Allison is facing her laptop, busy to the point na hindi nya napansing dumating na ang mga kaibigan. Nagtitipa sya sa cellphone at sa laptop. Multi-tasking? Small thing! She's frowning as she read something on her laptop screen, then back to her phone.
"Allipot!" Archie, Dianne, Kate and Jace exclaims that made her jolt on her seat.
Nasa harap na nya ang mga kaibigan, Dianne made her way to her left side and Archie to her right side. And it is too late to close her laptop,
She forced a smile and greet them.
"S-sorry. Umalis agad ako last night. It just - n-not feeling well. D, I'm so sorry." She stuttered and lie.
Dianne smiled and hugged her side ways, her eyes landed to Alli's laptop. Her eyes widen that Archie and Kate noticed, so they took a glance where Dianne is looking, and that made their eyes widen too. Alli saw Archie's reaction so she hurriedly closed her laptop.
"It's fine, Alli. No problem. How are you?" Dianne asked to lighten the mood.
Alli swallowed and gave her a timid smile. Then her eyes landed to Kath who's intently looking at her. Worries are evident on Kath eyes.
"You cried, noh?" Ynna asked her. Tsaka nya lang napagtanto na namamaga pa ang mga mata dahil sa pag-iyak nya kagabi. Tumango si Alli at pilit na ngumiti.
"Y-yeah. But I'm fine now. Thanks to Drew." She replied that earned a teasing looks for Drew.
Kath, Ynna and Ronie offered to cook for their breakfast since it's still 9AM at pare-pareho silang wala pang mga almusal dahil gusto nila makarating agad sa condo ni Alli. Alli insists na mag-order nalang pero hindi sila pumayag.
When they're done cooking, they settled on her dining table, exchanging banters, whilts Dianne, Kate and Archie are so quite. Obviously bothered of what they just saw on Alli's laptop. Isa sa mga advantage ng magkakaibigan ay nagkakausap kahit sa mga titig lang. Telepathy! They're talking through their eyesight.
"Ayos lang kayo?" Tanong ni Kath nang mapansin ang katahimikan ng tatlo. That made Alli to looked at them.
"You okay?" She asked Dianne.
Bago pa man makasagot si Dianne ay biglang nag-ring ang cellphone ni Alli. Their gaze turned to her, but Kate and Ynna's eyes into her phone. Nagkatinginan ang dalawa nang mabasa ang international call.
"Excuse me." She said and rose to her feet.
"Clara? - wait, what?! W-what happened? What the fudge?! Is this f*cking serious, Clara?!"
Their attention is on Alli, including Drew. Of course, Drew knows who is Clara. Nagtatakang nagkatinginan ang pito.
Bumalik si Alli sa kinauupuan nya kaninang dumating ang mga kaibigan at binuksan ang laptop.
"That's a lame excuses! Who's responsible to that trouble?! What branch?!" Her voice echoed in the four corners of her unit. Her eyebrow raised.
"That's from work." Drew uttered. Dianne glared him.
"Wag mo 'kong pinagloloko, Deniel. You knew something." She then said.
"Send me the details, now!" Alli almost yelling now.
She was too focused sa pagbabasa at hindi na napansin ang pagtabi ni Archie sa kanya. Wala na syang ibang iniisip ngayon kundi ang negosyo nya. Dianne occupied the other side. At dahil nagtataka na rin sila ay pumunta sila sa bandang likuran ni Alli. Agad na dumako ang mga mata sa laptop screen. Their eyes widen, shocked and processing. Alli fished her phone,
"Connect this call to Australia, now!" Alli commands that made them jolts.
"Who's this?! Where's Benjie?! Give him the phone!" She said, fuming mad.
"What was that, Benjie?!"
Nakikinig lang silang lahat at nagpapalitan ng tingin. Pero mas mainit ang titig nila kay Drew.
"How long you were doing this job? - Exactly! You already doing this for a year now and you keep on ended up into troubles! But now is different, cause those items has been delivered two days ago! - No! I won't accept that excuse. - Now, settle that orders to the right customer as soon as possible. As soon as possible, meaning, now. - then ask the other branches!" Alli massaged her temple and sighed.
"And I want you to coordinate with the shipping company, Benjie. Conduct an investigation regarding this." She said. Her friends exchanged looks.
"Clara, send someone to Australia, or much better na ikaw na. Settle that problem. Keep me updated, are we clear?!" She told Clara and ended the call.
"What happened?" Drew asked and gave her a glass of water.
Alli took a sip and heave a deep breath, she then rested her back to the couch.
"Urgh! Trouble." She hissed.
"Benjie shipped the items to the wrong person, nag-complain yung customer. They already settled their payments but the items is nowhere to be found. Only to find out, na nakuha ng iba. That's worth of - Urgh! Gosh! Benjie is so reckless until now!" She burst out. Drew nods.
Her friends is still on process....
"Y-you owned the L'SZON's?" Dianne asked her. Alli shut her eyes and nods.
"Seriously?!" Archie exclaimed.
"Yeah." Alli simply replied and eyed them.
"Kaya naman pala parang wala lang sayo 'yong mga regalo mo sa'min. You're so damn rich na pala!" Ynna nonchantly uttered.
"Pero tiger-mood kanina lang." Kate butted in.
Alli sighed. It's not her plan to let them know about that. She already made up her mind. But fate has its own way though.
"There's a deference between gifts and orders. 'Yong sa inyo, it is me who gave that to you, guys. Pero yung na wrongly delivered, I don't know if I can get that back." She replied.
Kath smiled at her sister.
"I'm so happy for you, Alli." She then uttered. Alli nod, didn't bother to reply. Kath softly sighed and looked away.
"Ayaw mo bang mag branch out dito?" Tanong ni Jace.
"Sayang naman kung hindi kase L'SZON's is known here. And the fact na filipino ang may-ari, for sure people will loved it." Dugtong ni Ynna. Alli sipped on her coffee and face Ynna.
"I don't have any reason to expand here. Okay na 'ko son sa mga branches ko." She casually uttered.
Kath bit her lower-lip as she eyed her sister.
'No reason? Hindi ba kami sapat na dahilan?' She wanted to asked but she didn't.
The gang nodded their head and hummed.
"Pero bakit L'SZON's? Hindi tuloy namin naisip na sayo." Archie asked.
"L is from Allison, and ZON is from Tuazon. Alli' SZON nga sana pero masyadong obvious yata. That's why." She replied.
"You really want to hide it, do you? We dis our research and we can't find out who's the owner." Kate said, eyeing Alli.
"Yeah. I planned that." She admit and forced a smile.
Alli was getting something from her fridge when Kath gathered her strenght and followed her sister.
"Alli, can we talk?" She asked her sister. Alli faced her, emotionless.
"About what?" She coldly asked.
Kath bit her lower-lip because of Alli's cold as ice treatment.
"A-about you, us?" Kath replied, Alli gazed her without any emotions.
"Look, Alli. I don't have any idea why you left. Hanggang ngayon wala kaming alam ni Mom. C-can you please, t-tell me why?" Kath pleaded. Alli chuckled, sarcastically.
"Seriously, Katherine? As in, now?" She asked. Kath nod. Alli shaked her head and scoffs.
"Our friends is here. And you think, kahit wala sila dito ngayon, sasabihin ko sayo? No. Dahil baka hindi mo gugustuhin." She firmly said and left Kath dumbfounded. Sinundan nya ng tingin si Alli at pilit kinakalma ang sarili.
YOU ARE READING
The Past
RomanceWhat will you do if the world throw a game but you never given a chance to prepared? What will you do if the person you thought that would never turn their back against you suddenly turned their back and never looked back? What will you do if your p...
