"Callie, wake up!"
I groaned and turned my back on the person who was waking me up. My head was throbbing and my eyes were having a hard time because of the sun so I covered my head with a pillow.
"Callie, gumising ka diyan!" Someone pulled the sheets off my body.
I groaned. "Stop... I'm still sleepy."
"Callie! We have a campaign today!" He pulled me up. "We'll be late!"
I forced myself to sit up but my head was really throbbing so I had to massage my temples as I stared at Andres. "Close the blinds."
"No, get ready," he said nonchalantly. "We need to be there before 10 AM." I heard his footsteps slowly fading.
I groaned and forced myself to get up not minding my headache. What the hell happened last night? All I remember was I was vomiting in someone's car.
Fucking hangover and I'm still wearing the dress that I was wearing last night!
I did my best to prepare myself and look decent despite my hangover. I just wore aviators to hide my drunk eyes and I went out of my room where Andres was waiting for me.
He offered his arm to me so I held on to it. "Look alive, Callie," he whispered.
"Shut up," I said and smiled at the senators, my parents never scolded me so he doesn't have the right to do that. "My head is throbbing, don't add more to the pain," I said to him while still greeting the other people around us.
"That was your fault," he said and gritted his teeth. "Don't give me the attitude."
"Then don't scold me, you're not my dad."
He smiled at the other senators and excused us before he pulled me back to his room. "You are getting married to me, Callie. Act the part."
I squinted my eyes. "I am acting the part. Why else will I be here? I have to go to school tomorrow but I came here for this shitty campaign!"
"Really? Are you? Then why did you go out last night and got drunk with those people?" His jaw clenched. "I am not here to clean your mess! You must always be careful with your image because you will be a part of this family! And you owe my family!"
He stormed out of his room. I sat on his bed as I massaged my temples. I took a deep breath to calm myself down.
My parents never raised their voices at me before... No one raised their voice at me.
I stood up and went to my room, I changed into my pajamas and went back to bed. I was about to close my eyes but my dad barged in. Behind him were Andres and Senator Cantabria.
"Callie, why aren't you dressed?" dad asked me while his brows were furrowed. "The campaign will start in a minute."
I faked a smile. "I'm feeling a little under the weather, dad. I don't think I can campaign today."
"Oh? Is that so, Catria?" Senator Cantabria asked. "Take some rest." So he doesn't know what I did last night.
"What about your vlog?" Andres asked me.
My smile didn't falter and I handed him my vlogging camera. "Why don't you record a vlog takeover for me? The people will think it's sweet."
Andres didn't move and he glared at me.
"Andres, that's a great idea. Take the camera," Senator Cantabria said.
Andres groaned and took the camera from me. They all bid me goodbye and left.
I smiled inwardly as I rested my back on the bed's backrest. I was about to call for room service to give me brunch but someone knocked on my door.
I forced myself to get up and I opened the door to see that my dad's assistant was there.
"Magandang umaga po, Miss Callie. May naghatid po nito kanina, para sa inyo raw po."
My forehead knotted as I accepted the paper bag. "Sino nagbigay?"
"Si Miss Olivia Aragon po naghatid dito nitong pagkain," he said and bowed.
"How did I get here last night?" I asked him because I was certain that he knew what happened last night.
"Ma'am..." He pursed his lips and shook his head.
"Sino?" I asked and raised my brow.
"Si Sir Matt po, Ma'am." He scratched his head. "Tapos nakita po kayo ni Sir Andres na akay-akay ni Sir Matt kaya kinuha ka na po niya kay Sir Matt."
I closed my eyes because everything started spinning. Gosh!
Dad's assistant held onto my arm. "Ayos lang po kayo, Ma'am?"
I let out a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah... Thanks for clarifying that and for delivering this."
"Sige po, Ma'am. Pahinga po kayo."
I nodded and closed the door. I opened the paper bag, and the smell of goto escaped the bag and made its way to me. There are also two capsules of pain reliever.
I took the bed tray from under my bed and I arranged the food on top of my bed before I sat there and enjoyed my brunch.
I sighed in relief after finishing the goto. I missed this! The type of comfort that I need when I have a hangover...
And not some scolding with voice raising.
"Are you okay?" Bea asked me when I arrived at the classroom. "Everyone's busy with campaigning but I haven't seen anyone as busy as you."
I sighed and sat on my seat. "I'm tired as hell and I have to attend another campaign later."
"Is it worth it?" Bea asked with worry. "I mean, well... with all the controversy. You all must be doing some cleanup."
My forehead knotted and gave her a confused look. "What controversy?"
Her eyes widened. "You don't know?"
"I don't..."
Bea took her phone out and started tapping something. "This is just a screenshot of a post because I know that it will be deleted a few days later and I was right." She showed me the screen of her phone.
I read the post where someone was saying that some of our campaign rally photos were edited because the crowd looks edited. I pursed my lips when I saw the photo of our campaign in Ilocos.
We have a total headcount of around 5,000 but in the photo, they claimed that the headcount was around 60,000 and the photo was really edited. The edit looks legit but I know that it was edited.
"You're campaigning for the VP, right?" I asked her to focus on something else.
"Not me because I don't want to make enemies before I even start becoming an attorney but my parents are." She shrugged. "They believe in the VP too much and they know that she'll win."
I just nodded because I have nothing else to say. She has a lot of supporters and I don't know if that's real or not... but if it is, we're doomed.
"I'm sorry for yesterday," Andres said and he wrapped his arm around me. "I was just worried, we've been working so hard for this and I don't want it to be ruined by what you did. You were with a guy, how will that look for me? I'm letting my girlfriend drink with another guy."
I just shrugged because I was really not willing to let all of that slide. He's still blaming me for it and he also raised his voice at me.
Andres smiled at the crowd and waved so I followed what he did and waved at the crowd.
"Let's make this work, okay?" Andres whispered and kissed my temple. "This is for our parents and for politics."
I wrinkled my nose and smiled while nodding. We had to look good and sweet in the pictures and in front of the crowd.
I observed the crowd that was arriving, they were riding delivery trucks that are not actually for passengers. They could have arrived on buses.
I wonder what our headcount will be...
"Why is an actor part of our senatorial lineup?" I asked Andres while I was watching one of the senatorial candidates singing some old shitty song. He wasn't part of the lineup before but he keeps on forcing himself into our party.
Andres laughed and shook his head. "I don't really know but the people seemed to like him."
I groaned and rolled my eyes. What does an actor know about being a senator? I opened my phone to check his credentials and it was blank... This will ruin the partylist!
After the campaign, I went straight home because I was really not in the mood. Our partylist is full of stupid people!
Our headcount was less than the targeted 20,000 but the posts showed that our headcount was more than 40,000.
I sighed and opened my social media accounts and the VPs campaign. She had a headcount of 50,000 in Cavite.
I wonder what the people see in her... They are really rooting for her. Her supporters are so enthusiastic about campaigning for her.
My brows furrowed as I opened a campaign material filled with her credentials. She studied at UP for her bachelor's degree, she's an attorney, and she proposed several laws when she was a congresswoman.
Besides being the only female candidate, I don't see anything significant. Her educational attainment is the same as Senator Cantabria's educational attainment. The only difference she has with Senator Cantabria is their contribution to the laws in the Philippines and their past projects.
Both their proposals are great but it's really easy to promise things to the public and when you're already seated, you can forget about those.
I have to commend her for being this intelligent because even her proposals for economics, agriculture, and other sectors are top-notch.
She would be good for the job...
But Senator Cantabria needs to win for me to get the Montagne Empire.
I scrolled through Facebook and I saw some posts where Hunter was tagged in. He was wearing a baby carrier and carrying his friend's kid while handing out water bottles to the crowd.
He also had pictures with his friends who are giving out snacks. Their campaigns are really like a festival with all the volunteers and all the people giving away different things.
I pursed my lips as I exited my social media apps. That's their side of politics and I'm on the other side.
The side that I am on is the better side for our family... For me.
The days passed quickly and I wasn't able to enjoy my Holy Week break because I was too busy reviewing cases and doing some advance reading. I was sitting in front of our dining table while there were several books in front of me.
"Let's go," Andres said and held my hand. "My parents are waiting for us."
"I can't go... I have to finish these cases," I said and sighed. "I can't risk my grades for politics."
He squatted until his face was on the same level as mine. "Come on, it's just lunch. The family is panicking because VP Nolasco's campaign is working on the public."
I groaned and stood up. I arranged my things and went upstairs to get dressed. I wore a simple casual dress and put on light makeup to complete my look before I went downstairs where Andres was sitting comfortably on our couch while drinking orange juice.
"Is the situation a big deal?" I asked while walking toward him. "Is the confidence wavering?"
He laughed and shook his head. "It's not like that but you know how the Cantabrias are, they always want everything in order. We always have the past elections under our control, this is the first time that someone is trying to beat us."
"This is the election though," I said and shrugged. "It's not like we can control who the people will vote for. You just have to do well in the campaigns."
"No, Callie. That's not how this system works..." He smiled and ruffled my hair. "You'll understand once we're married."
I just shrugged and let him lead me toward his car.
"It may not seem like it but this is our system... Nobody has ever beat us in our system."
I just nodded at what he said... A little worried because this is another set of new responsibilities not just for the Cantabrias but also for me.
Andres drove from Quezon City to Makati City because their family mansion is in Makati. Well, almost all of them are staying in the same exclusive subdivision.
"Ready?" Andres asked when we parked inside the gates of their mansion.
I forced myself to nod even though I wasn't really ready to see the Cantabrias... I'm sure as hell that they will make me do something like a vlog that will make the people turn their attention to me.
"Oh, by the way, Abuela gave us one of their lots here so we'll be living here when we get married." He smiled and turned the car's engine off.
"What?" I asked because I wasn't sure if I understood that correctly. "We're going to live in this subdivision with the Cantabrias?"
He nodded and went out of his car. "They want to be around us because they want to be part of our children's lives."
I went out of the car and closed the door. "Don't we have other options?"
Andres shook his head. "I think it's an ideal setup... They'll be around to help us raise our kids."
My lips parted... He's always mentioning having kids and living together.
I don't even know if I'm still physically and mentally able to have a child...
Andres put his hand on the small of my back and guided me to their dining area or meeting area because all the Cantabrias are seated around the table.
"Oh, they're here," one of Andres' aunts said and smiled. "We can start this talk because I am so stressed out about that presidential candidate!"
"Have you done everything?" Abuela asked with a stern tone. "Why is she still winning the people's hearts?"
"Yes, ma! I've done everything! Fake news, campaigning against her, trolls, etc. I did everything!" She slammed her hands on the table. "I don't know what else to do!"
"What are you all worrying about?" Senator Cantabria asked. "It's not like that will change the results of the election."
My brows furrowed because it will change the results. The favor of the public always changes the results of the election.
Why would I try so hard to make them love our family if it doesn't change anything?
"Yes! It wouldn't but it will be suspicious," Andres' aunt said.
Suspicious... Why will it be suspicious? Will they win even though the public doesn't really favor them?
That's not possible...
They're going to cheat...
After working hard against Hunter and Hailey, they were still the favored ones.
Grandpa still liked them more than me.
Most politicians will do everything to win the public over by promising things that they wouldn't do but cheating in the elections is another thing.
Another thing that I think I cannot handle well.
"Why will it be suspicious?" I asked Andres to clear my mind.
Andres just smiled and patted my back while shaking his head. "You'll know when we get married."
I rolled my eyes... They have a lot of secrets. Secrets that I am afraid to know.
They can't cheat in the elections. What's the point of having a COMELEC if the integrity of the elections will be questionable?
"I already contacted the other presidential candidates to help us with that." She chuckled while shaking her head. "They're so easy to manipulate with money."
"But they're willing to do that just because of money?" Andres' other tita asked in shock. "Hindi ba sila nababahala na nananalo si kuya?"
"Of course not! They don't like the VP because she's a woman, they're fine if we win but they wouldn't like it when the VP wins."
"Men." Tita Esmie scoffed. "As if their wives don't clean up their messes."
Senator Cantabria laughed and wrapped his arm around tita Esmie's shoulder. "But you're not entering politics, dear."
"And be disrespected by the likes of you every single day?" Tita Esmie shook her head. "No, thanks and the public can't afford me."
They continued talking about their plans for the remaining days of the election like releasing some fake news, releasing another video about the VP, and using the other presidential candidates as a front to create propaganda against the VP.
All of those were Abuela and tita Esmie's ideas with a few comments from Andres' aunts. The women really run this family while their supporters always question the VP for being a woman.
They're selective when it comes to people that they don't like.
"Learn from us, Callie," tita Esmie said and grinned. "You'll do this with us when Andres runs for president in the future."
I just nodded... So this is not just one election. It's this election and the coming elections.
Do I want this? Do I want to continue doing this?
After a dreadful campaign season, it was finally election day. I got up early and got dressed. I wore a red blouse and trousers. I paired my outfit with nude stilettos.
I'm sure people will be taking pictures so I have to look my best. I came with my parents to the voting precinct and I stilled when I saw Matt, his head was down while he was shading on his ballot.
I took a deep breath and smiled at the person who was assigned to the precinct I was in. I took my ballot and sat in the corner part of the room where the media cannot see me.
The first part of the ballot is the presidential candidates... I was about to shade the circle next to Senator Cantabria's name but something is stopping me.
I skipped the presidential and vice presidential candidates. I went straight to the senators and voted for my dad, Andres' tita, and some other candidates that I know have great credentials. I don't want actors and stupid people in the government.
I voted for my mom and her partylist in our local elections. After that, I went back to the presidential and vice presidential parts.
I was about to shade the circle next to Senator Cantabria's name but I stopped midway.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath... I opened my eyes and voted for the VP and her running mate.
I can't keep doing this...