1 A CHANCE ENCOUNTER

NOTE: The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the authors. To the extent any real names of individuals, locations, or organizations are included in the book, they are used fictitiously and not intended to be taken otherwise.

OTHER BOOKS OF THE AUTHOR:

She's My Sleeping Pill (Ongoing)

My Wild Little Kitten Is A Mafia Boss (Silver Prize Winner for WPC #201; Ongoing)

Say You'll Love Me Again (Ongoing; Slow burn)

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Jillyanna placed the pot of white roses in a vacant space around her mother's tomb. Every time she visited her mom, she would bring a pot of flowers for her, and she paid a caretaker to help her groom the flowers when she was not around.

"Hey Mom, your space looks like a mini garden now. I brought so many flowers for you these past years. Where shall I place the other bunch next time?" she murmured while standing in front of her mother's grave.

She was wearing a black baseball cap and a dark shade, covering her upper face. People who visited their loved ones tend to look at her.

She was wearing a plain white off-shoulder blouse and a modest floral print maxi skirt that hid her long legs.

"Cielo and I successfully launched the new branch of our cafe. I wanted to go abroad and take a short vacation but I feel like it's a hassle. Maybe I'd go two months from now." she continued to talk on her own, expressing her thoughts to her late mother.

"By the way Mom, Lucian found a new lead for your case and sooner or later, we will be able to catch the person who killed you. You don't have to worry about me, I'm always careful. See, your little girl has grown up already." she skipped and turned around as if her mother could see her silly actions.

People found her actions cute and adorable for someone who was already big. They could feel and see how much she loved her mother based on her temperament while talking to the grave.

Her phone rang, showing Cielo's name on the caller ID.

"Yanna, Dad wanted to know what time will you be home and Mom was so excited she had prepared almost all your favorite food. Ugh, are they your parents or my parents? How come they like you so much?" Cielo's series of complaints made her laugh so much.

"They like me because I'm pretty and I'm smart." Jillyanna played along while removing some dried leaves from her mother's tomb.

"Shut up sister! I'm smarter than you. Anyway, come home soon or I'll keep calling you within 10 minutes interval." Cielo threatened her knowing that she hates answering calls.

"I know. I know. I'm almost done here. I'll be there around 6:00 o'clock in the evening." she responded to her friend's inquiry. Cielo told her some other things before finally ending the call.

Jillyanna put her phone inside her bag before facing her mother again. She smiled faintly as she remembered some memories with her mom.

"Mom, I won't be staying long. I still have some things to do tonight. I'll visit you again soon. I just hope that I can bring you some good news. Anyway, I'm going home now." Jillyanna turned on her heels and walked away from her mother's grave after bidding her farewell.

She walked towards the parking lot outside the memorial park to get her car. She stopped on her track when she found the man, who brushed past her, so familiar to her. The man paused for a while but he didn't turn around or even gave her a glance.

Jillyanna shrugged her shoulders thinking that she might've mistaken him for someone else. She continued to walk towards her Sedan Mercedes Benz E-class without looking back.

She rummaged through her bag for her keys when suddenly, she felt someone approaching her. She quickly took a side step to her left, turned around, and held the hand of a woman who was holding a white handkerchief.

The woman was caught off guard but she immediately took action and held Jillyanna's other arm.

Jillyanna twisted her arm to get out of her tight hold, pushing the woman away from her, almost slamming her into someone else's car.

"What do you want from me?" her scrutinizing ice-cold gaze should have made people scram from fear. However, the woman in front of her was calm and collected while reaching for a handkerchief to her.

"You dropped this. I was inside the car so it took me time to get this back to you." the woman responded to her, checking her like an insect under a magnifying glass.

Jillyanna took back the handkerchief and found her initials in it. "Thank you for giving this back to me. I'm sorry if I caused you pain. I'm just being careful." she made a deep bow to express her sincere apology.

The woman waved her hand to drop the matter before giving her a faint smile. "It's good to be aware of your surroundings. I'll go ahead. Take care."

The woman waved her hand and left in a hurry, leaving a statued Jillyanna who was embarrassed from mistaking a good Samaritan for a criminal.

"Sigh. I can't believe I did that again." Jillyanna put the handkerchief inside her bag before getting inside her car.

She pushed the guilt at the back of her mind so she could concentrate on driving. She maneuvered the car out of the parking lot and drove back to Cielo's house.

Little did she know, someone took an interest in her. Her appearance was so similar to the woman he had liked for so many years.

A smirk formed on the man's lips before walking away from the crowd. He pulled up the zipper of his black jacket and covered half of his face with the hood.

Earlier when he approached her he was sure he would be able to get her, but an unknown woman spoiled his plan.

The man gritted his teeth from anger as he walked out of the place.