"What are we doing here?" I asked.
She glanced around before pulling me inside. We sat at an empty table tucked away at the far end of the restaurant. I didn't know why, but it felt as if we were hiding.
"Is something wrong?" I asked again.
She stared at me for a long moment, barely blinking. A chill crept over my skin.
"What do you want from me?" I asked for the third time. Still, she didn't answer. She looked away and fidgeted with her fingers. It was unsettling.
I was about to stand when she stopped me with one hand.
"Let go of me," I warned, but she didn't.
"If this is about your father, then we have nothing to talk about—"
She cut me off.
"Look, Gianna. I need to confess something. Just… please listen to me first."
I slowly pulled my hand back and sat properly.
"Make it quick," I said.
A waiter approached and placed water and menus on the table, but neither of us touched them.
"What I'm about to tell you could cost me my life," she said quietly. "So please, listen carefully."
She reached for my hand and looked at me seriously.
"I'm listening."
"Daddy is planning to take all of Francis's shares and money—including the company. He wants to destroy him. And this time… I think he might succeed if you don't do something."
I felt her hand trembling.
"I don't recognize my father anymore," she continued. "He changed so much when we returned to the Philippines. I don't have proof, but I know he had something to do with the factory fire in Cebu."
"They?" I asked. "Who are they?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "But I often hear Daddy talking on the phone with someone who works in Francis's company. I think one of your investors is helping him. And I believe someone close to Francis is on Daddy's side. Please, Gianna… be careful who you trust."
She pulled her hand away and reached into her bag, then handed me a brown envelope.
"This is evidence. Proof that Daddy has been planning to take over the company for more than a year. Please keep it safe. Don't lose it."
She slipped it into my bag herself.
"Gianna, listen to me," she said urgently. "Don't let Daddy use you. I just found out that you're not really his daughter. He planned to use you to weaken Francis. He knows everything about your relationship."
My breath caught.
"I started investigating when he told me you were the daughter he had been searching for," she continued. "That's when I found out the truth."
She hesitated, as if afraid to continue.
"Your mother was my dad's first love. They were together from high school until they graduated college. But…" Her voice faltered.
"But your mom cheated on him."
The words hit me like a slap. I couldn't move.
"Daddy found out she got pregnant by another man," she said softly. "Later, she gave birth to someone else's child."
She looked at me.
"That child was you, Gianna."
My body went cold.
"He couldn't accept it," she continued. "He hurt your mother until she ran away—because she wanted to protect you. Later on, he met my mom and married her."
I sat there in silence, overwhelmed.
I didn't know which truth hurt more—
that Mr. Jim was using me to destroy Francis,
or that I was the result of my mother's betrayal.
And yet… I hated myself for it, but a small part of me felt relieved knowing I wasn't his real daughter.
"I'm sorry for telling you all this," she said. "But you deserve to know the truth. I can't let Daddy use another person for his evil plans."
She let out a bitter laugh.
"I don't even know what he'll do to me if he finds out I told you all this. He might kill me."
I clenched my fists and looked at her seriously.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked. "Why are you helping us?"
She froze.
"Because I don't want him to continue being this person," she said, her voice breaking. "I just want a peaceful life with him again. A simple one… like before, when my mom was still alive. I want my dad back."
She finally broke down, crying openly in front of me.
"I've done everything so he wouldn't abandon me," she sobbed. "Everything. I lived my life trying not to disappoint him."
I reached for her hand and held it.
"I'm not his real daughter either," she confessed. "My mom adopted me when I was ten because they couldn't have children. They gave me the life I always wanted. But when Mommy died… Daddy changed. I don't recognize him anymore."
She wiped her tears and looked at me with tired eyes.
"That's why I want to fix this while it's still early."
Something inside my chest ached for her.
"Please," she said, gripping my hand tightly. "Forgive him. I'm begging you, Gianna."
I didn't know how to respond.
I swallowed hard, pulled my hand away, and stood up.
She didn't say another word as I hurried out of the restaurant.
My head throbbed with everything I had learned.
I no longer knew who to trust.
Or which truth was real.