In Love With The Game (COMPLETED)

Chapter 40

Shit.

Ellie... she's technically a Gomez de Liaño. I kept on forgetting that because in my heart, she's always going to be my sister. Nothing can ever change that.

Pagpasok namin, hindi ko alam pero agad kong naramdaman iyong kaba na gumapang sa buong katawan ko. I forced myself to calm down because why was I feeling this way? I'd faced the worst scums in the earth. Surely Yago's family couldn't be worse than those monsters.

"Where's abuelo?" Yago asked one of the house helps. She pointed somewhere. I didn't know this place kaya naman tahimik akong sumunod kay Yago.

Agad akong napa-hinto nang may makita akong pamilyar na mukha. He's from our school. I knew that! SCA's not that big—at least the College of Law's not that big. I knew everyone—at least by face.

"What trouble did you cause again?" asked the guy.

"What mood are they in?" Yago asked the guy. The guy shrugged. What the heck's his name?!

"Does it matter?" the guy replied. "Whatever shit you're in, they'd help you anyway. That's what family is for, right?" sabi niya bago nagsimulang umalis.

My eyes followed his movement. God. This was Yago's family. So... intimidating. Without trying. And this was someone who's from the same school as I was. Paano pa iyong ibang kapamilya niya? Iyong mga mas matanda?

"Sino 'yun?" I asked.

"Maven," Yago simply replied. Nagsimula na naman siyang maglakad. Mabilis akong sumunod. I could feel my heels clicking against the marble floor. Everywhere I look, I could see wealth. The whole manor was decorated minimally, but even then, it screamed wealth. That one painting alone on one of the walls cost millions. It's crazy.

"Pinsan mo?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"We kept on seeing him sa school before! 'Di mo man lang sinabi?"

He briefly looked at me. "Hindi niya ako pinansin nung una kaming nagka-salubong sa school. Hindi ko na rin siya pinansin," sagot niya. Umawang ang labi ko. Seriously? So childish!

I was still trying to wrap my head around the idea of Yago being cousins with one of the guys that I always saw on school, but my thoughts were halted when we stopped in front of a door. This felt like a study room—ganito rin iyong itsura nung gamit ni Papa nung buhay pa siya.

Agad akong humugot nang malalim na hininga.

For Papa.

I needed to be strong.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready," I replied.

Yago knocked on the door. We heard a faint response of 'get in.' Muli akong huminga nang malalim bago ako humakbang kasunod ni Yago. Agad kong nakita ang isang matandang babae... but her age wasn't a hindrance for her to make me feel how she's in control. God, she's scary. No wonder Yago didn't want to go here except when he's in trouble.

"Ysmael," she said.

"Abuela," Yago replied.

"What trouble are you in again?" she said, smiling but that smile made the hairs on my nape stand on their ends. Then, she turned at me. "And who is this young woman?"

Yago held my hand and squeezed it. "My girlfriend."

Yago's grandmother didn't say anything but her stares were enough to tell me that she's measuring me... if maybe I was good enough for her grandson. I looked at her—hopefully showing her that although I'd like her approval, it wouldn't really matter because I wouldn't let Yago go. Not anymore.