Black Sheep

Chapter 5

"What's wrong?" Ling asked.

Both men reached them. "Papi SJ," said one, in a grating, nasal twang that he'd hoped, five months ago, that he'd never hear again.

"Wacky. Liam." He acknowledged their presence with a gruff nod. "Run along now."

Wacky, ever the more annoying of the famous Velez Brothers, clutched at his heart. "Pare naman, that hurts. It's as if we hadn't shared so much together."

SJ raised a brow. "If by 'sharing so much together' you mean pestering me to cut costs and 'up the Down & Dirty presentation' so you could keep jacking up prices, then, yeah. I guess I'm sorry, bro."

Liam tutted and placed a condescending hand on his shoulder. "Your principles, SJ. Always so lofty." He picked up the barquillos cannoli from Ling's table and stared at it like it was roadkill. "Is this why you're filling mass-produced barquillos with supermarket cream and calling it a day?"

Wacky snickered into his hand while Liam looked at the people milling in front of Azucarera de Papi. SJ was aware that people were starting to stare.

"A tiny stall in some common, run-down food park," Liam muttered. "It's the perfect place for a 'black sheep chef' like you."

SJ felt his jaw tightened, but before he could react, Ling spoke first.

"I don't know who you two are, but you are both giant snobs and I think it would be better for everyone if you just left," she said firmly.

Wacky's jaw dropped. Liam turned his nose up in the air further.

"Chef SJ took ordinary pasalubong that everyone thought they all knew so well and turned them into culinary works of art," she continued.

Liam laughed. "I don't know who you are either, miss, but my brother and I run one of the most profitable and widely known restaurant concepts in Manila. We know what a 'culinary work of art' is, and this sad, soggy log isn't it." He tossed the barquillo back to the plate on the table, causing some of the custard to splatter on her skirt.

SJ saw her fists tighten and felt a flash of panic. The last thing he needed was Ling punching out Liam Velez at his dessert bar launch. Liam would deserve it, of course, but it would be bad optics after the social media shitstorm that exploded after he pointed a sugar blowtorch at Liam's face.

He reached out to Ling, but she only gave him a sweet smile.

"I'm proud to say I've never heard of you," she told Liam. "And if you're so amazing and profitable, why are you stressed about this tiny, affordable dessert bar? Afraid your customers will realize you're ripping them off when they taste what Chef SJ has to offer?" She picked up the barquillo and dropped it with a satisfying plop! on both brothers' fancy sneakers. "Oops. Sorry, SJ. I really wanted to eat that, but it slipped my grip."

If Liam had the ability to shoot lasers from his eyes, Ling would be a smoldering heap right now. Fortunately for them all, the best he could do was curl his lip like he smelled something bad. Wacky could only gawp like a stunned goldfish.

"This isn't over," Liam seethed.

"Listen, man, you made your point," SJ said. "You made my last few weeks at Down & Dirty a total pain in the ass, and I quit, just like you wanted, so that you wouldn't need to give me severance pay, remember? Now you and your brother get to come here and feel smug and superior seeing my dinky little stall, so I hope that got you off. You can go now."

"You little–" Wacky said.

"Chef SJ isn't hassling you, but if you don't stop, we might just drop by DOLE and tell them all about the terms of his separation from your company, how about that?" said Ling. "How long did you work for them?"

"Three years. We had a contract and everything."

"Tsk, tsk. I'm pretty sure my aunt, who is a labor lawyer, will be pretty interested hearing all about that. Who knows what else an investigation will uncover, should they look into your books?"

Liam turned ashen. He gripped his brother's forearm and tugged him away. "Let's go, Wacky. They're not worth it."

He watched them leave in a huff, the dignity of their exit marred by an earsplitting yell from Hera: "Bye, mga gago!"

Ling dissolved into a fit of giggles, which he couldn't help but join.

"That was awesome, Manang Ling!" Hera exclaimed. "You were so cool and tough!"

"I know," he said, and he couldn't help but squeeze her shoulder. "What happened to the Ling I knew, who only wanted to fade into the background and not be noticed?"

"I don't like bullies and I don't need to suffer them," she said, facing him. "I learned that from you."

"What do you know?" His arms curled around her waist as her hands settled on his shoulders. "I kept my cool, and you fought my bullies."

"That's what happens when people grow up. They change." She leaned her head against his chest.

"I'm looking forward to finding out all the other ways you've grown up," he whispered in her ear, and thrilled when she shuddered in his arms.

Hera coughed. Loudly.

They hastily broke apart and faced the girl, who looked scandalized. "You two are in public," she hissed.