Twisted Hearts Book 1: The Beauty Tames The Beast

Chapter 12

"Fine," tipid kong sagot.

"You don't look so—"

"Hey!"

I perked up on my seat when I heard Leon's voice. Kaagad ko siyang nilingon. I saw him casually strolling towards our direction with a sling bag hanging lazily on his shoulders and a stupid grin on his face.

"Leon . . ." kaagad akong tumayo at nilapitan ko siya. "Where have you been—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy there, Belle. No in front of kids." He winked at Isla who flushed in embarrassment and quickly averted her gaze away.

"Bakit ka absent ng tatlong araw?" tanong ko sa kaniya nang nakapameywang.

Nawala ang sigla sa kaniyang mga mata. "Family stuff." He mumbled. After a few seconds, he quickly put the smile on his face again. "But at any rate, I'm here again. "What assignments have I missed, my dear Belle?"

Kinain ako ng guilt habang nakatingin kay Leon. He's pretending to smile and be okay while my mother destroys his family. One of the reasons why he skipped classes must be the chaos that his father's mistress brought to their household.

"Leon—"

"We'll talk later about it, Belle." He forced a smile again, dragging me gently back to my spot. "For now, you have to share your lunch with me because I forgot to bring mine."

---

I stared at the doorbell for a good few minutes before I took a step back.

Heck, what the hell am I doing here?

Tumingala ako sa mansiyon ng mga Ferrer. All the windows and doors are shut. The place is suddenly gloomy, as if it wanted to celebrate sadness with me. Lumunok ako at ibinagsak ang aking tingin sa aking suot na sapatos.

I don't want to go home. But I don't want to see Leon either. Kaya siguro ako nagpunta sa kanilang bahay.

I sighed.

"Belle?"

I jumped on my skin when I suddenly heard Tita August's voice. Nakadungaw na siya sa bintana at nakatingin sa akin. A smile formed on her lips.

"My, why didn't you press the doorbell?" she asked gently, disappeared from the window. After a few seconds, the door opened, revealing her in a smart black business suit. "Kanina ka pa ba?"

"Actually, kararating ko lang po, Tita . . ." wika ko. Binuksan niya ang gate at pinapasok ako.

"I'm glad you came to drop by. I was about to leave. I hope to talk to Governor Armendanez today for property matters. Mag-isa lamang si Alas ngayon kasama ang kaniyang nanny,"

My fists unconsciously clenched upon the mention of Leon's father. Pinilit ko na lamang na ngumiti kay Tita August.

"Nagustuhan po ba ni Alas ang banana cake na ibinigay ko?"

"Oh, of course! He said the taste reminded him of someone, but I couldn't press him more. Ikaw ba ang gumawa nun, hija?"

I shook my head in embarrassment and chuckled awkwardly. "I-I don't know how to cook, Tita . . ."

Tumawa si Tita August at iminuwestra ang grand staircase. "Well, you can see Alas now. I'm sorry I can't accompany you, I'm going to be late for my meeting."

Tumango ako at hinalikan ang kaniyang pisngi. Hinintay ko muna na makalabas siya ng pintuan bago ko tinahak ang hagdanan papunta sa kwarto ni Alas.

My phone buzzed inside of my pocket. I pulled it out and stared at the screen. It was a text message from Leon.

Leon

Busy? Kailangan ko lang ng kausap ngayon.

My heart clenched painfully, staring at his text message. It must've been because of his family. How am I going to face Leon when the main cause of his misery is my mother? Tumigil ako sa pag-akyat at nanatiling nakatitig sa aking cellphone.

Tears welled in my eyes. Hindi ko kayang makinig sa kaniya kung ang sasabihin lang naman niya ay tungkol sa pambababae ng kaniyang ama. I couldn't bear to be with him and pretend to care when in fact, I'm going insane right now.

With a heavy heart, I shut my phone and wiped my tears gently from my eyes. Humigit ako ng isang malalim na hininga at nagpatuloy sa pag-akyat. Mahina akong kumatok sa pintuan ng kwarto ni Alas bago ako pumasok.

"Who's there?" supladong tanong sa akin ni Alas. He's sitting at the chair and facing his balcony. Ang pusa ay mahimbing na natutulog sa kaniyang hita.

"A-Alas . . ." my voice broke.

The stoic expression on his face suddenly shifted. "Belle?" he called out in a gentle voice. "What's wrong?"

My lips trembled. Ibinagsak ko ang aking bag sa may pintuan at tumakbo patungo sa kaniya. Before he could say anything, I threw my arms around him and cried at his chest.

"Hey . . ."

I clutched at his shirt and sobbed harder. If I haven't discovered about my mother's dirty little secret, I would've accompanied Alas right now. I would've been cursing the bitch who's destroying their family. But that bitch happens to be my mother.

"Belle?" Alas started stroking my hair. "What happened?"

Umiyak lamang ako nang umiyak. Alas keeps on stroking my hair until I calmed down. When I realized what I was doing, hugging him with all my might, I quickly withdrew my hands around him and stepped back. I cleared my throat, my cheeks burning scarlet.

"Feeling better now?"

Kinagat ko ang aking pang-ibabang labi nang makita ang basang parte ng kaniyang polo shirt na suot. Habang pinupunasan ko ang aking luha ay napansin ko ang pagbabago sa mukha ni Alas. He looks more masculine and fresh right now.

"You shaved." I pointed out.

"Heh. My mother did." He shrugged.

Napatitig ako sa kaniya. Malinis din ang pagkakagupit ng kaniyang buhok.

"So?" nag-angat ng kilay si Alas. "Care to explain why you suddenly started wailing like a baby?"

Ibinagsak ko ang aking tingin sa sahig.

"Alas . . ."

"Mmm-hmm?"

"My mother is a mistress."

Rumehistro ang pagkagulat sa mukha ni Alas. "What?"

"My mother . . ." my lips trembled again. "She's a mistress."