Chapter 2

“Sa susunod, hindi ka basta-basta magsisisante ng mga tao nang walang sapat na dahilan,” sabi ni Sevi, halata ang tinutukoy ay si Lea. Ang secretary na sinisante ko.

“I’ll show her who’s boss. I’m the CEO of this company,” I said with full confidence. Sumandal ako at ipinatong ang baba sa kamay ko. Rhyd and Sevi exchanged amused glances.

“Oh, right, you’re already making a strong impression. You’ve lost weight in just a few hours. That’s impressive,” panunukso ni Rhyd, sabay tawa.

I shot him a glare, and for a moment, they actually went quiet.

“I’m asking her out. Right now,” Rhyd added, grinning.

“Should I start catching air and frying it?” I hissed.

“Kung papayag siyang makipag-date sa 'yo, I’ll fight you for her. Pero sa totoo lang, baka buhusan ka pa niya ng asido kapag nagtanong ka pa lang,” sabi ni Sevi, na kumikislap ang mga mata sa amusement.

They burst into laughter.

“Maghahanda ako ng full protective gear at goggles. I can’t have people asking why I suddenly have acid burns,” Rhyd joked, laughing again.

Their laughter echoed through the room, like some ridiculous brotherhood moment I didn’t sign up for.

“Pero seryoso, bro. Paano niya nalaman ang lugar na 'to?” tanong ni Rhyd nang humupa ang tawanan, at naging seryuso ang tono niya.

“How should I know?” I snapped. “Nakakainis. Dapat nakita niyo kung paano niya ako kausapin na parang ordinaryong tao lang ako. Not Drake. Not me.” My voice dripped with disdain. My ego was definitely bruised.

“And you can’t do anything to her. A fallen warrior. Kawawa naman,” pang-aasar ni Sevi. He shook his head dramatically.

“Bro, tama na,” sabi ni Rhyd, kahit na natutuwa pa rin siya. “Sa tingin ko, sobra na ang pang-aasar natin sa kanya ngayong araw.” Sinulyapan niya ako, at sinimaan ko siya ng tingin.

“Can you two be serious for once? Bumalik na nga kayo sa trabaho ninyo, or I swear I’ll fire the both of you.”

“Huh?” they said at the same time, looking at each other.

Bahagyang umangat ang kilay ko sa dalawa. “Akala niyo hindi ko kayo kayang sisantehin?”

They both chuckled.

“You can fire us, but you can’t fire Blaire. What a shame.” Tumawa si Sevi.

“What does she call him again?” Rhyd asked.

“Drakula,” Sevi answered quickly.

“Oops, huwag kang lalapit sa leeg ko, hindi freshly cooked 'to!” Rhyd said, and they erupted in laughter again.

That was it. I snapped. Tumayo ako at hinawakan ko silang dalawa sa kanilang pantalon na parang mga kriminal na nahuli sa akto.

“I’ve had enough of your nonsense!” I snarled, pulling them toward the door.

“Bro, this is friendship harassment!” sigaw ni Sevi, sinusubukang alisin ang kamay ko sa pantalon nito.

“Shut up and move!” I barked.

Patuloy silang tumatawa na parang mga baliw hanggang sa makarating kami sa pinto. Binitawan ko si Rhyd, binuksan ko ang pinto, at itinulak sila palabas na parang mga pulis na nagtatapon ng mga kriminal sa isang holding cell.

“We love you!” they chorused.

Ibinagsak ko ang pinto sa mga mukha nila nang susubukan na sana nilang bumalik sa loob.

“How the hell did I end up being friends with those two idiots?” I muttered, dropping into my chair. “Damn it, I haven’t called Mikee to check if the buyers are still coming. All thanks to those jerks I call friends.” I ruffled my hair in frustration.

Si Mikee ang Marketing Information Manager ng kompanya. Inaasahan namin ang aming pinakamalaking potensyal na buyers bukas. They’d never visited us before, never bought a single bottle of wine from us. Ito ang unang beses nila, at sa totoo lang kinakabahan ako. I picked up the telephone and dialed his number.

“Good afternoon, sir,” Mikee answered.

“Have you confirmed if the buyers are still coming?” I didn’t bother returning the greeting.

“Yes, sir. Kinumpirma ko na bago ka pa tumawag.”

“Good,” sabi ko, at binaba agad ang telepono.

I rounded up for the day, finally. The office was too damn loud for my mood, and I just wanted to get out. Kinuha ko ang personal phone mula sa mesa at agad na dinial si Anjo. Sinagot niya agad sa unang ring.

“Come pick me up now. I hate waiting, so don’t keep me waiting,” I said coldly, not even bothering to hide my irritation.

“Nasa baba na po ako naghihintay sa inyo, sir,” sagot ni Anjo.

“Great.” I ended the call and grabbed my laptop before leaving the office.

The moment I stepped into the hallway, sakto namang lumabas si Blaire sa office niya. Dahil sa pagmamadali, nauntog ko siya nang hindi ko man lang tinignan ang dinadaanan. Nabitawan niya ang mga gamit na hawak at nagkalat sa sahig.

“Gago, tumingin ka nga sa dinadaanan mo! Kung kailangan mo ng salamin, bibilhan kita ng marami!” sigaw niya.

Natigilan ako. Talagang sinigawan niya ako?

“No, you watch it. And mind the way you talk to me. I am your boss,” I shot back, my tone dropping dangerously low.

“Boss my foot! Kung hindi mo alam, boss din ako sa aso ko.” She rolled her eyes dramatically, like I wasn’t the CEO she was talking to.

Natawa ang mga workers na nakarinig sa kanya, mga tanga talaga. Pero agad silang natahimik nang lingunin ko. My glare was enough to shut them up.

“Get out, all of you! Or I’ll fire you this instant,” I thundered.

Nag-unahan silang tumakbo palayo. Then I turned back to Blaire, irritation simmering through me.

“Watch your mouth, Blaire Balde. I deserve some respect as your boss,” I said, still agitated.

“Opo, sir. Pasensya na po.” She bent her knees in a genuflection like some kind of unhinged medieval maiden, and I froze. Sa pangalawang pagkakataon sa araw na 'to, talagang ginulat niya ako.

But she didn’t say another word. Tumayo siya nang diretso, kinuha ang mga gamit sa sahig at naglakad papalayo. No sarcasm. No comeback. No glare. Just… silence.

My eyes stayed glued to her back as she walked away, like I’d been hypnotized.

Wait, did she just....

“Weirdo,” I muttered under my breath as she disappeared around the corner.

I shook my head and continued toward the elevator. Pagkarating ko sa sasakyan, I slid inside and slammed the door shut.

“Take me to my father’s,” I ordered immediately.

“Yes, sir,” Anjo said, bowing slightly before closing my door.

While we were on the road, my mind drifted back to Blaire. Her madness. Her disrespect. At pagkatapos ay bigla na lang siyang nag-sorry? Just like that?

Hindi niya ako iginalang sa harap ng aking mga empleyado, pinagmukha akong tanga. Pagkatapos ay humingi ng paumanhin na parang walang nangyari. I pressed my tongue to the side of my cheek, annoyed at myself for even thinking this much about her.

“Weird daughter of evil,” I muttered, hissing as I sank deeper into my seat.

But no matter how many times I told myself to forget it. Paulit-ulit na naglalaro sa isip ko ang kanyang boses at ang pagsuway. At 'yon ang lalong nagpapainis sa akin.