Chapter 4

I casually put my two hands in my pockets as I stepped outside. I had already disembarked from the plane upon reaching the Philippines, but I didn't waste time savoring the breeze, even though it felt unfamiliar. How many years has it been since I last returned? 10 years? 12? I don't know. I don't even remember the details.

Even though I live in different countries, my grandpa talks to me in Filipino, French, and English. When my grandfather died five years ago, I swore to myself that I didn't want to go back to the Philippines. But here I am, nakauwi. If I hadn't been called, I probably wouldn't have come home. If I choose not to return, I'll end up looking like the one at fault again.

I caught a glimpse of a woman holding a large piece of paper with my surname written on it. I removed my black glasses and approached the woman who had been looking around for a while. She's short, maybe 5'2?

My gaze fell on her clothes. She's kind of plain. Is she my maid or something?

"Who sent you?"

She looked up at my face. My expression was blank, but the woman had a different reaction there.

"E-excuse m-me, I-I mean-"

I frowned. Who sent this girl? I told them to send me at least a decent person. I really dislike slow people, especially when speaking. There's no confidence in it.

"Whatever. Get my luggage." I tossed my bag to her, which she managed to catch, but she almost stumbled in the process.

"A-are you Ma'am Laci? Sir Art told us to go straight to the Mansion." She hurriedly followed me because I walk really fast.

She followed me as I was leaving the airport. I saw a familiar man who, I think, is my dad's secretary. The signs of aging are evident in his appearance. I thought he would be bedridden by now. It seems like he will live longer than my father.

He greeted me with his usual smiling face. I didn't look at him and went straight to the backseat. I winced because of the heat.

"No aircon?"

Mr. Buenavista looked at me through the driver's seat mirror.

"I'm sorry madam, the aircon is not functioning properly. This is the only car that your older brother handed to me."

I didn't say anything and took off my black jacket. I'm now wearing a black tank top and fixing my hair. My hair isn't long, it's just at the nape so I felt the cold a little bit.

I rested my head and closed my eyes for a moment. I shouldn't have bothered to come here but grandpa would be mad if I don't follow my Father. He wanted me to go back to the Philippines but I was the one who really didn't.

We arrived at a familiar Mansion. The place has a different vibe than the last time I saw it. It's more modern and there have been additions. I didn't wait for them to open the door for me and got out. The woman was still scrambling to get my things because I quickly walked into the Mansion.

The maids stopped what they were doing when they saw me. I ran into my two half-brothers. Kuya Lemuele with his serious face and Demither, who's younger than me, wearing that arrogant expression.

"Sister! Long time no see!" He was supposed to hug me, but I quickly moved away, distancing my body as if disgusted, and walked ahead.

"Kuya." Kuya Lemuele just stared at me seriously. I also stared back while Demither approached us.

"Are you still affected by what happened to you? You can't even smile at me."

I tilted my head and smirked at him. "Why would I smile at you? Care to elaborate?" I said with my usual mocking tone.

He pressed his lips together, attempting to hold onto his ego. Demither intervened immediately as my brother started to get angry, creating tension between us. However, my normal expression remained unchanged. My usual bitch face is currently mocking his existence right now.

"Guys, come on! You just miss each other! Kuya, don't pressure Laci. She's just arrived from New York. Okay? Guys?" She glanced between us, but no one attempted to break the atmosphere.

"Demi, she's right. There's no missing here," Kuya Lemuele spoke, his voice steady and unyielding. "We all have our paths, and Laci has chosen hers."

Demither scowled at my brother but decided not to push further. I continued walking, my heels clicking against the marble floor, leaving them behind in the grand foyer of our family mansion.

"Can't you still call us family, Laci?" Demither's voice trailed after me.

I rolled my eyes. "Family? You think just because we share some blood, we're automatically a family?" I stopped and turned to face them, a cold smile playing on my lips. "Family is earned, not entitled. And you both lost that privilege a long time ago."

They couldn't respond to what I said. Maybe I wouldn't be taken in by Grandpa if it weren't for them. I'm even blamed, I'm the victim.

"Let's not ruin the day with unnecessary drama. Laci, you must be tired from your trip. We can discuss whatever issues you have later," Kuya Lemuele suggested, attempting to mediate.

I scoffed, "Issues? Oh, Lem, these aren't issues. These are choices," I replied sarcastically.

I glanced past him to see the older woman behind us. She's not as bad as the others, but she's not kind either. When she saw me, she plastered a smile on her face and quickly hugged me. I didn't hug her back and just let her.

"Welcome back Meddy! I missed you!"

"Unnie."

She let go as she had hugged me earlier. There were tears in her eyes and she looked at me softly.

"I miss when you're calling me that. We rarely call each other because we've been busy lately."

"Honeybunch."

What the fuck with that endearment?

We turned around as a man shouted approaching us. We looked at him and saw a man who seemed to be in his 30s. He had a large and tall statue, even taller than Kuya Lemuele. When he approached, his gaze immediately went to me. He frowned before smiling at Unnie.

"Meddy meet my Fiance, Torrin. We will be getting married two months from now. Honeybunch, this is Laci my younger sister."

He offered his hand for a shake, which I accepted, but I felt uncomfortable with the way he was staring at me. He glanced at my chest, and I quickly withdrew my hand, feeling disgusted, especially with his smirk.

I'm still in my tank top, while my jacket is on my shoulder which I just put on subtly. He could clearly see my chest because it's really big. I really didn't bother to wear the shirt because it's too hot. It didn't even bother him to stare at it subtly.

"Why are you looking in my boobs? Is it pleasing to watch?" I asked innocently.

Everyone was shocked by what I said. Their reactions were too obvious especially the man in front who could hardly contain his laughter.

"Honeybunch, I didn't know that your younger sister is assuming. Too vulgar. I can't even look at others." He reasoned.

Unnie expresses with a serious emotion while looking at me. I didn't speak and just waited for her to respond.

"Your so called fiance is cheating on you, Unnie and you're aware of it already."

Everyone gasped at what I said. Demither couldn't hide the slight lifting of his lips. He knows me, They know me very well even if it's been years.

The man in front panicked and held Unnie. "Honeybunch?! Of course not! You can't just believe those lies! How could she know about me if I met her just now? This is absurd!"

My serious expression didn't waver, I just observed tiredly.

"Then, why are you reacting that way? If you're not, you could have just ignored what I said. You even pinched my hand that will mean that you're interested in me. I always encounter men like you, Torrin. You're not different from them,"

They were flabbergasted. Torrin still couldn't recover from my words. Unnie remained on her feet, wearing a serious expression. She laughed to divert everyone's attention.

"Your younger sister is unbelievable but I'm different. We've been together for 4 years now. You can't just believe those lies, Honeybunch," he said to Unnie, with a hint of affection.

"Okay, do you want another proof?"

They looked at me again, and I pointed to the man's pocket. "Why don't you show what you got in there? I saw a thin silk. Maybe underwear?"

The man stiffened at my words, and his pallor was evident. Demither quickly reached for the man's pants, and Torrin resisted, but Demither was agile and quickly pulled out a black fabric.

Everyone gasped again at the sight, especially when Demither raised and displayed the underwear, his face contorting in disgust.

"Oh, I smell the after climax. You probably took this after you had fun," Demither said, his tone acidic.

The man grimaced and tried to snatch back the underwear, which he also shook off as if disgusted.

"I-it's from Valli! Isn't it, Honeybunch? It's yours, isn't it?"

How shameless this motherfucker. He even blamed it on her.

He remained emotionless, as he had been all along. I knew Unnie; when she was angry, her expression didn't change for a while. She would be like that when she didn't like someone.

"Demither, throw him outside."

She turned her back on us and went straight upstairs. Kuya Lemuele followed, while Demither pushed Torrin out, sometimes dragging him. Torrin shouted in frustration, and he was angry as he pointed fingers at me, but I just shrugged and went upstairs.

I lifted my head when I saw Unnie waiting for me at the top. She was crying, but she hugged me tightly.

"Thank you, Meddy. I owe you for this. If this happened, I couldn't break up with him anymore."

She sobbed on my shoulder. I simply rubbed her back to comfort her. I really don't like drama, but Unnie is different. She's my only sister who I always talk to.

Unnie called me before I came here. She wanted to get rid of her fiancé but she was afraid to confront him personally because that guy did violence on her. She wanted to break up with him in front of many people because if they were alone, he might hurt her again. Torrin is a manipulative guy and a womanizer.

"Father is awake. Let's go inside."

We looked at Kuya Lemuele, who peeked into Papa's room. Unnie pulled away, subtly wiping her tears with a tissue from her bag and also spraying perfume in front of me before she pulled me along.