Kabanata V
1581 Words
"Pwedeng shut up ka muna? I'm still thinking, okay?" I snapped back, rolling my eyes.
Tila nagulat ito dahil napaatras pero naramdaman ko na ulit ang masamang titig nito sa akin. Lumalabas ang pagiging maldita ko kapag naiinis ako at gutom. Kung pinakain nila ako edi sana nakapag-isip ako ng maayos. Sinong matinong tao ang kayang makapag-isip ng maayos kung gutom na gutom siya?
My God!
“Stop rolling your f-cking eyes at me, woman,” he growled, his voice like ice slicing through steel.
I blinked again. Oops.
I was about to roll them again out of pure spite, but he lunged toward me.
Who the hell is this guy? He’s scary. Really scary. I just met him, but his aura screams danger. Still—why should I be afraid? I didn’t do anything... right?
Right?
My shoulders slumped. I sat quietly, still chained to the chair.
Bumuntong hininga ako. I tried to remember talaga pero nawala talaga sa memories ko. Sa dami ng nangyari, wala talaga.
"Naalala ko tuloy yung gift ni Raoul sa akin. Ano kaya yun?" Bulong-bulong ko nang maalala yun.
"The f-ck!"
Si Noémie? How is she? I'm sure super worried yun sa akin lalo na't magkasama kami before nakidnap ako.
Sinamaan ko ng tingin ang lalaking masama rin ang tingin sa akin.
"This is your fault!" Inis kong bulyaw sa kanya.
"Don’t change the topic, woman. I don’t give a damn about your Raoul," he growled back.
"Kahit anong gawin ko, I’ve tried digging through my brain, and nothing’s coming up. Maybe it wasn’t that important to me, so I forgot it." Mahinahon kong explain sa kanya ang katotohanan.
Totoo naman talaga na wala akong maalala na sport car.
"It's a Bugatti la Voiture Noire." he said, biting the words.
"What's that?"
"A brand!" Naiinis nitong sambit. Para siyang nagwawalang lion sa harapan ko.
"Sorry, next. I’m not into cars.”
He inhaled sharply, probably holding back the urge to strangle me.
"Red—"
"Red? Anong gagawin ko sa red?"
"—sport car."
Napatango-tango ako. And that’s when it hit me. Red. The color I absolutely hate. It’s so harsh on the eyes—so loud. I remember now. That damn car was an eyesore. Bakit ko yun nakalimutan? Eh halos sukang-suka ako sa kulay na yun? I really hate color red. So I changed the color to brown. It suited it better anyway. Maybe I did damage it a bit... oops. But he’s rich, right? I’m sure Selene’s husband repaid him or at least dealt with the mess.
"Ah, naalala ko na. Yung super masakit sa mata. I don't like the color kase kaya I made it brown. Bagay naman sa kanya yung color kaso nasira ko ata yun. Whatever. You’re rich. And I’m sure Selene’s husband handled it,” I said, frowning as I spoke.
"Huh! You just admitted it," he hissed.
"Of course! Naalala ko na rin kase. And why would I lie about something tied ang pinakaayaw ko sa lahat?" Taas noo kong pag-amin.
"Damn you, woman! That car was expensive!"
"You're rich. I know that. I can smell your perfume. Ewww." Pairap kong inarte.
"Kalalaking tao, vanilla ang flavor." Bulong ko pa.
“That’s not my smell!” he roared.
I flinched. Okay... that caught me off guard. But, whatever.
"I'm just stating facts, okay? Malay ko ba sa'yo! And seriously, vanilla scent? Out of all the scents in the world, yan pa talaga? My God, not all girls love vanilla, and guess what? I'm number one on that list!" sabay irap ko, nagmamaktol.
"Get out."
"Huh? Me? Paano? Nakatali ako, remember?" tugon ko, with matching raised eyebrow.
"Not you, woman! Not you!"
Narinig ko na lang ang malakas na pagsara ng pinto. Sisilip pa sana ako sa likod niya nang bigla siyang humarap, napahilot sa sentido, sabay kamay sa bewang na parang mauubusan ng pasensiya.
"For f-ck’s sake! What kind of woman are you?!"
Napakunot ang noo ko.
"What do you mean? Baka makatulong ako. I'm studying nursing. We study science like biology, anatomy, physiology—"
Bigla siyang lumingon. Nanlilisik ang mga mata. Napa-stop ako mid-sentence.
"Stop talking! And stop giving me that f-cking look!" utos niyang parang sasabog na.
Nanlaki lang ang mata ko sa sobrang gulat. Mamamatay na ata ako dahil sa sunod-sunod na gulat na naranasan ko simula noong kinidnap nila ako.
"Ahm, I have a question, ilang days na pala ako rito?"
Tahimik siya saglit bago sumagot, malamig at mabigat ang boses.
"I'll give you three days."
"Huh? Anong three days?" kunot-noo kong tanong.
"Three days to decide. Be my servant... or I'll make your life a living hell. You won't just end up in jail—I’ll ruin you. You wrecked my sports car. And that car means everything to me."
Napatulala ako. Umawang ang labi ko. What the actual heck?!
"Wait, wait, wait—me? As in me, your servant? Ew. No thanks. I’d rather mop the whole hospital than serve you!" sagot ko, pandidiring tumitig sa kanya.
"No?" he replied coldly. "Then I’ll ruin your life—piece by piece. I’ll destroy your scholarship, make you fail your internship, and forget about graduating. One word from me, and you’re done."
Napakunot ang noo ko.
"Wow. Ang petty mo ah. Over a car? Seriously? Mayaman ka diba? Bakit parang ang liit ng mundo mo?"
Lumapit siya, mabigat ang bawat hakbang. Naramdaman ko ang lalim ng hininga ko habang unti-unti siyang huminto sa harapan ko. Yumuko siya, halos magkadikit na ang mukha namin.
"You think this is just about a car?" he whispered in a low voice. "That car is worth more than your future. And guess what? I don’t forget faces—especially those who cross me."
I bit my lip. Sh-t. This is bad.
"You refuse? Fine. But when your name’s blacklisted in every hospital and your dreams go up in flames—don’t say I didn’t warn you."
“Grabe ka. Obsessive ka pala. You’re scary. Psycho vibes.” Nilakasan ko ang loob ko, pero halatang nanginginig na ang boses ko.
"Good. Better scared than stubborn," he said with a chilling, cold smile.
"I’m not scared of you," bulong ko, kahit hindi na ako sure kung totoo 'yon.
He smirked. "You will be. In three days."
"TikTak. TikTak. The clock is ticking, woman," mariin niyang sabi habang parang pinaglalaruan ang mga salita. "Be grateful I gave you three days. Not everyone who messes with what’s mine gets that kind of mercy. I burn, k-ll, and ruin them."
Napalunok ako. Hindi dahil naniniwala ako sa banta niya… okay fine, medyo naniniwala na rin ako. Ang aura niya kasi, parang handa siyang gawin ang lahat ng sinabi niya, at baka higit pa.
"T-three days lang talaga?" garalgal kong tanong, kahit gusto kong magmukhang matapang.
"Clock’s ticking, sweetheart," mapanuyang ngiti niya. "You have until the last tick. After that? I won’t be so kind."
"Wow, kind na pala 'to?" bulong ko, rolling my eyes.
Bigla siyang yumuko, inabot ang mukha ko at marahang hinawakan ang baba ko gamit ang malamig niyang mga daliri. Napapitlag ako, pero hindi ako gumalaw. Sobrang lapit niya. I could smell his cologne, nope, definitely not vanilla now. More like... danger.
“You think this is a game?” aniya, mababa ang tono pero punong-puno ng banta. “You’ll beg for kindness if you choose wrong. And trust me, woman, I enjoy watching people break.”
"Kung gusto mo ng alila, mag-apply ka sa job portal, hindi yung kinikidnap mo ako tapos gusto mong paglingkuran kita? Sick ka."
He smirked. "Exactly. That’s the point. I don’t want anyone. I want you. The one who dared to touch what’s mine."
"Ay. May pa-possession ka pang nalalaman. You need therapy. Actually, you need Jesus."
His eyes darkened.
“You need a miracle.”
He turned his back and headed toward the door.
“Three days,” ulit niya. “Use them well. Or don’t. I don’t care. Either way, you’ll be mine… or ruined.”
“We will make a deal on that day, woman,” mariin niyang sabi habang nakatalikod pa rin. “You will make a deal with me.”
Napalunok ako. What kind of deal? Freaking hell! He's not ordinary. Alam ko yan.
"Deal na may choice o deal na paasa lang na may choice?" sarkastiko kong tanong, kahit nanlalamig na ang batok ko sa kaba.
He chuckled—low, dangerous, and maddening. “It’s a deal… with consequences. Either way, you’ll be signing your own fate."
Napakunot noo ako. “Wow, galing mo ha. My death certificate, you mean.”
“Good. Then stop acting like an angel,” balik niya. “You already crossed the line the moment you wrecked what’s mine.”
Napapitlag ako nang bahagya siyang lumingon, just enough for me to catch a glimpse of his cold, merciless gaze.
“Three days,” ulit niya, paos na parang hayok. “Think carefully. It’s either you serve me willingly… or I take everything away from you, piece by piece.”
He slammed the door behind him.
Tahimik. Masyadong tahimik.
My mind screamed—what kind of twisted fate is this? Isa lang naman ang pagkakasala ko. Color lang 'yun! Sport car lang yun. Yeah.
Napahinga ako nang malalim. “Three days. Kaya ko 'to. Hindi ako magpapatalo sa taong may vanilla complex.”
I squinted at the ceiling.
But seriously… what the hell did I get myself into?
- Writer
