Lead Me To You

Kabanata XI

Behaviour

Monica

Maingay na sa labas ng mansyon dahil nagsisimula na ang pagtitipon ng mga manggagawa. Naiwan lamang ako dito sa kusina habang tulala at nakaupo sa mataas na upuan ng counter. Nasa gitna ng aking mga kamay ang matangkad na basong may tubig na tila hindi ko malagok. Hindi ako handa para sa araw na ito. Akala ko ay magiging maayos na ako dahil ang tagal na panahon na ang lumipas, ngunit hindi pa pala. Masakit pa rin.

"What are you doing here?"

I heard Francis' voice behind me. Nagbalik naman agad ang aking diwa at tuluyan nang ininom ang tubig na nasa aking baso.

"There's a gathering outside. They know that you are here. They wanted to see you." He stands beside me.

"I'll come out... later," I answered.

Nagkita na kami ni Nanny Ophelia, ngunit hindi niya ako maalala. Nagkita na rin kami ni Carter ngunit may dala naman siyang masamang balita na lalong nagpalungkot sa akin.

"Is there something bothering you?" He leaned forward to my side to have a better view of my worn-out face. 

I looked him in the eyes, "no, nothing. I'm just- adjusting." I whispered the last word.

"I see. Do you want me to call Matteo?" He suggested.

"No, it's fine. He must have been working so much from his case. I don't want to disturb him." I said.

I forgot for a moment that he's a lawyer. He has a hectic schedule and he will not tend to my requests every time. It's so selfish of me.

"Do you want some wine?" I saw him walking past the counter and reaching a bottle of wine on top of the refrigerator.

"But you have guests outside. You don't need to accompany me here." He pooped the bottle open with a cork opener.

"I had this wine for a very long time. About twenty years, I guess. This was the first bottle I bought with my own money." He said.

The bottle was not brand as Carluccio's, it was another company. But you might think of it as one because they have the same packaging style, especially with the cork.

The cupboard that he got the bottle was full of wine bottles. Different brands and different names.

"When I first tasted a wine, I developed a hobby of collecting them. Not to display but to study them. I had a vision that this will be going to be my life, my career. And as I manifested, it did." He gave me a glass with wine on it.

"That's why you stole my father's brand," I declared with bitterness.

I saw him smirking. Oh?

"I had your family's company because they trust me. I am confident and knowledgeable. If I didn't offer my help, you have been dead by now." He sipped his glass.

"And I'm not? Do they not think of me as an option? I am confident and I know about the business." I fired back.

"You were the target, Monica. You will always have been. Your father did these so he could protect you. At ano naman ang magagawa mo kung napasayo ang kumpanya?"

Ano nga ba ang magagawa ko?

All this time, I have been set my goals for that. But what if I reach it? What is my plan?

"Gusto nilang patayin ka. Gusto nilang kunin sayo ang kumpanya. May plano ka ba kung sakaling nangyari nga ang gusto mo?"

Hindi ako makakuha ng tamang sagot. Walang salitang lumalabas sa bibig ko. I've become doubtful to myself. Again.