Chapter 005

THE NEXT MORNING IN JAMES’S HOTEL ROOM

I was startled awake by the the nonstop ring from my cellphone. I clutched my head, feeling as if it were splitting from the intense pain, I was shocked when I turned to my side and saw a man next to me. I immediately glanced at my body, which was hidden beneath the comforter, and sighed in relief when I saw that I was still clothed.

“Ohhhh Kate, what kind of stupidity did you get into last night?!” I whispered to myself as I lightly hit my head. To be honest, I couldn’t remember anything from last night. I had no idea how I ended up in this man’s room. The last thing I remembered was being alone at the Beach Front Bar, drowning myself in alcohol.

I moved slowly and got out of bed. I didn’t want to make any noise so I wouldn’t wake the man beside me. I didn’t want him to see me, especially since I didn’t even know who he was. I glanced at him again, seeing him deep in sleep. One by one, I picked up my sandals and small bag and quietly left the VIP SUITE room. I looked around to make sure no one saw me, adjusted my appearance, and walked away without looking back down the hallway.

I called my younger brother back to ask why he had been calling me nonstop. Though I was irritated, I couldn’t ignore him or my parents, especially after what George told me.

THE DAY OF CHAOS IN OIR HOUSE

GEORGE:

We all stared at each other. Me, Mom, and Dad when I opened the door to the person who had rung the doorbell. Mom and Dad, who were having coffee that morning on our veranda, stood up in shock. None of us expected that Kate would arrive today. She had mentioned several times that she would be coming to the Philippines for a vacation, but she never told us the exact date or time. We were all surprised when she suddenly showed up.

“Surprise!” Kate shouted when I opened the gate for her. “You’ve gotten so big, little brother! It’s only been two years, and you’re already taller than me!” (Ate Kate handed me her suitcase and ran toward Mom and Dad.) “Mom! Dad!” (She hugged them, but she seemed to notice the signals that Dad and I were exchanging. Dad was motioning for me to go up to Charlotte’s room to tell her about Kate’s presence.) “Why don’t you guys seem excited to see me? Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?!” Kate said, half-jokingly.

“Ahhhh Kate, why didn’t you tell us you were arriving today? We could have picked you up at the airport!” Mom stammered.

“Of course, it’s a surprise, Mom. What kind of surprise is it if you tell people beforehand?” (She entered the house.) “Hmmmmm, I missed our house.” (She added.) “By the way, Dad, where’s Charlotte? Don’t tell me she’s still asleep? What time is it?! Wait, I’ll go wake her up!” Kate said, heading directly to Charlotte’s room.

“Wait, Kate!” Mom shouted. She was about to stop her, but Kate had already gone upstairs, as if she couldn’t hear anything anymore, and entered Charlotte’s room.

We all followed Kate upstairs, but it was too late. She found Charlotte still lying in bed with Michael, cuddled together. Chaos erupted in our house. As much as I was angry, I couldn’t do anything because Dad would always scold me whenever I suggested telling Kate about what was happening with Charlotte. Their reason was always that we shouldn’t inform her because she might stop sending us money and might refuse to help process Michael’s documents so he could work on a ship.

There was a heated argument between Kate and Mom. I couldn’t blame Kate for being so upset with us, and honestly, I also disagreed with how Dad kept enabling Charlotte. We couldn’t stop Kate from leaving the house; she left behind her big suitcase, bringing only her carry-on and a small bag as she got into a taxi. I couldn’t catch up to her because the taxi sped off as soon as she left.

“That Kate is insolent! Now she learned to talk back. Arthur, you shouldn’t let her treat us like this. She thinks she’s somebody just because she got a good job!” Mom angrily said to Dad.

Dad pointed at Michael. “You, you better fix this! You need to marry Charlotte right away before you board the ship so you don’t get insulted by Kate anymore!” Dad angrily shouted at Michael.

“Dad, why does it seem like its Kate’s fault? She’s the one who was wronged by this jerk!” I said, pointing at Michael with frustration.

“You, George, you’re just as hard-headed. You always like to interfere. Don’t add to Charlotte’s distress. You know she’s pregnant, and stress might harm the baby.” Dad scolded me angrily. Meanwhile, Charlotte was crying, and Mom was comforting her.

“Don’t worry, Uncle. I’ll do everything I can to marry Charlotte as soon as possible. I already have all the documents and training done, so I’ll make sure to add Charlotte to my Alote. All that’s left is to wait for my boarding schedule, as I’ve already passed the interview,” Michael, that jerk, said.

I stormed into my room and slammed the door shut behind me, locking it with force.