Chapter 2

Alora’s POV

ILANG sandali akong tulala bago ko naibalik sa reyalidad ang aking isip. Napasinghap ako nang mamalayan na abot-kamay ko na si Draven. It’s the first time I see him this close. I saw him once, but way too far to memorize every detail of his handsome face.

Now, I feel he’s a stranger.

“Draven, take your fiancée away before she ruins my engagement completely!” ani Marga kay Draven na tuluyang nagbalik ng galit sa aking puso, na pansamantalang pinakalma ng presensiya ni Draven.

“Shut up, woman! Who do you think you are to command me, huh?” paasik na tugon ni Draven kay Marga.

His voice sounds like a powerful king of beasts that instantly stopped the murmurs from the crowd. I saw Marga’s face turn pale. Her mouth closed urgently, swallowing hard as if she were afraid to let out a single word that might offend Draven Richmoore.

Ako mismo ay hindi na makapagsalita dahil sa impact ng aura ni Draven. Hindi ko akalaing ganoon kalakas ang dating niya, na para bang lahat ng taong nakakasalubong niya ay awtomatikong mapapayuko.

I lowered my head to avoid his gaze, but I was stunned when Draven stepped towards me. He’s now inches away from me. I could feel his body’s heat, especially the fire in his eyes, which were now fixed on my face.

Napakislot ako nang hawakan niya ang aking baba at banayad na inangat ang aking mukha. And when our eyes met, my heart suddenly pounded. I don’t know what it means. Maybe it’s fear－fear of being trapped in Draven’s arms, and I have no way out.

“Let’s go back to your own engagement party, Alora. Stop wasting your time here. No one cares about your tantrum.” ani Draven sa malamig na tinig.

Bumuka ang aking bibig ngunit walang katagang lumaya. I can’t even move. Pumiksi ako nang walang warning ay bigla akong binuhat ni Draven. Naikawit ko ang aking mga kamay sa kan’yang batok sa takot na ako’y mahulog.

Then, he started walking out of the reception. I can’t help it, but I set my eyes on Draven’s serious face. Staring at him this close made my heart beat erratically. It’s odd. I’ve known this man for ages as Danzon’s brother, but it never crossed my mind to end up like this, to get this close to him.

Before, seeing Draven Richmoore in person was a total stroke of luck. Even though he’s Danzon’s older brother, I don’t have a chance to talk to him. He’s beyond my imagination. But this time, I felt I was played by fate.

Nang maalala ko si Danzon ay bumalik ang kirot sa aking puso. Humigpit ang kapit ng isang kamay ko sa batok ni Draven. Napaiyak na naman ako at isinubsob ko ang aking mukha sa matipunong dibdib ni Draven. Hanggang sa napahagulgol na ako.

“Stop crying. Your tears won’t change everything,” Draven uttered.

Bumilis ang paghakbang niya hanggang sa nakabalik kami sa ballroom hall. Bumalik din ang aking takot nang maalala na si Draven na ang aking fiance. Nagpumiglas ako sa kan’yang bisig at ibinaba naman niya ako sa sahig.

Iniwan ko na si Draven at tumakbo ako kay Lolo Wilfredo, na tatay ng aking ama. Lumuklok ako sa silyang katabi niya.

“Lo, wala po ba kayong magagawa para matigil ang kasal ko kay Draven? Danzon is my fiancé, but he betrayed me!” lumuluha pa ring saad ko.

Umalon ang dibdib ni Lolo Wilfredo. Umiling siya at banayad na hinaplos ang aking kamay na nakakapit sa kan'yang kanang braso.

“Apo, alam kong masama ang loob mo, pero wala na talaga akong magagawa. Matanda na ako at hindi ko na kayang mag-handle ng kompanya. Since namatay ang daddy mo, wala ng matinong namamahala sa kompanya. Wala ka rin namang interest, at lahat ng umupong CEO ay umabuso sa posisyon nila. Tama ang daddy mo, walang mapagkakatiwalaan sa loob ng kompanya. So, he talked to the Richmoore family. But he noticed that Danzon was not good at business until he met Draven. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang napagkasunduan nila. Nagulat na lang ako nang biglang sinabi ni Danzon na si Draven na ang pakakasalan mo,” paliwanag ni Lolo.

Lalo akong nanghina. Ngayon ko lang inani lahat ng pagsisisi bakit never akong nagka-interest sa business kahit kaya ko namang gawin.

“Kasalanan ko rin ito, nagbingi-bingihan ako noon Kay daddy. Pero sabi ni Mommy bago siya namatay, hindi ko kailangang pakawalan ang pangarap ko na maging singer basta may katuwang ako sa kompanya. Umasa naman ako kay Danzon kasi nangako siyang tutulungan niya ako.”

“But Danzon’s knowledge wasn’t enough, Alora. Sumandal na rin siya kay Marga na CEO na ngayon ng kompanya ng daddy niya. Wala na rin akong karapatang makialam dahil pinagkatiwala ko na ang dalawang kompanya sa dalawang anak kong lalaki. At ang daddy mo ay sobrang dedicated sa kompanyang pinamana ko sa kan’ya, kaya naghihinayang ako once biglang bumagsak ang CNG Corporation.”

Muli akong humagulgol. “Is there another way to call off this engagement, Grandpa?” pagkuwan ay tanong ko kay Lolo.

Matiim ko siyang tinitigan sa mukha.

Hindi siya sumagot, sa halip ay nag-angat ang kan’yang tingin sa gawing likuran ko.

“It’s too late to quit, Alora. I already signed the business merger agreement with your father before he died. I also prepared the marriage agreement for you to sign later,” ani Draven, na siyang nakatayo sa aking likuran.

Napabalikwas ako ng tayo. “I have nothing to do with the agreement! Dad never mentioned it!” protesta ko.

“Your dad called you many times to settle the business agreement, but you refused to attend the meeting. You’re busy with whatever you did before.”

Natigilan ako nang maalala na ilang beses kong binalewala ang imbitasyon ni Daddy noon para sa meeting. Nabanggit din ni Daddy na may pagbabago sa marriage agreement. I thought that the changes were just about company matters. And I wasn’t aware my fiancé would change, too.

“Kahit na may nabago, I still have the rights to complain! Danzon is the first choise to be my husband, and I picked him myself!” giit ko.

“But where is your Danzon now?”

I swallowed hard as my painful emotions struck again. This time, I have nothing to do to win Danzon back. He betrayed me, and the only thing I can do is to move on. But moving on isn’t reaching my mind yet. I still can’t get over it.

I clenched my fist eagerly.

“Still, I can’t accept this marriage. If I agree, Danzon and Marga will laugh at me because I lose!” nanggagalaiti kong pilit.

Ngunit kaagad din akong natigilan nang lumapit pa sa akin si Draven. His fierce eyes glued to mine, making me freeze for a while.

He lowered his head and whispered in my ear. “Do you really want to live as a loser? Are you letting Draven and Marga mock you and drag you into the agony of betrayal?” he said; his voice sounded like a commanding demon.

My tears suddenly stopped. Draven’s words instantly boosted my confidence to fight back.

“And what do you think I can do?” I asked him desperately.

“Marry me; that’s the strongest weapon you can use to take your enemy down.”

I froze. I stared at him in disbelief.

The most respected business tycoon is now offering me his status to use as my weapon? Pero wala akong choice dahil nakalatag na lahat ng patunay na si Draven ang aking pakakasalan. Kalaunan ay nabuo rin ang aking pasya.

“Fine. I won’t call off the engagement, but about the wedding, I need more time to prepare,” sa wakas ay pasya ko.

Hindi ko manlang nakitaan ng kahit anong emosyon ang mukha ni Draven. Nakatitig lang siya diretso sa aking mga mata. His unreadable face triggered my fear again. This man is someone I should not offend.

“The marriage is not yours to decide, Alora. My schedule is not easy to change, so you’re the one who waits for my free time to take you to the altar. But prepare all your requirements to process the marriage license,” bossy na saad ni Draven.

Magsasalita pa sana ako pero tinalikuran na niya ako. Sinundan ko siya ng tingin na pumanhik sa munting entablado at hiniram ang microphone sa emcee. Sumenyas din ang kamay niya sa akin, pinalalapit ako sa kan’ya.

Naglakad naman ako palapit kay Draven. At nang tumayo ako sa gawing kaliwa niya ay hinawakan niya ang aking kaliwang kamay.

“I apologize for the delay. This engagement will proceed. I don’t have enough time for the party, but I am announcing to everyone that I’m officially engaged to Alora Mendez,” anunsiyo ni Draven.

Hindi ako nakakilos nang may lalaking naka-suit na lumapit at may hawak na pulang velvet box. Binuksan nito iyon. Nanlaki ang aking mga mata nang makita ang singsing na may pink diamond sa tuktok.

Umugong ang bulungan ng mga tao nang makita ang singsing. Dinig ko ang sabi ng iba na nabili ni Draven sa auction ang singsing sa halagang twenty million. Hindi ko siya napigilan nang isuot niya sa aking daliri ang singsing.

I just stared at his serious face intently. People’s loud applause was ringing in my ears. Some people said I was lucky.

Am I really lucky? That question never fades from my mind. I know everything is just for a show. After tonight, I would still face the reality that I was a fool.

I was forced to smile when Draven kissed the back of my hand. Then, he raised his head and stared into my eyes again.

“You’re officially mine now, Alora,” he said in a cold, yet territorial tone.

Mine? Does it mean he’s claiming me?

I blinked, but my throat was blocked by unusual emotions.