Sin City

11: Precious thing

Kinakabahan ako nang makalabas ako ng kwarto ko. I'm nervous that I might act weird in front of Roux.

Naamoy ko kaagad ang bango ng iniihaw ni Rouqil nang makalabas ako ng cabin. They're all sitting on the Adirondack chair, surrounding the lit fire pit.

"So yeah, binili ko ang hotels nila na nakatayo sa magandang spot," ang lapad pa ng ngiti ni kuya habang nagkwekwento. Iyon ang naabutan ko nang maupo ako. He always talks about his achievements when he gets drunk.

"Paano mo nabili kung hindi naman binebenta?" natatawang tanong ni Roux kay kuya.

I sat on the chair beside Ruth, sa kabila naman nito ay si ate Aeone. Rouqil sitting across me looked at me pero agad akong umiwas ng tingin at tumingin kay kuya dahil pakiramdam ko lahat ng dugo ko sa katawan ay pupunta sa mukha ko dahil sa hiya kung magtititigan kami.

"I talked to his shareholders and asked them to switch up," kuya smirked, there was something devilish about his smirk.

"That's awful!" Ruth's mouth fell, she chuckled a little. "They must've hate you now."

"Unfortunately, that's how business works," Kuya shrugged bago it sumandal sa upuan niya at magdekwatro.

"And we're planning to get more of their hotels," nakangising sabi ni ate Aeone. Agad silang nagkatinginan at naghawakan ng kamay ni kuya at matamis na ngumiti sa isa't isa.

"What?" Yohan chuckled. "Why?" kunot ang noo nito.

"Yeah," Roux softly laughed, he brushed his hair with his fingers. "I thought you got their biggest and best hotel?" he curiously asked.

Kuya Aidan leaned forward at itinukod nito ang mga kamay niya sa binti niya. "One thing about business, it's all or none. You can apply that to your life, too. Chiu Hotels are in neck to neck with Four Seasons right now. In order for our Baez Empire, to be one of the top Hotels in America, I either have to beat Chiu Hotels or Four Seasons at ngayon, Chiu Hotels ang pinaka madaling talunin," he nonchalantly explained.

Nagkatinginan kami ni ate Aeone matapos magsalita si kuya at agad na napangiti sa isa't isa. Proud of our Aidan, he's so good at what he does. He's meant to be a businessman.

"So what's the next move? May lima silang hotels sa Chicago, alam ko yan kasi nakapagtrabaho ako sa big events nila bilang bartender noon," nakangising tanong ni Rouqil, umayos ito ng upo at sumandal.

Kuya laughed as he copied what Rouqil did. "I'm going to have to have you sign you an NDA first, kid." He finished his drink at umiling iling ito.

Si Rouqil naman ang natawa. "Bro, who would I even disclose it to?"

"Lasingin mo muna ako," kuya laughed, even snorted. Napangiti ako nang magtawanan sila ni Rouqil at nag high five pa. Hindi na siya kailangan pang lasingin ni Rouqil dahil halata naman sa tawa niya na lasing na siya, kanina pa sila tanghali nag iinuman.

Nagkwentuhan pa ulit ang tatlong lalaki habang kaming mga babae ay nakikinig lang sa kanila. Napapangiti nalamang ako habang tinitignan si kuya at Rouqil na tila may sariling mundo.

"What does your mom do for a living?" kuya asked, seryoso na ang mukha nito. Napakunot agad ang noo ko.

"Kuya..." I protested. Nakalimutan niya ba ang sinabi ko kagabi?

Rouqil looked at me and smiled, reassuring me that it's okay. He shifted his gaze back to my drunk brother who forgot his limit. "She's one of the cooks at Silver Lake in Illinois."