"Actually, tinatapos ko pa lang ang engineering course ko sa college kaya naman minsan lang akong umuuwi rito."
"Ohhh. So ganun pala."
A groan instantly escaped from me when I heard her uttered that, nodding her head while looking at Bryan with doe-eyes and a stupid smile. Na para bang hangang-hanga ito rito, hanging on every words this intruder would say.
This witch! Nakita lang ang taong 'to, bigla na lang sinaniban ng kung anong elemento! Kept smiling at him with a stupid smile on her lips!
The gritting of my teeth tightened as my hold at the cup tightened as well. Hindi pa nga namin nagagawang pagsalitain si Mang Doming, nagagawa na niya talagang makipaglandian sa lalaking 'yan!
"Okay ka lang ba, Sir Cameron?"
That interrupted my malicious glare at the two nang magsalita si Aling Loring na kasalukuyang nakaupo sa ka
SAM'S POV"Hooh! Ang saraaap!" Nakangiting saad ko sabay baba ng baso sa may mesa, loving the taste of coconut wine."Masarap talaga 'yang lambanog namin dito, Ms. Gwapa! Wan ob da bes!""'One-of-the-best', Caloy. One of the best. Hindi 'wan ob da bes!' naku! "Hindi ko maiwasang mapangisi na lamang when Kolas corrected that, pronouncing each word properly which caused Caloy to frown.Pagdating na pagdating pa lamang namin dito kanina, everyone kept calling me 'Ms. Gwapa' kahit na nagpakilala na'ko sa kanila. And since they had preferred to call me that way, hinayaan ko na lamang ang mga ito, tired to even correct them.'Ms. Gwapa' is another term for 'Ms. Ganda' anyway so who am I to deprive them calling me that fact??I can't help but smirk with that thought.
SAM'S POV"Ms. Gwapa! Nasan na pala yong kasama mong gwapo kanina? Ba't hindi mo sinama?"I groaned when Mang kolas had suddenly asked that from across the table, reminding me with that bastard na kanina pa hindi ko mahagilap kung nasaan ito.Hindi ko talaga alam kung anong ikinapuputok ng butsi nito. Even Mang doming and aling Loring hadn't seen him since he'd walked out from our talk this afternoon.At dahil sa inis ko, mas minabuti ko na lamang na sumama kay Bryan na makipagkita sa kina mang kolas gaya ng napag-usapan kanina. The same men this afternoon were here pati mga asawa nito para makipagsiyahan at inuman.Their meeting place was just a few minutes walk away mula sa mga bahay rito. It was an open cottage that was located at the center of a wide opening. Wala nga talagang kuryente sa lugar na'to. But good thing the moon had slowly appeared in the
SAM'S POV"No one's going to disappear, Ms. Javier. Kung may kailangan mang maglaho sa huli, it should be that man and not you. Naiintindihan mo ba'yon?""... Naiintindihan mo ba'yon?""..mo ba'yon..mo ba'yon.. mo ba'yon.."When those words kept echoing in my head, my eyes fluttered open and I was greeted with the pink mosquito net around me.For awhile, nanatili lang akong nakahiga doon without even moving and just blankly staring at it without even breathing..What was that? Ba't ko ba napanaginipan ang gagong 'yon? At sa lahat ng sasabihin niya sa panaginip ko, why should it be those words? Those reassuring words. N
CAMERON'S POV "Pwede mo bang ulitin 'yon, Mang Doming?" "Hindi ka ba nakikinig, bata? Ampon lang ng mag-asawang Romero ang babaeng 'yon at tingin ko hindi parin niya alam ang bagay na'yon." When he repeated that piece of information, now I can fully understand why he wanted me to stop her with her case. Dahil sa bagay na'to... Sa katotohanang 'to that could possibly hurt Ms. Javier in the end. Gustong-gusto kong malaman ang mga nalalaman nito but I didn't expect to hear this from him. To hear Ms. Javier's real identity. "I wasn't planning to just hide myself from anyone, Mr. Del Fuero.... Killing myself was the right thing to do after I killed that man myself." When again, I remembered her words last night, I can't help but sighed in exasperation habang napapaupo na laman
SAM'S POV"Hindi sya tunay na anak ng mag-asawang Romero..""Hindi sya tunay na anak..."Mas lalo pang humigpit ang pagkakakuyom ng mga kamay ko when again, those words kept replaying in my head. I hastened my steps more as I walked down the road like a mad woman. Hindi ko man lang alam kung saan ako papunta with me just blankly staring at the road with my mind muddled with thoughts.Just knowing the truth, that painful truth, tingin ko mas lalo pang gumulo ang buhay ko ngayon..I felt like someone was clenching my heart right now, stopping me to breath normally.Hindi ko alam kung anong nararamdaman ko... All I know is that I have to go back to Manila the soonest possible time at tapusin na ang lahat ng 'to. Dahil ito lang ang tanging alam ko na tat
RICO SOGOCIO'S POVNapaigtad na lamang ako when my phone suddenly vibrated inside my pocket.Nervously, I quickly fished it out then heaved a shaky deep breath when I saw who the caller was.Pagkatapos ng palpak na trabaho naming iligpit ang dalawang 'yon kanina, I decided to stay in an inn for the meantime with the other men samantalang hindi pa namin nahahanap ang mga ito.ilang oras na kaming nandito but still, hindi parin tumitila ang ulan. Dumidilim narin ang paligid at tyak na mahihirapan na kaming maghanap sa kung saan nagsoot ang dalawang 'yon.And now, boss was calling me now para magtanong ng balita. walang duda.Preparing myself for his sermon, sinagot ko na agad ang tawag nito and put my phone against my ears."Sir.""Rico, kumusta ang pinagagawa ko sa'yo?"agad
Sam's POVNapapangiti na lamang ako as I returned his wallet back to his now clean and dry bag sa may lamesita na nasa tabi ng higaan nito.Mission complete.Nagawa ko naring bayaran si Mang Suping sa lahat ng mga nagawa nito. Kakagaling ko lang ngayon sa kusina and I made sure that before I could even leave from there, naibigay ko na rito ang maliit na halagang pabuya rito.Well, not really that less but just enough. Yes, yes... just enough na lumuwa ang mga mata ng matanda pagkakita sa halagang 'yon. At first, tinanggihan nya agad ito but me being a persistent cat, tinanggap niya rin ito sa huli.Now, all I have to do is carefully returned this wallet back to its owner. Sa dami ng dalang cash bills nito, I don't think he could still find this out. Hindi naman siguro nito mapapansing medyo pumayat ng konti ang laman nito.And to be sure na walang ma
Sam's POV"Oh, asa ka?" 'Oh, san ka?'"Cagayan.."When the girl passenger from behind us answered that, the bus attendant had quickly made a ticket for her. Nakamasid lang ako sa ginagawa nito kanina pa.Kaaalis pa lamang namin sa San Diego and so far, wala pa namang nagiging aberya sa pagtakas naming ito. No armed men had appeared to stop us. That's a good sign then na makakauwi na nga kami nito ng tuluyan.From what I had remembered, the ride through the airport will take almost four hours kaya naman tyak mga tanghali na kaming makakarating dun.Kung natanggap lang sana ni Mason ang text ko rito, then we wouldn't have need to take this long ride just to get to the airport. Mason could've just take us from here."Ms. Javier.."That interrupted my thoughts when I heard that deep voice beside me. With raised brow,
Six months later...SAM'S POV"I'll come and get you here before your out later. Remember that you're heavily pregnant now so you better behave and just put your sexy ass on your seat and let the other investigator do the outdoor job. Get that?"When I heard that more-like-of-a-threat reminder again--- my eyes automatically rolled upward at that.After a few months of being married to some bastard, halos araw-araw ko ng naririnig ang linyang 'to everytime na hinahatid ako nito sa trabaho. He just kept reminding me that I looked like a bloated balloon now dahil sa pagbubuntis ko.Kasalukuyan nga pala kaming nakatayo sa tabi ng sasakyan nito at sa harapan ng building na pinagtatrabahuan ko.Insisting that he'd drive me to my work everyday to ensure my safety. It won't even surprise me if he have secretly snuck some tracker on my phone just
SAM'S POVI was interrupted with my sleep when I felt someone moving beside me. I was supposed to ignore that interruptions dahil sa kagustuhan ko pang matulog pero nang maramdaman ko ng may umayos ng kumot ko, my eyes slowly fluttered open.The room was slightly dim but enough para makita ko ang nakangiting mukha ni Manang Rita."Pasensya na po kayo kung nagising ko po kayo. Tiniyak ko lang na hindi po kayo malalamigan rito." Nakangiting bungad nito sa'kin.I just nodded and smiled at her kindness before I slowly got up on my back. I think I have sleep enough dahil parang gumaan na ngayon ang pakiramdam ko.Glancing up at the wall clock across the roo, I checked the time and it said it was just eight in the evening."Iiwan ko na po muna kayo ma'am.. Pupuntahan ko lang muna sandali si sir Cameron sa baba." Paalam pa nito and then with that, tatalikod
ENRICO'S POV"Say hi to Nickandro's soul for me, Ms. Javier.." Nakangiting paalam ko sa kawawang babae sa harapan ko before pulling the trigger of my gun.A loud gunshot rang through the background and then I felt something struck into my back. I frowned when it started to feel numb and that burning sensation behind me. So painful which caused my nerves began to tremble.And then I felt that hot liquids gashed through my back.I choked out a cough kasabay ng pagluwag ng pagkakahawak ko sa baril hanggang sa tuluyan na itong mahulog sa damuhan"A-Anong...."I weakly gazed down at the woman before me, a woman who hadn't even blinked an eye or showing any fear in her eyes.Nanatili parin itong nakatitig sa'kin without even moving a bit on her knees."A-Anong g-ginawa----" Before I could even complete my sentence, I
SAM'S POVI heaved up a deep breath when I stopped at the side of that familiar road where my nightmare had begun. The exact place where everything had started and should end. At balak kong tapusin ito ngayon mismo.Unbuckling my seatbelt, agad ko ng inayos ang pagkakatali ng buhok ko before I got out of the car. Cold air greeted me pagkalabas ko palang ng sasakyan.Scanning the place around, I can't see any car around other than mine. Glancing down at my wristwatch, it says quarter before four in the afternoon. Madalang lang ang mga sasakyan na dumadaan rito lalo na sa mga oras na ito. Only my even breathings and the chirping of birds and trees being swayed by the wind can be heard around.Ignoring the time, agad na'kong naglakad papasok sa medyo masukal na bahagi sa gilid ng daang 'yon. Sa lugar malapit sa pinangyarihan ng insidente noon, cautious with my footsteps. Maraming taon n
JOHN ENRIQUEZ'S POV"Sarado na ang utak nya. She won't take any explanations from me so asking her forgiveness now is impossible." nanlulumong saad ko while sullenly staring at my hands before me.Halos isang oras na ang nakakalipas since Samantha left. At halos isang oras narin akong hindi mapakali."We have to give her time, papa. Naniniwala syang ikaw ang pumatay sa mga taong nag-aruga sa kanya so I know it's hard for her to accept you but in time, I know she will."Hearing that reassuring answer from my son, a scoff escaped from me while shaking my head.Kahit na gusto kong umasa na posible ang mga sinasabi nito, her outburst awhile ago was just the proof na malabo ng mangyari 'yon.Right after Samantha had left, agad naman itong dumating rito in a hope that he'd get the chance to talk to her kasama ako. But unfortunately, he hadn't get any."I do
CAMERON'S POV"Mr. Tañada, please let's not argue about this. The list will stay in my hands and this shouldn't be exposed to the public till it's necessary. Maraming matutumbang kompanya kapag inilabas natin ito pero marami rin naman tayong masasagasaan dahil dito." I explained to the old man sitting on my right.A few hawkish eyes around were on me. We were having this meeting with the board for over an hour now and I'm starting to get annoyed with these men kept pestering me to expose the list of people involved in John Enriquez's illegal activities. Not that I don't want to crush those men out of the business world, nag-iingat lang ako.I was called here for this urgent meeting with the board dahil sa mga kagustuhan ng mga tarantadong 'to na ilabas ko ang baho ng mga kalaban namin. Of course to benefit with it."You know these will benefit us, Mr. Del Fuero. Kapag nailabas natin
SAM'S POV"Pusasan mo na." Rinig kong saad ng isang lalake sa may bandang likuran ko and then a squeaking sound of some metals followed.I didn't turned to that way as I just kept staring at my clasped hands before me.This is it. I have to do this before I move on to the last step of this mission. I just have to hear his voice.Inhaling deeply, I prepared myself for the second wave of the storm kahit na ang lakas na ng tibok ng puso ko.Alam ko na kung kanino ang singsing na'yon and all I have to do here is to confirm my first suspicion.Ang magaling kong ama ang itinuturo ng file na'yon kaya naman ngayon, kailangan kong makita at marinig man lang ang boses nito.I stiffened on my seat when I suddenly felt a presence towering over me. Dahilan para mahagip ko ang hininga ko dahil sa kaba while my clasped hands started to get clammy.
SAM'S POV"What are you planning to do now?"When I heard him asked that from my left, I gazed at his way before I gave him a small smile. He's driving us back to his home now at simula pa kagabi, halos di na'ko makatulog ng maayos sa kakaisip kung ano ang dapat kong gawin.Should I give into that man's deal or should I just end this mess on my own? Without dragging anyone into this. Into my mess. Without dragging Cameron into this, lalong-lalo na ang magiging baby namin."....You don't want to despise the man you're so fond of, do you?""Fond means... Someone you've trusted so much, Ms. Javier. Someone you've cared so much.."When that echoed in my head again, I can't help but heaved out a deep breath before I answered him."I'm thinking..."He gave me an expectant glance when I trailed that off.
SAM'S POV"They're dead!"Nang marinig ko ang boses na'yon mula sa labas, I rattled in my seat. Sinong tinutukoy nila? Nasaan ba'ko? A bit disoriented with what was going on around me, I looked around for any signs of where I was.A broken windshields, shards of glasses scattered everywhere.. at the seats and then on the floor.In a car. I'm inside a car right now and-----I froze when my gaze landed on the two persons occupying the frontseats. They were silent and not even moving one bit.I tried to reach them out to check if who they are but I wasn't able to do that nang bigla nalang bumukas ang pintuan mula sa tabi ko and then a familiar face appeared. A face that I could never forget and forgive."We don't need to ki