TRACE“Wala ka yatang epekto kay Chloe,” natatawang kantyaw ni Logan sa akin. “May gusto sa akin ‘yan, nag-iinarte lang.” Inalis ko ang tingin ko kay Chloe na kanina ko pa gustong lapitan kung hindi lang ako magmumukhang katatawanan sa mga kasama ko.Hinanap ng mga mata ko si Paige para tawagin sana at utusan dalhin sa amin sina Chloe at Harriet. I looked around at nakita ko siya na kasalukuyan na kinakausap si Beckett. Nangunot ang noo ko. Bakit nandito si Beckett? Gago ito ah! Hindi na nga halos nagpapakita sa isla pero makikita ko rito. Si Beckett ay isa sa mga dealers na direkta nagre-report sa akin pero tatlong buwan na itong hindi nagpapakita sa dahilan na may mga shooting. Artista rin ito gaya ni Jeru at isa sa mga pinagkakaguluhan na leading man sa mga pelikula at teleserye ng bansa.“Sinong nag-invite kay Beckett? Ikaw ba, Jeru?” tanong ko kay Jeru na hindi pa natagalan dumating kasabay ni Daxon. “I was five months in LA and haven't seen him that long. Kakatapos lang ng mo
CHLOE Wow… That is all I can say for Paige. Being born rich with people surrounding her that love her, ain’t she so lucky? After the announcement of the man named Elliot about his car gift, who is a lawyer, ay napunta na rito ang attention ng karamihan. Even Governor Dimagiba talked to the man at mas silang dalawa na ang nag-usap. Ni hindi makalapit si Elliot sa table nina Trace dahil may iba pang kumakausap dito maliban sa father nina Trace at Paige. I even noticed Louisianna na nakipag-usap na rin kay Elliot. It seems na kilalang-kilala si Elliot ng mga politicians and businessman na nasa party ni Paige. Nang tumayo ako at lumakad papunta sa area ng bartender para humingi ng cocktail drinks para sa amin ni Harriet ay napasulyap ako sa pwesto nina Trace at napansin ko ang hindi magandang tingin niya sa papa niya at kay Elliot na nag-uusap kasama ang iba pa. I shrugged my shoulders, mukhang may problema talaga mentally si Trace at mukhang galit lagi, same sa itsura niya noong inunt
TRACENang mapansin ko na busy si Papa at Elliot sa pag-uusap at sumingit pa si Louisianna ay pasimple kong nilapitan si Keros at inutusan na dapat i-track niya ang galawan ng kabit ng tatay ko. Alam kong may pinaplano si Louisianna na hindi maganda ngayon na papasok na si Paige sa pulitika. I know how evil she is at kahit anong pakita niya na mabait siya ay hindi na ako magtitiwala.Matapos ang bilin ko kay Keros ay nilapitan ko si Raj na mukhang may babae na agad nabudol dahil kanina ko pa nakikita ang paghimas niya sa pang-upo ng babaeng katabi. Nasa madilim na area ang table ng mga ito kaya hindi basta mapapansin ang kalokohan ni Raj. “Mukhang mainit na naman ulo mo,” sabi ni Raj nang lapitan ko siya at nakiupo sa pwesto ng mga ito. “Binabatrip ako ni Beckett,” sabi ko. “Si Beck? Akala namin si Attorrney,” natawang sabi nito at nakitawa na rin si Chase.“Tangina ni Eut na ‘yan! Pabida masyado!” naiinis kong sabi. “Oo, isa pa ’yan!”“Ano ba regalo mo kay Paige?” tanong ni Chase
CHLOEWhen Trace stared at me in the way he seemed to remember something, I thought he was thinking about what he did to me in his penthouse and his ‘nice meeting you’ way was on his mind. I gulped thinking about what he might think of, too.“Three years ago, I saw you. Airport,” Trace said. Oh! My eyes bulged. He remembers! “You… you remember me…” I was surprised and exclaimed those words in a hushing way.“Ngayon lang,” he grinningly said like he was so ecstatic to recall that moment. “And that made you mine. So stop talking to Eut at hindi ako natutuwa.”I went speechless after hearing how he delivered the words. He said that as if he is declaring I am his territory now. But what he said about airport made me delighted, for it seems na hindi lang pala ako ang nakakaalala nang unang pagkikita namin three years ago. I forced myself to smile because it is really awkward kung mukha na akong natuklaw ng ahas sa pagkatulala ko na nakatingin lang sa kaniya. But Eut? Napakunot ang noo
TRACEShe calls me Trace and why does my name sound different when she was the one saying it? It’s as if her voice was like sunshine after the heavy rain, like hope after failing, like winning a bid, and like a successful illegal transaction that happened.Yeah! Chloe is more like an illegal transaction that I need to make sure no one could intercept. And fuck* me! Hindi ko alam pero para akong tanga na tinititigan lang siya. This woman's impact on me is weird. No one made me feel this way. Not even my first love. Not even that damn woman… “Am I allowed to go now?” she asked me.“Excuse me,” Elliot interrupted bago pa ako nakasagot. Fuck*! Eepal na naman ang gago! And I hate what I saw in Chloe's eyes, parang nakakita ng kakampi sa katauhan ni Eut!Chloe smiled sweetly and I hate that. “Chloe, the music is perfect and the moment is tempting. May I have the honor to have this dance with you?” Elliot asked in a prince-like way na sobrang kinabadtrip ko. Papansin talaga! Tempting? A
CHLOEWhen Elliot asked me for a dance ay hindi na ako nag-think twice pa. I found a rescuer from the flirtation of Trace. If by chance na walang Carly na dapat isipin ay baka na-tempt na ako ng kalandian ni Trace. If walang Carly na masasaktan ay oo, why not? Pero may Carly… may Carly na pwede kong masaktan kapag nalaman niya na ang lalaking mahal niya at pinapahanap niya ay nilalandi ako at gusto ko rin. This stupid emotion I am having for Trace should be stopped. Hindi pwedeng palagi na lang na ma-disregard ko ang totoong reason at kailangan ko kay Trace nang dahil lang sa katangahan ko na matukso sa kaniya. “The song suits you well,” Elliot said while we were dancing to Ed Sheeran’s song titled Perfect. I smiled. I don’t know. Elliot is equally as handsome as Trace, but he makes me feel relaxed and I don’t feel danger with him unlike when Trace is around. Elliot is what my preference is in a man. Neat, clean, professional, and respectable. Elliot made me remember Oliver. Kung
TRACE“Fornales?” I asked with a frown. Is she related to General Fornales? One of my father’s cronies. As far as I know, Elliot said that the so-called general didn’t like him. Hindi lang pala ang general ang may ayaw rito, pati pa pala itong babae sa harap ko. Eut vs the Fornales. Tatawa ba ako o tatawa ng tatawa? Tangina! Ang totoo ay kanina pa ako nagpipigil sa sarili ko para upakan itong si Eut. Wala akong pakialam sa babae na narito at panibagong parang demonyo na sumusulsol sa akin. I could manage my business without anyone’s help.“Yes, I am a Fornales. And yes, I hate Elliot Hart,” she said with a raise of her left brow. “And what can I do for you?” I asked nicely. Fuck*! Since when did I learn how to act nicely? “You should get your girl bago pa siya mapahamak d’yan sa walanghiyang abogado na ‘yan.” “He’s a friend of mine,” I told her at baka hindi niya alam. I am annoyed with Elliot but I won’t connived with anyone na may hindi magandang plano sa kaibigan ko. We are Fo
CHLOEI breathed out heavily. The tension between me and the woman named Malori cannot be denied. Kanina pa siya pasulyap-sulyap ng masama sa akin. The woman named Denise naman ay mukhang wala naman ibang alam gawin kung hindi ang yumakap at maglambing kay Trace. The three of them are doing PDA and no one from Trace’s friends are telling them to stop kahit nakakainis na sila sa mata. I gave Malori and Denise another look. Nagtataka ako na bakit balewala sa kanila na dalawa silang nilalandi ni Trace and what I heard from Bree earlier ay sabi niya baka may orgy gagawin si Trace mamaya. Oh God! How filthy the man I fell in love with!Wait! Did I say ‘I’? Oh, shit*! I mean Carly! How filthy this Trace Dimagiba that Carly fell in love with! Not me! I am just clarifying! Definitely, it’s not me! I felt disgusted while looking at Trace. Pakiramdam ko ay may ideya na ako sa ginawa ni Trace kay Carly. He just used my sister, impregnated her and left her. Masama ang tingin na ibinigay ko ka