Anna widened her eyes and held her breath.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
Tom's body felt weak—he could barely stand.
Anna immediately felt his skin burning with heat.
"You have a fever?" she said in shock.
But Tom didn't respond. He had already lost consciousness.
Anna quickly supported him and called for help.
THE NEXT MORNING
Tom slowly opened his eyes.
He was lying on his bed.
He looked around—but no one was there.
He felt much better compared to the night before.
Then he suddenly remembered what happened.
He removed his blanket and sat up.
On the table beside his bed, he saw his breakfast already prepared.
The aroma of coffee filled the room, tempting him.
Just as he reached for the cup, he noticed something on his hand—a plaster on the back of his palm.
He gently touched it and felt a slight sting.
A knock came at the door.
"How's your feeling?" his mother asked as she walked in.
"Much better than yesterday," Tom replied.
"Good to hear," she said with a soft smile. "She went home this morning."
Tom looked at her, silently listening.
"I just want you to know," she continued, "she took care of you the whole night while you were sleeping."
Tom didn't respond. He simply took a sip of his coffee.
"Tell me if you were stressed. I'm sorry if—"
"Mom…" Tom interrupted gently. "I'm okay now. You don't need to worry."
He stood up and hugged her.
"I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble."
"No, son…" she said while patting his back. "No."
After a moment, she stepped away and picked up the tray.
"I think I should reheat your food. If you feel better later, come downstairs and join us."
Tom nodded slightly.
His expression softened as she left the room.
Tom walked toward the balcony and opened the glass door.
Sunlight filled the room.
He stepped outside, leaned on the railing, and looked at the view.
He placed his coffee cup down, crossed his fingers, and stayed still—letting the warmth of the sun wash over him.
"Son," his mother called.
Tom turned around and smiled.
"Ah, yes. I'm coming, Ma."
He walked back inside quickly and took the tray from her.
They went to the dining room.
Janet reheated his breakfast in the microwave and carefully served it to him.
"There you go. Enjoy your meal, my dear," she said warmly.
Tom smiled.
"Thank you. You're the best, Mom."
"Hmm… of course I am," she replied proudly. "But I think you still need someone like me… someone who takes care of your tummy," she teased.
Tom smiled faintly.
"I found her… but things are complicated right now."
Janet looked at him seriously and nodded.
"What do you want me to do?" she asked. "I already talked to my brother in the US. He's willing to help you."
"No need, Ma," Tom replied. "I need to face this myself. No more running… I need to confront Lolo."
Janet nodded in understanding.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Yang entered the dining room.
"That woman… how dare she?" she said angrily.
Tom and Janet looked at her in surprise.
"And you two!" she added, pointing at them. "How dare you keep secrets from me?"
She sat down across from them.
"What are you talking about?" Tom asked.
"That woman took everything from us!" she said. "Except this house."
"What do you mean?" Tom asked again.
"Oh, good Lord!" she exclaimed. "Your grandfather gave everything to her. He made her the heiress of the company!"
She turned to Tom.
"Grandson, go to France now and stay with Mildred. Have you talked to her?"
Tom and Janet exchanged worried looks.
Tom smiled softly.
"Lola, the company isn't important right now. What matters is your health. Don't stress yourself."
He gently added, "About Mildred… I know one day everything will be okay. And you'll even play with my children."
Mrs. Yang suddenly brightened.
"Yay! I love that! I can't wait!" she said happily.
They all laughed.
"In that case, you should call her now," she insisted.
"Uh uh," Tom replied with a gentle smile.
Mrs. Yang clicked her tongue.
"I don't like that Anna girl. She's bad luck for this family. Ever since she arrived, everything changed."
"Ma, actually, Anna helped Tom last night," Janet said.
"tsk," Mrs. Yang disapproved.
"She only does that so Tom will fall for her. It's all part of her plan."
"Enough, Lola," Tom said firmly. "She's a sweet girl. But don't worry—I don't see her that way. She's like a little sister to me."
"And who gave you permission for that?" Mrs. Yang snapped. "Since when did I accept her? Only Mildred is my granddaughter!"
She turned to Janet and Tom.
"You young man… don't you ever fall in love with Anna. She's not good for you."
Tom almost choked on his food and coughed.
Mrs. Yang panicked.
"Oh my! What are you doing?"
Janet smiled quietly.
"Hmph! Anna is bad luck for this family. That bad aura started when she came here," Mrs. Yang continued.
"Ma, she actually took care of Tom last night," Janet defended.
"tsk," Mrs. Yang repeated, unconvinced.
"She's doing it on purpose. It's her tactic."
"Enough," Tom said again. "I won't fall in love with her. I promise."
He hugged his grandmother from behind.
"I, Thomas Yang, will never fall in love with Anna Rodriguez. Cross my heart."
He kissed her forehead.
Mrs. Yang finally smiled.
"Alright, that's enough," she said. "I'm going out to meet my friend. We need to feng shui this house again… there's bad aura here."
She walked away.
Tom turned to his mother.
"You're going somewhere?"
"No, Manager Cho came early. I told her I'm not going today," she replied while cleaning.
"Then I'll wash the dishes," Tom said.
"Sir—" the helper tried to stop him.
"Let him," Janet said gently. "He's fine."
Tom smiled.
"How's your studies?" he asked the helper. "Focus on your future, not boys."
Everyone laughed.
"Of course!" she replied cheerfully.
Tom continued washing the dishes.
"After that, you should rest," Janet reminded him. "And don't forget your medicine."
"Yes, Ma'am," Tom replied with a bright smile.
"I love you, Ma."
He hugged her tightly.
"Thank you."
"I love you too," she answered warmly.
After that moment, Tom went to the pool.
He removed his shirt and suddenly jumped into the deepest part of the water.
He sank down and stayed underwater for a moment before slowly swimming back up to the surface.
Closing his eyes, he let his body float freely with the water.
He took a deep breath, rolled over, and began swimming.
His arms moved in smooth alternating strokes, like a windmill motion—pushing underwater and recovering above the surface.
His legs kicked in a steady flutter as he crossed the pool until he reached the other side.
He climbed out of the water.
Daniel walked toward him.
"Yo!" he called out. "What's up? I heard you were sick."
He sat on the bench beside the pool.
"And who told you that?"
"Anna. I called her."
Tom raised a brow.
"Hm… I didn't think she would breach data privacy."
Daniel laughed.
"To be honest, I saw her. I went to their house to ask her out, but she had just gotten home. She looked tired and sleep-deprived, so I asked her."
Tom stayed silent and sat beside him.
Daniel studied his face.
"Tell me… is something going on between you two?" he asked seriously.
Tom pushed his face away slightly.
"What do you think?" he replied.
Daniel sighed.
"Oh, dear… really?"
Tom didn't answer. He suddenly stood up, grabbed Daniel by the arms, and threw him into the pool.
"Damn you!" Daniel shouted as he splashed into the water.
Tom ran away while Daniel quickly climbed out and chased after him.
Meanwhile, Anna woke up late in the afternoon.
She checked her phone and saw that Shania had called her ten times and sent multiple messages.
She opened them and read through the invitation—her friends were asking her to join them for a night out.
Right after she finished reading, Shania called again.
Anna sighed and answered, still half-asleep.
"Gurl…" she said softly.
She could hear loud music and laughter in the background.
"You're sleeping?" Shania asked.
"I just woke up," Anna replied. "I'm sorry, I can't come."
"Oh come on, gurl! We're in a private room, don't worry. Today is Nikki's birthday… did you forget?"
Anna suddenly froze.
"Oh my goodness… I forgot," she admitted. "Shocks!"
"But gurl—"
"Don't worry," Shania interrupted. "Nikki's dad treated us. He wants everyone to enjoy. We even have supervision—he's in another private room with his colleagues."
"Ui, Anna! Come here!" Nikki shouted in the background. "I hate you! Please come! Within one hour I want you here before I blow my candle. Love you!"
Anna and Shania both laughed.
"We're not complete without you," Shania added.
"Aww, so sweet," Anna said softly.
"Okay, we'll wait for you. Love you! Muah!" Shania said before ending the call.
Anna immediately charged her phone, then went downstairs to take a bath.
After a few minutes, she changed into tight jeans and a black crop top.
She hurried downstairs, checked her purse for money, and prepared to leave.
Before going out, she informed her sisters.
Then she stepped outside and waited for a taxi.
Moments later, a taxi arrived. She gave the driver the address, and they headed toward Global Taguig.
About an hour later, Anna arrived at the bar.
She went inside the private room Shania had mentioned.
Before entering, she first went to the restroom to freshen up.
Afterward, she walked toward the party room.
She opened the door—
"ANNA!" her friends shouted the moment they saw her.
They rushed toward her and hugged her tightly.
"We miss you!" they chorused. "How are you?"
"Guys… it's only been a couple of weeks," Anna laughed, still being squeezed in their hug. "I can't breathe!"
They all laughed and sat down on the sofa.
"I'm glad you came," Nikki said, kissing her cheek before sitting beside her.
"She's drunk already," Shania added.
"Yeah, how long have you been here?" Anna asked.
"About two hours," Shania replied. "Come, sit."
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the venue…
A group of guys entered another room.
"Guys, there are a lot of ladies in the other room… and one of them is really pretty," one of them said.
"Really?" Daniel became interested.
"Yeah. I bet you'll like one of them."
"Woah… what a night," Daniel grinned. "Are you ready, Tom?"