The CEO Married Me at 8

Chapter 1: The Red Car* Rain fell from the sky in cold, sharp drops that stung my skin. I was outside, barefoot, chasing puddles with my small plastic toy car. The water splashed against my legs, cold and wet, but I didn’t care. It was fun. Each time my toy car hit a puddle, water would jump up and wet my shorts. I laughed and did it again. The sky was gray and heavy. Thunder rumbled far away, but it didn’t scare me. I liked the rain. It made the whole world feel quiet, except for the sound of water hitting the roof of our comfortable house. The smell of wet soil filled the air. It was the kind of smell that reminded me of Mama’s plants by the gate, even though we didn’t have a big garden. “Liam…! Anak!” Mama’s voice cut through the sound of the rain. It was sharp and worried. I looked up. She was leaning out of our window, her hair tied in a neat bun and her face full of worry. Water dripped from the roof right beside her, but she didn’t seem to notice. “Nako, makakasakit ka niyan!” she shouted again, louder this time. Her voice echoed down the small street. “Pumasok ka nga dito, batang makulit! Uubuhin ka niyan!” I grinned at her, my cheeks pink from the cold. The wind blew harder and made me shiver a little. But I wasn’t ready to go inside yet. The rain was too fun. Hi, I’m Liam Bautista. People always said I was the kind of kid who never stopped moving. Restless, mischievous, and always smiling. Even when I was sick, I would still run around the house until Mama threatened to take away my toys. Mama told me that strangers often mistook me for a girl because of my long eyelashes, thin eyebrows, and rosy lips. She said that when I was three, one of her friends even bought me a blue jacket by accident. She kept that jacket in my closet until now. Sometimes she would take it out and laugh, saying “Ang pogi mo sana dito, anak.” But that wasn’t important right now. Mama was calling me again, and her voice was getting sterner. I lowered my head and walked inside slowly. My feet left wet footprints on the clean tile floor. I knew better than to argue when her voice had that tone. When Mama used that tone, it meant I was in trouble. “Oy, Dunato?” She raised one eyebrow at me the moment I stepped through the door. Her arms were crossed over her chest, but her eyes were soft. I looked up and smiled at her, water still dripping from my hair. “Opo, Mama.” Her eyebrow rose higher. “Nako, Dunato, wag kang ngumiti nang ganyan. Hindi mo ko madadala sa pa-cute mo. Alam ko na yang style mo.” I wiped my face with my hands, but it only made things messier. Mama sighed and handed me a clean towel. It smelled like fabric softener and something warm. “Maligo ka, dali. Nako, pag ikaw nagkasakit, papagalitan talaga kita,” she added, pointing toward the stairs. I took the towel and ran upstairs. The steps were cool under my feet. I was halfway up when I bumped into Papa. “Oh, nak. Bakit ganyan ang mukha mo? Hysst, ayan na nga ba ang sinasabi ko eh. Diba pinagsabihan ka na namin ni Mama mo na wag magpaulan?” he said, his big hand resting on my shoulder. I could see the worry in his eyes. Papa always worried too much, but I liked that about him. “Sorry po, Papa,” I mumbled, still looking down. I kicked the step lightly with my toe. He sighed and patted my head. “Oh, sya. Maligo ka na. Baka magkalagnat ka pa. Then he walked away, shaking his head like he always did when I was being stubborn. --- *LURNA’S POV* “Hysst, nako, pagsabihan mo nga yang anak mo, Ramon. Nako, hindi ako makapagpigil eh. Mapapagalitan ko na talaga yan,” I said, raising an eyebrow at my husband. My voice was tired. I was sitting in our living room with Ramon, Liam’s father. I’m Lurna Bautista Liam's. We had a small sari-sari store, and Ramon owned and drove his brother's jeep. Our life was good. It wasn’t luxury, but we had everything we needed. We were talking about the store when Ramon suddenly asked, “Lurna, kamusta naman ang tindahan natin? Magdag kaya tayo ng karinderya? Papasok na yang si Dunato sa Lunes. Kailangan natin ng extra income para sa baon niya.” “Oo nga eh,” I replied, glancing at the calendar on the wall. The pages were new. “Lunes na pala yun. Hysst, bilis ng panahon. Parang kailan lang, kindergarten pa lang siya.” The room went quiet for a moment. I could hear the rain and the sound of Liam’s footsteps upstairs. Then I remembered something and snapped my fingers. “Ay, oo nga! Pasok na pala pero hindi ko pa nabibilhan ng school supplies ang anak mo. Ramon reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He counted a few bills and handed them to me with a smile. The money was neat and enough. “Oh, yan. Lumabas kayo ng anak mo para bumili ng school supplies niya. Saka may pang-kain na rin kayo sa labas. Bili ka na rin ng gusto mo,” he said with a relaxed smile. “Treat ko na yan sa inyo.” I grinned. “Oh, parang naka-bonus ka ngayon, mahal.” He chuckled. “Mahal ka diyan. Marami pasahero ngayon. Saka… hehe… nanalo yung manok ko sa sabungan.” I didn’t let him finish. I grabbed his air and pulled playfully. “Ano sabi mo?! Ramon, pumunta ka na naman sa sabungan! Sabi ko sayo wag ka magsugal nang malaki!” “Arry! Nanalo naman ah,” he laughed, trying to free his air. “Pano kung natalo, ha?! Buti nga nanalo eh. May pang-shopping na kayo ni Liam.” Just then, a small voice interrupted us. “Mah… nagugutom ako.” I turned and saw Liam standing there, rubbing his stomach and yawning. His hair was still damp and his shirt was comfortable. “Nag-aaway po ba kayo?” he asked quietly. His eyes were big and curious. My eyes widened. I didn’t want him to worry. I quickly let go of Ramon’s air and hugged him instead. I pulled him close and kissed his cheek. “Oo nga, hindi kami nag-aaway ng Papa mo,” I said quickly, smiling. “Nagbibiruan lang kami.” Then I turned to Liam and asked, “Ano gusto mong kainin, baby, huh? Gusto mo ng chicken? O pizza?” Ramon cleared his throat beside me. “Ako din, mommy. Nagugutom ako. Pareho kami.” Liam laughed. “Hahaha, si Papa oh, feeling bata. Mukha kang lolo.” I couldn’t help but laugh too. The mood in the room lightened. After that, I went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for all of us. The smell of cooking filled our home. --- *LIAM’S POV* I woke up to the sound of engines outside. It was already moning. I rubbed my eyes and went to the window. And I saw A big truck was parked in front of the empty lot across the street. Men were carrying furniture inside a big, modern house. The house was tall and white, with big windows. It looked expensive compared to our home. Then I saw it. A red car. Shiny, smooth, and beautiful. Like the ones I only saw in magazines. The paint was so bright it caught the light. I had never seen a car that beautiful up close. The car door opened, and a man in a suit stepped out. Then a beautiful woman followed, holding the hand of a tall, chubby boy. The boy looked around with curious eyes, and for a second, his eyes met mine through the window. He looked unsure. I quickly hid behind the curtain, my heart beating fast. After a while, Papa called me. “Liam, kain na. Baka lumamig na ulam.” We were halfway through dinner when someone knocked on the door. The knock was polite. Papa stood up to open it. The woman from earlier was standing outside, holding a box that smelled amazing. “Ah, hello po,” she greeted Papa with a bright smile. She looked friendly. “Pasok ka, ma'am,” Papa said, inviting her inside. His voice was welcoming. She sat in the living room while Mama prepared coffee. Mama moved naturally, not nervous. “Ah, Ma’am, ano po maibigay ko sa inyo?” Mama asked politely. The woman laughed. It was a warm laugh. “Ay, nako, Mare na lang tawag mo sa akin. Hindi ‘yung Ma’am. Parang matanda naman ako.” She handed Mama the box. “Lechong manok ‘to, galing Manila. Don’t think me wrong ah, gusto ko lang makipagkaibigan. Saka bagong luto ‘yan. Mainit pa.” Mama accepted it with a smile. “Ay, nako, salamat. Nag-abala ka pa, Mare. Ang sarap pa naman nito.” The woman smiled. “Nako, okay lang ‘yun. Kung gusto mo, mag-share tayo ng food minsan. Para may ka-bonding ako.” They both laughed, comfortable. Then she looked at me. “Oh, sakto. May kalaro si Bimboy.” She turned to me. “Ano name mo, pogi boy?” I smiled shyly and stood up straight. “Liam po.” “Ay, ang gwapo ng anak mo, Mare,” she said, laughing. “By the way, kami ‘yung bagong lipat diyan sa malaking bahay. Gusto ko sanang imbitahan kayo sa small gathering mamaya. Tapat lang ng bahay niyo ang bahay namin. Sana makapunta kayo.” Mama smiled politely. “Nako, Mare, sige. Thank you sa invite.” “Camille Von Reichert nga pala,” the woman introduced herself, extending her hand. Her handshake was firm but friendly. “Lurna… Lurna Bautista,” Mama replied, shaking her hand warmly. “Oo, sige. Salamat sa pag-welcome, Mare. Aasahan ko kayo mamaya sa bahay. Pag hindi kayo dumalo, iisipin kong nahihiy kayo,” she said playfully before waving goodbye. “Bye, Liam! See you later!” --- *LUCAS’S POV* We had just moved to Abra. But I wasn’t sure how I felt. The big house was nice, but it felt empty. I wondered if I would make friends here. I was playing on my tablet when I remembered the boy at the window. His eyes. They were bright and curious. He was looking at me like I was just another kid, not the son of a businessman. “Bimboy!” Mama called from outside my room. Her voice was cheerful. She came back inside, smiling. She always smiled like that when she was excited. “Bem, may nakilala akong bata kanina. Cute siya. Dadalo sila dito sa bahay mamayang gabi. May magiging kaibigan ka na,” she said confidently. She noticed my quiet look and sat beside me on the bed. “Oh, hindi ka ba excited na may magiging friend ka? Akala ko gusto mo ng kalaro dito.” “Not really,” I mumbled, looking down at my tablet. “I’m not sure if he’d want to be my friend.” Papa’s voice came from behind me. “Alam mo, anak, paano kung ikaw ang lumapit? Try mo makipagkaibigan. Malay mo mag-click kayo.” Then he turned to Mama. “Oh, hun, kamusta naman ang punta mo sa kapitbahay?” “Alam mo, hun, ang bait nila. Grabe. Simple pero masaya sila. Inayaya ko sila na mag-dinner dito, kaya magluluto ako ng marami. Ang bait nilang mag-asawa,” Mama said with a smile. “Sigurado ako makakasundo natin sila.” She looked at me again. “Excited na ako makilala ni Bem si Liam. Alam mo, hun, ang cute niyang bata. Bagay sila kay Bem. Pareho silang makulit.” Papa smiled and ruffled my hair. “Sana nga makasundo sila. Mas masaya pag may kaibigan ka dito.”