Wildest Dreams (Casa Elena Series #1)

PROLOGUE

"Miss Cortez, is it true about your cheating issue with Raoul Melgarejo?"

"Is it true that you planned to kill Raoul Melgarejo and had set him up for the incident happened few hours ago?"

"Miss Cortez, we need answers. Did Raoul Melgarejo really cheated on his wife for you?"

I'm scared. I'm really scared.

Scared for all the mess I made. The shit thay I have done.

None of this was ever my fault.

And it will never be.

"You're a snake!"

"Ahas!"

"A whore! Mang-aagaw ng asawa."

They will never stop writing about this.

The media will target me for Raoul's accident.

I wiped off the tears pooling around my swollen eyes. My heart beats rapidly as I try to look at the cameras with a straight face and serious expression. I remained my composure, still and prim and proper, just like how I was trained to handle this critical situation.

The cameras were flashing and their mouths were balbbwrinh out of control. They are seeking answers from me about what happened to Raoul on his way here for the interview happening tonight at the Special Interview with Roy Cruzado.

These things are out of my control. My management doesn't seem to have nothing to do about this mess. Eventhough I explained what actually happened, they still listened to them.

Due to the extreme forces of media to manipulate me in bringing out the truth, the interview had been halted and was scheduled to move next week. My guards escorted me to my car and drove away from the carpark, the venue, leaving these people behind.

Nakahinga ako nang maluwag. I shed a tear escaping from my eyes. My phone began to ring many times as soon as I drop it beside me. I shifted on my seat to make myself feel comfortable despite the overwhelming feeling I've got from what happened earlier.

My phone still keeps ringing but I choose to ignore it and just settled in for the ride on my way to the destination I don't know where I'm heading at.

But there's only one way to redeem myself from all the mishaps of my life. The struggles I've been going through.

Nag-ring ulit ang phone ko at nakuha naman no'n ang atensyon ko. It was Amelia, my sister. I immediately answered the call.

"What the hell were you thinking? You immediately left at that stupid interview." naiinis na sermon agad sa akin ni Amelia.

"It was for the best, ate."

"No, it's not. It will add more fuel to the fire. You're avoiding all the questions. All you have to do is to tell the truth." she says.

Umiling ako. "Hindi sila maniniwala sa akin." I confidently said.

"You've got the answers. They accuse you without an evidence. You don't have any connection regarding on Raoul's incident. You're innocent, okay." Amelia reassures me. Though, I still doubt that I didn't do nothing wrong.

I did something wrong. Something bad. A biggest mistake I will regret forever.

"Nandiyan ba kayong lahat sa Casa?" I changed the topic.

"Yes," she swiftly answered, slowly becoming uninterested of the sudden shift of topic I initiated.

"I will go there. I'll hide. I'll stay away from the media. I'll stop acting in movies. I will be there forever. Ayaw ko na sa mundong 'to." Sabi ko.

"You can't easily do that. May hahabol at hahabol pa rin sa'yo hanggang dito sa Casa. Hindi ka ba nag-iisip?"

"Sa Mansion ako nila Lola mag-stay." I recommended.

"Ask dad permission if you can stay there. You still haven't fix your issue there in Manila. Ayaw nila papa na may mga taga-dayo dito sa Casa."

"Okay," I say.

"Just be here at 5. Papa says he wants to talk to you."

"About what?"

"About what's happening to you. He wants to check up on you."

"Tell him I'm okay. He had nothing to worry about."

"He's not confident about it," Amelia responded.

"Just tell him I'm okay."

"Not about that."

"Then what is it?"

"About you running and hiding away from your responsibility and take accountability of your actions." Amelia said with such a hint of disappointment from the tone of her voice.

"Hindi 'yan ang Cortez na kilala ko." dagdag pa niya.

Mas lalo naman kumirot ang puso ko do'n. In the Cortez family, all of us are responsible for all the things we do.

It's just that, when it comes down to me, my irresponsibility is a downright shame for me and for my whole family. Isa na akong kahiya-hiya sa pamilyang 'to. Nabahiran na ng masamang reputasyon ang pamilya ko dahil sa insidenteng hindi ko naman ginawa.

I admit I have a lot of mistakes, and one of them was the worse. But this incident was never my fault in the first place.

I immediately turned down her call after she said that to me. Upon pondering the realization that I will go back to my home town was the sign for me to redeem myself.

To return there was like a fever dream,

And I hope can live there peacefully again.