nagising ako nang maramdaman kong umalis si Isaac sa kama. Pasikat palang ang araw sa labas ng bintana. I checked my phone pero walang kahit isang text message mula kay kuya.
"Aalis ka na?" Inaantok ko siyang sinundan ng tingin habang nag papalit ng pang itaas na damit.
Hindi na nag breakfast si Dice dito dahil mahaba pa ang byahe niya pauwi. Mabuti na lang at wala siyang scheduled operation ngayong araw kaya 5AM na siya gumising.
Mag isa lang akong kumain ng agahan pagkatapos kong maligo. Wala parin yung kapatid ko. Kahit sino sa kanila ang tanungin ko ay hindi nila alam ang isasagot dahil bigla na lamang daw umalis ang lalaking yon.
[Yes, baby?] Rinig ko ang tunog ng makina, mukhang nag tatahin si mommy ngayon.
"May sinabi ba si kuyang pupuntahan niya?" Tanong ko. Alam ko kasing napakadaldal non kila mommy at lahat ay kwinekwento niya.
[He told me yesterday he'll be watching lang anak.. is something wrong?] I bit my lower lip, i started feeling worried.
"N-nothing mom... Kailan kayo babalik rito?" Pag iba ko ng usapan. Ayoko munang sabihin sa kaniya na hindi pa umuuwi si kuya dahil baka mag alala lang kami sa wala.
[Next week siguro.. Next month pa sana kaso magaling mamilit yung kuya mo. He was able to convince your dad to go back earlier.] I chuckled. We decided that they'll stay with us here in the mean time.
Lolo told me that he already talked to the board and they will remove Uncle Luis as the Acting Director. So basically, he was fired already. Siguro bukas na ako pupunta sa kumpanya para tignan kung ano na ang lagay nito.
He also removed his rights to the manor so i'll have to handle that as well. I wanted to make renovations kaya naman hindi kaagad makakalipat roon sila mommy. I really didn't like what they did to the house. Ireremodel na nga lang, hindi pa maganda.
Mabilis akong tumakbo papuntang entryway nang marinig kong bumukas ang pinto. Naibsan ang kaba ko nang makitang si Asher ang pumasok.
"Where have you been?! 8 AM na!" Lumapit ako para tulungan siyang maglakad. Sabi na. He reeked of alcohol! Though maayos ang pagkakasuot niya sa button down niya, mahahalata mo ang gusot nito. The first 3 buttons were opened and he didn't even have his tie.
"Kuya naman. Alam mong hindi ka pwede sa mga ganiyan." Natatarantang singhal ko. Nakaupo na siya sa sofa at dinalhan ko siya ng tubig na maiinom. Mukhang may hangover siya at masakit ang ulo.
"Tapos mag isa ka pang umalis! What if you pass out again?! ha?! be thankful that you got lucky this time."
I can't even try to imagine him suffering from an attack and none of us were there to help. Wala ako, wala ne isa sa mga tauhan namin. Kinilabutan ako sa isiping iyon. It could have been really dangerous. I brushed my brother's hair so i could see his face clearly. He knows what he's not supposed to do and yet he still did it....why?
"Did something happen? come on... you can tell me." Mas lumamlam na ang boses ko. Sumenyas ako kay manang Cheri na mag handa ng mainit na sabaw para sa kaniya.
Hindi sumagot ang kapatid ko at nanatili lang na nakatungo. Pinasadahan ko ng tingin ang kabuuan niya at may napansin akong kung anong marka sa kaniyang kwelyo.
My heart beated faster when i thought it was blood but thankfully it wasn't.
bakit may bahid ng lipstick ang kwelyo niya?
Tinulungan ko nalang siya papunta sa kusina para makahigop ng sabaw. I also prepared some hangover medicine. I didn't bother asking him about that matter because it seemed too personal.
"May nangyari ba? bakit ka uminom?" Marahang tanong ko. Naubos niya na ang soup na inihanda para sa kaniya at nainom niya na rin ang gamot. He looked better now compared to how he was earlier. He was less sluggish.
He raised his head so that he could look at me, he gave me a small smile and messed my hair. "It's nothing.. don't worry about it."
Hindi ko na siya sinundan nang umakyat siya papuntang kwarto. I decided not to leave home that day. I also told Minji to not leave his side incase na may maramdaman siyang hindi maganda.
Mabuti nalang at nababantayan siya ni Dice kaya kahit papaano ay nakayanan niyang uminom. i was debating on whether i should ask Tito Ares tho in the end i decided not to. Kung gusto kasi niya ay sasabihin niya naman sa akin. I don't think now's the right time to give him a push.
I stayed in my room the whole day, I had some work from Taiwan delivered here so that i can extend my stay. Wala sa plano ang pag aayos namin ni Dice at ang tungkol sa kumpanya kaya ngayon, i had to change plans.
Napasinghal ako habang minamasahe ang aking sentido. May isang plane na nag malfunction sa Taiwan, mabuti nalang at hindi pa nakakapag take off nang mapansin ang umuusok na isang turbine engine. They had to cancel the flight at maraming pasahero ang naapektuhan.
Bago ko pa man mahandle ang work for the next months ay pagod na agad ako dahil dito.
there was no aeronautical engineers available there at the moment. I think they're on a business seminar somewhere, i wasn't sure. but that just means na hindi agad maasikaso ang plane.
I had to call for back up. Nagpadala ako ng engineers from Kyoto and mabuti nalang at bukas ay maari na silang bumisita roon.
I became busy that i didn't even notice the time. Hapon na agad, kay bilis ng oras. Kumatok ako sa kwarto ni kuya para ayain siyang mag hapunan. Mukhang trabaho rin ang inaasikaso niya, maybe i'll offer him my help later since mas maraming branch ang inaasikaso niya kaysa sa akin.
Dice had to go to Tenejero the next day, where Frion was working dahil pansamantalang liliban ang nag iisang Cardio Head doon kaya kailangan ng mag ma-manage sa ibang doctors. He even asked me to come and as much as i want to, i couldn't. 1 week siya sa hospital na iyon at hindi ako pwedeng mahiwalay sa kapatid ko ng ganoon katagal, though it's a shame that i wouldn't be able to see Frion Aether.
Ilang araw kong minomonitor ang mga kilos ni kuya, pero mukhang bumalik na siya sa dating gawi. I think something temporarily bothered him that time, maybe his other family members.. Naaalala ko kasi na hindi niya gusto ang mga kamag anak ni Tito Ares dahil lagi siyang prine pressure sa lahat ng bagay.
4 days had passed since Dice left for Tenejero, i was also too busy in handling some matters kaya naman halos hindi na kami makapag kamustahan, but we're both fine with that.
One week isn't a big of a deal when we were able to be apart for 9 years.
I took a deep breath as i stood infront of the company building. I was wearing a coffee colored pencil skirt and a white button down long sleeves. My stilletos made sounds as i enter the company i'm about to take with my head held up high.
No one dared to ask who i was or what's my business there. I'm familiar to some of them since they aren't new here. Walang nag bago sa kumpanya, yung nag cocontrol lang.
I headed straight to the Director's office. I stopped infront of his Secretary's desk at nag baba ng tingin sa babaeng nakaupo roon.
"Your boss is still there?" Tanong ko. The lady looked newly hired, she was frantic and stuttering. Mukhang hindi niya ako kilala at hindi niya rin inaasahan ang pag dating ko.
"M-may meeting p-pa po siya... Nag sc-schedule po ba kayo ng appointment?" Kinakabahang tanong niya. Did i look scary?
"Where's the meeting being held?"
"I-inside his office po.." Tumango ako at nilagpasan ko siya. Narinig kong malaglag ang ilang mga gamit dahil sa pag mamadali niyang habulin ako, hindi ko na siya pinansin at dirediretsong binuksan ang office kung nasaan nagaganap ang meeting.
I swiftly caught all of their attention. It was an informal meeting, and nandon ang board of trustees. Uncle Luis was sitting on his swivel chair, in his table while the others were on a couch. A smirk formed on my lips when they all had the same expressions plastered on their faces.
I knew each one of them, kahit tumanda ang mga itsura nila ay nakikilala ko parin sila. Sila ang board of trustees na inappoint ng mommy ko noon, they were all nice and true to their job. Though they side to no one.
"Good Morning." Pormal na bati ko sakanila, kay Uncle nakapako ang tingin ko.
"Anaria.." binaling ko ang atensyon ko sa nag salita. He was one of the board. I crossed my arms, raising a brow at him questioning the way he just addressed me.
"M-Ms. Chase.." napapahiya siyang tumungo.
Nag lakad ako ng papunta sa pwesto ng aking Uncle, tunog lang ng takong ang umalingawngaw sa buong opisina. No one spoke nor even made noise.
Umangat ang labi ko nang makita ko ang wooden plaque ng pangalan niya,
Luis Ireneo Lazuli
Acting Director
"I heard you haven't turn in your resignation letter yet?" Nakangisi kong tanong. Hindi siya sumagot, hindi mo kakakitaan ng takot ang mukha niya ngunit mahihinuha mo ang kaba.
Nang hindi ako nakakuha ng sagot mula sakaniya ay nilingon ko ang members of the board, lahat ng mata nila ay sa akin naka tuon.
"I would like to speak with my mother's substitute alone, please." Agad na lumabas ang lahat, mabilis nilang nilisan ang opisina at ilang minuto lang ay kaming dalawa nalang ni uncle ang natira sa loob.
"What do you want?" Pabalang na tanong niya, kunot noong nakatingin sa akin. Inikot ko muna ang tingin ko at napangiwi.
Mag ama nga sila, parehas pangit ang taste pag dating sa interior designing.
"Sa susunod na bukas luluwas sila mommy, so it will be best if you go home and start packing. I'll have to redesign the house, i hate what you did to it." Walang ganang sagot ko.
"And who are you to order me around?" Napamaang ako dahil sa tanong niya. Hala tinanong niya talaga yun?
"I'm your niece uncle, did you hit your head or something?" I rolled my eyes, looking so disappointed by his question.
Tine take note ko na sa aking isip ang mga ipapa ayos ko sa opisinang ito, siguro ay pag balik nila mommy roon ko nalang sisimulang ipaayos ito.
"I'm also the heiress of the company you're currently in." Kunot noong sagot ko. Siguro instead of a wooden wallpaper i'll have it change to white or sky blue.
"May tanong ka pa ba?"
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