"WHERE have you been?" Margaret gritted her teeth as she asked the young lady who just entered their house. She even made sure that her husband was already asleep so he would not know that their daughter came out.
"Not now, Ma!" Janice was tired.
"I am still talking to you so don't you dare turn your back on me!" Margaret rebuked her daughter in a low voice, she would not like a noise to wake her husband up.
Janice stopped taking steps and faced her mother. She looks annoyed. "I'm big enough, so I don't need to have your and dad's permission before I am able to do what I want anymore!"
Margaret was shocked. She never expected her daughter to be so rude like that. "When did you have that attitude similar to your sister, huh?" She glared at her and restrained herself from pulling her hair.
"I'm so tired of being submissive, Ma! I don't want to be the kind of person you wanted me to be anymore, I hate it!" Janice released her resentment for her mother that she kept inside for a very long time.
"I hate Nica, but I detest you more for letting her think that I am just your puppet!" She growled and then she ran into her room. She felt like her chest will explode with anger for her mom and half-sister.
Margaret hurriedly followed her daughter to make her stop crying. She did smell alcohol on her.
"I'm sorry baby, my plans didn't went well for you. But don't worry, I will never let your sister step on you!"
"Enough, Ma." She said tiredly. "Let me just fight her alone. I don't want to see her laugh at me again because I'm hiding behind you!"
Margaret sighed and just kept silent. She hugged her as she heard her sniffed because she was holding back her tears.
"I thought that I could have Chris," she childishly reported to her mother.
"She is as desperate as her mother!" Margaret shouted while hearing the story of her daughter about what Nica did. She is not mad at her for trying to seduce Chris. She even felt bad because it was a good chance for her daughter to win that young man.
"What am I gonna do now?"
Margaret smiled as she stared at her. Her daughter is old enough, but she still needs her mother's help.
"Stop crying now, honey. I'll take care of that woman. You must eat first, I know that you haven't had dinner yet." She said softly to her daughter and put a big smile when she nodded her head.
Chrismith just followed Nica's car because she did not want him to drive her home. Even now, his head hurts because of her stubbornness.
Nica's intention to drive Chris away as he got out of his car changed when she saw her sister's car in the garage.
"Come inside first and have a coffee to get rid of your tipsiness."
Chrismith raised two eyebrows because of her invitation. He stared at her in disbelief and wondered what she was thinking. Nica frowned that made him smile, he then motioned her to go inside first.
Nica smiled genuinely despite knowing that no one could see it. She felt Chris following behind her.
"It's good that you came home early." The maid greeted Nica disrespectfully after she opened the door. The boss commanded them to lock it already.
"You knew that I went out, so why did you lock the door?" Nica said that calmly even though she actually wanted to scold her.
"I just did—" Tinay cut off her explanation after she felt that there was someone behind Nica. "Oh you, little lady! Your Mamita Margaret has been waiting for you and she was worrying too much about you!"
Nica grinned because of the maid's sudden change.
Chris was just silent as he watched the maid. He did not like her attitude as the door opened earlier.
"Come in, Sir! Ma'am Janice is still awake." Tinay greeted Chris.
"Good evening!" Chris greeted back.
Margaret quickly stood up from her seat when she heard the maid's voice. She knows that when her voice is so loud, it means that there is someone else in their house. "Manang, did Nica come back already?"
Nica heard her stepmother's voice from their kitchen. She looked at Chris who was just seriously looking around. When he noticed that she was looking at him, he smiled and gently put his hand on her back. Nica secretly rejoiced after realizing that she does not need to give him a word or something to make him do what she wanted.
"Chris, hijo." Margaret greeted the young man happily and hid her displeasure with seeing him and Nica together. "It's late but you're here," a worried smile was crept on her face as she said that to the young man after looking at Nica. "I'm sorry if my daughter bothered you."
Nica acted nauseous after hearing her stepmother called her 'daughter'. That is how she refers to her in front of other people.
"Are you okay?" Chris stroked Nica's back.
"I suddenly felt dizzy as I smelled plastics." Nica leaned her head on the young man's shoulder.
Chris immediately helped her to sit on a chair. "But I didn't smell any?" He asked her, clueless.
"You haven't?" Nica covered her nose and her mouth to prevent the laughter from escaping her mouth. She enjoyed looking at Margaret who was fuming while glaring at her.
"Who was that, Mom—" Janice did not finish her words after seeing them.
Margaret went near her daughter. "Have you drink your medicines?"
Janice abruptly touched her forehead and pretended to be dizzy. She let her mother support her so that she would not fall from her stand.
"The smell of plastics became stronger." Nica quipped.
"I'm sorry if I left you earlier. You shouldn’t have went home first and stayed there at the hotel." Chris felt somehow guilty because he left his friend while she was still feeling bad.
"It's ok, I am just not used to drinking alcohol, maybe that's why it easily affected me." Janice said, she feels embarrassed.
"You were together with my daughter at that hotel earlier?" Margaret played surprised.
"I just brought her there because she did not want to go home." Chris explained.
"How can I be sure that nothing happened between you and my daughter after knowing that you both drank?" Margaret exclaimed.
"Calm down, mom!"Janice requested to her mother.
Nica rolled her eyeballs as she watched their drama. She speaks up before Chris could. "Don't be too obvious, your daughter's mind was clearer than clean water. She was even able to go home alone, see?" she sarcastically said to her stepmother.
Chris could finally let out a sigh of relief after knowing that Nica did not even have the thought that there was something that happened between him and Janice.
"I'm not talking to you!" Margaret could not help but show her true attitude toward Nica.
"Who cares?" She raised an eyebrow at Margaret.
"Stop it, Ma. You should rest now. Dad might wake up later." Janice said before her mother could lose her temper.
"I can't stay long." Chris said to the lady. He still wanted to stay there, but he felt that the three would only get more and more
as long as he is there.
"No, I will brew you a coffee first." Nica stopped the young man because she enjoyed being with him and seeing the two's reactions.
"No. Don't take the tiredness." Margaret said to Nica as she calmed herself. "Tinay?" Margaret called their maid.
"I want to serve my husband-to-be, so there's no need to disturb Tinay." Nica disagrees with what her stepmother intended to do.
Chris felt happy because she mentioned his role in her life.
Margaret and Janice is irritated. But they had to calm down because Chris is in front of them.
"You can spend the night here, Hijo, if you want to. It's already late, anyway." Margaret offered to the young man.
"I'm okay, auntie. I can still manage to drive home." He gently answered.
"Mom's right." Janice sat beside him, where Nica sat earlier. She held Chris' hand that was on his lap. "I know you got drunk earlier and you're still tired from work, so you can spend the night here."
Chris suddenly felt awkward when Janice touched him. He carefully withdrew his hand from her hold. "Don't worry, I'm used to drinking and I've only drunk a little earlier."
"Anyway, your mom called earlier and asked me how are you." Margaret changed their topic. "Don't worry, I didn't tell her what your decision was because you should be the one to tell her. In case you change your mind—"
"Thank you, but I won't change my mind." He cut off the rest of what she is going to say. "Don't worry, I'll take care about telling her that."
"Chris—" Janice could not continue because Chris stood up.
"I'm going to check on what Nica is doing in the kitchen." Chris said to them.
Nica smiled at him as he entered their kitchen.
Chrismith was mesmerised by her beautiful smile as she stirs the coffee that she brewed.
"Try it. I hope you'll like it," she gave the coffee to him. "It's my first time making a coffee for someone."
The young man inhaled its aroma, before tasting it while not taking his eyes off hers. "Tastes good!"
Nica seemed amused as she stared at the young man's lips when it touched that cup. "I wish I was that cup," a part of her mind thought of that.