The Art of Loving a Beast (La Fortuna Series #4)

Simula

Simula

Ang traffic. Bumuntong-hininga ako at pinagmasdan na lang ang mga gusaling matatanaw mula sa bintana ng kotse. I had been spending way too much time working these days that I forgot I was actually back here in Manila.

I mean, Manila's great, but I liked Paris better. The French were blunt in your face. Hindi tulad ng mga Pinoy na mabait kapag kaharap ka pero ichi-chismis ka sa iba kapag wala ka na. But hey, who was I to say? I was not exactly a saint.

I tore my eyes off the buildings when my phone rang. Nang makitang si Fiona iyon ay napahilot ako sa sentido. Work again. Talagang magrereklamo na nito si Kenneth kasi siya na lang lagi ang nagbabantay kay Gabriel.

"Hello, Fiona," I greeted.

Fiona was my friend who was also the COO of my newly established brand. Tulad ko ay isa rin siyang chemist. We've been together since college. Nagkahiwalay lang kami no'ng pumunta ako sa Paris upang mas pag-aralan ang industriya. At least, that was one of the many reasons I went away.

"Hi, babe! I was just calling to tell you the products turned out great! Odette reported to me kanina at sabi niya, ayos na rin daw 'yong venue."

"You could've told me this tomorrow. 'Tsaka bakit andyan ka pa sa opisina? It's late. I don't want you overworking yourself during this crucial period, Fiona."

"I know! It's just that I was checking the invitations we sent and..." she trailed off.

"And what?"

"An invitation has been accidentally sent to your ex-husband."

Natulala ako ng ilang segundo. Ramdam ko ang paglamig ng aking mga palad at panunuyo ng aking lalamunan.

Okay, Celia. Calm down. What did your therapist tell you again? Four deep breaths. And don't think! Just breathe.

Breathe in... Breathe out... I held my chest as I did the exercise. Nang bahagyang kumalma ay umayos ako ng upo. Kailangan kong ipakitang wala lang ito sa 'kin.

"That's fine," I said calmly. "Did you make it clear to him that he's allowed to bring a plus one?"

"Celia..." Fiona's voice was filled with pity.

Nagpakawala ako ng mahinang tawa. "Don't worry about it. We're civil. Wala namang masama kung pumunta siya."

She groaned frustratedly. "You know what? I'll cancel the invitation. Fuck him. And I'm sorry, but fuck you for lying to me just now. Anong 'civil' ka diyan? You guys are far from civil. At anong walang masama kung pumunta siya? Baka i-convince pa no'n 'yong mga investors na bawiin ang shares nila!"

"Hey... Hindi naman ganiyan si Zadkiel. He's nice once you get to know him."

"Why are you even defending him?" betrayal etched in her voice.

"I'm not defending him. All I'm saying is he's allowed to come to the launching event," I simply said. Other than that, well, I also owed that man an apology.

Alam kong magpapatuloy lang si Fiona sa pambabash kay Zadkiel kaya nagpaalam na lang ako pagkatapos idiin na ayos lang talagang pumunta siya.

Maybe I was just confident because I knew Zadkiel would never come. Busy iyon. He's either in the middle of crushing some small companies right now or working on an elaborate plan for world domination. No kidding.

Nang makarating sa penthouse ni Kenneth ay agad kong narinig ang malakas na pag-iyak ni Gabriel. Itinapon ko ang aking bag sa sofa at saka pumunta sa kusina kung saan nanggagaling ang tunog.