"What?! You're going to get married?! How come, you don't even have a boyfriend?"
Hindi makapaniwalang tanong ni Quel nang ikuwento ni Gabriella sa kaibigan ang deal na nangyari sa pagitan nila ng kaniyang ina.Napatayo ito mula sa kinauupuan at halata sa mukhang hindi nito kayang paniwalaan ang mga narinig."Bakit? Do I need to have a boyfriend first before getting married?" walang emosyong tanong ni Gabriella pabalik."Are you seriously asking me that, Gabriella Pauline? How would you survive a married life if you don't even have any experience in dating?" muli nitong tanong.May punto naman ito. Ni isang beses ay wala pa syang naging nobyo dahil lahat ng mga nanligaw sakaniya noon ay binusted nya. She doesn't have any interest in dating and being in a relationship before dahil bukod sa wala syang oras para gawin iyon ay wala talaga syang nagugustuhan na lalaki. Merong nagpatuloy na manligaw sakanya kahit pa binusted nya ito, pero sumuko rin ito pagkalipas ng apat na taon at sinabing mas malaki pa ang tsyansang makapangasawa sya ng isang sikat na artista kesa mapasagot nya ang nililigawan.Gabriella knew that she should at least have an experience in dating before getting married, but..."Well, that's my personal problem to mind and you're out of it, Quel." saad nya."So kailan ka ba ikakasal?" muling tanong ng kaibigan pagkatapos bumuntong hininga. Bumalik ito sa pagkakaupo sa may swivel chair at hinintay syang sumagot."Don't have the exact date yet. Maybe next month?"Quel's forehead crumpled as he looks at her with a wide eyes."Next month agad? Ganun kabilis?"Konti nalang at mapupunit na ang noo nito dahil sa pagkakunot."Huwag kang mag-alala. Hindi ka naman invited kaya hindi mo naman kailangan mag-abalang pumunta sa kasal ko." she said in a matter of fact tone. Alam ng lalaki na hindi sya nagbibiro sa sinabi.This time, Quel rolled his eyes."Well, thank you for informing me that I'm not invited on your wedding? Just be sure not to get exposed. You know how risky it is for a secret agent to live with someone." paalala nito."Alam ko na yun. At saka hindi nya naman malalaman na isa akong secret agent dahil meron kaming napagkasunduan na hindi namin papakialaman ang trabaho ng isa't-isa kahit pa kasal kami.""That sounds more suspicious. What if he actually knew that you're agent angel? What are you going to do?" Nakataas ang kilay nitong tanong.Gabriella shook her head twice."No, I don't think that's possible. He's just a painter and even if he know who I really am, he doesn't have any reason to kill me, does he?"Unless meron itong galit sakanya o kaya ay ito ang magnanakaw na kailangan nyang hulihin."Well, yeah, whatever. That's your private life so labas na ako dyan. Just be careful," pag-uulit nito."I will. I just told you about this para malaman mo na magiging busy ako sa mga susunod na araw so please only contact me if Silent thief make a move again. And don't tell anyone in the agency that I'm going to get married... Mahirap na, baka kung ano pang itanong nila saakin, wala akong oras para sagutin at ikwento sakanila ang mga naikwento ko na sa'yo.""Sure, but in exchange, you need to tell me when exactly you're going to get married. So that I won't disturb anything by suddenly contacting you.""Okay. Sasabihin ko sa'yo kung kailan kapag nakapag desisyon na sila sa exact date ng kasal."Pagkatapos mag-usap, agad ring umalis si Gabriella dahil meron pa syang ibang pupuntahan at gagawin.She entered her own car and drive straight to the mall.She's going to have her 300 million dollars back and she needs to buy new dresses and clothes so the man won't suspect that she isn't a real model. Matalas pa naman ang mata nito kahit na nakasalamin. Kailangan nyang magpanggap na isa syang model kahit pa napagkasunduan nila na huwag makekealam sa trabaho ng isa't-isa.Gabriella bought fitted dresses that a model would wear. She's thinking twice to buy those clothes that looks revealing, but she bought them anyways.She also pick her high heels, branded bags and fancy accessories.After paying all of the things she bought to herself, she brought them all to her apartment.##For dinner, Gabriella only eat instant noodles. Hindi kasi sya marunong magluto at tinatamad rin syang magpa deliver at maghintay. Ayaw nyang kumakain sa labas mag-isa kaya ang nag-iisang instant noodles nalang ang pinagtsyagaan nya.Habang kumakain, she received a message from her mom asking if she can meet her tonight.She replied yes because she doesn't want to disappoint her knowing that her mom would give her 300 million dollars.Tinapos nya kaagad ang kinakain at nagsuot ng makapal na jacket bago muling pumasok sa kotse at nagmaneho.When she arrived at the place her mom told her, her jaw dropped after realizing that her mom is there to look for her wedding dress."Mom, why do we need to choose for my wedding dress now, the wedding is next month, right?" Nakakunot ang noo nyang tanong.Ganun ba talaga kaexcited ang mommy nya sa kasal? Pwede namang next week nila gawin ang pagpili sa kaniyang wedding dress. Bakit ngayon?"What do you mean next month, honey? Your wedding is tomorrow," Celeste answered.Nanlalaki ang matang muntik ng matumba mula sa kinatatayuan si Gabriella. She doesn't know if she heard what her mom said right."P-Po?! Teka, anong bukas na yung kasal ko, mommy? I just met Ryce 3 days ago and we haven't planned anything yet!"Ni hindi na nga nya nakausap ang mapapangasawa pagkatapos ng pag-uusap nila sa loob ng kotse tatlong araw palang ang nakakalipas."I've been planning your marriage since 3 years ago, honey. I've been waiting for you to find someone that you would marry, at ngayon na pumayag kang magpakasal, better do it tomorrow or else you might change your mind again.""You're making me change my mind right now, mom." she said seriously.Humarap sakaniya ang mommy nya at pinagtaasan sya ng kilay."Then do you want to get married now, Gabriella Pauline?"Her mom's voice is so serious. Merong pagbabanta sa tono ng boses nito. She doesn't know how to save herself so she only sighed."Does Ryce know about this?""Yes, I talked with him earlier. He said that he's busy, but he would make time to marry you tomorrow."Gabriella almost rolled her eyes.What really is the word, marriage? What does it mean? Why is her mom treating it like they're just planning for a picnic? Hindi sya makapaniwalang ito na pala ang huling gabing magiging single sya.Gabriella excused herself for a moment and grabbed her phone out of her jacket's pocket before she started to type for a message.Nang maisend ito, wala pang tatlong minuto ay agad syang nakatanggap ng reply.[From: Q.'What do you mean tomorrow, Gab?']She's following her mom as she's typing for a reply.[To: Q.'I'm going to get married tomorrow, Quel.']45 seconds later, Gabriella received another reply from her friend.[From: Q.'WTF'][flashback~]When she was eight years old, Gabriella prefers to play mobile games than playing with her friend—Quel, and cousin, Jewel outside. Palagi syang niyayaya ng dalawang maglaro pero palagi nya ring tinatanggihan iyon."Riel, sige na, sumali ka na saamin! Bahala ka, kapag hindi ka sumali, sasabihin ko kay mommy na babalik na akong Amerika!" Pananakot sakanya ng pinsan habang niyuyugyog ang dalawang balikat nya.Gabriella didn't bother to look at Jewel because her eyes were focused on the game that she's playing on her mobile phone."Kung babalik kang Amerika, tutulungan kitang mag empake mamaya." seryoso nyang sagot na agad ikinagulat ng pinsan.Hindi napigilang maiyak ni Jewel dahil sa sinabi ni Gabriella.Quel, who was standing beside her cousin immediately comforts Jewel as he doesn't want to see or hear the girl crying."You don't need to be that mean to her, Gab. Gusto mo na ba talagang umuwi si Jewel sa Amerika?" may halong inis na tanong nito."How rude of you. When she
Gabriella heaved a deep sigh before she pressed the door bell on the gate of Ryce's own house.Meron syang dala-dalang spare key sa bag pero hindi nya ito kinuha at naghintay lang na pagbuksan sya ng lalaki.She's going to move here and live with her husband starting from today. She prefers living alone, pero wala syang ibang choice dahil kahit arrange marriage lang ang nangyari, legal parin silang kasal.Pagkalipas ng tatlong minuto, bumukas ang gate ng malaking bahay at nagtatakang mukha ni Ryce ang sumalubong sakanya. The man is wearing a plain white shirt at isang blue shorts. He's also wearing his eyeglasses."Oh, Gab, nakalimutan mo bang dal'hin yung susi na binigay ko sa'yo kahapon?" he curiously asked. He called her Gab and that's actually fine with her."Hindi naman. Ayaw ko lang na bigla-biglang papasok sa ibang bahay kaya nag doorbell ako." sagot nya."Pero hindi naman 'to ibang bahay dahil bahay mo narin 'to simula ngayon." paalala ng lalaki.Kinuha ni Ryce ang dala-dala ny
It was afternoon when Gabriella told Ryce that she would go outside to meet her friends."Kapag hindi agad ako nakauwi before dinner, huwag mo na akong hintayin at mauna ka ng kumain." she told her husband."Okay, pero kung sakaling makakauwi ka ng maaga, ano bang ulam ang gusto mong lutuin ko?""Can you cook Kaldereta? Matagal na kasi akong hindi nakakatikim non eh.""Sure, walang problema." nakangiting pagsangayon nito at matamis syang nginitian. Ngumiti rin sya dito pabalik."Thank you... Sige, alis na ako.""Take care," Nang tuluyang makaalis si Gabriella, nakaisip ng plano si Ryce na imbes na mamayang gabi ay ngayon nalang sya pupunta sa dati nitong apartment para kunin ang painting.Dahil umalis ang asawa para makipagkita sa mga kaibigan, hindi nito malalaman na umalis rin sya ng bahay. Ryce see it as the perfect chance to make a move, kaya pagkalipas ng ilang oras ay umalis rin sya habang suot-suot ang kaniyang pang disguise bilang Silent Thief.Papalubog na ang araw nang makar
After changing clothes, tinali ni Gabriella ang kaniyang mahabang buhok at naghilamos ng mukha sa banyo ng kaniyang kwarto.Her eyes are still hurting dahil sa pepper spray na ginamit sakanya ni Silent Thief. It's itchy, but it's not red or swollen. Hindi kasi ito literal na pepper spray dahil ito mismo ang gumawa ng sarili nitong spray.Silent Thief is not that cold-hearted to use a real pepper spray to a girl, specially, to his wife.Pagkatapos punasan ang mukha gamit ang maliit na twalya ay pumanhik pababa si Gabriella para pumunta sa kusina at kumain.As her request, Ryce indeed cooked Kaldereta for dinner.Habang sabay na kumakain ay pansin nya na sobrang saya ng lalaki. Pinaghila sya nito ng upuan kanina pagkarating nya at inalalayan pa sya nitong umupo. Ito rin mismo ang naglagay ng kanin at ulam sa plato nya. Kahit naguguluhan sa kinikilos ng lalaki ay hinayaan nya lang ito at nagpasalamat.She just sat there and eat silently. Preventing herself to smile kahit na ang totoo ay
It's been already two weeks since Gabriella started living with her husband. Now, she's also back to work. Tumanggap sya ng panibagong misyon dahil dalawang linggo na ang nakalipas simula nang huli silang nagkita ni Silent Thief sa kaniyang apartment. Magmula noon ay hindi na ito muling nagparamdam pa.Sa dalawang linggong nakalipas ay palaging ang asawa nya ang nagluluto ng pagkain nila kaya gusto nyang matuto kung paano gawin iyon para naman hindi ito ang palaging nagluluto."So you finished your mission in less than 20 minutes para magbasa ng libro tungkol sa pag-aaral kung paano magluto? You want to impress your husband that much?" Nakataas ang kilay na tanong ni Quel na halatang gusto lang syang asarin."Shut up, Quel." Gabriella hissed.She wants to learn how to cook not because she wants to impress someone—specifically, her husband, but because she just want to learn how to make herself useful sa loob ng bahay."I just want to help at home and that's all." she answered simply.
Quel Mariano Smith. Gabriella's best friend since childhood, her overseer at work. And now, her manager in pretend.Hindi nito inaasahan na ang kondisyon na sasabihin nya ay ang pumayag itong maging manager nya, but Quel still agreed.Her husband and parents thought that she's a model so she needs someone to pretend as her manager. She also need to have her own studio and magazines to make it more believable.Kailangan nyang paghandaan ang lahat ng iyon bago pa sya mabuking.Although she made an agreement with her husband not to meddle with their own business, she wouldn't know what will happen in the near future so she needs to prepare just in case maisipan nito na bisitahin sya sa trabaho kasama ang parents nila.Gabriella bought an entire building para sa kaniyang magiging studio. That's all she did and let her manager, Quel, to do the rest.Ito ang nag hire ng camera man at make up artist para sa gagawing photoshoot. She would publish her own magazine like what she have planned. S
It was weekend. Gabriella finished her new mission in a blink of an eye so she arrived at home early.Hanggang ngayon ay wala paring paramdam si Silent Thief kaya ang palagi nyang ginagawa ay humingi ng ibang misyon. Pero katulad ng dati ay lahat ng ito ay sobrang dali lang para sakanya.She's the top secret agent after all. Walang salitang mahirap para sakaniya pagdating sa misyon, maliban sa pagluluto ng pagkaing bahay.A SIMPLE GUIDE TO COOK MENUDOIngredients:•2 lbs. pork shoulder sliced into small cubes•1 piece Knorr Pork Cube•4 ounces pork liver cubed•1 piece baking potato cubed•3 pieces hotdogs sliced crosswise into thin pieces•1 can tomato sauce 8 oz.•1 piece carrot cubed•1/2 cup raisins•2 pieces dried bay leaves•2 tablespoons soy sauce•1 teaspoon ground ginger•1 piece yellow onion chopped•4 cloves garlic crushed•3 tablespoons cooking oil•2 to 4 cups water•Salt and ground black pepper to tasteKasalukuyan syang nagluluto sa may kusina habang suot-suot ang apron
"I'm sorry for making a mess inside your kitchen. If you're going to give me a punishment, I'll gladly accept it." Paghingi ng pasensya ni Gabriella sa kaniyang asawa habang nakaupo silang dalawa sa harap ng lamesa at tahimik na kumakain.Masarap ang niluto nitong Menudo kaysa sa niluto nya kanina na napakarami ng sabaw. Well, she's still learning. Balang araw ay alam nyang makakaluto rin sya ng masarap na Menudo at iba pang ulam."I didn't think of giving you any punishment, but do you want me to give you one?" Ryce asked habang patuloy parin sa pagsubo ng pagkain.Saglit na napaisip si Gabriella at maya-maya'y dalawang beses na tumango."Yes. You're also the one who cleaned the mess, so I really think I deserve a punishment."Nagsalin ng isang baso ng tubig si Ryce at ininom ito ng isahan bago sya muling binalingan ng tingin."Then how about bringing me lunch tomorrow?" Ryce suggested."You mean, on your workplace?""Yes, on my workplace."Gabriella's forehead creased."Akala ko ba n
a week laterNagyaya sina Celeste at Fiona na maglaro ng golf kasama sina Gabriella at Ryce. Agad na tinanggihan ni Gabriella ang inbitasyon ng ina pero nang malamang sasama ang asawa ay pumayag rin sya.She doesn't know how to play golf. She only played golf games on her phone before but she never get to try playing golf in real life so Ryce volunteered to teach her.Pagkatapos i-explain sakanya ng asawa ang basic rules ay tinuruan naman siya nito sa pag set up ng kaniyang swing.1) Stand with your knees and hips slightly bent. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, with your weight evenly distributed between the centers of your feet, not your toes or heels. Bend your knees slightly and lean forward at your hips so the end of your club is reaching the ground where you’ll be hitting the ball.2) Bring your club back and parallel to the ground first. When lifting the club, the order from out to in should go clubhead, hands, arms, shoulders, and hips. Your dominant arm should stay
Quel and Ryce continued to drink.The thoughts that Gabriella likes him continued to echoed on his mind. Si Quel ang unang nalasing sa kanilang dalawa at panay ang pagkukuwento nito tungkol sa kaniyang kaibigan."Gabriella is my childhood friend. We're really close. Pero mas gusto nyang naglalaro ng mobile games mag-isa kesa makipaglaro saamin ng pinsan nyang si Jewel sa labas. Alam mo ba, noong minsan namin syang makumbinsi na sumali sa laro namin na tagu-taguan at sya ang naging taya, hindi pa sampung minuto ang nakakalipas na hindi nya kami nahahanap ay umuwi agad sya. Nang tanungin namin kung bakit, sinabi nya na bigla daw syang naboring at inantok. Tapos tinamad din daw syang maghanap saamin kaya iniwan nya kami. Your wife is unbelievable...""Ito pa, noong may nanligaw sakanya na exchanged student from China, nainis sya dahil kahit marunong itong mag English ay panay ang pagkakausap sakanya nito ng Chinese, kaya ayun, kinausap nya ng Spanish. Though I don't think she's aware th
Quel is hurt. Being rejected by Jewel for the second time hurts a lot. But he's not mad at her.Hindi nya kayang magalit dito dahil hindi naman nito kasalanan na nagustuhan nya ang babae.It's his own feelings. He's the one who fell in love with her so he needs to deal with it on his own. He can never get mad at his friend and blame her for hurting his feelings twice.Nanatili si Quel na nakatayo sa labas ng malaking gate habang nakayuko at hindi makagalaw. Hindi sya makakilos dahil sobrang bigat ng nararamdaman nya.But he knew he couldn't stay there forever kaya gamit ang natitira nyang lakas ay kinaya nyang maglakad pabalik sa loob ng kaniyang kotse.Mahina nyang sinara ang pinto at bumuntong hininga bago nagsimulang magmaneho.Instead of driving back home, dumiretsyo sya sa bar kung saan sila nag celebrate noong kaarawan ni Gabriella.It's not fun to drink alone kaya kinuha nya ang kaniyang cellphone at tinawagan ang kaibigan.It took 3 rings before Gabriella answered his call. "
It was 4 o'clock and Quel was busy scrolling on his social media account to kill his boredom. When nothing piqued his interest, he searched for Jewel's account and check if she has a recent post—only to find out that his friend has switched her account to private.Quel frowned. 'Bakit?'Ayaw nyang isipin na sya ang dahilan pero mukhang sya nga.'If she won't public her account in a week, I'm gonna delete all of my social media accounts.'Pinatong nya sa counter table ang hawak na selpon at tumayo. Pumunta sya sa kusina ng kaniyang bahay para uminom ng malamig na tubig.He remembered his last conversation with Jewel.Inamin nya dito ang totoong nararamdaman nya but he's already late. Jewel has a boyfriend that she's been dating for 3 years. Maybe he shouldn't have confessed his feelings for her. He doesn't know that she's already taken. But of course, it's not surprising. Jewel has always been popular with men. He tightened the grip on the glass he's holding.Sa t'wing naiisip nya na
Gabriella loves spoiling Niana.Iyon ang napansin ni Ryce sa pagsama sa dalawa dahil kahit anong ituro ng bata ay binibili ng kaniyang asawa na walang pagdadalawang isip.Perhaps, Gabriella already sees that coming kaya isinama sya nito para gawing tagabuhat ng mga pinamili nila.Mag-isang pumunta sa parking lot si Ryce at inilagay sa backseat ang mga paper bag na bitbit para makapagpahinga ang kamay nya.Pagkatapos ay bumalik sya sa loob ng mall at malalaki ang hakbang na naglakad papunta sa pwesto kung saan nya iniwan ang magpinsan kanina.May hawak sina Gabriella at Niana na dalawang malaking popcorn at tatlong juice. They were going to watch a movie together. Malapit ng magsimula ang palabas kaya pumasok silang tatlo sa loob ng sinehan.While watching the show, ayaw syang hatian ni Niana sa hawak nitong malaking popcorn. Umupo ito sa gitna nila dahil ayaw nitong magkatabi sila ng kaniyang asawa.Ryce frowned.He could feel that the kid doesn't like him. Did he do some wrong? Bakit
Ryce opens the gate, walang tao.Sinara nya ulit ang gate at papasok na sana sa bahay nang muling tumunog ang doorbell.He opens the gate once again and his forehead wrinkled when there's none. He frowned. Is someone pranking him?A few seconds later, he felt something hit his head. When he check what's it, he saw a transparent umbrella."I'm here,"Looking down, he blink twice when he saw a kid.Meron itong suot na bagpack at hawak na payong sa isang kamay. Ito ang ginamit nitong pamalo sakanya at ang ginamit nito pamindot sa doorbell dahil hindi iyon abot ng bata."Sino ka?" Ryce asked the kid with a curious look.He doesn't expect any visitor today. At mas lalong hindi nya inaasahan na meron sakanyang bibisitang bata."Is ate Gabriella inside?"Imbes na sagutin nito ang tanong nya ay nagtanong rin ito. 'So si Gabriella pala ang pakay nito dito.'"Yeah, my wife is inside. Pero anong kailangan mo sakanya? Kaano-ano ka ba nya?"Wala naman siguro itong tinatagong anak mula sakaniya 'd
"Niana! 'wag kang tatakbo baka madapa ka!" Sigaw ni lolo Anton sa pitong taong gulang na apo na si Niana nang makarating sila sa bukid kung saan sya nagta-trabaho.Kauuwi palang ng bata galing Amerika at sakanya ito iniwan para bantayan. Makulit, masayahin at madaldal kaya mabilis itong nakahanap ng kaibigan.Katulad nalang ngayon.Hindi pa ito nagtatagal ng isang araw sa bukid ay may nahanap na agad itong mga kaibigan na hindi nalalayo sa edad nya. Her friends' names are Zephanie and Merkely.Masaya silang naglaro ng tago-taguan, habol-habulan. Hanggang sa mapagod silang tatlo kaya niyaya nya ang mga itong kumain kasama ang kaniyang lolo.She's obviously a lolo's girl.Malakas sya dito kaya kada uwi nya ng Pilipinas ay palagi sya nitong ini-spoiled.They ate fried chicken, lumpia at gulay na malunggay. Kumain rin sila ng manga bilang panghimagas.Pagkatapos ay lumabas ulit silang tatlo kasama ang kaniyang lolo para tumambay sa ilalim ng puno at doon nagsimulang magkwento ang kaniyang
Bandang alas otso y medya, dumating si Quel sa hospital. Hindi daw kasi sumasagot si Gabriella sa mga tawag nya kagabi kaya hindi sya maayos na nakatulog dahil sa sobrang pag-alala sa kaibigan.He called her again this morning, and finally, Gabriella answered and explained to him over the phone what happened and how her target got arrested by the police.She mentioned Jenna's name and told Quel that the woman got shot last night. Nang magtanong kung saang hospital ito dinala ay hindi ito nagdalawang isip na pumunta para bisitahin at kamustahin ang dating kaklase. He even bought flowers for her.Gabriella noticed Jenna's cheeks turning red dahil tanda nyang meron itong gusto kay Quel noon. But Quel was too blind to notice it dahil si Jewel lang ang laging nasa isip nito."I thought you didn't come to the reunion dahil ayaw mo akong makita.""That's not true... I'm just really busy with my work. At saka, ba't mo naman naisip na ayaw kitang makita kaya hindi ako pumunta? Masyado kang mag
Pagkarating sa hospital, agad na inoperahan si Jenna sa operating room, at sa kabutihang palad ay naging maayos naman ito.Panay ang pagpapasalamat ni Gabriella sa doktor na umopera sa kaibigan. When she heard the doctor said that her friend is safe, tila nabunutan ng tinik ang dibdib nya.Nilipat si Jenna sa isang kwarto para maayos na makapagpahinga. Dahil wala na itong pamilya at nag-iisa nalang ito ay naisipan ni Gabriella na huwag umalis doon hanggat sa hindi pa ito gumigising.Pagkasilip kay Jenna sa kwarto at nakita itong payapang natutulog ay naisipan nyang umupo sa mahabang upuan sa labas.Her phone rung, her husband is calling. Sinagot nya ang tawag at kinuwento dito ang nangyari kay Jenna. But she didn't tell him all the details katulad na nakita nya itong mabaril sa mismong harapan nya. Before the end of the call, Ryce told her to wait for him dahil pupunta sya sa hospital para dal'han sya ng damit pamalit.As she waits for her husband to arrive, she stares at the ceiling