Audrey looked calm and composed, as if what happened just now had nothing to do with her. Hindi mapigilan nang matandang Vasquez ang mapatingin sa kaniya. However, when he looked at Leandra, his expression showed disgust. Malala na ang ginawa nito sa batang edad pa lang ng dalawa. She could cause Villafuente's downfall! Nanlalaki ang mga mata ni Thelma sa narinig. "No! You can't call the police! If you send her to the police station, Leandra will be finished!" Tinignan ng ginang si Audrey. "Audrey, huwag mong gawin ito kay Leandra! After all, you were once her sister-in-law. You can't be so cruel! Besides, wala namang nawala at nangyari sayo dahil naligtas ka." Malamig na tinignan ni Audrey ang ginang. "Leandra did these things without thinking about how good I was to her. Ilang beses na siyang may ginagawang kalokohan sa akin at palagi kong pinalalampas." Audrey's face was full of unquestionable firmness. Lalong nag-panic si Leandra. She didn't expect the matter
Lahat ay nagkakasiyahan. Everyone knew that the host of this grand banquet was the Vasquez family. Kaya natural na sila rin ang bida sa gabing iyon. In front of the French window on the westernmost side of the hall, there were many golden candlesticks, burning with dim lights. Audrey stood in front of it with champagne glass in her hand and Regan was standing beside her. Nagtaas ng kilay sa kaniya si Regan. "You let her off so easily?" he broke the silence. Napailing si Audrey. "Videos taken illegally cannot be used as evidence, nor can those secretly taken photos," sagot naman niya. Audrey took a sip of the champagne glass, and her lip prints fell on the edge of the glass. Regan Amadeus stared at her with a smile in his eyes. Pinagbangga niya ang mga baso nila saka sumimsim sa hawak niyang wine glass. "I was negligent. Napabayaan kita." Audrey smiled and shook her head again. Hindi gano'n sa paningin niya. "Come to think of it, it was you who saved me again t
Abala si Audrey sa pakikipag-usapnsa mga estudyante para sa mental health nila nang pabagsak na bumukas ang pinto ng office. "Why did you do this, Audrey? Kinalat mo pa talaga dito sa school!" Leandra's angry face came into view. She put the screen of her mobile phone directly in front of Audrey. Tinapunan lang siya ng malamig na tingin ni Audrey. "I'm working." The student who was doing the consultation was also startled by her and stood up immediately, "Miss Audrey, babalik na lang po ako." Umalis agad ito bago pa niya mapigilan. Only the two of them were left in the consultation room. Leandra gritted her teeth and said, "I already admitted my mistake at the banquet yesterday. Why did you post these on the forum? You are such a mean person, Audrey!" Audrey was too lazy to pay attention to her and started to busy herself with her own things. "Hindi ko alam kung ano ang sinasabi mo. You are disturbing me." Nagsalubong ang kilay ni Leandra. "Don't pretend you
But then, Regan changed his mind. Nilingon niya si Saint. "Why don't you bring up everything you think is delicious, Saint?" Doon napangiti si Saint. He finally accepted the menu with satisfaction. He first served the Australian blue shrimp he had just mentioned to the table. Reina's eyes widened. At the Villafuente's mansion... Galit na galit si Leandra nang makauwi sa bahay nila. Hinagis niya sa mga maid nila ang gamit niya saka lumapit sa kaniyang ina. "Mom! It's so embarrassing! Today, the the university's website forum is full of what I did at the banquet yesterday. Pinag-uusapan tuloy ako ng classmates ko and they looked at me with strange eyes!" Agad na napatayo si Thelma at nilapitan ang anak habang kunot ang noo. "Ang babaeng 'yon na naman ang may pakana, ano? That bîtch, Audrey really won't stop! Ayaw niyang manahimik at talagang pinapahirapan ang pamilya natin." Tumango si Leandra. "Right, it's her! After ko makita 'yon, pinuntahan ko siya para paaminin pero hi
Hindi suot ni Audrey ang binigay niyang bracelet sa banquet last night kaya akala niya ay hindi nito nagustuhan iyon. Now, he's glad to see that she's wearing it. "Saint and Reina found a way to avenge you today," ani Regan patungkol sa orders nila sa Royale Hotel. Last time kasi ay talagang dinamdam ng dalawa na 'yon ang pagpayag niya na si Audrey ang gumastos para sa dinner nila. And earlier, during their meal, Reina asked for a lot of desserts. Ang mga binigay naman ni Saint ay iyong mga mamahalin. In the end, sobrang dami nilang na-order na pagkain. The plates piled up. Audrey smiled. "Thank you for the treat today. Sa sunod, ikaw naman ang maghiganti," she joked playfully. Napatitig si Regan sa ngiti niya at bahagyang nawala sa focus dahil do'n.After a while, he quickly came back to his senses. "Why not..." he answered with the same playful tone. Nang makarating sa tapat ng apartment building ay inalalayan ni Audrey ang inaantok na si Reina patungo sa kaniyang apartm
Napangiti siya. Gayle leaned close to Leandra's ear and whispered a few words. "This trick is called luring someone into a trap."Pinaliwanag ni Gayle ang buong plano na naisip niya. Napakurap si Leandra. "An early birthday party? Will she even come?" she asked blankly.Napailing si Thelma. "I don't want to see that bitch! At mas lalong hindi ko siya iimbitahan sa birthday party ni Leandra. Don't even think about it!" kontra niya. She's not happy just thinking about it. But Leandra didn't care. She was thinking that if it was really like what Gayle said, if Audrey could come, there would be a high probability that Regan Amadeus will be coming too. At kung hindi ito pumunta, mas mabuti dahil walang poprotekta dito. At kung sa birthday party niya pupunta si Audrey, it will be Villafuente's territory. Kaya mas magiging madali anuman ang plano nilang gawin sa babae. Leandra slowly smirked. Besides, her birthday was only a few days away. And they can celebrate it just one or
Lumipas ang mga oras. After class, Reina went to find Audrey first, but she found that Audrey was absent-minded. Tulala ito sa desk niya sa office. "Ate Audrey, okay ka lang? What's wrong with you?" Nag-aalalang tanong niya. Audrey always gave her the impression of being very calm. Kaya naninibago siya sa nakikita niya ngayon. Audrey smiled slightly. "I am fine. No big deal." Napalabi si Reina. "You are lying, Ate. Is it because of the thing that everyone has been discussing on the forum? I don't know who actually sent out this kind of news. Is the school leaders putting pressure on you?" Reina asked with concern. Ang dami niyang naririnig tungkol do'n sa bawat sulok ng university kahit pa sa classroom nila. Napangiti na si Audrey saka bumuntong-hininga. "I can't hide anything from you. Hindi naman ako pine-pressure ng school leaders. It's just that, Leandra invited me to her birthday party, and pupunta ro'n si Miss Vanessa." Bahagyang nalukot ang mukha ni Reina s
Si Reina naman ay sumingit para suportahan ang banat ng kuya niya. "It just feels like it's been a long time since the last time you two met!" Regan chuckled. "Reina is right." Audrey can't help but to laugh. These two are really cute when they are together..Many people at the banquet looked at Regan excitedly. Although the Villafuente invited some well-known figures to the party, halos walang dumalo na nasa level ng pamilya nina Regan kung hindi silang magkapatid lang. These people in the party naturally couldn't get in touch with Regan's circle. They tried their best to get into the banquets of big figures just to get in touch with people like them. Lawrence just sent the invitation letters to all the big wealthy figures out of habit, but he didn't expect that the Vasquez siblings would really come. Nang dumapo ang tingin niya kay Regan at Audrey na tila may sariling mundo, nangngingitian at tawanan, nagbago ang pakiramdam niya. His eyes began to turn red, glo
Half an hour ago, Audrey wanted to cook some noodles in the kitchen. Sinubukan niya kaso talagang sumakit ang legs niya dahil sa mga paso niya kaya tinawagan na lang niya ang bestfriend niyang si Lucy. Pagdating nito ay alalang-alala ang babae. Audrey had no choice but to tell everything to Lucy. Lahat ng nangyari ay kinwento niya sa matalik na kaibigan, simula sa nangyari sa kompetisyon, sa pagsabuy ng mainit na tubig ni Leandra sa kaniya, and even the fact that Lawrence went to infirmary with such request and demands.Kaya naman gigil na gigil si Lucy matapos marinig ang buong kwento ng nangyari. "Ang mga hayop na 'yon talaga! 'Yang si Leandra, ayaw ko na talaga sa babae na 'yan noon pa. When you're still her sister in law, she bullied you and treated you as if you are her nanny. Ngayon na divorce ka na sa gagó niyang kuya, talatang pinapakialaman at kinakalaban ka pa rin niya. Ang pangit-pangit talaga ng ugali ng babaeng 'yan, sobra na!"Napailing si Audrey saka bumuntong-hininga.
Agad siyang yumakap sa Kuya Lawrence niya at agad siyang umiyak, hindi pa rin nauubos ang luha mula kanina. "Kuya, please! Palabasin mo ako rito. Ayoko dito! Please, kuya. I don't like it here, I don't belong in this place!" Ang ina niya ay tinignan siya, awang awa at tila nadudurog ang puso para sa anak. "Alalang-alala kami sayo ng kuya mo, Leandra. As soon as we heard the news that you were in trouble, we immediately went to find that bîtch to release you from here, but she refused to let you out no matter what! And that Vasquez, I think he is determined to protect Audrey. And were you even thinking? Bakit kinalaban mo pa talaga si Reina knowing na isa siyang Vasquez!? How dare you mess with their family!" "Mom! I was wrong, I know I was wrong! Please get me out of her quickly! All the news tomorrow will definitely be about me being taken away by the police! How embarrassing would that be? I don't want it! Kuya, you will definitely help me, right?" Punong-puno ng luha ang m
Maingat ang paghawak ni Regan kay Audrey. Tila ba babasagin siya na kailangan talaga ingatan. Kahit sa pagpapasakay nito sa kaniya sa kotse ay talagang dahan-dahan upang hindi masagi ang mga paso niya. After getting in the car, Audrey could see the condition of her legs clearly. After applying ice, her legs were now swollen. Napabuntong hininga siya habang pinagmamasdan iyon. Regan sat in the driver's seat, and he felt a little guilty seeing her wounds even clearer. After all, he was the one who gave Audrey the thermos cup, and he also put the hot water in it. If he hadn't given her the thermos cup, perhaps this situation wouldn't have happened. Wala sanang maitatapon na mainit na tubig si Leandra kay Audrey. There was a deafening silence in the car. Pansin ni Audrey ang malalim na pag iisip ni Regan. "What are you thinking about? Parang ang lalim," aniya sa magaan na boses. He didn't have this expression in the infirmary just now. Could it be because of th
"Keep it on for a while longer," ani Regan, tinutukoy ang ice pack na nagbibigay ginhawa kahit papaano kay Audrey sa sitwasyon niya. After a while, just as the ice was removed, the door of the infirmary was pushed open loudly. Pumasok ang pamilyang Villafuente, nangunguna ang ina nila na sinundan ni Lawrence at Gayle. Kasunod nila ang ama ni Gayle na sumama roon. "You, bitch! Give me back my daughter! Pinadampot mo siya sa mga pulis! Kausapin mo sila ngayon at ipa-release mo si Leandra!" Sinigaw iyon ni Thelma habang dinuduro siya. On the other hand, Lawrence was somewhat calm and rational. Nabigla pa siya mang makita ang lagay ni Audrey ngunit nang makita si Regan Amadeus sa tabi niya ay nagbago ang ekspresyon nito. "Sobra na ang ginawa mo, Audrey! We can apologize to you, mamghihingi ako ng tawad sayo para sa kapatid ko pero kaya hindi mo na kailangan na ipadampot siya sa mga pulis! Call the police now then tell them to release her, then we will negotiate later to
Leandra came back to her senses. Napatayo siya, nanlalaki ang mga mata. "No, you can't do that to me!" she screamed like a madman. Tinignan niya ang principal. "You must not call the police on me! If you call the police, my life will be over! Hindi pwede. I am also from the Villafuente family! My brother is on the school board. Hindi niyo pwedeng kalimutan 'yon!" she cried. Absolutely not! Hindi siya papayag. Never in her life did she imagine that she would be brought to the police station.Her eyes were full of tears. They must not call the police! Siya rin ang nag-iisang babaeng anak ng Villafuente. She's their princess and she had all the people's attention in their city. Once they called the police on her and she went to jail, she would be ostracized by all the rich families and she would inevitably become the target of their scorn. Pati pamilya niya ay damay at talagang malalagot siya sa kuya niya no'n. Principal Lee hesitated a little... after all, the Villafuentes w
Taas noo niyang tinignan si Leandra. Audrey's eyes became sharper, staring at the lady. "Who told you that?" tanong niya. Leandra's eyes dodged her gaze, but she still said with determination, "Don't worry about who told me that! Anyway, this test paper is the original test questions for the competition. Don't deny it! You helped Reina cheat because you have a good and close relationship with her! Bakit? Dahil gusto mo siyang manalo, 'di ba?" The people present were once again ignited with anger. Muling do'n na-focus ang attention nila, sa pambibintang kay Audrey. If it was really like what Leandra said, Audrey had the audacity in challenging the nerves of each of them. The long-lasting glory of the Department of Psychology has always been because of the annual psychological knowledge competition. And now, someone actually cheated in the school competition! Audrey smiled indifferently and stretched out her hand to get everyone's attention. "Please listen to me... Miss
Miss Vanessa, Professor Henry, the principal and all the judges were shocked and confused when they saw the test questions. They received a new set. Iba iyon sa test questionnaires na natanggap nila kaninang umaga at iyon ang inaasahan nilang gagamitin sa competition. All the contestants only had ten minutes to answer the questions. Pagkatapos ng unang round na 'yon ay nakabibiglang forty na estudyante lang ang nakalusot para sa susunod na round. Reina advanced to the next round while Leandra was immediately eliminated. Halos padabog siyang umexit. Kinuha niya ang bag niya saka galit na galit na kinuha ang crumpled na test paper mula roon. Ang alipores niyang si Gina ay agad siyang nilapitan para aluhin siya. "It's okay, Leandra. This is just a competition. At isa pa, si Audrey ang nag-organize no'n, so it's no big deal!" "Go away, Gina. Layuan mo ako!" she pushed her away as she threw tantrums. Gigil niyang pinunit ang test paper saka iyon tinapon sa kung saan. Iniwan
Tumayo si Regan at kinuha ang pot kung nasaan ang iba pang tsaa na nagawa niya. Umuusok pa iyon. Dinala niya 'yon sa mesa kung nasaan si Audrey na pinagmamasdan siya. "Drink more of this tea. Ubusin mo," saad nito sa kaniya. Bahagyang nanlaki ang mga mata ni Audrey nang makita ang sinasabi nitong dapat niyang ubusin. "It's too much! Hindi ko 'yan mauubos, Mr. Vasquez." Sa dami no'n ay pwede pa siya ro'n maligo! It's an exaggeration, pero talagang marami iyon. It's impossible for her na ubusin ang lahat ng 'yon sa isang upuan lang. "It's for your health. It will make you feel even better." Regan smiled at her. "For your health." Rong Yu smiled gently. Hindi niya alam kung seryoso ba ito. Napatingin siya sa wall clock saka muling tinignan ang lalake. "Mr. Vasquez, it's already late. You should go home and rest..." Marahan niyang sinabi rito. Tumayo si Regan at tumango. "Remember to drink all of that." He reminder her. Pilit siyang napangiti. Hinatid niya ito sa may pin
Mas naging abala si Audrey sa araw bago ang kompetisyon. Halos tapos naman na ang paghahanda pero kailangan niyang balik-balikan ang mga detalye para masiguro na maayos ang lahat. Naging abala siya at ang mga estudyanteng katulong niya sa pag-organize ng competion sa pag-decorate sa venue kung saan iyon gaganapin bukas. Even Professor Henry was worried and stayed late with them. "Have you already secured the test questions for the competition?" Professor Henry asked. Tumango naman si Audrey. "Opo, Professor. It's already in the safe in the consultation room. I'm the only one who has the key to the safe." Professor Henry nodded. "That's good to hear." Nakangiti nitong sagot sa kaniya. Nang nauna ng umuwi si Professor Henry ay naiwan do'n si Audrey. She tested the various equipment in the auditorium again. She needed to make sure that everything will go as planned. After everything was checked, it was already 11:30 in the evening. Nakahinga nang maluwag s