Lahat ng Kabanata ng 9 Muses Series #1: Anchored Hearts: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

"What? Nasaan kayo? Pupunta ako. Is Mel's fine?" Nanginginig kong tanong. Lumakad ako palayo sa kanila, pero ramdam kong sinusundan ako ni Thaddeus na hinayaan ko nalang.Suddenly, as I turned a corner, I was confronted by my father. His face was a mask of fury, his eyes blazing with anger. Before I could react, he delivered a harsh slap across my face, sending my phone skittering into the sea. The sting and shock of the blow made my tears spill uncontrollably.The pain was not just physical but emotional, compounded by the weight of my father’s rage. I stood there, trembling, my heart pounding with a mix of guilt and confusion. Was this the moment I had been bracing myself for, Cali?"What did you do, Cali?!" my father roared, his voice echoing off the walls. "Why did you hide everything from me?! Era’s pregnant and missing?! And Mel too?! Damn it, Calliope! You had your siblings with you, but you couldn’t even keep a proper watch over them?!" His anger was palpable, and every word c

Nasa private plane na ako, kasama si Lia at Ali pabalik ng Miami para sa trabahong naiwan namin nang umuwi kami dito sa Pilipinas. As I making myself comfortable, my phone rang, expecting a call from Thaddeus, but the name flashed on the screen was Monica."Yes, Monica?" I answered, trying to sound cheerful despite my exhaustion."M-Miss Cali... Urania..." Monica's voice trembled. I frowned, sensing something was wrong."What happened to Urania, Monica?" I asked, concern edging my tone. I began to open my laptop to go through some documents, trying to maintain focus.There was a prolonged silence from Monica's end, filled with heavy, uneven breathing. I could feel my anxiety rising. "Spill, Monica. I don't have much time to stay on the phone talking with you," I said, trying to stay calm."Miss Cali... Urania is sinking."Halos gumuho ang mundo ko nang marinig kong lumulubog ang Urania. How could this happen? We had checked and rechecked everything before setting sail. The Urania was

"Cali, kailangan mo munang magpahinga, you can't overwork yourself." Nag-aalalang sabi ni mommy tsaka kinuha si Anchor saakin. Kakagising lang ni mommy dahil kinukusot niya pa ang mata niya nang pumasok siya sa kwarto namin ni Anchor."Mom, I can manage, isa pa, sabado naman bukas. Walang pasok." Pagdadahilan ko. Kakauwi ko lang galing trabaho. Sobrang nakakapagod dahil ang dami kong kinakailangang asikasuhin dahil sa nangyari sa Urania nitong pitong buwan ng nakakalipas.The compensation to the passengers and to the staffs are still on-going. We actually losing million dollar for the accident, but still, we need to provide them the excellence that our company provides.We have to. Para bumalik ang tiwala nila sa cruise ships namin. It was also reported by the first mate that the monitor has been off, reason that they can clearly see what's going on while taking the route.Still, it's been mysterious to us why it happened. The engineers and even Thaddeus, checked it multiple times bef

THADDEUS DELA VERAI stared blankly at the ocean, where the waves crashed fiercely against the shore. Despite the chaos of the sea, I found a strange comfort in its power. The night was dark, but the moon’s light was so bright that it outshone the stars.The cold breeze brushed against my skin, and I felt a tightness in my chest that I couldn’t quite understand. The calm of the night contrasted with the turmoil inside me, making the moment feel both peaceful and unsettling.“Thad,” I heard a voice and turned to see Jasmine approaching. She wore a thin fabric that barely covered her, shivering slightly in the cold.She sat on my lap, placing her hands on my shoulders, and leaned her head against my chest. “What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice soft.“Nagpapahangin. Ikaw?” sagot ko, halata ang pag-aalala para sa kanya. “Malamig na ah. Sobrang nipis pa ng sinuot mo, magkakasakit ka niyan.”Jasmine lifted her gaze, a hint of surprise in her eyes. She grinned and leaned closer. “A

THADDEUS DELA VERAIlang linggo na ang nakakalipas, pero natotorpe parin akong kasaupin sa Cali. Paano, laging death glare ang binibigay saakin kapag ako ang may pinakamataas na score sa quiz. Hindi naman ako nakikipagkompetensya sa kanya, sadyang nakakabisado ko lang talaga kaagad ang mga lessons kahit na hindi na ako nagrereview.Lumabas ako para sa lunch kasama ang barkada, kasama rin namin si Zen at Lila, pero si Cali ay nagpaiwan sa loob at nagbabasa ng notes dahil may quiz kami mamaya.Naaawa akong makita siyang ganon dahil tingin ko pinipilit niya ang sarili niyang mag-aral kahit na feel ko talaga na ayaw niya, na para bang may nakapatong sa kanyang balikat na sobrang bigat. At kapag binagsak niya ang mga balikat niya, ay parang ikakabagsak niya rin iyon.May baon akong dala, pero bumili parin ako ng clubhouse sandwich at strawberry milk na lagi kong nakikitang binibili ni Cali para sa kanya. Kahit nabasawan man ang perang baon ko ay okay lang para rin naman kay Cali iyon.Naun