The Billion-Dollar Proposal (COMPLETED)

XXXIII: Never Really Over

A/N: Observe the timeframe po tayo ulit! The chapter you have all been waiting for that unveils the secret of the red folder and everything that comes along with it. Sa mga nakahula, congrats mga vebz kayo ang mga critical readers ng taon charaught wahahaha I left some clues na kasi already for some chapters kaya ayerrrn. Anyway, two more plus the epilogue then we're ending TBDP...yay or nay? HSHSHS ok eto na nga. Pardon me for the grammatical errors and misspelled words.

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Leni was jolted awake and forced to sit on the bed by her terrifying dreams. She had an imaginary thought that everything that had happened earlier was just pure fiction, including seeing Bongbong leave through the door, but when she opened her eyes, he was right there next to her. She went back to lay beside him and kissed his lips softly, careful not to wake his lover from the dozing off they were sharing. She genuinely smiled as she pulled away from him and rolled her fingers through his thick hair while staring at him intently. The action helped her relax and ease her concerns.

Nagdesisyon siyang itayo at bihisan ang sarili at maghanda ng pananghalian ni Bongbong. She tidied up her apartment, including putting everything that had been knocked over or fallen, sweeping the floor, watering her plants, wiping everything down, and putting her suitcases in front of him so that he would know that she would not be leaving anytime soon. She was constantly going in and out of the kitchen, and after a few hours, she had finished preparing the rice and his dish, which she then plated on top of his table and topped with a food cover.

She was in the middle of walking along the small path near her cabinet as she was putting back all of her luggage when she stepped on something.

A red folder.

Dali-dali niyang binalik sa lagayan ang kanyang mga damit at binalikan iyon saka kinuha mula sa sahig. It's funny how it seems like she only saw it now because it had been swept up and hidden over one of her miniature cabins. She double checked it front and back, baka isa lang sa mga paperwork na dinala niya galing OVP ngunit wala namang nakalagay na identification. Her heart unknowingly started to race seconds before she decided to open it.

To her surprise, it was the official document of their divorce papers. With full signatures, embedded typewrite marks, and the official seal of the United States of America. She can't be wrong with her guess.

Yet the underlying question was...how did Bongbong come to have it in his possession?

Her thoughts settled on a single hypothesis. Then the subsequent ones started coming in, one after the other, and soon her head was brimming with reasons and explanations for why something might have happened, at which point she started overthinking the situation. Because for what reason would he keep it when in the first place, the authentic copy of it shouldn't be in both of their hands but in the Philippine court archives?

Sa gitna ng kanyang pag-iisip ay biglang tumunog ang kanyang telepono. It was a resounding ting that gives the impression that she got a message. It came from a number that was not recognized on her contacts.

'I'm at a coffee shop just beside your condo complex. It's your loss if you won't talk to me. -L'

After what piece of paper she just witnessed? It was impossible for her to ignore the text.

She rushed to her desk, grabbed a pen and a 1/4 big sticky note, and wrote something as she glued it near the bedside clock. She grabbed her coat, wore it on her, tied her hair up, and put some light powder on her face. Hinalikan niya ang noo ni Bongbong bago umalis at sinuot ang face mask nito. Just to be clear, angry and confusion are two different things. She wasn't the latter, she just needed answers and clarifications, hoping that whatever Louise would say to her would do good to the both of them. Especially her.