Forced to the Altar

Chapter.3

*Chapter 3: Selos, Inis, at Unang Halik*

*Chapter 3: Jealousy, Anger, and First Kiss*

*ELENA POV*

Alas syete pa lang ng umaga, gising na ako. Sanay ako sa alas kwatro dahil nagtitinda ako ng pandesal.

_7 AM, I'm already awake. I'm used to 4 AM because I sell pandesal._

Pero ngayon, nasa malambot na kama ako ng Montenegro Mansion.

_But now, I'm on the soft bed of Montenegro Mansion._

Suot ko yung binigay ni Manang Fe na simpleng white dress. Hindi mamahalin, pero mas maganda pa sa lahat ng damit ko sa Tondo.

_I'm wearing the simple white dress Manang Fe gave me. Not expensive, but more beautiful than all my clothes in Tondo._

Pagbaba ko sa dining room, nandoon na si Sophia. Nakaupo sa tabi ni Adrian. Naka-kiss pa sa pisngi ni Adrian.

_When I went down to dining room, Sophia was already there. Sitting beside Adrian. Kissing Adrian's cheek._

Good morning, babe," sabi ni Sophia kay Adrian, malandi.

_"Good morning, babe," Sophia said to Adrian, flirty._

Good morning," sagot ni Adrian, pero malamig.

_"Good morning," Adrian answered, but cold._

Ako? Tumayo lang sa pinto. Hindi alam saan uupo.

_Me? Just standing at the door. Don't know where to sit._

*ADRIAN POV*

Nakita ko si Elena sa pinto. 23 taong gulang. Nakasuot ng simpleng white dress galing kay Manang Fe. Walang make-up. Nakataling buhok. Morena.

_I saw Elena at the door. 23 years old. Wearing simple white dress from Manang Fe. No make-up. Hair tied. Morena._

Bakit siya mukhang... maganda? Kahit simpleng dress lang?

_Why does she look... beautiful? Even with simple dress?_

Damn. Hindi. Isa lang siyang pandesal girl. Gold digger. Hindi ako dapat makaramdam ng kahit ano.

_Damn. No. She is just a pandesal girl. Gold digger. I should not feel anything._

Pero nung nakita ko maga niyang mata dahil sa pag-iyak kagabi, may naramdaman ako... Guilt? Hindi. Hindi ako naggi-guilty.

_But when I saw her swollen eyes from crying last night, I felt... something. Guilt? No. I don't feel guilt._

"Elena, umupo ka," malamig kong sabi. "Kumain ka. Darating si Lolo ng 9 AM. Umayos ka."

_"Elena, sit," I said coldly. "Eat. Lolo will come at 9 AM. Act properly."_

Tumango siya at umupo sa pinakamalayong dulo ng mesa. Malayo sa akin.

_She nodded and sat at farthest end of table. Far from me._

Tumawa si Sophia. "Ang layo, poor girl? Ayaw mo bang tumabi sa asawa mo? Ay, nakalimutan ko, kontrata lang pala kayo. Hahaha!"

_Sophia laughed. "So far, poor girl? Don't you want to sit beside your husband? Oh, I forgot, contract only. Hahaha!"_

Hindi sumagot si Elena. Yumuko lang at tahimik na kumain ng toast.

_Elena didn't answer. Just looked down and quietly ate toast._

Nagalit ako. Hindi kay Elena. Kay Sophia. Bakit binu-bully ni Sophia si Elena?

_I got angry. Not at Elena. At Sophia. Why is Sophia bullying her?_

Pero hindi ko pinigilan si Sophia. Dahil gusto kong maghirap si Elena. Para pagsisihan niyang pumirma siya sa kontrata.

_But I didn't stop Sophia. Because I want Elena to suffer. To regret signing contract._

Tama? Yun ba ang gusto ko?

_Right? That's what I want?_

*SOPHIA POV*

Ako si Sophia Reyes. 26. Model. Maganda. Sexy. Girlfriend ni Adrian Montenegro ng 3 taon.

_I am Sophia Reyes. 26. Model. Beautiful. Sexy. Girlfriend of Adrian Montenegro for 3 years._

At sino itong si Elena Cruz? Nagttinda ng pandesal sa Tondo? 23? Mahirap? Morena? Naka-ukay?

_And who is this Elena Cruz? Pandesal vendor from Tondo? 23? Poor? Morena? Wearing ukay?_

Pinilit ni Lolo Alejandro si Adrian na pakasalan siya? Para sa 50 million utang? Ang mura!

_Lolo Alejandro forced Adrian to marry her? For 50 million debt? So cheap!_

Hindi ko hahayaan na itong mahirap na babae na kunin si Adrian sa akin. Akin si Adrian. Akin ang bilyon niya. Akin ang mansion niya.

_I will not let this poor girl take Adrian from me. Adrian is mine. His billions are mine. His mansion is mine._

Kailangan ko pahirapan buhay niya para umalis siya. Para pirmahan niya divorce pagkatapos ng isang taon at hindi na bumalik.

_I have to make her life miserable so she will leave. So she will sign divorce after one year and never come back._

Si Adrian ay Billionaire CEO. Karapat-dapat siya sa model na tulad ko, hindi sa pandesal girl na tulad niya.

_Adrian is Billionaire CEO. He deserves a model like me, not a pandesal girl like her._

Kaya bu-bullyhin ko siya. Araw-araw. Hanggang umiyak siya at umalis.

_So I will bully her. Every day. Until she cries and leaves._

Akala ng poor girl na pwede siyang maging Mrs. Montenegro? No way!

_Poor girl thought she can be Mrs. Montenegro? No way!_

*LOLO ALEJANDRO POV*

Ako si Alejandro Montenegro. 75 taong gulang. May sakit sa puso. Pwedeng mamatay anumang oras.

_I am Alejandro Montenegro. 75 years old. Heart disease. I might die anytime._

Nakita ko si Elena kaninang umaga. Mabait na bata. Alam ko. Inosente ang mata. Hindi tulad ni Sophia na pera lang habol.

_I saw Elena this morning. Good girl. I know it. Innocent eyes. Not like Sophia who is only after money._

Pinilit kong pakasalan ni Adrian si Elena dahil gusto ko magka-apo sa tuhod bago ako mamatay. At alam kong si Elena ang makakapagbigay nun. Mabait, masipag, mapagmahal sa pamilya. Hindi tulad ni Sophia na ayaw magbuntis dahil masisira figure niya.

_I forced Adrian to marry Elena because I want great-grandchild before I die. And I know Elena can give me that. Kind, hardworking, family-oriented. Not like Sophia who doesn't want to get pregnant because it will ruin figure._

Dumating ako sa mansion ng 9 AM.

_I arrived at mansion at 9 AM._

"Elena! Hija!" tawag ko sa kanya.

_"Elena! Hija!" I called her._

Tumakbo si Elena sa akin at niyakap ako. Parang apo.

_Elena ran to me and hugged me. Like granddaughter._

"Lolo!" sabi niya, umiiyak.

_"Lolo!" she said, crying._

Niyakap ko siya pabalik. "Hija, kamusta ka? Binully ka ba ni Adrian?"

_I hugged her back. "Hija, how are you? Did Adrian bully you?"_

Pinunasan niya luha. "Hindi po, Lolo. Okay lang po ako."

_She wiped tears. "No, Lolo. I'm okay."_

Tumingin ako kay Adrian. Malamig ang mukha.

_I looked at Adrian. Cold face._

"Adrian, alagaan mo asawa mo!" sigaw ko.

_"Adrian, take care of your wife!" I shouted._

"Hindi ko siya asawa, Lolo. Kontrata lang," sagot ni Adrian.

_"She is not my wife, Lolo. Contract only," Adrian answered._

Nagalit ako. "Kontrata? Pumirma siya! Asawa mo siya! Sa papel at sa mata ng Diyos! Irespeto mo siya!"

_I got angry. "Contract? She signed! She is your wife! In papers and in God's eyes! Respect her!"_

Tapos binigyan ko si Elena ng maliit na kahon.

_Then I gave Elena a small box._

"Hija, ito para sayo. Para sa birthday mo. 24 ka na next week, di ba?"

_"Hija, this is for you. For your birthday. You will be 24 next week, right?"_

Binuksan ni Elena. Gold necklace na may maliit na heart.

_Elena opened it. Gold necklace with small heart._

Tumulo luha ni Elena. "Lolo... first time ko po magkaroon ng ginto..."

_"Lolo... first time I have gold..."_

Si Sophia, na nanonood, nagalit. Namula mukha.

_Sophia, who was watching, got angry. Face became red._

Pero wala akong pakialam kay Sophia. Ang mahalaga sa akin ay si Elena at apo ko sa tuhod.

_But I don't care about Sophia. What matters to me is Elena and my great-grandchild._

*ELENA POV*

Binigyan ako ni Lolo ng gold necklace. First time sa buhay ko.

_Lolo gave me gold necklace. First time in my life._

Umiyak ako. Dahil wala pang nagbigay sa akin ng mamahaling bagay. Hindi afford ng pamilya ko ang ginto. Kahit magulang ko hindi ako nabigyan ng ginto.

_I cried. Because no one ever gave me expensive thing. My family cannot afford gold. Even my parents never gave me gold._

"Salamat, Lolo," sabi ko at niyakap siya.

_"Thank you, Lolo," I said and hugged him._

Bumulong si Lolo sa tenga ko, "Hija, bigyan mo ako ng apo sa tuhod, ha? Painlove mo si Adrian sayo. Alam kong kaya mo. Mabait ang puso mo."

_Lolo whispered in my ear, "Hija, make me great-grandchild, okay? Make Adrian fall in love with you. I know you can do it. You have good heart."_

Namula ako. Apo sa tuhod? Kay Adrian? Sa demonyo?

_I blushed. Great-grandchild? With Adrian? The devil?_

Pag-alis ni Lolo, lumapit sa akin si Sophia.

_After Lolo left, Sophia came to me._

Hinablot niya gold necklace ko.

_She grabbed my gold necklace._

"Ginto? Para sa pandesal girl na tulad mo? Hindi mo deserve ang ginto!" malakas na sabi ni Sophia at hinila.

_"Gold? For pandesal girl like you? You don't deserve gold!" Sophia said loudly and pulled._

Naputol yung necklace! Nahulog yung heart!

_The necklace broke! The heart fell!_

"Oops, sorry, nadulas lang," tumawa si Sophia.

_"Oops, sorry, just slipped," Sophia laughed._

Umiyak ako. Pinulot ko yung sirang necklace sa sahig.

_I cried. I picked up broken necklace from floor._

Nakita ni Adrian lahat. Nakatayo siya sa hagdan.

_Adrian saw everything. He was standing at stairs._

Sa isang segundo, akala ko tutulungan niya ako. Papagalitan niya si Sophia.

_For a second, I thought he would help me. He would scold Sophia._

Pero hindi. Sabi lang niya, "Sophia, punta tayo sa kwarto ko," at umakyat sila.

_But he didn't. He just said, "Sophia, let's go to my room," and they went upstairs._

Iniwan ako sa sahig, umiiyak, hawak ang sirang necklace.

_Leaving me on floor, crying, holding broken necklace._

Unang regalo ko, sinira agad.

_My first gift, broken immediately._

*ADRIAN POV - GABI / NIGHT*

10 PM. Nasa opisina ako. Nagtatrabaho. Pero hindi ako makapag-focus.

_10 PM. I'm in office. Working. But I cannot focus._

Paulit-ulit kong nakikita si Elena sa sahig, umiiyak, hawak ang sirang necklace na binigay ni Lolo.

_I keep seeing Elena on floor, crying, holding broken necklace that Lolo gave her._

Bakit hindi ko siya tinulungan? Bakit hinayaan kong sirain ni Sophia?

_Why didn't I help her? Why did I let Sophia break it?_

Si Sophia nasa kwarto ko ngayon, naghihintay sa akin. Naka-sexy lingerie. Gusto daw makipag-make love.

_Sophia is in my room now, waiting for me. Wearing sexy lingerie. She said she wants to make love._

Pero ayoko. Sabi ko may trabaho ako.

_But I don't want to. I said I have work._

Lumabas ako sa opisina at nakita ko si Elena sa kusina. Naghuhugas ng plato. Kahit Mrs. Montenegro siya, naghuhugas siya ng plato parang katulong.

_I went out of office and saw Elena in kitchen. Washing dishes. Even though she is Mrs. Montenegro, she is washing dishes like maid._

"Bakit ka naghuhugas ng plato? May mga katulong tayo," sabi ko.

_"Why are you washing dishes? We have maids," I said._

Tumingin siya sa akin, maga pa rin mata.

_"She looked at me, eyes still swollen._

"Sanay po ako maghugas ng pinggan, Sir Adrian. At ayoko po maging pabigat dito..."

_"I'm used to washing dishes, Sir Adrian. And I don't want to be burden here..."_

Sanay siya maghugas. Sanay maghirap. Hindi tulad ni Sophia na hindi marunong maghugas ng kutsara.

_She is used to washing. Used to hardship. Unlike Sophia who doesn't even know how to wash a spoon._

Lumapit ako sa kanya. Hindi ko alam bakit.

_I came closer to her. I don't know why._

"Ibigay mo sirang necklace mo," sabi ko.

_"Give me your broken necklace," I said._

Tumingin siya sa akin, gulat, at binigay sa akin yung sirang heart pendant.

_She looked at me, surprised, and gave me broken heart pendant._

Kinuha ko at nilagay sa bulsa ko.

_I took it and put in my pocket._

"Aayusin ko," malamig kong sabi. "Binigay ni Lolo sayo. Ayokong magalit si Lolo pag nakita niyang sira."

_"I will fix it," I said coldly. "Lolo gave it to you. I don't want Lolo to get angry if he sees it broken."_

"Salamat, Sir..." bulong niya.

_"Thank you, Sir..." she whispered._

Tumingin ako sa kanya. Sobrang lapit. Morena balat, inosenteng mata, malambot na labi...

_I looked at her. So close. Morena skin, innocent eyes, soft lips..._

Damn.

Bigla kong hinawakan bewang niya at hinila palapit.

_I suddenly grabbed her waist and pulled her closer._

"Ano ginagawa mo sa akin, Elena, ha? Bakit pinaparamdam mo sa akin ito?" bulong ko, galit sa sarili ko.

_"What are you doing to me, Elena, huh? Why are you making me feel like this?" I whispered, angry at myself._

Bago siya makasagot, hinalikan ko siya.

_Before she could answer, I kissed her._

Madiin. Malamig. Galit na halik sa labi niya.

_Hard. Cold. Angry kiss on her lips._

Unang halik.

_First kiss._

Unang halik niya. Akin... hindi ko alam.

_Her first kiss. My... I don't know._

Nagulat siya. Malaki mata.

_She was shocked. Eyes wide._

Hinalikan ko siya ng 5 segundo, tapos tinulak ko siya palayo.

_I kissed her for 5 seconds, then pushed her away._

"Wag mong isipin na may ibig sabihin yun! Wala lang yun... asawa kita sa kontrata! Karapatan ko yun!" sigaw ko at mabilis na umalis sa kusina.

_"Don't think that means something! That was nothing... you are my wife in contract! That's my right!" I shouted and left kitchen quickly._

Bumalik ako sa opisina, mabilis t***k ng puso ko.

_I went back to office, my heart beating fast._

Ano ginawa ko? Hinalikan ko pandesal girl!

_What did I do? I kissed pandesal girl!_

*ELENA POV*

Hinalikan niya ako.

_He kissed me._

Si Adrian Montenegro, ang demonyo, ang Billionaire CEO na galit sa akin, hinalikan ako.

_Adrian Montenegro, the devil, the Billionaire CEO who hates me, kissed me._

Unang halik ko. Ever. Sa 23 taong gulang, unang halik ko kay Adrian Montenegro.

_My first kiss. Ever. At 23 years old, my first kiss is with Adrian Montenegro._

Nanginginig pa rin labi ko.

_My lips are still tingling._

Bakit niya ako hinalikan? Sabi niya karapatan niya dahil asawa niya ako sa kontrata.

_Why did he kiss me? He said it's his right because I'm his contract wife._

Pero bakit mabilis t***k ng puso niya? Narinig ko. Sobrang bilis.

_But why was his heart beating fast? I heard it. So fast._

At bakit mabilis din t***k ng puso ko?

_And why is my heart beating fast too?_

Ito ba... pag-ibig?

_Is this... love?_

Hindi, Elena, hindi! Galit siya sayo! Demonyo siya!

_No, Elena, no! He hates you! He is a devil!_

Pero bakit ang sarap ng halik niya?

_But why did his kiss feel so good?_

Hinawakan ko labi ko at ngumiti habang umiiyak.

_I touched my lips and smiled while crying._

Unang halik ko sa mansyon ng demonyo.

_My first kiss in the mansion of the devil._

*TO BE CONTINUED...*

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*END OF CHAPTER 3*

*Author's Note:* OMG! UNANG HALIK NA! FIRST KISS! Sino kinilig? Si Sophia sinira necklace! Si Adrian nagselos! Anong masasabi niyo? Comment below!

*Vote for Chapter 4! Gusto niyo ba second kiss na?*

*Next: Chapter 4 - Buntis Ako? / Am I Pregnant?*