Kabanata 2

She was right. I changed my mind.

Well—maybe not completely. It's not that I suddenly want love, a man, or a relationship. I still don’t. What changed… is that I want a child. My own child. Someone who shares my blood, my DNA. Someone who comes from me.

Magbabago talaga ang thoughts mo kapag nakaapak ka ng syudad. May syudad naman sa Visayas kaso iba sa Makati. Everything is different. Makati is different. Everything here feels faster, louder, more tempting. There's something in the air that makes you question the life you've always known.

Take tonight, for example.

I’m attending an event I wouldn’t normally be caught dead in. One of my older brother’s close friends invited him, but since Kuya couldn’t make it, guess who got volunteered to go in his place?

Yup. Me.

I’ve attended events before—graduations, seminars, school conferences. But this? This is something else entirely.

It’s extravagant. Lavish. The kind of affair that practically drips with money. Turns out, it’s a charity gala filled with the country’s top businessmen and powerful politicians. People who wear wealth like perfume.

Ano gagawin ko rito?

I roam my eyes.

Everyone are busy. Lahat sila may kausap, sipping expensive wine and laughing politely at jokes I probably wouldn’t understand. No one notices me—and honestly, I’m fine with that.

The lights dim slightly, and the host steps up to the stage to announce the main highlight of the evening.

The auction.

Tahimik lang ako sa tabi. I remain seated at the side, playing the part of the quiet observer. Polite applause. An occasional nod. That’s all I contribute.

Item after item is paraded in front of the crowd—vintage wines, jewelry, rare art. The bids rise quickly: ten million, twenty, thirty-five...

Then, the next item is unveiled—a painting. The kind that makes you stop and stare even if you don’t understand art. There’s something about it… the colors, the emotion, the silence it commands.

And then, a voice cuts through the room.

“Fifty million.”

Low. Cold. Commanding.

Halos tumigil ako sa paghinga. Umawang ang labi ko. Yan na ata ang pinakamataas na bidding ang narinig ko ngayong gabi. All heads turn toward the man who said it—but mine was already looking.

Tall. Striking. His presence feels heavier than the chandelier above us. He doesn’t smile, doesn’t blink. Just sits there like the world belongs to him.

Umiwas ako ng tingin. May kakaiba eh. Kahit hindi klaro sa paningin ang mukha niya, I can sense pa rin.

I stared at the painting.

Kung sabagay kahit ako, I might’ve bid on that painting too. But now, I’m more interested in the man who just bought it.

I don’t know why, but something about this moment feels... pivotal. Like something’s about to happen.

Something will happen.

Because tonight, I met him.

And this—this was just the beginning.

Everything is blurry for me. Medyo nalasing ako sa alak nila, lalo na’t hindi naman ako sanay uminom—kahit wine pa ’yan. Usually, tubig lang at calamansi juice ang ka-table ko sa mga events sa probinsya.

I don’t even remember how many glasses I had. Isa? Dalawa? Apat? Basta ang alam ko, tumatawa na ako mag-isa, and things started spinning.

People were still mingling, but everything felt... slow. Like I was watching a movie in soft focus.

Then I felt a hand on my lower back. Gentle, but firm.

"Are you alright?"

A deep voice. Low. Calm. Familiar.

I turned, blinking up at the man beside me. And there he was—him.

Poseidon Atticus Koznetzov.

He looked even more intimidating up close. Suot niya ang dark navy suit na parang tailor-made lang para sa kanya. His jawline was sharp, his eyes unreadable, but his voice? It was surprisingly warm.

“Uhm…” I swallowed, trying to pull myself together. “Okay lang. Medyo hilo lang. First time ko sa ganito…”

He chuckled, the sound rich and deep. “I can tell.”

My cheeks flushed. Not sure if it was the wine or pure embarrassment.

“I should probably sit down,” I mumbled, but before I could move, he already held out his arm.

“Let me,” he said.

I hesitated. My mind was screaming don’t trust strangers, billionaires don’t just talk to random women, and this is not part of your plan. But my feet? My feet had other plans.

I took his arm.

Next thing I knew, we were walking away from the noise, through a private hallway, and into a quieter lounge area. Malamig sa loob. Tahimik. Dim lights, soft jazz in the background.

He handed me a glass of cold water. I sipped it gratefully, trying to focus, but I could feel his eyes on me.

“Are you here alone?” he asked, casually.

I nodded slowly. “Supposed to be my brother’s spot… pero hindi siya nakapunta. Ako ’yung pinadala.”

“Lucky me then,” he said with a small smirk.

I looked at him, confused. “Why?”

He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “Because I wouldn’t have noticed anyone else… if it weren’t you.”

My heart stuttered. Was it the alcohol? The setting? Or him?

But the next part? That’s the blur.

All I remember is his hand reaching for mine… the way his voice dropped when he said something I couldn’t even recall… and then—

Darkness.