Chapter 5

Last night was a bomb that exploded right in my face. I didn't know if it was a coincidence that Travis—the very priest who caused my drought season—was not only here, but also living next door.

Hindi lang iyon. He kept me up with his and a woman's moans all night long. For fuck's sake, alas tres na't dinig na dinig ko pa rin ang pag-uga ng higaan at ang malakas na ungol ng babae. He knew this apartment wasn't soundproof. Kaya heto, para akong zombie na naglalakad nang salubungin ko si Gabriel.

“You look beautiful.” Gabriel smiled, opening his car door like a true gentleman.

I reached out and adjusted his tie, which was a little crooked. I saw him stiffen, his breath catching in his throat. It was my turn to smile.

“You look awesome,” I complimented, my eyes lingering on his lips before I slid into his expensive car. He closed the door gently, walked around, and got into the driver’s seat. He gave me one more smile before starting the engine.

He drove us to a well-known five-star restaurant. I really didn't want to go there. Bukod sa mahal ang bawat pinggan, the food was honestly the worst. I remember the last time Jellay and I ate there—I had a sudden reaction to the food and ended up throwing up and having diarrhea.

“Do you like the place?” Gabriel asked, his smile unwavering.

I unfolded the napkin and placed it on my lap. A waitress poured wine into my glass. “Okay lang,” I lied. Of course, it wasn't okay. Kingina, mas masarap pa akong magluto kaysa sa mga chef nila rito.

“That’s great! Let’s order?”

“Sure.” I scanned the menu, looking for the most expensive item, and a grin formed on my face when I saw it. "I’ll have this Almas caviar."

The waitress’s eyes widened. She was clearly trying to impress Gabriel, but she was a total amateur. “Pardon, ma’am?”

“Bingi ka ba o tanga?” I asked without a trace of a smile. The waitress immediately apologized, but I didn't repeat myself. I had little patience for incompetence.

"Two Almas caviar, please,” Gabriel said, clearing his throat. He then proceeded to order the rest of our dishes, desserts, and drinks. He knew my tastes well, so I had no complaints.

“So, Chantydoll is your real name?” he asked while cutting into his steak.

“Yeah. If you ask me why? Just ask my mother. Close naman kayo.” I rolled my eyes, a subtle jab at his reputation.

“Well, it suits you. You look like a doll.”

“Napaka-plastik mo rin, 'no?”

He laughed softly and wiped the corner of his mouth. I thought I had offended him when he stopped eating, but then he reached out and used his napkin to gently wipe the corner of my lips. My heart skipped a beat, but I quickly reminded myself of my research. He had done this exact same thing to every woman he took to bed.

“Do you know Chanti is a version of the biblical, durable and outstanding James? In Hebrew, the name Chanti means a small child and peace. I really like that name.” He smiled warmly, and my stomach churned. This was all just a show.

“So your name is Gabriel?” I asked.

He shook his head and took a sip of his wine. “As you can see, my full name is Christ Gabriel McNight.”

"Christ?" I laughed in my head.

“Surprising, right?” he scoffed.

“Actually, it’s cool! Your name holds value and holiness.” Sana ganoon din ang ugali mo, demonyo ka!

“That’s what they say…”

“And you actually believe it?” I pursed my lips, shocked by my own impulsive question.

“Wow, you can’t even hold those words, huh?” He chuckled.

“Well, it’s not my responsibility to hold my thoughts. It’s a democratic country, anyway.” I spooned the caviar into my mouth and immediately paused.

“They must be kidding me?” I muttered.

“What’s the problem? Hindi mo ba gusto ang caviar?” he asked.

“Caviar should be served with a mother of pearl spoon and forks. Serving materials must be non-metallic to prevent the caviar from oxidizing and obtaining a metallic taste.” My anger was rising. I quickly called over the waitress who served us. “Excuse me? Are you fucking letting us eat caviar with this ordinary spoon?”

The waitress flinched, and everyone around us started to whisper. “I want to talk to your manager. NOW!” I cut her off before she could speak.

The manager arrived moments later. "Ma'am, I'm really sorry for—”

“We paid thirty-five thousand DOLLAR for the caviar, and you’ll let us eat that with this spoon!?” I showed him the metallic spoon.

“Ma’am, there’s no difference. Our spoons are high quality—”

“I don’t fucking care if it was high quality. I know there’s a difference! Walang pinagkaiba?” I handed him the spoon. “Tikman mo.”

"Chanty, there's no need to create a scene. The manager is sorry," Gabriel said, his voice calm.

“I wouldn’t create a scene if they only knew the proper way to serve caviar.” I looked back at the manager and tilted my head, daring him to try it. He reluctantly tasted the caviar from the metallic spoon and immediately spat it out into a tissue.

“What does it taste like?” I smirked.

“I am really sorry, ma’am. Let me just refund your menu for today.”

"Refund?" I glanced at Gabriel. He looked just as surprised as I was. "We drove here. We paid for your service, tapos ganito?"

"We're really sorry, Madam. This will never happen again..."

"Again?"

"Chanty, calm down. There's no need for you to cause a scene." Gabriel tried to calm me again.

"We're really sorry about it, sir." The waitress quickly touched Gabriel's arm, trying to flirt.

I scoffed. The woman was just scolded, and she was still trying to flirt with my date.

"Next time you fucking touch me like that, I fucking swear I'll bury you alive,” Gabriel said in a low, dangerous tone. His face was calm, but his warning was not. The waitress immediately backed away and bowed her head. The manager, however, tried to touch his arm.

"I guess I need to give you zero stars because of your poor service? Don't worry, I'll let Travis know about this so you can get fired. You know him. He influences everything." Gabriel added.

"Ma'am, kami na lang po ang magbabayad. Tanggapin niyo na lang po ang refund," the manager said, desperate.

“No need. But next time, do your job properly.” I glanced at the cooks in the back and the waitresses who were on the verge of tears from the public humiliation.

I rolled my eyes. When Gabriel paid for the dinner, I added a generous tip. Even with my demonic attitude, I still had a heart for people who worked for a living, especially the chefs.

I lost my appetite. I didn't want to die from the stupidity of a five-star restaurant.

“I didn’t know you had a sharp taste, Chanty.” Gabriel said, his hands in his pockets.

“I think you forgot that I worked at a five-star hotel before. It’s natural to be sharp when you’re talking about food.” I fixed my hair. He opened the car door for me.

“Alam ko naman na sa una pa lang, maling utensil ang binigay ng waitress. I just don’t want to create a scene,” he said, scratching his nose.

“So, you just let everyone take advantage of you?” I was even more annoyed with him.

“No. I’m just thinking about the brighter perspective. If I make a scene, there’s a possibility they’ll get fired and become jobless.”

"Jobless talaga sila dahil sa sinabi mo kanina. You even involved the world-famous food critic, Travis.”

"That's the only way to relieve your anger earlier, right?"

"Hindi rin. Gusto ko sanang ingudngud ang mga nguso nila sa pagkain ko."

"That's brutality. But, I like that. No one will take advantage of you."

"Tapos ikaw naman itong hinayaan na i-take advantage ka?"

"Like I said, ayaw ko silang mawalan ng trabaho. They're people, and they have families to feed. I never really meant to tell them I’ll involve Travis, because I know they'll lose their jobs.”

I just stared at him. If I didn't know anything about him, I would have thought he was a good person. It wasn’t hard to be moved by his words. But he couldn't fool me. Not anymore.

“God! This is so embarrassing.” He covered his face with his hands, as if he said something shameful.

“You know what? Forget about what I said. That’s not cool.” He bit his lip while I just laughed.

“This isn’t our last date, right?”

I stopped laughing. I looked at him, and his eyes dropped to my lips. He then looked up into my eyes.

“Well, it depends. Maybe.”

“Maybe. It is much better than, NO.” He smiled and started the engine.

"I’ll take you home,” he said.

In the car, I couldn't help but think that if I could get enough evidence against him and the others, I would be the happiest person in the world.

"Napansin ko lang, you seem very close to Travis," I said.

“Well, he’s not that bad. To be honest, among the two of us, he’s the kindest. I heard he's still looking for a girl."

"A girl?"

“Yup. That motherfucker is still in love with a person he only met a few times. That weirdo! He hasn't even told me who that poor girl is. He’s been looking all over Europe for years.”

"He went to Europe?"

“Yeah. Austria, Bulgaria, Belgium, Denmark, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. That man is so in love that he spent his whole life searching for a girl.”

“That’s crazy.”

“It is.”

Even if I couldn't believe what I heard, I didn't want to think that I was the girl he was looking for. With that man's face and posture, I knew he had slept with a lot of girls. It couldn't just be me.