He’s Dating the Mafia Heiress

CHAPTER 4

“SAGUTIN MO na ‘yang si pogi, Soleil! / Ang ganda mo naman, Verona!” Iba’t ibang hiyaw ng mga estudyante sa paligid kaya napakamot ng batok n’ya ang binata.

“It is girlfriend, you moron, girlfriend na nga lang hindi mo pa matama,” pagbubulong ng dalaga bago nito pinaikot ang kan’yang mga mata.

“Ano? Pwede nga kitang maging ‘girlfriend’?” ulit na tanong ng lalaki may halong hiya.

Soleil smirked before walking torward the guy. Muli nitong sinipat ang binata mula ulo hanggang paa.

“Ang taas yata ng tingin mo sa sarili mo to ask me that damn question out of nowhere. Hindi mo ba narinig ang sinabi ko sa ‘yo noong isang araw? Dream on, boy!”

“Aray naman, chikababes!” malakas na daing ng binata noong biglang apakan ni Soleil ang kanan n’yang paa gamit ang suot nitong sneakers at mabilis siyang nilampasan.

“Let’s go, Kade. I’ve wasted my f*****g time with that nonsensical, idiotic moron,” sambit nito at mabilis na naglakad paalis.

“Kuya, sa susunod kasi huwag ka namang pabigla-bigla, ate don’t want rush things gusto n’yang pinaghihirapan at pinag-iigihan,” sambit naman ni Kade na hindi mapigil ang kakatawa.

“Kade! I said let’s go!” balik na hiyaw sa kan’ya ni Soleil noong mapansin nitong hindi nakasunod sa likod n’ya ang kapatid.

“Hindi ka pa nga nagpapakilala kay ate, kuya, aalukin mo na agad siya na maging girlfriend mo. Kalmahan mo lang kasi,” pahabol pa ni Kade bago mabilis na hinabol ang ate.

“Isa pang dinig ko ng pagtawa mo, Kade, iiwan talaga kita rito and I’ll make sure that you walk back home,” pasigaw na banta ulit ni Soleil sa kapatid.

“Okay lang ‘yan, Kade, kapag iniwan ka ni chikababes tawagin mo lang ako. Ako na ang uuwi sa ‘yo pauwi!” pahabol ng binata.

“Shut up! Back off, young man!” sigaw naman pabalik ni Soleil.

Soleil’s POV

I CAN still hear Kade’s giggles when Maximus was starting the car’s engine. I was about to lose control at ipakita sa lalaking tanga na ‘yon kung sino ang taong pinaglalaruan n’ya. He doesn’t even know me!

“Kade, isa pang hagikhik mo d’yan, sisipain kita palabas ng kotse na ‘to,” I warned him.

“What, ate? Sino ba namang hindi matatawa sa ‘manliligaw’ mo na ‘yon,” he replied and even quoted the word 'manliligaw' with his fingers.

“What's so funny about that? You know he’s just out of his mind, Kade,” buwelta ko naman.

“Out of his mind or maybe he is just being himself, ate, but I think he’s genuine with what he has been saying. Lalaki rin naman ako, and I can sense that he really likes you. ‘Yon nga lang, given his kanto attitude, feeling mo hindi siya seryoso,” he replied, which made me furrow my eyebrows.

“Hindi ka nakakatuwa, Kade.”

“Pfft! My Ate, I’m just stating the obvious. Gusto mo, pustahan pa tayo?” he added, moving his eyebrows up and down.

I just looked at my brother, who was smiling widely at me. I even removed my reading glasses when he started extending his hand to me.

“Kade, isa pa, hindi na talaga ako natutuwa,” banta ko sa kan’ya.

“Come on, ate! Pustahan lang naman. Kapag bumalik ‘yong si kuya bukas tas kinukulit ka pa rin, panalo ako,” he continued.

“And then?”

“Kapag nanalo ako ipagsho-shopping mo ako ng kahit na anong gusto ko, kapag nanalo ka naman I’ll follow what you want,” aniya.

“Tulad ng anong gusto ko?”

“Na hindi ako susunod sa kahit na ano mang transaksiyon ninyo kahit gusto pa ni Dad for 1 year,” dugtong n’yang nagpangiti sa kin.

“Young Master,” paalala ni Maximus.

“Deal!” mabilis kung sagot. I am against Dad bringing Kade into our transactions. He is just a boy, a thirteen-year-old boy to be exact.

“Heiress, hindi matutuwa ang Don Alessandro sa pustahan n’yong ‘yan,” singit ni Maximus sa usapan naming magkapatid.

“I don’t care; this is what I think is good for my brother,” I opposed.

“Pero akala ko ba gusto mong maibalik ang amor sa inyo ng Daddy ninyo?” tanong n’ya ulit. Maximus has been my right-hand man since I turned 18, and when he said I had his loyalty, I really did. He began fulfilling his promise to me na kahit ako, akala ko na kay Dad pa rin ang loyalty n’ya. Pero as time passed, I realized that he is now on my side. Alam n’ya na sa bawat pakikipag-engkuwentro namin, gusto kong umuwing panalo because I am still hoping for Dad’s favor.

“Maximus, hindi naman malalaman ni Dad kung hindi ka magsusumbong, tayo-tayo lang naman ang nandito,” Kade responded before opening the car door. Hindi ko namalayan nasa bahay na pala kami.

I was about to step out when one of our men knocked on the window and opened the car door for me.

“Heiress, kanina pa po may naghihintay na lalaki sa inyo sa loob,” he reported, which made me frown.

“Lalaki? Sino raw siya? I am not expecting any guest,” I wondered who it could be.

“Pfft! Mukhang nakakaramdam na ako ng shopping all I want, Ate, ah,” Kade began teasing before walking inside the mansion.

Hindi ko pinansin si Kade. Sa halip, I started looking back at our men.

“Hindi po sinabi ang pangalan, Heiress. Kilala mo na raw siya. Paghihintayin sana namin sa labas kaso sabi ni Mrs. Nerry papasukin na lang. Wala naman si Don Alessandro sa loob,” he added.

I didn’t bother to answer. Instead, I handed my backpack and books to him and started walking inside the mansion. My forehead began to crease when I saw Kade’s teasing smile.

“You are being lucky, my Ate. Buti na lang bukas pa simula ng pustahan natin, panalo na sana ako,” bulong ng kapatid ko bago siya sumaludo sa lalaking nakaupo sa may sofa. He really thinks he's welcome here, huh?

“Chikababes!” hiyaw n’ya matapos siyang tumayo mula sa pagkakaupo na siyang nagpahilot sa kin sa sintedo ko.

Annoying.

“What are you doing here?”

“Chikababes, gusto ko lang--”

“Opps! Wrong question. How did you know this place?” I corrected.

“Sinerts ko, syempre, gwapo ako at matalino, chikababes, kaya maalaman din naman akong gumamit ng gugol map.”

“You what? Pfft!”

“Sinerts ko ang bahay ninyo sa gugol map!” he repeated.

“Tsk! It is google map, you moron,” I corrected him.

“At least napatawa na kita.” Biglang umurong ang dila ko noong marinig ko ang sinabi n’ya, I was looking straight into his eyes, and I could clearly see how serious he was about what he said. It was my first time seeing that kind of emotion in his eyes—walang bahid ng laro, just genuine.

Pero hindi na ako tuluyang nakasagot pa sa kanya nang marinig ko ang sunod-sunod na pagtigil ng sasakyan. Agad ko siyang tinakbo at mabilis na hinila palabas.

“Chikababes, ganoon mo na ba ako ka-miss at—”

“Hush! Dad is—”

“I didn’t know you had a visitor, Soleil,” Dad announced. s**t.

“No, Dad, actually he is about to leave. Right?”

MATALIM ANG naging titig ni Don Alessandro sa binatang bumisita sa kan’yang anak.

“Have we meet before, young man?” tanong nito at nagsimulang maglakad papalapit sa dalawa. Sunod na dumapo ang tingin ni Don Alessandro sa kamay ng anak na nakahawak sa braso ng binata na siyang agad naman tinanggal ni Soleil.

“That’s impossible, Dad. He is just someone you don’t need to worry about,” agad na sagot ni Soleil.

“Ito pa lang ho ang una nating pagkikita, Sir, mauuna na po ako,” ani ng binata dahil pasimple na siyang sinisipa ni Soleil.

“Really? I think you’re familiar, but anyway, you’re in a hurry, mag-ingat ka sa daan,” ani ni Don Alessandro at nakahinga ng maluwag si Soleil noong nagpatuloy na ito sa paglalakad at iniwan silang dalawa.

“Go at huwag ka ng babalik dito!” sulsul ni Soleil. Hindi na napansin ni Soleil ang paglingon muli ng binata sa gawi ng ama nito dahil mabilis siyang naglakad para makasunod sa kan’yang ama.

“This way, Sir,” ani ng isa tauhan ng mga Verona ngunit hindi na sumagot ang binata ang dire-diretsong tinungo ang kan’yang kotse at pinaharurut ito paalis.

Soleil’s POV

“KAILAN KA pa nagsimulang magpapasok ng kung sino-sino lang sa pamamahay ko?” Dad’s first words to me as soon as he sat down in his swivel chair in his office.

“No, Dad, I didn’t invite him or even know him. He’s someone I owe something to; naniningil lang,” I defended.

“Uhuh?”

“It won’t happen again, Dad. I promise,” I assured him.

“Anyway, I want you to find out about this Mr. Montague. Tumatagilid ang negosyo natin dahil sa pakikialam n’ya.”

“Pero wala pang nakakakilala sa mukha n’ya, ‘di ba?”

“That is why I want you to be the first one to know his face.”