Ana was moving towards the sea of faces with unseen current, dragging her luggage behind her. She's walking along the terminal because she's going back to Iloilo today. No guards and no assistants trailing behind her. Probably from a distance they do.

She also refused to take the private plane provided for her by Ryan. She insisted on taking the commercial flight on Ryan's airline, provided she be seated on the first class.

Her two months on-the-job training has just ended and she's going back home to prepare for her panel interview the following week. She could have done it at Anais Branch, but she wanted to have her pre-panel with Livina, her first branch manager whom she knew topped her officership training class and is very keen on policies as well as on decision makings.

She took a seat near the boarding gate assigned for their flight when her phone rang. She saw Ryan's name on the screen.

"Babe?"

"Ana, I missed you already. Please come back soon, babe."

"Ryan, we have just parted barely thirty minutes ago." He drove her off to the airport, but she shooed him away when his presence began drawing attention from the crowd. Because just like the other bigwigs in business like, who would not recognize the charming multi-miilionaire bachelor like Ryan?

Ana has to stay inside the coffee shop for a while just to pass the time until the people's curiosity would die down before she headed to her boarding gate. Some could recognize her but bears the unbelieving look on her taking a commercial flight.

"See? I'm fine! I told you if you don't have me followed by an entourage of securities and personal assistants, nobody would recognize me." She added. "Everyone's busy with their own lives."

"I think I should stay in Iloilo too..."

"Ryan! Don't you ever do that! I'll be here for just a week. I know you're loaded in the coming days too."

She heard him sigh.

"Okay.  But when you get back, we're moving back to the Belle Tower.  The renovation was almost complete."

"About that... you did not even give me the chance to see the renovations."

"It's a surprise, babe! Besides you've seen the blueprints and the floor plans already. Leave the rest to the interior designers, okay? Change all the furniture and fixtures if you don't like them."

"Nah! I trust your architects and designers." She got excited. "Why do I have this feeling that I'll be staying in Makati for so long?"

"Are you staying at the condo there, babe? Or you're staying with Mama?"

"I miss home, babe. I'll be spending time with Mama."

"Uh... okay..."

"Babe, my flight has been called. I have to go. See you in week. I love you."

"I love you, Ana."

Ana stood at the end of the line. She was assigned with seat 1A. A lot of other passengers have been offering her to queue ahead of them, but she refused with a smile and a wave of her hand.

She was surprised when she boarded the plane that nobody sat on the front row. She recognized an escort accompanying her on the second row.

The flight attendants were starting with the pre-flight announcements and orientations when Ana heard a baby at the back began to get fussy and cry.

She called one of the stewards and had the baby and its mom transferred to the front with her.

The following morning she was on the entertainment section of the local tabloid in Iloilo. Longtime Girlfriend of Multi-Millionaire Ryan Villareal, Ana Ocampo, on a Commercial Flight...

The article talked about how she offered a seat to a mother with an infant. But the author wondered why she took the said flight. Are they on a lover's quarrel? It has been known that she was already assigned to one of the branches in Manila to be with the charming bachelor. But why is Miss Ocampo going home?

My goodness! Ryan is not around to defend her as he would usually do whenever Ana appears on newspapers and magazines.

      
           ~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

"Ana, can we move the get together and your birthday celebration on Tuesday?" Elyn asked her over the phone. One of the reasons why she came home last week for her pre-panel interview with Livina was to celebrate her birthday in advance with her friends and colleagues. Fortunately, HR has called her extending her for another week in Iloilo. "We are quite busy on Wednesday night."

"What? Oh come on! Nobody goes out on a Tuesday! Ladies' night on Wednesday, right? I'm flying back to Manila on Thursday. My panel interview is on Friday." Ana argued. "Why do they have to schedule my revalida on the day before my birthday?" She groaned.

Now she has to update Ryan with the changes. He was planning to attend the celebration with her friends.  And speaking of her boyfriend, he was indeed busy for the past week that he was not able to fly back to Iloilo to be with her, though he calls Ana every night. So much for telling Papa that he can come home every night. Ana sighed.

"Oh, Ana, please, I can see the smoke reaching the other end of the line from your nose." Elyn joked when she heard Ana sighed. "John has a business conference in Japan. Grace is leaving for Cebu for a seminar. Would it be okay with you if it's just the two of us with your colleagues?" Elyn explained. "Besides, Tuesday is not a busy day, the bankers can get out of the office early."

"Okay, fine. I'll reschedule with the venue..." Ana conceded.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Ryan arrived on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate with them. And they'll be heading back to Manila together on Thursday.

"Babe, I don't want to get you stressed with the move before your panel interview. So we'll be staying in Anais on Thursday." Ryan said as they were packing their luggages for their flight the following day.

They dropped by her condo before heading to the airport. Ryan said he has to check on something he said. Ana did not use it nor visited it since the day she walked out on him two years ago.

A lot of things has changed inside the unit. The single-floor, two-bedroom unit now has a second floor with a set of couches on the corridor leading to a private room that was arranged like a home office and an entertainment room opposite it. Ana just peeped inside the home office when Ryan got inside it.

She continued to roam around. The whole unit was repainted. The furnitures were replaced. The four-seater round dining table is now a six-seater rectangular one. The windows became wider allowing the natural light to pass through. The sofa in the living room became longer and couches were added.

When she got inside the bedroom, Ana noticed that an en suite bathroom was added. The walk-in closet became wider and bigger. She did not bother opening the cabinets and shelves inside it. She just saw some of Ryan's suits hanging in the open shelves.

Maybe that's why he asked whether I'm staying at the unit or with Mama. She was standing in front of the wide windows in the living room, looking at the busy street below, her arms crossed in front of her. She can see the branch from there.  She presumed Ryan is planning on renting out the unit like he did to his yatch.   She was thinking of the happy memories they have shared before, and now she is at the crossroad again.

Ana has a lot of things to think about.  If she passed the panel interview tomorrow, she will become a full-fledged Operations Officer of a branch.  She still have no idea of the branch where she will be assigned.  And still haven't decided on her preference on whether she take an assignment in the metro or go back here in Iloilo.  But what she's seeing now is like showing her something.  If she comes back, she'll be staying with Mama again, which is not a problem with her. I guess I'll have to pass the panel interview first.

"Shall we go, babe." Ryan broke her reverie.

"Hmmm... okay," she replied then picked up her purse on the dining table, and headed to the door. Ana kept mum about the changes that she saw.

"Do you like it?" he asked while they were inside the elevator.

"Huh? The unit?"

"Are you okay, babe?" Ryan noticed the gloomy look on her face. "Yes, the unit.  What do you think about it?"

"Hmmm... yeah, I'm fine.  The unit is nice.  Much better than before." She replied nonchalantly. Why would she care.  She won't be staying there anymore.  Obviously it was renovated to accommodate more occupants or guests. "It's much bigger."

The ride to the airport was quiet between them, though Ryan was constantly on his phone.  They were using his private plane again. 

"Where's Elias?" she asked when she saw that it was Carlos, her driver, who fetched them.

"Uhm... he's running some errands for me." Ryan ushered her inside the car. "To Anais, Carlos." He instructed the driver.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

"Ana, Miss Stella will see you now."

This is it. She had just had her final interview this morning.  It was an eight-person panel consisting of bank officers hailing from different departments of the bank, and it lasted for more than an hour. It was gruesome, but at least they were not too easy on her.  Ana appreciates it more when she is being valued as a worker based on her skills and capabilities, and not because she is connected to Ryan. 

Her hands were cold and trembling when she knocked on the HR Director's office. She has not eaten her lunch yet.  The hell she care about Ryan's tantrums if he hears about it.  She cannot swallow a thing today.  It was already four in the afternoon and they were called one by one inside the director's office to tell them the results.

"Come in." she heard Stella's voice.

"Good afternoon, Miss Stella."

"Good afternoon, Ana.  Have a seat." Stella waved at the chair in front of her table. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling anxious..."

"Do you think you passed?" Stella looked serious.

"I believe I did well inside, Miss Stella."

"That's the spirit, Ana.  Think like a queen.  A queen is not afraid to fail.  Because failure is another steppingstone to greatness." Ana turned pale when she heard those words coming from Stella. My God, I did not make it?

"Well, you're already a queen, Ana..." Stella continued.

"Did I not make it, Miss Stella?" Ana can't help but blurt it out.

Stella smiled.  "Like I've said, you're already a queen.  A queen in your own right.  You are talented, witty, and an effective employee. I've heard about your community service too." Ana's heart was beating fast now. "A queen in the eyes of Mr. Villareal.  And you are not afraid of failure, aren't you?"

"W-what do you mean to say, Miss Stella?" Ana felt like running away from the office of the director.

"Well, there comes a time in life that we will face trials and hardships and failures. You've faced the two already. I know you'll face failures if there is in the future with you head still held up high." Stella paused. "Congratulations, Ana! You made it!"

"Oh my God, Miss Stella, you scared me!" Ana let go of the the breath she's been holding.

"Being an officer is not always on a bed of roses, Ana. Still, you will face challenges and sometimes you may fail ~ audit, quotas, manpower. We do not hold the minds of the people we're handling." Stella smiled. "That's why being a queen, I know you will surpass everything that comes your way... be it the challenges in the bank or with your relationships. Congratulations again, Ana!"

"Thank you, Miss Stella! It's an honor for me working in this institution. I'll do my best as an officer." Ana was ecstatic. "So where will I be assigned?"

"Uhm, the management is still discussing on your branch assignment." Stella hesitated as she speak. "We will let you know next week. You will report in Anais on Monday for the time being until we send you your memo. You can take the rest of the day off."

"Ok, Miss Stella. Thank you." Ana stood up and headed for the door. Whew! I still have the weekend to not think about it. It's my birthday tomorrow anyway.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Ana hopped unto Ryan's embrace at the basement parking of the bank. She called him up to tell him the news and he said he'll come over to see her.

She called her Mama too and her colleagues back in Iloilo. And just like her, her officemates were still in the dark as to her branch assignment.

"Oh, I'm proud of you, babe! You did it!" He said while hugging her.

"Oh, babe, that was scary." Her eyes welled up. "And exciting... and nerve wracking..." she began to blabber. "And I'm temporarily assigned in Anais!"

"Hmmm that's good!" he remarked while ushering her to the car. "I'm taking you out for an early dinner and wine night thereafter. We'll celebrate, Ana!"

"Wait! Aren't we going home to Belle Tower tonight?" She asked while Ryan was putting on her seatbelt.

"Yes, we will! They have finally completed moving the rest of our stuffs there." He said as he started the car and drove off. "Relax, babe! Are you excited to see the transformation of the penthouse?"

"I am!"

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

She punched on her birthdate on the password keyboard on the door while Ryan was embracing her from behind. She felt him took one of his hand from her waist and covered her eyes when she began to turn the knob.

"It's a surprise, baby..." he whispered on her ear as he guided her inside. She heard him switched on the lights and uncovered her eyes.

Ana stood agape at the vast foyer in front of her. Her unit and his penthouse had turned into one beautiful house! She looked around. Everything shouted elegance and sophistication.

She can see the pool and the gym. More shrubs were added around it to make it look like you're not on top of one of the tallest building in the area.

There were four bedrooms now all with en suite bathroom, and one comfort and powder room on the first floor. And just like her condo in Iloilo, she saw a home office on one side and an entertainment room on the other. All furnitures were replaced as well.

(ctto)

Ryan brought her to the second floor where the bedrooms are. This time she checked the walk-in closet. One side was filled with her clothes and accessories, while the other is with Ryan's. Their shoes were separately arranged in the middle cubicles.

At the end of the hallway is a glass door leading to the terrace overlooking Makati City. Ryan was waiting for her outside.

She saw a round table for two with Ryan pouring a bottle of wine unto the glasses. "Capping the night with wine, babe. Come here." Ryan handed her the glass and held her on the waist as they face the skyscrapers in front of them.

"How do you like it?"

"My God, babe! Everything's so perfect today! The interview, the dinner, the house... and you." She faced him and embraced her arms around his neck. "Thank you."

"Ana... babe" He wrapped his arms around her waist. "I love you. You are everything to me. In return, I want to give you all of me... all that I have."

She was about to open her mouth to reply when flashes of light radiated from the other buildings. They caught Ana's attention which made her turn and look at the pyrotechnics display. Then one building lit up with the word "Will", and one next to it "You", and the third one "Marry", and the other one "Me". Somebody's proposing with a blast. Lucky girl. Whoever she is. But before she turned to face Ryan, bold letters lit up one by one on the other building next to the first four. They spelled
"A-N-A I-S-A-B-E-L-L-E". She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

Ana's eyes began to well up and she turned to face Ryan only to see him kneeling on one knee holding a box with a beautiful ring shining brightly in it. "You showed me who you really are from the moment we met, Belle. And I love you for that... You complete me for being my dear Ana. Will you make me the happiest and luckiest man on earth?" Ana's tears were in deluge now. "Will you be my partner... my wife?"

"Yes, babe, yes! Yes! Yes!" Ryan stood up and put the ring on her finger. He cupped her face with his hands and wiped her tears with his thumbs, then kissed her lovingly and passionately.

"Oh my God! I love you, Ana!"

          ~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Cheers to the proposal! Finally!🥂
But what's with the massive renovations of the houses?

Please don't forget to vote! 😘😊