PROLOGUE
Pabalik-balik na akong naglalakad sa loob ng kwarto ko. Hindi ako mapakali. Napasabunot nalamang ako sa buhok ko at inihilamos ang palad ko sa mukha ko.
“Hindi pwede… Ayaw ko…”
“Hindi ko siya gusto…”
Lumipas pa ang ilang sandali iyon pa rin ang nasa isip ko. Nang makaramdam na ako ng pagod ay agad akong napahiga sa kama ko.
“I don’t want to marry him!”
Sana naman ay nanaginip lang ako. Ilang beses ko na ring kinurot ang tagiliran ko, nasampal ko na nga ang sariling mukha pero… Totoo na talaga ‘to, hindi talaga ako nananaginip o ano. Sasabunutan ko pa sana ang sarili ko nang may marinig akong kumakatok sa pintuan ng aking kwarto.
Si Yaya Melody pala. Sinabi niya sa akin na pinapupunta raw ako ni Dad sa opisina na. Agad akong nanlumo doon. I don’t really think that I could see him right now. Sa pabor ba naman na hinihingi ni Dad ay ayaw ko muna siyang makita. Masyado niya akong ginulat! Pero hindi ko siya pwedeng suwayin lalo na’t ipinapatawag niya ako ngayon, kailangan ko siyang siputin, gustuhin ko man o hindi.
Hindi ko na inayos ang magulo kong buhok na dulot nang pagsabunot ko nito kanina. Lumabas agad ako ng kwarto at naglakad patungo sa office ni Dad dito sa bahay.Nakasimangot ako habang naglalakad, napuna pa nga iyon ng mayordoma namin dito sa bahay pero hindi ko siya pinansin.
Nang makarating na ‘ko sa tapat ng pintuan ng office ni Dad ay kaagad ko iyong binuksan.
Bumungad sa akin si Dad na naka-upo sa swivel chair niya habang may tinitipa sa kanyang laptop na nasa ibabaw ng lamesa. Base sa suot niya, mukhang galing siya sa isang meeting.
Hindi na ako nagpaligoy-ligoy pa at sinabi ko na agad ang gusto kong sabihin sa kanya
“Dad, hindi ko siya papakasalan! Gago ‘yon!” halos pasigaw kong saad sa kanya.
His expression changed. I could tell from his looks, I screwed up.
“Watch your words, Mauveine Zelliana.” Marahan niyang saway sa akin. Napatakip na lamang ako ng bibig gamit ang dalawang kamay ko.
Ilang beses akong napalunok at kinusot-kusot ang aking mga mata. Ang buong akala ko ay pagagalitan niya ako, pero bakit hindi niya ginawa?Nanatili akong nakatingin kay Dad habang nakatayo lamang ako rito sa may pintuan. Tuluyan ko iyong sinara at naglakad papalapit sa kanya. Napa-upo na lamang ako sa upuan na katabi ng kanyang mesa.
Dad stayed silent, still doing something on his laptop. His silence bothers me so much that it made me itch.
Papano ko kaya siya makukumbinsing ‘wag akong ipakasal sa lalaking iyon?
Umangat ang kurba sa labi ni Dad. Hindi ko alam kung dapat ba akong matuwa dahil parang nakakakilabot ‘yang ngisi niyang ‘yan.
“Dad…”
“We’ve talked about this already. You’re now eighteen and your graduation ceremony will be held tomorrow. Tsaka hindi mo pa napagpaplanuhan kung anong course ang gusto mo sa college kaya hindi ka muna mag-e enroll.”
Napa-facepalm nalang ako sa sinabi ni Dad. Ano kasi… tama naman kasi siya.
“After your graduation, I want you to prepare for your wedding.” His voice was filled with finality.
Nanlaki ang mata ko sa sinabi niyang ‘yon. Pursigido talaga si Dad na ipakasal ako sa lalaking ‘yon!
“Dad, ayaw ko sa kanya. At higit sa lahat ayaw kong magpakasal kahit kanino!”
“But I like him for you.” Makahulugang sabi ni Dad sa akin.
Argh! Si Dad talaga!
“Hindi ko siya gusto, kaya paniguradong hindi rin niya ako gusto! Dad, parang awa mo na. Naging mabuting anak naman ako sa inyo ‘di po ba? I did a good job in keeping my grades at school as high as possible! I didn’t go clubbing and go pregnant weeks afte---"
“You’ll marry him and that’s final.” My dad said in a menacing tone.
Napa-upo ako at hindi nakapagsalita. Gusto kong sigawan si Dad pero hindi ko magawa, he’s my father after all. And I know that there’s nothing I could do but to obey his decision. Hindi lang daw ito para sa akin kundi para na rin daw sa mga taong umaasa sa kompanya namin. Ilang beses na niya iyong ipinaliwanag sa akin, pero pinipillit ko itong huwag intindihin.
“Mr. Arellano.” A manly and familiar voice called my father.
When I turned my head to its direction, my jaw dropped. Bakit siya nandito?
May kung anong nararamdaman ako loob ko. It was strange. Para kasi akong kinakabahan. I don’t know if this is just me not moving on what just my dad said or it’s something that this man approaching us is making me feel.
This guy is wearing long sleeves in white, and it was tucked into his black chinos. Hapit na hapit iyon sa katawan niya, parang ipinasadya itong ginawa para sa kanya. From his physique, you can tell that he’s been working out for at least three days a week. Hindi niya ibinaba ang kaniyang tingin sa akin habang naglalakad siya papalapit sa kinauupuan ko.
Nang tuluyan na siyang makalapit ay nakatitig pa rin siya sa akin kaya inilihis ko ang aking tingin. I was almost lost with his deep brown eyes. Kaya bigla-bigla na lamang akong napatayo. Mas matangkad siya sa akin. Hanggang dibdib lang niya ako kaya itinaas ko ang ulo ko para magkapantay kami ng tingin.
And of course, his signature messy hair.
“Mauveine, it’s nice to see you again.” He said to me. Sabi iyon ng lalaking gustong ipakasal sa akin ni dad.
“It’s y-you, Mikael.” halos nauutal kong sabi sa kanya.
“It’s okay.” Panimula niya. “I’m willing to love you…”
Sa sinabi niyang iyon ay biglang nagwala ang puso ko.
Love agad?! Nahihibang na ba siya o ano?
It’s for the sake of me and our empire I can’t say no, but it does not mean that I don’t have the rights to say of what I truly feel.
“But I am unwilling to love you!”
CHAPTER 1 Nakailang buntong-hininga na ako mula pa kanina. Seeing this annoying jerk in front of me did not help either. Bakit nga ba siya nandito? Mukhang mas lalong masisira pa ang araw ko dahil sa presensiya niya. Nang tuluyan na siyang humarap sa akin ay parang gusto ko ng maglaho. Itinuon nito ang tingin sa akin ay hindi agad ako nakapagsalita. His annoying smirk showed off and I rolled my eyes at him. “Why are you here, Mister Mikael Valiente?” mataray kong tanong sa kanya. He handed me a syllabus. Nagdalawang-isip pa nga ako kung tatanggapin ko iyon, pero sa huli ay kinuha ko pa rin. I heard him murmuring about something, but I shrugged it off. Nang suriin ko itong mabuti ay doon ko napansin na kapareho ito ng ibinigay sa akin ni Head Mistress. I squinted my eyes to the bottom part of the paper. Iyong bahagi lang naman ang hindi pamilyar sa akin. Mikael Jarren Valiente Mauveine Zelliana Arellano Napaawang ang bibig ko nang mabasa ko iyon ng tuluyan. Isa lang naman ang ibi
CHAPTER 2“Head Mistress Marthana called me earlier, Mauveine.”Nanlumo ako sa sinabing iyon ni dad. Yumuko at ipinikit ko na lamang nang mariin ang aking mga mata. Mas lalong bumigat ang paghinga ko dahil roon.Agad kong naalala ang sinabi sa akin ni Head Mistress na hindi raw ito makararating kay dad. And here we are, Head Mistress was a liar after all. Isinantabi ko muna iyon dahil mayroon pa akong dapat problemahin. Dad is now disappointed at me.“You had a fight with… someone named Anastasia?” he slammed his hands against the table.I almost jumped out of what dad did. I did not expect that. I curled my fingers immediately because it was already trembling.“I just defended my best friend Shaia, dad…” halos hindi ko na maibuka nang maayos ang aking bibig.“I don’t care! You shouldn’t have yourself involved in that situation!” hindi ako makapaniwala sa sinabi niyang iyon. He knows that I’ve been good friends with Shaia since we were seven. Hearing that from him feels like he doesn’
CHAPTER 3I was dead silent as the woman helped me to wear this dress.I can’t believe I’m wearing this.Nang tignan ko ang sarili kong repleksyon sa salamin ay doon ko napansin ang desenyo nito. I’m currently wearing a long-sleeve lace dress with pearl accents. I traced the intricate design of the gown with my fingers, and I could tell this must have cost much.At kahit anong iginanda ng wedding dress na ito ay hindi-hindi maikukubli nito ang pagtutol ko sa kasal.“It looks so good on you! You’ll have my best wishes to your wedding, Madame.” The woman said cheerfully to me.“Thank you.” Mahinang sagot ko sa kanya. Only if this woman knew, I’m marrying a jerk. But I can’t. I can’t tell everybody that this was just an arranged marriage for convenience. Iyon kasi ang sabi ni dad sa akin. It would cause another scandal if the mass would know that we’re marrying for the sake of our company.Pero alam to ng malapit kong kaibigan na sina Shaia at Deanne. They were so shocked too. The two ev
CHAPTER 4Mas malawak ngunit simple pa sa inaasahan ko ang reception ng kasal. Mula sa kinauupuan ko rito sa harapan ay kitang-kita ko ang kabuuan nito.We’re in the middle of a meadow filled with flowers. White carpet was laid all over the venue. Silver Chiavari chairs with mint green sashes were placed with round tables covered with white cloth. There were also bouquets of flowers place in the middle of the tables.This is an open venue. I think that it’s already 2pm in the afternoon. The sun was not quite harsh, it was bright enough to make this field alive yet not enough to burn our skin. The breeze was calm as if it anticipates our celebration for this afternoon. The weather was perfect because it doesn’t show any chances of raining.Nakita ko ang sunod-sunod na pagdating ng mga bisita. It was evident when fancy cars started to occupy the lot, nearby. Karamihan sa kanila ay ang mga kaibigan ni mom at dad pati na rin ang mga kaibigan ng mga magulang ni Mikael.Sinalubong sila nila
CHAPTER 5I woke up when I felt streaks of sunlight caressed my face. I also heard the birds chirping from the window. Dahan-dahan akong bumangon mula sa aking pagkakahiga at agad na inayos ang buhok ko. I walked towards the bathroom area while I let out a yawn.Naghilamos muna ako at inayos ang aking sarili bago lumabas nang tuluyan sa banyo.Doon ko napagtanto na hindi ko pala ito kwarto!“Good morning, Zelliana.” Sabi ng kung sinong may baritonong boses. That made me jump. Who the hell I am with?! And how dare him call me by my second name?Tumingin ako ng diretso sa kanya. I was about to panic but it was just…Him. It was Mikael.He was wearing a white tank top and long black pants. At kahit na nakatayo lamang siya sa harapan ko ay para siyang nagmo-modelo. I must admit that his physique is way manly than his age. He’s two years older than me. He is twenty, while I’m eighteen. Not to mention that he has such a handsome face, I really can’t argue with that.Vivid memories flashed f
CHAPTER 6What the hell?The woman kissed Mikael on his cheek.Do they have a relationship or something? The woman only showed her silly face of which made Mikael's eyebrows to meet."Zaida! Stop it."Kilala pala siya ni Mikael. Now the only thing I’m wondering is their relationship. Magkaano-ano nga ba sila? Pero hindi ko pa rin alam ang gagawin ko. I was just rooted at my place.Then the woman faced me, wearing her silly smile. Nanatili siyang nakatitig sa akin. It was just a matter of seconds when something hits her realization."Oh, my goodness! You must be Mauveine Arellano, right?" iniayos niya ang kanyang postura at agad na napabitaw kay Mikael. Tuluyan niya na rin akong nilapitan. Muntik pa nga siyang matapilok.Napatango na lamang ako sa tanong niya. Her expression immediately turned bright."I'm Zaida Valiente, and I'm Mikael's cousin." My jaw dropped open by what she has said.I thought she was his lover or what. Muntik na nga akong masuka sa pinag-iisip ko.I was about to
CHAPTER 7 After I took a bath and got dressed, Zaida’s words still managed to cross my mind. “Mikael’s mother had an affair with another man years back, and that caused his indecent history with girls. Mikael couldn’t even stand his mother, that he moved out of their house right after he knew about it. His relationship with his mother was not the same as it was before, until now. I know, it’s not a reason for him to be a jerk because it was clearly his choice… but please do take a little amount of consideration for my cousin, Mauveine. I don’t want to see him that wrecked again…” I pulled my hair out of frustration. That explains pretty much everything.The day when I formally met Mikael’s parents, he was literally distant to his mother. Ni hindi ko nakita na nag-uusap sila o nagkatabi man lang ng upo. He must have been so hurt of what happened. But Zaida was right. Mikael’s actions are no longer anyone’s fault because it was his choice. I don’t know if he feels satisfied with girl
CHAPTER 8Napabitaw kami sa pagkakayakap sa isat-isa nang tumunog ang phone ko.Wait---- What the hell just happened?!It was a relief that the phone call made an escape to ease the awkwardness between us.I couldn’t see Mikael’s face because he looked on the other side, while massaging his nape.I could feel my cheeks heating up, so I turned my back on him. Ni hindi ko mahawakan ng maayos ang phone ko. Medyo natagalan pa nga ako sa pagsagot ng kung sinong tumatawag sa’kin dahil roon. I glanced back to my phone, and it revealed the caller.It was Mikael’s mom.Could timings get any worse?I excused myself to Mikael and he let me be. Naglakad na agad ako patungo sa balcony. I let go a heavy and deep sigh before answering the call.“Hello Tita Valeen, yes this is Mauveine.”There was no answer on the other line. Nang dumungaw ako mula rito sa balcony ay nakita ko ang dalawang itim na SUV. Don’t tell me…“Mauveine? Could you please welcome us? I’m sorry for the sudden visit, honey.”I pl