The Aragons #9: Two Red Carnations

"Natatakot ako. Natatakot akong tulad niya ay mawala ka rin. Natatakot akong AKO ang dahilan kung bakit lahat ng mahal ko ay namamatay. I endured Jovan's death then, Mikael's and I... I won't endure another one. More so if it's you."

Luka cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowed. "So, you love me LOVE me?"

My mouth popped open. Huh? Sa lahat ng sinabi ko ito lang ang sasabihin niya?!

"If that's how you say you love me, I'll take it." He winked.

Bata pa lang ay alam na ni Charlotte kung ano ang role niya sa buhay at sa pamilya niya. As the eldest in the family, she is the BREADWINNER lalo na't tama lang sa pang-araw-araw na gastusin ang income ng mga magulang niya. She started hustling at the age of eight to help out, but whatever she brought home was not enough. At 16, she decided to stop going to school so her other two siblings could, while her Aunt Trudie secured a spot for her at the Aragon mansion. The offer was too tempting to refuse.

The only thing that she didn't foresee was Luka Pine Aragon and how she stumbled as soon as she saw him. She fell HARD. And maybe, he did too. But fate had other plans. Fate does not go kindly for people who cheat. And for Cha, getting involved with that blue-eyed boy had repercussions, and she knew it.

The first time Luka set his eyes on Charlotte Ponce, he held his breath, not because she smelled bad but because she was devastatingly beautiful and didn't even know it.

The first words she said to him were, "May boyfriend na ako!" and he was a goner. The challenge was on. He sought her out and offered her EVERYTHING, including his little beating heart. He fell for her, but in the end, she chose Jovan. Not him. Never him.
He promised himself not to fall like that again with any woman and held that resolve for years, until Nay Trudie, on her dying bed, made him swear that he would take care of Charlotte, because nobody takes care of her, even though she takes care of everybody.

And he said, "YES."