Chapter 3- Jude Murray

Early in the next morning, her mobile rang nonstop, and with a groovy voice, she answered it. "What the fuck are you doing Miss. Austen. I've been calling you for the past thirty minutes." The other end blurted the second she answered her phone.

Ano daw? Ka aga aga eh, ano bang problema nito.

"What? I'm. Sleeping? It's bloody five in the morning…" ika niya.

"I don't care, early birds catches the early worm so you better listen and listen carefully. I want the latest design blueprint now. Bring it now in the mansion, I'm a bit unwell but I need that immediately!" And the other line went dead.

Ang kapal namaaaan ng kumag  ang aga aga pa eh. Hindi ba siya marunong mag good morning.

"But…the nerve of a bloody dick! Ang kumag! It's bloody five in the morning and…arch! Such a rat-arsed. Ang sarap sarap ng tulog ko eh!" With the sleepy eyes and a yawn escaping her mouth, she freshens herself immediately and took a taxi.

"Oh, bat ang aga aga mo anak?" Sigaw ng mama niya.

"Paano po ang kumag pinapadala sa akin ang blueprint sa mansion niya, ke aga aga." Padabog niyang sagot.

"Hayaan mo na, boss mo yan eh, sa cafe ka na lang kumain ng agahan."

"Opo! Byebye."

Ten minutes later, she was now strolling to the mansion lawn, and when she reached the door, she strengthened and checked herself before knocking on the door. On cue, the doorman opens the door and lets her inside. She seldom comes here yet, every time it amazes her how grand the Murray's Mansion was.

Grave ang bongga naman, living room pa lang parang nasa palasyo na ako.

Opening the door, she was surprised by the grandest of the living room. A huge crystal chandelier in the middle of the ceiling brightens the place and below an Austrian shade made from a very silky sheer fabric that was “drapey and droopy” was used for this living room which has a great contribution to its grandeur.

Sa chandelier pa lang isang buong bahay na yata maipapatayo niya sa pilipinas. Ang mga mayayaman talaga walang pakialam sa pera.

The black with gold accents and furniture pieces were bold additions to this mansion. The color palette of the living room was so relaxing!

Ang sarap sa mata. It has a high ceiling, clerestory windows, and French windows that surround it bring a tone of openness.

Walking slowly, napaisip siyang magpapicture picture sana, kaya lang nakakahiya naman.

"Hell, he might be a bloody arshole but he knows how to impress." She murmured.May taste ang loko. Ang swerte ng asawa nito in the future.

The mansion was welcoming from the open door to the wide hallway. Upon the sides were the paintings of a famous artist, the floor was a modern marble; a blend of deep homely light nude hues, and a pale gold matches well with the colors in the living room. The cathedral ceiling was a plus for its luxurious look. 

When she reaches the center of the living floor, a butler appears and speaks in a soft well-mannered voice.

Sosyal naman butler lang naka amerikana pa. Maka apply kaya dito kung i fire ako ni Mr. Murray.

"Good morning Miss, Mr. Murray will be here any moment, your breakfast is ready, follow me." The man with a Mohican cut and scythe-shaped eyebrows. Gently spoke, his Roman nose and half-dome cheekbones sat above an oaken jaw with a formal shoulder that was part of his hefty physique. The man turned around and didn't even let her respond a single word, so she followed him instead. "Oh, no need for that, I can help myself later in the…"Tang *na gaga, gutom ka diba? libreng breakfast na yun.

Turning his head he uttered, "Sorry Miss, it is, after all, Mr. Murray instruction."

"Ah okay!"Hay salamat, makakain na din ako, kakagutom. Sana may kanin.

The elegant dining area made Mary Jane's mouth wide open, ay grave ka sosyal pati kusina,  it has a massive circular dining table surrounded by beige leather chairs under a tall wooden shed ceiling that ends with skylights and steel beams on the far side. And topped with a charming chandelier that hangs from one of the exposed wooden log beams of the ceiling. 

Upon looking at the breakfast table, her stomach grumbles as if telling her to dig in. And so she did. Bacon and fried eggs, sausages, tomatoes, mushrooms, fried bread, and a basket of white fresh continental fruits and a glass of orange juice.

Walang kanin, okay lang. Wala nang diet diet, ang sarap naman ng bacon na ito, bakit ang nabili ni mama ang kunat?

"Do you need anything, Miss?" The butler asked and was delighted to see that their guest likes the food the chef had prepared. He was professional and attentive after all, nowadays young women like their breakfast light, and their guest wasn't complaining about anything especially about fats, sugar, and carbs. And this lovely woman has likable nature. A plus. He thought.

"Can I have a coffee, please?"

Pwede kayang itake out to? Nakakahiya naman.

"Sure, I'll be right back." Digging in, Mary Jane eats with gusto as she watches the retreating back of the man. Then she paused when she remembered something.Teka, di kaya nakakahiyang kumain ako agad, di man lang ako naghintay sa bigboss? ah! Bahala siya.

Eventually, all the doubts faded into her mind with the smell of the coffee. She didn't ask anything, her mind, and body on auto-pilot.

"Enjoying breakfast Miss. Austen?" A voice came behind her.

Napaubo siya ng bahagya. Nakakahiya naman, ang laki ng lamon niya.

"Good morning Mr. Murray." Taking the papers from the side chair, "...here is the…"

"Later, finish your breakfast first and follow me to the garden patio." He turned away and called for the butler. "Bring me a coffee on the garden patio, and medicine for headache."

"Yes sir." Replied the butler and turned around to the kitchen.

Five minutes later, Mary Jane began to survey the garden. It was by far the best and the most extravagant garden she has ever seen.

Ngayon lang siya napa rito sa garden ah, ang ganda pala dito sa gilid.

She saw a garden bench in the corner, it was a simple woods fixed together and colored forest dark green in the little landscape hill. Somehow she knew it sat there rain or shine and did exactly what it was supposed to do, raising the viewers from the ground to see the elegance of the garden.

Ang sarap siguro dito mag date date. Hehe! Tapos may pa picnic picnic pang nalalaman.

She heard a garden bird-like they were her sunshine, her inner warmth as she watched them fly all around the garden. There were so many of them out there, large and tiny, light brown, blue red-capped, and yellow striped.

Hala, ang dami naman.

She listens to their chirping; Mary Jane watched how they pursue worms and insects from the garden soil. As if they have an entire life of their own, these feathered companions, yet she learned so much more from their casual company that it brightened her soul.

Ang sarap siguro ng buhay nila. 

The apple tree in the middle of the garden was bearing dozens of healthy apples. The garden was magnificent and grand. It has different flowers, like a dancing rainbow, as if light and melody had found a new way to blossom together on the surrounding apple tree.

Pag ito sa pinas, putik kahit kasing laki pa lang ito ng lansones mauubos na yun sa mga magnanakaw nilang kapitbahay.

On her right she smells the man-made pond atmosphere, it was scented with the fragrance of Lavender and roses. Behind the apple tree, she saw the beauty, it was a raw man-made pond filled with meltwater, but the luxurious addition to this formal garden was a dozen kinds of flowers on each side. Roses and Daisies, and the stripes of grass between the perfectly square beds were a uniform green, the only variations coming from which direction the lawn-mower passed.

Grave ka OA naman sa flower uy. Ang dami dami, at ang bango pa.

"This is a paradise.” She murmured. She watched the daisy flowers of the sweetly arranged meadows, their petals as sails in an ever gentle wind that soothes her mind. She then paced closer to the rim of the pond and hunched down. From four feet up the veneer was a murky green, but from just two it was clear enough to see the plants and life below the surface. She had expected the highly shaded Japanese Koi Carp and she wasn't disappointed, if anything she was impressed. "Ang mahal siguro niyan ba." 

They were enormous and various colored, each about as long as her arm. She stared across the wind-ruffed surface to the lily pads in bloom, their white and magenta petals catching the wind. She inhaled slowly. Peace.

Ang sarap buhay mayaman talaga. Pikutin na lang niya kaya si boss Murray?

"Miss. Austen, the boss is calling you Miss." Came the butler's voice.

As if remembering the blueprint, she strolled in the corner patio.

Ang mokong may sakit daw pero ang gwapo pa rin. "Here are the papers Mr. Murray, everything has been preliminary check by me and it is ready for your final input." She muttered, standing on his side.

Ang bango bango pa. Bakit pag siya nagkasakit amoy vicks. Pero itong isang ito, amoy baby.

"Sit down Ms. Austen," Jude uttered as he surveyed her, she wasn't elegant in a polished way, no flowing curls or ivory skin; no piercing eyes of green. But with her modest looks and high cheekbones, it was all too natural.

She was shorter than average and certainly larger than a catwalk model, but in her ordinariness she was striking. Her hair was straight long blond, eyes so brown that reminded him of autumn, that it was almost as golden as the little summer lights. 

He notices how creamy and glossy her skin was, he could see her, like a shining beacon.

The white pale complexion of her skin reminding him of whisked milk as the late afternoon light shone through the patio natural lights and on to her. He couldn't help but wonder if he reached out would she notice? Just a little skin-to-skin contact? Why did he not notice her before? Miss Austen was smart and the best PA but he never noticed how beautiful she was. Not until yesterday, when he saw the new Director flirting with her in the boardroom that he almost wanted to fire him immediately.