Chapter 3: The dinner with the snake
(Riadne Laurel)
Dinala kami ni Jannah sa Savour, a five-star restaurant known for their French cuisines. I immediately liked the place, very classy and maganda ang ambiance. Even the people around us were elegant and well-mannered. High class.
I sneaked a glance at Iris. Kung sa hitsura lang din naman, I admit may laban sya sakin. She's beautiful in her own right, and can easily come to this place and not look out-of-placed. No point in denying that. After all, only insecure people do that.
As if feeling my gaze, lumingon sakin si Iris. I smiled widely, yung tipong nang-aasar.
She immediately frowned.
"I hope okay lang sa inyo ang French restau," Jannah said. "Pa-welcome lang kay Riadne."
Napangiti ako. I had the feeling na mag-kakasundo kami ni Jannah. She seemed like a really sweet girl, pati na rin sina Bridgette and Celyna.
"No problem," Bridgette replied, admiring the place. "Mas okay nga dito. May privacy tayo kahit papano."
"Yeah, gusto ko din talaga maka-try ng other cuisines. Puro western kami lately," Celyna nodded.
"Oh? Then you'll love this place. I know exactly what to order for you!" Jannah replied with a grin.
We ordered afterward and then fell into comfortable conversation. Mostly, we talked about our film, until Gabriel shifted the attention to me.
"I heard you shot down three big offers. Sawa na sa hollywood big screen?" tanong nya, with a ghost of a smile.
There's something about this guy. A real gentleman with the right touch of playfulness and humor. Mm, I like that. Nakakalibang.
"So hindi lang rumor yun?" Bridgette chimed in. "Bakit mo tinurn down? Sayang naman."
"Yeah, why?" dagdag ni Iris, leaning slightly forward. A subtle act of intimidation.
Nag-kibit balikat ako. "No reason. Na-miss ko lang ang Pinas kaya mas minabuti kong umuwi after I finished my contracts sa France. For a vacation na rin, if you will. Besides, I also need fresh ideas for my fashion line. It was just by coincidence na may movie offer ang CM."
"Ah, yes. I heard about that. If I'm not mistaken, you were a model before you became an actress. And now, you're also a business woman. Conquering different industries ba?" Gabriel said, laughing.
I grinned at him. "More or less."
"So after this movie, what are your plans?" Iris asked, obviously digging for dirt.
Nakakatawa ang hitsura nya ngayon, sa totoo lang. It's as if she's gonna explode sa inis. Ito ba ang tinatawag nilang anghel? It's obvious she can't handle rivalry well. And to think na kaka-kilala lang namin.
"Hmm. That depends. I'll probably take a short vacation and then focus on my beauty lab," I answered simply, making sure na mababanggit ko ang clinic ko.
"Beauty clinic?" Her brow raised. "What beauty clinic?"
"Glamoure, right? Did it launch already?" Gabriel asked again.
"Yes, just last month."
"It seems there'll be a healthy rivalry between you and Iris. See, she's the manager and image of Jewell kiss too. At kung di mo na itatanong, magaling na make-up artist and model din 'tong si Iris."
"Oh?" Napalingon ako kay Iris.
She smiled arrogantly. "Yeah. I even studied in different countries to master make-up artistry."
BINABASA MO ANG
Revanche
ChickLitShe's an actress, a business woman, a model, a fashion trend setter and above all, a professional beautician. She has the looks, the body, the fame, and the money. But despite her reputation and status, she's not happy. She won't be, at least until...
