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All Chapters of Playboy's Contract: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

52 Chapters

CHAPTER 31

Athena’s POVHindi ko alam kung paano nanlamig ang buong katawan ko nang marinig ang sinabi ng guard.We found something.Tatlong salita lang, pero sapat para tumahimik ang paligid. Kahit ang mahihinang bulungan ng mga bisita ay unti-unting nawala, parang lahat sila sabay-sabay na huminto sa paghinga.Clyde did not move, pero naramdaman ko ang pag-igting ng katawan niya sa tabi ko. His hand stayed close to mine, not touching, but ready. Para bang kahit isang hakbang lang ang pagitan namin, handa siyang humarang kung may biglang lumapit.“What did you find?” tanong niya, malamig ang boses.The guard glanced at me first before answering. “A phone, sir. Hidden near the garden entrance. It was recording.”My stomach dropped.Recording?Instinctively, napatingin ako sa paligid. Sa chandeliers. Sa mga bintana. Sa mga waiter na nakatayo sa gilid. Sa mga kamag-anak ni Clyde na nakatingin sa amin na parang kami pa ang gumagawa ng iskandalo.Someone had been watching.Someone had been waiting f

CHAPTER 32

Clyde’s POVHindi kami agad umuwi.I told the driver to take the longer route, not because I was avoiding anything, but because I needed time to think without the whole house watching us. Athena sat beside me, quiet, her hands folded on her lap. The blue dress still looked perfect on her, but her face had changed. The strength she wore in front of my family was slowly loosening, and underneath it was exhaustion.I knew that look.It was the face of someone who had stayed standing too long.“Pagod ka na,” sabi ko.She didn’t look at me. “Hindi.”“Liar.”That made her glance at me. “Ikaw ang nagsabi niyan sa akin?”“I lie for strategy. You lie because you don’t want to be a burden.”Her lips parted, then closed again.Tama ako.And I hated being right.The city lights passed over her face, one after another. For a moment, she looked like she belonged to another life. A quieter one. One where she didn’t need contracts, guards, or a man like me sitting beside her while enemies circled.

CHAPTER 33

Athena’s POVHindi ko sinadyang marinig ang tawag ni Clyde.Bumaba lang ako para kumuha ng tubig. Hindi ako makatulog kahit ilang beses kong pinilit ipikit ang mga mata ko. Pagod ang katawan ko, pero gising na gising ang utak ko, paulit-ulit na binabalikan ang mga mukha sa party, ang message sa phone ko, ang camera na nakita sa garden, at ang paraan ng pagtingin sa akin ni Clyde bago siya umatras.Akala ko tahimik na ang bahay.Pero pagdating ko sa may hagdan, narinig ko ang boses niya mula sa foyer.“Find the waiter,” malamig niyang sabi. “And find who paid him.”Napahinto ako.May ilang segundo ng katahimikan bago siya nagsalita ulit.“No, I don’t care how deep you need to dig. Someone got close to my wife tonight.”My wife.Hindi ko alam kung bakit mas malakas ang tama ng salitang iyon kapag hindi niya alam na naririnig ko. Sa harap ng ibang tao, madaling isipin na role lang iyon. Kailangan niyang sabihin. Kailangan naming panindigan. Pero ngayon, sa gitna ng gabi, sa bahay na halo

CHAPTER 34

Athena’s POVKinabukasan, nagising ako sa tunog ng mahinang katok sa pinto.Hindi ako agad bumangon. For a few seconds, nakatitig lang ako sa kisame, trying to remember where I was. Then I felt the ring on my finger, cool against the sheet, and everything came back.Clyde’s house.My room.My marriage.Ang buhay na pinasok ko bago ko pa man lubusang maintindihan kung gaano ito kabigat.“Athena?” boses ni Manang Rosa mula sa labas. “Gising ka na ba, hija?”“Opo,” sagot ko, paos pa ang boses.“May tumatawag sa’yo. Si Sir Clyde nasa study. Sabi niya important daw, pero hindi emergency.”Important but not emergency.That sounded exactly like Clyde. Even his messages had posture.Nag-ayos ako sandali bago bumaba. Sa hallway, narinig ko ang boses ni Cloud mula sa ibaba, may kausap na naman sigurong toy robot. Pagdating ko sa study, nakabukas ang pinto. Clyde was standing near his desk, phone in hand, while Atty. De Vera’s voice came from the speaker.“Ms. Hamilton—Mrs. Harrison,” the lawyer

CHAPTER 35

Clyde’s POVI thought the hardest part of the will was the marriage.Mali pala.Mas nakakahiya palang marinig sa sariling abogado na kailangan kong bumalik sa pag-aaral habang katabi ko ang asawa kong pilit hindi tumatawa.“You’re enjoying this,” sabi ko kay Athena habang nasa study kami.Hindi siya tumingin sa akin. Nakatutok siya sa folder na iniwan ni Atty. De Vera, pero halatang nanginginig ang gilid ng labi niya.“I’m not.”“You are.”“Konti lang.”Cloud, who was sitting on the carpet with his robot, looked up. “Daddy, you have school?”I closed my eyes.Great.Athena finally laughed, soft but impossible to miss. “Yes, Cloud. Apparently, your daddy has homework.”Cloud’s eyes widened with delight. “Daddy has homework?”“No,” I said.“Yes,” Athena and Atty. De Vera said at the same time.I glared at my lawyer through the video call. “You’re fired.”“You say that every week, sir,” Atty. De Vera replied calmly. “As I was saying, the second condition of your grandfather’s will requir

CHAPTER 36

Athena’s POVHindi ko inakalang magiging ganito ang umaga ko.Nasa study ako ni Clyde, may hawak na highlighter, habang nakaupo siya sa harap ko na parang lalaking pinilit pumasok sa detention. Sa pagitan namin ay ang schedule niya, ilang academic modules, at kape na pangatlong refill na yata niya.“You’re glaring at the paper again,” sabi ko.“I’m reading.”“Clyde, kung masusunog ang paper dahil sa titig, abo na ’yan.”He looked up at me. “You’re enjoying this too much.”“Konti lang.”He leaned back, loosening the top button of his shirt. “I don’t need a tutor.”“Good thing I’m not your tutor.”“Then what are you?”I froze for half a second.The question was simple. Maybe he didn’t even mean anything by it. Pero parang biglang may kung anong huminto sa dibdib ko.What was I?Wife on paper. Housemate. Shield. Problem. Kakampi. Temporary woman with a ring that kept feeling less temporary every day.I forced myself to smile. “Academic compliance supervisor.”His brow lifted. “That sound

CHAPTER 37

Athena’s POVAkala ko magiging madali ang umiwas.After dinner, I kept myself busy. Tinulungan ko si Manang Rosa sa pagligpit kahit ilang beses niyang sinabi na hindi ko kailangan. Tinulungan ko si Cloud hanapin ang nawawalang arm ng robot niya. Inayos ko rin ang schedule ni Clyde sa study, kahit wala naman na talagang kailangang ayusin.Anything para hindi ko maalala yung nangyari kanina.Yung lapit niya.Yung tanong niya.Then let me.Simple lang. Dalawang salita. Pero maghapon na itong umiikot sa isip ko, parang ayaw akong tigilan.Nang matapos ang gabi, akala ko makakatakas na ako sa kwarto ko. Pero habang paakyat ako, narinig ko ang mahinang tunog mula sa kwarto ni Cloud. Pagdaan ko, nakita kong nakabukas nang kaunti ang pinto. Nasa gilid ng kama si Clyde, nakaupo habang binabasahan ang anak niya.Hindi niya ako nakita agad.Si Cloud ay antok na antok na, pero pilit pa ring nakikinig. Si Clyde naman, mababa ang boses, malumanay, ibang-iba sa lalaking malamig magsalita sa boardroo

CHAPTER 38

Clyde’s POVNagising ako bago sumikat ang araw.For a few seconds, hindi ako gumalaw. Hindi dahil ayaw kong bumangon, kundi dahil natatakot akong kapag kumilos ako, mawawala ang bigat ng katawan ni Athena sa tabi ko.She was asleep, turned slightly toward me, one hand resting near my chest. Her hair was messy against the pillow, her breathing slow, her face softer than I had ever seen it.Walang takot.Walang tapang na pilit.Walang depensa.Just Athena.And that was dangerous.Mas delikado pa kaysa sa threats ni Sarmiento. Mas delikado kaysa sa mga pinsan kong naghihintay lang ng butas para sirain kami. Because this kind of danger didn’t come with warnings. It came quietly, in the shape of a woman sleeping beside me like she trusted me enough to rest.I lifted my hand, almost touching her hair.Then I stopped.No feelings.I almost laughed at myself. Too late na ba para paalalahanan ang sarili ko? The rule felt stupid now, but I needed it. Without it, everything would become harder.

CHAPTER 39

Athena’s POVBuong breakfast, pilit kaming naging normal.Si Cloud ang nagligtas sa amin mula sa katahimikan. He talked about pancakes, his robot’s cape, and the unfairness of adults having bigger plates. Si Manang Rosa naman ay tahimik lang na ngumiti habang nagsasalin ng kape, pero alam kong napapansin niya ang lahat. The older woman had eyes that could probably read secrets from the way someone held a spoon.Clyde sat across from me, calm as usual, pero iba ang katahimikan niya. Hindi malamig, pero maingat. Para siyang lalaking naglalakad sa manipis na salamin at ayaw gumawa ng kahit anong tunog.I hated it.Mas madali sana kung naging rude siya. Kung nagalit siya. Kung sinabi niyang pagkakamali ang nangyari kagabi. At least may dahilan akong mainis. Pero hindi. He was gentle, controlled, and distant.Mas masakit iyon.After breakfast, he stood and fixed his cuff. “I need to go to the office.”Cloud frowned. “But you have school work.”“I’ll do it later.”I looked at him. “You have

CHAPTER 40

Clyde’s POVHindi ko alam kung alin ang mas nakakagalit.Na nahanap namin ang taong naglagay ng phone sa event, o na hindi man lang nag-abala si Sarmiento na itago nang maayos ang bakas niya.Maybe he wanted me to know.Maybe this was his way of saying na kahit kasal na si Athena, kahit nasa bahay ko na siya, kahit apelyido ko na ang dala niya, kaya pa rin niyang abutin siya.That thought stayed in my head the whole night.Athena was in the living room with Cloud when I came down after another call with security. They were sitting on the carpet, both serious habang inaayos ang cape ng robot. Cloud was explaining something about “battle mode,” and Athena was listening like national emergency iyon.For a moment, I stopped by the doorway.She looked different here. Not completely safe, not yet, but softer. Like this house was slowly convincing her she didn’t need to keep her shoulders raised all the time.Cloud noticed me first. “Daddy, Athena said my robot needs shield.”I looked at her

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