His Sweet Desire

Chapter 1

6 months later...

Bella gave up her lunch hour, her own lunch to bring Amarah her requested Jollibee fried chicken with spaghetti and macaroni soup. Bella rounded the corner and ran into the hospital building, taking the stairs two at a time, stumbling once and swearing because she almost spilled the soup. She reached the ward room which Amarah shared with four more patients who needed a similar kind of medical care.

She stops a few seconds before the door to compose herself and stops hunching over and gasping for breath. Then pushed open the door.

"Magandang tanghali!" she smiled and greeted everybody who's inside the ward. 

"Mommy!" yelled the four-year-old girl sitting on the hospital bed upon seeing her. "Wow, Jollibee!!!" Her eyes sparkled with joy upon seeing the logo of her favorite fast food. 

Lumapit siya dito at hinalikan ito sa ulo. 

"Yes sweetie, like you requested. Binili ko ang favorite fried chicken mo. Pero dapat kakain ka ng marami para lumakas ka kaagad ha?" turan niya habang marahan na nilalapag ang mga dalang pagkain. 

"Opo, Mommy. Kakain ako marami para lalabas na ako dito," sagot ng bata. 

"Very good! How are you feeling today, sweetie?" 

"Today I feel good, Mommy." 

"That's great to know." Natutuwa niyang himas sa buhok nito. 

"I had this wonderful dream, Mommy."

"Talaga? What was it?"

"That we were running on the beach. Also, swimming in the beautiful blue sea"

"Maganda nga!. Promise, once you feel better, we're going to make that dream a reality," she said smiling. 

"Yeheyyy, you're really the best Mommy ever!" 

"Sus, nambola pa." Nakangiti niyang marahan na hinimas ang maliit nitong pisngi. 

There's nothing on earth---not diamonds, a promotion and a dream trip around the world---that Bella wanted as much as she wanted Amarah to get well and be strong and healthy again. If she could have only one wish in the world, that's what it would be. 

"Listen sweetie, I would love to keep you company for lunch, but I have to get back to work." 

Her voice croaks from sadness. If she only has choice, she would stay her daughter's side 24 hours a day 7 days a week. However, she can't do that. She has to go to work to be able to buy her daughter's medical needs and pay her hospital bills. 

"Pero nandito naman si tita Jenny mo eh. She will take care of you while Mommy is at work." 

Marahan na tumango ang anak niya. "Okay po." Pero bakas ang lungkot sa boses nito. 

"Hindi ka nanaman manananghalian niyan? Ay naku, kapag ikaw ang nagkasakit... sinasabi ko sayo. Lalong lalaki ang problema mo." si Jenny. Matalik niya itong kaibigan at malayong kamag-anak. Ito ang kapalitan niya sa pagbabantay kay Amarah. 

"May sandwich ako sa bag. Kakain nalang ako habang nasa jeep. Ano nga pala ang sabi ng doctor niya?" 

"Hindi tayo pwede makapag donate... Hindi tayo match sa anak mo. 

At kailangan nang maoperahan ang anak mo sa lalong madaling panahon," malungkot na balita ni Jenny. 

"God!" parang biglang nanghina ang tuhod niya at napakapit siya sa gilid ng hospital bed ng anak niya. 

"Wala ka parin bang balita sa ate Gwen mo?" asked Jenny. 

Malungkot niyang sinulyapan ang anak niya na ngayon ay nalilibang na sa paglalaro sa laruan na kasama ng Jollibee kiddie meal nito. 

Matagal na siyang walang balita sa nakatatanda niyang kapatid na si Gwen na siyang tunay na ina ni Amarah. 

Mahigit dalawang taon na noong huli sila nitong kamustahin. 

"Nahanap ko siya sa f******k. Nagsend na ako ng mensahe sa messenger niya pero wala pa akong natatanggap na sagot. Hindi ko alam kung active ba ang account niya na 'yon." 

"Ganoon ba? Siya sige na... Umalis ka na at baka masabon ka na naman ng boss mo." 

Tumingin siya sa pambisig niyang orasan. She's running late...

"Tawagan mo ako kung may problema dito. Baka gabi na ako makabalik dito, dadaan pa kasi ako sa bahay para kumuha ng bihisan para bukas."

"Okay, sige. Walang problema. Pwede naman ako magtrabaho kahit nagbabantay kay Amarah," turan ni Jenny. Online seller kasi ito kaya kahit papano ay pwede itong makapagtrabaho kahit nasaan ito basta may signal ang cellphone niya.

"Aalis na ako. Pakisigurado nalang na kakain si Amarah..." 

"Ako nang bahala dito. Sige na, umalis ka na."

Nagmamadali siyang nagpaalam sa anak niya. 

She waved goodbye to Amarah from the door before sprinting down the stairs and to the jeepney stop. She made it back to work at exactly one o'clock, winded and sweaty but triumphant. Jenny sent her Amarah's photo with a forkful of spaghetti. Her daughter is eating. That was victory enough for today. 

It's enough to set her mood and plaster a smile. It's the number one required uniform at her work as a lobby receptionist in Thomas Global's. Her works are signing-in visitors and giving them directions to offices and generally denying appointments to anyone who wants to see anyone important in the Building. The security desk is just right behind her, so she has back-up, but her whole day is rerouting phone calls and dealing with constant flood of people. 

"Miss Jimenez. The CEO wants to see you in his office. NOW!" may pagka estriktong turan ng supervisor niya. 

She froze.

"A-Ako, po? Bakit?" turo ni Bella sa sarili at tanong sa kasamahan na si Dana.

Nagkibit naman ng balikat si Dana. "Bilisan mo nalang. Pinakaayaw niyon ang pinaghihintay siya."

Kahit nagtataka kung ano ang kailangan sa kanya ng big Boss ay mabilis niyang inayos ang sarili at siniguradong presentable sa harap ng CEO. Ang balita niya ay masyado daw itong perfectionist kahit sa maliit na mga detalye. 

Hindi siya pwedeng makitaan nito ng mali ngayon lalo at hindi pa siya regular sa trabaho. Mahigit isang buwan palang siya dito, pwedeng-pwede pa siyang mapatalsik anumang oras ng walang kalaban-laban. 

The CEO has a reputation of being very strict, demanding, difficult and had an unflinching need for perfection. In short, he is a nightmare to work with. 

"What the hell have I done?" she asked herself nervously. 

She barely sees him. Besides giving or taking a few sideways glances and the odd polite "Hello, good morning and good afternoon" when he passes at the reception area. 

She nervously took the elevator up to his office. As she walked down the hallway towards his large oak door, her high heels sank half an inch into the plush carpeted outside. 

She tapped the door gently.

"Come in," a voice barked. 

She took a deep breath. "Calm down, Bella. It's going to be fine. Everything's going to be alright," kausap niya sa sarili. 

She had heard the horror stories from her co-workers. This is the point where he calls you into his office to test you, to see if you break. She heard about people who had been reduced to jelly in front of this man; people who had endured an endless barrage of questions thrown at them about their life, the quality of their work, everything. If he didn't like your answers, he would fire you on the spot. Simple as that. 

However, she needed this job desperately, her job in this company rather. Hindi lang basta ang trabaho niya dito ang kailangan niya. May mas importante pa doon kung bakit ang kompanyang ito ang napili niyang pasukan. 

Ito ang kompanyang pinagtatrabahuhan ng ate Gwen niya dati bago ito nabuntis. At ngayong walang kasiguraduhan kung mahahanap niya ang ate Gwen niya kailangan niyang humanap ng pangalawang option---find the biological father of Amarah!

"You're strong," she thought. "He's just a man. Flesh and bone. What can he possibly do? You're a strong woman, Bella. Don't let him get to you." 

She entered the extravagant office, four times bigger than her apartment, and walked towards the huge desk near the corner of the room. 

"I don't give a s**t what those clowns in Thailand say," Lucas barked into a mobile phone. "Tell them that if they don't increase capacity by at least five percent in the next six weeks then we're pulling the contract. There are plenty of companies in Vietnam that can do just as a good job, just as cheap. No compromise. It's my way or no way. Got it?" 

The room is surrounded by windows enveloping the space in a vast expanse of light. They stretched from floor to ceiling, seamless panes of glasses that looked out over the city below. 

"Sorry about that," Lucas said, switching off his phone. 

"That's okay, sir." She replied, taken aback by his politeness. 

"It's Miss Hemenez, correct?" 

"Yes, sir." She nodded. "Maria Bella Hemenez." 

"You're new here, aren't you Maria Bella?" 

Medyo nagulat siya sa pagtawag nito ng buo niyang pangalan. Bihira lang kasi sa mga kaibigan at kakilala niya ang tumatawag sa kanya ng Maria Bella, karamihan ay Bella lang.

"I've been working here for more than a month. Yes, I'm new here, Sir." she answered. 

"Your record says you're not married, is that right?" tanong nito habang titig na titig sa kanya na para bang binabasa nito pati kaloob-looban niya kasama na ang bituka at balunbalunan.

Tumango si Bella. Gustong mailang sa titig sa kanya ni Lucas. "Y-Yes, sir." 

"Yes, you're married or yes, you're not married?" he asked again as if making sure to have a clear answer. 

"I-I'm not married, sir..." puno ng kaba niyang sagot. Paano kung isa ito sa mga tao na sarado ang utak para sa mga single parent na katulad niya? She hope not! 

"Good. Then you're perfect." 

Kumunot ang noo niya. "P-Perfect for what, Sir?" she asked politely. 

"I have a job for you. A little task, if you will. I need someone to go with me on a business trip. How fast can you type?" 

She was bemused. "About 100 words a minute, I think," she answered. 

"Excellent. Do you have a Dictaphone?" 

She doesn't have much of anything of worth at this moment. Every penny she has is needed to pay for something far more important than material things. "No, I don't," she answered. 

Lucas smiled. "No problem. We'll get you one. We will be leaving tomorrow morning."

Bigla siyang nawindang. Paano ang anak niya sa ospital? Sino ang magbabantay dito?

"B-But---" gusto niyang magprotesta ngunit takot naman siyang matanggal sa trabaho. "Okay," naituran nalang niya. 

"Do you want to know where?" he replied, leaning forward. "You know, to tell your family or anybody who needs to know what you're up to?" 

She shook her head.

"Are you sure?" he asked again. 

"T-There's my daughter..." she answered hesitating.

"Daughter?" may pagtataka nitong tanong. 

Mukhang hindi ito na inform tungkol doon. Akala ba niya ay binasa nito ang profile niya. Gayunpaman ay marahan siyang tumango. "She's four year old."

"I see." She saw a little disappointment in his eyes, but it was quick she thought she was mistaken. "Do you have someone to look after her while you're away?" 

"Actually, she's in hospital now--- But I have someone to look after her, sir," mabilis niyang dagdag. Ayaw niyang bigyan ito ng dahilan na tanggalin siya sa trabaho. Inisip nalang niya na siguradong hindi siya matitiis ni Jenny at akuin muna ang pagbabantay sa anak niya.