“So, should we go down to business now?”
Laura’s eyes rolled heavenwards, akala ni Awa ay nagkukumbulsyon na ang kausap sa harap niya. Muntik na siyang tumawag ng ambulansya, sakto naman na nagsalita na ulit si Laura.
“I would like to invest in your company.”
Gusto niyang matawa sa narinig. Based on what she heard, wala ito’ng alam pagdating sa pera at negosyo. Ang alam niya, umaasa lang din ang babae sa pera ng mga magulang nito. Ni hindi nga niya alam kung ano’ng trabaho nito o kung may trabaho nga ba.
“What makes you think I would actually say yes to what you&rsq
“Eh ready ka ba talaga’ng maka-trabaho si Troy, Ate?” Ewan ba niya sa mga pinsan at ganyan ang mga tanong. Ember heard from Mia and Rara about what happened the other day, of course Ember had relayed the words to the other Voltes Five kaya ito silang lima, magkakasama sa isang boutique para bumili ng maisusuot niya sa party sa Biyernes. For all she knows, kaya lang namana sumama ang mga ito ay gusto lang talaga maki-chismis nito’ng apat sa kung ano’ng nangyari. Ember was right outside the door of the changing room, while she was busy tucking herself inside one of the cocktail dresses Aye chose for her. “Yea, of course. Bakit naman hindi?” “Uh,” sabat ni Last, “because he’s your
Friday came by like the speed of light. White, Mia and Rara were with her, sila raw ang magiging 'fairy godmother' niya for tonight’s party; in short, sila ang mag-aayos sa kanya. “You know full well I can take care of myself, right?” Naka-upo na siya sa harap ng vanity niya, she was looking at the three through the mirror. Nakaligo na rin siya at lahat, aayusan nalang siya at maghihintay sa pagdating ni Raf para sunduin siya. “What are you three planning?” pinanliitan niya ng mga mata ang tatlo, there’s an inkling feeling inside that tells her they’re up to something that would either humiliate her or make people be more wary of her. “Out with it.”&n
Sinundot niya ng table fork ang pagkain na inihain sa kanila. Sumimangot siya. “Napaka-konti talaga ng serving sa ganito’ng events.” Raf, who just came back from his adventure, chuckled, placing another plate full of goodies in front of her. “Hindi ka pa nasanay.” Sigurado siya, her eyes are twinkling upon seeing the food Raf brought over. “Paano ka naman naka-remedyo niyan?” “You have too little faith in me, dear cousin.” Nagpa-pogi bigla ang pinsan niya; at kung hindi lang siya nito kinuhanan ng extra’ng pagkain, she would’ve barfed. “I simply asked one of the kitchen staffs.”
Asia has decided long ago, she wouldn’t be using her connections to climb up the social ladder. Kaya kahit pa dala niya ang apelyido’ng Acosta, she would often answer, when asked if she has any connections to the Acosta’s, that her family name is just a random, nameless Acosta, na nagkataon lang na pareho’ng apelyido, pero hindi talaga magkadugo. She wanted to be successful with her own hard work. And she’s actually doing it already. Her family knows this, of course, they support her fully and if they wanted to help, they would do it discreetly. Pero ang kapatid niya, absent ata nung pinaalam niya ang bagay na ‘yun sa buong pamilya. Because her brother was walking towards their direction, not minding the eyes that were following him around. Gus
“Where have you been?” Ang tanong ng magaling niyang pinsan na prenteng naka-upo sa pwesto nila kanina, he had a bottle of whiskey sitting in one side and an almost empty glass on his hand. She took four long strides to where he sat and immediately landed a forceful smack on his arm, making her idiot cousin flinch a little. She should’ve hit him even harder. “Where have you been, my ass!” padabog siyang sumalpak ng upo sa katabing bakante’ng upuan, she made a grab for the whiskey bottle, taking the empty glass from Raf and pouring herself some. She made a face after chugging the whiskey down. “I should be the one asking you that, you idiot!” 
Awa lazily picked her phone up, nakadapa siyang nakahiga sa king-sized bed sa kwarto niya sa family house nila sa metro; the said family house was what they used to live with her parents and siblings when they were younger. Wala kasi ang Papa niya rito, he’s overseas for a business trip; the Voltes Five decided to celebrate Ember’s birthday at her family house for a change. At ang mga magagaling, iniwan siya ng mga ito mag-isa, ni hindi man lang nag-abala’ng gisingin man lang siya bago sila umalis. It was a Sunday morning, and Sundays mean family time, which means she— and the rest of the Acosta’s available and nearby— would be coming home to their ancestral house at the compound to spend the whole day with the whole clan.
“It’s really surprising to see you here,” she told Drew for the nth time. The doctor just chuckled. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t want you here, but it’s just weird.” A beat. “And rare.” Nilingon siya ng binata, brows furrowed. “What is?” “That they’re letting others join us when this is supposedly a family-exclusive get-together.” “I could leave.” There was sincerity in Drew’s words that made her feel bad for even blurting those nonsense and irrelevant shit out. “I hate to impose.”  
Turns out, there wouldn’t be any counselling sesh to happen, naalala niyang this week na pala ang alis niya para sa project nila ni Troy na ishu-shoot sa Luzon, Visayas at Mindanao. Kung alam niya lang, sana nung nasa mansion si Drew ay nag-demand na siya ng sesh. “I’m really sorry, Drew,” she told him over the phone, “Maybe after this project.” “It’s really okay, Awa.” Drew chuckled from the other line. “I understand but if anything, you can call me any time, okay?” “Okay, Doc. Copy that.” napabuntong-hininga siya’t ngumiti kahit hindi naman nakikita ng kausap. “I must be holding you from work, I gotta hang up.”&nb