The Grand Mistress

The simple restaurant party for Simione's graduation went good and well.  The family had a good conversation at dinner and each gave Sisi some gifts. Even when the momentum was broken when Feather practically came to ruin their good day, it ended happily however.

Simione enjoyed as much as she could as she was thinking then that it might be the last time that she was to spend a happy occasion with the Tang's. Even when she wasn't sure about Don Benedicto's intervention with the Tang's business, she can't take risks anymore. The Tang's had been good to her and knowing that they were just being harassed because of their good deeds, Simione couldn't bear it with her conscience anymore. So she has decided then to leave. She wasn't a little girl anymore unlike before, so this time, she knew she had some chance of surviving well outside the Tang's mansion.

"Have you talked about this to the old folks, Sisi?" Lucy asked her as she was washing her hands in the sink. They girls went to excuse themselves to go to the bathroom and so they talked about it there.

"No, I didn't," Simione admitted miserably and an instant guilt rose to her face at that.

"So you plan to leave without telling the folks?" Lucy's eyes went big at that. Lucy texted her the plans she had decided on while she was on her way and so she opened it up checking how determined the girl was.

"If I tell them, they won't let me leave," Simione replied. "I even slightly opened this up with grandfather earlier and he just brushed it off. Besides, you can't expect me to live there anymore with Feather flaunting off my face that she had successfully snatched off brother Don,"

"Wow Brother Don," Gabriella who was just listening on the sidelines couldn't help but take notice of the new name Simione addressed her ex-boyfriend. "So Lyndon Tang got demoted to being your brother now,"

"I'm not a martyr Gabbie," 

"Nobody says you are, but you love the man I can tell," Gabriella pointed. "Was just wondering, Lyndon arrived just today?"

"Obviously," Simione just brushed the question off.

"So he came to your graduation," Gabriella concluded. "Why does it appear so to me that he was trying to reconcile with you?"

"Reconcile your ass, don't do it Sisi. Once a cheater will always  be a cheater," Lucy said with full conviction before pulling off a lipstick from her pouch and starting applying it to her lips. They had a good dinner with the Tangs and she got so hungry during the meeting she had with a client so she seriously ate up so much and ruined her makeup.

"But Sisi still loves him…" Gabriella expressed nonsensically and Simione silenced this. Lucy immediately looked at Simione's expression at the corner of her eyes and saw the flicker of tears of her honey-colored orbs.

"Well.. you can't just not love a person you loved your whole life," Simione replied and smiled bitterly at the two. "I do love him, but I don't think I can forgive him now. I'm a human after all, I bleed,"

"Ah Sisi," Gabriella rushed to hug Simione and comforted her. "Don't worry Sisi, someday your soulmate will come and heal all your broken heart,"

"Or hurt you again," Lucy rolled another at it. The singer had a fair share of men and she knew very well love was something they didn't know. They like women, but they don't know how to love. Such do not exist in their vocabulary.

"Don't be so negative Lucy," Gabriella gave her a hard look. "I don't understand why you are so bitter at love when out from the three of us, you like men so much,"

"True. I like them so much so I know very well they are ruthless and heartless creatures," Lucy replied as she pushed some loose hairs at the back of her head. She was so done with these boys' drama and so she wanted to have the conversation closed right away, "You two finished? We should go back. The Tangs are waiting,"

The  tres marias then went back to the private room that Madam Silicia reserved for them and continued to celebrate Simione's graduation. However soon after, the group dispersed and the Tangs went home to their mansion to retire for the day. They had so much fun that they didn't notice that it was already night time when they exited the restaurant. As soon as they reached Tang's mansion, the old couple excused themselves to tidy up while Simione headed straight to her room. She was about to take a shower when there was a knock on the door.

"Hey," Lyndon pushed the door open and smiled timidly at the girl. With him was a nicely wrapped little red jewelry box.

"Hey," Simione responded blandly and shrugged, ignoring the gift that Lyndon was carrying. "Do you need anything?"

"I came here to give you my gift," He said and flushed an excited face, trying to alleviate the awkwardness that filled the room. "I wasn't able to give it earlier…no…actually I meant to give it to you now…in private,"

Simione opened her palm to accept the gift with a sigh, expecting the boy to just hand it over and leave, however what happened next was totally beyond her expectations. Her eyes went big and her chest went wild when Lyndon, falling on his knees, opened the box that contained a silver ring. On top of it was a perfectly carved diamond, enough to make Sisi stand in awe.

Confused, she blabbered instantly, "What are you doing?"

"Sisi, I have thought about this well and with all that happened, I think this is the best way to show to you that I still love you and I still want us," Lyndon's green eyes glowed with so much sincerity that Simione pushed herself to stepped back, afraid that she would ended up saying 'YES' to him.