Chapter 3

"Mabuti naman at naisipan mo pa na umuwi. Akala ko lilipat ka na ng bahay sa kung saan ka man galing." Ito ang pambungad ni Rona matapos nitong pagbuksan ng pinto si Liza.

Hindi na nagulat si Liza nang makita si Rona na nasa loob na ng bahay niya. Since she trusted Rona so much, at since halos araw-araw rin naman itong pumupunta sa bahay niya upang sunduin siya papunta sa mga raket niya at ihatid na rin siya pauwi ay ibinigay na niya rito ang spare key niya. And since then, halos sa bahay na niya ito tumira and she really didn't care.

Pagod na pumasok ng bahay si Liza. "Can you save the nagging later, Rona? I'm tired." Sagot niya sa kaibigan as she made her way to the kitchen to grab bottled water to fill her thirst.

"Wow! Really, Liza? Is that all you'll say to me after everything you've put me through? Do you even know what time it is? Or do you even remember that you were supposed to be in a photoshoot with Mr. Herrera three hours ago? My God, Liza! Just what the hell were you doing?" Rona asked, her voice frustrated.

Liza knew that she had messed up big time. Mr. Herrera is a well-known photographer who has photographed many celebrities. Most celebrities with whom Mr.Herrera has collaborated are famous A-listers, whereas the others were all starlets at first but rose to fame after working with Mr.Herrera and are now all A-listers. A photoshoot with Mr.Herrera was her best chance to increase her popularity, but it's now gone, and she has only herself to blame. She could, of course, blame Hunter for fucking her all night.

Hunter meant it when he said she had to tire him out if she wanted him to stop fucking her from night to dawn.

He told her to tire him out, but his cock wasn't the only monster about him. His stamina seems to be a monster as well. Liza had forgotten how many times she had cummed. When she came for the fourth time, she finally lost count. She even began to wonder if Hunter was a human being. Because she has never met a man who could keep her cumming all night. He was rough while doing her, which added to his monster-like stamina. She was okay with it when they were having sex, but now that she has tasted the effect of their rough sex, she regrets letting him do whatever he wants with her body. She cursed him silently when she discovered in the morning that she was already three hours late for her photoshoot with Mr. Herrera and could barely walk. Her body was also riddled with hickeys and bite marks, making her photo shoot with Mr. Herrera impossible. And because she was unhappy about her body and frustrated with Mr.Herrera, she stormed out of the club's private room without even waking Hunter, who was sound asleep. But simply leaving without saying anything was unsatisfactory for Liza, so she took a few bills from Hunter's wallet for her taxi fare since she had left her bag with Rona. 

Pero kahit pa nananakit ang buong katawan niya ay hindi naman ikakaila ni Liza kung gaano kagaling sa pagpapaligaya ng babae si Hunter. He was so good at sex that she forgot about everything except his cock and how much pleasure it gave her.

"You just blew a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and you have nothing to say?"

Liza put down the empty bottle of water at the table then walked out of the kitchen, making her way towards the stairs that leads to the second floor of the house. Ramdam naman niya nakasunod sa kanya si Rona. "What do you want me to say? I messed up, Rona. I know I did. But whatever I say and whatever I do won't change anything. Kahit umiyak pa ako ng dugo ngayon at kahit maglupasay pa ako sa sahig, wala pa ring magbabago. Nangyari na ang nangyari", she says.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this from you. How many times do I have to clean up your mess, Liza? How many times do I have to put up with all your schemes and insensitive actions? When will you grow up and learn to be considerate of others?" Rona responded angrily.

"I'm tired, Rona; I'll listen to all your nagging and complaining later, but right now, I need to rest, so please—"

"You're tired? If you're tired, then so am I! I am tired of you, Liza. I am tired of you being selfish and inconsiderate. You keep saying you want to rise to the top but keep doing things impeding your rise! Did you even consider my feelings? Did you even try to put yourself in my shoes? Do you even know how Mr. Herrera humiliated me all because of you? You didn't, right? Because all you've ever wanted to do is find a guy who can quench your thirst for lust!"

"That's it!" Mula sa pag-akyat sa hagdanan ay muling hinarap at nilapitan ni Liza si Rona. Makikita sa mukha ni Liza ang labis na pagkadisgusto sa mga sinabi ni Rona. "You crossed the line, Rona; I know I made a huge mistake, and I already feel terrible about it—"

"Oh, yeah? Do you feel bad about it? Do you? I already told you to stop your nasty habit, but what did you do? You still went ahead and fucked some random guy, and now you've lost one of the biggest chances that you have to make a name in the industry! You know what? I'm done! I'm done with this, and I'm done with you. If you still refuse to accept responsibility for your actions, suit yourself, but I cannot. I can't work with someone who is solely concerned with herself." And before Liza could respond, Rona had already walked away from her, grabbed her bag from the couch, and exited, slamming the door shut with a thud.

Liza's face was flushed with surprise and disbelief as she stared at her house's closed door. She can't believe what has just happened. She can't believe Rona could say those words and then abandon her. "She's done with me? She doesn't want to work for me anymore?" Liza asked herself, her voice trembling with disbelief.

Aside from being her friend and manager, Rona is also like a mother to her, always warning, stopping, or scolding her whenever she does something that could ruin her and her career. It's not the first time Rona has gotten angry at her and walked away from her for doing something she believes is wrong, but this is the first time she has told her she's done with her, and Liza finds it difficult to believe. 

Liza walked over to the couch and sat down, her palms covering her face as she sighed. "Will she abandon me?" Liza immediately regretted what she had done and said. "I should have apologized to her first," she said after realizing she had not even apologized to Rona for the trouble she had caused. She has no idea what Mr. Herrera said or did to Rona, but she is certain that what happened with Hr. Herrera was not so simple for Rona to become so enraged. "She must have felt extremely humiliated."

Iniisip pa rin ni Liza ang nangyaring sagutan sa pagitan nilang dalawa ni Rona nang makarinig siya ng tunog ng isang phone, and the ringtone was so familiar. It is the ringtone of her phone. Kaagad na hinagilap ng kanyang tingin ang pinanggalingan ng tunog at napunta ang kanyang tingin sa katapat ng couch. At doon ay nakita niya ang kanyang shoulder bag na siyang pinanggagalingan ng tunog. She grabbed her bag and opened it to get her phone. The name and phone number of Sahara Dela Fuente, the Head of Talent at M&D Talent Agency, where she is currently signed, flashed across her phone's screen.

Liza sighed deeply, "How could I have forgotten Sahara?" Sahara's probably already aware of her failure to appear for the photoshoot with Mr. Herrera at sigurado siyang galit na galit ito ngayon.

Liza took another deep breath before responding to Sahara's call, preparing her heart, mind, and ears for the harsh words Sahara was about to hurl at her. Liza answered the phone when she felt she was ready. "What on earth happened, Liza?" Sahara demanded angrily, refusing to let her speak. "Do you have any idea how surprised and embarrassed I was when I got a call from Mr. Herrera because of your unprofessionalism? Do you know how many times I apologized and promised him that I'd make it up to him just to alleviate his anger? For goodness sake, Liza! You not only embarrassed yourself and me; you embarrassed the entire M&D!"

"I'm sorry." That was all Liza could say. 

"Do you think a simple sorry will suffice for the trouble you've caused?" Liza couldn't answer Sahara's question. Because she already knew it wasn't. A simple apology will not suffice for the damage she caused in their agency's name. She could hear Sahara sigh in frustration from the other end of the line. "Just tell me what happened to you," Sahara said, trying hard to maintain a calm tone. "Just explain why you did not attend the photo shoot and tarnished our agency's name. Give me enough reason for what made you lose your chance to get to the top and let your name be well-known in the industry. Just give me a fucking reason, Liza!" 

"I… Sahara, I..."

"I what? You can't say it? Don't tell me you're embarrassed now. Come on, Liza! We both know you don't know that word; everyone in this agency knows you don't know that word, especially me and Rona." Liza was rendered speechless. How can she tell Sahara, her boss, that she was unable to attend the photoshoot because she was fucked so hard by a stranger named Hunter all night until dawn and that her body is now full of hickeys, making it even more difficult for her to do her job? "You can't say it? Then can you just answer my question?" Liza remained silent, so Sahara asked, "Did you go to a club again?"

Liza's eyes widened in shock. "How did you..." She kept her frequent visits to clubs from Sahara hidden because she knew Sahara would be outraged. Tanging si Rona lang ang nakakaalam ng palagiang pagpunta niya sa mga bar at club, at pinakiusapan na rin niya ito na wag ipaalam kay Sahara ang mga ginagawa niya kung kaya't nagtataka siya kung paano nalaman ito ni Sahara.

"Do you believe you can keep it from me forever, Liza? I have eyes and ears everywhere. Kahit saan ka pumunta, malalaman at malalaman ko. I was aware of your frequent club visits, but I didn't say anything because it wasn't causing me or the agency any problems, and you weren't slacking off at work either. I thought giving you some leeway would motivate you to work harder, but I was wrong. Your popularity and status as a B-lister have gone to your head."

"No, it's not like that."

"Then what?" Liza remained silent once more. "You know what? Forget it. Forget your reason. It won't matter much anyway."

Kumunot ang noo ni Liza. "What do you mean?" Liza became nervous for some reason. She's unsure what, but when Sahara said her reasoning would be meaningless, she knew something was wrong. "What do you mean it won't mean much?" Sahara didn't respond right away. It's as if Sahara is debating whether or not to tell Liza, which makes Liza even more nervous. "What's the matter, Sahara?" Liza's heart is pounding louder with each second that Sahara remains silent. 

"Sahara!"

"We decided to let you go," Sahara said, like a bomb exploding in Liza's ear. She couldn't say anything. Her mouth was drooping, and she couldn't even blink. It was as if something was stuck in her throat, preventing her from speaking. She also felt as if her heart had stopped beating. She's so shocked that her body won't move an inch. "Mr. Herrera was so angry at us, but especially at you, that he went so far as to threaten us that if we don't let go of you, none of our artists will be able to work with him anymore, and you know how important he is to the media, and some of the biggest companies in the country. The last thing we want to happen is to disappoint him and anger him even more. And we can't sacrifice our agency and other artists for your sake, either. Another reason we decided to let you go is because of what you did. Liza, it was a breach of contract. It was your responsibility to complete whatever projects were assigned to you, and your photo shoot with Mr. Herrera was one of them. So, by failing to attend the photoshoot, you already failed to perform your promised obligations, which is why it is a breach of contract."

Hindi na narinig ni Liza ang mga sumunod pa na sinabi ni Sahara. Naging bingi na siya sa iba pa na sinabi nito. Hanggang sa natapos at patayin ni Sahara ang tawag ay hindi nakapagsalita o gumalaw si Liza. She sat on the couch, holding her phone, as the sentence 'we decided to let you go' played over and over in her head. Those were the only words that registered in Liza's mind out of everything that Sahara said.

"They're letting me go," Liza said after a few minutes, still unable to believe it. "They're letting me go; they no longer want me," she said quietly again. And before she knew it, her tears had begun to fall.

Pakiramdam ni Liza ay gumuho ang kanyang mundo. She lost Rona, her job, and her dream of becoming an A-lister celebrity. All because she chose a one-night stand with a stranger over Rona's advice. It was all because she spent the night with Hunter.

Nagtuloy-tuloy ang pag-agos ng mga luha ni Liza. Hindi siya makapaniwala na sa isang iglap ay mawawala ang mga pinaghirapan niya. She's not exactly well-known to begin with. And now that the company no longer wants her, how will she survive in the entertainment industry? How can a no-name celebrity like her survive? Is there even an agency willing to take her and manage a starlet like her?

Liza was still crying her heart out, and her mind was so preoccupied with worry and regret that she didn't even notice her house's doorbell ringing. It wasn't until someone forcibly opened her front door that she realized someone was looking for her.

Liza jumped up from her seat on the couch, startled. Her gaze was drawn to her front door, where she noticed a man dressed in a black suit and wearing black sunglasses. Her brow furrowed, and her feelings shifted from worry and regret to nervousness. "Sino kayo? Anong kailangan niyo?" she asked, trying to sound brave despite her voice shaking slightly. There were two people behind the man who opened, no, broke her door, but she couldn't see them. The man's bulk was enough to cover up the two people behind him. The man in the black suit remained silent. Instead of answering her question, another man in a black suit with the same body type appeared. Liza tensed up even more. She took a few steps back, clutching her phone tightly. Various worst-case scenarios have begun to fill her mind. "Look, if you want money, I'll give it to you; just don't hurt me," she pleaded, taking another step back.

"No one is going to hurt you, woman," says the man standing behind the two men in the black suit, causing Liza to pause in her steps back. The person's voice sounds familiar to her for some reason. "We won't hurt you," muling pagsalita nito saka ito tuluyan ng umalis sa likuran ng dalawang lalaki na naka black suit at nagpakita na sa kanya, na siyang dahilan upang manlaki ang mga mata ni Liza at umawang kanyang bibig. Nagpatuloy sa pagsasalita ang lalaki, "Unless, of course, you refuse to cooperate with me."

Kulang na lamang ay isulat ang salitang gulat sa mukha ni Liza. Hindi siya makapaniwala sa kanyang nakikita. The man who fucked her so hard all night until dawn that she was unable to attend the photoshoot is now right in front of her. And so, she uttered in great shock, "Hunter?"