You've Been in My Mind (English)

More Than a Victory

"Ate Elle!" A bright voice rang out as a young woman practically skipped toward Elleri, a wide grin on her face. Elleri had barely stepped through the stadium entrance, and already the outside buzzed with energy. Groups of people loitered by the gates, some clutching handmade signboards like they were about to cheer for an idol group at a concert. In reality? Just a basketball game. Though, given the excitement in the air, it might as well have been a championship match.

"Did you seriously come straight from the airport?" The girl halted in front of her, eyes scanning Elleri with amusement. "No stopover? No unpacking? Where’s your stuff?"

Elleri chuckled. She was already bracing for the endless questions. "Yeah, straight here. I sent my bags ahead—didn’t really feel like hauling a bunch of suitcases into a crowd."

"You sent them ahead?" Her sister-in-law gawked at her, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Just like that? What if someone runs off with them?"

Elleri smirked. "Then I’ll hunt them down. No one’s stealing my stuff that easily."

She let out a dramatic sigh, shaking her head. "You stress me out sometimes."

"Come on, let’s go inside before it gets too packed. We don’t want to get stuck squeezing through the crowd," Elleri said, casually linking her arm with hers and guiding her toward the entrance.

"Oh! We should drop by the locker room!" Her sister-in-law suddenly perked up. "Kuya doesn’t know you’re here yet, right?"

Elleri slowed her steps ever so slightly. "Nope. It’s a surprise."

"He’s gonna freak out," she declared with absolute certainty. Then, as if remembering something, she abruptly turned toward Elleri, eyes gleaming with mischief.

Elleri barely had a second to react before she spoke again. "Wait—while you were overseas, did you actually keep up with the news? You know… Showbiz, sports, gossip, tabloids?"

Elleri held her gaze, knowing exactly where this was going. She crossed her arms. "Why? What do you know?"

"I just thought…" She hesitated.

"I know," Elleri cut in smoothly. "It’s nothing new."

"But now that you’re here, don’t you think—"

"It’s not for us to decide." Elleri's tone was firm, yet resigned, as if she’d had this conversation a hundred times in her head. "You know your brother—his stubbornness puts concrete walls to shame."

And with that, she pulled her toward the basketball court, signaling the end of that discussion. Whatever headlines, whispers, or rumors surrounded Adrian, they weren’t hers to dissect—not now, anyway.

While she was abroad, it wasn’t a secret to her that Aster and Adrian—now widely known as LA—were together. Even after she and Adrian got married, she had always known she wasn’t his first love. He hadn’t chosen her out of devotion, but rather out of duty—to honor his responsibility to his family and fulfill the promise his father had made to her parents.

Sometimes she wondered—if things had been different, if their marriage hadn’t been forced, if Aster hadn’t pursued fame in showbiz—would she and Adrian have ended up together by choice?

Even after five years abroad, she never lost track of Adrian. She had kept up with everything—his rise in basketball, the way teams had scrambled to recruit him, how he had been the number one draft pick for his current team. His insane talent in college had drawn the attention of professional leagues, but his fame wasn’t just because of his skills on the court.

No, Adrian had built an empire. His fashion line—specializing in sports shoes and apparel—had exploded in popularity. Every basketball fan seemed to own a pair, and his brand had become a staple in the industry overnight. He was a household name now, not just as an athlete but as an entrepreneur, a personality.

And, of course, as Aster’s long-time boyfriend.

"Ate Elle! Over here!" A familiar voice called from the second-floor seating area of the arena.

Elleri spotted Adrian’s sister waving and made her way through the crowd with a soft smile.

"Wow, there are so many people," the young woman marveled, eyes darting around the packed stadium. "Feels like the finals already, but it’s only their second game!"

"They’re here!" she squealed suddenly, eyes lighting up as she pointed toward the court entrance.

Elleri followed her gaze, her breath catching slightly. Adrian had just walked onto the court with his teammates. Even though it was just warm-ups, the crowd was already going wild—fans were screaming, their voices merging into a deafening roar.

She stayed silent, watching the game unfold. Every movement Adrian made sent waves of cheers rippling through the arena. Every pass, every shot, every quick-footed maneuver—his fans erupted in applause. They were relentless. Forty minutes of non-stop excitement, and when the final buzzer sounded, victory was theirs.

Of course, Adrian was named MVP.

"You went all out today," a female reporter said with an easy smile as she held the microphone to him. "Should we take this as a sign that you’re ready for the finals?"

Adrian let out a small chuckle at the reporter’s question. "I always give my best in every game," he said casually, sidestepping the implication.

Just as the interview continued, the massive screen above the court switched its focus—from Adrian and the reporter to the audience. And then, in the next second, the face of a familiar woman filled the display.

The crowd lost it.

The sudden wave of cheers made Adrian instinctively look up. Even the reporter turned toward the screen, her curiosity piqued by the deafening reaction.

Aster.

She sat among the audience, effortlessly radiant, effortlessly commanding attention. The second she noticed herself on the big screen, she smiled and waved, feeding the excitement of the crowd until their cheers reached an almost hysterical pitch.

Adrian watched the monitor, but his eyes weren’t locked on Aster.

No.

They were locked on the woman sitting behind her.

Elleri.

She was seated next to Chloe, clearly trying to blend into the background. But as the camera zoomed in further, she must have sensed it—because the moment it drew close enough to capture her expression, she quickly turned away, averting her gaze as if she had no interest in being part of whatever spectacle was unfolding.

"She’s back," Adrian murmured, barely registering the audience’s reaction to his words.

The crowd erupted once again.

Aster, ever the composed figure, continued smiling, waving gracefully as if she hadn’t just triggered chaos inside the arena.

"You’re right, she’s back," the reporter echoed smoothly, keeping pace with the moment. Then, with a sly curve of her lips, she added, "Is that why you went all out today? Because you knew your girlfriend was watching?"

Adrian didn’t reply right away. Truth be told, he barely heard the question.

He was still staring at the screen, still watching that familiar figure who had so quickly tried to disappear from sight.

The reporter understood his silence.

After all, Adrian and Aster’s relationship had always been in the public eye. Their history had been written in headlines, analyzed by fan clubs, discussed by sports and entertainment blogs. They had been together since college, long before Adrian’s name had become synonymous with basketball greatness, long before Aster had left to pursue her modeling career overseas.

And now she was back.

Which meant one thing—speculation would start all over again.

When were they getting engaged? When would they announce their wedding? Would they finally tie the knot after years of being together?

But despite the noise surrounding their relationship, both Adrian and Aster had remained quiet. Their careers kept them too busy.

"We better go," Elleri whispered to Chloe, standing abruptly.

Chloe blinked at her, startled by her sudden movement. "Wait, what?"

Elleri didn’t respond. She was already walking away, her posture stiff, her expression unreadable.

Chloe sighed but followed without protest.

Adrian’s lips twitched, amusement flickering in his eyes.

That sly girl.

"Now that Aster’s back in the country, do you have plans to finally—"

The reporter’s question was abruptly cut short.

Adrian simply smiled, effortlessly dodging it. "I’m not in a rush. We’ll get there eventually," he said, though his attention wasn’t really on the interview anymore. His gaze had drifted, following someone as she made her way down the audience stands.

The moment the interview wrapped up, Adrian wasted no time heading to the locker room. Pulling out his phone, he dialed his sister.

"Where are you?" he asked the second she picked up.

"On the way home," Chloe replied casually.

Adrian frowned. "You didn’t wait for me? Where’s Elle?"

Chloe hesitated, glancing at Elleri, who was asleep beside her. They were inside a taxi, the city lights flickering past in the window.

So, he saw her.

She should’ve figured. The camera had zoomed in on their section earlier—she hadn’t even realized Aster had been sitting just a few rows ahead of them until that moment. No wonder Elleri had suddenly insisted on leaving. She hadn’t even let Adrian see her.

"She’s next to me," Chloe finally said. "Passed out. Probably exhausted from the trip—she went straight to your game from the airport."

Adrian was silent for a beat.

"I’m heading home," he said at last. "Tell her to wait for me. We need to talk."

Chloe bit her lip. "Uh… Kuya, she’s going to her parents’ house tonight."

There was a pause. Then, finally, "Got it." The call ended.

Chloe frowned at her phone, annoyed at how abruptly he had cut her off. With a sigh, she turned to Elleri, watching the way she stirred slightly, murmuring something incoherent in her sleep.

She knew Adrian.

And she knew this conversation between him and Elleri was far from over.