Engaged in Disguise

Chapter Eight

NAKA-UPO si Luna habang naghihintay kay Atty. Suarez, hindi bilang Celeste, sa isang maliit na café sa Quezon City. Malayo sa Makati. Malayo sa usual hangouts ng mga kakilala niya. It’s a safe place.

Simpleng damit lang ang suot niya. Jeans. Plain white shirt. Baseball cap. Sunglasses. Walang makeup in short naka-incognito mode siya. Dahil hindi pwedeng makita siya ng kahit sino na kilala si Luna Hart. Dahil ang alam nila ay she's out of town. Family emergency. Yan ang sinabi niya sa lahat ng friends niya.

Nag-order siya ng iced coffee habang naghihintay.

Ten minutes later, dumating si Atty. Ramon Suarez. Sixty years old. Former professor niya. Ang ally niya sa mission na ito.

"Luna," bati niya saka ito umupo sa harap niya. "Atty. Cruz," bati ni Luna. "Salamat po sa pagpunta." Nag-order si Atty. Cruz ng coffee. Then tumingin siya kay Luna. Seryoso ang mukha nito.

"So," simula niya. "Ano ang nangyari? Bakit urgent ang tawag mo?"

Huminga si Luna ng malalim. "I think I'm in trouble."

"Anong klaseng trouble?" Tanong nito pabalik.

"The emotional kind," sagot ni Luna. "Si Jace Sullivan. I think... I think I'm falling for him."

Napatitig si Atty. Cruz. Speechless for a moment. Then—

"Luna, that's exactly what we were trying to avoid," sabi niya, mababakas ang pagaalala sa boses nito.. "The whole point of this mission is to stay objective. To gather evidence. To expose him and his family. Hindi to fall in love with the target."

"Alam ko," frustrated na sagot niya. "Alam ko, Atty. Suarez. But I can't help it. He's... he's not what I expected. Hindi siya yung cold-hearted bastard na sinabi ng files. He's different."

"Different how?" tanong ni Atty. Suarez.

"He's kind," sabi ni Luna. "He volunteers sa children's home every Sunday. He reads to orphans. He plays with them. Nakita ko, Atty. Cruz. With my own eyes. At yung way he talks about his father—he hates what his father did. He's trying to fix it. He's trying to clean up the company. To make amends."

Tumahimik si Atty. Cruz habang prinoproseso ang sinabi niya.

"Luna, listen to me carefully," sabi niya after a moment. "I understand what you're feeling. But you need to remember—Jace Sullivan is still connected to everything we're investigating. His father, Don Ricardo, is a criminal. Money laundering. Illegal land grabs. Corporate espionage. He destroyed dozens of families. At kahit si Jace ay trying to fix things, he's still part of that system."

"But he's trying to change it," defend ni Luna. "He's not like his father."

"Maybe," sabi ni Atty. Cruz. "But we don't know that for sure yet. We need more evidence. More time. And Luna, you need to stay focused. Kasi if you get emotionally involved, you'll lose objectivity. You'll make mistakes. At baka ma-compromise ang whole mission."

Tumango si Luna. Alam niyang tama si Atty. Suarez. But still—

"What if he's innocent?" tanong niya. "What if he's just a victim of his father's crimes? What if we're wrong about him?"

"Then we adjust," sagot ni Atty. Suarez. "But we need proof first. Evidence. Not feelings. Not assumptions." Then he paused. "Have you gathered anything new this week?"

Umiling si Luna. "Not much. Focused ako sa work. Sa pag-prove na competent akong secretary. I haven't had a chance to access confidential files or anything."

"You need to try," sabi ni Atty. Suarez. "Next week. Find a way to access his computer. His files. His emails. We need to know what he knows. What he's planning. If he's really trying to fix things or if he's just pretending."

Tumango si Luna. "I'll try."

"At isa pa," seryosong sabi ni Atty. Suarez. "You mentioned na may nangyayari between you and Jace. How far has it gone?"

Nag-blush si Luna nang maalala ang nangyari kagabi. "We had dinner last night. He told me he feels a connection. I admitted I feel it too. We agreed to see where it goes."

Napahilamos ng mukha si Atty. Suarez. "Luna, this is dangerous. Very dangerous. Kasi pag nalaman niya ang totoo—na ikaw si Luna Hart, ang fiancée niya, ang babaeng nag-spy sa kanya—he will feel betrayed. Totally betrayed. At lahat ng trust, lahat ng feelings, mawawala."

"Alam ko," bulong ni Luna. "But I don't know how to stop it. Every time I'm with him, every time he looks at me, every time he smiles—which is rare, by the way—nawawala ang lahat ng logic. Nawawala ang mission. Nag-eexist lang kaming dalawa. Walang complications."

Tumingin si Atty. Suarez sa kanya. May awa sa mga mata nito. "You're in love with him, aren't you? Not just falling. Already in love."

Tumahimik si Luna. Then she nodded. Slowly. Admitting it for the first time out loud.

"Yes," bulong niya. "I think I am."

Huminga si Atty. Suarez ng malalim. "Okay. Okay, we need to strategize. We need to figure out how to handle this without destroying everything."

"How?" tanong ni Luna. "How do I continue lying to him while feeling like this? How do I betray him while loving him?"

"You focus on the truth," sagot ni Atty. Suarez. "You dig deeper. You find out if he's really the good man you think he is. Kasi Luna, if he's truly innocent, if he's truly trying to fix his father's mess, then maybe—maybe—there's a way to make this work. But if he's guilty, if he's part of the crimes, then you need to accept that and move on."

Tumango si Luna. "And how do I find out?"

"You get closer," sagot ni Atty. Suarez. "Not just emotionally. Professionally. You gain his trust. You make yourself indispensable. Then you look for evidence. In his files. In his communications. In his actions."

"You want me to use his feelings for me," malungkot na wika nito. "To manipulate him."

"I want you to do your job," madiing wika ni Atty. Suarez. "I want you to protect your family. Protect Hart Industries. Protect the thousands of employees who depend on your grandfather's company. At yes, if that means using Jace's feelings, then so be it. This is bigger than just you and him, Luna. This is about justice."

Tumahimik si Luna. Nahahati siya kung ano ang dapat niyang gawin. Kasi part of her knows na tama si Atty. Suarez. This is bigger than personal feelings. This is about saving her family's legacy. About exposing criminals.

But another part of her—ang part na in love kay Jace—ay nasasaktan sa idea na she has to manipulate him.

"I'll do what I can," sabi niya finally. "But Atty. Suarez, I need you to promise me something."

"What?"

"If we find proof na si Jace is innocent, na talagang he's trying to do the right thing, you'll help me protect him," sabi ni Luna. "You'll help me find a way to save both our families without destroying him. Promise me."

Tumingin si Atty. Suarez sa kanya. Then he nodded. "I promise. If he's innocent, I'll help. But Luna, you need to promise me something too."

"What?"

"If he's guilty, if we find proof na he's just as bad as his father, you'll walk away," sabi ni Atty. Suarez. "You'll finish the mission. You'll expose him. No matter how much it hurts. Can you promise me that?"

Biglang natulala si Luna. Can she? Can she walk away from Jace if he turns out to be guilty?

She doesn't know. But she needs to say yes. For the mission. For her family.

"I promise," sagot niya. Hoping she can keep it.

Tumayo si Atty. Suarez. "Okay. Continue what you're doing. Be the perfect secretary. Gain his trust. And when the opportunity comes, get evidence. I'll be waiting."

Tumango si Luna.

Umalis si Atty. Suarez pero naiwan si Luna. Alone with her thoughts.

Kinuha niya ang phone, she received a text from Jace.

"Good morning. I hope you're having a good weekend. See you on Monday."

Simpleng message lang but it made her smile.

Nag-reply siya. "Good morning. You too. See you on Monday."

Then she stared at her phone and their conversation.

Sino ba siya?

Is she Luna Hart, the heiress on a mission?

Or is she Celeste Cruz, the secretary falling in love?

She doesn't know anymore.

The boundaries are blurred and the lines are crossed.

And she's stuck in the middle. Not knowing which side to choose.

MONDAY morning ay nasa opisina na si Celeste. She’s early as always. Naka-prepare na. Coffee ready. Computer on. Files organized.

Exactly eight AM, bumukas ang elevator.

Lumabas si Jace naka suot siya nang-dark blue suit. Perfectly groomed. But when he saw Celeste, his whole face changed, biglang lumambot ang ekspresyon niya saka ngumiti. "Good morning, Celeste," bati niya. Using her first name. Kahit nasa office.

"Good morning, sir," sagot ni Celeste. She remain professional kasi may ibang employees na sa paligid.

Lumapit si Jace sa desk niya. Leaned in slightly. "How was your weekend?"

"Okay naman po, sir," sagot ni Celeste. "Nag-rest lang. Ikaw po?"

"Lonely," tipid na sagot ni Jace. "I kept thinking about last friday night. About our dinner."

Nag-blush si Celeste. "Sir, may employees na—"

"I know," sabi ni Jace. Then he straightened up. Back to professional mode. "Coffee in five minutes. Then brief me on today's schedule."

"Yes, sir."

Pumasok si Jace sa office niya. Dali namang tumakbo si Celeste sa pantry. Gumawa ng coffee. Perfect. Black. Hot. Italian roast. Then after exactly five minutes, pumasok siya sa office ni Jace saka inilapag ang coffee. "Your coffee, sir."

"Thank you," sabi ni Jace. Then he gestured to the chair in front of him. "Sit. Let's talk about this week."

Umupo si Celeste and as usual her notepad’s ready.

"We have four major things this week," simula ni Jace. "One—investor presentation on Wednesday. Two—board meeting on Thursday. Three—site inspection on Friday. And four—" he paused. "Dinner with my father on Saturday night."

Napatigil si Celeste. "Your father po, sir?"

"Yes," sagot ni Jace, biglang nagbago ang ekspresyon niya. "Don Ricardo. He's... he's insisting on a family dinner. Something about discussing important matters. I can't avoid it."

Nakita ni Celeste yung tension sa mukha nito. Yung discomfort. Malinaw na ayaw ni Jace.

"Do you need me to prepare anything po, sir?" tanong ni Celeste.

"No," sagot ni Jace. "It's personal. But I'm telling you kasi I might be in a bad mood on Sunday. Just a warning."

"Understood po, sir."

For the next thirty minutes, nag-discuss sila ng work. Schedules, preparations and deadlines.

Professional. Efficient. Pero parang may nakatagong emosyon, kung ano ‘yon ay hindi rin niya alam.

Nang natapos ang discussion nila ay tumayo na si Celeste. "I'll prepare everything po, sir. Don't worry."

"Celeste," tawag ni Jace before she could leave.

Humarap siya rito. "Yes?"

"Lunch," sabi ni Jace. "Have lunch with me later. Please. I want to... talk. About us."

About us.

Two simple words. But loaded with meaning.

"Okay," sagot ni Celeste. "What time po?"

"Twelve-thirty," sagot ni Jace. "I know a quiet place nearby. We can talk privately."

Tumango lang si Celeste saka sumagot. "Okay."

Lumabas na siya saka bumalik sa desk.

Pero ang isip niya ay magulo.

Lunch with Jace. To talk about "us." This is escalating. Fast.

And part of her was alarmed. This is dangerous. This is getting too deep.

But another part being Celeste, she’s falling for Jace and excited. Happy and hopeful.

The day passed quickly,morning meetings, calls, emails and documents.

Noong sumapit ang twelve-thirty ay nag-ready na si Celeste.

Saktong lumabas naman si Jace ng office. "Ready?"

"Yes."

They left the building together. Naglakad papunta sa nearby restaurant. Maliit na cafe lang ito pero tahimik. Not fancy pero cozy.

Umupo sila sa corner table. Nag-order ng sandwiches and Iced tea.

Then nag-tinginan sabay ngumiti.

"So," simula ni Jace. "About Friday night. About what I said—"

"You don't have to explain," putol ni Celeste. "I understand. It's complicated."

"It is," sabi ni Jace. "But I meant what I said. I feel something for you, Celeste. Something real. Something I haven't felt in a long time. Maybe ever."

Tumibok ng mabilis ang puso ni Celeste. "Jace, we work together. You're my boss. This is—"

"I know," sabi ni Jace. "I know lahat ng reasons why this is a bad idea. But I don't care. I like you. And life is too short to ignore something that feels this right."

Tumingin si Celeste sa kanya. At nakita niya ang sinserida nito. Alam niyang totoo ang nararamdaman nito.

"I like you too," amin niya. "But I'm scared. Kasi what if it doesn't work out? What if we ruin what we have professionally?"

"Then we'll deal with it," sagot ni Jace. "Together. But I'd rather try and fail than never try at all. Wouldn't you?"

Tumahimik si Celeste. Would she?

Ang totoo? Yes. She would rather try. Kahit alam niyang it's based on a lie. Kahit alam niyang may expiration date. Kahit alam niyang someone will get hurt.

She wants to try.

"Okay," sagot niya. "Let's try. But slowly, Jace. We take it slowly."

Ngumiti si Jace mababakas mo rito ang relief dahil sa sinabi niya. "Slowly. I can do slowly."

Inabot niya ang kamay ni Celeste saka ito hinawakan. Parang may kuryenteng dumaloy sa katawan niya nang hawakan siya nito.

And in that moment, lahat ng complications, lahat ng lies, lahat ng doubts—nawala.

Pakiramdam nila ay silang dalawa lang ang nag-e-exist while holding hands and starting something new.

Something beautiful.

Something doomed.

Pero for now, they don't care.

For now, they're just two people taking a chance on each other.

At that's enough. For now.