Bab 277: Lose
Chapter 6. Lose
"WHAT do you mean by that?" hindi makapaniwalang tanong ulit ni Nami dahil hindi siya sigurado sa narinig.
Ano'ng may ibinabahay si Romano? At alam ng kakambal niya? Pero bakit pumayag itong magpaligaw?
"Nah, I know what you're thinking, Kase. That's not true," said Glaze. "She's his younger sister. You still haven't met her, don't you?" she added.
Umiling siya. Ngayon lang niya napagtantong wala pala siyang kaalam-alam tungkol sa lalaki. She always mentioned about her dad, her friends, even random people she met, but she never asked him about his personal life. Laging tutok siya sa mga ginagawa nito sa trabaho. Noon nama'y kaswal lang ang pakikitungo niya rito, ni hindi niya kinu-kwentuhan. Kaya naman hindi niya alam na kapatid pala itong babae.
"One of these days, I'll introduce you to her," bulalas naman ni Romano.
"Huwag muna. I know she just had an attack last time, it would be better if she's not going to meet strangers yet."
"What attack?" kuryosong-tanong niya.
"Panic." Bumaling si Glaze sa lalaki. "So you shouldn't bring just anyone to your home."
Saglit na natigilan si Romano saka tumango. She kind of felt offended even if she didn't want to feel that way, that's why she focused on eating.
Glaze mentioned about her, being a stranger to his family—which was true—but still, she felt bad. There's more than that. Now that she's listening to them talk about his family, she felt like an outcast. Hindi niya kilala personally ang mga Caballero kaya wala siyang maikomento sa pinagkukwentuhan ng mga ito.
"How's her therapy going, by the way?" Glaze went on asking questions about Romano's sister.
"I think she's getting better. She wants to study in school now."
"Wow! That's a great start! How old is she again? Eighteen?"
"Yuri's nineteen—"
"Excuse me," she interrupted. "Restroom lang."
Sabay na napalingon ang dalawa sa kaniya at mukhang sawakas ay naalalang nandoon siya.
"Sige," anang kanyang kakambal. "Samahan kita?"
Umiling siya.
She noticed Romano avoided her gazes after a few.
Nang makalayo ay malalim siyang napabuntong-hininga, at dahil wala sa pokus ay hindi niya namalayang bumangga siya sa matipunong dibdib ng isang lalaki nang nasa hallway na papunta sa mga restrooms.
She immediately bowed to apologize, and when she looked at him, she was taken aback and realized that he's good-looking. Gwapo rin naman si Romano pero iba ang karisma ng lalaking nabangga niya. Iba ang tindig. He's dominating the area.
"It's alright. Ayos ka lang ba?"
"Wow..." she exclaimed in her dreamy tone.
"Wow?" he confusingly repeated.
She blinked her eyes twice and cleared her throat as she stood on the side of the hallway because somebody excused himself.
"I mean, I'm sorry," ulit niya.
Nakakahiya! Hindi niya napigilan ang mamangha sa: number one, taglay nitong karisma; number two, mababa nitong boses; at number three, kakisigan nito.
Damn, girl! Why are you enumerating—
"Miss, are you alright?"
She blinked her eyes twice more. "O-oo, okay lang. Excuse me."
Bago pa man makaalis ay may narinig siyang parang pamilyar na boses.
"Herrera, my man!"
Napalingon siya sa lalaki. She's right. It was Kieffer Sandoval.
"Magkakilala kayo?" wala sa sariling naitanong niya.
Naningkit ang mga mata ng bagong dating para siguro kilalanin siya at napamaang nang maalala siya.
"You are that vlogger!"
Tabinging ngumiti siya at matipid na bumati ng "Hi!"
"It's you! Kumusta na? Are you here to do some review on my hotel? Should I check you in in one of the Royalty Suites?"
Umiling siya. "Excuse me," ulit niya para makapagpaalam at makapasok na sa banyo.
She was already inside the cubicle and was about to lock the door when she remembered something.
"Iba ang tindig niya... Napakalas ng dating," bulong niya sa sarili. She didn't want to compare Romano to the new man, but she did. That's how she felt when she first met him. When she met Kieffer as well. They had that dominating aura in their own ways.
Her mouth immediately formed an "O" remembering when she first met Kieffer.
"Are you a secret agent, too?" she asked Kieffer.
"Man, now I'm exposed, too."
Napatuwid siya ng tayo at kung ano-ano na ang naisip sa lalaking nabangga niya kanina.
"Kieffer Sandoval knows him. What if he's one of them?" bulong niya sa sarili. She suddenly felt excited and wanted to see that man again. "What if they're on a mission right now? What if Romano's with them too? Damn, why am I getting so heated up?"
She immediately opened the door and went outside the restroom. Hinanap kaagad ng paningin niya ang dalawang lalaki at nahuli niyang paalis na ng restaurant. Mukhang hindi nagpunta roon para kumain.
She bit her lower lip out of excitement.
I think I am right! Gosh, I'm dying to know how missions look like in real life, she excitingly thought of it.
Mabilis ngunit pasimple siyang tumungo sa direksyong tinahak ng mga ito para masundan. Magdadahilan na lang siya kay Glaze mamaya na sumakit ang tiyan niya, o pwedeng idahilan na biglang nagpasama si Kanon kaya umalis na lamang siya nang walang paalam. For now, she'd follow those gentlemen and check if her hunch was right.
She noticed they rode the elevator that goes straight to the penthouse. Hindi na niya nahabol kaya sumakay siya sa kabila. Lalabas na lang siya sa fifteenth floor at sasakay sa elevator na maghahatid sa kaniya sa penthouse.
She's hoping that she could see what they were doing in person. And if she got caught, she'd just say she's wandering around because she was in awe with the interior of the hotel. Damn, she never felt this excitement before! Nakaka-thrill!
Sa nineteenth floor lumabas ang mga nakasabay niya sa elavator at siyang mag-isa ang naiwan sa loob. Nasa twenty-first na nang bumukas iyon at may lalaking pumasok na nakasuot ng kulay pink na damit. It's like what those riders were wearing in a motorcycle race. Naka-helmet nga rin ito.
"Nice getup," hindi niya napigilang magkomento.
Bumaling lang ito sa kaniya pero hindi niya malaman kung nginitian ba siya o nakabusangot ito dahil hindi niya makita ang mukha nito sa suot nitong helmet.
Tumunog ang elevator, senyales na magbubukas ang pinto niyon. Nagmadaling lumabas ang rider na naka-pink at nagtaka siya dahil mukhang balisa itong lumingon-lingon sa paligid. She just shrugged and pressed the close button, but right before it closed down, the rider was running, as if he's coming back inside, so she pressed the open button to wait for him.
Napatili siya nang pahablot siya nitong hinila at pinagpipindot ang close button. Sa bilis ng mga pangyayari ay hindi niya namalayang nasa sulok na sila ng elevator habang nasa likod na niya ang lalaki, at pasakal siyang hinahawakan.
"W-who are you?" garalgal at pumiyok ang tinig na tanong niya. She sensed she's in danger but she couldn't do anything about it. She was too terrified even just to scream or flinch.
"Fuck! There's someone inside the lift!"
Napatingin siya sa siwang ng pasaradong pinto ng elevator at nakilala niya ang lalaking iyon na nakabanggaan niya kanina. She may be right. They might be in a mission.
"Huwag kang magpabigat!" pasigaw na reklamo ng lalaking mahigpit pa ring nakahawak sa kaniya.
She couldn't stand properly so she's shifting all of her weight onto him.
"'Tangina, sinabing huwag kang magpabigat!"
"Ano ba'ng ginawa kong k-kasalanan sa iyo?" she managed to ask. Namamawis na siya nang husto sa matinding takot sa maaari nitong gawin sa kaniya. Though he's not holding any weapons, she was certain that she could get killed in just a snap.
"Manahimik ka!"
"Can't you just let me go? I promise to shut my mouth forever." She tried bargaining as she closed her eyes. "I didn't see your face, I didn't see anything either. I swear I won't say—"
She choked as he tried to shut her up by grabbing her neck and tightening his grip.
"Let m-me go... I c-can't breathe..."
Lumuwang ang pagkakahawak nito sa kaniya at pasakal ulit siyang niyakap gamit ang braso nito.
At this time, she was already crying and continously begging for him to spare her.
Binitiwan siya nito para lamang isandal sa salaming pader at sakalin gamit ang isa nitong kamay. Nanatili siyang nakapikit para mapanindigang wala siyang nasaksihan.
"I told you to shut your mouth!"
"I didn't see your face, p-please don't kill me..." she kept on begging, but he choked her again.
"You will die now. You shouldn't have seen—"
"Wala po t-talaga akong nakita!"
"Shut up!"
He srangled her even more to the point that she couldn't talk anymore. She couldn't breathe neither and she felt that she's going to lose her consciousness at any moment—No... she's about to lose her life.
"I... d-didn't s-see..."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone