CHLOEWhen Trace stared at me in the way he seemed to remember something, I thought he was thinking about what he did to me in his penthouse and his ‘nice meeting you’ way was on his mind. I gulped thinking about what he might think of, too.“Three years ago, I saw you. Airport,” Trace said. Oh! My eyes bulged. He remembers! “You… you remember me…” I was surprised and exclaimed those words in a hushing way.“Ngayon lang,” he grinningly said like he was so ecstatic to recall that moment. “And that made you mine. So stop talking to Eut at hindi ako natutuwa.”I went speechless after hearing how he delivered the words. He said that as if he is declaring I am his territory now. But what he said about airport made me delighted, for it seems na hindi lang pala ako ang nakakaalala nang unang pagkikita namin three years ago. I forced myself to smile because it is really awkward kung mukha na akong natuklaw ng ahas sa pagkatulala ko na nakatingin lang sa kaniya. But Eut? Napakunot ang noo
TRACEShe calls me Trace and why does my name sound different when she was the one saying it? It’s as if her voice was like sunshine after the heavy rain, like hope after failing, like winning a bid, and like a successful illegal transaction that happened.Yeah! Chloe is more like an illegal transaction that I need to make sure no one could intercept. And fuck* me! Hindi ko alam pero para akong tanga na tinititigan lang siya. This woman's impact on me is weird. No one made me feel this way. Not even my first love. Not even that damn woman… “Am I allowed to go now?” she asked me.“Excuse me,” Elliot interrupted bago pa ako nakasagot. Fuck*! Eepal na naman ang gago! And I hate what I saw in Chloe's eyes, parang nakakita ng kakampi sa katauhan ni Eut!Chloe smiled sweetly and I hate that. “Chloe, the music is perfect and the moment is tempting. May I have the honor to have this dance with you?” Elliot asked in a prince-like way na sobrang kinabadtrip ko. Papansin talaga! Tempting? A
CHLOEWhen Elliot asked me for a dance ay hindi na ako nag-think twice pa. I found a rescuer from the flirtation of Trace. If by chance na walang Carly na dapat isipin ay baka na-tempt na ako ng kalandian ni Trace. If walang Carly na masasaktan ay oo, why not? Pero may Carly… may Carly na pwede kong masaktan kapag nalaman niya na ang lalaking mahal niya at pinapahanap niya ay nilalandi ako at gusto ko rin. This stupid emotion I am having for Trace should be stopped. Hindi pwedeng palagi na lang na ma-disregard ko ang totoong reason at kailangan ko kay Trace nang dahil lang sa katangahan ko na matukso sa kaniya. “The song suits you well,” Elliot said while we were dancing to Ed Sheeran’s song titled Perfect. I smiled. I don’t know. Elliot is equally as handsome as Trace, but he makes me feel relaxed and I don’t feel danger with him unlike when Trace is around. Elliot is what my preference is in a man. Neat, clean, professional, and respectable. Elliot made me remember Oliver. Kung
TRACE“Fornales?” I asked with a frown. Is she related to General Fornales? One of my father’s cronies. As far as I know, Elliot said that the so-called general didn’t like him. Hindi lang pala ang general ang may ayaw rito, pati pa pala itong babae sa harap ko. Eut vs the Fornales. Tatawa ba ako o tatawa ng tatawa? Tangina! Ang totoo ay kanina pa ako nagpipigil sa sarili ko para upakan itong si Eut. Wala akong pakialam sa babae na narito at panibagong parang demonyo na sumusulsol sa akin. I could manage my business without anyone’s help.“Yes, I am a Fornales. And yes, I hate Elliot Hart,” she said with a raise of her left brow. “And what can I do for you?” I asked nicely. Fuck*! Since when did I learn how to act nicely? “You should get your girl bago pa siya mapahamak d’yan sa walanghiyang abogado na ‘yan.” “He’s a friend of mine,” I told her at baka hindi niya alam. I am annoyed with Elliot but I won’t connived with anyone na may hindi magandang plano sa kaibigan ko. We are Fo
CHLOEI breathed out heavily. The tension between me and the woman named Malori cannot be denied. Kanina pa siya pasulyap-sulyap ng masama sa akin. The woman named Denise naman ay mukhang wala naman ibang alam gawin kung hindi ang yumakap at maglambing kay Trace. The three of them are doing PDA and no one from Trace’s friends are telling them to stop kahit nakakainis na sila sa mata. I gave Malori and Denise another look. Nagtataka ako na bakit balewala sa kanila na dalawa silang nilalandi ni Trace and what I heard from Bree earlier ay sabi niya baka may orgy gagawin si Trace mamaya. Oh God! How filthy the man I fell in love with!Wait! Did I say ‘I’? Oh, shit*! I mean Carly! How filthy this Trace Dimagiba that Carly fell in love with! Not me! I am just clarifying! Definitely, it’s not me! I felt disgusted while looking at Trace. Pakiramdam ko ay may ideya na ako sa ginawa ni Trace kay Carly. He just used my sister, impregnated her and left her. Masama ang tingin na ibinigay ko ka
TRACEWhen Chloe faltered her steps and holds on my chair dahil mukhang may tama na siya sa dami ng ibinigay ni Logan na beer sa kaniya ay napatayo ako para masiguro na hindi siya matumba. Her steps were unsteadily pero nagmaldita pa na masama ang tingin sa akin nang tanungin ko kung okay pa siya.Iritable na binawi niya ang braso niya sa pagkakahawak ko at alam ko naman kung ano ang dahilan ng kinakainis niya, sina Denise at Malori. I grinned and followed her movements when I signal Nite to follow her. Nang lingunin ko si Eut ay kausap pa rin nito si Isauis. Chloe was obviously jealous of Malori and Denise. Mukhang nag-iinarte pero halatang may gusto rin talaga sa akin. I saw how she almost slipped and Nite helped her stand straightly at pasimpleng iniwan na siya. Nite nodded at me, telling me na okay lang si Chloe.“Puntahan ko muna si Paige at kanina pa ako naiinggit sa regalo ni Elliot sa kaniya…” paalam sa akin ni Denise. “At… sundan mo na kaya si Chloe kaysa para kang stalker n
CHLOE"You know you're beautiful, aren't you?" Malori asked me while still giving me her judging stares. I narrowed my eyes and then gave her a smirk. What is this woman doing? Is she going to scare me because of Elliot or because of Trace? Duh! She was the one flirting with Trace while looking at Elliot with a longing gaze of her for the man. I made a cheeky sound. She is very transparent and now she has the guts to approach me, sounding and looking like a jilted wife."Excuse me, are you talking to me?" I asked her nicely. Baka naman makuha pa sa magandang ugali ang babaeng ito. I am always nice. Pinalaki ako ni mommy na masunurin at hindi spoiled. "Sino pa ba? Tayo lang naman dalawa ang nandito. Don't play dumb, Barbie." "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying,” maarte kong sagot. I am a nice person but if someone acts like a bitch* at me then I can handle that someone with the same attitude as well. "Oh! So it's true that you can't speak and understand Tagalog," Malo
TRACEAfter I gave the uppercut to Elliot as my reply to the punch he gave me ay napaatras siya. I hate the fact na matibay ang gago sa suntukan. He went straight to me nang makabawi sa binigay kong suntok at sinalubong ko na siya para hindi na siya makahakbang pa. As I was about to give Eut a right hook ay nakita ko na biglang lumapit si Ezekiel, ang kuya ni Elliot, sa akin, at hindi ko na siya binigyan ng pagkakataon makabigay ng suntok, I faced him and pulled his necktie to bang him on the table na malapit sa amin. I heard screams of women in the party at ang iba ay tumabi na para hindi na madamay sa amin ni Elliot. Bagsak na si Ezekiel nang tadyakan ko pa siya para hindi na makabangon. Pakampi-kampi ang gago ay lampa naman. Si Elliot ang gusto kong kabasagan ng mukha at siya ang matibay hindi ang Ezekiel na papogi lang ang alam.“Stop that, Trace!” narinig kong sigaw ni Papa pero sa palagay niya ba ay mapapatigil niya ako. Kung siya ang magpapatigil din lang ay mas lalo akong ga