Warning: This story may not be suitable for a very young age due to some unscripted words...
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DUKE
We both freeze as we exchange looks like guns firing bullets against each other.
"Don't you dare tell them!"
"If you tell them, I will truly ruin your life!"
"Just let me do the talking and get your ass out of here!"
"Just leave!"
My lips creased higher, rejoicing. I could feel that I was taking control right now. Well, she has no idea how much I wanted to hide what we have as much as she does. I will use this as an opportunity to be in control.
"What the heck are you still doing here? Leave!" I could read her right through her eyes. She badly wants me to leave them... But I'm stubborn. I will ruin her day instead.
"Teka lang? Parang pamilyar ka?"
Our head turns to Gino, as his eyes formed into slit as he tries to remember who I was.
A little later, his eyes slowly widen together with his lips forming into a wide circle. "I-Ikaw s-si... Hindi ba ikaw si Duke Galdonez Imperial? Oo nga! Ikaw nga!" Gino's face was unbelievably flummoxed as if he'd seen a celebrity.
"Pwede ba ako magpa-picture, Sir? Ako nga po pala si Gino." I was surprised when he grabs my hand for a handshake.
"Hindi niyo po alam kung gaano po ako kasaya ngayon. Iniidolo po kita, sobra! Ikaw po ang inspirasyon ko dahil sa napakabatang edad niyo ay marami na po kayong naiambag sa lipunan. Sa sobrang paghanga ko po sa inyo, nabasa ko na lahat ng mga libro na isinulat niyo at marami po akong natutunan. Napagandang inpirasyon po ang mga naisulat niyong libro, lalo na po 'yung... The Reality is Cruel, 'yon po ang paborito kong libro. Andami ko pong natutunan sa libro niyong 'yon, gaya ng paano natin dapat pahalagahan ang bawat segundo ng oras natin, at 'yong mga ugali na dapat natin ugaliin at iwasan, pati na 'yung paano pahalagaan at palakihin ang bawat sentimo na meron tayo... at ang pinakamahalaga, ay dapat natin palawakin pa ang kaalaman natin sa lahat ng bagay at gamitin 'yon para mapaunlad ang sarili, dahil ang tunay na sikreto ay dapat muna nating paunlarin ang ating sarili upang matulungan nating mapaunlad ang lipunan."
Goodness, gracious! This kiddo is one of those bookworm geeks whom I would prefer to hang out with. Where the hell did Vlance pick these people? They're totally distinct from each other like different types of feathers that don't seem to fit but they did manage, anyway... they perfectly flock together. Weird, right?
"Uhm... Paumanhin po sa abala... H-handa na po ang agahan." The shy girl showed up, breaking the commotion.
We all went to the dining area and there, we found Jaden's gang was already sitted as they wait for us.
"Deym! What are these?"
"It looks unusual, but it doesn't smell bad."
"Well, to be honest, it smells good for me. I would love to try it."
"Are you sure?"
"Well, I agree with Jaden, it looks new and a little bit unusual but the smell is tempting. I will definitely try them."
The dining was filled with Filipino cuisine... and for these young rich fellas here, who grew up with their chefs who only serve them their meals, this was something new to them.
There was Filipino fried rice, some sort of marinated pork, sliced tomatoes with onions and soy sauce, sunny side up, and three other more unfamiliar dishes... I'm not quite sure but one looks like a caramelized or honey glazed pork, one that is brown-greenish and it really looks weird, and one that looks like a greasy beef.
"Gino, ikaw na magpaliwanag sa mga ignoranteng kupal na 'to kung ano ang mga 'yan. Palibhasa mga kapritsuhan at kayabangan lang ang alam," Vlance said, offensively acting as if she knows everything.
"Uhm... Magandang umaga nga pala. Bago ako magsimula, nais muna namin magpakilala sa inyo. Ako nga pala si Gino, at siya naman si Dannelle," he introduces the shy girl to us.
Jaden's friends rush to her to handshake with her. These fellas are still immature, unleashing the inner fuckboy in them every time they see a beautiful girl.
Dannelle got startled which made her step back grabbing Vlance's arm as she tries to hide behind her. Her simplicity couldn't conceal her divine beauty that it could draw anyones' attention no matter how hard she tries to keep distant from others.
"Hey! Leave her alone! You're scaring her!" Vlance yelled.
"Your friend seemed uncomfortable with men around. You can bring her to my library... there's a lot of books she could read in there," I whispered to Vlance. She scowled at me as a response. I was just trying to help. How rude!
"Ako naman si Roberto Manaloto... Hindi pa nanalo, mananalo pa lang... Bigyan ko kayo balato."
"Ulol! Eh, paano ka mananalo? Eh, hindi ka naman tumataya ng loto!" Kulas lightly pats Bert's head.
"Ako nga pala si Nikolas Lumacad... Lumacad lang, hindi tumakbo."
"Bert and Kulas are the caretakers of my small clinic at Gondo. They were Vlance's friends since childhood, we all used to play at Gondo when we were still kids," Ellie said.
"No one asked," I wanted to say but I just let it sit on my thoughts.
He then turned to face Vlance's friends and spoke, "Siguro naman kilala niyo na si Duke Galdonez, bukod sa siya ang nagmamayari ng isa sa pinakamalaking kumpanya sa bansa, nangunguna rin siya sa mga walang sawang nagbibigay ng mga donasyon sa Gondo."
Tsk! I don't only fund donations at Gondo, there's a lot more of charity programs I had established and Gondo was just a dot of it. I don't need to brag about it anyway.
"Eh ba't siya nandito?" her friends thought this house was from the Del Prado's.
I satirically chuckled loud that it even echoed through every corner and hole of the house. Vlance threw me a piercing glare. There was a hint of don't you dare speak or else, you're dead!
"M-Madalas kasi siyang dumalaw rito kase... Uhm... M-Matalik... Oo... Matalik siyang kaibigan ni Vlad, 'yong nakatatanda kong kapatid."
"Ah, oo nga, 'yong kapatid mong gerpren si Miss. Uniberz, Vianca Dixon... Astig mo talaga Vlance! Nasaan nga pala sila? Andito ba si Miss Unibers? Baka naman pwede mo kaming ipakilala," Kulas said.
"Saka na 'yan," Ellie said, interrupting. He seemed to know something. Maybe Vlance had asked for his help to hide our relationship with her friends. Well, as far as I'm concern, only people from the Elites knew about our marriage.
"Bago ko makalimutan, ito nga pala si Jaden, kapatid siya ni Duke. At sina..."
"Kilala namin na namin ang mga ulol na 'yan... Hindi ba kayo 'yong mga rikista? Kayo 'yung sikat na hartbreykers? Ikaw si JAF, si Tyron, si Liam, ikaw naman si Russel, at ikaw! Ikaw 'yong lintik na si Kyle. Hay nako! Ikaw 'yong cras na cras ng kapatid ko! Lagi ka niyang pinagpupuyatan kakasubaybay sa 'yo! Gumawa pa ang lintik na babaeng 'yon ng intstagraham ba tawag d'on? 'yung parang peysbuk? Para lang masubaybayan ka. Nako! Laging nagagalit ang inay dahil nauubos ang baon niya sa kakabili ng kung ano-anong litrato mo na binebente sa may kanto namin. Ultimo load, makapanood lang ng mga concert mo sa youtube... Eh, maspogi naman ako sa 'yo, eh!" Bert said.
"Oo nga! Kayong mga lalake ang kinababaliwan ng mga kababaihan sa Gondo eh masmagagandang lalaki naman pala kami kesa sa inyo! Alam mo ba, Bert? Kaya kami nag-breyk ni Giegie dahil kay Jaden! Humanda kayo mamaya sa amin! Tatapusin namin kayo sa ML! Titirisin namin at uubusin namin ang grupo niyo!"
Jaden and his gang just laugh. Well, we all laugh. That was hilarious.
"Kumain na tayo, gutom na ako."
"Okay, ito nga pala ang madalas na agahan ng mga tulad naming loki milyoneyr," Bert said, introducing the dishes that were being served.
"Vlance, loki ba tawag doon? Tama ba ang sinabi ko?" he whispered to Vlance. She just nodded pressing the bridge of her nose trying not to burst into laughter. She must have really enjoying their presence. These two fellas were like the real-life version of the dumb and the dumber.
"Olats! 'wag ka ngang feeling d'yan! ni Biscuit na sinasawsaw sa kape hindi mo nga mabili pang-agahan tapos sasabihin mo ganito agahan natin?!"
"Tumahimik ka na lang d'yan! Talong-talo na nga tayo sa labanan ng kagwapuhan pati ba man sa pagiging pulubi natin ipapaalam mo pa!"
"Oh, kayo diyan! Hindi niyo alam tawag dito 'no? Palibhasa, tunay na mayayaman lang nakakaalam nito! This is our name, Silog... short por sinangag at itlog, the egg en da mix mix rice... but that is not complete widawt third party like the threesome is the best."
There was an awful cringe that crept on the rich kids' faces. Their expression was priceless... it was like a combination of confusion and disgust. Vlance couldn't hold it anymore so she burst out laughing like a wild hyena.
"Wat the funny about? Ok, let's bak... The threesome of Silog and adobo is equals to adobosilog... but if the threesome of tocino, this red pig." He pointed.
"This... equals to Tosilog. And las but not the lis, the threesome of silog and tapa is equals to tapsilog. Don't forget to plus the kamatis and the torta and viola! Perpek Swak na swak! Panalo! Go on and multiply... and drink moderately."
"Uhm... what he was trying to say was that, Silog is one of every Pinoy's regular dishes in the morning and it was usually best to pair with other dishes like Adobo. this sometimes comes with pork, chicken, vegetables, or even seafood... marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, and black peppercorns, and simmered in the marinade. Moving on, we also have Tocino, well this dish originated in Spain, it was a sweetened and cured pork belly. Tapa, on the otherhand, is a dried or cured beef, mutton, venison, or horse meat, although other meat or even fish may be used. It was cut into thin slices of meat and curing with salt and spices as a preservation method and then frying it before serving. Don't worry, they served you beef, not the horse version. To make it more satisfying, they also serve fresh cut tomatoes with onions and soy sauce."
"Teka lang, Bert, dinala mo ba 'yong yayamaning pasalubong natin? Nako! Dapat matikman nila 'tong pambato nating kapeng barako! Sigurado kaming daig pa nito 'yong daan-daang pisong kape niyo sa starbaks."
We tried all the dishes and it wasn't bad after all. In fact, it was all good. except that it wasn't a diet-friendly. Well, trying new things at least once or twice, won't kill you.
After we have our meal, the youngsters assembled their own teams and prepared themselves for the tournament. They were so loud and rowdy; I wasn't use to it.
"By the way, what took you so long? You said you'll just check my room if you can find your missing wallet? But it seemed like you slept in there for hours. You missed our practice." Vlance asked Ellie.
"Your room was a total mess. Do you expect me to find my stuff that easy?"
"It's just a freaking wallet. Why don't just buy a new one?"
"My license and some of my important cards are in there."
"So, have you found it?"
"Fortunately, I did." This woman lacks decency! How dare she let a man just enter her room? He didn't even ask for my permission. Fine! Just hang in there, bitch, I'll teach you a lesson, later.
"Do you think you can help make us win?" Vlance asked.
"Ganito lang gagawin mo, Dok. Una, kelangan mo munang pumili ng hero, pero dahil baguhan ka pa lang, Support ka na lang muna; eto si Estes, magaling 'yan."
"Hay! Tarantado ka ba, Bert!? Masyado mo naman atang minamaliit si Dok—"
"Sandali lang. 'wag na kayong magtalo... Bigyan niyo muna ako ng limang minuto, pag-aaralan ko lang muna ang larong ito," Ellie said, as he was busy exploring the game app.
They let him take his time and then the four of them start murmuring as they try to brainstorm, trying not to let the opponent hear them, same goes for Jaden's friends. Tyrone was their team captain.
The tournament requires at least five members, I guess, that's why Jaden has to sacrifice since he has much important stuff to prioritize. I turn my head to my brother who was busy signing up on various employment websites; hunting for a part-time job. He's seriously determined about his decision.
"Gino, ikaw na lang ang captain tutal aminado naman kaming masmagaling ka sa ating lima dito!" Kulas said.
"I hate being just a member instead of taking leads, but I have to agree with Kulas," Vlance second demotion.
I let out a tsk sound with my head shaking. These kids know nothing but to waste their time. And that Gino kid, I see huge potential in him that he may someday contribute something big to our society, but I'm worried that he was surrounded by rotten kids who might corrupt his intelligence.
"So, What should we call your team?" Asked Tyrone, the captain.
"Vendetta. And Gino is our team captain." Vlance answered.
"We'll call our's, The Boltstrings. And I'll be the captain of our team." Tyrone said.
"Boltstrings?" Vlance let out a mocking chuckle.
"The fuck! Are you serious? Poor! Such a terrible taste you got? Urgh!" And as expected, the psychopath cringed. As if Vendetta sounds good. That doesn't even fit.
"Whatever you say." It was surprisingly amazing that for the first time, these fellas just ignored her, without getting provoked. They must be fixed into that game; driven by winning the battle.
They were on the living room, flocks together in their own groups. Tyrone's team was inappropriately sitting on the couch like monkeys. Same goes with Gino's team; Gino and Vlance were sitting at the stairs, while Kulas and Bert were sitting in a lotus position on the carpet right below the single-seat couch where the robotic MD was sitting.
"Let's get it on!" Vlance cheered. All of them are now ready for the battle.
Their phones start beating with its game's sound effects.
"Your team is banning." I heard, and then a sound like a time bomb was beating.
"Your team is banning."
"Your team is picking."
"Lunox."
"Your team is picking."
"Chou."
"Badang."
I could hear that annoying timebomb sounds-like in between the speaking lady that sounds like some sort of a greek warrior.
"Bert, mag-tank ako... si grak. Ikaw?"
"Tarantado! Manahimik ka! Baka marinig at ma-ban. Bobo!" he scolded.
"Tsk!" I shook my head, disappointed with these kids. Such a waste. I decided to just stay at the dining area where I was reading a newspaper when I heard someone speak.
"Uhm... P-pasensya po sa abala. Nagtimpla po ako ng tsaa. Ito ho, inumin niyo habang mainit pa po." It was the shy young lady. I was kinda bit feeling starstruck the moment I was able to get to see her angelic face this close. I blink trying to snap it when I notice she was starting to get uncomfortable.
"I-I'm s-sorry. Uhm... Dannelle, right? I'm Duke, by the way, " I politely introduce myself. She just smiles and then lowered her head avoiding eye contact with me.
"Maiwan ko po muna kayo riyan. Ibibigay ko lang po 'tong juice para sa kanila." she then left and went there. She went back and go straigth the sink and starts washing the dishes.
"You know what? You don't have to do that. Just leave it there and let the cleaning service do that. Just go and join them," I said.
"Pasensya po, pero tatangihan ko po ang utos niyo. Isa pa, hindi naman po ako naglalaro no'n." She ensisted so I just shrugged and let her do what she wants.
I took the last sip of my tea and then flipped the next page of the news paper.
"Uhm... Gusto niyo pa po bang ipagtimpla ko ulit kayo ng tsaa?"
"Oh, thank you, but a cup is enough already."
"Kung gano'n po, maaari ko na po bang makuha ang tasa? Huhugasan ko na po."
This time, I am know feeling uncomfortable. I don't let someone serve me when I don't pay them. "I'll just do it myself. Why don't just enjoy your visit here and play with your friends. Can't you see them? They seemed enjoying it. Go." I convinced her.
she just lowered her head silently. "Why? Is there something wrong?"
"W-wala ho. Hindi lang po talaga ako pwedeng maglaro kase 'yung cellphone ko lumang modelo."
I was stan for a while without realizing it. I felt sorry for being too inconciderate. I forget that some of Vlance's friends were simple people with frugal lifestyle.
"I'm s-sorry, Dannelle. Here take this so you can play with them. You should have fun as well. Don't just let yourself imprison here at the kitchen doing stuff which is not your job. You're not a maid. Bisit ka. So relax and just enjoy. Here take my phone. Come on."
"Nako! maraming salamat ho pero kahit naman po meron akong niyan, hindi ko rin naman po alam maglaro, at lima lang po ang miyembro na pwede sa grupo. Kaya mabuti na lang na gawin ko ang ibang gawaing bahay para naman may magawa ako."
"If that's the case, why did Vlance even bring you here if she'd just not attend you and let you do the what maids do. She is such a bitch. Tell me, does she bullies you? This is why you're here; so she could boss you around."
"Hindi po!" she defends her.
"Ang totoo po niyan, sobrang buti po ni Vlance sa akin... Hindi lang po sa akin, kundi sa maraming tao. Si Gino, ako, at ang lahat ng mga scholar student sa eskwela ang kaibigan niya. Lahat po kami, humahanga sa mabuting kalooban niya. Madalas, loka-loka siya..." She giggled sweetly as her face glow even brighter.
"...kaya hindi siya naiintindihan ng maraming tao, pero may bukal siyang puso. Alam niyo po bang madalas siyang mapahamak dahil sa amin... Makailang ulit na niyang pinagtatangol si Gino lalo na kapag may mga umaapi sa kanya. Hindi lang po si Gino, pati na ang iba pang mga scholars. Naaawa nga po ako kase kahit na mabuti naman ang hangarin niya ngunit sa huli, siya pa rin ang mali sa mga mata ng mga fuculty. Kahit na kumbinsihin namin ang lahat, ayaw pa rin nilang makinig at si Vlance pa rin ang dinidiin. kaya minsan, lumalayo kami sa ibang mga kabataan at hangga't maaari, ayaw namin na makuha ang atensyon ng iba. Iyon lamang ang alam naming paraan para mailayo si Vlance sa gulo."
I felt like my body was stuck on a cement; I felt stiff hearing what she had just told me. Did I heard it right?
"Hindi lang siguro siya naiintindihan ng mga tao," she added, and then turned her head to Vlance's direction as she stares at her. She looks ate her dearly as if they share the same blood, like a sister.
We didn't didn't notice that we had already talk a lot, and she was now starting to get to used of conversing with me. Both of us were just talking since they were all playing. Sometimes, talking with strangers is much better. They share stories that was new and I got to know more from the outside world. The world that was total opposite from mine. She's the purest and innocent lady I had ever known so far. I was just hoping, she was the one who could influence their friendship, not the other way.