Moonville Series 1: Secret Lovers

Alex came out of the library alone. Richard stayed inside but is earnestly watching her by the tall glass windows. Both were surprised when they saw a guy sitting beside Angel outside the library building. 'Ate?"

Angel looked at her. The guy beside her also looked at Alex, making her see who he is. She was surprised to see that it was Bryan de Vera.

'Let's talk," Angel said firmly. She tried standing up but failed as her foot and lower back ached. Bryan helped her and he also took her things and carried them as they started to leave. Alex followed the two. She suddenly felt nervous at her sister's demeanor. And then, there's Bryan de Vera. What could this mean?

Meanwhile, Richard saw everything from where he is. He saw when Bryan de Vera looked at Alex, and when he helped Angel stand up and leave. He suddenly felt worried for Alex. He decided to follow the three and find out what might be happening.

Angel brought Alex to the office of The Echo. At that time, it was empty since all the members have gone home for the day. Bryan is still with them, and the three of them stood there looking at each other. Angel is leaning on a table for support. Alex is standing in front of Angel behind a table, while Bryan is at a corner not too far from Angel.

'Ate..." Alex is obviously nervous.

'What happened, Alex? Why didn't you listen to me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

'I told you to stay away from Richard Quinto. Why didn't you do that?"

'Ate..."

'Worse, I have to learn it from someone else."

Alex looked at Bryan who is just looking down.

'He doesn't have anything to do with it," Angel said, seemingly reading what Alex is thinking about Bryan. 'Someone saw you. She told everything to me. And I saw it myself. In the library. So don't try to lie." Alex was totally subdued. She can't do anything else but cry. 'Ate... I'm sorry."

Angel was devastated. What Alex said was already a confirmation of what she did. 'Alex..."

'I'm sorry if I kept everything from you. I know you won't let me, and you might even tell Dad about it-"

'I told you to stay away from Richard!" Angel wasn't able to control herself anymore. 'Why didn't you listen to me?"

'Ate..." Alex just cried.

That's when Richard came inside the office.

'It was my fault," he told Angel. He looked at Alex and smiled at her. 'I made her my Facebook friend. The following day, I asked her to meet me at the cafeteria." Bryan scolded his cousin. 'Richard, let them talk."

But Richard did not listen. 'If you'll reprimand her, then do it to me," he said to Angel. 'I'm the one who force myself to get close to her."

But Angel disregarded him as well. 'I told you to not talk to him again. Why, Alex? Why did you not do as I've said? It wasn't hard to understand." Richard still tried to defend Alex. "I said it was my fault. Why don't you want to listen to me?"

'Richard!" cried Bryan.

"I'm just defending Alex!" Richard explained.

"You try to talk once more, and I'll take you out of this room!" Bryan warned.

Richard seemed to have been moved at what Bryan said that he did not speak. The two guys became silent as the two girls continued talking.

'Did you forget, Alex? We were not supposed to be talking to them," Angel said.

'Ate..." Alex just stared at her, crying.

'They will get mad, Alex. If our parents found out about this, they will get mad." 'They won't know, Ate. You won't tell them, right?" Alex was begging her.

Angel just looked at Alex, her heart aching with pity for her sister.

'Ate... Don't tell them. Please..."

'You're going to tell them?" Richard asked Angel. 'You would choose to be the perfect, dutiful daughter at the expense of your sister's happiness?"

"I said you stop talking, Richard!" Bryan said.

"I can't! Bry, can't you see? She would rather let her sister suffer just to please their parents. Yes, I know what we did is wrong, but can't she even defend her sister just this once?" He then looked at Angel. 'Why are you so obedient to your parents? So that you'll have a perfect image to them? You want to secure your place in your parents' company? You're the only one who will inherit that because Alex is not interested in that company-"

"That's enough, Richard!" Bryan shouted to his cousin. He even approached him because of anger. 'You do not have the right to talk like that to Angel because you do not know her that much. Is that what Tito Ricky taught you? To be offensive?"

"I just can't understand her. Why is she so obedient to her parent's orders?"

'I understand her," Alex said. 'She's older so she has to set an example. But I'm sorry, Ate. I can't be like you."

"No, you don't understand me," Angel said. That's when her tears started flowing down her face.

"Then, make us understand you," Richard asked.

"Richard, please!" Bryan said. He looked at him like any moment he would drag him out of the office.

The two men stopped arguing when Angel started speaking.

"I was four when I met Margareth. They just moved to Moonville that time. We're of the same age so we instantly became close. We became best friends, including our families. Mom felt sorry for them because they lost their mother at a young age." "Wait! Margareth... Garee?" asked Richard.

"Yes," Angel answered. "Margareth or Garee Quinto Gonzalez. At first, we didn't know that their mother was Minerva Quinto. Until one day, her Tita Bernadette came. That's when Mom found out that Garee's mother is your father's older sister. 'I think there was a problem with their family and the whole Quinto clan, and your Tita Bernadette was the one who fixed it. She visited the Gonzalez almost every day. Because of that, Mom told me to stay away from the Gonzalez. She told me I can't be friends with them... But I did not comply."

The two sisters looked at each other. Angel tearfully continued her story.

'I continued being friends with Garee. I disobeyed Mom. I thought, if she sees that I really wanted to play with the Gonzalez, she will eventually allow me. But no. I was wrong. When she found out I did not stop befriending Garee, she became so mad." Angel burst into tears.

'Ate..." Alex felt confused.

Angel continued talking in spite her crying. 'One day, she caught me playing with Garee at the clubhouse. She was so mad she dragged me home. Then... then she brought me to my room. She scolded me, then... then she beat me." 'Ate..." Alex went closer to Angel and consoled her.

The two men were shocked at Angel's revelation. Richard's anger with her instantly subsided.

'Once, twice... she continuously beat me. She was so mad. It was too painful. I was crying. I begged her to stop. But she didn't listen. She was too mad, Alex."

'Stop it, Ate." Alex embraced her. 'That's enough."

'She was so mad, Alex. She hates the Qiuntos very much." Angel looked at Alex. 'I don't want that to happen to you." She cupped her face with her hands. 'I don't want you to suffer because of Richard." 'Ate..." Alex embraced her again. 'I can't. I can't avoid it."

'Try to do it."

The two sisters embraced each other while the two cousins watched quietly. Until Alex and Angel's emotions receded.

'I don't know what Mom can do to you when she found out about you and Richard," Angel said to Alex. 'For sure she will punish you gravely. She might not let you go out of the house forever."

'I don't want to think it would be like that, Ate. Can't we dream that everything will be okay? That Mom's grudge with Richard's parents would suddenly disappear?" Alex said.

'But how? Mom's mad not only to Richard's parents, but to the whole Quinto clan. If she knew from the beginning that Garee's mom was a Quinto, we would've never become friends."

"We will find a way," Richard suddenly said.

Angel looked at Richard, whose demeanor suddenly became kind as opposed to how he acted earlier.

"We will find a way to end this 20-year-old grudge," he continued. 'I'm sorry if I said those things to you. I didn't understand you at first. But now that I know where you're coming from, I finally understand your fears. And I think the best way to solve them is to solve this animosity between our families."

'He's right," Bryan agreed. "We don't have to be the ones to suffer because of what happened 20 years ago. This has to stop."

Richard looked at Bryan. "Bry... Thank you."

Bryan smiled at Richard. 'I understand you. I just didn't like what you did and what you said. But I know where you're coming from."

'Thanks," Richard said. Then he looked back at Angel. "I promise that I will do everything that I can to prove to you that I deserve your sister. I will fight for her and I will find a solution to this. I will make sure she won't get hurt because of me." Angel looked at Alex. The younger Martinez smiled at her seemingly wanting her empathy. Angel wasn't able to refuse.

"Promise me that," Angel told Richard.

"I promise," Richard said.

"And you." Angel looked at Alex. "I'll make sure that what happened to me will not happen to you."

"Thanks, Ate." Alex embraced her sister again.

'I hope we could solve this as soon as possible," Bryan said to Richard.

Richard smiled. 'Thanks, Cuz. And I'm sorry about what I did earlier."

Bryan smiled at Richard. They shook hands and then did a bro hug. And with that, they were reconciled.

Angel and Alex also reconciled. The tension between them for several days was gone. Their good relationship was restored and their closeness to each other has returned.