CHAPTER 44“ARE you okay?” maingat na tanong ni Magnus nang sa gitna ng yakap nila ay marahang umalis si Sabria at bumangon.She covered herself with the thick blanket as she tried to sit down. He saw her winced a bit. Bumangon na rin siya at tumayo para isuot ang kaniyang boxers.When he finished, he came back to sit on the bed. Pinalibot niya ang kaniyang braso sa bewang ni Sabria. He peeked at her when he rested his chin on her shoulder. She looked lost in her deep thoughts.“Hey...” untag niya.From the back, he held out his hand and touched her cheek. He carefully titlted her face so their eyes could meet.Then it dawned on him that her eyes didn’t just look lost. She also looked bothered by something.“Baby...” he called, “is there something wrong?”The worry in her eyes didn’t vanish. Sa katunayan ay mas tumindi pa yata iyon. She took a deep breath and tried to smile. “Wala...” her voice sounded soft and soothing, but he couldn’t be fooled by it.His heart thumped on his chest
PROLOGUE “WHAT are you doing here, Bria?” he asked in a dangerous voice. “Ano ba, Laurent! Bitawan mo nga ako!” Pilit na inagaw ni Bria ang kaniyang braso mula sa lalaki. Nabitiwan naman siya nito. Iritado niya itong tiningnan habang nagsisimula na ring umakyat ang init sa kaniyang ulo. Ang bwisit na 'to! Daig pa niya ang sing gaan lang ng papel kung hatakin siya nito. Hindi tuloy nakapalag ang pa-hard to get self niya. Laurent's face reddened. Sheer anger was plastered on his face. Napabuga siya ng hangin at sinubukang ikalma ang sarili. Breathe in, breathe out, Sabria. Tao lang 'yan, at dyosa ka. Pero teka, bakit nga ba parang ito pa ang galit, eh siya nga ang naabala nito? She had no idea anymore how long she can hold herself together now that he's around her, stirring up some things that she shouldn't feel in the first place. “Ang sabi ko, anong ginagawa mo rito! And with those clothes, really?!” pagalit na tanong ni Laurent habang iritadong nakatingin sa suot niyang spag
CHAPTER 1“HELLO? Nand’yan po ba yung panty ng nanay ko?” pinaliit ni Bria ang kaniyang boses nang sumagot ang tao sa kabilang linya.“Sino po ’to?” dinig niyang tanong ni Blythe sa kuryosong boses.Pinigil niya ang paghagikgik. It’s not every day that she gets to prank this girl and now, it’s payback time!Hindi pa niya nalilimutan ang paglalagay nito ng sangkatutak na condoms sa maleta n’ya, ’no. Wala tuloy siyang mukhang maiharap sa mga kasambahay na roommate niya sa maid’s quarters.Paano ba naman kasi. Pagbuklat niya pa lang sa maleta, bumungad na agad ang mga unopened condoms. Binigyan agad iyon ng malisya ng mga kasambahay! Hiyang-hiya tuloy siya at hindi makakibo nang tuksuhin siya ng mga ito.“Naligaw po kasi yung panty ng nanay ko. Baka po nand’yan sa ‘yo,” consistent niyang binago ang kaniyang boses.“Ha?! Ano ako, panty robber? Aanhin ko naman po ang panty ng nanay n’yo, ha? Sisinghutin?” masungit na tanong ni Blythe.Bumunghalit na si Bria ng tawa. Hindi na siya nakapagpi
CHAPTER 2BRIA stood up from her seat. As a maid na ang ganap niya kaya ni-ready na niya ang utak niya para sa malalang bakbakan mamaya.Pero syempre, eme-eme lang. Exaggeration niya lang ‘yon.She flattened out the cloth on her torso and made sure that there were no creases on her uniform. Tiningnan niya rin kung malinis ba ang black shoes niyang kapares ng white and royal blue niyang uniporme. Tiningnan niya rin kung malinis ba ang lamesang pinag-senti-han niya kanina.Thank God, squeaky clean and no spills.Nakahinga siya nang maluwag nang makitang okay naman ang hitsura niya. Kinapa-kapa niya rin ang naka-bun niyang buhok para malaman kung may tikwas ba o kung magulo na ang kaniyang buhok. Wala naman siyang napansin na kakaiba kaya hinanda na niya ang kaniyang sarili.Hindi naman ito protocol pero syempre, mas okay nang presentable siya tingnan. Mayamaya pa, naririnig na niya ang mga salitang Espanyol na papalapit na sa banda niya. Napalunok siya at niyuko na ang kaniyang ulo.Mrs
CHAPTER 3“OH, Biyang. Sa’n ka galing?” bungad kay Bria ng ka-roommate niyang si Madonna pagkatapos niyang umilang-katok at tuluyan nang pumasok sa kuwarto nila sa maid’s quarters.She only glanced at her flatly.Wala siyang ibang marinig kundi ang paulit-ulit at malakas na dagundong sa kaniyang dibdib. Her heart was racing. Her heartbeats echoed and rang in her ears repeateadly. Her forehead, neck, and palms were sweating coldly.Madonna snapped her fingers in front of her. “Huy! Para ka namang lumaklak ng isang litrong suka d’yan. Ang putla-putla mo, teh!”Doon lang siya nagising. Para siyang nanaginip at noon lang ulit binalikan ng ulirat.“Ha?” lutang niyang usal.Sumimangot sa kaniya si Madonna. “Ewan ko sa ‘yo, teh. Magbihis ka daw sabi ni Ate Doris. Papunta na raw dito yung si Sir Magnus!”Parang mas lalo siyang pinagbagsakan ng langit at lupa. Her jaw fell.Nanlaki ang mata niya nang mapagtanto kung bakit nga ba gano’n na lang ang reaksiyon ng katawan niya at kung bakit nga ba
CHAPTER 4MABILIS lang na nagbihis sa CR ng kanilang kuwarto si Bria. She stared at herself in the mirror.She decided to simply tie her wavy brown hair. She has a gorgeous tan skin complexion so she maximized the warmer tone of her powder. Mukha ring maputla at chapped ang labi niyang hugis-puso kaya naman she gave it an extra boost using the lip gloss and a bit of her dark pinkish lip tint.“Oh, ‘di ba, sino ka d’yan.” Nagmaganda muna siya sa tapat ng salamin para masigurado kung okay na ang ayos niya.She already looked freshened up with only three pieces of cosmetics so that finished her whole look.Lumabas siya at agad na niyaya si Yesha. Baka kasi magalit pa si Ate Doris a.k.a Miss Minchin na mayordoma ng mansion at kasanggang-dikit ni Madonna sa pagiging marites at marisol.Not to mention na kampon rin ito ng kadiliman. Satana lang ang peg. Chariz!Nang makababa sila ni Yesha ay nakahilera na ang mga kasamahan nila sa front porch ng mansion.Tumabi siya kay Lalaine na tanging k
CHAPTER 5 AS usual, back to regular programming si Bria matapos siyang maging center of attraction kanina nang mag-inarte ang katawan niya. She knew the causes of that awkward nosebleed fiasco — stress and fatigue. Pa’no ba naman kasi. Ilang bansa nga ba ang napuntahan niya sa kaka-shopping? Japan, China, Hongkong, Italy, France... name it! She couldn’t imagine her hardships and mental exhaustion in those consecutive hellish days. Na-haggard nang bongga si watashi! Hindi niya rin talaga alam kung bakit siya pumayag na maging personal shopper ni Madame, eh. Maybe it’s safe to say that she didn’t know that she’s a lavish spender? Saka ‘wag na tayong lumayo pa. The salary is giving naman talaga! Her regular salary actually tripled when Mrs. Del Rio offered her to be her personal shopper. Sino pa nga ba ang aayaw kung ginto na ang lumalapit, ‘di ba? “Hay, buhay...” She inhaled miserably while mixing the food that she was cooking in a pot. Kahit gustuhin niyang mag-shut down muna a
CHAPTER 6 “WHAT'S the matter?” Sir Magnus asked while rolling up the sleeves of his white dress shirt to his elbows. The first three buttons of his dress shirt were open and it showed the thin silver chain necklace that draped on his neck. She could also see his toned chest with a faint matting of dark hair because it peeked through his unbuttoned shirt. Unconsciously, she licked her lower lip. Bigla yata siyang nagutom at gustong kumuha ng kanin. Harurut! Ang harot-harot niya, jusme. “You’re late,” Mrs. Del Rio said firmly when her son crouched down his head to kiss her forehead. “It’s only 7pm, Mom. Just the exact time for dinner,” tipid naman nitong pagkontra sa ina. “We’re glad you’re here to eat with us, son. Take a seat.” Nakangiting nilahad ni Mr. Del Rio ang bakanteng upuan sa kaliwa nito. Sir Magnus obliged and sat on the spot provided for him. He was basically facing his mother. Tipid na napailing ang ina nito at napainom ng tubig. “Shall we eat? Hon? Magnus?” Mr.