Beyond the Billionaire's image

Chapter 4/1

BUMALIK ako sa Mall at mabuti na lang at agad kong nakita si Ellie na naghihintay na pala sa akin sa labas ng kotse. When she noticed me, her eyes lit up.

"Ma'am! Bakit po kayo nawala? Akala ko dinumog na kayo ng mga tao kanina 'eh."

My forehead crest. "What do you mean?"

"Kasi po Ma'am, sumisigaw kasi ang babae kanina at nakita raw si Oliver Ma'am. Sayang nga ma'am eh, hindi ko na nakita siya ng personal!"

Binuksan ko na ang kotse at pumasok sa driver seat. "Who's that Oliver?" Oh, maybe that Oliver I encountered earlier. I thought he was just a crazy wannabe actor.

Tiningnan ako ni Ellie na parang alien ako na bumisita lang sa earth. "Not all the time that I know a single person here on earth, Ellie." I boredly answered.

"Sorry Ma'am. Kasi po sikat kasi si Oliver pati po sa labas ng bansa kaya po nakapagtataka na hindi niyo siya kilala."

"Uh, yeah?"

Walang gana kong sagot. Pinaandar ko na ang kotse at binuksan rin ang aircon dahil mainit na. Namamawis na ako.

"Opo Ma'am! Masyado po siyang sikat 'eh. Kadalasan rin po ay main lead at kontrabida ang ginagampanan niya! Nakita ko lang siya once ma'am eh pero ilang segundo lang ata 'yon. Fan pa naman siya ng kapatid kong babae. Next time kapag nakita ko siya, magpapapicture talaga ako!" Niliko ko na ang kotse at hanggang nakalabas na kami ng tuluyan sa parking area ng Mall ay hindi pa rin siya tumatahimik.

"Tapos Ma'am, naging girlfriend niya rin ang sikat na model sa Paris! Kaso mukhang isang buwan lang raw yata sila tapos may ibang girlfriend na naman si Oliver. Wala yata siyang oras mag move on at may nahanap na agad. Kung sabagay, gwapo naman siya kahit na babaero. Mas sumikat pa yata siya kahit na naging collection na niya ang babae." Ngiwi niyang sabi. "Pero bumabawi naman siya sa kagwapuhan at talent. Lalo na at billionaire! Akalain mo 'yon Ma'am? Gwapo na, talented at mayaman pa! Sino ba namang babae ang hindi naghahabol sa kaniya?!"

I forgot to asked her about the Groceries. Hindi ko pa naman naibigay ang card ko.

"Ellie, did you--"

"Ito pa Ma'am! May nabasa akong leak announcement na may project daw siya ngayong buwan! Tapos kontrabida raw siya roon! Kyaaa! Excited na ako!"

"Ellie, listen to m--"

"Tapos magpupuyat na naman ako. Pero okay lang, worth naman lalo na at nalaman kong mga international artist daw 'yong gaganap tapos Ma'am mukhang western historical daw yata ang genre. Nakoo! Bagay na bagay kay Oliver!"

Kilig na kilig pa niyang tili. Pinitik ko ang ilong niya kaya doon pa siya tumigil.

"Aw." Napanguso siyang hinimas ang ilong niya.

"You're talkative, Ellie."

Doon niya pa napansin ang ginawa niya at napapahiyang ngumiti. "Sorry Ma'am, hehe." Bumalik ang tingin ko sa daan.

"We need to focus on the groceries. Did you get everything on the list?" I asked, trying to redirect her attention. "Where's the item in the cart?"

"Hindi ko po nabayaran dahil nagkagulo po kasi kanina. Naiwan po 'yong cart," She handed me the list, and I glanced through it quickly. "Okay lang, we can go back inside. Pero next time, focus tayo sa kailangan gawin."

"Opo, Ma'am, next time po." She nodded enthusiastically.

As we headed back to the mall, Ellie couldn't help but continue talking about Oliver. "Ma'am, si Oliver nga pala, may latest endorsement daw siya ng high-end fashion brand! At ang laki raw ng talent fee niya. Grabe, ang swerte naman niya!"

"Hmm, interesting," I replied, trying to sound uninterested.

"Pero Ma'am, hindi lang siya sa showbiz sikat. May business din siya. Alam mo ba 'yon?" Ellie continued, seemingly oblivious to my lack of interest.

"Business? Ano'ng klaseng business?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Sabi sa balita, may production company siya, and he invests in real estate. Kaya yata mayaman siya. Talented, gwapo, at successful sa career at negosyo. Sino bang hindi mahuhumaling sa kanya?" Ellie shared, clearly impressed.

"Well, good for him," I said flatly, more focused on driving.

"Ma'am, gusto mo rin bang maging artista?" Ellie asked suddenly.

"Hindi ko alam, Ellie. Mas gusto ko ang tahimik na buhay," sagot ko habang naghahanap ng parking space.

"Pero Ma'am, think about it. Imagine mo, maging girlfriend ka ni Oliver. Sikat na artista, mayaman, at sobrang gwapo. Parang fairy tale, di ba?" she said with dreamy eyes.

"Hindi ko kailangan ng fairy tale, Ellie. I prefer a real and simple life," I replied as I parked the car.

"Baka mamaya, biglang dumating si Oliver dito sa grocery. Malay mo, Ma'am, destiny 'yan!" Ellie teased with a mischievous grin.

"Destiny? Hindi ako naniniwala sa ganyan, Ellie. Now, let's focus on finishing our errands," I said firmly, grabbing my bag and heading towards the mall entrance.

Binalik namin ang cart kanina at mabuti nalang at hindi pa na return. Dinagdagan nalang namin dahil ilang items lang naman ang kulang.

"Ma'am, kung sakaling makita mo si Oliver, picture po tayo ha? Baka sakali mapansin tayo," Ellie excitedly suggested as we strolled through the fresh produce section.

"Ellie, enough about Oliver. I'm not interested in meeting him, and I'm definitely not interested in taking pictures," I replied, trying to steer the conversation away.

We moved to the checkout counter, Ellie couldn't resist talking about Oliver one last time. "Ma'am, alam mo bang nagpapagawa si Oliver ng charity foundation? Ang dami niyang natutulungan."

"That's good for him. It's nice when celebrities use their influence for a good cause," I commented, hoping to put an end to the Oliver discussion.

After paying for the groceries, we made our way back to the car. Ellie was still buzzing with excitement, but I was ready to focus on more important matters.

She's still talking about him at parang natatandaan ko na nga lahat dahil pabalik-balik siya. I didn't know Ellie was so hyper. Or, baka dahil lang pinag uusapan ang idol niya.

While driving back, Ellie couldn't help but share more tidbits about Oliver's life and recent projects. I listened half-heartedly, my mind preoccupied with the tasks that awaited me at home.

*****

I grabbed my lunch in my condo when a call interrupted my bite. I only eat Pizza for lunch dahil wala akong ganang kumain ng kanin ngayon. Nasanay na rin kasi akong walang kanin dahil siguro sa kinakain ko outside the country. I'm not into dieting because I lose weight even though I ate lots of foods. Siguro dahil masyadong mabilis ang metabolism ko at lalo na at lagi naman akong nag eensayo araw-araw.

I heard my phone ring and when I read it, the producer was calling me.

"Yes?"

"We have a welcome party next week before tayo magsimula sa taping. Kailangan makilala ka muna ng mga artista para malaman nila 'yong dapat gawin during your teaching."

"Sure, I'll be there. No problem," I replied to the producer, noting the details of the welcome party. After ending the call, I decided it was a good idea to find a suitable outfit for the occasion.

I headed to the mall, navigating through clothing stores with the intention of picking something that exuded both professionalism and comfort. As I browsed the racks, I couldn't help but overhear snippets of conversations about Oliver's upcoming project. It seemed like his presence was still the talk of the town.

After finding the perfect outfit, I headed towards the cashier. As I waited in line, I felt a tap on my shoulder. When I turned around, I was surprised to see that annoying man standing there.

"Excuse me, miss. Hindi ba kita kilala?" he asked with a puzzled look on his face.

I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Hindi kita kilala, at hindi rin kita gusto kilalanin. So, if you'll excuse me," I replied coldly, turning my attention back to the cashier.

He persisted."Wait, I think we've met before. Sa Mall, di ba? You saved me from that crazy fan."

I sighed, realizing he was the same guy from the earlier incident. "Oh, tapos? Share mo lang?" Bara ko sa kaniya.

He chuckled, seemingly amused. Anong nakakatawa roon?

"I guess I'm not used to people not recognizing me. Anyway, I'm Oliver. Oliver Lian Laurent," Nagkamot siya ng ulo. "I believe I already introduce to you my name before. Baka nalimutan mo lang."

I nodded nonchalantly. "Good for you, Oliver. I'm not interested."

Bakit kaya umiba ang ihip ng hangin? Why is he kind to me all of a sudden? Nagbago ba siya dahil hinalikan ko siya?

Isang tapik ang nagpainis sa akin. Nakita ko siyang nakasunod pa rin at nang makita niya ang reaksiyon ko ay napakamot siya sa kaniyang batok.

"A-ah, k-kasi gusto ko lang mag sorry sa sinabi ko last time." Walang emosyon ko lang siya tinapunan ng tingin at bumalik sa paglalakad ko.

"Oh, okay." I coldly answered.

He followed me. "Look, I was out of line. I shouldn't have said those things. I was... surprised, I guess."

I stopped and turned to face him. "Surprised? Because a woman can do a job just as well as a man? Or because a woman didn't fall at your feet?"

He looked taken aback. "No, I... I mean, yes. I mean... I'm not used to women like you."

"Women like me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He hesitated, "Strong, independent, not interested in my fame or money."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, so now you're complimenting me. What's next, are you going to ask me out on a date?"

He grinned, "Would you say yes?"

I rolled my eyes and started walking away. "In your dreams, Oliver."

He followed me, still grinning. "So, you're saying there's a chance?"

"No way. I told you, hindi kita type." Balewala kong saad.

He clutched his chest, acting like he was hurting. "Ouch, that really hurt."

"Oo, at kapag susunod ka pa. Dagdagan ko pa 'yan." Pero mukhang abnoy siya kaya sumunod pa rin siya sa akin.

He laughed at my threat, clearly not taking me seriously. "You're feisty, I like that."

"I don't care," I retorted, increasing my pace to get away from him.

He kept up easily, his long strides matching mine. "So, what's your name?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"Why should I tell you?" I shot back, not slowing down.

"Because I told you mine," he reasoned, sounding amused.

"And who said I wanted to know your name?" I replied, trying to shake him off.

He chuckled, "Fair point. But I still want to know yours."

"None of your business," sagot ko, hindi nag-aaksaya ng oras. He's hiding his face with black cap and sunglasses. He is also wearing a large jacket na kulay pula. Even though he's hiding his face, his good posture is really good. I guess.

He chuckled. "Alright, mysterious stranger. Maybe someday you'll tell me."

"Don't count on it," wika ko at lumampas sa automatic door. I even saw the guards looking at us.

Nang makarating kami sa labas ng mall, hindi pa rin siya nagpapatinag. "Miss, sandali lang. Wait for me!"

Parang tanga nito. Binalewala ko lang siya at hindi na pinansin. Ngunit nagulat nalang ako nang hinawakan niya ako sa papulsuhan at mas nagulat ako dahil hinayaan ko siya. What's wrong with me?