“Beer?” alok ni Gray kay Gael.He was at his friend’s house, in an attempt to let the sleepless hours go by. After talking to Lena, he tried going home to sleep. But he just couldn’t. Not when he had a lot of things in mind.“Thanks,” aniya bago tinanggap ang beer-in-can na inaabot nito. He popped open the lid and drank from it. Matapos niyon, muli niyang tiningala ang langit.The night sky was peppered with stars. It’s the kind of sky that Charlie loves.Charlie.He released a slow breath. Hindi niya mapigilang isipin kung kumusta na kaya ito kahit na ilang oras pa lang mula nang huli niya itong makita. He wanted to see her again. Ito at si Levi. He wanted to have both of them in his arms and never let go. But even then if could that, he knew it wouldn’t be enough to fill in the times he was not with them.Muli siyang uminom ng alak.Ilang sandali pa, naramdaman niyang tumabi sa kanya si Gray. They were sitting at the steps of the small stairs leading to the garden.“Tell me, what a
Marahang nagbuga ng hininga si Diego nang tuluyan niyang marating ang mesa niya sa SSL. Alam niya, gaya kahapon, magiging abala na naman siya ngayon. Sunod-sunod ang utos sa kanya ni Sir Aaron nang magpunta ito roon kahapon. Sa kabila ng kalituhan sa buong kumpanya kahapon, siniguro niya na nakabantay rin siya sa mga utos ng dati niyang boss. Marami itong hininging dokumento at iba-iba pang kailangan para daw sa readings na gagawin nito. At the end of the day, he had a big pile of files on his table. Lahat ‘yon inuwi ni Sir Aaron. Pakiramdam niya para siyang nagde-de javu noong nag-uumpisa pa lang siya sa SSL, noong si Sir Aaron pa ang kanyang boss. Noong maayos pa ang lahat. The past 24 hours had been crazy. The last time he got that busy was more than two decades ago, noong nasangkot din sa kontrobersiya sina Sir Aaron at Ms. Sam. But this time, it’s different. Kung noon, reputasyon lang ng mag-asawang Sandejas ang nalagay sa alanganin, ngayon, ang SSL na mismo. Hindi siya halos
“Who are these people, Hugo? I do not know any of these people!” Aksel Bernstein irritably asked the loyal assistant of his grandson Gael. He just arrived from Manila a few minutes ago. He did everything as Gael instructed him when he left Germany. He left without his guards. He did not notify any of his servants in the mansion about his plan of leaving. He did not even told Alaric where he’s going. He flew via the chartered flight Gael had arranged for him. Inside it were people he didn’t trust but Gael does. And now, he’s being met by another group of men instead of his grandson? Now he’s flustered. All these strangers surrounding him is making uncomfortable. If it weren’t for the fact that Gael was rushing for him to leave Germany so that they could talk about this ‘traitor’ in their midst, he wouldn’t have flown half-way around the world just to be subjected in this confusion. “They are the people whom Sir Gael had worked with before, Sir,” Hugo replied as the assistant ope
Aksel was seating at the receiving room of his hotel suite, waiting for the ‘very special guest’ he has for the day. He took a sip from his coffee cup and looked up at Hugo who was standing beside him before he shifted his gaze to the two guards standing by the door. “How long will I wait, Hugo? And where is my grandson?” he asked casually as he lowers his cup in the coffee table. “Mrs. Liza Sandejas will be here in a few minutes, Sir. But about Sir Gael, I think he had a long night and won’t be here anytime soon. But I will try to contact him again in a few minutes and—“ A knock on the door cut the words of Hugo. They both looked at the door with anticipation as one of the men guarding the door turned the knob open. He stood as a woman wearing a tailored dress and sporting her gray shoulder-length hair entered the room. A man followed her inside. He gave both him and Hugo a curt nod. Must be the assistant, he thought. “Mrs. Sandejas?” he said in a formal tone. An air of s
“Diese verdammte schlange! (That damn snake!) How dare he do this to me?!” gigil na sambit na lolo ni Gael. He silently watched as his grandfather flips the very same document that had opened his eyes to the lies of Alaric Schulz. It still angers him that it was the trusted man of his grandfather who did that to them. Truly, betrayal comes to those people who are close to you. And no, he cannot just watch and let Alaric have his way this time. He has already done that for years. And now he must pay. Few minutes more, his grandfather closed the folder and lifted his eyes up at him. “Lena?” he asked, pain in his voice. His grandfather has always been fond of Lena and he knows how hard this was for him, for Lena was an accomplice to her father’s crimes. She must pay too. “I sent her back to Germany. I have eyes on her though. Just like I have eyes on Alaric Schulz right now,” sabi niya, hindi inaalis ang mga mata sa abuelo. His old man released a slow breath. “I will do everyt
Hindi na nag-aksaya pa ng panahon si Charlize at bumaba na rin sa receiving room. She did not meet the questioning gaze of her uncles. Her gaze just zeroed in to her Grandma na noon ay nakaupo sa pang-isang upuan ng sala set. “Grandma, please tell me I heard you wrong,” umpisa niya, balling her fists to rein in her emotions. Her grandmother took a sip from the cup of tea in front of her. She looked way too relaxed for her liking. And for the very first time in her 26 years of life, she’s pissed at her grandmother. “Very well, now that cat is out of the bag, there’s no use hiding it from you anymore,” umpisa nito, marahang ibinalik sa saucer ang tea cup bago muling nag-angat ng tingin sa kanya. “Yes, Charlie you heard me right. Kinausap ko ang lolo ni Gael at binigyan ko siya ng picture ninyong mag-ina.” Alright, binabawi na niya ang sinabi niya kanina. Her grandmother needs to be questioned that way and more! She felt her heart dropped at the pit of her stomach. Hindi niya
Malakas ang pagkabog ng dibdib ni Charlie habang paroo’t parito siya sa library kung saan niya hinihintay si Gael. Her grandmother suggested that they’d talk there privately. Noong una, ayaw niya sana itong kausapin. Tutol din ang daddy niya na kausapin niya si Gael. Maging ang mga tiyuhin niya ganoon din ang pasya.But her grandmother insisted that they should talk, dahil tama ito, marami silang dapat pag-usapan na dalawa ni Gael. Pero kung siya ang tatanungin, hindi pa siya sana talaga handang kausapin ito. She was still reeling from the events of yesterday. Truth be told, all she wanted and needed to do was to cuddle in bed with her son.She doesn’t need confrontations right now. She doesn’t need to be questioned. She doesn’t need to be pushed to the wall nor make decisions. She had been a crying mess last night. But given the urgency of the situation, she doesn’t have any other choice but to deal with all of it head-on, like the way had been living all her life. Ilang sandali pa
Gael watched as his wife left the library, leaving him crushed for the nth time. Alam niya, hindi magiging madali para sa kanya ang pagbawi niya sa mag-ina niya-- ang makuha ang pagpapatawad ni Charlie sa mga nagawa niya. But he’s not ready to give up. No. He will never give up.His family is his Northern Star. He will be lost without them. And so he must keep trying no matter how hard the process it would be.This is yet the greatest battle he’d ever fought for. And the soldier in him is not ready to lose.He huffed and fixed himself, readying to leave the place. Subalit bago pa man siya makalabas ng library, muling bumukas ang pinto. This time it’s Ms. Sam and Sir Aaron.He swallowed the painful lump that has formed on his throat. Ms. Sam’s tears were brimming but Sir Aaron’s were somber. Maya-maya pa, mabilis na humakbang si Ms. Sam sa kanya at walang sabi-sabi siyang niyakap gaya nang madalas nitong gawin sa kanya noon.“Kumusta ka na, Gael? Masaya akong nagbago na ang buhay mo