Engaged in Disguise

Chapter Fourteen

PAGPASOK ni Luna sa mansyon kasama si Atty. Suarez, tila pasan niya ang daigdig. Ang kanyang mga mata ay mapula at maga—bakas ng walang humpay na pag-iyak. Sira ang kanyang makeup, magulo ang buhok, at ang kanyang balat ay maputla. She looks broken. Completely broken.

​Sinalubong sila ni Manang Betty na halos mapasinghap sa gulat. "Ma'am Luna! Ano pong nangyari?"

​"Nasaan si Lolo?" ang tanging tanong ni Luna, ang boses ay paos at walang kahit anong enerhiya.

"Nasa study po niya," sagot ni Manang Betty.

Nang malaman na nasa study ito, mabilis siyang naglakad patungo sa pinto at binuksan ito nang walang pasintabi.

​Si Don Felix ay seryosong nagbabasa ng mga dokumento, ngunit sa isang tingin pa lamang sa kanyang apo, alam na niyang may malubhang nangyari. "Iha," sabi niya habang mabilis na tumatayo. "Ano ang nangyari?"

​Hindi na nakasagot si Luna. Tumakbo siya patungo sa kanyang lolo at humagulgol, tuluyang bumigay sa bisig nito. "Lolo," hikbi niya. "Lolo, I'm so sorry. I failed. I failed everything. Si Jace—nalaman niya. Nalaman niya lahat. He hates me. He—"

​Pinatahan siya ni Don Felix habang pumasok si Atty. Suarez upang ipaliwanag ang buong sitwasyon.

"Daniella Montero exposed her," sabi niya. "May photos. May evidence. Sinabi kay Jace na si Celeste Cruz ay actually si Luna Hart. Jace fired her immediately. Hindi siya pinakinggan."

Napaupo si Don Felix. Shocked. "Daniella Montero. The socialite?"

"Yes po," sagot ni Atty. Suarez. "Apparently, she's been investigating. Hired private investigator. May complete evidence

​"Damn it," mahinang mura ni Don Felix—isang bihirang pagkakataon na nagpakita siya ng matinding inis.

"Ano pong gagawin natin, Don Felix?" tanong ni Atty. Cruz.

Nag-isip si Don Felix. Matagal. Then—

"We need to talk to Jace," sabi niya. "Kailangan nating i-explain ang side natin. Ang totoo."

"He won't listen po," sabi ni Luna habang umiiyak pa rin. "He said he never wants to see me again. He thinks I was just using him. Manipulating him."

"Then we make him listen," mariing sabi ni Don Felix. "Luna, you made mistakes. You lied. But you also fell in love. Real love. At yung lalaking yun—base sa sinabi mo—he loves you too. Real love doesn't just disappear. It survives mistakes. It survives pain.”

Pero paano po, Lolo?" tanong ni Luna. "He won't see me. He won't talk to me."

"Then I'll talk to him," sabi ni Don Felix. "I'll go to him. I'll explain. Ako ang nag-utos sa'yo. Ako ang nag-plan ng disguise. If anyone should take the blame, it's me."

"No, Lolo," sabi ni Luna. "This is my fault. I chose to continue even when I started having feelings. I chose to lie kahit alam kong mali. I need to face the consequences."

Tumingin si Don Felix sa kanya. Proud despite the situation.

"You've grown, iha," sabi niya. "The old Luna would have blamed everyone else. But you—you're taking responsibility. That's maturity."

Tumulo ulit ang luha ni Luna. "But Lolo, I hurt him. So badly. Ang sakit sa mukha niya when he found out—I'll never forget it. I destroyed his trust. His faith. How can I fix that?"

"Time," sagot ni Don Felix. "Honesty and patience. You give him time to process. Then you tell him the complete truth. Everything. Why you did it. What you discovered. What you feel. At you accept whatever decision he makes."

"What if he doesn't forgive me?" tanong ni Luna. Afraid.

"Then you accept that too," sagot ni Don Felix. "But Luna, real love—it's worth fighting for. It's worth the risk. At alam mo, iha, I've been alive for seventy-five years. I've seen many things. At alam ko—when two people truly love each other, they find a way. Hindi madali. May pain. May sacrifice. But they find a way.”

Luna woke up sa guest room ng estate. Ang mata niya ay masakit. Ang ulo niya ay sumasakit dahil sa pag-iyak. Ang puso niya—mas masakit.

Bumangon siya at nag-shower. Nagbihis lang nang simpleng damit. Nasanay na siya sa ganoon simula naging si Celeste Cruz siya.

When she went downstairs, nakita niya si Don Felix at Atty. Suarez. Nag-uusap ang mga ito at mukhang seryoso.

"Good morning, iha," bati ni Don Felix. "Kumain ka muna. Then we need to discuss the next steps."

Kumain si Luna tinapay at kape lang dahil wala siyang gana.

After breakfast, umupo silang tatlo sa living room.

"I've been thinking," simula ni Don Felix. "About the situation. About the Sullivan merger. About everything."

"Ano po ang naisip ninyo?" tanong ni Atty. Suarez.

"The merger—it needs to be cancelled," sabi ni Don Felix. "The predatory clauses. The manipulation. Hindi ito yung deal na ini-sign up ko. At hindi ko ibibigay ang Hart Industries sa isang family na nag-manipulate."

"Pero po, Don Ricardo will retaliate," sabi ni Atty. Suarez. "He has leverage. Contracts."

"Then we fight legally," sagot ni Don Felix. "You said Jace has evidence against his father. Evidence ng money laundering, bribery, illegal activities. We use that. We expose Don Ricardo. We void the contract based on fraud."

"But we need Jace's cooperation for that," point out ni Atty. Suarez. "We need his evidence."

Tumahimik silang lahat.

"I'll talk to him," sabi ni Luna. Suddenly.

"Iha—" simula ni Don Felix.

"I need to," putol ni Luna. "Hindi para sa merger. Hindi para sa business. Para sa closure. Para sa katotohanan. He deserves to hear everything from me. Not from Daniella. Not from anyone else. From me."

Tumingin si Don Felix sa kanya. Then nodded. "Okay. But you won't go alone. I'll come with you. As support."

"Thank you, Lolo."

​Sa tulong ng koneksyon ni Don Felix, nakapasok sila sa Sullivan Corporation building kahit Linggo. Walang tao sa paligid, ngunit ang ilaw sa opisina ni Jace sa 30th floor ay nakabukas. Kumatok si Luna ng tatlong beses.

​"Go away. I said I don't want to see anyone," ang bulyaw mula sa loob.

​"Jace, it's me," sabi ni Luna. "Luna. Please. I need to talk to you. I have my grandfather with me. Don Felix Hart. Please."

​Matapos ang isang mahabang katahimikan, bumukas ang pinto. Tumambad si Jace na mukhang hindi natulog ng ilang gabi. Magulo ang buhok, may malaking eyebags sa mga mata, at suot ang simpleng shirt at jeans—malayo sa kanyang karaniwang slick corporate look. He looks broken too.

​"Don Felix," bati ni Jace nang malamig. "I'm only seeing you out of respect for your position. But this doesn't change anything."

​"I understand," sagot ni Don Felix. "But please, hear us out. Give us thirty minutes. Then if you still want us to leave, we'll go. No questions."

​Pumasok sila at umupo, habang si Jace ay nanatiling nakatayo, nakasandal sa kanyang desk at magkakrus ang mga braso sa isang defensive na postura. "Talk," maikli niyang sabi.

Huminga si Luna ng malalim. "I'm going to tell you everything. The complete truth. No lies. No omissions. Everything.”

"Five weeks ago, my grandfather told me about the arranged marriage. I was horrified. I didn't want to marry a stranger. So I made a plan. I wanted to get to know you first. The real you. Not the version you'd show during formal arranged dates. I wanted to see who you really are."

"So you lied," flat na wika ni Jace.

"So I disguised myself," tama ni Luna. "As Celeste Cruz. I applied as your secretary. My grandfather agreed, but with conditions. I had to live as a normal person. No luxury. No privilege. I had to survive on my own."

"And you did," sabi ni Jace. "You fooled everyone. Including me."

"Initially, yes," pagsang-ayon ni Luna. "But Jace, it wasn't all fake. The work I did was real. The effort was real. The dedication was real. I proved to myself that I'm capable. That I'm more than just a spoiled heiress."

​"And the feelings?" tanong ni Jace na may halong sarkasmo. "Were those real? Or part of the act?"

​Tumingin si Luna nang diretso sa kanyang mga mata. "The feelings were real. I fell in love with you, Jace. I didn't plan to. I tried to resist. But I couldn't. You—the real you—kind, dedicated, trying to fix your father's mistakes—I fell in love with that person."

"How convenient," mababakas ang pait na wika ni Jace. "You fell in love with the same man you were spying on."

"I wasn't spying to hurt you," depensa ni Luna. "I was trying to protect my family. Your father—Don Ricardo—his contract has predatory clauses. He's trying to destroy Hart Industries. I needed to know if you were part of that."

"And?" tanong ni Jace.

"And I found out you weren't," sagot ni Luna. "Two days ago, I accessed your files. I know—that was wrong. I invaded your privacy. But I saw everything. Your investigation against your father. Your evidence. Your plans to clean up the company. Your notes about protecting me—protecting Luna Hart—even though we hadn't met. You were trying to save everyone. Including me."

Natigilan si Jace. "You read my files."

"Yes," admit ni Luna. "And I was going to tell you everything. Next week. Atty. Suarez and I had a plan. We were going to reveal the truth. Work together. Combine forces against Don Ricardo. But Daniella—she exposed me first."

​"Jace," sabi ni Don Felix to break the silence. "My granddaughter made mistakes. She lied. She deceived. But her intentions—they started from protection. From fear. And they evolved into love. Real love. I've seen it. The way she talks about you. The way she looks at you. That's not fake."

​"With all due respect, sir, love built on lies is not real love," ganti ni Jace.

​"I disagree," sagot ni Don Felix. "Love built on lies is painful. Complicated. Difficult. But if the love itself is real—if the feelings are genuine—then it's worth saving. It's worth fighting for."

Nanatiling tahimik si Jace sa mga sinabi ni Don Felix.

"I need time," sabi niya finally. "Time to process. Time to think. This is—it's too much."

"I understand," sabi ni Luna. "Take all the time you need. But Jace, please know—I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I never meant for any of this to happen."

​"I loved you," mahinang sabi ni Jace. "I loved Celeste Cruz. I loved the woman who made me coffee every morning. Who organized my chaos. Who made me laugh. Who saw past my walls. I loved her."

​"I'm still her," sagot ni Luna habang umaagos ang luha. "Celeste—she's part of me. The best part of me. The part that you brought out."

​"But she's also Luna Hart," sabi ni Jace habang nakatalikod at nakatingin sa labas ng bintana. "The heiress I was supposed to marry. The woman I was trying to escape from. How do I reconcile that?"

"I don't know," matapat na wika ni Luna. "But I'm willing to try. If you'll let me."

Napatayo si Jace at lumapit sa bintana. Turned his back on them.

Silence. Heavy silence.

Then—

"I need you both to leave," sabi niya. "Please. I need to be alone."

Tumayo si Luna at Don Felix.

"Jace," sabi ni Luna one last time. "Whatever you decide, I'll respect it. But please know—what I feel for you is real. The realest thing I've ever felt."

Habang pababa ng elevator si Luna at ang kaniyang lolo, naramdaman niya ang isang uri ng gaan sa kanyang dibdib. Naging tapat siya sa lahat nang sinabi niya kay Jace.

​"You did good, iha," ani Don Felix. "You were honest. Brave. Now we wait."

"And if he doesn't forgive me?" tanong ni Luna.

"Then you accept it," sagot ni Don Felix. "With grace. With dignity. At you move forward. Mas matalino. Mas matatag. Mas tunay."

​Huminga nang malalim si Luna. Alam niyang hindi madali ang hinihingi niyang kapatawaran, ngunit handa siyang maghintay. Dahil para sa kanya, ang pag-ibig nila ni Jace ay ang tanging totoong bagay na naramdaman niya sa kabila ng lahat ng pagpapanggap.