Under the Skin of a Platinum

Three

Chapter 3: Maid

"I suggest we infiltrate th--," hindi ko pa natatapos ang sasabihin ko nung sinuntok ni Alessandro ang mesa at bigla itong nabasag. Napatayo ng lahat ng tao na nakaupo doon.

"What the hell is your problem dude!" Tolfy spat angrily. Hindi ito pinansin ni Alessandro at direktang nakatingin saakin. Hindi parin humuhupa ang galit sa mga mata niya. Hindi ko iyon pinansin. Kung magpapadala ka sa emosyon mo hindi ito matatapos. At sinisiguro ko na yun lang ang pinakaligtas na paraan. Mahirap kalabanin ng taong hindi mo kilala. You don't know the power that they’re hiding. This gentlemen in front of me are one of the best but if we follow the other plan which is assassinate him immediately masasayang ang mga lalaking to. I know we won't get away with this if the plan fails.

"Alessandro, we can't kill him if we don't know his weakness and the other power that he can procure. He has a lot of connections and most of these connections are from politicians, billionaires and some royalties. Getting their trust is the first step and then slowly and surely we will destroy it from head to toe until there's nothing left," I explained. His emotions became cold, he left the room without uttering a single word.

Hindi ko na lang siya pinansin at bumaling sa ibang mga kasama niya. Mukhang wala naman silang pake at parang normal lang sa kanila ang ganitong pangyayari. We continued talking about the plan and I'm hundred percent sure that it's the only way we can enter the system. Maraming maapektuhan paglantaran ang pagsugod namin. Sa akin ibinigay ang  assignment na ito kaya nararapat lang na ako ang tumapos.

After the meeting I went to outside to grab some food. Kaunti pa lang ang nakakain ko at hindi pa ako nakakapagpahinga ng maayos. Nung nakarating ako sa kusina napatingin kaagad ang mga tao sa akin na may halong gulat. I smiled at them because I don't want to be rude towards other people and they seemed to be good ones. Kaagad naman silang napatayo at yumuko. Hindi ko na sila napigilan dahil mabilis nilang ginawa iyon. One of the cook immediately went to me and asked about the food that I want to eat. 

"Anything, I just really want to eat," sabi ko sa kanila. Hindi ako mapili sa pagkain at gutom na talaga ako.

"Any allergies, miss?" tanong niya sa akin.

Umiling ako at umupo nasa counter. Everyone in that room immediately left. Naiwan kami ng babaeng chef. Hindi naman ito nagsasalita at sa nakikita ko mukhang bawal sila makipag-usap sa mga bisita. Nararamdaman ko ang pagkailang niya kaya hindi na ako nagsalita pa. I looked around the kitchen and it was very clean. The way how this chef cooks is really neat. Natagalan ang pagluto dahil hindi naman sila kumakain ng mga instant noodles or any can goods. Puro fresh ang mga pagkain nila dito which is a good thing pero gutom na talaga ako. I regret staying in the kitchen because the food smells so good. Mas lalo yata akong nagutom dahil dito.

I patiently waited for my food and then after 2 hours of cooking the food is finally served. The chef smiled at me before leaving the kitchen. Sanay naman akong mag-isa kaya kumain na ako. I I  finished the food in less than an hour. Gutom pa ako kaya ako na lang ang tumingin sa ref. I don't want to disturb anyone. Hindi naman ako reyna at hindi naman ako nagbabayad sa kanila para serbihan nila. Nakakita ako ng isang tangkay ng grapes at yun ang kinain ko. Sinara ko na ang refrigerator at kaagad na napatalon ng makita ang mukha ni Alessandro. Buti naman at hindi ko nabitawan ang grapes. Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay. Mukhang maganda na ang mood niya. 

"What do you want?" I asked before eating a piece of grape. Hindi siya nagsalita at tinignan lang ako. I took another bite of the grapes and looked at him in the eye. Hinintay kong magsalita pero mukhang wala naman siyang gana.

"Ewan ko na lang talaga sayo," sabi ko at tinalikuran siya. Hindi pa ako nakakalayo nung nagsalita ulit siya. 

"I'm going to learn that language and I promise I could communicate to you better once you comeback," he said. He didn't give me a time to react. He immediately walked towards me, closing our distance. Hindi pa ako naka recover sa sinabi niya sakin ng dumukhang siya para halikan ang nuo ko.

"Take care of yourself," he uttered and then left the room leaving me confuse. Hindi ko parin maintindihan kung ano ang gusto niyang sabihin. Minabuti ko na lang na ubusin ang grapes na hawak ko at bumalik na sa kwarto kung saan kami nag meeting. 

Nung nakapasok ako ay kaagad na napatingin ang lahat ng tao sa akin. Hindi ko na sila pinansin at kaagad na lumapit sa mga kasamahan ko. Atticus is busy with his tech thingy habang nag-uusap naman ang kambal. Hindi ko nakita si Niccolas, sabi ng dalawa ay tumawag daw sa asawa niya. 

"Are you planning to be single forever?" tanong ko sa kanila. Napabaling silang lahat sa akin at binigyan ako na mapanglait ng ngiti.

"Wow coming from you. I'm okay being single, I can do whatever I want and besides I don't have any time to have one. I have my priorities straight and none of them are about dating or relationships," sagot ni Atticus pero hindi pa rin maalis ang mga mata niya sa computer. He has a point kahit ako ay wala ring balak maging committed. I don't even do dates because for me dating is a waste of my time. I might eat my words in the future but this is what I feel right now. 

Hindi na kami nag-usap pa dahil pumasok na si Niccolas sa kwarto at nakasunod sa kanya si Alessandro. Kaagad siyang umiwas ng tingin ng nakita niya na nakatingin ako sa kanya. The meeting started and this time everyone agreed about my suggestion. 

"We didn't find any job offers in his company but I found that he's hiring a maid in his house," Zeus said while giving me a folder containing my new identity. 

"You will be Allisa Velasques, a 27 year old, single woman. A college graduate with a degree in business administration but due to financial problems you are forced by your parents to work immediately and you took this opportunity. The rest of the information is found on the file," turo ni Tolfy.

"What if someone recognize me?" tanong ko sa kanila. It's possible since malakas ang connection nila. 

"That's why you're putting up a disguise. Hindi naman siguro mahirap gawin yun. We are trained to do that, Yaeko," Atticus said while giving a USB to Tolfy. 

Tumango lang ako at binasa ang mga nakasulat doon. Base from the description I have to cut my hair. Napatingin ako sa buhok ko, hindi naman ito gaano ka haba pero I still treasure this hair. Mas mataas sa balikat ko ng kaunti ang buhok na dapat kong ma-achieve. I have a wavy jet black, mid-length hair kaya mahihirapan akong ma maintain ang ganyang klaseng buhok kasi tendency is magflafly away. The worst part about this is that I have to wear contact lense. I have a silvery dark eyes, if you don't know what I mean look at the moon and you'll see the resemblance of it. I'm proud of it at nakakapanghinayang kung hindi ito makikita. 

Hindi na ako nakinig pa sa pinag-usapan nila dahil wala naman akong ganap doon. I focused on the papers in front of me. I have to familiarize everything. Ayaw ko ng palya dahil mas lalong matatagalan ang assignment na ito kapag nahuli ako. I know I'm already great in masking but I still have to be careful or otherwise this whole thing will be wasted. Natapos na ang meeting namin at kailangan ko ng ayusin ang sarili ko. Hindi na kami nag aksaya ng oras. They immediately guided me towards the room. Pagpasok ko pa lang dun ay nakahanda na ang lahat. Bukas na magsisimula ang plano. And I can take this day to practice being Allisa. 

Unti-unti akong naglakad papunta sa vanity chair. Iniwas narin ako ng mga lalaki dahil mag-uusap pa sila sa plano nila. I sat down and then looked at the mirror in front of me. If they are racist then they won't recognize me. I have a chinky fierce eyes. Kaya siguro lagi akong nalalabel as suplada at walang modo. My cheekbone is very visible and my lips are pale. I don't really wear too much makeup. The woman came near to me and smiled. I didn't gave her any reaction, I simply sat there and looked at the materials in front of me. 

According to the biography that Tolfy made, Allisa is a very outgoing, cheerful and friendly woman. Napangiwi kaagad ako habang binabasa iyon. Allisa is the exact opposite of Yaeko. I know I can pull this off but the pressure is there. I read her documents and looked in the mirror. I smiled sweetly in the mirror. Pero napawi ang ngiti ko dahil sa nakita ko. I'm so good at this that I can't recognize who I am. I know that I should be happy about it but I feel like as the days passed I'm starting to lose myself.

"You're very pretty, madam," the hairstyle finally destroyed the silence. I looked at her through the mirror and she immediately looked away. My hair is very short right now and I don't even know If I could pull this off. 

"Thank you," mahinang sabi ko. I rarely get a compliment like this since no one ever tries to talk to me because I'm scary and intimidating. Ngumiti lang siya pero hindi pa rin nakatingin sa akin. She continued cutting my hair and as the time passed I'm getting worried because of how short my hair is starting to look. When she stopped cutting, I closed my eyes. It feels weird to have short hair. Hindi ko na actually maramdaman ang buhok ko sa balikat. 

Tumingin ulit ako sa salamin at nakita ang mukha ko. I feel so different. Makikilala ko pa naman ang mukha ko pero mukhang hindi na ako ito. After the haircut they are planning to color my hair. Hindi na ako umalma pero ramdam ko na sa sarili ko na hindi na ako si Yaeko. The character in my head is starting to portray and I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad one.  I really wanted to sleep after that haircut but smelling the chemical coming from the hair color I couldn't even dare to relax. My hair hasn't been touched yet. Oo at naka experience na ako ng haircut before pero hindi ko pa ito nakulayan o kahit rebond. I'm scared that my hair will fall out because I saw some of the failed bleaching in youtube and I saw their hair falling out.

I stayed in that room for almost two hours. At habang tumatagal hindi ko na nakilala ang mukha ko. Tolfy was right after all, this woman can really turn you into a different person. Lumabas na ako sa kwarto na iyon dahil hindi ko na kaya ang amoy sa loob. Napatigil ako ng makitang nakatayo si Alessandro sa labas ng kwarto. His leaning on the wall in front of the room waiting for someone. Napabaling ulit ako sa kwarto at nakita ang babaye na nag-aayos ng mga gamit niya. Binalik ko ang tingin kay Alessandro at nakitang  titig na titig ito saakin. Hindi ko gustong bigyan ng malisya ang ginagawa niya kaya hindi ko na iniisip pa. Pero kahit anong gawin ko hindi ko maiwasang mapabaling ulit sa kanya. I'm curious about his reaction and I didn't even know why.

He looked at me intently, hindi ko mabasa ang reaksyon niya dahil wala namang emosyon ang mukha niya. Hindi ko na siya pinansin at naglakad pabalik sa kwarto ko para magpahinga. Hindi ko alam na kahit umupo ka lang nakakadrain parin. I sat in front of the mirror in my vanity table. Nakakapanibago ang mukha ko ngayon. Hindi ko alam kung bakit, dahil buhok lang naman ang nagbago. I looked at the contacts infront of me at pinili kung saan ang babagay sa akin. Ayaw ko sanang mag contact lense pero kailangan. 

Nag half Bath lang ako dahil bawal basain ang buhok ko at natulog. Maaga pa ang interview bukas kaya kailangan kong magpahinga para fresh naman ako bukas. I easily fell asleep because of exhaustion. I woke up when I felt my phone ringing. I reached for my phone and answered the call without checking the caller ID.

"Hello," I answered in a raspy voice because I just woke up. 

"Ate kamusta ka diyan?"

Napabangon kaagad ako ng marinig ko ang boses ni Inna. Kaagad nagising ang diwa ko dahil sa sinabi niya. Hindi maganda ang bond namin ni Inna at hindi niya pa ako tinatawag na ate o kinakamusta. I looked at the caller ID to make sure that this is Inna. Mas lalo akong nagulat ng nakitang siya nga ang tumawag sakin. Mahaba ang naging katahimikan dahil hindi ako nakasagot kaagad. 

"Ate?" ulit natanong niya.

I looked at the caller's ID again to check. Hindi ko aakalain na maririnig ko ito galing sa kanya. Somehow joy overpowered me. This is an improvement, I really want to get to know her and to be close with her but our father always gives us a different assignment. 

"Yes, I'm okay. Kayo kamusta?" I asked.

I don't want to say anything wrong so I'm pretty pressured and nervous. This is the first time that Inna did this to me. I could not explain how happy I was. I really want to be a sister figure for her. I want to know her more. Minsan na-iisip ko na masyado akong intimidating kaya si Clem lang ang nakaintindi saakin. Inna and I have a lot in common but I still don't know why we didn't click during the time when her mom brought her to the house.  She was so fragile, more fragile than Clem. I'm not close with them when I was young because my father always separated me from them. Ngayon ko lang sila nakilala ng mabuti.

"Okay lang rin. Clem is alone right now. Binigyan na ako ni papa ng assignment. Wala akong masyadong kilala na pwede siyang bantayan," sabi niya sa akin.

"Yeah, I'll send someone to look after her," simpleng sagot ko. Gusto ko pa sanang magtanong pero naiilang parin ako. Tahimik rin si Inna sa kabilang linya. Gusto kong magsalita pero walang lumalabas sa bibig ko.

"How's your assignment?" tanong niya sa kabilang linya. Kaagad akong napangiti dahil nakikita ko talaga na gusto niya akong kausapin.

"It's a little f****d up but I know I can manage. Ikaw kamusta yung sayo?" tanong ko sa kanya. Narinig ko ang pagbuntong hininga niya at alam ko na kaagad na hindi rin maganda.

"What happened?" tanong ko kaagad. Like what I said before I know she can manage but I still can't bring myself to not worry about her safety. Yes she is trained in these things but she is still my sister.

She told me everything. Habang nakikinig ako sa kaniya hindi ko maiwasang mainis kay papa. Some father likes to keep their daughter out of danger but my papa is different. The training back then was pretty rough, imagine a 8 years old girl shooting someone. I haven't experienced normal life because of it. I witnessed a lot of things that a 8 year old should not see. Napasarap ang usapan namin at nakalimutan ko na may gagawin pa pala dapat ako ngayon. I heard a knock in the door. Napabaling ako doon at nakitang pumasok si Atticus. 

"I'll call you back, stay safe," I said.

I waited for her reply before dropping the call. Atticus raised his eyebrows while looking at me. Hindi ko siya pinansin at inayos ang gamit ko para lumabas na. Sumunod naman kaagad siya sa akin pero alam ko ng magtatanong siya kaya inunahan ko na.

"It's Inna. Can you believe it? she called and talked to me," sabi ko at napangiti. Hindi parin ako tumitingin sa kanya.

When we reached the car. Hindi na ako nagsalita at nakinig na lang sa sasabihin nila. Pagdating namin sa harap ng malaking bahay nakita ko kaagad ang tumpok tumpok na mga babae naghihintay sa labas. All of them are dressed sexily na parang hindi maid and kukunin nilang trabaho. I'm okay with it. Mag fill-up ako ng form para dito. I'm wearing a simple attire, not too showy, not too casual as well. 

Umupo ako sa pinakagilid nag-iisip kung ano ang dapat kong gawin. I have to get this job. I put on the biggest smile that I  could get. Isa ako sa pinakahuli. I've seen woman entered with a smile but got out crying. Dun na ako kinabahan dahil sa nakikita ko. Halos maubos na ang lahat ng babae dito pero wala parin ata silang nakikita. All of them are pretty woman kaya hindi ko alam kung bakit hindi sila nakuha. Maybe their job prescription does not fit the job. 

Tatlong babae na lang kami ang naiiwan ngayon. Kita ko ang takot sa mga mata habang naghihintay. I looked at them from head to toe. Ang huling mga kasama ko ay hindi katulad ng mga babae kanina. They are dressed nicely at parang seryoso talaga ang pakay nila dito. Nakaramdam ako ng konsensya dahil baka kailangan talaga nila ang trabaho na ito para makakain. 

Pinasok ko na lang sa isip ko na para rin sa kanila ang ginagawa ko. Akala ko ay isa isahin kaming papasukin pero nagulat ako ng sabay kaming pinapasok. This place is bizarre, very neat, organize and clean. Nung pumasok kami ay kaagad akong may nakitang tatlong kalalakihan sa harapan namin. I stopped moving and looked at a familiar guy sitting in the left side. Hindi ko matandaan kung saan ko siya nakita pero alam kong nakita ko na siya noon. 

We all sat down in the chair prepared for us. Hindi ko alam kung bakit dumoble ang takot na nararamdaman ko. And it's weird that there are two other people. 

Baka kapatid niya?

Pero wala naman akong maalala na may kapatid siya. He's the only child. I waited for them to ask anything pero walang lumalabas sa mga bunganga nila. There is something wrong. I don't know what it is but something is not right. Napabaling ulit ako sa lalaki at nagulat nung nakitang nakatingin ito sa akin. I somehow remember those silvery eyes but I couldn't pull out where I saw it. Nararamdaman ko ang pintig ng puso ko dahil sa uri ng titig na binibigay niya. 

Napaiwas ako ng tingin. I don't know what's happening ang alam ko lang delikado na ako. I looked at the other girls and I saw confusion in their eyes as well. I regained my posture and the smile in it never left. Kahit gulong gulo na ako hindi ko parin pinapakita sa kanila. Nakikita ko na bothered na rin ang dalawa kong kasama. Kaya ang una ay napatayo at nagtanong pero kaagad siyang pinalabas. Mas lalong kumunot ang noo ko. 

Nagkatinginan kami ng isa babae. I remained quiet because I think  they are trying to test us. Naalala ko ito noong bata ako. My father would always bring me to a room and in that room three man are sitting in front of a desk. Across the room one chair is being placed. I called that challenge as the "shush". The rules of it is you cannot speak anything or else you'll lose. Yan ang iniisip ko kaya nagulat na lang ako ng iritadong nag tanong ang babae sa gilid ko.

"Are you really hiring or just wasting my time?"

Nagulat ako sa sinabi niya. I smiled widely. I want to laugh but I know I can't. Yan rin ang magiging reaksyon ko kapag hindi ko alam tong challenge nato. I bit my lower lip to hide the laugh. She was immediately escorted out of the room kaya ako na lang ang naiwan doon. Hindi parin nawawala sa isip ko ang sinabi niya kaya natatawa parin ako. Napabaling ulit ako sa kanila at dumaan ang mga mata ko sa lalaki kanina. Kaagad nawala ang ngiti sa labi ko ng makita ang amusement sa mukha niya. 

Hindi parin sila nagsasalita kaya I guess the challenged is still on. I'm willing to do anything just to get in. I want to finish this assignment ASAP. Nung makita nila na wala talaga akong balak magsalita ay tumayo ang lalaki sa gitna at nagsalita.

"You're hired."