kabanata 1 Beginning
1776 Words
KABANATA 1
POV: Kazuki Bryan Montierra
The underground lounge was carved deep beneath the city concrete walls, dim lights, and silence that felt heavier than the air itself. This place wasn’t meant for casual conversations. Every word spoken here carried consequence. Every decision, a ripple.
We sat around the table, glasses half-filled with whiskey aged longer than most men’s patience. Smoke curled lazily above us, blurring the edges of the room. Lucien leaned back on his chair, one arm resting against the leather, eyes fixed on me. Drake stood near the wall, arms crossed, silent as always. Mikhail no, Darkness, as he preferred to be called in moments like this watched me with that familiar calculating gaze.
They already knew.
Not everything but enough.
“So,” Lucien finally spoke, his tone measured, cultured. “Tuloy na talaga ang pagpunta mo sa Pilipinas?”
I lifted my glass, watching the amber liquid catch the light. “Yeah.”
No hesitation. No explanation.
A brief silence followed. Not the awkward kind but the kind that weighed options, risks, and consequences.
“That wasn’t part of the timeline,” Drake remarked calmly. “Last we checked, wala kang dahilan para bumalik doon.”
I took a slow sip before answering. “Things change.”
Mikhail leaned forward slightly, fingers interlaced. “Hindi lang basta trip ang dahilan mo. We both know that.”
I didn’t deny it.
Lucien tilted his head, studying me. “We heard something interesting,” he said casually. Too casually. “Na may iniwan kang… commitment doon.”
I set my glass down with deliberate care.
“Define commitment,” I replied coolly.
Darkness let out a low chuckle. “Huwag na tayong magpaligoy-ligoy, Kazuki. May asawa ka raw sa Pilipinas.”
The word echoed asawa as if testing its weight in the room.
“Yes,” I answered. Plain. Controlled.
The three of them stiffened not shocked, but alert.
Lucien raised a brow. “And does your wife know she’s married to you?”
I looked at him, unblinking.
“No.”
The word landed harder than any confession.
Drake straightened. “That complicates things.”
“Hindi ba understatement ’yan?” Mikhail added. “Kung hindi niya alam, paano mo ipapaliwanag ang bigla mong paglitaw sa buhay niya bilang asawa?”
I leaned back, fingers tapping once against the armrest. “I won’t explain everything.”
Lucien frowned slightly. “So what’s the plan? Because from where we’re sitting, that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.”
“May plano ako,” I said calmly.
Darkness narrowed his eyes. “And in that plan… kasama ba ang pagsasabi mo na isa kang—”
“No.”
The word came out sharp. Final.
I met his gaze, letting the weight of my authority settle.
“Wala siyang malalaman tungkol sa tunay kong pagkatao,” I continued, voice low but firm. “Hindi ngayon. Hindi kailanman.”
Silence wrapped around us again, thicker than before.
Drake was the first to speak. “Then what will she know?”
I poured more whiskey into my glass before answering.
“She’ll know that her mother owed me a considerable amount,” I said evenly. “A debt that couldn’t be paid with money.”
Lucien’s jaw tightened. “And the solution?”
“Marriage,” I replied. “As agreed.”
Mikhail exhaled slowly. “You’re saying… binayaran ng ina niya ang utang sa pamamagitan ng pagpapakasal ng anak niya sa ’yo?”
“Yes.”
“And she agreed to that?” Drake asked.
“Her mother did,” I corrected. “Before she died.”
The room fell quiet.
I could feel it then the unspoken understanding dawning on them. This wasn’t about power. Or leverage. Or convenience.
This was about a promise.
“She doesn’t know any of this,” I added. “All she needs to believe is that the marriage is a form of settlement. A legal arrangement.”
“And the interest?” Lucien asked carefully.
My grip tightened around the glass.
“She’ll give me a child.”
That was when all three of them spoke at once.
“Seryoso ka ba?”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Kazuki—”
“Yeah,” I cut in, voice steady. “I’m serious.”
I took another sip, unfazed.
“She’ll live comfortably. Protected. Provided for,” I continued. “She’ll have everything she needs. She just won’t have the truth.”
Darkness shook his head. “You’re walking a fine line.”
“I’ve walked worse.”
Lucien studied me for a long moment. “This… this isn’t like you.”
I smirked faintly. “You don’t know everything about me.”
Drake pushed himself off the wall. “What about emotions? You can’t control that.”
“I don’t intend to.”
“And if she refuses?” Mikhail asked.
“She won’t,” I replied. Not arrogance—certainty.
“Because?”
“Because she’s nothing like us,” I said quietly. “She believes in simple things. Honest work. Normal life. She won’t question authority especially not one backed by obligation.”
Lucien sighed. “And when she eventually finds out?”
“She won’t.”
“You’re gambling with a human life,” Drake said.
I met his eyes. “I’m honoring a promise.”
For a moment, none of them spoke.
The image of my yaya surfaced in my mind her worn hands, her gentle voice, the way she stood between me and a world that never cared whether I survived or not. She wasn’t blood. But she was family.
She was the only one who stayed.
“She asked me for one thing,” I said softly. “One.”
Mikhail nodded slowly. “And you agreed.”
“I did.”
Lucien leaned back, defeated. “Then I guess… Pilipinas it is.”
I stood, adjusting my coat. “I’ll handle this.”
“And us?” Drake asked.
I paused at the door. “Stay ready.”
Because I knew one thing for certain
The woman waiting for me in the Philippines didn’t know she was already tied to me.
And when our paths finally crossed, her world would never be the same.
(Val POV)
“Val.”
Napalingon ako mula sa inaayos kong nutrition chart. Sa pagharap ko, bumungad si Stella nakasandal sa counter ng staff area, may pilyong ngiti sa labi. Kilala ko na ang itsura niyang ’yon. May binabalak na naman ang babaeng ito.
“Yes?” tugon ko, hindi inaalis ang tingin sa hawak kong papel.
“Gimik tayo mamaya.”
Napaangat ang ulo ko at napakunot ang noo. “Hoy, babae. Kakagala mo lang last week ah. Gala na naman ang nasa isip mo? Hindi ka ba napapagod?”
“Grabe ka,” natatawang sagot niya. “Off naman tayo bukas, tapos sahod pa natin. Deserve naman natin ’to,” pangangatwiran pa nito.
Napapailing na lang ako. “Deserve mo,” sagot ko sabay turo sa kanya. “Ako? Alam mo kung ano ang deserve ko? Matulog.”
“Tss,” sabay lapit niya at umupo sa gilid ng mesa ko. “Val, naman. Wala na nga tayong lovelife, hindi pa tayo magpapakasaya sa buhay. Twenty-something pa lang tayo. Kailangan din nating mag-aliw-aliw. Hindi pwedeng laging bahay–trabaho–bahay.”
Napabuntong-hininga ako. May punto naman siya.
“May trabaho tayo rito, Stella,” sagot ko. “Hindi party central ang ospital.”
“Exactly,” mabilis niyang sagot. “Kaya nga lalabas tayo. Balance lang.” Kumindat pa siya. “Saka kasama sina Caty.”
“Kayo talaga,” natatawa kong sabi. “Basta galaan, ang bibilis n’yo.”
“Malay mo,” nakangising dagdag niya, “makita na natin ang mga tadhana natin.”
“Hay naku, Stella.”
“Oh, bakit? Malay mo naman.”
“Ano bang meron?” tanong ko.
“Wala lang. May bagong bukas na bar sa downtown. Chill lang. Hindi maingay. Pang-adult.” Tinaasan pa niya ako ng kilay. “Hindi ’yung pang-college vibes.”
“Okay, sige na nga,” napabuntong-hininga ako. “Pero alam mo naman na hindi ako fan ng alak.”
“Hindi ka rin naman namin pipilitin. Juice, mocktail, tubig bahala ka. Basta nandoon ka.”
“Fine,” sagot ko sa huli. “Pero sandali lang. Gusto kong magpahinga sa off ko.”
Nagliwanag ang mukha niya. “Yes! Alam ko ’yan isang oras lang ’yan,” sabay tawa. “Tapos biglang tatlong oras na pala.”
Sinamaan ko siya ng tingin.
Tumawa lang siya at tumayo. “Text ko sina Caty at Sarah. Eight PM?”
“Balik na ako sa department,” sabi ko.
Tumango siya bago tuluyang umalis.
Pag-alis ni Stella, ipinagpatuloy ko ang ginagawa ko. Umupo ako nang tuwid at bahagyang inunat ang balikat. Ramdam ko ang pagod ilang araw na ring tuluy-tuloy ang duty ko.
May punto naman siya, bulong ko sa isip. Kailangan ding mag-relax kahit saglit.
Pagkatapos ng shift, naglakad ako palabas ng hospital, bitbit ang bag ko at ang parehong routine na matagal ko nang kinagawian. Tahimik ang parking lot. Malamig ang hangin. Normal ang lahat at gusto ko iyon.
Sa kotse, habang pauwi, nag-ring ang phone ko.
Caty: Stella says you’re in.
Napangiti ako.
Me: For one hour.
Caty: We’ll see.
Pagdating sa apartment, agad akong nag-shower at nagpalit. Simple lang black top, jeans, flat shoes. Hindi ako nag-abala sa bonggang ayos. Hindi ko naman hinahanap ang pansin.
Habang tinitingnan ko ang sarili ko sa salamin, saglit akong napatigil.
“Hm,” natatawa kong bulong, “hindi na masama.”
Minsan lang, sabi ko sa sarili ko. Okay lang ’yan.
Tumunog muli ang cellphone ko. Hindi na ako nag-aksaya ng oras at agad bumaba. Mag-isa na lang ako sa buhaypareho nang wala ang mga magulang ko. Hindi rin ako nagkaroon ng kapatid.
Naging OFW sa Japan ang mama ko noon. Kinailangan niyang lumayo para may maitustos sa amin, lalo na’t may sakit sa puso si Papa. Wala siyang ibang pagpipilian. High school pa lang ako noon.
“Wow,” sabi ni Stella nang sumakay ako sa kotse. “Himala. Ang ganda mo ngayon ah?”
“Naku, maliit na bagay,” sagot ko sabay hawi sa buhok at pabirong kindat.
Sabay-sabay kaming nagtawanan apat kaming magkakaibigan, kasama sina Caty at Sarah.
Habang bumibiyahe kami, kwentuhan lang trabaho, reklamo sa management, plano kapag sahod na. Walang drama. Walang komplikasyon. Ganito lang kami palagi kapag biglaang nagyayayaan.
Madalas nga, kapag pinaplano, hindi natutuloy. Pero kapag biglaan doon palagi nagiging memorable.
- Writer
