HIDING HIS DAUGHTER (UNDER EDITING)

CHAPTER 49

JAIDEN'S POV

Ever since James informed me that he finally spotted and confirmed Angela's whereabouts in the US, parang nabunutan ako ng malaking tinik sa dibdib pero at the same time, mas lalo lang lumala yung pangungulila ko. From that moment, I assigned him to be my eyes and ears there. Siya na ang naging taga‑tingin at taga‑balita sa akin tungkol sa lahat ng ginagawa, pinupuntahan, at kalagayan ni Angela araw‑araw. He made sure to send me every single detail, kahit gaano kaliit man 'yun, just so somehow, kahit malayo ako, parang kasama pa rin siya sa buhay ko.

There were countless nights and days when the urge to fly directly to her was almost uncontrollable. My heart was screaming and begging me to just go to her, while my feet were literally itching to leave everything behind just to be by her side again. Gustong‑gusto ko na siyang puntahan nang personal, yakapin, at sabihing bumalik na siya sa akin. But I had to restrain myself. I had to force myself to stay away and wait. I convinced myself that I wasn't ready yet, and more importantly-she wasn't ready to face me either. Kailangan kong ayusin muna ang lahat at siguraduhin na pag nagkita kami, hindi na ito magiging sanhi ng panibagong pagdurusa para sa kanya. I endured every pain, every longing, and every second of distance, kahit parang unti‑unti na akong namamatay sa bawat araw na lumilipas na wala siya sa tabi ko.

And now... finally, the woman I have been dying to see, the woman who holds my entire world, the woman I love more than anything else, is standing right here in front of me. The distance that separated us for so long is finally gone. I moved heaven and earth just to make this meeting happen. Ginawa ko ang lahat, ginamit ko ang lahat ng kapangyarihan at koneksyon ko para lang matuloy ito. Tang*na, I missed her so much that it actually hurts physically. My heart is beating so fast and wild, parang gusto niyang kumawala mula sa dibdib ko at tumakbo papunta sa kanya. Everything around us feels blurry and insignificant, because right now... she is the only clear and beautiful thing in my sight.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Velasquez," sabi niya with so much sarcasm dripping from every word she spoke.

I couldn't take my eyes off her. I was staring intensely, taking in every detail of her face, her features, her aura-she became even more stunning and breathtakingly beautiful than before. But when our eyes met, what I saw inside hers completely broke me into pieces. She was looking at me full of pure resentment, disgust, and hatred. Every glance she threw my way felt like she was silently shouting right at my face-"I can't even stand to look at you right now. You are the person I hate the most in this world."

The pain rushing through my veins was indescribable. Ang sakit lang... sobrang sakit isipin na ako mismo ang dahilan kung bakit ganito siya makatingin sa akin. I made the person who loved me the most, hate me this much. And honestly? I deserve every bit of it. I deserve everything bad happening to me because of my own stupid choices and decisions.

"Done staring at me na ba, Mr. Velasquez?"

Inside my head, I immediately answered her-Not yet... definitely not yet. You are so incredibly beautiful, Angela, at hindi ko talaga mapigilan ang sarili ko na titigan ka nang matagal. I want to look at you as long as I can because I don't know when I'll get the chance to see you again. I just want to memorize every single part of you once more because I missed you like crazy. But of course, I couldn't say those words out loud. I swallowed all my feelings and words, and tried my best to compose myself.

"Uh... sorry," I mumbled softly and quickly looked away, shifting my gaze somewhere else because of shame and embarrassment. Nakakahiya ka Jaiden... you look so pathetic and desperate right now, but I can't help it.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush here," she said, and her voice instantly dropped into a low, freezing cold tone that gave me chills all over my body. "What do you want from me? Why did you ask me to come here?"