Winning You

Buried Secrets

The weight of Carlos’s words lingered in the air, heavy and unspoken. Ica felt her heartbeat quicken, her chest tightening with unease. Whatever this was—whatever Carlos was about to tell her—it was bigger than she had anticipated.

She swallowed, her voice barely steady. “Carlos… what do you mean you need my help?”

Carlos ran a hand through his hair, his frustration evident. He looked away, his jaw clenching as if he was debating whether to say more. Finally, he exhaled sharply, turning back to her.

“My family… we’re in trouble, Ica. Financially. Legally. Everything is falling apart,” he admitted. “And I’ve been trying to hold everything together, but I don’t know how much longer I can do it.”

Ica blinked, trying to process his words. She knew Carlos came from a well-off family—he had the expensive clothes, the car, the lifestyle that screamed privilege. But this? This was unexpected.

“I don’t understand,” she said slowly. “Your family… isn’t your dad some kind of businessman?”

Carlos let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah. A businessman who’s drowning in debt. He made bad investments, trusted the wrong people, and now we’re paying the price. We’ve been pretending everything’s fine, but the truth is, we’re losing everything. My dad—he’s desperate. And desperate people do stupid things.”

Ica felt a chill run down her spine. She had never seen Carlos like this—so vulnerable, so… lost.

“What kind of ‘stupid things’?” she asked cautiously.

Carlos hesitated, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. “I don’t know all of it, but I know he’s been dealing with dangerous people. People who don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. I overheard him on the phone a few nights ago. He owes someone a lot of money, and they’re running out of patience.”

Ica’s stomach twisted. “Carlos, that sounds—”

“Dangerous?” he finished for her, a humorless smile on his lips. “Yeah. It is.”

Ica took a deep breath, trying to make sense of everything. This wasn’t just about their relationship anymore. This was about something much, much bigger.

“And what does this have to do with me?” she finally asked, her voice quieter now.

Carlos’s gaze softened. “Because… you’re the only person I trust, Ica.”

Her heart clenched.

“I don’t know how to fix this,” Carlos continued, his voice laced with frustration. “But I do know that I can’t do it alone. I don’t expect you to solve my problems, but I just—” He exhaled sharply. “I just need someone to be on my side.”

Ica stared at him, torn. She had spent so long keeping people at arm’s length, protecting herself from getting hurt again. But looking at Carlos now, she saw something she hadn’t expected—genuine fear. And for the first time, she realized that maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t the only one struggling with things she didn’t know how to fix.

“I don’t know what I can do,” she admitted, “but I’m here, Carlos. I’m listening.”

Carlos let out a slow breath, as if he had been holding it in for too long. “That’s all I need right now.”

The wind picked up around them, rustling the trees, carrying away the words they weren’t ready to say yet. But for now, it was enough.

For now, they were enough.

---

The Days That Followed…

Carlos didn’t talk much about his family’s situation after that night, but Ica could see the weight of it in his eyes. He was distracted at school, his usual confidence dimmed. He still tried to act normal around his friends, but Ica noticed the way his hands would clench into fists when his phone rang, or the way his smile never quite reached his eyes anymore.

She wanted to help, but she didn’t know how.

Ly noticed the change too.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Carlos lately,” Ly said one afternoon as they sat outside the school cafeteria. “What’s going on?”

Ica hesitated. She trusted Ly, but this wasn’t her secret to tell. “He’s just… dealing with some things,” she finally said.

Ly narrowed her eyes. “And are those ‘things’ dangerous?”

Ica swallowed. “I don’t know.”

Ly sighed, setting her drink down. “Look, I get it. You still have feelings for him. But Ica, if he’s involved in something that could hurt you—”

“He’s not,” Ica said quickly, though she wasn’t entirely sure if it was the truth. “He’s just going through a lot right now. I want to be there for him.”

Ly gave her a long look before nodding. “Just be careful, okay?”

Ica nodded, but deep down, she knew that caution wouldn’t be enough.

Because something was coming.

She could feel it.

---

A Week Later…

Ica was walking home from a late-night modeling gig when she noticed someone following her.

At first, she thought she was imagining it. The streets were mostly empty, the streetlights casting long shadows along the sidewalk. But then she heard it—footsteps.

Steady. Unrelenting.

Her pulse quickened. She reached for her phone, but before she could even unlock it—

A hand grabbed her wrist.

She spun around, fear gripping her chest, but before she could scream—

“Don’t panic,” a voice whispered.

It wasn’t Carlos.

It was someone else.

A man she didn’t recognize, dressed in dark clothes, his grip firm but not painful. His eyes, however, were sharp—calculating.

“You’re Bianca Lorraine Herrera, right?” the man asked, his voice calm.

Ica’s breath hitched. “Who—who are you?”

The man didn’t answer. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, folded note.

“Give this to Carlos Dizon,” he said. “Tell him time’s running out.”

And just like that, he let her go and disappeared into the night, leaving Ica standing there, frozen in fear.

Her hands trembled as she looked down at the note.

It was simple.

A single sentence, scrawled in rushed handwriting.

"Pay up. Or else."