Chapter 4

Hindi ko alam kung bakit nanginginig pa rin ang kamay ko habang hawak ko ang folder na dala ko palabas ng elevator. My heart was still racing from everything that happened today. Mula sa sigawan niya sa office floor hanggang sa biglang pag lamig ng paligid kapag dumadaan siya. Lucas Vale had a way of controlling the air around him. Nakakainis. Nakakasakal. Nakakabaliw.

“Calm down, Elena,” bulong ko sa sarili ko. “You are here to work. Nothing else.”

Pero parang hindi iyon ang plano ng universe.

Katatapos ko lang kumatok sa pinto ng opisina niya nang bigla itong bumukas. Hindi pa ako nakakapagsalita nang hinila niya ako paloob at agad na isinara ang pinto sa likod namin. Tumama ang likod ko sa solid na kahoy at napasinghap ako sa gulat.

“Lucas, what are you doing” sigaw ko, nanginginig ang boses ko sa galit.

He stood in front of me, tall and calm, parang walang ginawang mali. Nakasandal ang isang kamay niya sa pinto, effectively blocking my escape. His eyes were dark, unreadable, at ang labi niya ay bahagyang nakataas sa isang pamilyar na smirk. The same smirk that haunted me since college.

“Relax,” sabi niya sa malamig na boses. “We need to talk.”

“Move,” mariin kong sagot. “I am not in the mood for your games.”

Tumawa siya ng mahina, not the joyful kind but the kind that made my skin crawl. Lumapit siya ng isang hakbang, and I felt the space between us disappear. Naamoy ko ang pabango niya, expensive and strong, parang siya. I clenched my fists, forcing myself not to react.

“You always say that,” he murmured. “But you always stay.”

Bago pa ako nakasagot, bigla niyang inilapit ang mukha niya sa akin. Akala ko magbubulong siya ng isa pang nakakainsultong linya. Akala ko gagamitin niya ulit ang kapangyarihan niya para ipaalala kung sino siya at kung sino ako.

Pero mali ako.

He kissed me.

Hindi iyon mabilis. Hindi rin ito marahas. It was firm and confident, as if he had all the right in the world to do it. Parang huminto ang oras. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko, nanigas ang katawan ko, at ang utak ko ay walang ibang ginawa kundi sumigaw ng isang salita.

No.

Tinulak ko siya palayo at buong lakas kong sinampal ang pisngi niya. The sound echoed inside the office, sharp and loud. Humihingal ako, nanginginig sa galit at gulat. Ramdam ko ang init ng palad ko at ang sakit sa dibdib ko.

“Are you insane” sigaw ko. “Is this another one of your tactics Mocking me again”

Tahimik siya sandali. Dahan dahan niyang ibinaling ang mukha niya pabalik sa akin. May bahagyang pamumula sa pisngi niya kung saan ko siya nasampal. For a second, I thought he would get angry. I thought he would shout or humiliate me like before.

But he smiled.

Not the mocking smile I expected. It was slow. Dangerous. At mas lalo akong kinabahan nang inilabas niya ang dila niya at dahan dahang dinilaan ang labi niya, parang inaamoy ang lasa ng halik na hindi ko naman ginusto.

“Still feisty,” sabi niya sa mababang boses. “Just like before.”

Nanginig ako sa galit. “You think this is funny”

“No,” sagot niya, diretso ang tingin sa akin. “I think this is real.”

“Real” tawa ko na puno ng pait. “You kiss me out of nowhere and you call that real You really have no shame.”

Lumapit siya ulit pero this time hindi na ako umatras. Hindi dahil hindi ako natatakot kundi dahil ayaw kong ipakita na apektado ako. I lifted my chin, staring straight back at him.

“Do not ever touch me like that again,” babala ko. “You have no right.”

He tilted his head slightly. “Then why did you not slap me harder”

My breath hitched. I hated how he could read reactions I did not even want to have. I hated how my heart was still beating too fast.

“You are unbelievable,” bulong ko. “You think power gives you permission to do whatever you want.”

“Power has nothing to do with this,” sagot niya. “You do.”

That made me laugh again, this time sharper. “You humiliated me in college. You made me feel small. And now you think one kiss will erase that”

His eyes darkened. “That was never my intention.”

“Stop lying,” singhal ko. “You enjoyed every second of it.”

He stepped back, finally giving me space. For the first time, I saw something flash in his eyes. Regret. Or maybe guilt. I did not know. I did not care.

“Leave,” sabi niya bigla. “Before I make another mistake.”

I grabbed my folder and walked past him, my shoulder brushing his chest. I could feel his tension, like a coiled wire ready to snap. I reached the door and opened it, but his voice stopped me.

“Elena.”

I froze but did not turn around.

“You can hate me all you want,” sabi niya. “But do not pretend you did not feel that.”

My hand tightened on the door handle. “Feeling something does not mean I want it,” sagot ko. “And it does not mean you are forgiven.”

Lumabas ako ng opisina niya with my head held high, kahit na ang puso ko ay magulo. The moment the door closed behind me, saka ko lang naramdaman ang bigat ng nangyari. My lips still burned. My mind replayed the moment again and again, and it made me furious.

Galit sa kanya. Galit sa sarili ko.

I walked back to my desk, ignoring the curious looks from my coworkers. Alam kong may narinig sila. Alam kong may tsismis na naman. But I did not care.

Because one thing was clear.

Lucas Vale was dangerous in ways I never expected.

And this time, I was not sure if my anger was enough to protect me from him.