Nakahinga ng maluwag si Kaizer matapos magsalita si Lauren. Akala niya ay kung ano na ang nangyayari rito.
Sa halip na kausapin si Lauren upang pag-usapan ang tungkol sa kompanya, inilipat ni Kaizer ang atensyon kay Jason. Tahimik naman sa tabi si Jason at naghihintay sa utos ng amo.
"Prepare the food." maikling saad ni Kaizer.
Kaizer held Lauren’s hand and then guided her to the dining area. He pulls a chair and lets Lauren sit there.
She couldn't grasp what was happening. It felt that the information was still loading in her head.
She remains speechless.
Habang pino-problema ni Lauren ang nalaman tungkol sa lalaki. Si Kaizer na nasa katapat niyang upuan ay tahimik lamang na nagbabasa ng mga dokumento. Kahit sa harap ng hapag kainan ay trabaho pa rin ang inaatupag nito, sa isip-isip ni Lauren.
“Anyway, who’s that girl earlier?” pang-uusisa nito. Siguro naman ay may karapatan siyang malaman kung sino ‘yon. Somehow s
Napabuntong hininga na lamang si Lauren ng makita kung anong oras na. It's almost one in the afternoon. Matapos mag-agahan kanina ay bumalik si Lauren sa kwarto niya dahil sa antok. Iidlip lang sana siya pero masyado yatang napasarap ang tulog niya. Paanong hindi hahaba ang pagtulog niya, inabot na siya ng madaling araw pero hindi pa rin siya dinadalaw ng antok. Nagpagulong-gulong na siya sa kama, nagpa-tugtog ng pampatulog at ilang tupa na rin ang nabibilang niya ngunit walang epekto lahat. Idagdag pa ang body clock niya na kahit inumaga na siya sa pagtulog ay maaga pa rin siyang nagigising. Kaya heto, kung hindi pa sumakit ang likod niya at kung hindi pa nag-alburuto ang tiyan sa gutom, panigurado na mamaya pa siya babangon. Pagbangon mula sa kama ay nag-inat-inat muna siya bago tinungo ang banyo para maligo. Lauren wears a pinstripe off-shoulder dress then matches it with a lace-up sandal. Kinuha niya ang pouch mula sa ibabaw ng kama bago tuluyang lumabas ng kwarto. The pictu
Wala namang ibang gagawin si Lauren kung kaya’t nanatili na lang muna siya roon. Mayroon siyang isang linggo sa cruise ship, masasayang lang ‘yon kung pipiliin niyang manatali sa loob ng kwarto niya. Narinig niya na maraming events ang inihanda para sa buong linggo. Aside from that, there’s a lot of activities you can do on board. Starting tonight, she will make sure that she will have fun. Kaizer went back to his business, while Lauren was listening to music and eating the snacks prepared for her. They were minding each other’s business. And even though there was a deafening silence between them, they were comfortable with each other. Nang makita ni Lauren kung ilang oras na siyang nakaupo roon ay naghanda na siyang umalis. She stands up and bids farewell to him. “I’m going first. I need to rest before going to a battle.” She jokingly said. Napatawa na lang si Kaizer sa sinabi nito saka tumango. Saktong pag-alis ni Lauren ay siyang pagdating naman ni Jason. “Prepare a dress for L
Pagdating sa event hall, napansin ni Lauren na nagsimula na ang party at late talaga sila. They were gaining unwanted attention, especially from girls. It was one of the things she hates the most – attention. The cause of it was a traumatic incident that happened when she was young.Lauren was holding Kaizer's arm. She unconsciously tightens her grip around his arm. Naramdaman ni Kaizer na napa-higpit ng hawak sa kanya ni Lauren, kaya naman napa-yuko siya upang tingnan ang babae.In a worried tone, “Are you alright? Do you want something or there's something that is bothering you?” Kaizer asked her. He observes their surroundings that might cause her discomfort.Masamang tumingin si Lauren kay Kaizer matapos marinig ang tanong ng lalaki. “Mukha ba akong ayos sa paningin mo? Pakiramdaman mo kaya ‘yong mga tingin nila, feeling ko hindi na ako makakalabas ng buhay dito.”Kaizer left out a chuckle. “Don’t mind them. Just relax and have some fun.”“Sa tingin mo may gana pa akong mag-relax
In the middle of the crowd, a brown-haired and grey-eyed middle-aged man walks toward them and warmly welcomes Kaizer. “Finally, I almost thought you rejected my invitation seeing how you don’t want to attend gatherings like this.” When he saw Lauren beside Kaizer, he curiously asked, “This beautiful young lady is…?” Kaizer proudly introduced her, “This is my girlfriend, Lauren.” Then he looked at Lauren to introduce the man. “Lauren, this is Mr. McDaniel, he's the owner of this cruise ship.” “It’s nice to meet you, Sir.” Magalang na bati ng dalaga.Tinapik ng lalaki ang balikat ni Kaizer. Halata mong natutuwa sa nakikita niya. He jokingly said, “We thought you would never have a girlfriend and end up being a single old man. But it seems you only want to keep your relationship a secret. Looking at this beautiful lady beside you, you must be afraid that another man will take her away from you.” “Of course, who wouldn’t be anxious if someone wants to steal your woman. But I wouldn’t
Lauren was already drunk and Kaizer didn’t know how to deal with her. After eating too many sweets, she then began drinking non-stop. Tahimik lang itong umiinom kaya naman hindi alam ni Kaizer kung ano ba ang tumatakbo sa isip ng dalaga sa mga oras na ‘yon. Hindi niya ito pinigilan dahil baka magalit na naman sa kanya ang dalaga. Nasa bar counter na sila naka-pwesto ng mga oras na ‘yon kung saan nasa harap lang nila ang isa sa mga bartender. Nakikipag-asaran pa sa kanya si Lauren kanina, ngunit matapos uminom ng ilang basong wine ay bigla na lang itong tumahimik. She had this seriousness on her face that made Kaizer unconsciously watched her. Mahirap na at baka kung ano pa ang mangyari kay Lauren. Kaizer looked at her intently. If he only knew that she has a low alcohol tolerance, he wouldn't let her drink any alcohol. He would have ordered some fruit juice instead. Lauren shifted her gaze at him and smiled. But Kaizer knew that it's not a happy smile. Sadness. Longing. Pai
Early in the morning, Stella and Marielle were already busy. Finally, the date for the engagement party was all set. It was 2 months from now that’s why the two of them were busy finding a great venue. Galing na sila sa iba’t ibang resort. Nagka-canvas kung saan may pinaka-magandang venue para sa engagement party ng anak. Naka-ilang resort na sila ngunit wala pa rin silang magustuhan sa mga ito. Minsan lang ‘yon kaya naman gusto nila na maayos ang lahat. Mula sa venue, invitation, gamit hanggang sa araw mismo ng event. Nasa isang pastry shop sila ng mga oras na ‘yon. Matapos kasi puntahan ang pang-apat na resort ay nagpasya sila na magpahinga muna sandali.Ibinaba ng ina ni Theo ang iniinom na fruit juice. Binaling ang tingin sa ginang na nasa harap niya. “Stella, akala ko ba ay sasama sa paghahanap ng venue si Hazel? Paano natin malalaman ang gusto niya kung wala siya rito?” nagrereklamo na saad ni Marielle.Ngumiti muna si Stella bago sinagot ang tanong nito. “May inasikaso lang d
“I want to try rock climbing first. That would be a good warm up.”Kaizer could only tag along and let her decide. Luckily he wore casual clothes after hearing her say ‘fun activities’.They first went rock climbing. Kaizer was shocked that she’s good at that activity. She keeps up with his speed and even has a great technique.“Wow, I really enjoyed it.”“I can really see it in your face.”Lauren looks away for a moment and when she looks back at Kaizer her eyes are sparkling.“I know what we will do next.”“What?”Lauren pointed at the back of Kaizer. He turned around. “Look up.” Sinunod naman niya ang sinabi nito. Nakita niya roon ang isang mahabang water slides. “It’s the best isn’t it?” she said like a child who was excited to buy the toy she wants.Kaizer could only shake his head. Mukhang magiging mahabang araw iyon para sa kanya. Napaka-energetic ni Lauren at hindi niya alam kung
Dahan-dahang umupo si Kaizer sa silya habang minamasahe nito ang ulo niya. Halos lahat yata ng activities sa cruise ship ay nasubukan niya. Tuwing nakikita o nakaka-salubong siya ni Lauren ay inaaya siya nito na magliwaliw sa cruise ship. Natatapat pa na nasa paligid nila si Claudia.Hindi niya alam kung nagkataon lang ba o talagang binabantayan ng babae ang kilos niya para makahanap ito ng tyempo na kausapin siya.“Here’s your coffee, Sir.” saad ni Jason matapos ibaba sa harap ni Kaizer ang isang tasang kape. Umayos naman ng upo si Kaizer saka dahan-dahang humigop ng kape. Matapos ilapag ang tasa sa lamesa ay tumingin siya kay Jason.“Report.” maikling utos nito.“Yes, Sir.” sagot ni Jason. Kinuha niya ang tablet saka inabot iyon kay Kaizer. Tinanggap naman ito ni Kaizer at saka tumingin sa dokumento na nakalagay roon.Tumikhim muna si Jason bago nag-umpisang mag-report.“Mr. Romero was the head of purchasing department* and the one that was responsible for sourcing and purchasing ra