The Billionaire's Hidden Son (Cavanaugh #1)

Kabanata 25

Kabanata 25

Weak

TURNING my phone silent, I ignored Lazarus' incoming call before I told Ashley the whole story. After that, she let me sleep in her room since there's a sofa bed inside, at the corner side of her room near the bed. All I need to do was to pull the concealed mattress out of the sofa bed then I could finally lay down on it. Ashley provided me a comfy blanket and soft pillow to sleep.

Nagising ako ng alas diyes ng umaga kasi natapos kami sa pagkukuwento kaninang alas sais ng madaling araw.

I checked my phone whilst rubbing my eyes with my free hand but I almost dropped my phone when I saw the number of phone calls and text messages.

Approximately sixty phone calls and eighty text messages.

Lahat ng 'yon ay nanggaling sa iisang caller at sender and it was doubtlessly Lazarus.

Akala ko ay siya 'yong tipo ng lalaki na hindi mahilig sa mga pagtawag at pagte-text. Oftentimes, it was Law who would contact their relatives and update his cousins.

Tinignan ko kung anong oras 'yong huli niyang pagtawag. It was just five minutes ago. Binasa ko ang mga message niya at parang umakyat ang kaba mula sa aking mga paa patungo sa dumadagundong kong dibdib nang dahil sa huling mensaheng nabasa ko.

'i'm f*cking mad, calista.'

All typed in small letters. Akala ko ay nakakatakot na 'yong all capital letters na paraan ng pagte-text o chat. Mas nakakakaba pala itong small letters, lalo na at nanggagaling kay Lazarus.

"Lisa? Ayos ka lang ba? Bakit parang namumutla ka?"

Binaba ko 'yong cellphone at tumingin kay Ashley na nasa may doorway nakatayo at may dalang breakfast. Worry was painted on her pretty face. She was still wearing her pajamas and I did not see her tie her hair. Dahil maiksi naman kasi ang kaniyang buhok at kahit hindi niya ito tinatali ay never ko itong nakitang magulo.

"Ayos lang ako Ash, don't mind me," I smiled at her. Reassuring that everything was fine even if it was actually not.

People were good at pretending, so did I.

"Today's Saturday kaya wala akong ibang trabaho kung 'di sa isang nightclub na pinasukan ko ng part-time job. Mamayang alas sais ng gabi pa ang trabaho ko," marahang sabi niya at naglakad papasok sa loob ng kuwarto.

Kaya naman pala ay nakasuot pa rin siya ng pajamas hanggang ngayon.

"Bakit sa mga club ka nagtatrabaho?"

"Kung sa isang kompanya o restaurant ako ay madali lang akong mahahanap ng parents ko," sagot niya saka inilapag ang dala niyang pagkain sa gilid ko.

She had a point.

However, a thought crawled inside my mind. Did she mean that her parents were wealthy, rich, and known? According to what she said, her parents would easily find her if she would work on a company, restaurants and other establishments.

Naisip ko na hindi na lang ako magtatrabaho ulit sa club na pagmamay-ari ni Law. I was not hiding myself. Umiiwas lang sa mga kapahamakan.

"I would like to apply there," I told her. Buong-buo na talaga ang desisyon kong magtrabaho ng ganitong mga trabaho.

"Okay? Marunong ka ba'ng sumayaw-"

"What?"

I knew the meaning of that look on her face, she expected my sudden reaction because she just gave me a sly smile.

"It's not just a simple club. It's a nightclub. The people there are all mature and old. Walang dancefloor para sa pagsasayaw ng mga binata at dalaga. Just an elevated platform to give space for dancing and perform an erotic show to satisfy the costumers. Walang slots para sa waitress, full na, kaya nag-apply ako as pole dancer. Pole dancing is my favorite pastime when I was just sixteen," she explained before giving my body a look, from head to toe like she was scanning and examining my body. "Puwede ka naman maging stripteaser-"