The Ecdysiast

PROLOGUE

"Lies are masked as pleasures."

***

"Ang hirap pala."

Natulala ako sa harap ng Newspaper publication namin. I heard Connor's low chuckle beside me.

"Ilang linggo ka pa lang kaya kaya mo 'yan. There'll be more tasks by the way," sambit niya.

Napatingin ako sa kanya. Ang mga taong dumadaan sa likod niya ay halos lumabo sa paningin ko dahil sa kawalan ko ng focus. My mind is clouded with something else, that's why. I breathed heavily and just nodded at Connor before falling on the same distraction I had a while ago.

Life has been harsh and I think rain is always heavy when it comes my way. Kaya masasabi ko ngayon na nakakapagod ding mabuhay. Sa lahat ng hirap na napagdadaanan ko, minsan, mahirap nang kumapit. Ang hirap lumaban, but never did I once allow the past to ruin what I can possibly do for my future.

Now that I am officially a News Editor, I'm still having a hard time believing that!

"Nahla, tapos mo na ang mga artikulo? Na review mo?" Aman asked me, his arms on his back.

"Almost."

He put on an evil smirk. "Hindi 'yan matatapos dahil heto," sabay lapag niya ng mga papeles. "Meron pa."

"Hindi ka talaga nakakatuwang kasama minsan," I muttered while deleting the earlier version of my draft on my laptop.

"If you're still in shock, I can remind you that this is our job," he chuckled and made a thug life sign. "Mamaya ko ibibigay 'yung ibang mga articles."

He's right. This is our job. Kung dati ay halos hubaran ko na ang sarili ko para kumita ng pera, ngayon, hindi ko na kinakailangan gawin 'yun at mas lalong hindi ko na uulitin iyon. It was my fault why it happened. I became desperate for money just so I could help lessen my family's burden, and I was willing to do anything.

"Ms. Cadevida, the CEO wants you in her office," tawag sa akin ni Ms. Flores.

Napalingon ako sa kanya at ang mukha niyang laging parang constipated ay ang bumungad sa akin. I stood a bit worried as my thoughts wandered.

The steps I took were slow and masked with anxiety as I neared the CEO's office. I was silently hoping I did not overlook any information or hoped that my past won't affect my stand in this company.

As one of the company's few editors, it's a significant duty and responsibility for me to probe the truth society wants to know. It can be troublesome since most people who are the 'talk of the town' are very private in life and I may not exactly know if the news articles written are factual. Isang mali lang na pangungusap, pwede nang magdulot ng malaking problems.

"Who am I going to interview, Miss Farizah?" tanong ko sa CEO.

"Interview?" Miss Farizah's eyes widened. "Oh, yes, the interview!"

She chuckled to herself while flipping through the papers scattered on top of her executive table and the rest of the other trash all messed up on the floor.

Nakatayo lang ako sa harap niya, naghihintay. I heard her heave a sigh of relief when she found the papers which I think were sent a few days ago by her assistant.

"I apologize for that, I thought I lost it. Anyway, you're going to interview..." Nanliit ang mga mata niya habang binabasa ang anumang nakasulat sa hawak-hawak niya. "Mr. Alejandro Leviticus..."

Marahan akong tumango habang hinihintay siyang matapos. She talked to herself before taking a pause again only to see her drown in confusion. I was told that she often spaces out so I expect she might have misplaced or forgotten about this interview. Her hand frantically flipped the document a few times na para bang chineck niya muna kung tama ba ang kanyang nakuha.

Mataman niya akong tiningnan. Mukhang kalmado na, at nagkibit ng kanyang balikat.

"Monteziano."

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If you read the comments, you might be confused. I revised this and added an earlier scene. Originally, the prologue was shorter than this version. ><