They continued to stare until they noticed Ana was coming in their direction, and they looked away quickly.

"Alphonso, you have done a lot of work in such little time!" Ana exclaimed when she saw what Miguel had done.

Only a goal-oriented and hardworking person could pull off this amount of work, someone like Miguel. Her eyes strayed from the land to Alphonso who stood in front of her, eyes full of amazement. Miguel always loved it when she praised him. He would look at her with those same eyes of amusement.  "You work like you're two men in one. How are you coping with that?" She asked him.

Miguel's heart skipped. Two men in one? He and Carlos exchanged glances before he turned to face her. She smiled warmly at him, and he got lost in her gaze. This smile reminded him of the old days when she used to undress him after a long day at work. She was the angel who blessed his life and he foolishly let her go. His gaze began to soften into an inappropriate shade one is not supposed to use on a stranger. Then it became filled with grief and remorse. He never planned for this. He never planned to be this close to her, yet far away.

"Come on, tell me your secret," she said in a soft feminine voice that set him off. What is this torment? Years ago, he would cuddle her in bed while tracing figures on her skin, and she would speak to him in this same voice. Now he can't even touch her. In his position, he wouldn't dare if he didn't want to get fired by Anastasia herself. Truly the tables have turned. And he was at the sharp edge of it.

Carlos noticed his friend's awkward silence and nudged him awake. Miguel cleared his throat, coming back to the present.

"My only secret is my love for this company, ma'am. I'll do anything to form a long-lasting relationship with it."

"Is that so?" Ana acted surprised. "Alright then, if you have any problems or need anything, you know my office." She said with a smile and walked away.

Immediately, she was out of hearing; Miguel turned to Carlos. "Did you hear that? I have access to her office."

"Don't think up anything crazy. You might see her as your past lover, but to her, you're Alphonso Tillman, a stranger." Carlos said as Miguel continued grinning.

Miguel clearly had his plans. Anastasia, on the other hand, was still trying to wrap her head around the sudden connection between her and her new employee, who seemed to be a ghost. 

"Rose, it happened again. You need to see the way he was looking at me." Anastasia sounded both excited and infuriated at the same time.

Rose held her friend's arms. "Okay, you need to calm down, Ana, a lot of men look at you like that."

"Not the way Miguel does."

Rose didn't know how to answer that.

Anastasia started to pack her bag hastily. "Rose, I need you to take care of things. I'll be gone for a short time. Maybe I won't return today. I have a fraud to uncover." She grabbed her coat and began wearing it.

Rose went after Anastasia who was already at the office door. "Anastasia, you're sounding scary right now. What are you up to?"

Anastasia stopped and turned with a look of determination in her eyes. "I'm following Alphonso Tillman home."

Before Rose could stop her, Anastasia left the office.

***

Miguel and Carlos were done with work for the day and were going home. They passed through the back gate reserved for the farmers. Unknowing to them, Anastasia was monitoring their movement from a distance.

"One of the workers met me today. His name is Daniel, and he is a three-time Best Worker of the Month award winner. He said I should keep off Anastasia." Miguel laughed. "It seems she has built an empire of worshippers here."

"Hey! Don't say that. I don't want to start waking up every day feeling like I'm going to a cult. My last job was just like that, and I still have PTSD!"

"What? Where were you working?"

"A so-called yoga and meditation class. My job was to clean, and that is the lowest of the lowest I've ever worked. Every day, I had to sit back and watch this woman lie to her students about the ten sure secrets of wealth."

Miguel chuckled. The pain was evident in Carlos' voice. "And even if you wanted to share your input, no one would have listened because you were just a cleaner."

Carlos groaned in frustration. "Miguel, I miss my glory days. I'm tired of being broke."

"You're still a lucky man, Carlos. You have a good woman who has remained with you through it all. Don't make the mistake I did."

Carlos held his friend by the shoulder and flashed him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, you'd get your girl and your wealth back. You still have the brains and the charms."

Miguel blushed at Carlos' statement. "You need to see the way she looked at me, man! I was over the moon in an instant. Damn! She's an angel."

Carlos laughed at his friend's excitement over a woman's smile. Truly, he was a finished man. Immediately they boarded a taxi, Ana followed them in her car. They alighted from the taxi in front of a street and took a tricycle. It stopped them at a narrow path with simple houses scattered around.

Ana watched from a distance as they walked into one of those houses. She got out of her car and followed them quietly. They both entered different houses. On Alphonso's side, there was a woman with him, and a boy about the age of five. She could see them through the open windows.

Anastasia retraced back to when she and Miguel divorced. Bianca was pregnant with his baby.  Considering the timing, the boy was surely the one they had five years ago. Alphonso removed something from his head. Was that a wig? He dropped it on the table and went to carry the child. Why was Alphonso wearing a wig? And his true hair color was black, not brown.

Ana gasped. Alphonso was definitely hiding something, and if she wanted to catch him, it was now or never. She must confront him and find out if he is Miguel and why, of all places to find a job, he chose Ani Farms, her family's company. She took pictures of the scene so he wouldn't be able to deny it.

Alphonso dropped the child and began to leave the house. As if he forgot something, he stopped and went back to wear his wig. She quickly hid in the corner and waited for him to come close. Her heart raced in her chest as she feared what he would say. What would she do if he confesses everything and confirms that truly he is Miguel? What would happen when everything is out in the open?

She waited for minutes without Alphonso passing. Worried, she peeped into the road only to find he was gone. She had lost him. Other people strolled down the street but Alphonso wasn't part of them. She stepped out of the dark corner defeated.

For years, competitors have been trying to infiltrate Ani farms. Whether Alphonso was Miguel or not, the fact that he was carrying a fake identity which was like a gate pass into Ani farms scared her. Her investigation only threw her into further confusion.

This is something she needed to report to the security and employment team before things got out of hand. But she needed to confirm first if the intruder wasn't her ex-husband with a fake identity. The truth would surely come out and if it confirmed her suspicions, Miguel would pay tooth and nail to bail himself.

She turned around angrily to leave when she noticed a group of armed men in the corner. Their clothes were tattered and they reeked of cigarettes and strong liquor. 

One of them looked up at her and his eyes lit up like he had just won a lottery.

"Anastasia Ani? Guys, we've cashed out big today."

He signalled the other two and they started moving towards her like a lion to a prey.