Taming The Billionaire

Kabanata 3

MY BROTHER, Luiz Solivan is a professional land agent. He was Lolo Asmodeous' apprentice. Noong mga bata palang kami ay palagi itong kasa-kasama ni Lolo sa study room niya sa ikalawang palapag. He was teaching Kuya Luiz about business, about our family properties, the lands, everything. He knew he's gonna end up like this. When Kuya Luiz reached highschool his resolve to manage our estate and lands become so strong. Now he just doesn't handle our own but other people's propertes as well. Matunog na ang pangalan nito ngayon.

Ang madalas na kliyente ni Kuya ay mga sikat na artista kaya naman madalas din itong nasasangkot sa mga eskandalo. Halos lahat yata ng business partner ni Mommy sa pagpapatakbo ng Solivan Legado ay naka-trabaho na rin nito. He's a good dealer and advicer. He knows his job and he really has a good eye for lands and properties.

Sa Puerto Rico hindi malayo kung saan gaganapin ang photoshoot ay may pag-mamay ari siyang isang Hacienda, iyon nga lang ay iba ang daan patungo roon. Puro puno, madalang rin ang sasakyan. Wala masyadong bahay sa gawi na iyon kaya't paniguradong tahimik ang kapaligiran doon.

"So you're not going?"

"I am."

She scoffed on the other line. Nagpatuloy ako sa pagmamaneho habang nakikinig sa mga tunog ng instrumento sa kabilang linya. Blue called when I was on the frontier of Puerto Rico. Halos trenta minutos na akong nasa sasakyan. Hindi ako pamilyar sa nadadaan kaya't tanging google map sa cellphone lamang ang sinusunod ko. Well, that's because I haven't been to his Hacienda.

Lumiko ako nang may lumitaw na signal sa screen ng cellphone ko. I turned left when I reached a crossroad, it was what the phone says. Sa tingin ko'y tama naman iyon dahil pagkaliko ay nakita ko na agad ang pagkakaiba ng daan. It's just how my brother describes it. Trees. Clean and unending like road because it's a straight one. How many more minutes do I need to drive before I arrive there?

"What was her name again, Louvell? I think I already saw her face on my IG feed. Pinsan mo pala iyon?" tanong pa nito.

I nodded. "Unfortunately."

"She's pretty," she commented with a meaningful tone.

I raised a brow. "Please."

Tumawa ulit ito, mukhang wala nang matinong masabi. Nang tumawag ito kanina ay 'saka ko lang kinwento ang mga nangyayari rito. Including my plan to made Louvell wait, of course. She was laughing her ass out. It wasn't that evil. I just wanted to know how Louvell would react knowing they'd never start without me. I wanted her to realize that she can't outdo me, I am the main event.

"So what happened to the, 'I don't compete'?"

"She was the one competing, not me," I replied, a little irritated.

"And what if it backfires?"

"If it does, Ricona and all the people who went there today will be damned."

"You're so confident, Nieoni." I heard fragments of amusement.

Hindi ako sumagot doon. Ilang minuto pa ay nakarinig ako ng malakas na tawa. It sounds like Xash, the vocalist. Mukhang siyang siya na naman sa pambubuska kila Calithea at Marshall. Sila ni Blue ay ganoon. Pero kung sila naman ang a-alaskahin ay napaka-daling mainis.

"Teka, kelan kaba uuwi?" tanong nito.

"Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Why, you miss me?"

"We all do! Wala nang nanlilibre ng alak."

Bahagya akong napangisi sa narinig. "Ask Xash to buy you drinks."

She scoffed. "Mas madali pang mamatay kaysa magpalibre sakanya, Nieoni."

"Then you'll have to wait."

Narinig ko itong umungot. "Pero bilisan mong umuwi. Malapit na ang opening ng RGC, you should be there."

Umirap ako sa hangin. "Of course, I'll be there. It's a day after my birthday, right?"

Napatigil ito nang ilang segundo. "Mas mauuna ba ang birthday mo?"

I was about to answer when I heard the line ended. My brows formed a thin line and waited for a few seconds. Akala ko'y tatawag ito ulit. A reminder appeared on the screen when I was about to check. The signal was off. Bumagal ang takbo ko roon. Walang signal dito? Hindi iyon nasabi ni Kuya Luiz.

Mas lalo pang nagsalubong ang kilay ko. The location of the Hacienda wasn't saved on the offline areas. Huminga ako nang malalim. Nagdadalawang isip man ay nagpatuloy ako sa pagmamaneho. Pabalik-balik ang tingin ko sa daan at sa phone ko. I was hoping it was just on the specific spot. Ilang minuto pa akong nagmaneho sa ganoong takbo pero wala paring signal. My heart pummeled. Paano kung magkaroon ulit ng crossroad? How am I suppose to know which direction to go?

Malinis ang daan. Wala akong kasabay kaya't wala akong mapagtanungan. Wala rin akong natatanaw na bahay sa malapit. I waited and drive carefully. Panay ang tingin ko sa side mirror, sa mga nadadaanan. Mas lalo pa akong naging kabado nang dahan-dahang pumatak ang ulan. The droplets started to spread on the windshield of the car. Nagkaroon ng diretsang linya ang mga labi ko.

"Come on," I whispered and bit my bottom lip. Mas maingat akong nagmaneho.

I swallowed hard and focus my eyes on the road. Kapag may dumaan ay magtatanong ako. For the meantime, I should drive more and wait until I came across something. Siguro naman ay mayroon.. sana.

Ilang minuto pa akong nagmaneho. I saw a waiting sheed but I didn't stop there. Naisip kong bumalik nalang kung saka-sakaling wala talaga akong matagpuan. Malamig sa loob ng sasakyan dahil sa aircon pero ang kamay ko ay namamawis. I was worrying. Ngayon ay nandito ako sa lugar kung saan hindi ako pamilyar, what's worst is that I won't be able to call anyone.

Natunaw ang kung anong bumabagabag sa akin nang may mataw na isang malaking bahay. The rain was blocking the view so I couldn't clearly see it's style. Mas lalo lamang lumakas ang ulan nang ihinto ko ang sasakyan. I took a deep breath and unbuckle my seatbelt. Pinatay ko ang makina bago lumabas ng sasakyan.

Yakap-yakap ko ang sarili nang tumakbo patungo sa Hacienda. Hindi ko na naisip na buksan ang car trunk para maghanap ng payong dahil sa malakas na ulan. I ran on the green grass. Agad na nabasa ang suot kong damit pero diretso lang ang pagtakbo ko. It should be my brother's property.

My pace became slow when I reached a gate. May waiting shed sa loob noon. There were two guards sitting inside. May namataan pa akong isang lalaking matangkad na naglalakad palabas ng gate. I continued walking. Nang makalapit ay agad na inabot ng mga kamay ko ang malamig na barandilya. I heaved a deep breath. Tumayo iyong isang guard doon para paraanin iyong lalaki, he was wearing a surgical mask so I couldn't clearly see his face. Who is he? My brother's caretaker?

Sinubukan kong pumasok pero agad akong napigil noong guard. Pinasadahan ako nito ng tingin. I gritted my teeth and tighten my grip at the gate. "I'm Luiz Solivan's sister."

"Luiz Solivan? Wala kaming kilalang ganoon, Miss." said the man on his uniform.

"Don't let her in," saad noong lalaki.

"Excuse me?" Hindi ganoon kalakas ang boses ko. I was starting to feel cold.

He looked at me nonchalantly before turning his back. Napasinghap ako roon. f**k. Hindi ba ito ang Hacienda ni Kuya? Nanigas ang panga ko. I am soaking wet. Wala ba siyang hospitality?

Nilingon ko iyong guard na nakatayo habang may hawak na payong. He looked torn as I shiver on my spot. Lahat na sa akin ay basa. Nagtagis ang bagang ko. Damn it.

Nagmarcha ako paalis. Para akong posporo na nagliliyab sa inis at kahihiyan. Jesus! Nasaan ba ako? If this isn't Kuya's hacienda then where am I?

Sinubukan kong takpan ang ulo ko gamit ang dalawang kamay ko, which is really a dumb thing to do because I am already soaked. Tumakbo ako palabas. Nang umihip ang malakas na hangin ay para akong mangangatog sa lamig. Tanging malulutong na mura na lamang ang pumasok sa isip ko nang sandaling iyon. Ang ganda ng panahon kanina, why did it suddenly rain?!

I was running towards my car when my left foot tripped. Agad akong napasinghap roon. Before I already knew it, I fell to the ground. Napangiwi ako nang maramdaman ang sakit sa siko at balakang ko. Ang tigas! When I tried to stood up, I noticed my broken heels. Para akong pinagsakluban ng langit at lupa. Hindi ko alam kung iiyak ba ako o sisigaw sa inis. What the f**k is wrong with this place!

Padabog kong hinubad ang sapatos na may takong sa kabilang paa ko bago puwersahang tumayo. Sapo-sapo ko ang balakang ko, hinihimas ang parteng nasaktan. Hindi ako agad nakapaglakad nang maayos. Ngayon ay mukha na talaga akong basang sisiw. Mayroon pang ilang talsik ng putik at d**o na nakapakat sa hita at damit ko. I bit my lower lip to suppress myself from yelping. I look disgusting and dirty!

Ngayon ay hindi na mawala-wala ang pagkakunot ng noo ko. How can I ride the car looking like this? Tapos wala pang dumadaang taxi, ni wala ngang signal! Siguradong hindi na ako aabot sa photoshoot. s**t. This isn't what I planned!

Marahas akong bumuntong hininga. Natatanaw ko na ang kotseng sakay, pati iyong lalaking nakita ko kanina. He stopped beside my car. Hawak ang itim na payong habang cellphone naman sa kabilang kamay. My jaw clasped.

Dinaanan ko ito, nakataas ang noo habang kuyom ang dalawang kamay. I was about to enter the car when I remember the car key. Hindi ko na iyon hawak! Napasinghap ako. Siguro'y noong natalisod ako at nalaglag sa lupa. It must be then. I breathed harshly and looked back. Goddamn distress.

Lumipad ang tingin ko sa lalaki na hanggang ngayon ay naroon parin. His gaze shifted on me after a few seconds, napansin yata ang pagtingin ko. His left hand was on his pocket as he held the umbrella with his other hand. I had a few seconds to check his small wooden eyes. His nose looks pointed. He looks decent naman. Siya ba ang may ari nitong Hacienda?

I raised a brow. Huminga ako nang malalim 'saka naglakad palapit sakanya. "Do you own this place?"

Hindi ito nagsalita. Sa halip ay tinignan niya lamang ako na para bang wala siyang naririnig. Is he deaf or something? Walang manners? Can't he see that I look helpless? Doesn't that bother him?

"I'm lost and soaked." Marahas akong bumuntong hininga. "Can you atleast tell me what this place is called?"

"Escalante's hacienda." Sa pagkakataong iyon ay nagsalita na siya. I was taken a back a little. "You shouldn't have went out of your car without knowing where you're heading."

Humalukipkip ako. "I wouldn't had I know people who live there have no hospitability."

His eyes remained on me. "It's a huge house and you're a stranger. You would have done the same if a person comes infront of your gate telling you to let her in." He breathed. "Without a please or anything with respect."

Natigilan ako roon. Tumalim ang tingin ko sakanya pero hindi niya iyon pinansin. Instead, he turned around and walked towards the white car few meters away.