Breathless (Book 1&2)

Breathless #38

Chapter 38
Noreen

I was grumpy. Cloud and I were on the road ng inabot niya ang phone niya at may tinawagan.

"Hello Tita?" rinig kong sabi niya "Can I ask you a favor?" he then looked at me and smiled "Yes, I'll be there, thank you so much!"

We stopped in front of a big gate. Napatingin ako sa laki ng bahay na nasa likod nun. It was classical house, no, it's a huge classical mansion, you can see it from the outside.

Hindi na pinasok ni Cloud ang kotse, we walked through the gates at doon may sumalubong na dalawang katulong sa amin. They were wearing cute uniforms.

"Where are we?" pabulong kong tanong kay Cloud. He just smiled at me.

We stopped in front of a big door. I'm not exaggerating. It was really huge. Yung tipong hindi kaya ng isang tao kung bubuksan iyon. The door itself looks pricy. They obviously used sturdy type of wood and that costs a lot. The carved design was so detailed, you might want to touch it and have a closer look.

Pinapasok kami sa loob ng mga katulong at literal na napanganga ako sa ganda at luwag ng bahay. It's like double the size of our home! No, baka triple pa nga!

The extravagant chandelier hanging at the center of their hall caught my attention but the painting on the wall are hard to resist too. They're luring you in. It feels like you want to stand there and look at them all day long.

And the staircase! The grand staircase! I've never seen a beauty like that!

"Y-You didn't say that this mansion belongs to Villafor's!" nauutal kong sabi kay Cloud matapos mapagmasdan ang portrait na nakasabit sa wall. I saw Rio, Rylle, the CEO of VC, his beautiful wife and a handsome man who I guess is in his mid-20s.

"This way po!" rinig kong sabi ng katulong, hinawakan ni Cloud ang kamay ko at sabay kaming napatigil sa paglalakad ng may lumabas na lalaki mula sa kwarto na nasa ibaba, paakyat siya ng hagdan ng mapansin niya rin kami.

T-Teka siya ba yung nasa portrait?

"Tito..." bati ni Cloud sa kanya, saglit siyang ngumiti. I smiled at him too, tinignan ko ang mukha niya at ang mukha na nakasabit sa wall. Siya nga yun but the thing is, he looks a little different dahil sa medyo mahabang buhok at tumutubong bigote sa kanya. "I didn't know that you are here..." rinig ko pang sabi ni Cloud.

"I just came home, yesterday," Maikli niyang sagot kay Cloud. I looked at him sternly. He looks tired but what bothers me more ay yung mga mata niya. They're obviously lonely. He may have smiled at us pero halata din sa ngiti na iyon na may pinagdadaanan siya.

"Please excuse me..." rinig kong sabi niya matapos niya akong tapunan ng tingin. Cloud carefully pulled me at sabay na rin kaming naglakad papunta sa likod ng bahay.

"Who is he?" Tanong ko sa kanya. "Siya yung nasa portrait, di ba?" tanong ko pa. "What happened to him?" Cloud was about to answer me ng sumalubong na sa amin si Mrs. Villaflor, I w-was, I was literally mesmerized by her, napanganga talaga ako sa paglapit niya.

"Cloud!" bati niya sa kanya at ngumiti siya sa akin "Noreen? Am I right?" tanong niya at tumango ako.

"Cloud?" takang tanong ko.

"Well naisip ko kasi na kung hindi ka makapili sa mall edi pumunta tayo sa main branch." nakangiting sagot sa akin ni Cloud "Tita, thank you for doing me this favor." Sabi pa niya.

"Ano ka ba? Ikaw talaga, para saan pa't para na rin kitang anak, isa pa itong magandang babae na kasama mo, she's a distant relative, am I right?" tanong niya saka tumingin sa akin "I'm happy to help a family." Sagot pa niya.