Chapter 02

Hindi mapakali si Larry habang nasa loob ng private jet. The view of the clouds was peaceful, but his mind? It was a chaotic server room. Hawak niya ang kanyang iPad habang nakatitig sa chat log nila ni MrProdigyX. Hindi ito tungkol sa $7,000. It was about the data. It was about the past. Pinikit niya ang kanyang mga mata habang sinasambit ang pangalan ni Lillia. And there, biglang bumalik sa kanyang ala-ala ang lahat.

*Beep... *beep... *beep

Five years ago, ​unang bumungad sa pandinig ni Larry ang tunog ng heart monitor. At that moment, his head felt like it was splitting in half, na para bang may rumaragasang truck sa loob ng kanyang utak. Nang dahan-dahan niyang idinilat ang kanyang mga mata, puro white walls lang ang nakikita niya sa paligid plus the sterile scent of the hospital.

"Gising siya! Doc! Gising na po siya!"

Isang matining na pagsisigaw ang kanyang narinig na puno ng urgency. Mabilis na lumapit sa kama niya ang isang babae. She was stunning, kahit na halatang puyat at pagod. Her eyes were filled with genuine concern na hindi pa niya nakikita kahit kanino noon. Then, he tried to sit up. At nang napatingin siya muli sa paligid, everything felt foreign.

"Who are you?" hingal na tanong niya. His voice was raspy, parang galing pa siya sa impyerno. "Where am I?"

"I’m Lillia, and you're still here in Azerbia." sagot ng babae, habang hinahawakan ang kamay ni Larry. "Naaksidente ka sa coastal road a week ago. Nakita kitang duguan sa loob ng sasakyan mo. I had no choice but to pull you out before it exploded, and brought you here."

A week ago? ​Larry tried to search his memory, pero puro itim. Ang naalala lang niya ay ang huling pag-screech ng mga gulong, the blinding headlights, and the feeling of falling. ​He looked at Lillia. Tinignan niya ito the way she cared, the way her eyes showed genuine concern for a complete stranger like him. Isang linggo na pala siyang tulog, at si Lillia ang tanging nag-aalaga sa kanya.

Doon nagsimula ang lahat. Mula sa pagiging nobody sa isang bayan na walang nakakakilala sa kanya, nahanap ni Larry ang katahimikang matagal na niyang hinahanap sa piling ni Lillia. Hindi siya nagparamdam sa Berlinton, hindi siya naghanap ng signal. He literally ghosted his own empire.

Sa loob ng ilang buwan, Lillia became his world. Siya ang taga-timpla ng kape niya, taga-basa ng libro, at ang nagturo sa kanya na ang buhay ay hindi lang puro stocks at tech innovations.

"Alam mo, Larry," sabi ni Lillia isang gabi habang nakatanaw sila sa dagat, "para kang bituin na naligaw dito sa Azerbia. Ang ningning mo, pero parang ang bigat ng dinadala mo."

​Hindi na nagdalawang-isip si Larry. He surrendered his guard. Sa bawat araw na lumilipas, mas lumalalim ang connection nila. Until one night, in the middle of a thunderstorm, their boundaries blurred. The vulnerability turned into passion na super intense, raw, and felt like the ultimate seal of their connection. ​Pero gaya ng lahat ng magandang panaginip, may biglang glitch na dumating.

"Mr. Sy," panimula ng doktor nang bumalik sila sa ospital para sa final check-up. "Based on the internal trauma you sustained due to the severe internal damage during the accident, ang chance mo na magkaroon ng biological child is practically zero. The trauma was too extreme. Hindi ka na makakapag-anak."

Parang huminto ang ikot ng mundo. Ramdam ni Larry ang panlalamig ng kamay ni Lillia sa hawak niya. ​Lumabas sila ng ospital na tahimik. Larry felt like he was hit by a truck all over again. This time, it wasn’t his body that was broken, but his legacy. Sa isip niya, he was a failure. Paano siya makakapagtayo ng empire kung wala naman siyang heir?

Dahil sa sobrang pride at heartbreak, he made a choice. He thought he was doing Lillia a favor by leaving. Hindi niya matanggap na hindi niya mabibigyan ang babaeng mahal niya ng pamilya na deserve nito. He left before the sun could rise. Iniwan niya si Lillia sa Azerbia. Unbeknownst to him, may nabuo na palang maliit na buhay sa sinapupunan ni Lillia, isang batang lalaki na nagdadala ng talino niya. ​The very same kid who, five years later, became the tech genius and sell him his own mom.

Pagbalik niya sa Berlinton, akala niya ay makakauwi siya sa isang sanctuary. Instead, he walked into a corporate boardroom ambush. Imbes kasi magiging masaya ang family niya sa kanyang pagbalik, mas lalo lang siyang ipinagtaboy nito dahil sa kondisyon niya.

​"Larry, we’ve analyzed your health," panimula ng Papa niya habang ngumunguya sa kinakaing steak. "Since the medical report confirms you’re biologically incapable of producing an heir, we’ve made a decision. The Sy Corporation, all the shares and the board seat will be transferred to your sister."

His mother was just staring at her wine glass, avoiding his eyes. "I'm really very sorry, son. Hindi lang kami ng Papa mo ang nagdedesisyon nito. But we could still support you sa other micro business mo if you want. We couldn't just sacrifice the company dahil lang sa condition mo."

Tahimik lang si Larry, ni hindi nga niya ginalaw ang pagkain niya. Umiigting ang kanyang panga dahil parang ipinagkaitan siya. Hindi siya nalumpo, ni bed ridden. He could still run the company just like he used to. Hindi lang niya mabigyan ng heir ang pamilya, parang tingin na nila sa kanya ay walang kwenta. His sister, who was heavily pregnant at the time, offered him a sympathetic yet patronizing smile.

"Don't worry, kuya." sambat ng kanyang kapatid sa usapan, pinipigilan ang pagngiti nito pero halata ang galak na nararamdaman ngayon.  "I will run the entire business the best I can. Sa iyo pa rin ako manghihingi ng advices kapag hindi ko na ma-carry ang lahat. I can still count on you pa naman, right?"

​Parang binuhusan ng yelo ang buong katawan ni Larry. Ang legacy na inalay niya ang buhay niya para protektahan, ninakaw sa kanya dahil lang sa isang malfunctioning na DNA. Sa gabing yun, sa gitna ng marangyang dining hall, narealize niya ang kababawan ng lahat. Ang pera, ang stocks, ang power? Lahat yun ay basura kumpara sa init ng kamay ni Lillia sa Azerbia.

​Sa kagustuhan niyang maging perfect para kay Lillia, he chose to be a coward. He ghosted her, thinking it was a sacrifice. Buti pa kay Lillia, tanggap siya kahit wala siyang maibigay na biological legacy. She loved him for his soul, for his weird morning coffee habits, and for the way he watched the sunset. ​He had a normal life within his grasp, and he threw it away for pride.

​Determined to fix his biggest mistake, he went back to Azerbia a few months after his recovery. Iniwan niya ang empire, maging ang legacy. He only wanted her, to be with Lillia for the rest of his life. Pero pagdating niya sa maliit na bahay sa coastal road? It was empty.

​The garden where they used to read books was overgrown with weeds. The scent of her jasmine perfume was gone, replaced by the salty and lonely air of the coast. Nagtanong din siya sa mga kapitbahay, pero nobody knew kung saan nagpunta si Lillia na para bang bula na bigla na lang naglaho. Larry spent millions, used his private trackers, and exhausted his resources, pero si Lillia? She was a ghost he couldn't trace anymore.