Chapter 3

Nagising si Karolina na mabigat ang ulo at malabo pa ang paningin. The first thing she noticed was the sound of waves crashing somewhere outside the huge glass windows beside her. Slowly, she pushed herself up from the massive bed, agad napansin na wala na siya sa port.

The room was luxurious. Too luxurious. Black marble floors, dim warm lighting, and expensive furniture that screamed power and control. Para siyang nasa five-star suite, but instead of comfort, a strange sense of confinement settled in her chest.

Then she saw him.

Alejandro stood near the balcony doors, one hand inside his pocket, calmly staring out at the sea as if she wasn’t even there.

“You’re awake,” he said, still not looking at her.

Biglang bumalik sa isip ni Karolina ang lahat, ang island, ang malamig nitong tingin, at ang cloth na pinasinghot sa kanya bago siya mawalan ng malay.

“What did you do to me?” Karolina’s voice cracked as she sat up.

Alejandro didn’t turn right away. When he finally did, his expression was unreadable.

“You fainted.”

He let the silence hang between them.

“That’s a lie,” she whispered, more to herself than him.

“Is it?” he replied quietly.

“Cute excuse,” she scoffed, pushing herself up fully. “Next time, try ‘I kidnapped you’ mas believable.”

“Relax. Wala namang nangyari sa’yo,” he said calmly, like it was the most normal thing in the world. “You’re just overreacting.”

A faint trace of amusement flickered in his eyes, but his expression stayed dangerously cold.

She stared at him, jaw tightening. “You call this nothing? You drugged me and brought me here. That’s not ‘nothing.’ That’s a decision.”

“Oh come on,” he said lazily, like the entire situation was nothing more than a passing inconvenience. “I just did it so you wouldn’t know the way. Now what? Happy?”

Humigpit ang tingin ni Karolina sa kanya. For a moment, hindi siya agad nakasagot.

Then she let out a soft, dry laugh.

“Still not a good move for a governor,” she said coldly, her voice steady despite the anger beneath it. “Kidnapping doesn’t become acceptable just because you say it like it’s nothing.”

Humugot ng mabigat na hininga si Alejandro, nanatiling kalmado ang ekspresyon niya na para bang walang bigat ang lahat ng nangyayari.

“Ang dami mong sinasabi,” malamig niyang sabi. “Just be grateful you didn’t end up dead, floating somewhere in the middle of the ocean.”

Nanahimik si Karolina nang ilang sandali, bago siya napangiti nang mapait, walang saya, puro pang-aasar lamang.

“Yeah? As if that’s what I signed up for,” balik niya, matatag ang tindig kahit ramdam ang galit sa boses. “Nandito ako para mag-perform, not for your amusement or whatever sick little game you’re playing. Hindi ako laruan na puwede mong ikulong at paglaruan.”

“Oh yeah, whatever you say, Miss down-to-fuck,” Alejandro said with a faint, careless smirk.

Mas lalong uminit ang dugo ni Karolina sa narinig, pero bago pa siya makasagot, nagpatuloy ito na parang wala lang.

“Anyway, you’re staying here for now,” he said, his tone shifting back to something colder. “And one more thing, Karolina…”

Bahagyang nagdilim ang tingin nito.

“Do not leave this room. Don’t wander around the estate, and don’t try to escape.”

Nakunot noo niya. “Why?”

“Because I said so.”

That only irritated her more.

After Alejandro left, naiwan si Karolina mag-isa sa napakalaking kwarto. Tahimik, pero hindi mapayapa. Suffocating ang pakiramdam, parang unti-unting sumisikip ang hangin sa paligid niya.

Lumipas ang mga oras, at unti-unting kinain ng curiosity ang takot niya. Bakit siya binabantayan? Bakit parang bilanggo ang trato sa kanya? Nandito siya para mag-perform, not to be locked away. At higit sa lahat, anong klaseng tao ba talaga si Alejandro Delgado?

And against her better judgment… She left the room.

Tahimik ang buong mansion habang naglalakad siya sa mahahabang hallway. The place was massive, parang isang maze na puno ng mamahaling paintings, madidilim na dingding, at mga guard na nakatayo sa bawat strategic na pinto.

Humigpit ang dibdib niya.

Something about this place felt wrong.

Habang pababa siya sa isang back hallway, may narinig siyang mahinang sigawan mula sa isang bahagyang nakabukas na pinto sa ibaba. Natigilan siya, pero ilang segundo lang, dahan-dahan siyang lumapit, kahit alam niyang mali.

And that was her mistake.

The moment she peeked inside, her blood ran cold.

Isang lalaking nakaluhod sa sahig ang bumungad sa kanya. Bugbog sarado, duguan, barely holding himself together habang dalawang guards ang mahigpit na nakahawak sa kanya. At sa harap nito, nakatayo si Alejandro.

Kalmado ito, tilang walang emosyon. Nakakatakot.

“Please… I swear, I didn’t say anything,” the man cried, ang boses nito ay nanginginig sa takot.

Dahan-dahang lumuhod si Alejandro sa harap nito, almost relaxed, parang wala lang ang lahat.

“But you were going to,” mahina niyang sagot.

Isang iglap lang, kinuha niya ang baril. Nanlaki ang mga mata ni Karolina. Isang malakas na putok ang umalingawngaw sa buong kwarto. Bumagsak ang katawan ng lalaki, lifeless sa malamig na sahig.

Napasinghap si Karolina, mabilis na natakpan ang bibig niya, but it was too late.

Nakatingin na sa kanya si Alejandro. Diretso sa kanya.

For a split second, lahat huminto, ang guards, ang hangin, pati ang tibok ng puso niya.

Then his expression darkened.

“Shit,” she whispered.

Mabilis siyang tumakbo paatras, nanginginig buong katawan niya habang habol-habol ang hininga. Pero bago pa siya makalayo, may humawak agad sa braso niya.

“Let me go!” sigaw niya habang nagpupumiglas.

Pero walang epekto.

Within seconds, dinala ulit siya pabalik sa parehong kwarto, this time with Alejandro already waiting for her inside.

Tahimik lang ito habang nakaupo sa couch, parang walang nangyaring pagpatay ilang minuto lang ang nakalipas.

Karolina stumbled back from him, nanginginig ang buong katawan. Her breath was uneven, panic rising in her chest.

“You killed him,” she whispered, barely audible.

Alejandro looked at her as if nothing had happened. “I warned you not to leave the room.”

“Are you insane?” she shot back, ang boses niya ay nanginginig sa galit at takot.

“No,” he answered coldly. “I’m careful.”

Unti-unting bumagsak ang luha ni Karolina, hindi lang dahil sa takot, kundi dahil sa unti-unting pagpasok ng buong katotohanan sa isip niya.

She saw too much. And now she understood why he didn’t want her wandering around.

Alejandro took a slow step forward. “Normally,” he said in a low, controlled voice, “people who see things like that don’t live long enough to talk about it.”

Nanlamig ang buong katawan niya.

“But,” he added, stopping just inches away from her, “I’m willing to give you another option.”

Napatingin siya sa kanya, hindi makapaniwala. “W-what?”

“A contract marriage.”

His voice stayed calm, but there was something in it, something that didn’t feel like an offer at all.

“You become my wife,” Alejandro said slowly, “and in return, I protect you and your children. I pay for every treatment your son needs.”

Nanlaki ang mga mata ni Karolina. Paano niya alam?

“But there’s a condition,” he continued, eyes darkening. “You obey everything I say. No questions. No disobedience.”

Lumapit pa ito nang kaunti, enough for her to feel how final his words were.

“Because if you don’t,” he murmured, “I’ll keep you locked up here until you do. While your son will die in that hospital with no one left to save him.”

Parang naubos ang hangin sa dibdib ni Karolina. Nanghina ang tuhod niya, at kinailangan niyang kumapit sa sarili para hindi tuluyang bumagsak.

Gagawin niya ang lahat para sa mga anak niya. Kahit ano pa ’yan.

Alejandro slowly reached for a folder on the table beside him and placed it in front of her. Isang marriage contract iyon. Already signed on his side. All that was missing was her name.

He exhaled quietly, then looked at her with something closer to finality than emotion.

“Actually,” he said, voice steady, almost calm in a way that felt more dangerous than anger, “hindi sa ganitong paraan dapat ito. I planned to present this properly… like a deal.”

A faint pause lingered between them.

“But oh well.” His eyes darkened slightly as they locked on hers. “Ikaw na rin ang gumawa ng paraan para mangyari ito.”

A small, humorless exhale left him.

“That twenty million offer?” he added quietly. “Disguise lang ‘yon.”

Mas lalong bumigat ang katahimikan sa pagitan nila.

“You’re not here to perform, Karolina,” he said, voice dropping lower, heavier now. “This was never a job. It was always a deal. And that deal is marriage.”