“ANG malas ko talaga kagabi!” bulalas ni Lera habang naghuhugas ng mga pinggan.
“Anong nangyari na naman ba?” tanong ni Sheena.“Nanaginip kasi ako kagabi. Kasama ko ang crush ko na si Jungkook tapos mag-k-kiss na dapat kami noong biglang may narinig akong sigaw. Parang tinatawag si Manang Gina—” Mabilis akong naubo pagkatapos mabilaukan.Mabilis na lumapit sa akin si Sheena.“Dahan-dahan lang, Honey. Ayos ka lang ba, ha?” Naibaba ko ang hawak na baso ng tubig para lang tapikin ang dibdib ko.“O-Oo, ayos lang… nagulat lang,” mahina kong sabi sabay iwas ng tingin.“Naku, uhaw na uhaw ka ba, Honey?” naiiling na sabi ni Lera pagkatapos ay ngumiti. “So, ayon nga at narinig kong may sumisigaw ng pangalan ni Manang Gina kaya nagising ako ng kaonti—”“Ah, diligan ko muna ang mga tanim sa harden. Mauna na ako sa inyo,” singit ko at tumalikod kaagad pero nabangga ako sa isang matigas na bagay.“Anong mayroon dito?” The hard thing I bumped into vibrated when that person asked. Doon ko natanto na dibdib ni Remmington ang nabangga ko. Mabilis na umatras ako papalayo habang nanlalaki ang mga mata sa gulat.Gulat dahil sa biglaang reaksyon na naramdaman ko sa sariling katawan.Bumaba ang tingin ni Remmington sa akin. He didn’t smile at me, and it reminded me of what happened last night. He did cook me some ramen. We stayed up late. He asks me questions, and I keep lying until I bid him good night before leaving the kitchen because I couldn’t take it anymore.He scares me a lot… and he… I can’t go there. I really can’t.“How was your first day at work, Ms. Flores? Were they good to you yesterday?” he asked me, his brown orbs staring at me again.“Y-Yeah… they were. It was fine, Sir. I-I love working here…” Ngumiti ako sa kaniya ng tipid pagkatapos ay yumuko ako. “Gagawin ko po muna ang trabaho ko. Maraming salamat po, Sir,” dagdag ko sabay talikod.Doon lang ako nakahinga nang maluwag pagkatapos kong makalayo sa kaniya. Hindi ko alam pero kapag sobrang lapit niya sa akin ay halos hindi ako makahinga, hindi lang dahil sa kaba dahil may isa akong emosyon na hindi ko kayang pangalanan kapag kaharap siya.I’ve been trying to observe things since yesterday. Napansin ko na walang umaakyat sa kwarto nito maliban kay Manang Gina at Mics. Hindi rin basta-bastang nakapapasok ang kahit sino sa gate, kahit na kakilala niya pa ang mga ito. Maliban na lang kung si Remmington Accardi na mismo ang nagtawag sa kanila. There are CCTV‘s everywhere too, and I definitely can’t avoid them – so there’s only one way out if I really want this task to success.But I don’t want to do it. Hindi ko alam kung kakayanin ko ba.“Stop it, girl! You have a boyfriend for heaven’s sake! Hindi ka dapat nag-iisip ng ganito!” saway ko sa sarili ko.Napapikit na lamang ako habang naiiling sa sariling katangahan. Ni hindi ko inaasahan na mangyayari ito!“You were holding a knife last night, and now you are drowning my plants. Do you somehow like the thought of killing someone, hmm, Hon?” Isang tili ang kumawala sa labi ko nang makiliti ako sa hangin na dumampi sa likod ng tainga ko.Naramdaman ko ang pag-atras niya sa likod ko kasabay ng paghakbang ko papalayo bago siya hinarap.“H-Hon?!” utal kong tanong, namumula ang pisngi na sinalubong ang mga mata niya.He smirk. He looks so amused at me, and here I am, battling my inner side for peace!“Your name is Honey Flores. I just shortened it. Do you like it? Hm, Hon?” His smirk grew wider while my chest keeps on thumping.“I-It is not funny, Sir Rem!” Awkward akong natawa. “A-Ano po pala ang ginagawa mo rito? May kailangan ka po ba sa akin?” Bigla ay dumilim ang mukha niya na tila may naalalang hindi maganda.Kinabahan ako. Did he finally knew why I was here? May nalaman ba siya tungkol sa totoo kong pagkatao?I do know how to do martial arts. I’m great at handling guns, but I don’t have any gun right now and we are surrounded by his armed bodyguards. Even if I try to fight, I know that I am no match for all of them. Naramdaman ko ang onti-onti pagkawala ng pula sa pisngi habang hinihintay ang sasabihin nito.Kung totoo mang may nalaman na siya ay gagawin ko pa rin ang lahat ng makakaya ko para tumakbo. I can’t die in his arms without fighting at all!“Boyfriend, huh? You have a boyfriend?” he blurted out finally. I blinked.“P-Po?”Naalala ko ang sinabi ko kanina dahilan para mapasinghap ako.“You have a boyfriend so why are you working? Can’t he work for you? Is he not pampering you enough, Hon?” The way the Hon rolled out from his tongue sounded so sexy, and sweet. Pakiramdam ko ay sinasadya niyang lambingan ang boses niya kapag tinatawag ang pangalan ko na mas lalong nakapagbabaliw sa sitwasyon ko ngayon.“He is my boyfriend, Sir. Hindi ko po siya alila para pagsilbihan ako,” sagot ko pabalik. Pilit kong tinatagan ang sarili kahit ramdam ko ang panginginig ng mga tuhod ko.He raised his left brow at me. His eyes squinted a bit that made him look more scary because he is still keeping that smirk in his lips! Para niya akong tinatakot! It is really a bad idea to let me do this task!“Yeah? Well, if it was me – I wouldn’t let you work at all. I can be your sugar daddy, y’know?” His slang sounded like Brooke’s except that I find his more appealing than my cousin.Lumunok ako. I can’t deny it any longer. I didn’t put much thought into it when we first meet because I thought it wouldn’t last, but it is happening again now. My body is getting hot in each second we talk. It reacts to his every action. Longing to be touch… to be kiss by those sexy mouth… to be one with him.I’m attracted to this man named Remmington Accardi so, so much, that my body is yearning to be screwed by him.I’M DOOMED.Hindi ko inisip na mangyayari ang bagay na ito dahil hindi naman ako kahit kailan na-attract sa iba. And I’m not used to how my body reacts to him. It feels so hot every time he is near me. Pakiramdam ko ay bibigay agad ako kapag inaya niya ako sa kama. Which I can’t let happen. I have a boyfriend. William is my long-time boyfriend for six years. I’m already twenty-five and just waiting to be freed from my family’s caged, then I will asked William to marry me. We will have a family, and children. Iyon ang plano ko simula pa lang noon. Iyon ang gusto kong mangyari, pero nagkandaloko-loko lahat ng gusto ko dahil lang ipinadala nila ako rito sa mansyon ni Remmington. “So? How was it? Is he hot?” tanong ni Rona. She’s on the phone, as I tried to hide myself inside the bathroom for privacy. “Stop it, Rona. I need your help. Please, gawan mo ng paraan para mapapayag sila. Kailangan kong makaalis dito, Rona. Mababaliw ako kapag ipinagpatuloy ko ito,” bulong ko sa kaniya habang
“NAPANSIN ninyo? Parang hindi na masiyado umaalis si Sir Rem dito sa mansyon,” bigla ay sabi ni Lera. Sabay kaming lumingon ni Sheena kay Remmington na nandoon sa sala. Kausap nito si Mics, pero mula rito sa kinatatayuan namin ay wala kaming marinig na kahit ano. “Baka wala na siyang trabaho sa ibang bansa,” sagot ni Sheena pero umiling agad si Lera.“Narinig ko kayang nagreklamo si Mics kahapon. Ang rami raw kasing tumatawag kay Sir Rem mula sa ibang bansa. Gusto raw siyang makausap at ma-meet sa personal, pero sinasabi lang ni Sir Rem na marami pa raw siyang gagawin dito. Iyon nga lang ay sinabi sa akin ni Mics na wala naman daw talagang trabaho si Sir Rem dito sa Pilipinas masiyado. Ang pinakahuli ata ay iyong sa pinagawa niyang beach resort sa Pangasinan,” sunod-sunod na sabi ni Lera. Lumingon pa ito kay Remmington bago niya tinitigan ng mariin ang lalaki. “Hindi kaya ay dahil sa nangyari roon sa nagpapanggap na maid? Naaapektuhan ba si Sir Rem sa mga fake news na kinalat ng ba
“I TOLD you she was a bad news, Remmington. Look at you now, if people learns that what that woman said was really true then you will lost everything that you have. Even if she dies, she will still have the last laugh,” my cousin, Harvien Kavanagh, uttered with dismay on his face. I chuckled at that. “I don’t really give a fuck if she gets the last laugh, as long as she dies,” malamig kong turan dito.Hindi ako makapaniwala sa nangyari. That woman, Rosey Buenaflor, was a spy brought by a magazine company! She tried to get into our mansion to actually learn more things about me. To unveil the mask I’ve been wearing ever since, but that was a wrong move on her part. Getting caught in my studies, and her writing in her blog about my real identity is actually her calling for death. “Kapag may ginawa ka ngayon ay lalong pagdududahan ka ng lahat. They will think that you killed her to shut her up. You shouldn’t move unless the issue dies--”“I can’t wait until the issue dies, Harvien. I ne
“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.