MARRY THE BILLIONAIRE MAN

Chapter 8: The Family Meeting

Isabella’s POV

Pagpasok ko sa bahay, ramdam ko agad ang tension. Halos lahat ng pamilya nasa sala, tahimik at parang may iniintay. I felt a mix of nervousness and curiosity; hindi normal ang ganitong setup. Umupo ako sa bakanteng upuan sa tabi ni Kuya Adrian at sinikap kong i-calm ang sarili.

“Isabella, finally you’re here,” bungad ni Mama, may halong kaba ang boses niya. “We need to discuss something very important.”

Napatingin ako kay Papa, who seemed unusually serious, his gaze fixed on the floor. Si Mama naman, pinilit ang ngiti kahit halata sa mata niya ang pag-aalala.

“What’s this about, Ma?” tanong ko, kahit may ideya na ako kung anong topic ang papasukin namin.

“We’ve been noticing na you’ve been spending a lot of time sa labas lately,” sabi ni Papa, finally looking up. “At kung tutuusin, bata ka pa. You’re only eighteen, Isabella.”

Alam kong ang ibig nilang sabihin. Hindi naman ako tanga. But still, I tried to act clueless. “Papa, hindi naman ako nagwawala o gumagawa ng masama. Nasa edad na po ako para mag-enjoy, diba?”

“Isabella,” Mama interjected, “it’s not just about ‘enjoying.’ We’re worried kasi hindi namin alam kung anong mga pinapasok mong sitwasyon.”

I felt my heart sink. They still think na hindi ako responsable. Kung alam lang nila kung paano ko pinapahalagahan ang lahat ng ginagawa ko, hindi nila ako huhusgahan ng ganito.

“Ma, Pa,” I took a deep breath, “hindi niyo po kailangan mag-alala. Hindi ako papasok sa kahit anong sitwasyon na ikasisira ko.”

Nakita kong ngumiti si Kuya Adrian sa gilid. Siya ang pinakakakampi ko sa pamilya. He understands me better than anyone else here.

“Hindi ka namin sinasakal, Isabella,” sabi ni Mama, trying to soften her tone. “We just want to guide you. You’re our only daughter, and your future is very important to us.”

“Then trust me,” I replied softly, hoping they’d hear the sincerity in my voice. “Please, Ma. Pa. Bigyan niyo naman ako ng tiwala.”

They exchanged glances, as if communicating silently. Alam kong hirap silang bitawan ako, pero alam ko ring kailangan ko na rin ng kalayaan.

“Fine,” Papa said after a long pause, “we’ll give you more freedom. Pero, may usapan tayo. If you ever get into trouble, promise us na sasabihin mo agad.”

Napangiti ako, at tumango. “Promise, Papa.”

Napatingin ako kay Kuya, na binigyan ako ng thumbs-up. Sa wakas, kahit papaano ay may progress kami. This meeting, kahit tense, ended up being a step forward for me.

Pagkatapos ng family meeting, nag-stay ako sa room ko, processing everything. This newfound freedom felt liberating, pero may kaakibat itong responsibilidad. And I was determined not to disappoint them.