11. Riot poundings.

"Leah, stop!" Hannah almost begged Leah, paano kasi mula pa kaninang magkita sila ay 'di na siya nito tinantanan ng panunukso.

Their little family moment at the fast food were all over the papers the next morning. Of course everybody jumped to the conclusion that Nate had a secret family all along.  That's why his marriage to Olive didn't push through, ending with the latter marrying somebody else…

 

"Come on, look at this... '' Leah tirelessly shoved the newspaper to her face. "This gesture is just so romantic. Who wouldn't think that you're not a couple?" Tukoy nito sa litratong hawak-hawak ni Nate ang kamay niya while trying to protect her and Eli from the media.

 

"It's nothing, okay? A spur of the moment thing."

 

"Hannah, he should've just left you right there if he didn't care about you!"

 

"Why is it even such a big deal?"

 

"Hello, Nate has celebrity status. You do not know but many rejoiced when his wedding was put on hold. This guy is every woman's dream man, of course excluding me coz I'm already happily married and I'm just so rooting for you and Nate. So, it's just normal that your little harmless bonding would turn out to be the country's most talked about thing!"

 

"Whatever!" She rolled her eyes, ayaw niyang isipin ang sinasabi ni Leah, last time she did, kung anu-ano ang napansin niya kay Nate. And it's not healthy for her inexperienced heart.

 

"Nakakatuwa ka talaga. It's like you do not know that you're pretty. Hannah, If I were a boy, I'd kill to make you mine," sabi nito.

 

"Thanks but I don't appreciate violence. You don't even have to boost my confidence, for crying out loud!" giit niya.

 

"Hannah, all I'm saying is, it's not impossible that he's into you!"

 

"Well, I'm telling you now that it's impossible, Leah. Real talk, we are worlds apart!"

 

"Wanna bet?"

 

"You realize that if I agree to a bet with you, I'd do everything in my capacity to win, right?"

 

"I wouldn't mind," she grinned.

 

"You're impossible, Leah." Siya ang napagod sa kakulitan nito.

 

"Okay, I understand where you're coming from. Hindi ka pa na-iinlove at ayaw mong sumugal kay Nate–"

 

"Leah!!!" she exclaimed. "I'm not thinking anything like that, okay?"

 

"Okay, okay!" she threw her hands in surrender motion. "Now, why don't we go to the cafeteria to grab some snacks? I think Bethany is hungry already." She put a hand over her belly.

 

"Is that your baby's name?" her face lit up.

 

"Yup," Leah answered cheerfully as they went their way to the cafeteria.

 

"Cute!"

 

Hannah remembered the time when Olive still carries Elisha inside her belly. Mas siya pa ang parang ina dahil sa sobrang excitement. Olive didn't even join her in naming her baby. Siya lang talaga yung nag-research ng magandang ipapangalan sa anak nito. In fact, pagkapanganak nito kay Elisha ay iniwanan na nito agad ang sanggol.

 

She accepted the mommy role wholeheartedly with Olive promising her that she will not get the baby back. She didn't fulfill her promise, did she? Hindi man ito ang bumawi kay Elisha, sinabi naman nito kay Nate Sarmiento ang tungkol sa bata. That was good as getting Elisha back.

 

But it already happened. Wala na siyang magagawa pa. Kahit gaano pa siya nasaktan, hindi na niya maibabalik sa tahimik ang buhay nila ni Elisha. Worse, she could go back to her old life but she couldn't bring her daughter anymore.

 

"Wait," Leah who was walking before her suddenly stopped at lumingon sa kanya. "What happened to your head?" nagdududang tanong nito.

 

"Really, Leah? We've been talking for hours at ngayon mo lang napansin?" She asked while rolling her eyes.

 

"I was pretty occupied by the paper kanina." Leah grinned at her.

 

"Oh, help me," usal niya.

 

She suffered a minor scrape in her right temple yesterday. Nate said she probably got the wound habang nagmamadali silang umalis. An equipment perhaps from the media men accidentally hit her while they were pushing their way through them.

 

Maliit lang naman at hindi nga niya napansin kung hindi si Nate ang unang nakapansin. He insisted on bringing her to the hospital kaya ayon, mas nadagdagan tuloy ang exposure nito sa public na kasama siya.

 

Hindi naman sila nagtagal doon dahil nga maliit lang naman talaga 'yong sugat niya, gasgas nga lang kung tutuusin. Pero pagdating sa mansyon, nasabon ang mga bodyguards nito for failing to handle the situation very well.

 

Hannah realized na nakakatakot itong magalit. Pati si Paul na best friend nito, hindi nito pinatawad.

 

Naalala pa niya ang sinabi sa kanya ni Paul pagkaalis ni Nate—

 

"He was so mad over a scrape!" natatawa na lang ito. "Oh Hannah, the things you do to him," dagdag nitong napapailing.

 

She just furrowed her brows at him but he did not offer any explanation. So she just shrugged her shoulders and did not push the issue.

 

"So, that's it?" Leah asked nang ikwento niya kung saan niya nakuha ang sugat niya, but skipping as much info as possible.

 

Kapag nalaman kasi ni Leah kung paano nagreact si Nate, sigurado kukulayan na naman nito ang mga hindi dapat kulayan.

 

"Yes, that's it!" nagpatiuna na siya sa paglalakad para hindi na humaba pa ang usapan.

 

"I believe I'm missing something!" habol nito.

 

"Na-ah!"

 

"Hannah!"

 

-----

 

Nate: Hannah, I need you to bring something for me here in my office.

 

It's a Saturday and Hannah haven't seen Nate since this morning. Hindi naman niya hinahanap ang binata, pero sinabi ni Paul sa kanya na maaga itong umalis, to make up for the lost times he said. So okay, alam naman niyang busy na tao ito.

 

Hannah: What is it I needed to bring?

 

Ewan niya pero bahagyang nanginginig ang mga kamay niya habang sumasagot sa text nito. There's this tingling sensation she felt when she saw his name popped up on her cell phone screen.

 

Nate: An important file I left in the study. It's in a sealed long brown envelope. Have Paul drive you here.

 

Hannah: Okay. Will be there.

 

She inquired where the study was. Sa laki naman kasi ng mansion ni Nate, kusina, sala at kwarto lang nila ni Elisha ang kabisado niya.

 

"Third floor, right side, second door," sabi ng isang maid in uniform na nakasalubong niya sa hallway. Gusto sana nitong samahan pa siya pero tumanggi na lang siya.

 

Hannah was no different from them. Bayaran lang din siya roon. At ang trabaho niya, yaya ng batang pinalaki at itinuring niyang anak. 

 

Bago siya palungkutin ng isiping iyon, ipinilig na ng dalaga ang ulo at pinuntahan ang pakay.

 

Actually maraming maids si Nate. Halos kasing dami ng mga security personnel. Hindi nga niya ma-gets kung ano ang necessity sa maraming kasambahay kung mag-isa lang naman ito dati. According kasi sa nasagap niyang tsismis noong pagdating niya sa mansyon, Olive didn't live with Nate. Bihira raw itong pumunta roon.

 

Wala rin namang nagkukuwento sa kanya kung nasaan ang pamilya nito. Kahit sa mga research niya noon about Nate Sarmiento, wala siyang nakuhang impormasyon tungkol sa pinanggalingan nitong pamilya. His biography was hardly a biography dahil sa pagiging super private person nito.

 

So ayon nga, ngayon pa lang talaga natatauhan ang bahay nito. 'Yong bukod kay Nate ay may iba pang pinagsisilbihan ang mga maids. Though ayaw niyang isipin ng mga ito na amo rin siya dahil hindi naman siya related kay Nate at kung alam lang sana ng mga ito kung ano ang usapan nila ng binata.

 

But for some reason hindi siya pinapayagang makialam sa bahay. Kahit man lang ipagluto si Elisha ng pagkain nito ayaw ipagawa sa kanya. Supervision- 'yon lang daw ang pwede niyang gawin, bantayan ang niluluto at baka may maihalong hindi pwede sa anak niya.

 

So anyway, nahanap naman niya ang study room at nakuha niya nang matiwasay ang kailangan nito.

 

Nagpaalam muna siya kay Elisha na pupunta siya sa daddy nito. Nag-eenjoy ito sa swimming lesson nito kaya mabilis niya itong napapayag na 'wag ng sumama sa kanya.

 

"Any reason why you need to come? Hindi ba pwedeng ako na lang ang magdala sa kanya nito?" tanong ni Paul habang papunta na sila sa office ni Nate.

 

"I really don't have any idea. He just said he needed me to bring this envelope to him."

 

"Must be confidential." Tumango tango ito pero ang tono, iba na naman.

 

"I think so," sabi na lang niya.

 

"So, kumusta ang sugat mo?"

 

"You know that it's hardly a wound." She rolled her eyes dahil inuumpisahan na naman siya ni Paul, para na itong male version ni Leah pagkatapos niyang "masugatan" at mapagalitan ito nang todo ni Nate.

 

"Next time, Hannah, be very careful," natatawa ito as he tried to mimic his angry friend. "Seriously, Ms Rodriguez, it's been long since I last saw him care for someone like that."

 

"You're not trying to tell me that he didn't care as much with Olive, are you?" tanong niya, well, she saw how hurt registered in his face when he told her that Olive got married with somebody else.

 

Besides, they were like five years together…

 

"With Olive--" he paused. "Well, that was different, she was his fiancee."

 

"Okay, enough of that," sabi niya as they neared NS Hotel.

 

Mula sa sasakyan, tanaw na niya ang building. Parang noon lang niya napansin na mataas pala ang NS Hotel. Tantiya niya ay over fifty-storey iyon.

 

"Which floor?" napalunok siya nang tumigil na sila sa tapat ng hotel.

 

"Penthouse," Paul answered with a look of concern on his face. "You okay?"

 

Alam ni Hannah kung bakit ganoon ang reaksyon ni Paul. Nakita nitong nawalan ng kulay ang mukha niya.

 

"Yup." Bumaba siya ng kotse at nilakasan ang loob kahit ramdam niya ang pangangatog ng mga tuhod niya.

 

Hindi siya claustrophobic. There was just this instance where she went to a high rise building three years ago and got trapped alone in the elevator for at least an hour. Since then iniiwasan na niyang pumunta sa mga matataas na lugar kung saan matagal siyang magiging lulan ng elevator.

 

But maybe today, kailangan niyang harapin ang takot niya. It wasn't like she was harmed when she got trapped. As long as may kasama siya sa loob ng elevator, she'll be fine.

 

"Good morning," bati niya sa supladitang receptionist na nagpakaladkad sa kanya sa mga guards noong isang linggo. "I'm Hannah Rodriguez--"

 

"Good morning, Ma'am," matamis ang ngiting bati nito na muntik ng ikinataas ng kilay niya. "GM is expecting you." So dahil naibilin na siya ni Nate, wala itong discrimination ngayon? "The elevator is that way, ma'am." The lady asked someone to assist her so she just said her thanks bago umalis sa harapan nito.

 

Pumasok siya sa elevator and hit the button for penthouse. May nakasabay siyang dalawang guests pero tenth floor ang mga ito. She forced herself to relax and focus on the floor numbers flashing above the elevator doors nang maiwan na siyang mag-isa. 

 

She felt her lungs tightened for the need of air and her hands were already shaking violently against the envelope she was holding. She realized that the more she was hoping na makaabot na siya sa floor ni Nate ay mas tila tumatagal ang bawat sandali.

 

By the time the doors flew open to the penthouse, Hannah found herself gasping for air that she wasn't able to move out of the elevator at once.

 

"Hannah!" Next thing she knew, she saw Nate Sarmiento blocking the doors and preventing them from closing again, worry was written all over his handsome face.

 

"Nate!" she almost did not hear her own voice as she tried to collect herself and offer him a smile, she felt dizzy. "H-Hi!"

 

He just stood in front of her for a moment as if trying to understand what was happening to her.

 

"Here, let me help you, Hannah." He held out his hand to her, wearing a don't-you-worry-i'm-here smile.

 

"Yeah," she accepted his hand while struggling to stand up straight.

 

"Silly... " Hanna's eyes grew wide when Nate suddenly swept her off her feet and carried her bridal style. "You should've just told me you're afraid of elevators," he said as he stepped out of the lift.

 

"Put me down!" she protested in a weak voice, almost not convincing herself she wanted him to put her down. Weird as it may seem, nakaramdam siya ng comfort sa mga bisig ni Nate.

 

Her face was too close to him that she could quite smell his cologne. If she was familiar with men's scents, she could probably name what he was using.

 

From her position, she could see every movement of his perfectly shaped jaws that she fought the urge to reach out and touch his face. Hannah could also hear the steady beating of his heart, totally different from what already seemed like riot poundings inside her chest. Gosh, can he also feel her heart's wild beatings?

 

'Snap out of it, Hannah, will ya?!'

 

"You are so fragile, Hannah. How can you even take care of my daughter?" She heard Nate say while pushing a door open using his foot.

 

She froze. Did he just question her capability to take care of Elisha? No!

 

'No. No. No! You're stupid, Hannah! Now he's got another reason to take Elisha away from you forever!'

 

"Are you crying? D*mn it! Hannah!"