06

Chapter 06

I headed to a rental room building and asked the woman at the reception desk where producer Harold Bakol's office was.

"On the 9th floor, room 145," the receptionist replied. I just smiled and thanked her. I adjusted my sunglasses and walked toward the elevator.

There were others getting in the elevator with me, some of whom also seemed to be going to the 9th floor.

They were in disguise and one of them was a guy with a face full of disdain. Naagaw lang nila ang pansin ko dahil kilala ko ang isa sa kanila.

"Do you really think you’ll become famous just by choosing the right work? You might be forgetting that you’re an actor and in this field, influence is what matters, not looks or talent."

"Manager, lower your voice, okay? I know that, but I really want this job and this drama, please, just give it to me."

I looked up when the guy who had pressed the elevator button glanced my way. He didn’t seem like a rookie actor based on his aura and I recognized his manager.

Anyway, I expected to see him here, but not in this situation and inside the elevator.

We all got off the elevator and they stared at me when I stopped at the door of room 145.

"Are you a new artist?" the guy asked. I just smiled and shook my head. The manager opened the door and we walked inside.

The producer and what seemed to be the scriptwriter stood up when they saw us, I mean, when they saw the guy I was with earlier.

"I wanted to see the script for the new drama, and interesado ako maging male lead."

Everen Aquino, one of the rising stars this year. Sorry, Everen, but no matter what happens, I need to get the male lead.

This would be a stepping stone for me to become the best actor, to save you and bring this drama to worldwide hit rankings.

"You see? We don’t have funds for this drama yet and we’re still looking for investors. We can’t afford to pay actors of your caliber," the writer replied straight to the point, showing an uninterested impression. How did I know she was the writer?

Rin Quen, 24 years old and at this age, her first novel hit online and a small company chose her novel to adapt into a drama.

Her complete volume of books was on Phinea's bookshelves, which was also one of the reasons I chose the writer Quen's work. Her book was the first one Phinea recommended to me and it was also what informed me about its drama adaptation.

One year after the drama aired, it quickly became a hit but before it could top the rankings, a series of issues arose with the drama. It all started with the investors and then the main cast.

I don’t know the reason, but whatever happens, I need to prevent that tragedy and get this into the rankings.

I looked at the writer Quen. I remembered seeing her Phinea's funeral, crying.

After the conflict that happened with the drama—

"And you, sir. Who are you?" Quen asked when her gaze landed on me. I just smiled and took off my sunglasses and hood.

"Victor Difabio, interested in investing in the project and wanting to take the male lead."

Everen, who was Rin's boyfriend, committed suicide and after Rin reconnected with Phinea, Phinea followed suit.

That was a huge blow to Rin and before Phinea was buried, Rin followed her. All of that happened in one year in Rin Quen's life. Hindi iyon kinaya ni Rin.

Everyone in the room was shocked and the producer stood up when he saw me.

"Wait, you're going to invest? If your aim is the male lead and you’re investing just because you want the male lead, I have to reject your offer," Rin Quen shot back. The producer held his forehead and grabbed Quen.

"What are you saying? That’s Victor Difabio, and he wants to invest," the producer said emphatically. The woman scoffed, saying that we were both like Everen and she couldn’t see any good intentions.

I frowned when I heard that. Rin Quen said it didn’t mean that the drama wasn’t financially stable just because she was getting an actor.

"This project is important to me; I want to portray the characters well. They should have their own voices and I want all the viewers to hear that."

I paused when I heard that and clenched my fist. Quen smiled faintly at us, saying it didn’t matter to her whether the actors were famous or not; what mattered to her was the person who would first hear the voices of the characters in her book. As expected this is the reason bakit naghit ang drama at nakuha ang highest rating sa loob lang ng ilang buwan.

"I will invest and show that I can portray the male lead's character," I said. The first thing we discussed was the investment.

I told them that I would fully support the project and they wouldn’t need to look for other investors. Quen was surprised to hear that.

"I still can’t help but doubt your intentions, Mr. Difabio. With all the dramas out there, why mine?"

I folded the script I had been looking at and looked at Quen. Naiintindihan ko bakit nagdududa si Quen. If ordinaryong investor lang ako at need ko ng pera doon ako magiinvest siyempre sa movie na matagal ng sikat, malaking company at kilala sa industriya. Bakit ako mag-aabala maginvest sa company na ganoon kaliit at hindi nga kaya magbayad ng actor.

"Actually, two days ago, I read the full story of this drama as a novel. My wife recommended it and she’s a fan of yours. I’m interested in your story and I also want to spoil my wife by taking this drama to the Philippines' top drama list."

Besides that, I was super confident that it would hit as long as I could prevent the tragedy because I saw the potential of the story as a reader and I knew the future.

Quen looked at me like I was crazy. I understood her since what sane man would take a risk on a new writer and invest in a company that didn’t have enough funds to support a drama? On top of that, I was one of the highest-paid Philippine actors in the country at the age of 21 because of my commercials and endorsements.

They wanted to bring Everen and me back the following week for auditions. It was already afternoon when I finished talking to Quen and when Everen and I left the rental building, he called out to me.

I turned around. Everen seriously said he would get the male lead. I smiled and turned away.

"Then good luck to us. May the best man win," I said, waving as I walked away.

I understood Everen’s main reason for wanting the role, but— he didn’t know the future. I believed that even if he didn’t get the male lead role, he would get what he wanted.

One reason I thought of why Everen was taking on that project despite his busy schedule and many offers.

I got into my car and took out my phone. I plugged in my earbuds and dialed Phinea's number.

On the third ring, Phinea answered immediately.

"I'm on my way home. Do you want me to pick something up?" I asked after placing my phone on the dashboard and starting the car.

"My... Sister-in-law wants to... see me. Can we... can we go?"

I smiled and said I would accompany her to meet my sister.

"Thank you."

I smiled and said goodbye to focus on driving. Earlier, my sister called me to borrow Phinea.

It seemed Phinea wanted to go, but she didn’t have the courage to leave alone and meet my relatives.

When I arrived at the Lawson mansion, I got out of the car. I went inside and greeted Phinea's parents.

"Has Phinea come down?"

My mother-in-law said she hadn't come down since this morning.

"That girl does nothing but lock herself in her room. How can she support herself if she acts like that?" my mother-in-law said. I faked a smile and said I was there to support her.

"She doesn’t need to lift a finger while I’m here," I said, laughing as I excused myself from my in-laws and walked up the stairs.

Gradually, my smile faded and I whispered hypocrite. Phinea was already a Difabio, yet they still considered her a burden.

When I opened the door to Phinea's room, I immediately smiled and approached her as she held a floral dress that reached her knees.

"So... Sorry, I'm not... I'm not done preparing yet," Phinea said, clearly panicking when she saw me.

"Calm down; I’ll wait, okay? Take your time, and I know Catherine is also waiting. She won’t be mad, especially not me."

I held Phinea's head to help her calm down, which seemed effective since her gaze stayed fixed in one direction and then looked at me.

While waiting for Phinea to prepare, I decided to take a shower using the bathroom in the guest room since Phinea was using the bathroom in our shared room.

After my shower, I stepped out of the bathroom and paused when I saw Peregrine. She acted surprised when she saw me.

She was wearing a thin nightie and shyly covered herself. 5pm pa lang nakasuot na siya ng nighties. Ano gusto niya mangyari?

"I didn’t know there was someone here. I'm sorry," Peregrine said. How many times had I fallen for Peregrine's tricks in the past, which had caused misunderstandings between Phinea and me?

I ignored her and walked out the door. I stopped when Peregrine approached me and suddenly grabbed my arm.

I pulled away, frowning and asked what she was doing. Dapat ba hawakan niya ako?

"I want to talk to you, Victor. Why are you avoiding me?" Peregrine asked. I exhaled and opened the guest room door.

"Victor—"

"I'm suffocating in the same room with you, sister-in-law. Besides, I don’t want another misunderstanding, so if you have something to say, let’s talk in the living room."

I stepped out and faced Peregrine. She bit her lip when a few maids glanced in our direction.

"What are you looking at? Leave!" Peregrine shouted, slamming the door. I raised an eyebrow at her attitude.

—

Phinea and I were already in the car, and naikwento ko nga sa kaniya iyong nangyari sa amin ni Peregrine sa guestroom.

"Peregrine has a boyfriend."

I said I knew that. I glanced at Phinea for a moment before looking back at the road.

"For sure, you also know that Peregrine is my ex-girlfriend."

Phinea didn’t respond. I knew Peregrine had said that and I didn’t want to imagine what thoughts had crossed Phinea's mind before their wedding.

"I met Peregrine when she was still a trainee, and I was still in high school. I was an exchange student from Australia studying here. We ended up in the same class and the same circle of friends."

"Our relationship lasted about three years, then we broke up because she said she wanted to focus on her career. She got cast as a supporting character in a drama and within two weeks of our breakup, she had a new boyfriend."

"Is that... is that the reason you chose me instead of Peregrine?" Phinea asked. I grimaced and answered no.

"My mom chose you. But if I had the chance to choose between you and Peregrine, of course, I would choose you, not Peregrine."

Even in my past life, I never considered getting back together with Peregrine. I had no plans to marry anyone after our breakup, let alone reconcile.

"You see, I have no intention of entering into any relationship. There’s no special reason; I just want to focus on building my career and so on," I said. That was the reason I had set you aside in our past life. I gripped the steering wheel tightly.

But at least, that was how I was before I met you. When we arrived at the restaurant where Phinea was supposed to meet my sister, I parked the car and got out.

I stepped out of the car and took Phinea's hand as she stood outside, waiting for me.

"Let’s go," I said, leading Phinea to the restaurant.

I immediately spotted my sister's table, and her face twisted when she saw me.

"I only invited Phinea, not you," my sister shot back as we approached and I pulled out a chair for Phinea.

"If I’m not going to join, do you think Phinea will meet you?" I teased, saying that I was still Phinea's husband and my sister was just her sister-in-law.

I seated Phinea and then pulled out a chair for myself.

Besides, my sister probably knew that Phinea would bring me along and considered that Phinea didn’t want to be around too many people, which was why she chose a table at the far end of the restaurant. Ito dahilan bakit kampante ako at gusto ko makaclose ni Phinea si ate.

Even wala ako meron mag-aalaga kay Phinea habang wala ako at malalapitan si Phinea bukod sa akin.

I quickly ordered food, but my sister interrupted me.

"Hey, I’m supposed to treat this for my sister-in-law. Why are you ordering first?" my sister scolded after I spoke to the waiter and placed my order.

"Phinea hasn’t had lunch yet; you should have ordered earlier if you wanted to treat her," I replied. Phinea immediately grabbed my arm, causing me to look at her.

"Stop... Stop that. I’m okay. Don’t fight."

I laughed and said we weren’t fighting.

"This is just how we always talk."

I looked at my sister meaningfully. She seemed to understand the situation immediately, confirming to Phinea that we weren’t fighting.

"My sister will still pay," I said, laughing, and gently tapped Phinea's hands that were holding my arm to calm her down. Masasanay din siya alam ko.