CLAIMED BY THE HEARTLESS HEARTBREAKER

ways supposed t

ot be? It gave

ade you believe the world still had good left in it. But it

Mama

No adoption papers. No long explanation

d me like

lantations, and the towering mansion...

ivate tutors. Clothes I never imagined wearing. Jewelry that sparkled like promi

mpared to the one t

ia

omise she made witho

meant "Yahweh is God." But to me, h

e king of

vale, I knew. There was something about

.. I never

ht. He wa

hat love was not really, but

ia

iet. Unr

too hard. Boys followed him like s

ally n

oticed. He walked through town like he already knew th

tched. E

school. No one followed him there, no one dared. Except me. I us

Of course he was. As if be

ched, like nothing else existed. A

oked at me.

y one word.."leave". Just like that. No

ent. Ev

t? It staye

near the lagoon by the Del Cielo River. Tha

t there. Pe

ies. All of them ended the same: he s

none of tha

y fourteent

to act like it didn't matter. But that morning, I couldn't fake it anymo

ve drif

en fo

ned m

re. Standi

neteen now. His e

the firs

t look t

oked

ss," he said, his voice low but i could hear

I blinked

arty, you're here, pretending you're roy

ne back at the villa was busy , getting everything r

es from my skirt. Just as I was a

are you

the vi

tly back down to the blanke

s touch his heels, His eyes were unreadable, he looked

pause, "I'm just glad I'm

ed. "But Roseva

y, his breath so fresh giving off a minty scent...I was finding it so diff

't have to see your face

ine. The pain in m

I said, as tears start

f he was catching some air...his fr

t you as my sister. You'l

She and Elias had been inseparable, both prodigies with a paintbrush. She

nted to re

mean?" I asked,

ly and stared o

ou legally. Her lawyer's bringing the papers tonight. Do

he turned and left, before I could

an. But I knew one thing for sure,

talk to me since I started staying in Rosevale....And that was also

este to talk about the adoption, I found her in the study room.

bout the news, she wanted it to come in as a surpris

me your daughter, Elias's sister," I uttered w

y back up observing my expression. "Don't

can't even imagine my life

adopt you as my

-becau

use w

because Elias can

on. "Elias can be a hard nut to crack but

rother. As someone I wa

But I meant every word. And slowly, h

hat you t

odd

my Elias," she said brightly.

ed that I, Liana Celina Ruiz would one day become

ourteen. Wha

. His expression was pure loathing a

ty ended. I followed h

na," he said coldly before

al. I'm sure he was so angry at mom and me that

never r

e it mad

far away from me... was t

mmer. Not the one after that. Every

studies in Business Administration. I w

o the Rosario Empire, he had no choice. He would take over the family businesses, so he

already engaged Elias to me, he had no

ling do anything and everything for my sake. I was being

I say a very nice gift. I didn't know if I deserved it, considering I was regar

her that I don't like birthday parties anymore. I stop celebrating my birthdays with big parties after Elias walked out from my part

e evening......just a private dinner like ho

h for me. She understood and we both kind

the lagoon. By the time I woke up, it was already dark I hurriedly packed up my blanket and other stuffs I

that headed towards the House. It was so muddy out there on that rough path that I tripped on a

y age seventeen and also a son of one of the

ckly pulled me up

he asked with much

my body except for the slig

trying to dust off the sand on my bod

ers that he had a crush on me. Umm...yeah he was, attractive and good-looking but he was not

et to me, he offered

gawky feeling of being with a

rm so I could sit on the

miliar car passed us by. Plus the fact that it was already dark, the

me? Was mom expecting a visitor? Was

so, leaving Jackson behind, I ran after it to ask the driver what could be the pr

the driver started the engine a

saw that strange car again, now parke

ay being my birthday? What could be the reason for this ungo

d to fi