C5 The new start

They live in a village in Gyeonggi Province. The place is really close to nature, which is why they chose to stay here for good. She wished that this would be their new beginning. They bought a house and a lot that were on high ground where you could watch the sunset, which made her like the place even more. It also has a small garden that she can be busy with every day. It's a simple house. It has three bedrooms on the second floor. Downstairs is the modern-designed living room and their mini kitchen. It does also have a mini-library. Gwen bought a car with the help of their neighbor, Mr. Antonio. He was staying in Korea for business.

"Do you know why I chose to live here in Korea?" The old man asked.

"Maybe because of the climate." She answered.

"That is one factor, but what I admire about this place is the cleanliness. It's been twenty years since I started my business here," he continues.

She smiled at him, "What's your business here, Sir?"

Mr. Antonio is kind, and even though he is rich, he is not poor-eyed. He often brought special Korean dishes to Amanda's house, especially on weekends.

"Don't call me, Sir. Just call me Tito; I'm more comfortable with it."

She laughed slightly.

She also discovered that Mr. Antonio is the owner of the house they bought and the whole village. But the old man said that it was only a secret. His son doesn't want him to work so hard because of his age. He thought that Mr. Aragon was resting in Korea and doing his hobby, which is gardening.

He's on vacation every month in the Philippines, so he has time for his family. Amanda became close to her new neighbor, and no wonder they became friends. Gwen rented a small space in the city and started her coffee shop business so that they would somehow make a living, especially since she will give birth in a few months.

"I have a son, and I want him to find a girl like you, Amanda. I already informed my friend about the job I'm offering you." He said.

"Thank you so much for your help, Tito. About your son, I know he can find the right woman for him." She smiled in response to what he said.

They are having coffee on the terrace of Mr. Antonio, but because the pregnant woman is forbidden to drink caffeine, she's sipping the bitter taste of her tea. Sometimes she helps Gwen in her coffee shop, but she always ends up going home or just sitting in her coffee shop. Her friend doesn't allow her to work because of her condition.

Amanda wants to have a job even though she's carrying a baby in her womb. Mr. Antonio granted her wish. The old man had a friend in Korea who has a garden. It's not an ordinary garden because it is three hectares and it has a restaurant inside. There are different beautiful landscapes.

"My friend will assign you to his office so that you can work comfortably. He doesn't want to hire a pregnant gardener." He said it in a silly way.

"Oh my gosh, I can still play soccer." Amanda burst out laughing.

Actually, she doesn't have to work anymore. She still has some money saved by Mr. Aragon, but she thought that money would be spent on her daily expenses, especially when she gave birth. So, even though it was difficult, she decided to work first and to get away from any thoughts, especially about the coward and liar called Harry.

The Garden of Morning Calm is a place where you can relax in the company of nature. It is located in Gyeonggi-do. This garden faces the Chungryeongsan mountain, so the scenery in this area is even more attractive.

She went to this place because this is where she will work, according to Mr. Antonio. She's not worried about getting lost because he's with her. He left for a minute to buy some food for her, so she was left alone. She just entertained her eyes with the beauty of the plants found in the area. She admired this garden because of its natural beauty that comes from nature. The landscapes to be seen here are beautiful. Many are strolling in the area. There are lovers, friends, a whole family, and there are also singles. She wanted to bring Gwen to this place because she was sure her friend would have fun here and relax. After a few minutes of walking around, Mr. Antonio still did not return. It's been five minutes since she last saw him. She was a little impatient.

"Are you stupid? Didn't you see that there's a person on the road?" She turned to the driver, who suddenly appeared and almost ran over her. She suddenly turned pale because of what had happened. She was walking around, daring to find what she was looking for.

"Oh, what? You won't even apologize? What if I sue you? The pride of being rich is not the beauty of your car." She was still rolling her eyes at the door when it suddenly opened to her surprise. The man took off his sunglasses and then looked down at her.

"The thickness of your face, you man! You almost killed me. I'm pregnant. Can't you see that? " She kept talking.

"Can you replace my baby if something happens to her because of your carelessness?" She was totally angry.

The man laughed slightly.

"What are you talking? I'm not going to run you over, miss; could you please calm down first?" The man spoke gently.

It was as if cold water had been poured on her when she heard him speak. She was shaking when she realized that this Korean man understood everything she said. She thought the man couldn't understand English, but she was totally wrong. She felt self-deprecating. He even kicked his car slightly, which made her even more embarrassed. It seems that all her blood has risen to her head. She is irritated to find Mr. Antonio, then she is suddenly almost hit by a car. She just sighed and calmed herself. Now that she was pregnant, her head heated up very quickly. Sometimes she even can't understand herself because her mood is so damn changeable. Unlike the other pregnant woman, she had no issues with the food she was eating.The only thing she dislikes the most is Gwen's perfume, so when her friend leaves the house to go to work, she avoids spraying perfume because the two of them will surely quarrel again.

"I'm just in a hurry. My friend is waiting for me and I'm almost ten minutes late. Then you suddenly appear on the road." He explained that when he got out of the car.

Amanda was just surprised because all the staff of the garden greeted him every time they met. He invited her to a restaurant just inside the garden. Filipino food was on the menu, so she was very happy. He told her that he was not really Korean and that his eyes were so narrow that he could not agree. She wasn't terribly handsome, but he was pleasant to look at, even if their first meeting wasn't good. She ordered beef kare-kare and grilled bangus. She has only been in Korea for a few months, but she misses Filipino dishes.

"I'm Marco Montefalco. Nice to meet you,"

"Amanda Tennison," she interrupted, then shook hands with the speaker.

"Well, you're the one that Mr. Antonio says wants to apply as a worker here in the garden? He smiled and his eyes narrowed even more. He could barely see.

"So you're the owner of this garden?" She covered her mouth because she had found out that the man she had slapped would be her boss.

"Yes, I am. Why are blushing?" He asked.

She felt even more ashamed of what she had done recently. When the other Marco's phone rang, he immediately answered the call, and it looked important because he had left their table. Marco is tall, but Harry is just a little taller. He has a beautiful body shape that will be taken care of in the gym. After a few minutes, he came back and said Mr. Antonio had called. He said they were looking for both, so after eating they went to his place. The two immediately hugged, making it look like they were family. They talked while Amanda was just listening. She didn't want to get involved in their conversation because she couldn't relate to what they were talking about.

The day passed quickly for Amanda. She was busy with her new job. And because she was pregnant, Marco put her in the office. She looks like his assistant; they are just in one office. Sometimes she gets bored. She doesn't have to do much, so she goes out of the office and works in the garden, which they often argue about.

"I told you to stop doing gardening, Amanda. It's just an instruction you still don't understand. You know, you're getting on my nerves. I'm having more difficulty accepting that you're here working for me. He was right about what he said, and he didn't notice that he was hurting Amanda. He's four months into her pregnancy, so he knows it's a bit emotionally sensitive.

"Oh really? Then maybe it's better that I just quit this job. I'm not doing anything wrong; I'm just working." Amanda's head heats up again because of Marco's criticism of her. She immediately stepped away, but he grabbed her hand.

"I'm sorry, you don't have to do this. All I'm saying is just do the work that I've given to you. You don’t have to do the gardener’s work anymore. You might get really tired, Amanda." He spoke softly, and every time he did that, he calmed Amanda down. He lightly squeezed her hand as if to say that what he said was right for her.

They have always have an argument in the office just like today they quarreled again and the reason is the garbage bin that Amanda put inside the office. He didn't want anyone to see the trash can, so he told her to move it to other place, which annoyed Amanda. He even said that he just wanted to have a hard time standing up whenever there were things thrown in the trash, because she put it next to her table so that he could throw the garbage papers quickly. But that trash can open up to Marco when he enters the office and that is not pleasant in his eyes.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Harry and Dina, the woman said that they already engaged. It's her way to pressured Harry even more for him marry her.

"We're already engaged and are planning to get married soon." Dina smiled as she told the reporter who was interviewing Harry that they had attended an event with the rich businessman. The reporter greeted them and shook hands with them both. The reporter even praised the fact that they looked perfect together. Harry wanted to wince because of Dina's lie. He thought the girl was doing it to put pressure on him because he actually never proposed to her.

Amanda and Gwen saw it and were both surprised. Amanda had to swallow just to hold back the tears that were warning to drop from her eyes. Every time she sees Harry, she thinks of her future child, unaware that her father has abandoned her even before she sees the world.

Time passed quickly. She was at the international airport with Harold when they decided to go home to the Philippines after her parents convinced her to go home. Maybe it's time to forget her terrible past in her country. Amanda also thinks that the sindicates are totally gone.

"I'm sorry, miss. I'm in a hurry. I'm sorry. As she looked up from sitting to pick up the wallet she was carrying, she saw Harry, the man who had given him so much pain.

"You're just here, Amanda. I've been looking for you for a while. Harold and I just bought brownies. "

Harry was even more confused by what he saw. He stared at the boy with Marco.