Love's Retribution

Chapter 2

“Arghhhhh!” he shouted in frustration, grabbing his bag and storming out.

Zaira let out a sigh.

It always ended like this. She was always the villain, always judged, always misunderstood.

Tears welled up, but she blinked them away.

She was Zaira.

She wouldn’t cry.

Instead, she picked up her phone and took a photo of her shopping bags, then snapped a quick selfie.

She uploaded them to i********:.

**@itsmezaiopiniano** — 2 million followers.

Her caption:

**“Thank you for this! 🥰🥰🥰”**

She had bought everything herself—but the fans didn’t need to know that.

Likes and comments flooded in. Most of the foreign fans praised her.

But Filipino comments?

> "Brat."

> "This woman really has no shame."

> "Here we go again..."

> "Does she sleep at night after treating people like that?"

> "So rude!"

> "Classic Zaira, always playing the villain."

> "Why is she still famous?"

> "Foreigners don't even know how nasty she really is."

> "Witch!"

> "She must have been born angry."

> "The comments section is more entertaining than her post."

She stopped scrolling.

Typical.

But she reminded herself—she didn’t care what people thought. She just wanted to be herself

Even if the world hated her for it.

--

“Khalid, Diana wants to see you,” Carlo announced. He was Khalid’s manager at *Khalid Thai Restaurant*, a business Khalid personally owned. He had plans to expand the restaurant to Thailand someday, though those ideas were still in the planning stage.

Diana—daughter of Mr. Alcaras, a close friend of his father—was someone Khalid didn’t particularly enjoy dealing with. He frowned. *What is she doing here again?* He already knew Diana harbored feelings for him, but he never found the right way to address it. He didn’t want to come off as arrogant or assuming.

“She’s waiting outside your office,” Carlo added.

Khalid groaned inwardly, reluctant to leave his swivel chair.

When he opened the door, there she was—Diana, smiling sweetly at him. She wore a simple yet clearly expensive red dress. Her hair was down, loosely curled and tidy, framing a delicate face that looked almost angelic. She looked like someone incapable of wrongdoing.

“What are you doing here?” he asked flatly.

“Care to greet me at least?” she teased, arching a brow.

He let out a sigh. “Alright. Good afternoon. So… what brings you here?”

He gestured for her to enter, pointing to the visitor chair beside his desk.

“Khalid… aren't you aware?” she said cryptically as she sat down.

“Aware of what?” he asked, genuinely puzzled.

“Of what I feel. I know it’s obvious, and I know this probably isn’t the right time to confess, but… I can’t help it. I like you, Khalid.”

As expected, he wasn’t surprised. He had seen the signs.

But still, he couldn’t return her feelings. He had no plans to enter a relationship, not now. Diana wasn’t hard to love—she was kind, beautiful, from a good family—but he simply didn’t see her that way. There was a significant age gap between them, and more importantly, he saw her more like a younger sister.

“Yana... I—I can’t like you back. I’m not ready for commitment. And I hope you already understand that.”

She didn’t seem pleased by his words. Her brow furrowed slightly, her lips trembling.

“But Khalid…”

“I’m sorry, Diana,” he said, cutting her off.

“If you didn’t like me, why did you treat me like you did? Back in Bohol… the way you were with me…”

“Oh… you misunderstood. Diana, you’re like a sister to me. Our families were there. I was just being polite—a gentleman. That’s all.”

He saw the tears start to pool in her eyes. Guilt pricked at him, but he didn’t want to give her false hope. He did care about her—but not in the way she hoped. He respected her deeply, just as he did his own mother and every woman.

“Listen to me, Yana…” He gently reached for her hand, hoping to ease the tension in her chest.

She wasn’t hard to love—she was kind, lovely, came from a respected family—but no matter how he looked at her, she was a little sister in his eyes.

She looked up at him, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. A tear slipped down her cheek. He brushed it away with his palm.

“You’re not unlovable, okay? You’re just… like a sibling to me. You even call me 'kuya', remember? There’s a gap between us, and I have too much respect for you and your family. I really respect you.”

“This isn’t a rejection, okay? I never rejected you. I just… I love you as a sister. You’re still young. There’s so much more for you to explore in life.”

“B-But… I want you. Only you. Aren’t I worth the risk?” she asked, voice trembling with heartbreak.

“You are worth the risk, Yana. But some things, no matter how good they seem, just can’t be forced.”

---

Their conversation ended, and Khalid returned to his home in Carigara. He had closed the restaurant at seven—unusually early—and was exhausted. Even though he knew Diana was deeply hurt, he had spoken from the heart. He simply couldn’t reciprocate her feelings.

His house was large, a three-story property he had designed himself. His parents, who now stayed in Thailand, had sold their mansion in Pastrana, and planned to use his home when visiting the Philippines.

Despite the size, Khalid wasn’t afraid to live alone. He had no housekeeper—he preferred to do everything himself. He could cook, clean, wash dishes and clothes, and keep his home in order.

He headed to the third floor, where his bedroom was. He removed his coat, shirt, and slacks, and stepped into the shower to wash off the day’s stress.

As he stepped out, towel wrapped around his waist and another drying his hair, his phone began to ring. He walked to the bed where it was laying. The caller ID showed Joseph.