MARKUS SANDATA

Chapter 20 - The Set Up

"How well do you know the Yamanin Family?" I asked her while we were in a middle of traffic.

"Not much." She rubbed her nose, "Just their business."

"What is their business?"

"Have you tasted the Yamanin Beer?" She smiled.

"Huh? No."

"Well, that is their business." She touched her leg, "I used to drink them with my co-workers every Saturday."

"Really?" I smiled. "What does it tastes like?" I added.

"Tastes like an iron steel." She giggled.

I grinned, "Hey--who invented 'Enrich Sebastian?' It's a sexy name by the way, but I prefer the real name." I added.

"My mother's first name is Enrich."

"I see."

"And for my fake last name...well, dad used to watch PBA and his favorite player was named Sebastian. So yeah, he named me using my mother's first name and his favorite basketball player."

"Wow."

She laughed, "And--and when my mother died, dad decided to pull me out from elementary school. He changed my birth name with the help of his money, and then he bribed everyone to get rid of my real name and also...to stay quiet; and then a few months later, he enrolled me to a new school. So yeah, using my fake name...I had finished high school, and when I graduated in college, that was the time that he wanted me to work for him."

"I wish I've met you before all of this." I said. "What kind of a father would use his own daughter?"

"It's okay. I love dad so much."

"You're just saying that."

"Markus..." She narrowed her eyebrows at me.

"Sorry."

We had reached Cubao. I parked the car inside of a parking lot of Sogo Hotel where no one else could be seen, "M--Markus? Why are we here?" She utterly asked me.

"May I borrow your cellphone?"

"Uhh--why?"

"We need to do something about your nosy 'friend.'" I told her that.

"Come on, Markus." She looked outside of the window. "You can't be serious!" She went on.

"Listen, I won't allow anyone to trace us if we're going to lay low in Cavite."

"I--okay. Fine." She lent me her cellphone.

"What's his name?"

"His name is Macheus Sibak." She was very quiet while I was opening her inbox...after entering the name, I had found out about their sexual explicit texts.

I stared at her, "The fuck?"

"Hey--I...I had no choice."

"Fuck this shit, Natasha."

"But--it's over. Okay?" I was silent while reading the texts. "I don't like him, okay?" She continued.

"This was a few days ago; and few days ago, you were ignoring me."

"No--Markus..."

"What?"

"I--I was really having trouble with you."

"And you weren't listening to a word I say because you had a feeling that you have someone else." She remained silence. "Never mind! I don't want to get angry because of this--shit!" I added.