FORCED MARRIAGE TO A TOMBOY

CHAPTER 1

Carina P.O.V.

Hey, wake up, Sis! " kanina ka pa tinatawag ni Atty. Sebastian!

Tsk. Ang ingay naman ni Annelise.

Hindi pa ba matatapos ang lesson? Atat na atat na akong lumabas. Sumasakit na ang ulo ko sa dami ng article na kailangang isaulo.

I fvcking hate my life as a Law Student.

Sis, wake up!" she said while shaking my hot and sexy body.

Bakit niya ba ako tinatawag na "Sis"? Hindi naman ako babae—lalaki ako! Pusong lalaki ako! Kinikilabutan at nasusuka ako tuwing tinatawag niya akong "Sis..

"Miss Yuchengco! Get up and tell me everything about Article 4 of the Civil Code!"

Yan na nga ang sinasabi ko—article, article!

Nanatili akong nakayuko sa aking upuan. Mas masarap pang matulog kaysa makinig sa mga lecture ni Atty. Sebastian.

“Miss Carina, can you please wake up? You’ve been sleeping for the past 20 minutes. I’m waiting for you to recite Article 4 from the Civil Code!”, Singhal niya sa akin.

“Porket Malaki ang Share ng pamilya mo sa University na to ay ganyan kana kung umasta! Get up, and answer my question”, sigaw niya sa akin.

Nakakarindi ang boses ng babaeng 'to!

Itinaas ko ang ulo mula sa pagkakayuko, kinross ko ang mga braso, at napahikab bago tumingin sa kanya.

"Nakakaantok kasi ang klase niyo, Prof." Walang emosyon kong sabi, habang ang aking mga kaibigan ay halatang nag-aalala sa aking inaasta. Samantala, ang mga kaklase ko ay nakatingin lahat sa akin—may mga nakangiti, tumatawa, at may ilan namang seryosong mukha.

Yung mga seryoso kung makatingin sa akin—mga halimaw 'yan sa law. In other words, mga matatalino.

“Stand up, and answer my question!”, galit niyang utos.

Mayabang akong tumayo habang nakapamulsa. Dapat lagi akong maangas sa harapan nila—at higit sa lahat, dapat palaging pogi. Pero nawawala talaga ang angas ko kapag article na ang pinaparecite.

Kapogian lang talaga ang ambag ko sa classroom na 'to.

Sinuklay ko ang buhok ko pataas gamit ang kamay bago muling tumingin sa professor para sagutin ang kanyang tanong.

"Uh... Article 4 of the Civil Code... it says something like... um... that a person who is of legal age and hasn’t been declared insane or an idiot can act... legally?”, nauutal kong sagot habang nakatitig sa aming babaeng professor.

Tinaasan niya ako ng kilay.

“That’s not enough, Carina. I need a more precise and detailed explanation. You’ve only covered part of it. Try again"

I yawned and clear my throat.

“Well... um... it’s saying that a person can do legal acts as long as they are of legal age, and... um... they aren’t insane... or, like, declared incapable by a court?”, sagot ko ulit sa kanya.

“That was not enough, miss Yuchengco. I need you to recite with clarity and understanding. You’re not just here to sleep—you’re here to learn. Please respect the rules of this classroom!”, matigas niyang sabi

Napabuntong hininga ako at naiinis na napaupo. Sinagot ko na ng dalawang beses ang tanong niya, pero not enough pa daw. Kalokohan!

“Mr. Velasco, please answer my question. Ms Yuchengco, makinig ka sa isasagot ni Mr. Keith Velasco”,

Ngumisi ako at napatingin sa gwapo at matalino kong kaklase na kahit kailan ay hindi ko pa nakikitang ngumiti.

Kunot noo siyang nakatitig sa akin bago tumayo.

““Article 4 of the Civil Code states: ‘The act of a person who is of legal age and has not been declared by the court as insane or an idiot is valid.’ This means that for a person to have the legal capacity to act, they must be of legal age and not mentally incapacitated as declared by the court. If a person is mentally incompetent or a minor, their actions are not considered valid under the law.”he answer with calm voice at deri-dertso.

“That’s correct, Mr. Velasco. Thank you for that. Well explained.”nakangiting sabi ng aming Professor kapagkuwan ay nagtaas kilay nang bumaling sa akin.

“Did you hear it, Ms. Yuchengco?

Malawak akong ngumiti sa kanya pero sa aking utak ay pinagmumura ko na siya.

“Yeah. I get it. Well answered”, nakangiti kong sabi sabay palakpak. Pumalakpak din ang mga kaibigan kong kanina pa kinakabahan.

“My Gosh, Carina. You are so pasaway talaga”, maarteng sabi ni Annelisse sa akin. Ngumiti ako sa kanya sabay pindot ng pisngi niya.

“You are so cute, Baby. Kung hindi lang kita kaibigan baka na finger na—"

hindi ko naituloy ang sasabihin...

“Ewww, shut up, Carina. Iba na lang, not me”, maarteng sabi ni Annelisse.

Annelise Alcaraz was one of my rich friends. She is the only daughter of the Alcaraz couple, who own the biggest gadgets and technology company in the Philippines—Alcaraz Innovatech. Her father was the CEO, while her mother was a renowned surgeon in the country.

"I told you to study hard, Carina," seryosong sabi ni Clarisse.

Clarisse Zobel was also one of my rich friends. Her family owned the well-known Zobel Corporation, a prestigious company in the Philippines famous for its luxurious brands of bags, clothes, shoes, accessories, and more. Clarisse had both beauty and brains. Her stunning looks and sexy figure were exactly my type. Crush na crush ko ang kaibigan kong ito.

Maangas akong napatitig sa kanya.

"Sorry, Baby. Don't worry, I'll study hard for you," sabi ko habang kinikindatan siya.

"Hay naku, Carina. Kailan ka ba magsisimulang mag-aral nang maayos?" seryoso niyang tanong.

"Kapag nagpaligaw ka na sa akin," sagot ko habang nagpapapogi sa kanya.

"Hey, hey! Stop flirting with him, Brad!" singit ni Valeria sa aming usapan.

Val ang tawag ko sa kanya dahil magkalahi kami. Pareho kaming mahilig sa Mani.

Valeria Madrigal was also one of my rich friends. Her family owned multiple five-star hotels, condominiums, and shopping malls in the Philippines. She was the only daughter of the Madrigal couple, who desperately wanted a grandchild from her. But how could that happen when their only child was a tomboy?

Her parents had no idea that she was a woman with the heart of a man. She hid her true identity from them sa takot na baka itakwil siya ng mga ito. She needed to pretend because her family expected an heir to their company.

She had been struggling her whole life with her true identity, but she had no choice but to keep it a secret. It was really tough for her, pero hindi halata sa kanyang personality.

Kahit papano nalalabas niya ang tunay na pagkatao kapag nasa loob ng Blackwood University at kasama kami.

We are in opposite situations because I admitted to Mommy and Daddy a long time ago na pusong lalaki ako. At first, they were really shocked, and until now, I have no idea whether they have fully accepted me as a tomboy or not.

Pabulong kaming nagkulitan sa loob ng klase hanggang sa matapos na kaya ang saya-saya na naman ng mga betlogs ko. Wala pala akong betlogs dahil mani pa rin ang nakatapal sa hinaharap ko.

"Brad, let's go to the cafeteria. I'm really hungry. Oh my gosh, I can't be hungry—kawawa naman ang tummy ko," maarteng anyaya sa akin ni Annelisse.

Inakbayan ko siya.

"Yan! Brad dapat ang itawag mo sa akin at hindi Sis. Nakakapanindig-balahibo kapag Sis," bulong ko sa kanya habang ang isang kamay ko ay nakapamulsa habang naglalakad kami sa hallway.

"I'll go to the Library first", ani Clarisse na mariin kong pinigilan.

"Why baby? Let's eat na muna. Libre ko", nakangiti kong sabi sa kanya.

"Wag puro aral, Clarisse. Baka matalo mo na niyan si Mr. Velasco," pahayag ni Val.

Speaking of Mr. Keith Velasco, nadaanan namin ang grupo niya sa hallway, bitbit ang mga librong lagi nilang dala-dala sa buong buhay nila. Diretso na naman sila sa library pagkatapos ng klase. I stared at him arrogantly, while he furrowed his brows at me.

"May lawit ka lang, pero mas pogi pa rin ako sa’yo," I thought while glaring at him.

He smirked at me, making my jaw tighten in annoyance.Titigan pa lang iyon pero para na kaming nagsusuntokan dahil kahit kailan ay hindi kami magkasundo sa isa't-isa.

Nangdidiri pa rin ako tuwing naaalala na hinalikan ko siya sa mga labi noong mga bata pa kami. I even told Mommy and Daddy that I wanted to marry him someday. And the worst part? I even told Lolo General that I would buy Keith to make him mine.

Never! Never 'yon mangyayari ngayon! I am not going to marry him! Ewww!