3

ENZO

“Not a chance in hell,” ang mariing sagot konung imungkahi ni Alejandro na ibigay yung project sa Santos & Villareal Architects.

“Hindi mo nagustuhan yung proposal?” tanong ni Matteo while he plopped down hard on one of the sofas in the office.

“Narinig ko na napakaganda rin naman ito.” Hinaplos ni Alejandro yung document with his finger. “At based on what I’m seeing here, sila mismo yung kailangan natin.”

Yung part na “sila mismo yung kailangan natin” nagpaalala sa akin nung pumasok si Maris sa meeting room earlier.

The second I recognized her, bumalik sa isip ko yung night sa hotel room ko—kung paano gumalaw yung katawan niya under me, and yung sounds of pleasure niya that almost sounded surprised when I first started moving inside her.

Pinilit kong alisin yung memory na ‘yon while I leaned back on the soft leather chair and crossed my ankles, trying to stay focused.

“May ilang magagandang proposals naman.”

“Pero wala ni isa man sa kanila ang kasinghusay ng Santos & Villareal Architects.”

Hinaplos ko yung baba ko. Tama siya. Pero because Maris was part of it, nag-aalinlangan akong piliin sila.

Sa laki ng lungsod ng Makati, gaano ba kalaki yung chance na yung girl I spent one night with and her team would apply for this exact project?

When we met, sure na they were already working on their proposal. Meaning, malamang alam na niya kung sino ako from the start.

Baka ginawa lang niya lahat ng ‘yon para makuha ako. After all, hindi lang napakalaking amount yung makukuha ng company nila if they got chosen—it was also a huge chance for a new architect to make a name for herself.

If she thought I’ll give their group special treatment just because of what happened between us, she was wrong.

“Enzo!” tawag-pansin ni Alejandro, and I snapped my eyes to him.

“Ano?” mariin ko ring sagot.

“Nasaan ba yung isip mo?” tanong niya while standing up. “Magdesisyon ka na agad.”

“Magdedesisyon ako before the end of tomorrow.”

Tumango siya nang maikli and walked out of the office, kasama si Matteo, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Pinindot ko yung intercom.

“Gabriel, kailangan kong gumawa ka ng report about the LEED certification status of hotels near our projects. L-E-E-D. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Makikita mo yung details sa website ng Philippines Green Building Council.”

Tumango si Gabriel. “Sige po, sir. Kailan niyo po kailangan?”

“Before the end of today.”

“Gagawin ko po. Just to be clear—gusto niyo po ba yung info about all hotels near our projects, or yung mga similar lang sa balak nating itayo?”

“For now, doon tayo sa mga similar sa balak nating itayo. Maaari ka ring kumuha ng data about other sustainability initiatives they’re doing? Isama mo na rin yung any major certifications or awards they’ve received.”

“Naiintindihan ko po. Simulan ko na po agad.”

Sumandal ako sa chair and searchedfor Santos & Villareal Architects on my laptop.

Napakaganda ang reputation nila, and they have offices in different countries. Pero more than that, gusto kong malaman how someone like Maris reached that level. She mentioned she interned there, pero paano siya naging part of the team handling a project this big?

Nakita ko yung picture and info niya below. Unlike the other architects, wala pa siyang major projects under her name. If they got chosen, malaking bagay ito for her career.

Umiling ako slowly.

Hindi maaaring hindi niya sadyang hinanap ako.

At mayroon ding si Miguel. Her ex, I assumed—because she said he was a coworker. She said they weren’t together anymore, pero napansin ko how Miguel’s hand rested on her back as they left, and how he leaned in to whisper to her.

O baka part rin ‘yon ng kasinungalingan?

Wala namang point ang lahat ng ‘yon right now.

Hindi dapat makaimpluwensya yung feelings sa decision na ‘to. Negosyo lang ito, and tila sila talaga yung best fit. Pero lilinawin ko nang mabuti na hindi ko tatanggapin any kind of manipulation.

And if she thought I’ll invite her back to my bed, she’ll find out soon enough how wrong she was.