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CHRISTINE's POV

I bit my lower lip when I realized that I was smiling like crazy while working at my desk. I'm currently in my office but my mind is somewhere else. The events from last night and early today kept on replaying inside my head.

Darn it. I couldn't deny the happiness that I'm feeling right now. I haven't felt this way these past few years and now, I felt like the heavy feeling inside my chest disappeared. I felt a lot lighter now and for some reason, it doesn't feel difficult to smile anymore.

"You look so happy. Your cheeks are even red. It's been so long since the last time I saw you happy like this." I lifted up my gaze when I heard that familiar voice.

"Daddy?" I said and then stood up from my seat. He smiled and then came in.

"I knocked even though the door was slightly open, but you looked like you were in your own world. You couldn't even hear my knock. I observed you for a couple of minutes and imagine my surprise when I saw your merry mood. You've been smiling like a lovesick teenager." He said with a tinge of amusement.

I suddenly felt embarrassed. I didn't even notice that he was there at the door, observing me. I rolled my eyes to hide the embarrassment that I was feeling and then kissed him on the cheek.

"You should've called me louder. Anyway, how come you're here? I thought you're going to come back here to Houston next week?" I asked, diverting the topic.

My father chuckled. "I had to come early because of an emergency meeting. Anyway, from now on, I'll just stay here during weekdays for work and on weekends, I'll go home to New York. What about you? Do you want to do that too?"

"Isn't it going to be tiring going back and forth from New York to Houston?" He smiled.

"Yes, it is, but I'll endure it for your mommy. She doesn't want to come back here to Houston, so I'll be the one to adjust in order to be with her." That made me smile.

"This is why Maggie and I grew up believing in true love because of you and mommy. Since we were still young, we witnessed how you two loved and cherished each other and we admire you for that. Because of that, we became a little bit picky and wanted to find someone like you." He laughed.

"I'm glad your way of thinking is like that. Look at Maggie. She found a good man in Marco. I hope you will find a good man too." I just smiled and didn't comment.

"So, are you going to come home with me when I go home on Friday night? I'm sure your mother will be happy if she sees you." He then asked.

"Hmmm. I'll think about it, daddy. I already missed her too. Even Marky. I missed that little cutie." I answered as I led him to the couch. We sat there together. Remembering my nephew made me smile.

"Okay. If that's what you want. Marky has been asking about you everytime they came over these past two weeks." I chuckled.

"He's such a darling."

"Yes, he is. His presence makes your mommy happy so Maggie and Marco make sure to come over whenever they could so that she could see Marky." He said before he stared at me intently.

"Why? What's with the staring?" I asked while chuckling amusedly.

"You seem weird, darling. I mean, I was expecting to see you down and sad until now because of the state you were in when you left New York, but I was wrong. You actually look fine and happy.

"I mean, don't get me wrong. It's just that I really didn't expect this. But at the same time, I'm happy to see you're doing fine. We were so worried of you." My smile widened upon hearing what he said.

I leaned the side of my head on his shoulder. "Don't tell me, you actually came back earlier than planned here to Houston because of me and not because of that meeting?" I questioned. I heard him sigh.

"You got me. Your mother was the one who pushed me to come back earlier than scheduled because she was so worried about you. She thought that you were crying here alone and no one to lean on to." I hugged him from the side.

Hearing that from him made me my heart swell with happiness. I'm really lucky to have them as a family. They're so supportive and loving. I knew that whenever I'm down, they're always be there to comfort me.

"Tell mommy that I'm fine. Honestly, I've been very down these past two weeks but I'm okay now."

"I can see that. Tell me, darling. Did something good happen? Whatever it is, I'm glad that it happened because I can finally see your smile." I smiled again and then pulled away from him to look at him.

"Yes, daddy. Something good happened."

"And that is?" I bit my lower lip before answering.

"Jace and I finally got back together." I admitted honestly. His face suddenly became serious as his jaw flexed tightly upon hearing what I've said. But then, I noticed that he didn't seem surprise about it about it.

"I-Is there something, wrong, daddy? You look unhappy about it. Aren't you happy for me?" I couldn't help but to feel worried. His face softened and then heaved a sigh.

"Are you sure about this, darling? I witnessed how you got hurt and almost went insane because of what happened in the past. I'm just worried that you might get hurt again." I could hint the worry in his voice but there was something else that I couldn't pin-point too.

"Yes, daddy. I'm sure. Don't worry about me because I'm fine. I think, this is the best decision that I've ever made these past three years. Honestly, I didn't expect that being together with him again could bring me so much happiness. I thought, I wouldn't be able to accept him into my life again considering what happened in the past, but he already explained to me everything and I understood.

"Truth to be told, I'm still scared of what might happen in the future, but just thinking that Jace is by my side, protecting me, gives me courage and hope that everything will be alright. I realized that I still loved him and it's useless to deny what I truly feel about him anymore." My father didn't answer and remained staring at me.

"You really love him, don't you?" I bit my bottom lip and then nodded my head.

"It's hard to explain why but my heart remained faithful to him all these years even though I've planned on cutting off any ties that we had for good. Until now, it still beats for one man only and that's Jace.

"After everything that happened, I really thought that I've already erased my feelings for him for good, but when we met again, especially when he begged me to fix everything between us; that's when I realized that my love for him never changed nor decreased." I chuckled before continuing. "I don't know why but when it comes to Jace, I can't control my feelings nor restrain myself from loving him. I really love him so much and until now, my heart still belongs to him." I answered full of honesty.

My father took a deep breath. "I just hope that you won't get hurt nor harmed again because of him because if that happens, Jace will pay." My eyes widened.

"Daddy! What are you saying?" I asked in disbelief. For a moment, his face suddenly became unrecognizable to me. He looked dangerous and I've never seen him with that expression before. But, when he heard what I've said, that dangerous look on his face disappeared.

"You know that I hate seeing you and your sister get hurt. Just like I've said before; your mother and I cherished and loved the two of you like princesses that's why I will never forgive anyone who hurts you.

"Jace received my wrath three years ago but I became easy on him that time because I knew how much you loved him. This time, I will not hesitate to hurt him if he did something that would hurt you again." My lips parted, stunned.

I couldn't believe of what I was hearing him say. "W-What do you mean by Jace received your wrath three years ago? What did you do to him?"

He raised his hand and then gently caressed my cheek. "You don't have to know about it. But rest assured. Your husband handled it well. He told me what I wanted to know and when I proved that he was telling the truth, I stopped right away.

"Jace should be thankful that I went easy on him that time because of you. If not, he wouldn't be here with you again. I knew that one day, you would eventually forgive and accept him into your life again, so I didn't do anything to him." I was at lost for words for a moment.

Suddenly, I felt like I was talking to another person. I couldn't imagine my father hurting someone physically. He was never the violent type. He's been the calmest and best father for me and Maggie.

"Please, tell me that you didn't hurt him back then." I pleaded. He was about to answer when his phone suddenly. He sighed.

"You don't have to worry about anything, darling. Everything between me and Jace has been ironed out already because if it was the other way around, he wouldn't be able to approach you ever again." He stood up. "I have to go now. I need to go to my meeting. They're already waiting for me."

I sighed in defeat. I wanted to know more about what he did to Jace three years ago but I kept my silence. "Okay, daddy." He kissed me on the forehead before walking out of my office.

I resumed my work but I couldn't stop wondering about it. I just hope that my father didn't physically harm Jace out of anger.

When the lunch time came, I decided to just go out to eat at the nearby restaurant. I went to the washroom and then freshened up before exiting my office.

I was about to get inside the elevator when someone approached me.

"Hi. Going out for lunch?" He asked. I forced a smile. It was Greg. Suddenly, I didn't know how to act around him. Now that Jace and I got back together, I didn't want Greg to continue hoping that there could be a chance for us.

"Y-Yes." I answered simply and then gulped inaudibly.

"Can I join you for lunch then? I have something to tell you." I bit my lower lip. Yes, we needed to talk.

"Okay." I agreed and his face brightened up.

"Really?"

I nodded my head. "I have something to tell you too." We stepped inside the elevator together and then exited the building. The nearest restaurant was just nearby so we didn't bring a car.

After we ordered, we began eating in awkward silence. Then, Greg was the one who stared a topic.

"Are you okay?" My eyebrows creased.

"Of course. Why do you ask?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"Because of what happened yesterday. I hope your ex didn't bother you that much."

I shook my head. "No, he didn't. I'm fine." He nodded his head.

"I'm glad. Anyway, I'm sorry that I couldn't give you my present. Actually, I wanted to give you a bouquet of flowers that day too but because of what happened, I couldn't give it to you." I felt bad seeing him with that bitter smile on his face.

"You don't have to say sorry, Greg. Everything was so sudden." I tried to make him feel better. He remained staring at me for a couple of seconds. I thought, he wouldn't comment about that but then, he suddenly held my hand.

"Christine, you know what I feel for you, right? After seeing your ex-husband, I couldn't help but to feel scared and threatened that he might take you away from me."

"Greg..." Was the only word that came out of my mouth.

"Christine, I love you. Please, give me a chance to prove my love to you. I promise to be a better man for you. Better than your husband." My heart suddenly tightened. Greg had been a good friend to me ever since I came to Houston three years ago.

He'd been there for me and I felt bad that I had to hurt him. I thought, I could be with him but I realized now that I planned to do that because I was scared that Jace might melt the wall that I've built between us and make me surrender to him.

I was scared because I still loved him. Even though it's hard, I have to tell the truth to Greg.

"Greg...I'm sorry." I uttered with an almost inaudible voice before pulling back my hand from his touch. Pain registered on his face.

"It's still him, right?" I slowly nodded my head.

"I'm sorry that I became so vague with my feelings, Greg. I thought, I was determined to move on with my life and start all over again but the one thing that I didn't realize was, my love for him never faded. He made me realize that when we got reunited again.

"You've been a good friend to me ever since we met and I'm sorry for hurting you like this. If I didn't love Jace, I would surely choose you because you're a good guy."

He chuckled mirthlessly. "I thought, you already forgot about him. I guess, I became so laidback that I didn't exert more effort to make you forget about him."

"Don't say that, Greg. You're a good guy and I'm sure that you will find another woman who's worthy of your love." It pained me that it was all I could say. He forced a smile.

"Don't worry about me, Christine. I'll be fine." After our lunch, Greg and I went to our separate ways. I decided to go back to my office while he on the other hand told me that he needed to buy something.

I was about to cross the street when I suddenly saw someone wearing a cap at the other side of the road. I didn't know why but a cold chill ran up my spine when he smirked.

I began crossing the street while staring at him. He really looked weird and I could tell that something was off. He was staring at me and his smirk never faded.

I was about to quicken my steps in order to confront him but I suddenly heard squeaking sounds of car tires and the loud buzzing sound of an engine coming closer to my direction. I looked at my right side and my eyes widened when I saw a yellow car fast approaching my direction.

It was in a fast speed. I heard people screaming as they ran away. Some people at the sidewalk screamed in horror when they saw that it was heading right to me. I was about to run too but my body was already frozen in shock. I felt like my own body wasn't responding to what my brain was saying.

I thought, I was already a goner but something unexpected happened. Someone dove in and pushed me with his body out of the way. Everything happened in a blink of an eye as the car passed by and sped up even more out of there.

I noticed another car passed by, tailing the yellow car. I groaned in pain and closed my eyes when my body hit the ground.

"Are you okay, mi amor?" I opened my eyes just to see Jace. He looked so worried while gazing down at me.

"You're here?" I got up and winced when I felt the sharp pain on my arms and knees as blood was seeping out of them.

"Yes, I'm here, and I'm glad I came earlier because this happened. Don't worry, my men followed that b*stard." He said the last sentence through gritted teeth. I was about to answer when he put his left arm behind me legs and his right arm around my back then carried me onto his arms.

"Stay still. I'll take you to the hospital."

"No need. I'm fine. These are just scratches." I protested.

"No. I'll take you to the hospital and that's final." He answered with finality in his voice and I couldn't do anything but to agree.

His car was just nearby and seconds later, we were now on the road going to the nearest hospital. While we were on our way, Jace remained quiet but I could see his jaw flexing tightly. Even his hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly.

My eyes widened when I noticed some scratches on his arms too and they were bleeding.

"Oh, gosh! You're bleeding!"

"Don't worry about me, mi amor. These are nothing." I bit my lower lip because it became silent after that.

"Do you have any idea who that guy was in the car?" I then asked after a couple of seconds. I saw his eyes darken in rage. He looked like he was about to explode in so much anger any moment now.

"Even if I didn't see his face, I know that that person is one of the enemies of the ET VINDEX. I just hope that my men got him because I won't let this slide just like that."

"What do you plan to do in case your men caught that person?"

"I don't know yet, mi amor, but one thing is for sure. I'll make them pay." I suddenly got worried because he sounded like he was being blinded by his rage.

"Jace..."

"Don't worry, mi amor. I know what I'm doing." I slowly nodded my head before leaning against my seat and then closed my eyes.

I felt like I lost my strength thinking that I almost got killed by that person. I couldn't help but to feel scared and worried about Jace, but when I felt his hand gently squeezed my hand, my fear disappeared.

"Okay. I trust you." I uttered softly.

When we arrived at the hospital, the hospital staff attended to me. I insisted for him to get checked up too. He said no but when I gave him a look, he sighed and then eventually gave in. When everything was already done, we exited the hospital.

I wanted to protest when he carried me to the parking lot in a bridal style because everyone was staring at us, but the expression on Jace's face made me stop resisting.

He opened the car and then carefully put me down on the seat. He was about to buckle me when he stared at my face. He gently touched my cheek with so much emotions on his face. Then suddenly, he rested his forehead against my shoulder. My lips parted when I felt his body slightly trembling.

"Thank God. I thought I was going to lose you." He whispered. I could feel his fear.

"I'm fine, mi amor. I'm here." I took his hand and then brought it to my cheek. "See?"

He pulled away from me and to my surprise, he was now smiling happily. "You called me mi amor."

I rolled my eyes. "Why? Don't you like it?" His smile widened. He then cupped my face and then planted a soft kiss on my lips.

"I missed hearing you calling me that. I mean, you called me that while we were...you know." He wiggled his eyebrows naughtily. My cheeks went red when I got what he was talking about. "but hearing you call me that now made my heart jump. Now, I feel a lot better. Thank you, mi amor."

At last, a smile appeared on my lips. "I'm glad you're finally smiling now because you already looked like king kong a while ago." I teased him.

"Me? King kong? Well, if that's the case, I'm probably the most handsome king kong." He answered full of confidence. I couldn't hold back my laugh. At last, the gray cloud around him disappeared. Seeing him smiling like that calmed my senses but deep inside of me, i couldn't help but to think about what happened earlier. 

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