Chapter One

"You can't force me to marry Klein Dometry!" Nanggagalaiting sigaw ko kay Daddy.

"Yes! You will. If I say it, you will do it. I am not Yeoji Martini for nothing. You, being my daughter should know me already."

Natameme ako sa isinagot niya dahil tama siya. He can be a ruthless devil in a suit if he wants to.

It's just that, I can't marry a man who doesn't even care about me. I am sure that I like him, but is it enough?

Kilala ko kong sino ang gusto ni Klein. Si Trinity, ang bestfriend nito. I can feel it by the way he looks at her. There is something in his eyes, an emotion that you can only see in a person who is inlove.

And I am not dumb to enter in a relationship I know, I will be the one to lose in the end.

"Daddy, please! He is not even my boyfriend." Protesta ko ng mahanap ko ang boses ko.

"And so what? He is a good man. He came from a well known and respected family. And a man like him is what you needed."

Muntik na akong mapaikot ng mga mata pero pinigilan ko. Agree akong nanggaling siya sa mayaman at karespe respetong angkan pero ang sabihan niyang mabait si Klein? He must be kidding me. Ni hindi nga niya kayang maging mabait saakin. Kulang na lang sakalin niya ako sa sobrang inis kapag nakikita ako.

Ano na lang ang mangyayari kapag ikinasal pa kami? Sigurado akong palagi kaming magbabangayan or worst, baka mapatay pa niya ako sa sobrang gigil niya saakin. Kaya para hindi mangyari iyon, kailangang pigilan ko na ang kasal habang maaga pa.

"I won't marry Klein and you have nothing to do about it." Desididong sagot ko.

"You wouldn't like me mad Chanel, and you witnessed it already." Pagbabanta nito.

I gulp and stared at his frustrated face. What he said was true. Naalala ko noong mag aanim na taong gulang ako, may mga usap usapan sa baryo namin na may binayaran siyang tao para patayin ang business partner nito sa tubuhan namin pero walang nakapagpatunay.

Labing anim na taong gulang ako noong masaksihan ko kong paano niya pabagsakin ang kabuhayan ng mga Carbonel sa kadahilanang ayaw nilang ipagbili ang kalahati ng kanilang lupain.

"Wear a descent dress tonight. Klein and his father will come over to join us for dinner."

Matapos sabihin iyon, tumalikod na siya at naglakad papaalis sa kwarto ko. Pero nakakatlong hakbang pa lang ito ng magsalita ulit.

"Alam kong may galit ka saakin pero sana naman huwag mo nang dagdagan pa. I am just doing this for your own good. Para sa kinabukasan mo. I am not getting any younger. I want you to have someone beside you when something  unexpectedly happen. Life is too short Chanel. We will never know what tomorrow brings," makahulugang sabi niya bago niya binuksan ang aking pintuan at lumabas.

Naiwan akong nag-iisip. Ano ang ibig niyang sabihin? Hindi ko alam pero bigla na lang akong nakaramdam ng takot.

Daddy is very strict on me and sometimes it makes me annoyed and pissed but despite of that I can't deny the fact that I love him.

He is the only one I have right now. I haven't heard from my mother for a long time since she left us nine years ago.

Simula noong maglayas si mommy, mas lalong pina igting ni daddy ang pagbabantay sa seguridad ko. He hired me, not just one but three annoying bodyguards.

Hindi ako makalabas ng bahay ng hindi nila ako sinusundan. They never let me leave their sight, not even a second.

My schoolmates were fascinated about them. Some even commented that it was cool having a bodyguards. But I can't feel the coolness in it because I feel irritated having them around me.

Home and school is my daily routine. I have never experience roaming around outside our house premises. I never experience going in a mall and stroll around like an ordinary teenager.

Wala akong pwedeng irason na may bibilhin sa labas dahil lahat ng kailangan ko ay nasa bahay na namin.

We have our own chef who cooks like those in a five star hotel.

I have my own designer and stylist but sometimes, if it is not important, I prefer fixing myself on my own.

Name a designers clothes, bags, shoes and make ups and I have them all.

What could I possibly ask for?

"Chanel? Nakapagbihis ka na ba? May isang oras ka na lang para magbihis."

I blinked when I heard Nanny Rosie's voice outside my door.

"Magbibihis na po nay." Malakas kong sagot para marinig niya ako.

She didn't answer. Maybe, she left already.

I quickly get up from my bed and went straight into my bathroom. I only spent fifteen minutes because I just took a half bath.

I choose to wear my Hermes flowing white dress 3 inches above the knee with a flowering design below, and paired it with a Gucci white flat sandal. I tied my hair into a messy bun and apply lipgloss on my pinkish lips.

Naglagay ako ng konting pulbos sa mukha ko. Natural na malalantik ang mga pilik mata ko kaya hindi ko na kailangang maglagay ng maskara.

Pinagmasdan ko ang kabuuan ko sa salamin. I look plain and simple. I don't need to show off for Klein anyway.  Because I know he will never bother looking at me the way I want him to be.

Malalim akong napabuntunghininga. I know he is angry at me right now. Impossible namang hindi pa umabot sa kaalaman nitong ipinagkasundo kami ng mga magulang namin sa isang kasal.

Pero wala na rin namang bago. Palagi naman siyang galit saakin. Is it because, he doesn't like how I acted towards his bestfriend. What am I gonna supposed to do? I don't like Trinity. And no matter how I tried, I can't force myself to like her. I can't even act civil to her because my blood automatically boils just a mere seeing of her face.

They can't blame me. There is something off of her that I can't pinpoint. And I need to figure it out soon.

I don't know how her and Klein met because she wasn't even on the circles we are in. I just found out that they were already best of friends. Like how the hell did it happened without me knowing it?

I remember those times when I was being teritorial to him eventhough I have no rights. Itinanim ko kasi sa batang isip ko na siya ang lalaking papakasalan ko balang-araw simula ng makita ko siya noong ikalabing limang kaarawan ko.

He was just a fresh college graduates back then. I don't know who invited him but sooner I found out that daddy knows him because his daddy and my daddy are colleagues and business partners.

"Chanel, nandito na ang mga bisita," pag iimporma saakin ni Nay Rosie pagkabukas ng pintuan.

I smiled and stood up. Admiration was written on her face while she is looking at me. Pero maya maya lang biglang may isang butil ng luha na tumulo sa pisngi nito na mabilis din nitong pinalis

"Umiiyak ba kayo Nay?"

"Tears of joy lang ito anak. Hindi lang ako makapaniwalang kay bilis dumaan ng mga araw. Tignan mo naman, sino ang mag aakalang ang masungit at makulit na batang babaeng inalagaan ko noon ay lumaking maganda at mabait ngayon? Kung hindi lang mahigpit ang Daddy mo sigurado akong marami ang manliligaw sayo."

"Para namang magpapaligaw po ako. Alam  niyo namang iisa lang ang lalaking nagpapatibok ng puso ko."

Biglang nawala ang ngiti niya't napalitan ng pag-aalala. Alam naman niya kasi kong sino talaga ang gusto ko magmula pa noon. Pero walang pag-asang maging kami dahil iba naman ang gusto. At mas lalo pa niya siguro akong kamumuhian kapag pumayag akong magpakasal sa kanya. Dahil minsan na niyang sinabing walang pag asang mahalin niya ako dahil nakareserba na ang puso niya kay Trinity.

Walang imik kaming sabay na naglakad papunta sa hagdanan. At habang pababa kami nakita ko ang lalaking siyang unang nagpatibok ng puso ko. May kasama siyang isang matandang lalaki na kaedaran ni Daddy. Pareho silang nakapormal attire. Parang dito na sila dumeretso sa bahay pagkagaling nila sa opisina.

Nakaharap sila mismo dito sa hagdanan kaya kitang kita ko siya habang nakatalikod naman si Daddy. Naririnig ko ang mga tawanan ng kasama niya at ni Daddy habang nag uusap sila.

Ngayon ko na lang narinig na tumawa ng ganyan si Daddy, palagi kasing walang reaksiyon ang mukha niya kapag kausap ako. Ni hindi ko siya nakitang ngumingiti kahit tipid lang. Nagsimula lang naman 'yan noong natuklasan niyang nagloloko si mommy. It's been nine years. Matagal na rin pala. It warms my heart seeing my father that happy kaya wala sa sariling napangiti din ako.

Dumako ang paningin ko kay Klein na bored na ang itsura. Tipid lang na ngumingiti kapag isinasali sa usapan. Panay ang tingin nito sa cellphone na parang may hinihintay na tawag o text. Maya maya pa'y kumunot ang noo nito. Napansin niya sigurong may nakatitig sa kanya. Nang tumingin siya dito mismo sa kinaroroonan namin, hindi ko mapigilang mapasinghap ng mag-abot ang mga mata namin.

Ang gwapo niya talaga. Mula sa magulong buhok nito na hanggang batok lang. Sa mga malalantik nitong mga pilik-mata na mas nagpahubog sa malalalim na kulay asul nitong mga mata, na blangkong nakatingin saakin. Ang ilong nito ay matangos. Manipis ang labi nitong mapula na ngayon ay nakapinid. Halatang hindi siya masayang makita ako.

Ano pa ba ang bago? Sanay na ako.

Naramdaman kong hinawakan ni Nay Rosie ang kamay ko at iginaya pababa ng hagdanan papunta sa nag-iisang lalaking binigyan ko ng permisong pumasok sa buhay ko.

************

Hi! I have one story that I updated everyday..can you also add it to your library and have time to read it? The title is "The King's Luna"

Kamsahamnida