Trieja: Jake And Josh [Under Revision]

Chapter 56

"Your men are causing trouble in our island, Jake." Malamig na sabi ni Adriano.

Hindi nagsalita ang kausap. Malayo ang mga tingin nito habang nakasentro ang paningin sa asawa nilang tahimik na nakatayo sa gilid ni Adriano. Nothing has changed. Maganda pa rin si Claire kahit na nanganak na ito. It's like pregnancy never happened because of how slim and sexy she is wearing that red fitted dress.

"Mr. Novotny knew about our wife, why is that... Adriano?", malamig na balewala ni Josh sa tanong nito sa asawa niya.

Tumalim ang mga tingin nito sa kanya. "Are you insinuating that I leaked out information about Claire?"

"Kung hindi ikaw, ba't 'di mo ipaliwanag sa amin ngayon kung ano ang ginagawa ng ka-alyado ng angkan mo sa teritoryo ng mga Ignacio?" Humigpit ang hawak ni Josh sa baso when Claire willingly left the Conference hall silently nung paalisin ni Adriano. "After all, Mr. Novotny is one of your Escorts' client." hanggang hatid lang ng tingin ang nagawa nilang dalawa ni Jake.

"Ako lang ba ang ka-alyado ng mga Novotny?" sabay lingon ni Adriano sa dalawang lalake sa kanan nito.

Napangisi ito. "Are we going to start accusing each other now, dear old friends?", he sipped on his scotch, his tone laced with sarcasm. "If we continue this now, baka magkaroon ng pangalawang Civil War dito sa Amparo Island."

Bumigat ang tensyon sa Conference hall at nagkatitigan ang bawat isa sa kanila. There were five men sitting at a round table — Adriano near at a pillar, a few inches beside him were two Tiburcias, and opposite of him were Jake and Josh — cautiously perceptive with each other. Each of them look menacingly dark as they stay silent. The stillness of their body — not moving an inch — is like the calmness before a storm... like the seething quietude of a waging war before a real battle starts.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," basag ni Felix sa katahimikan nila as soon as he walked in the room with Rowan Amparo. "Nasa labas pa lang kami, sumisigaw na ang galit ninyo sa isa't isa. Wala pa nga kami, nagsimula na agad kayong mag-away-away?"

Hindi sila nakapagsalita.

"I apologize for my brother's insensitivity." Malamig na sabi ni Rowan nang maupo sa tabi ni Adriano. "I should've kept his mouth taped."

Mahinang napahalakhak si Felix nung sumimangot ang bunsong Amparo bago naupo sa tabi ni Josh. "We should get to the real business. All of you know my cousin — specially you, Rowan — he doesn't like being the Gentleman-in-waiting..." siniko ni Josh ang pinsan dahil sa 'di nakakatawang biro, ngunit tinawanan lang siya nito bago sumeryoso ang mukha. "We only came here for Adriano's reasons, and those reasons are . . . " Felix trailed on for Adriano to finish the sentence.

"Reasons that concern Claire." Tiim-bagang nitong sabi. Tahimik lang ang nakatatandang Amparo sa tabi nito.

Jake gritted his teeth, his assumptions were confirmed by that simple statement of Adriano's. "I already paid you according to your company's Terms and Conditions. Claire is ours, and ours alone. She's no longer a part of a competition."

Nabahiran ng iritasyon ang mukha ni Josh nung sumilay ang ngisi sa mga labi ng kaharap.

"That's the problem about you, Jake Ignacio... you don't read everything that's stated in the contract."

Bago pa man makapagsalita ang isa sa kanila, Rowan intervened, darkly.

"What my brother's trying to say is, Claire will be ours for the time being. It was her choice to be one of the Escorts again. Kahit pa malaking halaga ang binayad mo upang makawala ang isa sa mga Escorts ng kompanya, when they come running back to us... eager to work with us again, who are we to decline?"