Goodbye To Love

viii

Third Person

Two weeks has went by since the hotel adventure they had. All the conversations of that night were slowly fading away from their memories.

Irene haven't even talk to Greggy about her reasons as she doesn't know how to start, where to start, and what to say.

She decided to be cold and distant to him. It seems it's better to not have strings attached and just go on with their day as boss and secretary, nothing less, nothing more. Greggy has noticed this and asked her what her problem was but she just shook her head and smile.

It has been bugging him as he had already opened up to her, he had already asked himself if he had done something wrong for Irene to act like this. But to his conclusion, there was none. They've already been starting to act like good friends the past weeks but after that hotel escapade they had, it all turned 360.

It was already 3pm and by habit, Irene makes him his coffee, leaves it beside his elbow, and go back go her desk to finish her paperworks.

"Break." She muttered as she placed the saucer on his table. He turned to her and looked at her, she looked away and started to walk back to her desk.

"Wait. Irene." He stood up. Irene froze on her place and closed her eyes before turning her heel to look at him. "Yes?" She faked a smile.

He slipped out of his desk, slowly walking towards Irene. "Talk to me." He stopped in front of her.

"About what?" She asks, feeling her heart about to jump out of her chest.

"About us." He frowned. "What's happening? Why are being so cold? Did I do something wrong?"

She furrowed her eyebrows, "About us? There's no us... There was never an us?" She gulped down.

"No offense... Walang 'us' Greggy... So?" She asks.

Greggy was taken aback on her comment but composed himself as he thought, she's right...

"About our friendship." He corrected himself. Irene then smirked, "What we have was only professional." She smiled at him. "We don't need to be friends."

Irene was about to turn away when Greggy held her wrist. "Really? So the whole hotel thing and before that didn't happen? Ano bang ginawa ko?"

She held back her tears as she felt guilty on the sudden confrontation. "Let go, Greggy. Ang dami pa nating gagawing trabaho." She gritted her teeth.

"That can wait but this can't. Palagi kitang kinakausap kung anong nangyayari. Palagi kitang tinatanong kung bakit nagkakaganiyan ka na..." His eyes glued to hers.

Sighing, she decided that it was time.

"I'm not who you think I am." She started, hanging her head low. "Huh?" His eyebrows met on what she said.

She bit her bottom lip before telling him the whole thing. "My father wanted my siblings and I to work to get our inheritance from him. 5 months, that's the deal. All my documents are fake. My name is fake. All the things you know about me is fake." He slowly let go of the grip he held on her wrist. Not knowing how to react to this.

"Your father?" He asks in a small voice.

She looked away, "Ferdinand Marcos." She uttered bitterly. "You're... you're his youngest daughter, aren't you?" He asks, scoffing.

"And I really got a Marcos under my company." He spatted in disgust. "You act well, pwede ka sanang mag artista." He looked at her. "Now I know why you were asking me those questions... kasi manloloko ka." He scoffed.