Selos sa Palengke

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*Chapter 3:

Selos Sa Palengke*

7 AM.

Elara woke up alone in the king size bed. Wala na si Draven. The other side of the bed was cold, pero naamoy pa rin niya pabango nito.

"Ma'am Elara! Breakfast po!" tawag ni Manang from downstairs.

Bumaba si Elara, wearing the pink dress pa rin. Sa dining table, may note.

> _Wife, I went to Davao for a meeting. I'll be back at 5 PM. Don't go to the market. Manang will buy everything you need. Your husband, Draven._

Elara frowned. "Don't go to the market? Eh paano paninda ko?"

She called Draven. No answer. She called again. Voicemail.

"Hays, kala mo kung sino mag-utos!" inis na sabi ni Elara. So she decided — pupunta pa rin siya sa palengke. Contract lang naman to ah, hindi kulungan!

9 AM, GenSan Public Market.

"Uy Elara! Saan ka galing kahapon? Bigla ka nawala tapos may mayamang lalaki na nagsundo sa'yo!" tanong ni Jonas, her 25-year-old childhood friend who sells fish.

"Wala, may inaayos lang," sagot ni Elara, arranging her new tomatoes that Manang bought.

Jonas smiled, "Ganda mo ngayon ah, may dress ka na. Bagay sa'yo. Parang hindi ka na taga-palengke."

"Thanks Jonas," Elara smiled back. Hindi niya alam, from afar, may black Range Rover na nakaparada.

Draven came back early. 10 AM pa lang, nasa GenSan na siya. He went straight to his mansion, pero wala si Elara. Wala sa garden, wala sa room.

"Manang, nasaan wife ko?" cold na tanong niya.

"Ay Sir, pumunta po sa palengke. Hindi ko po mapigilan—"

Draven's jaw clenched. His eyes became dark. Without saying another word, he drove straight to Bula Public Market.

And there he saw it.

Elara laughing. Smiling at another man. Si Jonas, holding Elara's hand while giving her a fish.

"Para sa'yo to, libre! Para sa nanay mo," sabi ni Jonas.

Elara was about to touch Jonas's hand when—

"What the hell is happening here?"

Lahat napalingon. Draven Valiente was standing there, in his expensive black suit, despite the heat of the palengke. His face was like thunder, his eyes were on Jonas's hand holding Elara's.

Elara gulped. "Draven! Ang aga mo umuwi—"

Draven walked towards them, slowly, every step was dangerous. He looked at Jonas from head to toe.

"Who are you?" tanong ni Draven kay Jonas, his voice super low and cold.

"A-ako po si Jonas, kaibigan ni Elara—"

"Kaibigan?" Draven smirked, but his eyes were not smiling. "And kaibigan holds my wife's hand in public?"

He grabbed Elara's wrist and pulled her away from Jonas, harshly, possessively. He then wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her against his chest in front of everyone in the palengke.

Jonas was shocked, "Wife?! Elara may asawa ka na?!"

Elara wanted to explain, pero Draven spoke first.

"Yes. She is Mrs. Draven Valiente since yesterday. My wife. So from now on, don't you dare touch her, don't you dare smile at her, and don't you dare give her free fish. Dahil lahat ng kailangan ng asawa ko, ako ang magbibigay. Naintindihan mo?"

His voice was loud, parang pinaparinig niya sa buong palengke. Lahat ng tindera nakatingin na. Yung mga suki ni Elara, chismosa na.

"Draven, nasasaktan ako!" bulong ni Elara, trying to remove his tight grip.

Draven looked down at her, his eyes full of jealousy, possessiveness, and something else — fear of losing her.

"Mas nasasaktan ako when I see you smiling at other men, Elara," he whispered, only for her to hear. "I told you, akin ka lang. Why did you disobey me? I told you not to go to the market."

"Kasi hindi mo ako pwedeng ikulong! May buhay pa rin ako!"

"No. Your life is with me now. For one year, you are mine. And I don't like sharing what's mine. Even a smile."

Without waiting for her answer, Draven suddenly did something that made the whole market gasp.

He kissed her.

Right there, in front of Jonas, in front of Aling Nena, in front of all the tomatoes and mangoes, Draven kissed Elara passionately, possessively, as if marking her. His one hand on her waist, the other holding the back of her head, not letting her go.

It was not a sweet kiss. It was a claiming kiss. A "she's mine" kiss.

Elara tried to push him at first — "Draven, may tao!" — pero natunaw din siya. The kiss was angry but also desperate, parang takot si Draven na mawala siya.

When he finally let go, Elara was panting, her lips red, her face super blush.

Jonas was already gone, embarrassed.

Draven looked at her, his forehead touching hers, both breathing hard.

"Next time you smile at another man, I will kiss you harder, in front of more people. Naintindihan mo, wife?"

Elara, despite her anger, felt her knees weaken. This virgin billionaire is super seloso, super possessive, pero bakit kinikilig siya?

"Seloso ka! Virgin ka pa nga, seloso ka na!" sigaw ni Elara, pero mahina lang.

Draven smiled for the first time that morning, a possessive, handsome smile.

"Virgin ako for 34 years, Elara. I saved myself for my wife. And that wife is you. So yes, magiging seloso ako. Dahil ngayon ko lang naramdaman to... and I don't want to lose it."

Then he carried her — bridal style! — in front of everyone, towards his Range Rover, leaving her small stall.

"Draven! Paninda ko!"

"Manang will take care of it. Your place is beside me, not here."

And as he drove her back to the mansion, one hand on the wheel, one hand holding her hand tightly, Elara realized...

Maybe this contract marriage will not be just one year.

Maybe Draven Valiente, the virgin billionaire who hears everything, will never let her go.

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