Hide And Seek (A Series #4)

Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Rollercoaster

I felt a kiss on my forehead while I'm in the middle of a deep thought.

"Kanina ka pa nakatingin sa aking likod. Chineck na ni Genta kanina, ayos lang ako." marahan na sabi Fidai saka umupo sa aking tabi ngunit kaharap ako.

Hindi ko maipaliwanag ang nararamdaman ngayon. May kaba at pinaghalong takot. Nasa fourth floor kami sa isang conference hall. Fidai's men already arrived. Lima ang narito sa amin, dalawang nasa loob at tatlong nasa labas habang ang iba ay nasa baba ng floor upang pigilan ang komosyon doon.

Attorney Joana Ruiz is the opposing counsel. She's known to be a good lawyer in the field. But I don't see how good she is if she can't distinguish that the client she is holding is a fraud. Nasa aking tabi si Mommy na kinakausap si Attorney Paloma--George Paloma, a family friend and our lawyer.

Humugot muli ako ng malalim na hininga habang pinapanatili ang mataman na tingin sa kawalan. Hindi ko rin nga natanong kung ayos lang ba si Fidai dahil sa nangyari kanina. I embarrassed by how he can easily read my mind and answer the questions I cannot speak at the moment.

I felt his chin on my shoulder and the tips of his fingers playing mine on his lap. I shuddered a bit because of our intimacy. Ngumuso ako ng konti dahil nabaling ang aking atensyon at unti unting nawawala sa isipan ang pangamba.

"What about your work? You have a meeting tonight, right?" mahina kong sabi sa kanya.

He sniffed on my shoulder. "Hmm, private time ko na."

"Paano 'yong tawag kanina?"

"It's just my cousin."

Tumango lamang ako at natahimik muli. Mula noong nag-usap sila Kaden patungkol sa tutor sessions na itigil, doon ko napagtanto na talagang marami siyang inaadjust sa trabaho para gampanan iyon. I'm so relieve that it stopped so he can focus on his real duties.

Kusang nahagilap ng aking tingin at mga mata ni Attorney Ruiz na nakatingin sa aming direksyon. Bumaba ang mata niya kay Fidai na halos dikit na dikit sa akin bago bumalik sa akin ang tingin. Nananatiling kalmado ang aking mukha kahit nararamdan ulit ang kaba.

Tapos na siyang nagbasa sa will. Actually pagdating namin dito sa loob, iyon ang paulit ulit niyang binabasa at mukhang ngayon lang natatauhan. Nasa tabi naman niya ang leader ng mga ex-employees ng C & H.

"It's been so long, Miss Felicano." mataman niyang sabi sa akin pagkatapos binaba ang papel sa lamesa.

"It is, Attorney." mababa kong tugon.

She smiled without a hint of emotion before turning to Mommy. I smiled a bit at Fidai when he squeezed my hand.

"I understand your grief, Mrs. Felicano. And I don't want to be rude to your late husband, but this is all his fault for making things unclear."

"What are you implying, Attorney?" singgit ni Attorney Paloma.

"Simply, I guess we'll see each other on the court."

"It's not Haime's will statement. It's a fabrication and you know that." mariin na giit ni Mommy.

"It seems legit to me, Mrs. Felicano."

Napabuga ng hangin si Mommy sa galit. "Sa tingin basta bastang gagawa ng statement ang asawa ko? At ano pa, sa mga empleyado pinapataguan? This is a fabricated statement and whoever did this, stole his seal and copied my family's signatures. You think we're dumb?!"

"I think, as a lawyer, it is best to settle this per what my clients wants." aniya.

"Ruiz!" sita ni Attorney Paloma. "Are you serious right now? Naniniwala kang totoo ang papel na iyan? Ako ang may hawak sa lahat na confidential na papeles ni Haime."