CHAPTER 13 - CONFESSION
“S-Sir..”
“I like you, Ms. Raven.”
“I-I think sir, nasobrahan po kayo sa alak. I guess you should stop drinking.”
“I'm not drunk. I like you, for real.”
“B-But.. How? You have someone to marry. Besides, you love someone right?”
“About Kierra, I only sees her as my sister. I won't marry her. And about Shaira, gusto kong makamove on na ikaw ang kasama.”
“Pero, hindi ba parang sinasabi mo na, you just need me to move on?”
“No, what I mean is, gusto kong ayusin ang buhay ko. I don't want to live in the past anymore, but kasama ka. I want you to stay beside me, as a secretary or as a lover.”
“Sir, I think you're rushing things here.”
“Oh, am I? Then let's date. Know me more, and develop feelings for me, I will wait for you. I won't stop confessing to you hangga't hindi kita napapasabi ng oo.”
“But—”
“No buts, I won't accept no. Take responsible, you made me fall for you, so saluhin mo 'ko.”
“Sir..”
“Now, anong oras ang meeting ko?”
“9:30 sir, with American investors.”
“Hmm, it's 9:11, let's go.”
Pagsakay ko sa kotse, wala ang driver niya.
“Hey, Ms. Lumina hindi 'to taxi. Sit on the passenger sit.”
“Where's the dri—”
“I want to drive my car from now on.”
Lumipat ako sa passenger seat, at bigla niyang binilisan ang pagmamaneho.
“Sir! Bagalan mo lang baka maaksidente tayo!”
“Okay.” lalo niya pa binilisan, nang iinis talaga.
“Sir! Bagalan mo lang!” nauuntog na ko kanina pa sa sobrang bilis niya magpatakbo.
At imbis na sa meeting place kami mapunta, nag drive siya sa isang restaurant. At ang malala pa do'n, ito ang restaurant kung sa'n kami kumain dati. Bigla niyang hinila ang upuan, sign para umupo ako.
“Sir, baka malate po tayo sa meeting.”
“Hindi pa 'ko nag b-breakfast e, let me eat first.”
“But you can still eat habang nagmemeeting kayo ng—”
“Shh, you're so clueless. Of course this is a date, our first date.”
“Sir, this isn't the time for our date.” nagulat ako ng napakaraming pagkain ang nilagay sa harapan ko.
“Pa'no mo mauubos lahat yan?! 9:20 na!”
“Finally, you came back. I love it when you raise your voice to your boss.”
“W-What do you mean? Gan'to ako lagi. At saka sino bang hindi magagalit e mahalagang meeting 'yon.”
“You feel nervous kanina right? Because of what happened that night.” hindi na lang ako sumagot, halata pala na sobra ang kaba ko.
“Don't worry Ms. Raven, I won't feel embarassed about what happened. But I must say sorry dahil ginawa ko 'yon sayo. I want to take it slow, let's get to know each other, and decide if you want to be my official girlfriend or not.”
“Pero, you have to marry Kierra.”
“I can break through it. By the way, ilang taon ka na?”
“23, sir.”
“Oh, I'm 28.”
“I know.”
“Hmm? How did you know?”
“Huh? Uhm.. Of course everyone knows that kasi sikat ka, haha..”
Muntik na ko madulas, of course I know it kasi 23 ka nung nasa Hope University ka.
“So, 5 years gap.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you have any siblings?”
“Yes, Luna Raven.”
“What's the name of your mother and father?”
“Lucio Raven and Selena Raven, wait why am I answering your questions? hindi naman 'to interview.”
“Where are they now?”
“My mother died just after a month when my sibling was born, and yung papa ko retired na sa pagt-trabaho.”
“Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.”
“She died on a car accident.”
“Oh.. The same as her.”
“Sir, malapit na mag 9:30, let's go na.”
“Oh sige na nga tara na.”
Habang nasa meeting siya, tinitignan ko lang ang oras, it's 23rd so anniversary of death ng mama ko. 4:00 PM pa naman ako pupunta, pero tiyak na nauna ng pumunta sina papa.
“Ms. Raven, let's go.”
I lead the way and bumalik kami sa office, agad na 'kong nagpaalam na maaga akong uuwi mamaya.
“Sir.”
“Yes?”
“Pwede po bang maaga matapos work ko? Mga 3:30 PM?”
“Why? May lakad ka ba? Or date? Kung date yan hindi pwede.”
“Anniversary ng pagkamatay ng mama ko.”
“Oh, kakabanggit lang natin kanina. Hmm, gusto ko sumama. Can I go with you?”
“Sir? Sigurado ka ba? You still have meetings hanggang gabi.”
“I checked it earlier and hindi naman importante mga meetings mamaya. So let's go together okay?”
“O-Okay if you say so.”
Meetings after meetings, lunch and maaga ako nag out sa work. Tinawagan ko si papa kung nakapunta na sila and as I expected nakapunta na sila kaninang tanghali. So I guess ako na lang ang pupunta, oh, kasama ko pala siya.
He bought beautiful flowers for my mother, every act of him makes my heart beat faster.
“Ma, andito na 'ko.”
“Hello po sa inyo Mrs. Raven. Ako nga po pala ang nanliligaw sa anak niyo at boss niya.”
Thyrone's POV
Parehas kaming umupo sa damuhan, she keeps talking and talking, nagk-kwento ng mga pangyayari sa pamilya nila.
“By the way sir.”
“Yes?”
“Where's your mom?”
“She's dead, suicide, because of my father.”
“Oh, I'm sorry.”
“No, it's okay. I kinda miss her, but hindi na gano'n kasakit.”
“I guess, we only both have our fathers.”
“Atleast you can call your father a real father, I can only call my father hmm, someone who owns me?”
“He's still your father.”
“Yeah, but only by blood, the bond? No.”
“By the way, it's 6:00 PM na pala sir. Let's go?”
“Sure.”
Pagkatayo namin, tinignan ko ulit ang libingan ng mama niya, when the date of her death caught my attention.
“July 23, 2012? That's the same day that Shaira died.”
“Oh, really sir?”
“I guess, we really have connections.”
“I guess.”
“Let's go.”
When I got home, nasa bahay ko nanaman ang papa ko.
“Why are you here again?”
“Kierra said you were in love with your secretary?”
“Nareport niya na pala sayo ang lahat.”
“Just marry her.”
“No, I want Lumina not Kierra.”
“Lumina, Lumina Raven. She's a beautiful secretary besides mataas ang pinag aralan. But her family is below our level, the lowest. So I can't accept her as my daughter-in-law.”
“Hindi na mahalaga kung tatanggapin mo siya o hindi, wala kang karapatan.”
“Should I do again what I did? To make you marry Kierra?”
“Dad! Hindi ka pa ba pagod?! You took two persons from me! Hindi ka pa ba tapos?! I lived the way you want, so please tumigil ka na.”
“Mahalagang hindi ako makulong, son! Mahalaga na hindi malaman ng publiko na pumatay ako ng tao.”
“Just, get out.”
“Napakahirap mo kausap.”
Kierra's POV
“Siguro sa oras na ito ay magkausap na sila ng dad niya, I can manipulate his dad as much as I want to, just to make him go to me. Just for this video, halos magpakamatay sa kakamakaawa ang tatay niya na pakasalan ako. So easy to manipulate.” sabi ko sa sarili ko habang pinapanood ang video ng cam ng kotse na ginamit ng tatay niya, when suddenly, may nakita akong kakaiba.
“Hmm? May kasunod pa pala 'to? Hindi ko nga pala natapos 'tong video nung kinuha ko.” as I forward it, another person is on the video, it's a woman, looks like on her 30's.
Bigla nila itong binangga.
“What?! He murdered another person?!”