It's been hell of a week for him. P was in a foul mood the whole time. Dalawang araw din itong nilagnat at hirap umihi. Kahit sina Magnus ay sinungitan nito kaya ang dalawang bantay ay palaging tumityempo ng pagbisita sa kanila. Sa wakas ay magaling na si P. Her mood is much better and now focusing on her pile of work. Maya't maya rin ang tawag ng mga team members nito sa New York and it's not even eight in the evening in the Philippines. Oras sa New York ang sinusunod ni P kapag may pending na trabaho. "Hey, why don't you take a break and go for a drive with me?" aya niya sa nobya.Kanina pa ito alas sais nakaungkot sa harap ng laptop nito at hindi siya magtataka kung tuluyan manlabo ang mata sa dalawang malaking monitor. He cooked dinner for them at muntik na lumamig dahil ayaw nitong iwan ang ginagawa. "Drive where?" tanong nito sa kaniya na hindi man lang siya tinapunan ng tingin. "I don't know. Grab some street food? Parang gusto ko ng adidas.""Chicken feet?""Yes. You can h
Pinanindigan ni P ang natitirang dalawang linggo at wala siyang nagawa sa nobya. Hanga rin siya sa self control nito. But as soon as his punishment ended, s'ya naman ang nagparusa kay P— masarap na parusa. "Do you really need to be away that long?" Nasa airport siya ngayon. Inihatid niya si P kasama nina Magnus. Isang linggo ang mga ito sa New York para sa trabaho ni P. She had to do site visits and talk to clients. Iyon ang deal na hiningi nito sa company bago sumama sa kaniya sa Pilipinas. "It's just a week. Akala mo naman isang buwan akong mawawala." Pinarolyo pa nito ang mga mata. "Kapag nainip ako, susunod na lang ako sa 'yo roon." Tumawa si P. "Gastador ka rin 'no? May I remind you that you have a business to run. Besides, aren't you supposed to see Tay? May ginagawa kayong gamot 'di ba? Hindi pa yata tapos 'yon." "Yes, I know. I'm meeting him in about three days." "Okay. Basta walang babae." Kumunot ang noo niya. "Tsk. Nagdadala ka raw ng babae sa lab noon—" "That w
Before Anton can say anything back, nagpaalam na siya sa kapatid nang marinig ang call waiting sa kabilang linya. He was hoping it was P. “Tell me you’re Pietra.”Napatawa ang lalaki sa kabilang linya. “I am Pietra.” Nang marinig ang pamilyar na boses ay nakahinga siya nang maluwag. “Rob.”“I am glad you still have your screws on. What’s going on with you, Gambino? It’s only been several hours.”“She promised me that she will call me as soon as you guys land.”“She couldn’t,” sagot nito sa kaniya.“Why not?”“His brother is here.” Inisip niya kung sino sa mga kapatid nito. “Lucian.”Si Lucian ang panganay na kapatid ni P, pero ano ang ginagawa nito sa New York? Ang alam niya, hindi ito lumalabas ng Italy madalas. Lucian’s timing is impeccable too. “He is here with a friend and they called just before the plane took off. Lucian was already there as soon as the door opened so none of us had the time to call you.”“But is she okay?”“Of course she’s okay. Why wouldn’t she?” He felt bet
Kung hindi pa nakatanggap ng tawag si Lucian ay baka napaamin na siya nito. Sinenyasan siya ni Lucian na matulog na at importante ang tawag na natanggap nito. Ang totoo, hindi niya alam kung paano sasabihin sa kapatid ang tungkol kay Ale. The expression he saw at his face when Lucian asked about the Gambino family was enough to send her shivers.Alam niya ang tungkol sa lumang kasunduan ng dalawang pamilya dahil sinabi sa kaniya iyon ng kanilang ama noong sumapit ang 18th birthday niya. However, it didn't stop her from looking for Ale and they found each other.The next morning when she woke up, Lucian was gone at maayos na nakatiklop ang blanket sa sofa. He left her a note on the coffee table at wala na rin doon ang mga tasang ininuman nila ng tsa kagabi. She picked up the note and read. You don't need to tell me his name— I already know. All that matters is that you're happy. Just know that if he hurts you in any way, I am going to break his face in more ways than one and no one wi
At The ModernShe arrived ten minutes early at the restaurant but the client was already there. The man is punctual. However, Philip Coulter seemed to be… too Italian with those dark eyes, olive skin and high cheekbones. Hindi nalalayo ang edad nito kay Ale.“Good afternoon, Ms. Profaci.” Tumayo ito mula sa silya nang dumating siya. It was the staff who ushered her in that pulled the chair for her. “Good afternoon, Sir.” Sinadya niyang huwag idagdag ang apelyido nito. He can’t be Philip Coulter like he claimed. She had time to get a good look at the database. Tinawagan niya ang isang IT na nirekomenda ng Ate Georgina niya noon. “I hope you don’t mind but I ordered for us.”“It’s fine. I am not very hungry anyway.” Only Ale can order food and other things for her and she won’t mind. “Still tired from the trip?” Hindi niya sinagot ito. “Steve told me you just landed yesterday and you’ve moved overseas. Philippines, right? My mom is a Filipina.”He was being extra friendly and that’s
“I am not expecting anything. I just really want to get your services with the house at Lexington.”“Good.” She took the table napkin and used it to wipe her lips. “Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?” Nang umiling si Alejandro ay kinuha niya ang pagkakataon na ‘yon para magpaalam.“So are you taking the job?”“If you agree to my terms, I just might.”“Spoken like a true Profaci.” She kept her poker face on. “Then state your terms. I’d like to hear them.”“First, never discuss nor involve anything personal with this job. I don’t care if Alessandro is your brother, you do not mention him to me. Today is the first and last day you’d talk to me about him. Second, I will prepare two designs and any changes will be discussed with me. However, I will not be here to supervise everyday once the renovations start. I can commit to a week per month. That’s my deal with the company and I am not changing it for you no matter how much you offer me. You and I both know that I do not need t
Hindi niya alam ang binabalak ng kapatid. P is amazing at what she does. However, Alejandro could have hired someone else to do the job. Imposible naman na si Gabriella ang may gustong kunin bilang interior designer si P. Malakas ang kutob niyang may binabalak ang kapatid niya at may kinalaman sa kaniya ang ginagawa nito. Nagpaalam na si P at pinatulog na siya pero heto at alas singko na ng umaga ay gising na gising pa rin ang kaniyang diwa. Hindi na siya makatulog kahit ano'ng gawin niya kaya pupuntahan niya si Taylor sa condo nito ng maaga. Doon na rin siya magkakape at bubulabugin niya ang kaibigan. He took his car keys and overnight bag that he prepared for the other day. Since it's still early, he didn't hit traffic and was there in less than twenty minutes. Usually, it's about a forty-five minute drive. "Ale?" Pupungas-pungas na bungad sa kaniya ni Tay. "What time is it?" Tinawagan niya ito nang makarating siya sa parking lot. Instead of buzzing him, he opted for a call to ma
TWO MONTHS LATERAle said he will be gone for the next two weeks and she won’t be able to contact him. She agreed to do the design for the Lexington home, but whether she will supervise the renovations is still in question.Umuwi siya ng Pilipinas at doon ginawa ang designs at maliban sa kulay at ilang minimal requests ay wala ng ibang pinabago ang mag-asawa. It’s mostly Gabriella who had comments. Although Gabriella was polite, she had a feeling that the woman dislikes her for some reason. “Son of a—“ Sumampa siya sa gutter at muntik na niyang masagasaan ang isang homeless sa kalye nang iwasan niya ang isang kotseng puti. Bigla itong nag-cut sa kaniya. It wasn’t a fancy car but the tint was so dark that she can barely see who’s driving. She is pretty sure it’s illegal. She chose to drive today while Magnus followed her using a different car. Si Rob ay inutusan niya na mag-grocery dahil wala na silang stocks.“Are you okay?” Magnus immediately checked on her. His voice sounded muffl