Serendipity (Dauntless Series #3)

Chapter 26

"What the fuck is he doing?"

Nalilito akong bumaling kay Gustin nang bigla itong sumulpot sa aking likuran. Narito kami ngayon sa poolside dahil nagkayayaang magswimming ang buong pamilya. Sinundan ko ng tingin ang direksyon kung saan nakadapo ang paningin ni Gustin. It landed on Rainier who is currently holding his phone while talking to ate Reign. He must've sensed that we're gawking at him because he raised his phone like he's indicating something. I already knew what that means. I rolled my eyes to conceal my nervousness.

"He's blackmailing me,"

"Why would he blackmail you?"

My brother's curiosity grew even bigger. Ever since I told him basically everything that happened between me and Rainier, he always makes sure that he's part of this crisis of mine. I really don't want to drag him into this mess but I can't undo it anymore.

"Because he wants to make my life miserable even more. He has a picture of me and my friend kissing on his phone, and he threatened to show it to my grandparents."

Gustin combed his hair with his fingers and threw his head back. I reached for the orange juice on top of the table on my side. Pagkatapos kong uminom noon ay tumayo ako at lumapit sa pool. Kaya lang ay parang gusto ko na lamang bumalik sa chaise lounge dahil sa mga mata ni Rainier na nakadapo sa katawan ko. I am wearing a blue two-piece swimsuit and him staring at me like that makes me want to cover up and run. I've grown to be more confident with my body as it is part of my job but Rainier makes everything uncomfortable. I don't know if I'll ever get to act myself whenever he's around.

Thanks to my little brother, who is currently talking to our sister, I was able to jump to the pool without worrying about getting preyed upon. Gustin's standing in front of Rainier, completely blocking his view of the pool and me.

I am fighting the urge to talk to Manilka now that our relationship might be at risk. If I just followed myself and didn't entertain her, we wouldn't be in this kind of situation. But who am I kidding? No one can ever resist that woman. Simula noong nakilala ko siya ay hindi na ito nawala sa isipan ko. Ang pader na ginawa ko para hindi mahulog kay Manilka ay biglang nagiba I wonder if I also have that effect on her.

Umahon din ako matapos ang ilang minuto. Sinalubong ako ni Gustin dala ang aking robe.

"I talked to my friend about that matter. He's a hacker and he can help us with your problem."

"Really?"

He nodded. Napangiti ako at ginulo ang kaniyang buhok. Tinawag na kami ni Tita Odette kaya naman naglakad na kami patungo sa cabana. Kaya lang habang naglalakad kami ay may biglang sumagi sa aking isipan.

"What if he has a hardcopy of the pictures and he already mailed it to my grandparents?"

Gustin stopped in his tracks. Nagkatinginan kami. My heart started beating faster while my little brother turned his head towards Rainier's direction aggressively.

"Let's just hope that he hasn't thought about that yet..."

Was that supposed to comfort me? Definitely not.

Maaga akong pumasok sa eskwelahan kinabukasan. Gustin texted me to update me about the hacking situation. He's with his friend as we speak and he's there to make sure that nothing gets past and every information against me that Rainier has will be non-existent.

I was able to study in peace. I talked to my friends about my trip and laughed with them whenever Sheena said something funny. That was a normal day. Or so I thought.

Pauwi na ako sa bahay nang bigla akong makatanggap ng tawag. I reached for my phone from my bag. Tila biglang dumoble ang lamig galing sa aircon ng aking sasakyan nang makita ko ang pangalan ni kuya Cairo sa screen. Noong una ay ayaw ko itong sagutin dahil natatakot ako, ngunit paano kung tungkol sa iba pala ang dahilan ng kaniyang pagtawag? Huminga ako ng malalim at sinagot ang tawag.