Chapter 3

The woman gently put down her cup of coffee after taking a sip.

She faced Akiero , who was sitting relaxed while playing the ring on his finger.

"So what's the plan, Austria? Are you planning to become an old maid? Why don't you just agree with Auntie's suggestion?"

he said it nonchalantly while continuing to play with her ring, her gaze fixed on the woman who was staring at her with her jaw dropped.

Monica couldn't believe what the guy said; it seemed so easy for him to say those words. "Still stupid as always," Akiero muttered to himself.

"Hey, wait a minute... old maid? For your information, Mr. Castrio, I'm only 25 years old. And wait, why is it so easy for you to make such decisions? Marriage is no joke... it's sacred, Akie... it's not something to be taken lightly. Think more clearly, you sound like you're on drugs."

The woman glared at him before taking another sip of her coffee.

The guy suddenly became serious, straightening up and putting on the ring he had been playing with.

"This is a serious situation, Monic. I have rushed my flight come back here from Japan if I weren't serious about what your mother's proposal ... I'm a businessman, and you know that. I came here for Auntie, you know we were close even before. Whatever issues you have with me, let's set them aside for now. Our priority should be Auntie.”

The woman was silent for a moment because of what he said; he seemed very serious about the proposal. 

He did have a point; Monica just couldn't understand why he cared so much for her mother and agreed to marry the childhood friend she despised.

She didn't want to be tied to someone she didn't love. It felt like a game to her. Marriage was important and sacred to her; as they say, it's every woman's dream.

I mean, who wouldn't want to get married? Almost every woman dreams of it.

Her situation was different, making it hard for her to decide. She had already discussed this with her mother, and she hadn't agreed. Her mother was just very insistent.

"I'm serious too, Akie... I mean, what kind of setup is this? I can choose whoever I want... What does my mom see in you that she likes so much? I already agreed to her suggestion, but it's hard to decide, especially when it comes to marriage.”

The girl massaged her temples out of irritation and frustration, not just with the current situation but also with herself.

"I already talked to Auntie earlier when you left... and she already agreed if this decision works... now it's up to you if you agree. I mean, it depends on what I have to discuss later if it's okay with you. Auntie is the main concern here... I can't refuse her proposal , and you know that."

The woman was almost in tears over the situation. She hoped his suggestion would be a win-win situation; she was stressed thinking about it.

"Then tell me... what did you and my mom talked about? She hasn't mentioned it to me, maybe because we missed to see each other earlier, and her decisions were sudden. Can you explain it to me? Maybe it'll be help.”

"So, as I told Auntie, I agreed to what she proposed, in one condition… we would get divorced after 1 year of marriage , and she agreed to that... that's if the so-called relationship doesn't work out... and—"

The man was cut off by Monica's sudden burst of laughter.

"HAHAHA, relationship? What is Mom thinking? She knows I don't like you... why would she think we would fall for each other?"

The woman suddenly fell silent when she saw that the guy didn't like what she said. He clenched his jaw and looked at her.

The girl swallowed hard; she wasn't used to this new demeanor of his. He used to be very playful and childish, but now he was deadly serious. She didn't expect him to be like this now.

He really looked professional; he had changed a lot.

"You are so confident in yourself... how do you know you won't fall for me? You don't know the reality you're facing, Monica... you're too full of yourself... in my current state, it's impossible for you not to fall into your own trap.”

He seriously said . The woman rolled her eyes at him . She thought he was crazy if he believed she would fall for him. he hate the man that's it! ; it was impossible for that to happen.

"I know myself; I will never fall for him," the woman muttered to herself.

"You're crazy if you think that... I haven't forgotten your nonsense before... and who could forget what you did to me back then."

The girl only received a smirk from the man, which irritated her even more. She realized she was wrong; he had changed, but a small part of his old self remained, and that was to annoy her.

"I don't want to rush my decision... so I'll think about it. Just wait, I'll think it over... for now, I need to go... I'll call you when I've made up my mind.”

As the woman was about to stand up, the guy spoke.

"So you want to ask for my number? I like the way you make your moves... it looks like you're fooling yourself, just wanting to ask for my number. Don't worry, my number is free... here's my calling card."

The girl was very annoyed at his arrogance, rolling her eyes several times. She almost cursed him out of frustration.

How dare he suggest she was interested in him. She was very irritated by his presence. It was impossible for her to be interested in him; to her, arguing with this Japanese guy was a headache.

She wanted to hit him if she couldn't control herself anymore. He hadn't even apologized for what he did to her twelve years ago. He had ruined her childhood memories, like he was an advertisement, always an extra in every event in her life.

It was a good thing he left the Philippines to continue his college studies in Japan.

But despite that, he still knew how to speak Tagalog fluently . In fact, he prioritized speaking Tagalog over Japanese. Even back then, he valued the Filipino language.

He also loved the Japanese language. He valued both languages he grew up with.

"Just so you know, Mr. Castrio... I am not interested in you or anything connected to you. You came back here in the Philippines just to tease me. I know you have your motives towards me... it's not just because of my mom's request that you came here... I know you... I know your attitude.”

The girl was very irritated by his arrogance. Why does he always annoy her? She thought he had changed. Yes, he had changed, but it was undeniable that some of his old traits remained.

"Calm down, Ms. Santiago... I didn't do anything... why are you so overreacting? Anata wa chīsana kawaī akumadesu"

The girl frowned at his last words. It seemed like he was selling her in his language, or maybe he was cursing her. She looked at him irritably.

"I should strangle you, you Japanese!!! " she thought to herself

The guy just grinned at her.

They were like teenagers arguing about who would clean the room. They looked childish, even though they were professionals now.

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