Lustfully yours, Uncle (ENGLISH)

Chapter 11

Izzy didn’t know how she managed to last in that house—Seth Santiago’s house—for even a few more hours. She didn’t even know how she managed to swallow the delicious food laid out on the table after hearing his response to her earlier.

"You are way too expensive only to be thrown out, Isabel…"

Izzy exhaled sharply when, out of nowhere, she once again heard Seth’s voice in her mind.

He was right. She was worth one and a half million pesos. No sane person would throw away that kind of money.

Izzy let out a bitter smile as she forced herself to remember that she was doing all of this for her mother.

At least her mother was okay now. All she had to think about was how to escape from Seth.

"We probably won’t see each other again…"

She muttered absentmindedly before choosing to turn her gaze toward the car window.

"I hope not…"

She murmured again, this time louder than before, which caught the attention of Seth’s driver.

Izzy forced a smile when the driver glanced at her, as if wondering whether she had gone mad.

—

“Thank you so much for dropping me off, sir,” Izzy quickly said before opening the door of Seth’s expensive car.

“The boss ordered me to take you to the hospital, ma’am,” the driver replied in a serious tone, his face unreadable.

“Please don’t tell him you took me somewhere else. I’m just reporting for work. After that, I’ll head straight to the hospital,” she said in a flustered tone, scratching her head as she wondered why she was even explaining herself to him.

“No need for me to say anything. Boss Seth already knows,” the driver replied.

Izzy couldn’t hide her surprise at that. She was about to ask how that was possible when she spotted the phone mounted at the front of the car.

She scratched her head again and grimaced.

“Does your boss have to know your every move?” she asked, pointing at the phone, knowing full well that Seth was on the other end of the line.

The driver smirked before answering, “Just yours.”

Izzy frowned at his response but didn’t bother asking further questions. She was in a hurry, and besides, she was confident that her path would never cross with Seth Santiago’s again.

I’ll just save up and pay him back…

She whispered to herself, nodding as if her heart and conscience were in full agreement.

“Well then, please tell your boss thank you for lunch. I’ll be off now. Bye-bye!” she said cheerfully, resisting the urge to roll her eyes when the driver ignored her.

“So rude. You and your boss are a perfect match—both grumpy and seem like you were conceived out of resentment,” she muttered under her breath, forcing a smile when she noticed the driver shooting her a sharp look.

Like earlier, she ignored him and instead hurried inside the coffee shop where she worked.

—

“Oh, Izzy, take these to your mom at the hospital. Sorry, this is all we could put together as help for you,” their manager, Ma’am Karen, said warmly, handing her some packed food.

Izzy hesitated before accepting the food, smiling shyly.

“Thank you so much, Ma’am Karen. This is already a huge help. You really didn’t have to…”

“What are you saying? We’re like family here in the coffee shop. We want to help in any way we can, especially knowing what you and your mom are going through. It’s a good thing she’s been operated on. I’m sure she’ll recover fully now.”

“I hope so, Ma’am. I really do. Thank you so much again,” Izzy replied with a bright smile, raising the paper bags slightly in gratitude.

“It’s nothing. Now go on, your mom must be waiting at the hospital. I’ll explain things to the boss for you.”

Izzy didn’t know how else to express her gratitude. Even though she and her mom were struggling, she was lucky to have kind and supportive coworkers like Ma’am Karen.

After thanking her boss once more, Izzy finally stepped out of the coffee shop.

The moment she did, she almost screamed in surprise when she was met with the sight of the same car that had dropped her off earlier.

Maybe it’s just similar?

She muttered, squinting at the vehicle, trying to convince herself that it was just a coincidence. But before she could fully convince herself, the car door suddenly opened, and out stepped the still-serious-looking—

“Manong Robert? What are you still doing here? I-I thought you already left? Wait…”

Izzy’s eyes widened as she realized something.

“Did you wait here for an hour just to get back at me for calling you rude earlier?” she asked nervously, pursing her lips when the driver only gave her a pointed look.

“Boss Seth ordered me to wait for you. He said I should take you to the hospital because that’s where he picked you up earlier.”

“D-did you tell him I work at this coffee shop?” she asked curiously, sighing when all she got in response was a small shake of the driver’s head.

“Can we go now?” the driver asked in a cold tone. Izzy quickly moved toward the car.

The ride back to the hospital was silent.

As much as she wanted to pry, Izzy couldn’t bring herself to. Not only did the driver look like he had no intention of acknowledging her presence, but she also didn’t know what to say.

Izzy couldn’t deny that Seth Santiago piqued her curiosity. He was too mysterious. Besides being extremely wealthy, he also seemed to be carrying a heavy burden.

For the umpteenth time that day, Izzy let out a sigh, carefully running her hand over the luxurious car seat.

It seems impossible, but I feel like I belong to you now because of the money I took from you. But I really hope we don’t meet again, Seth Santiago…

Deep in thought, Izzy silently wished that this would be the last time she encountered Seth—or at least, that she wouldn’t see him again until she figured out a way to pay him back.

Not only did she feel that nothing good would come from her being near him, but she also felt like she wasn’t safe around him.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her phone rang. Quickly, she pulled it out of her old bag and smiled when she saw who was calling.

“Carl? How’s Mom? Tell her I’m on my way back to the hospital…”

“She’s doing fine, but I had to step out for a bit—I was needed at home. I might not be able to come back until tomorrow morning. Is that okay?”

“Of course! You’ve practically been living in Mom’s hospital ward. You should rest too—I know you need it.”

“What? Who else is going to be there for you if not me? I’m your best friend, remember? And I don’t just want to take care of Aunt Hilda—I want to take care of you too. But I think you’re the one who needs to rest. Do that so you can get back to your usual self.”

Carl’s teasing tone made Izzy roll her eyes.

“Fine, fine. You’re already top-tier in taking care of people. I’m almost at the hospital, so see you in a few days. I love you! Bye!”

She was grinning ear to ear as she ended the call.

But her smile quickly faded when she received a text from an unknown number.

09983***

"I love you, bye? Nice!"

Izzy frowned, trying to figure out who it was. Her eyes widened when the driver pointed at his phone.

“Seth Santiago is still on the line?!”