“SIR!” she called. Agarang naglumikot ang mga mata niya habang ang kaniyang mga kamay ay mabilis na tinakpan ang kaniyang sarili. Pero huli na ang lahat dahil nakita ko na.She was wearing something so alluring in the middle of the night, that I was actually glad that I found her here first. Dahil paniguradong mabubulag ang kung sino mang titingin sa kaniya habang ito ang suot niyang damit.My smirk grew wider. “Hindi mo kailangang takpan. It’s actually hot... it suits you,” pabiro kong sabi na ikinasama ng tingin niya sa akin.“Bakit po kayo nandito? Akala ko ay bukas pa po kayo uuwi?” tanong niya. I am supposed to be offended by how she asked me, but I am more amused than offended. No one have ever asked me questions like she does it. “Tinapos ko agad kasi namimiss kita,” sagot ko sa kaniya. Natawa ako ng mas lalong nasira ang ekpresyon ng mukha niya. She rolled her eyes at me. Hindi ito tulad ng pinapakita niyang personalidad sa iba. She was more beautiful this way. Nagagandahan
“INIIWASAN niya ba ako?” tanong ko kay Mics na nasa likod ko lang. Abala ako sa pagtitig kay Honey na hindi lumilingon sa akin simula pa kanina. Nothing happened in between us. I respect her, so I didn’t dare to touch her while she was asleep in my bed. In fact, all I did was to stare at her until I was satisfied -- and that means until morning came. Nang magising siya ay mabilis siyang umalis sa kuwarto ko ng walang sinasabing kahit ano. She ran away from me just like that. And ever since I came down to the sala, she did all sort of things just to avoid me. Iyon ang sa tingin ko. “Sinong tinutukoy mo, boss? May problema ho ba?” Nag-angat ako ng tingin kay Mics na hindi naintindihan kung sino ang pinag-uusapan namin. Hindi ako sumagot at umiwas na lang ng tingin. Pero kalaunan ay hindi ako matahimik kaya muli akong nagtanong.“How do you asked for someone’s attention, Mics? Especially, a woman’s attention. Did you asked for it directly? Or text it? Or probably write it in a piece
“ANO na, Remmington? May balak ka pa bang lumabas sa lungga mo?” the person on the other line, Harvien Kavanagh, asked. Ilang beses na niya akong tinawagan para lang alamin kung buhay pa ba ako o matagal ng nakabaon sa libingan ko. “What do you want?” tanong ko sa kaniya. “And don’t think of saying excuses. I know you you are just fooling around every time you said that you just want to check if I’m breathing or not,” dagdag ko pa. My cousin laugh.Siya lang ang nag-iisa kong pinsan na kasundo ko. He is my first degree cousin in my biological mother’s side. I found him here in the Philippines as a beggar on the street. Dala-dala niya ang apelyido ng kaniyang Ama na iniwan sila noon para sa ibang babae. I took him in when I learned that his mother, which was my mother’s sister -- left him too because she can’t feed him. Unfortunately, our mothers were both prostitute in a club. That is where they also meet our fathers and had us. Kaya sa lahat ng mga taong malapit sa akin ay si Harvi
“I DON’T plan to cheat on him with someone like you.” My own words echoed in my mind for the fourth time since the moment I left his room. Hindi ko alam kung bakit nakaramdam ako ng konsensya pagkatapos ko iyong sabihin sa kaniya. Alam kong hindi niya kasalanan ang nangyari sa aming dalawa. I let him do it, and didn’t do anything other than saying stop. I was still moaning his name even after that, so it wasn’t just his fault but mine too. Pero hindi ko magawang aminin sa sarili ko na may kasalanan ako. Na may ginawa akong mali. It wasn’t his fault, but mine. I was the one who cheated on my boyfriend the moment I moaned his name because of the pleasure building up inside me at that heated scene. “Girls! May narinig ako kanina! Hindi kayo maniniwala!” bungad agad ni Lera nang makapasok siya sa kusina. Lumingon-lingon pa siya sa likod niya habang abala naman kaming dalawa ni Sheena sa pagluluto.I mean, abala si Sheena sa pagluluto. I was only washing some fresh ingredients as per t
“YES! Sabado na!” Tumalon-talon si Lera habang nakataas ang mga kamay. “Anong mayroon?” tanong ko, nagtataka. Noong isang araw lang ay umalis na si Remmington dito sa mansyon para magpunta ng ibang bansa. We never talk again after our conversation in his room. Inabala ko na lang ang sarili ko sa mga gawain, at minsan ay nakikipag-usap ako kila Lera at Sheena para aliwin ang sarili ko. “Nagtrabaho ka ba talaga para maging maid? Kaloka ka, girl, ha!” Napangiwi ako ng hampasin ako ni Lera sa kaliwang braso ko. “Day offs natin ang Sabado at Linggo. Hindi mo alam iyon? Hindi mo ba binasa ang mga makukuha mo kapag nagtrabaho ka rito?” Sheena’s confused gazed was on me as she asked those questions. Hindi ako agad nakaimik. Nandito lang naman ako para maghanap ng baho kay Remmington. Hindi ako nandito para sa ibang bagay kaya siyempre hindi ko alam ang tungkol sa ganoon. I was never interested in staying as a maid forever, because I am after all one of the heiress to the Lacroix Company.
“YOU looked pale,” Cove commented in a concern tone. She stared at my face thoroughly while I sighed. I don’t want them to notice that I’m not doing fine, but I am. I can just not speak of it, but my face tells them about it. It has been a week since Remmington left the mansion. I didn’t hear any news about him, not even from Manang Gina. Sheena and Lera doesn’t seem to mind about it either. Kahit ngayong nabigyan ulit kami ng day off ay siya pa rin ang nasa isip ko. It was just me whose affected by his presence suddenly being nowhere.Kapag nagta-trabaho ako sa mansyon niya noong nandoon pa siya ay palagi kong nararamdaman ang titig nito sa akin. Kahit hindi niya ako kausapin ay alam kong palagi siyang nakasunod sa kung saan ako pumupunta kaya ngayong hindi ko siya maramdaman o makita ay naninibago ako. Pero tama lang naman ito. He is not supposed to be around me. I am supposed to ruin him. Not like this. Not long for him. Not hope for him to come back. Not hope for him to be her
IT NEVER crossed my mind to be followed by someone. Palagi akong may guwardya sa paligid ko noong nasa mansyon pa lang ako ng Lacroix. Kahit saan ako magpunta ay walang nakalalapit sa akin ng basta-basta kahit na mga bata pa iyon. Everyone are enemies in my clan’s eyes. Kapag may ginagawa naman akong trabaho sa utos ng mga pamilya namin ay palagi lang naman akong nakadikit sa biktima ko. Ito ang kauna-unahang umalis ako ng mansyon kahit hindi ko day off. “Nasaan ka ngayon? Why are you being followed? At bakit nasa labas ka? Hindi ba dapat ay nagta-trabaho ka sa mansyon ng Remmington Accardi na iyon?” sunod-sunod na tanong ni Rona sa akin na nasa kabilang linya ng telepono. Pilit kong ikinalma ang sarili habang naglalakad. Hindi ko napansin kanina ang dalawang lalaking sumusunod sa akin dahil abala ako sa paghahanap ng mga nasa listahan na inutos sa akin ni Manang Gina. Nang dumating ako sa parking lot ay may nadaanan akong rear view mirror, at doon ay nakita ko ang dalawang lalaki.
“SIGURO ka bang ayos ka lang?” The man who helped me, Ivandale Salcedo, asked. He is a police officer on duty earlier. According to his report, he saw me being followed by those two so he followed us. Kaya rin siya nakagawa agad ng aksyon. Nasa presinto na kaming dalawa ngayon. Because of what those two did, attempting to assualt a person with a deadly weapon and a reckless endagerment with a motorbike, Ivandale was able to interfere for the two obviously wants to harm me.Sobrang bilis ng mga pangyayari. I couldn’t believe that my own mother tried to do something that can actually harm me. Mula pa kanina ay hindi ko makalma ang sarili ko. It was suffocating to know that someone almost killed me. At dahil pa sa utos ng sarili kong ina. Kaya pala nalaman ng mga tauhan ni Mr. Tuengco kung nasaan ako, o kung anong mukha ko. Because my mother set it all up. “Miss Flores? Ayos ka lang ba talaga?” ulit na tanong ni Ivandale. Napakurap-kurap ako bago natanto na hindi ko pa pala nasagot ang