"Areeya Cervantes, who had a one-night stand with Hunter Santiago (who turned out to be her new boss) finally agreed to his proposal with terms and conditions, until one of those was breached--or more."
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vixen series #1
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Hindi alam ni Areeya na an...
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The hours went by smoothly. Kinalimutan na lang muna namin ni Hunter ang mga nangyari kanina at nag-focus na lang sa pag-prepare ng foods. Hapon na nang dumating ang mga kaibigan ni Mama, pati na rin si Papa na ngayon ay halatang nakainom.
"Was that your dad?" Hunter asked.
Pinaypayan ko ang ihawan para maluto nang mabuti ang mga nilulutong barbecue at liempo.
"Yep," I answered. "Hindi lang halata dahil hindi na nila mahal ang isa't isa."
Tumawa si Hunter sa sinabi ko bago ibinaliktad ang mga liempo gamit ang tong. Mabuti talaga't nagkakarinigan pa kami nang mabuti rito, gayong ang lakas ng tugtugan dito sa garden. Nagsasayawan na ang ilang mga kaibigan ni Mama na para bang nasa disco sila.
"Bakit mo naman nasabing hindi na nila mahal ang isa't isa?"
Nagkibit-balikat ako. "They were just basically staying together because they are so used to each other's presence. They don't love each other anymore but they can't live their lives apart."
Tumango-tango siya. "So, you're basically telling me that they can't live without each other?"
I scoffed. "Parang gano'n pero ang hirap i-explain. My mother provides everything my dad needs in the house. She's a literal housewife, while my father works to provide money for the family. Typical Filipino households."
Tumango-tango ulit siya. "Seems normal to me but there's something in your tone."
I chuckled slightly. "My mother never had the money of her own. Kapag nanghihingi siya ng pera sa tatay ko, palagi siyang may naririnig sa tatay kong masasakit na salita, when in the first place, it was his idea na 'wag nang magtrabaho ang nanay ko at mag-stay na lang bilang housewife. That's why my mother is very ecstatic whenever she receives something from me or from other people. Did you see her reaction when Leo gave her a gift earlier? She's so happy. She wasn't really materialistic. She's an appreciative person, rather."
Hunter took the fan from my hand and continued what I was doing when he realized my arms were kinda tired. I let him.
"I have no words for that. But your mother really looked so kind. Magkamukha nga kayo." He chuckled. "Pero bakit galit ka sa kanilang dalawa?"
I shook my head. "I'm not angry. I'm just pissed off. May sama lang ako ng loob sa kanila. Angry is a strong word."
He chuckled. "Okay, then. Why are you holding a grudge against them?"
I smiled a little. "My mother tolerated my dad's behavior. Since then, he has been a chain-smoker, until now. I can forgive that because everyone has a habit they can't just let go. What hurts me the most is how my father would literally borrow money from his friends—from the bank—just to invest in a company that would end up bankrupt in a span of a few months. It happened so often that we didn't know, he made our house and lot as collateral for the money he borrowed for the bank. Kaya ngayon, hirap na hirap akong mag-ipon dahil binabayaran ko ang utang niya, 'wag lang silang mawalan ng tirahan."
