CHAPTER TEN
1064 Words
Emerald stretched her arms as she stepped out of the last class for the day. Pagod na pagod siya, but at least she could finally go home and rest. The events from last night—her unexpected dinner with Adrian—still lingered in her mind, but she refused to dwell on it.
Hindi siya pwedeng masanay sa presence ni Adrian Montenegro. No way.
“Bes!” Pamela’s voice rang through the hall, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Anong oras ka aalis? Sama na tayo ni Aimee mag-coffee break bago umuwi!”
Emerald smiled at her best friend’s energy. “Sige ba. Kailangan ko rin ng caffeine bago umuwi.”
“Kape o chismis?” Aimee teased, looping her arm around Emerald’s. “Kasi mukhang marami kang kwento, girl.”
Pamela gasped dramatically. “Tama! Spill, beshie! Anong nangyari after mong sumakay sa kotse ni Mr. Mafia?”
“Adrian,” Emerald corrected with an eye roll. “And wala namang malaking ganap. He just took me to dinner.”
Pamela narrowed her eyes. “Just dinner? Alam mo namang hindi kami satisfied sa sagot na ‘yan.”
Aimee giggled. “Tama. Anong dinner ‘yun? Romantic? Mafia initiation? O final meal bago ka mawala sa mundo?”
Emerald groaned. “Guys, seryoso ba kayo? It was just dinner. Pinilit lang ako.”
“Hmm.” Pamela crossed her arms. “Pero in fairness, hindi ka mukhang na-trauma. Nag-enjoy ka no?”
She hesitated. Did she?
The dinner wasn’t as bad as she expected. And Adrian was… different. Hindi siya sobrang annoying, hindi siya bastos. They actually had a normal conversation. And that was disturbing.
“Ugh,” she muttered. “Enough about Adrian. Kape na lang tayo, please.”
“Fine,” Pamela sighed, linking arms with her. “Pero hindi pa tapos ‘to.”
After spending an hour at the café, Emerald finally headed home. Ngunit pagkababa pa lang niya ng jeep sa harap ng bahay nila, her heart almost jumped out of her chest.
Nakaparada ang itim na sasakyan ni Adrian sa tapat ng bahay nila.
“Hindi nga—” she mumbled, her eyes narrowing. What the hell was he doing here?
As if on cue, the car window rolled down, revealing Adrian’s annoyingly smug face. “Tamang-tama. Kakauwi mo lang.”
Emerald put her hands on her hips. “Anong ginagawa mo dito?”
Adrian smirked. “Sundo kita.”
“Ha?”
“Come on. May pupuntahan tayo.”
She scoffed. “Excuse me? Saan? At bakit kita sasamahan?”
“Dahil gusto ko,” he replied nonchalantly. “At dahil napagkasunduan na ng parents natin.”
Emerald groaned. “I swear, kung pwede lang kitang—”
“Sweetheart,” he cut her off smoothly, his voice lowering, “ayoko kang buhatin papasok sa kotse, pero kung gusto mo ng ganong drama, pwede naman.”
Her face flamed. “Ang kapal ng mukha mo!”
He chuckled, clearly enjoying her reaction. “So, ano? Sasakay ka o ako na bahala?”
Pinilit niyang pakalmahin ang sarili. She didn’t want a scene right in front of her house. Besides, alam niyang hindi siya tatalab kay Adrian kung magmamatigas siya.
“Fine,” she grumbled, yanking the car door open before sliding inside.
Adrian smirked in satisfaction as he started driving. “Good girl.”
“Shut up.”
Emerald expected Adrian to take her to another fancy restaurant. Or maybe some ridiculous family event.
What she didn’t expect was… a school.
Her brows furrowed as she stared at the massive gates of what appeared to be an elite private high school. “Anong ginagawa natin dito?”
Adrian parked the car and leaned back. “I have something to take care of. Gusto mong sumama o maghintay ka na lang dito?”
She crossed her arms. “Kung anong ginagawa mo rito, wala akong pake. Ang tanong, bakit mo ako sinama?”
“Para hindi ka mainip sa bahay,” he replied smoothly before stepping out of the car.
She huffed in frustration but eventually followed him. “Ugh. I swear, Adrian, kung scheme mo na naman ‘to—”
But the moment they stepped inside, Emerald froze.
A little boy—around ten years old—came running toward them, his face lighting up. “Kuya Adrian!”
Her jaw dropped as Adrian crouched down and ruffled the boy’s hair. “Mason.”
Emerald blinked. Mason? As in… his little brother?
Adrian helped the kid fix his backpack before standing up. “Sumakay ka na sa kotse. I’ll be right there.”
Mason nodded enthusiastically before noticing Emerald. He tilted his head. “Ate, sino ka?”
Emerald opened her mouth but Adrian beat her to it. “Fiancée ko.”
Her eyes widened. “Hoy—”
Mason’s jaw dropped. “Talaga?! Ang ganda mo po!”
Emerald felt her heart melt a little at how adorable Mason was. “Uh, thank you?”
Mason grinned before running toward the car. Adrian turned to Emerald with his usual smirk. “Kita mo? Alam niyang maganda ka. Sana ganyan ka rin kasupportive.”
She glared at him, flustered. “Anong ginagawa natin dito talaga?”
Adrian shrugged. “Sunduin kapatid ko. Simple lang.”
She stared at him. “Since when do mafia bosses pick up their siblings?”
He smirked. “Since always.”
Emerald frowned. This was a side of Adrian she had never seen before.
The car ride back was unexpectedly peaceful. Mason kept chatting about his day, and to her surprise, Adrian actually listened. He nodded at the right moments, asked questions, and even ruffled the boy’s hair when he got too excited.
Emerald found herself watching them in awe. She never imagined Adrian could be… warm.
The moment they dropped Mason off at their mansion, Adrian turned to her. “Hatid na kita.”
She nodded, still processing what she had just witnessed.
As they drove, Adrian suddenly spoke. “Bakit ang tahimik mo?”
She blinked. “Just… surprised.”
He raised a brow. “Surprised na may puso ako?”
She snorted. “Something like that.”
Adrian chuckled. “Now you know.”
Emerald stared out the window. Maybe, just maybe, there was more to Adrian Montenegro than she thought.
And that terrified her.
- Writer
