Chapter 3: Scandal

"A third party, seriously? How could you do that, Kiel? Out of all women you could have, pinili mo pa talaga ang kilalang may sabit! And it's not just some couple you messed with! It's Jerome's woman for pete's sake! Now they have used their media power to hit us with whatever mud they can throw at us, especially at you and Ace Logistics!" mataas ang boses na sabi ng kapatid niyang si Aaron.

 His brother was anxiously pacing to and fro the receiving room of their family's penthouse at SSL. Naroon din si Joshua, his other brother and of course, his mother, who's calm demeanor is scaring the shit out if him more.

He huffed and went towards the bar. He just spent the last few minutes explaining his side on the scandal. He's parched, pissed and perturbed. Damn right, he needed a drink for that.

"Seriously, you need a drink right now? Nakikinig ka ba, Kiel?" si Aaron ulit, tunog saway. "Joshua, talk to that bother of yours before I'd punch the shit out that dickhead!"

Nag-angat ng tingin si Joshua mula sa cellphone nito bago, "Kiel, take it easy, brother. The bottle on the top left shelf was aged well. Smooth with a slight kick in the end."

"Dammit, Joshua, you're not helping!" saway ni Aaron sa kapatid.

"What? He's already fckin screwed, Aaron! Give the man whatever he wants. Give him one last meal should he needs it.”

He heard Aaron hissed. Joshua responded with another funny yet annoying rhetoric, irking Aaron all the more.

 Siya naman ay nagmadaling  inabot ang bote ng alak mula sa top shelf. The noise was not helping with his headache. He really needs some booze.

Magsasalin na sana siya ng alak sa cyrstal glass nang magsalita ang Mommy nila.

"If you so ever pour even just a drop of whiskey on that glass, Kiel, I swear to your father's grave, I will strip you off of your inheritance, squeeze every single cent out of Ace Logistics and exile you to Timbuktu!" his mother declared, still calm yet in a threatening voice.

He looked at the bottle of whiskey and silently huffed before putting it down on the counter. Their father, Greg Sandejas died of heart attack almost 3 years ago. Their family faced several business issues since and it required their mother to be stern as they try to keep SSL, the legacy of their father. And one thing he has learned through the years, favorite or not, his mother always meant business when SSL is on the line. And last night, while he spent an enjoyable wild night with Lauren Ortega, he also compromised not just their family's name but also their business connections.

Maingat siyang pumihit paharap sa ina. She was calmly sitting on the couch, disappointment visible on her face.

He and Joshua don't agree on many things but at the moment, his brother is right, he really is fckin screwed.

"Emily Nacionales called me early this morning, asking me how was I able to raise such a disrespectful man like you, no mind having an affair with a woman who is clearly in a relationship.”  His mother released a slow breath, as if trying to hold in her temper. “I cannot answer. Even now, I cannot think of an answer. I must admit when I saw the video, I wanted to summon your father and slap you right at the back of your head para matauhan ka. But listening to your explanation now, I want you to know that I believe you, son. Lauren Ortega came to your suite willingly, seduced you that's why you spent the night together doing god-knows what.”

He released a slow breath. He began to relax. “Thank you, Mom—“

“And while I believe you, that doesn’t mean you are excused from the consequences of your actions. People are talking, Kiel. And they will keep on talking for only god knows how long. And like what I keep on saying to the three of you, our name is an asset. Taint it with even just a tiny speck of ink, the blot will spread like wildfire, staining our name and our businesses.” Marahang tumayo ang Mommy niya at naglakad palapit sa kanya. Sandali siya nitong tinitigan bago inabot ang kanyang kamay. “You are my precious youngest son, Kiel. And I know you are hurting. I know you still are. But the drinking has to stop. She is not for you. She’s already married—“

“Just for a while,” nagmamadaling putol niya sa ina, gritting his teeth, trying to soothe his still aching heart.

“You could never know that. A lot of things can happen. What if she doesn’t come back? What if in the end, she decides to stay… with her husband? What would become of you, Kiel? I cannot allow you to waste your life away in waiting for someone who’s already taken,” his mother said in a worried tone.

While he understands where his mother is coming from, still, he can’t help but be angry. “And what do you think should I do. Just forget about her and move on? You make it sound so simple, mother. What if you were me, would you just give up that easy?”

Hindi sumagot ang kanyang ina bagkus ay unti-unti nitong bitiwan ang kanya kamay. “You are my son, Kiel. I would always want what’s best for you. And  she is not that,” anang ina bago tumuwid ng tayo. “The drinking has to stop right here and now, Kiel. And I mean it. Tomorrow, you will go back to work and have a meeting with the board of directors of Ace Logistics. I and your brothers will be with you,” his mother continued with finality.

“I can’t, Mom. Paalis kami nina Ana at Tala bukas papuntang Thailand,” Joshua protested.

“You will come with us, Joshua. I won’t accept any of your excuses. Ikaw din, Aaron. We will face this mess like how we had always done it, together,” his mother declared, ibinalik ang tingin sa kanya. “Three weeks is enough, Kiel. Sober up. Babalik ka sa pagtatrabaho bukas, sa ayaw mo at sa gusto.”

Maya-maya pa, may kumatok sa pinto ng penthouse. Sabay-sabay silang napalingon sa direksiyon niyon. Ilang sandali pa, umingit pabukas ang pinto at pumasok si Diego, ang assistant ni Aaron. Kasunod nito si Eric Samaniego, ang dating boss ng hipag niyang si Ana at may-ari ng Samaniego Security Agency o SSA, ang pangunahing provider ng bodyguards sa bansa. They themselves have several members of their security team from SSA. From what he heard within their circle and from Ana herself, some people who are working under Eric doubles as international agents, doing classified work for an international security agency.

He huffed. Kung ano man ang ipinunta roon ni Eric, he’s sure it’s important for making the boss come to them himself.

“Eric, thank you for coming,” si Joshua, nilapitan ang lalaki at kinamayan ito.

“Anytime,” anang lalaki, tipid na ngumiti bago bumaling sa kanila. “Mrs. Sandejas, Ana called me this morning informing of the incident,” anito, sumulyap sa kanya bago ibinaling ang tingin kay Aaron. “Your IT team made an excellent job in tracing the source of the video.”

“Yeah, I asked Silver to work on it immediately,” si Aaron. Silver is a computer whiz working under SSL’s  IT Team.

Tumango-tango si Eric bago bumaling sa kanya. “As of the moment, all the videos posted online have already been taken down. We've also traced that the video was uploaded online at an IP address that belongs to NTS. Well that’s already a given because Ms. Ortega is with Mr. Nacionales. It was expected that they will exhaust all their media connections. However, my men found out that, Mr. Nacionales booked the presidential suite located on your floor last night for him and Ms. Ortega. CCTV showed that Ms. Ortega went to the suite past seven in the evening and came out just a few minutes later already staggering on her feet and a little disoriented before going to your room."

“Did you notice that, Kiel?” si Aaron.  Agad siyang tumango.

“My men were able to sneak in at the presidential suite and found a half empty bottle of wine on the food trolley. They were lucky to collect a sample on the wine and they found this…” Inabot nito sa kanya ang isang puting sobre. He eased out the paper inside it and read its content. It was a lab report.

“This is…” his voice trailed off.

“Drugs,” maagap na sabi ni Eric. “Ms. Ortega was probably drugged when she came to you room, Kiel.”