Obsession: Marco De Luca

It wasn't pitch black inside, but the lights were low and moody. A loud music from the five-star Bar in BGC occupied the room. People are dancing, some are smoking, drinking, chit chatting, and flirting. The smell of combined alcohol and cigarettes added to the intensity of the atmosphere. "Marco, can you believe it? Hannah just said she needs space! What kind of space does she means?" Julius with confused expression visible in his face, asked his friend Marco for the nth time. Before answering his whining friend, Marco, who's smoking a cigarette, inhaled the puff again before gently blowing the smoke in the air, and take a pause. "It means, you need to stop pestering her and get lost." Marco bluntly answered with no hesitation. "What?!" Julius said while looking at his friend in disbelief. "Come on! I'm your friend, Marco. You suppose to cheer me up and give me emotional support." Julius with his stressed feeling lay his back on the couch-as if he's exhausted by the thought of Hannah asking for a space. "I don't support stupidity, Julius." Marco chuckled. "In fact, I pity you," he added before throwing the used cigarette on the ashtray. Julius looked at Marco with confusion. "You. Being in love with Hannah." Marco directly answered. "...and?" Hindi sigurado na tanong ni Julius dahil para sa kaniya ay wala namang nakakaawa sa bagay na iyon. Walang nakakaawa kung mahal niya si Hannah. Marco laughed a little and shake his head. "See? That's what I mean. I pity you for being stupid." "I'm not stupid, Marco. I'm just in love." "Just the same thing, Julius." Marco answered back seriously. "Love makes people fool. It makes people blind for the things that they should see and believe. Love blocks your real senses, weaving an illusion from what you see and feel, not from what you truly need." Julius glared at his friend because he thinks that Marco is now mocking him after calling him stupid. "Marco, you can't call love is an illusion because being in love comes within the feelings of your heart." "Exactly!" Marco smiled at Julius. "That's why our brain is in here," as he pointed his top of his head. "...and not in here," Marco said before lowering down his finger from his head going to his chest. "Tsk!" Julius expressed in disapproval and at the same time surrending. "I should just have called our other friends instead of you. Kailan ba ako mananalo sa iyo?" "You should say thank you, at least, for sparing you my time." "Bullshit!" Julius said. Marco just smiled and get his glass of Armand de Brignac Midas champagne and took a sip. After their conversation, Marco and Julius stayed in their seats and drink the champagne. Marco and Julius has five other friends. Marco was just the only one who's available at the time when Julius messaged their group chat asking for a companion because he has a serious problem. "By the way, Marco-" "Excuse me, Mister." A woman wearing a varsity jacket, hair tied in a ponytail, and wearing plain pants interrupted their table. "Huh?" Julius said, while looking at the woman who's standing beside his friend Marco-who did not even dare himself to give a single glance at the lady. "Miss, are you alright?" But the lady didn't answer Julius and still looking at Marco with both cheeks blushing. "Miss, please get back-" "I'll pay you after for this, Mister." And with that, Julius stared in shock as the lady suddenly grabbed Marco by the collar and pulled him towards her. She had appeared out of nowhere and marched straight to their table before planting a kiss on him. "W-What?" Julius muttered in disbelief, watching the strange woman-who, in his opinion, didn't even know how to kiss-pressed her lips to Marco's. His friend sat there with no expression, eyes wide open, completely still as the woman kissed him. "She smells alcohol." Marco thought in his mind as he smelled liquor from this woman's body. "I-I'll pay you later." The tipsy but not drunk woman said after breaking the kiss. Her gaze is avoiding Marco's eyes. After that, isang malakas na sigawan mula sa kabilang table ang narinig nina Marco at Julius. "That's our Myrina!" "She finally had her first kiss!" "Myrina is not a kill joy!" "I-I'm sorry. I need to go back," namumula ang mukha na wika ni Myrina kay Marco bago tumalikod at bumalik sa table nilang magkakaibigan. "Wow!" natatawang wika ni Julius nang ibaling nito ang tingin kay Marco na hanggang sa mga oras na iyon ay hindi pa rin mabakasan ng emosyon. "Are they playing truth or dare and you just became that girl's target?" In Marco's opinion, maybe that's what happened. "Also, did she just say she'll pay you?" Natatawang wika ni Julius. "I wasn't informed na bukod sa pagiging multi-billionaire, call boy ka na pala." "Shut up, Julius!" Marco's eyebrows drew together because of that. "But, in fairness to that lady. She's hot!" seryosong wika ni Julius bago nilingon ang gawi nina Myrina at mga kaibigan nito. Julius is damn right. Among the ladies in that table, Myrina is the hottest. "Well then, let's see how much she will pay me for the kiss." Marco De Luca, a multi-billionaire man who doesn't believe in love-only possession. For him, love is bullshit created by people to defend their stupidity. Love is delusion and a downfall waiting for its next victim. And he swore to every penny in his bank account. He won't fall in love. Obsession: Marco De Luca