beside her.
She noticed some senior directors observing her while they waited for the important clients who were arriving today.
"Hmm, Amiver, can I talk to you for a moment?" one of them asked. This is one of Justine's relatives named Frank, who holds the position of Senior Director at the age of 48.
"Hmm sure, ".
Why did you bring a child here? You could have left him in your office, right? Remember, you're already the Vice President under Justine," he questioned, looking at her from head to toe.
She was taken aback by the tone of his words and couldn't respond.
"A very important client is arriving today, and everyone is expecting your report later. Please don't disappoint us and the company," he added firmly.
After a while, the meeting room door opened, revealing three men, one of whom was Denmark.