Giovanni Clark: Gone Crazy (Golden Child Series #1)

Chapter 39

"But I won't dig deeper into the business part. I know you can make up for that... As for the application, what I need you to remember is this..."

Hinila niya ang laptop ko para magtipa ng notes doon. He also left an assessment including what parts to include, exclude, and revise.

Pagkatapos niya sa ginagawa, binigay niya sa akin ang laptop. Ako naman itong binasa agad ang mga notes ni Ulrik kaya inabala niya pansamantala ang sarili sa phone, marahil para i-check ang mga messages doon.

Medyo nagtagal ang tingin ko sa kanya bago binalik ang atensiyon sa laptop.

I knew this was kind of out of context, but ever since we met today, we only discussed nothing but the feasibility study. He was too diligent and serious about it... to the point that it felt like he wanted this done straight away.

Was he actually busy?

Binaling ko ulit ang tingin sa kanya kalaunan at nakumpirmang hindi ito ang Ulrik na nakagisnan ko. There was something off about him today.

"Salamat sa lahat ng tulong mo ngayon, Ulrik. You've been very helpful," I said before saving the file on my laptop.

Bahagya pang naiwan ang tingin niya sa phone nang lumingon sa akin.

"Not a problem. You can always count on me. Kayo ng kuya mo." He smiled thinly. "Actually, I was pretty surprised that you asked me for help. I mean, I felt honored for some reason!"

Natawa siya habang nilalapag ang phone sa table. Hindi ko na rin maiwasang mapangiti.

That's right. This is more like him.

"Do you mind feeling a bit more honored?" sabi ko at unti-unting humupa ang ngiti.

Nagkibit-balikat siya at tinuon ang mga braso sa lamesa.

"Try me."

I pressed my hand and sighed. Ilang araw na itong gumugulo sa isip ko kaya...

"Pwede bang... itago mo muna kay Gio ang tungkol dito?" Kinuyom ko ang kamao at diniin sa hita ang mga kamay. "Ako na ang bahalang magsabi sa kanya... na humingi ako ng tulong sayo."

It's been bugging me. Why would he keep this a secret? Days had passed and he still hadn't mentioned Ulrik to me. Nag-away ba sila?

But then, Ulrik grinned at me.

"That's tough, Riz. We're pretty close, so it's hard to keep a secret from your beloved suitor."

Nakaramdam ako ng gulat at hiya. Umabot na sa kanila ang balitang nililigawan ako ni Gio. Hindi na dapat ako magulat, pero...

Nanliit ang mga mata ko. Ulrik just confirmed that they're close. Lalong lumala ang pagdududa ko. There's something wrong here. Why would he not offer Ulrik if they were closely related to each other?

It's either he got an issue with Ulrik... or he was uncomfortable suggesting Ulrik to a mere girl like me...

Alam ko ang posibilidad na baka emosyonal lang ako dahil pakiramdam ko, pinaglilihiman ako ng iba. And of all people, it was Giovanni. I thought we were through with this.

Kailangan ko pang humugot ng hininga at kumurap-kurap bago muling harapin ang kasama.

Ulrik was patiently waiting for my response. He was thoughtful and gentle. So, it was okay, right? I pressed my ring.

"When I asked him if he knew someone in this field who could help me... he didn't say anything," I confessed feeling a tad pathetic. "It was as if he wasn't sincere when he said he'd help me, or he was keeping something from me. I don't know..."