Chapter 8: The first Clue
686 Words
JV couldn’t sleep that night. He kept replaying Gwen’s trembling voice in his head:
“You don’t even know who I am…”
He sat in his dark office, whiskey glass untouched on his desk, staring at the envelope of documents his investigator had given him. “No past, no family records, no work history. Who are you, Gwen?”
Frustrated, he slammed his fist against the desk. Then, his phone buzzed. A new message from his investigator lit up the screen:
“Sir, we may have found something. A photo. Sending now.”
JV’s heart raced as the picture downloaded.
It was a blurred shot — Gwen, walking out of a luxury car months ago, wearing a simple dress but unmistakably her.
And beside her in the frame was a man JV knew all too well: Don Emilio Ramirez, one of the richest businessmen in the country.
JV’s grip on the phone tightened. His suspicions sharpened like knives. Ramirez… So, my maid isn’t just a maid.
Meanwhile, Gwen…
Gwen stood by her small window, looking at the stars, clutching her phone to her chest.
“Papa,” she whispered shakily into the phone. “Please… give me more time. I can’t tell him yet.”
Her father’s voice was firm. “You’re a Ramirez. You have a duty. JV will be your husband, whether you like it or not.”
“Pero Papa…” she almost broke down. “He doesn’t see me as Gwen — just the maid he thinks I am. What if he hates me when he finds out I lied?”
Her father’s answer was final. “Then make him love you before the truth comes out.”
Tears slid down her cheeks as she ended the call. If only it were that simple…
The Predator’s Gaze
The next morning, Gwen was in the library, dusting the shelves. She thought she was alone until she felt it again — that heavy, piercing gaze.
“Good morning… Gwen.”
JV’s deep voice made her shiver. She turned, and there he was, standing by the door, his tie loose, his hands in his pockets, eyes locked onto her.
“S-Sir, do you need anything?”
“I need answers,” JV said bluntly, stepping closer. His shoes clicked against the polished floor, each step making Gwen’s heart pound.
She backed away instinctively, but JV closed the distance, finally trapping her between the bookshelf and his tall frame.
His hand braced against the wood above her head. “Why do I feel like you’re lying to me? Why do you act like you don’t care, but your eyes betray you every time?”
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she whispered, clutching the feather duster like a shield.
JV leaned in, his breath hot against her ear. “You can hide your past… but you can’t hide how you feel when I’m this close.”
Her knees nearly gave out as his fingers brushed the strand of hair falling across her cheek.
The Slip
In her panic, Gwen blurted out, “I shouldn’t be this close to you. If Papa—”
She froze, too late to bite her tongue.
JV’s eyes sharpened instantly. “Papa?”
Her blood turned cold. “I-I meant… if people saw—”
But JV wasn’t convinced. His gaze darkened, his mind connecting the dots. Papa… Ramirez?
He grabbed her wrist, voice low but commanding. “Who are you really, Gwen?”
She yanked her hand away, her eyes glassy with fear. “I’m nobody. Just your maid. Please, sir, stop asking.”
And before he could say anything else, she fled, leaving him standing in the library, his fists clenched, heart pounding with rage and desire.
That Night…
In his office, JV stared at the blurry photo again.
“Gwen… Ramirez,” he whispered, tasting the truth on his tongue. “So that’s your secret.”
His lips curved into a dark smirk. And if your father thinks he can hide you from me, he’s dead wrong. Because now, I’m never letting you go.
- Writer
