David’s P.O.V.
I tried to speak German to the policemen the best way that I could to oppose what Mr. Delgado had ordered them, “Warte, herr! Du kannst mich einfach nicht mitnehmen. Ich kann erklären.” [Wait, sir! You just can’t take me. I can explain.]
But these policemen just dismissed my protest and stated what I thought were Miranda rights. Then, they took my phone away from me and handcuffed my wrists in a flash. Everything was happening so fast!
“Please, sir! This is all just a misunderstanding. I didn’t abduct Mr. Delgado’s daughter because she is my girlfriend.” Hindi ko alam kung nakakaintindi ba sila ng English, pero sinabi ko pa rin ang gusto kong sabihin.
Pakiramdam ko ay bigla na lang akong nabobo para magsalita ng German language dahil sa mga oras na it
David’s P.O.V.A total of two days and two nights of living inside the jail was the longest time of my life. Hindi ako kumain at lalong hindi ako natulog. Kumakalam na nga ang sikmura ko at tingin ko’y nangingitim na rin ang ilalim ng mga mata ko. I just busied myself in cleaning the whole cell including the toilet that I actually shared with my three companions.In return, the inmate who was always the first one to ask me questions since I came here, lent me a book. I had known him as Jacob Auster, and he was a dean’s lister before he became a gang leader.“Rivera, jemand hat dich besucht.” [Rivera, someone came here to see you.] The female warden let me out for a while. Then, one policeman handcuffed me and ushered me to the visitor cell.Nabuhayan ako ng loob nang makita ko kung sino a
Athena’s P.O.V.[What happened after the ending of Sabotaging My Walkout Queen Book 1]“Hija, ready ka na ba?”bungad ni Ate Paula nang pumasok siya sa kuwarto ko. “Hinihintay ka na ng Daddy mo at ni Tyler sa ibaba. Nagsisipagdatingan na rin ang mga bisita—” Bigla siyang natigilan nang makita ang aking mukha—smudged with my mascara.“Ano ka ba namang bata ka? Anong nangyari diyan sa mukha mo? At saka, nasaan na ‘yong makeup artist mo? Ako ang pagagalitan ni Don Miguel niyan eh. Ano bang nangyari dito, Kate?”Hindi ko naman pinansin ang sinabi niya, bagkus ay muli lang akong humarap sa vanity mirror. Ano namang pakialam ko sa mga bisitang ‘yon? Hindi naman ako interesado. Puro mga kakilala lang naman nina Daddy at Tito Eros ang mga ‘yon!
Athena’s P.O.V.“Hay! Sino pa ba, Ate Paula? Kung hindi si Cristoff, malamang si Dave! Kung hindi iyong dalawang ‘yon, malamang si Rivera…”segunda ng magaling kong kaibigan habang banayad na hinahagod ang aking likuran.“Uy, tahan na. Ang pangit mo na! Mas pangit ka pa sa clown na sinasabi ko kanina,”pahabol na biro pa ni Katena hindi naman nakakatuwa.It had been two months since Cristoff left Germany, but I still couldn’t get over with the fact that I was badly hurt, totally broken, severely damaged, and completely devastated byour second breakup.I couldn’t even move a single step forward. It was burning me. It was staining me all throughout.It crushed every part of me. It left me incapable of doing things I loved. It ruined me—in and out. Sometimes, I was de
Athena’s P.O.V.‘A baby?’I frowned. I could see clearly, but why would she even carry a baby in an event like this?I was definitely sure that she was also an Asian, but her dark-blue eyes and her natural bronze-blonde hair were telling me that she had a German blood. This was the first time I saw her, and I must admit that she was pretty. If she would wear some fine clothes, she would even look classy.However, how did she end up here? The guests could not get pass through the gate without an invitation and the guards were roaming everywhere. Based on her simple outfit of white blouse and ripped jeans, Dad—as well as Tyler—would never invite her in this kind of party.“Tyler! Tyler! Thank God, you’re here. Do you still remember me? I&rs
Athena’s P.O.V.“I am so disappointed in you, Tyler! How could you do this? I am very much willing to give you my daughter’s hand in marriage because I trusted you more than anyone else and now, you have this damn little secret of yours?”Kahit masyadong malaki ang office ni Daddy ay dumagundong pa rin ang baritonong boses nito sa apat na sulok ng kuwarto.“I’m sorry, uncle. It was just a one-night stand and at that time, I was drunk. I was actually thinking of Athena… but believe me, I didn’t know that I have a son!”nakayukong sagot ni Tyler.Si Daddy muna ang tumatayong tatay or guardian niya rito ngayon dahil si Tito Eros ay kasalukuyang nasa Chicago. Actually, mas takot pa nga siya sa daddy ko. Palagi niya kasing sinasagot nang pabalang si Tito Eros, samantalang pagdating kay Daddy ay ak
Athena’s P.O.V.“Mama, the guy in the beach… is he the one you really love?”Sitting at the balcony and embracing myself while watching the picturesque city lights, hindi ko namalayan ang pagpasok ni Angelo sa loob ng kuwarto ko. I got stiffened by how he delivered his question.Feeling the cold breeze of the night, I tightened my robe and smiled at him. At the age of three, he was certainly a smart and incomparable kid.He even knew and understood that I wasn’t really his biological mother, and I didn’t have any deeper relationship with his father—other than friendship. Angelo might have gotten those traits from Daniela, and how I wished that I was able to meet her before she passed away.“Hey, sweetie! It’s late. Why aren’t you sleeping, huh?” Agad ko siyang kinarga, hinalikan sa pisngi
Athena’s P.O.V.And just like that, everything about that breakup text message quickly flashed back. It felt like every word was chopping off my head—tearing me apart the second time around.I’m so sorry, Athena.You know how much I love you but after talking to your dad, I just realized that I wasn’t still good enough.I’m a coward… but I hope that when the right time comes, I would be able to fight for you no matter what.I’m sorry if I had to say all of these in a stupid text message. It’s just that… I think, I no longer had the courage to face you. I’m sorry that I have to hurt you, but I had to.It would be easy if we will avoid each other from now on. I’m not going to bother you anymore
David’s P.O.V.“I am pretty sure that I just left the hardcopy of the revised blueprint in my office over the weekend. I don’t know what happened, but my laptop seems to be hacked as well because my softcopies are no longer here.” Athena sighed desperately while fine lines were visible on her forehead.Bakas sa mukha niya ang pag-aalala habang pilit pa ring hinahanap sa work laptop niya ang mga softcopy ng blueprint na ipe-present niya sana. Nakatayo na siya at tingin ko’y kahit suyurin pa niya ang buong Qooqle drive at iba pa niyang backup folders ay hindi niya makikita ang kanyang hinahanap.“What a lame excuse, Architect Delgado! If you don’t have anything to present to us here, just tell us—gano’n lang kasimple! Hindi ‘yong nag-aaksaya lang pala kami ng oras dito sa pakikinig sa mga walang kuwentang palusot mo! Time is money, don’t you
Athena’s P.O.V.“Please, Cristoff. Tap your wristband!” I was impatiently tapping my wristband, but I couldn’t do anything to know his exact location… unless he would be the one to tap his.Pakiramdam ko, nauubusan ako ng oras at sa sobra kong pagkalito kung bakit kailangang mangyari ang lahat nang ito ngayon ay wala akong ibang maisip na paraan para makita siya agad. I was about to call Kuya Liam, when I suddenly remembered Denise…“Wow, how cute!” I snapped.The mini robot’s height was only about twelve-inch long. “This one is also for you. But you only have to turn it on once, Ate Athena. Sa oras lang na ikaw naman ‘yong naghahanap kay Kuya at hindi mo siya makita.”“Hmm, what do you mean by that?” I was staring at the
Athena’s P.O.V. It was just a short drive as we only decided to dine in at the ground floor of the Lexington Hotel, located at the east part of Countryside, Alabana. Halos hindi na nga kami nakapag-usap sa loob ng sasakyan. And that was a good thing dahil hindi ko rin naman alam ang sasabihin ko sa kanya. Not until… “Grabe, Cristoff! Ang dami naman nang in-order mo. Pinapataba mo ba ako?” nakangiting sabi ko sa kanya while still exploring my sight sa iba’t ibang putahe na inilalagay ng waiter sa mesa. I guessed Cristoff ordered via call or online. From the looks of it, I could say that he even reserved the restaurant for the two of us tonight. Masasarap ang lahat nang in-order niya at paniguradong masisira ang diet ko. Like The Mediterranean, the Lexington Restaurant also offers European foods—probably, to get three Michelin stars and have a healthy competition with the former. What I was seeing right now were paella, pierogi, goulash, gyros, and cheese fondue. “Hmmm, sort of!” C
Athena’s P.O.V. Another day had passed at hindi ko pa rin maiwasan ang mag-overthink. For almost four months, hindi na ako nakakatulog nang maayos sa gabi. Hindi dahil sa masyado akong busy sa EGC at CD Squared, kung hindi dahil sa isang bagay na patuloy lang na gumugulo sa aking isip. Pakiramdam ko, kung makakatulog man ako ay paulit-ulit ko pa ring mapapanaginipan ang nangyari nang mga oras na ‘yon. At paulit-ulit din akong sasampalin ng katotohanang ayaw sa’kin ng nakatatandang kapatid ni Cristoff. As much as I didn’t want to bury myself with what I heard, insecurities were reigning over me. I wanted to win Ate Diane’s favor, but I didn’t know where I would start with… until the plans went into ashes. “I don’t like her for you, Dave. Bakit ba paulit-ulit ka na lang na nahuhumaling sa babaeng ‘yan? High school pa lang, sinaktan ka na niya. No’ng college ka naman, halos
Athena’s P.O.V. It had already been almost four months since my accidental eavesdropping happened, and until now, I still didn’t know how to treat Cristoff right. I was guilty as hell, knowing that I was slowly walking away from him while weaving different sets of alibis. What I said when we were on the fire exit was true—Nadine and I really stayed at our mansion in Quezon City to talk about the reason behind that old letter. She explained to me her reasons and I was informed then, that she had also explained her side to Cristoff. I let that one pass. Siguro, kung ngayon niya ginawa sa’kin ‘yon ay hindi ko ‘yon mapapalagpas. Magagalit talaga ako kay Nadine dahil parang trinaydor niya ako sa kabila ng tiwalang ibinigay ko sa kanya. But then, hindi pa naman niya ako noon kilala at kailangan niya lang talaga ng pera. There was nothing weaker than a person’s mind, most especially in the face of money. Kapag gipit na gipit ka na, gagawin mo talaga ang lahat kahit na ang kumapit pa sa pa
Athena’s P.O.V.“Iniiwasan mo ba ako, Athena?” tila nagdududang tanong sa akin ni Cristoff—isang linggo pagkatapos ng insidenteng iyon.We just bumped into each other when we opened the same fire exit door at the twelfth floor. Paakyat siya at pababa naman ako. Naka-preventive maintenance kasi ang main elevator at malayo naman ‘yong secondary elevator sa office ko.It felt like my chest had swiftly congested by his question. Dahil hindi ko siya kayang tingnan nang diretso, I averted my stares away from Cristoff. Bababa na sana ako para pumunta sa tenth floor nang hawakan niya ang kaliwang braso ko.My mind was cloudy at first, but I chose to pretend like nothing had happened. Tutal, doon naman ako magaling—ang magkunwari.“Huh? Ano bang sinasabi mo diyan? I was just in a rush to see Evanna. At saka, bakit naman kita iiwasan?” pagmamaang-maangan kong tanong sa kanya pabalik. I was smiling at him, just for the two of us to feel that everything was still at ease.Pero sa totoo lang, naii
David’s P.O.V. [Back to the Present] Nagmamadali akong bumalik sa opisina ko, pero wala na akong inabutang Athena na naghihintay sa loob nito. Just when I thought that I would be able to surprise her, I was the one who got surprised at all. And what made me even more surprised was seeing her mini robot still on top of my coffee table. I even knocked on the door of my personal restroom dahil nagbaka-sakali akong nasa loob lang siya nito, pero ni anino niya ay hindi ko nakita nang buksan ko ang pinto nito. It had been a month and I wasn’t yet able to tell her what I had discovered. Actually, hindi ko alam kung paano ko sasabihin sa kanya ang totoo. Alam kong mabibigla siya, kaya hanggang ngayon ay humahanap pa rin ako ng tamang tiyempo. Nagmamadali akong lumabas at napag-alaman kong naka-lock na ang glass door ng opisina niya, which possibly means na umuwi na siya. Kumatok pa ako roon nang ilang beses—making sure na baka nasa loob lang siya, pero wala talaga. These past few days ka
David’s P.O.V. “Take care of Athena, Dave. Angelo and I—we are leaving. We are going back to Germany,” Tyler hissed. “You don’t have to tell me what to do. I’ll always take care of her. But why are you leaving so soon? Is it because of Angelo’s mother?” walang paligoy-ligoy at diretso kong tanong. Hindi naman sumagot si Tyler. Nag-iwas lang ito ng tingin at saka sinuklay paitaas ang buhok. It was none of my business, but I wanted to make him realize some sense. I wasn’t expecting him to listen to me, but for Angelo’s sake… I was hoping. Then, I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t have any right to tell you this or instruct you on what you should do next, but just a piece of advice. Angelo deserves to meet his real mother. Huwag mo naman sanang ipagkait sa kanya kung ano ang totoo.” Tyler remained speechless for a while until he was able to say, “I had to resume work and take care of our business in Germany, Dave. Well, about Angelo’s real mother… she’s dead. That’s why Athena stood up for
David’s P.O.V.But whatever it was, I would not make a big deal out of it. Kung tutuusin ay pabor na pabor ‘yon sa’kin. I knew that Kuya Liam only did it for good. For all the things he did to me, alam kong hindi ako kailanman ipapahamak at pababayaan ng bayaw ko.Kuya Liam was the one who bailed me out of the jail and at that time, he even flew all the way to Europe. He gave me a lawyer who would take care of my case, without me worrying so much about my future. Of all the people, I would trust Kuya Liam even more.Kung ano man ang naging usapan nilang dalawa ni Don Miguel involving Athena and I, the deal was indeed at my advantage if part of the plan was for our paths to cross again in the corporate world. I wished it was, pero hindi ko pa rin napigilang mapalunok.If that was the case, what about the stage
David’s P.O.V. “About Angelo. Whose son is he?” I found myself asking him despite the fact that I didn’t want to begin any conversation with him. If I had a firearm here, I would have threatened him at gunpoint for him to divulge the truth to me. Mahina ang pagkakasabi ko dahil baka magising sila Athena, ngunit binigyang diin ko naman ang bawat salita—habang diretsong nakatingin sa mga mata ng taong naging bahagi ng masalimuot kong nakaraan. Nagtatagis ang aking mga bagang habang kaharap ang isa sa mga taong minsa’y pinagkaitan ako ng kaligayahan. “Enough with all the lies, please!” My voice was still controlled as I snapped at Tyler. Right now, the gushing blood through my whole system was already at boiling point and my nose was indeed flaring in anger. Matigas kong kinuyom ang mga kamao ko. Pinipigilan ko ang sarili ko ngayon dahil kaunti na lang talaga ay baka bigla ko nang mahawakan at maiangat ang kanyang kuwelyo. His son already spilled the beans, and I believed Angelo with