The next day as usual dumaretso ako sa opisina upang maghanda sa upcoming holiday season. May gaganapin ding Christmas party para sa lahat ng mga employees kaya nag hire ako ng events organizer para doon. Hinatid nga pala ako ni Manong Restor gamit ang family car namin dahil na kay Nolan pa ang kotse ko. Mabuti nalang ay hindi na siya nagtanong pa kung bakit wala sakin ang sasakyan.
"Good morning po Ms. Zole! Gusto niyo po ba ng coffee?" Alok sakin ni Valentina pagkarating ko ng opisina. I smiled and nodded as an answer.
"Sure hindi pa naman ako nakakapag kape sa bahay. Parating ba today ang events organizer?" I asked habang binuksan ko na ang laptop ko.
"Yes po Ms. Zole and update din po about sa production, natanggal na po lahat ng lumang makina and on going na po ang installation ng mga bagong equipments. Sa mga manpower naman po na mano manong nag poproduce ng wines natin ay maayos naman din po ang usad, hindi naman magagahol sa oras at makakaabot po sa deadline ng shipment" Valentina discussed and natuwa naman ako sa magandang progress ngayon sa factory. Malaking tulong din talaga ang mga dinagdag na tauhan ni Nolan at mas mabilis ang production namin kahit onti lang ang gumaganang makina sa ngayon.
"Thanks for the update Valentina" I thanked her and she smiled at me and left my office. Bigla namang may kumatok sa pintuan ko at bumungad sakin ang nakangiting mukha ni Nolan, may dala siyang tasa ng kape, siguro ay siya na ang nagdala ng hiningi kong kape kay Valentina.
"Good morning, my Zole" He said at pabulong niya lang sinabi yung 'my Zole' dahil baka nga may makarinig sakanya. I immediately stand up and gave him a hug.
"Ang aga aga ah, miss mo ko agad?" Pilyo kong tanong and he chuckled and quickly gave a soft kiss.
"Of course, gusto na nga kita pakasalan para araw araw na kitang katabi sa kama" He replied and I giggled while pinching his cheeks.
"Ikaw talaga, sige na bumalik ka na sa factory para matapos na yung ginagawa niyo doon" I ordered but his not letting me go, he even tightened his hands on my waist.
"Stop wearing fitted dress baby, you're tempting me again" He huskily said at nag init naman ang pakiramdam ko sa sinabi niya. Oh come on Nolan we're in the middle of work hours.
Bago pa man mapunta sa kung ano ang ginagawa niya ay tinulak ko na siya palayo.
"Stop it Nolan, focus on your work first okay? Marami rin ako aasikasuhin ngayon I need to concentrate" I reminded him kaya tumango naman siya.
"Okay, I'll see you later then. Can we eat lunch together?" He asked and I simply nodded.
"Good, I'll pick you up here okay?" He said at lumabas na ng opisina ko. Bumalik na ko sa harap ng laptop at humigop ng kape.
Moments passed by and the events organizer arrived. He showed me some ideas of unique concepts and theme for the Christmas party. We also picked the venue and the catering. He also suggested some games with prizes para hindi boring ang party. I wanted to be simple yet enjoyable for all of our employees. Bukod sa Christmas party para sa mga employees ay may isa pa kaming Christmas party na gaganapin which is for the investors of the company, I'm sure kasama doon ang pamilya nila Nolan. It will be also a semi formal party at si Mom na daw ang bahala mag asikaso non and it will be held just inside our house.
Bigla naman tumunog ang cellphone ko kaya kaagad ko yon tinignan. It was a text message sent by an unknown number.
Unknown number:
Your time is running out, you maybe enjoying right now but your happiness wouldn't be too long. I'll make sure to erase you in this world.
Bigla akong kinilabutan sa mensahe na pinadala niya. Kanino ito posibleng manggaling? Someone's threatening my life and I don't know who the hell might it be. I am already sick and yet some people want me dead using their own bare hands. Who it might be, Alexie? Yna? Sila ang mga taong posible kong pagdudahan dahil sa mga nakapagtataka nilang mga kilos and Yna desperately wants Nolan back to her which makes the possibility for her to want me killed.
Hindi ko alam ang kailangang kong gawin sa ngayon but I need to secure myself from this unknown killer. Hindi ko rin alam kung dapat ko na ba 'to ipaalam kay Nolan dahil sigurado akong mag-aalala siya ng husto, he may also think that Alexie is the suspect dahil sa mga nalalaman niya tungkol dito. Another text message was sent and my breathing stops the moment I read it.
Unknown number:
Watch out, the bullet might hit a bulls eye today.
Kaagad ako nagpalinga linga sa kabuoan ng aking opisina, humarap ako sa malaking glass window mula sa likuran ko kung saan ako nakaupo and tried to search for the killer but it's nowhere to be seen! I'm sure the message has a deep meaning, it's targetting to kill me right at this moment!
"AH!" I screamed when a vase was hit by a sniper bullet and It almost hit me!
"Ms. Zole! Oh my gosh call the security!" Valentina said the moment she saw me kneeling down below my table.
"Don't go inside Valentina! Baka magpaputok ulit siya dito please save yourself, get all the employees out of the building now!" I ordered, she immediately follow my orders habang ako ay dahan dahang gumapang palapit sa pinto upang makalabas.
Another bullet strike inside my office and this time it hit the foot of my swivel chair, naroroon ako kanina kaya kung hindi ako gumapang palayo ay baka natamaan na ko. Shit! Who the hell are you!? Nang magkaroon ng pagkakataon, I stood up and run towards the door and luckily, I was able to come out my office in one piece.
"Zole!" I heard Nolan's voice and I immediately broke down out of fear when I saw him. He run towards me and hug me tight while trying to calm me down.
"Shh, I'm here now you're safe" He whispered and kissed the top of my head while caressing my back. Nanginginig parin ako sa takot and I feel like I may faint in instant because of the overwhelming fear I am experiencing. Nolan guided me out of the building as soon as possible. The police also arrived trying to investigate what happened. Some reporters are also here randomly interviewing the employees about their experiences regarding the incident. I also felt bad for the people who also witness this traumatic tragedy. Alam kong hindi pa dito nagtatapos ang gustong pumatay sa'kin, it will not stop haunting until they kill me.
Bakit ba sa tuwing nagiging masaya ako, palaging may ganitong nangyayari? I once left the man that I love for the sake of his freedom away from an ill woman like me. I lied that I don't love him anymore and choose to be with someone else. Now that we're back together, it seems my illness wouldn't be the hindrance towards our love for each other... it's something else.
"Zole, are you sure you're okay? We could go to your doctor to check up on you to make sure your fine" Nolan ask. Nasa condo na niya kami ngayon and he requested to double the security within every area where I am. Nagpadagdag din siya ng bodyguards para sakin.
"Ayos lang ako Nolan, hindi naman ako natamaan ng bala" I assured him and slightly smiled.
"I've already talk to the police and based on their investigation, the sniper came from an abandoned building near the area. Sinubukan nilang hanapin kung meron bang nagmamay ari ng building pero wala talaga. It seems to have an owner before because the building looks the construction has been discontinued." Paliwanag niya. The killer is smart enough to hide its identity towards us. We need to be smarter to locate its premises and all of its intentions of killing me.
"Someone texted me before the sniper shooted at my office. It gave me death threats and a signal that it's really trying to kill me on that moment" I confessed and Nolan's eyes widened.
"Give me the number, maybe we could trace the number to know some clues of who might potentially want to kill you" Nolan replied and I just nodded.
My phone rang and I was about to grab it from my lap but Nolan immediately grab it and see if who is the one calling me. He sighed and offered me back my phone.
"It's your Mom, I already informed her about what happen and assured that your safe, but I know she wants to hear it from you that your really fine" Nolan said and I just nodded and grab my phone from his hands.
"Hello, Mom?" I responded and I heard my Mom's sobs the moment she heard my voice.
"Oh thank God you're safe Zole! Who the hell was that culprit who tried to kill you huh!? Your Dad and I will ensure that he or she will be put in jail!" Mom burst her emotions and continued crying.
"Shh Mom calm down I'm fine. Don't worry the police are already investigating that matter, we will make sure that the killer will pay for its crimes" I assured her.
"I can't calm down yet sweetie as long as the killer is not yet captured, I think its best for us to go back at the states for the mean time to ensure the safety of you and our family" Mom suggested at napatingin naman ako bigla kay Nolan ng sinabi niya 'yon. I don't know if I could able to leave Nolan here, again.
"We have bodyguards 24/7 Mom so I think that is atleast a strong security for us. The killer can't come too near from us because it knows that we are hunting him or her the moment it attempted to kill me. It may cool down for a moment but it's just finding a right moment to attack again" I explained.
"And you're willing to wait for that moment Zole? We can't let the killer find a way to attempt on killing or hurting you again! Your father is flying home right now and I'm sure he would also want for us to go back in the states to secure our families safety" Mom kept arguing about that matter and I don't know what reason I could say just to stop her convincing me to leave.
"Let's just talk about this with Dad personally Mom, okay? For now I just want to rest for a while, dito na po ako sa condo ni Nolan magpapalipas ng gabi" I directly said at nagulat naman si Nolan sa huling sinabi ko.
"Okay Zole, I trust Nolan that he will keep you safe. Your Dad will be home by tomorrow and ako nang bahala magpaliwanag sakanya na diyan ka nagpalipas ng gabi. Have a peaceful rest Iha, don't overthink negative things, its not good for your health" Mom reminded me.
"Yes Mom, thank you and goodnight po" I ended the call and look at Nolan who is still a bit shock of what I just said earlier.
"Uhm, is it okay if I would sleep here tonight?" I still asked permission kahit na nakapagpaalam na ko kay Mom na dito ako matutulog. Really Zole, dapat pala ata sakanya muna ko nagpaalam kasi siya may ari ng condo na 'to.
Parang bigla naman siyang natauhan at napakamot sa ulo niya.
"S..Sure, it wouldn't be a problem," He replied and I smiled at him when he agreed. It's fine with me if he wouldn't agree though.
Tumayo ako at nag inat ng mga braso na para bang kanina pa ito ngalay kakaupo.
"We're not having dinner yet right? May mga ingredients ka ba sa kitchen mo? Magluluto ako ng hapunan natin" I offered and he also stood up and walk near me.
"Meron naman, wait are you sure you can cook? After what happened earlier-" I cut him off by suddenly hugging him tightly. I wrap my hands around his waist and lean on his chest. What happened to me earlier isn't a joke, I almost died. But I know whenever his beside me, I feel secured and safe, no matter how dangerous the world or people would be towards me.
"Let's not think of that, please? My mom said that I shouldn't overthink anything because it will be bad for my health. What's important now is that I'm alive and we're here together" I said. He sighed heavily and also hugged me tightly.
"I could've lost you, Zole. I just couldn't forgive myself if you ever disappear again. Maybe your life will be safer in the states than here in our country. I could still visit you there, I will always find time to see you personally" He said kaya napahiwalay ako sa pagkakayakap naming dalawa at tinignan siya. I know that's a hard decision for him to make. He wants to be with me every second and he would sacrifice his longing and loneliness to me just to ensure my safety.
"Yan din ang gustong mangyari ni Mom and I'm sure Dad would also agree. But, I can't leave you here alone Nolan, ayoko ng iwan ka ulit" I confessed, starting to feel the tempting tears to fall down through my eyes because of the sense that I would leave him again. He caressed my face and look straightly to my eyes.
"Ayoko narin mawalay sa'yo Zole, but if staying beside me will put your life at risk, then it's better for us to be apart this way rather being together full of threat and danger. At least ngayon, I know that your really leaving and I know where you will be going kesa naman dati na naglaho ka nalang bigla and you even lied to me that you don't love me anymore" He said, he has a point but still I want to see him everyday at hindi rin ako mapapanatag na maiiwan siya ditong mag isa.
If my life is at risk, then so as himself. We still don't know the true intentions of the killer, but we can't trust anyone from now on. Maybe even Alexie isn't trustworthy enough right now too.