The Billionaire's Contract Wife [COMPLETED]

Fifty-Six: Staying Connected

Tuwang-tuwa akong pinanonood ang lahat na masayang nagkukuwentuhan. I am at a famous peking duck restaurant here in Beijing with my team. We're here to celebrate my birthday. 

Si Mei ang namili ng resto na 'to since 'di naman ako ganun ka-familiar dito. And it was perfect. Everyone loved the place and the food. 

Saka nakakatuwang makitang kahit papano ay nakapag-relax ang lahat. The past months have been rough for everyone in the team. Everyone deserves this quick break from all the pressure from work. 

“You good?” I heard Huifen ask me.

“Yup, I’m all good,” I told her. "Thank you for asking."

She’s a senior app developer. She’s basically the closest to me among the team members. Maybe because she went with me to Shanghai to attend a seminar. 

Huifen proposed a toast later, for my birthday and for the success of the ‘Love Bond’ project. Everyone was having so much fun. 

We were in the middle of our dinner when I felt my phone vibrate. 

I checked who it was. But to my confusion, there was no text or calls from anyone. 

It was only then that I realized that it was a notification coming from the ‘Love Bond’ app.

My eyes grew wide, lalo na noong makita kong ang taas ng ‘stress level’ ni Louie at the moment, which caused the app to alarm me. 

“What is it?” Huifen whispered. She must have noticed my reaction. 

I showed her the app on my phone. Her chinita eyes grew wide. She was surprised to know that I am already using the app.

I discreetly showed her the bracelet, na hindi nakikita dahil natabunan ng sleeve ng suot kong blazer, before I motioned to keep quiet. Hindi pa kasi alam ng buong team na nasa akin na ang sample ng bracelet. I felt like it's too soon.

"What happened?" she whispered again. She must be worried about Louie.

"That, I will find out," ang sabi ko bago ako bumaling sa iba. “Excuse me. I’ll just need to make a call,” I told everyone before I excused myself from the table. 

I went somewhere na hindi matao para tawagan si Louie. I’m kind of worried.

I listened to the constant ringing from the other side of the line through the earbuds I am wearing while staring at the app. He’s not answering the call and the app tells me that he was still very much distressed. 

I could feel myself tensing up. I was really worried. 

It took him a while to answer my call.

“Hey,” anito. 

Kahit papano'y nakahinga ako noong marinig ko ang boses nito. He sounded tense, though.

“Hi! What’s happening right there? Are you okay?” ang walang paliguy-ligoy kong tanong dito.

“Uhmm… Yup, I'm good. Why do you ask?” He was obviously lying.

“The app says you’re very much distressed right now.”

“Oh, right. The app,” anito na tila noon lang naalala ang tungkol doon. “Yeah, of course. The app. It works."

He sounded more like damn-I'm-screwed kind of tone.

“So? What happened? Are you okay? You got me worried.”

“N-nothing. It was nothing, really. There was just some minor mishap but uhmm... we’re sorting it out right now. There's no need to worry, really.” It seemed like he was hesitant to provide me with some details.

I was staring at the app as I talked to him through my earbuds. And somehow, I could see that as we talked, his ‘stress level’ has been slowly going down. Thankfully. 

“You don’t really want to tell me?” I asked him again.

I heard him heave a deep sigh. “Okay, one of the investors is just acting up. But it’s no biggie, really. It was nothing me or James couldn't handle. You don’t have to worry about it. How is your birthday dinner?” 

“Uhmm, good. Actually, we’re still here. We’re in the middle of dinner when I got a notification from the ‘Love Bond’ app.”

"That's a bummer. I'm sorry for ruining the mood."

"Of course, not. I'm actually glad that you didn't take that off."

I made him promise not to take the bracelet off.

“Nakalimutan ko na ngang suot ko pala ‘to, eh. At least we know that this actually works."  He doesn’t sound irate anymore. 

The app was telling me that he had calmed down already. He was actually 'happy' now. 

“Are you feeling better now?” I asked him,  just to confirm.

“Yeah, much much better. Just hearing your voice made me feel much better,” he replied.

Parang ang hirap paniwalaan ng mga sinasabi nito. If not for the app, I would have thought that he was only teasing me. That he didn't really mean it.

But the app was telling me otherwise.

“I’m glad to hear that,” ang sabi ko dito. 

“Yup, I'm all good. There's absolutely nothing to worry. Sige na, balik ka na sa loob. I’m sorry for ruining your dinner."

“Nope, that was nothing. Halos tapos na din naman kaming kumain. Nagkukwentuhan na lang sila. Saka konting inuman."

“Please enjoy the rest of your birthday dinner.”

“I will, don’t worry. You take care, 'kay?”

“I will, I will. Don’t worry. You, too. I'll have someone fetch you later."

"I'll just take a cab, no worries."

"I think it's time that we buy you a car."

"I can't drive."

"And enroll you in a driving school."

I chuckled. "Sige na, balik na ako doon sa loob. Baka nagtataka na ang mga yun at 'di ako nakaba ---"

“I miss you,” he said, cutting me off.

Napangiti ako. “And I miss you, too.”

“I really do.”

I was still staring at the app.

“I know,” I said. 

Napatda ako habang nakatitig sa app. It felt like my inside was starting to form a knot.

I know he was telling the truth. Even without the app. I could tell it from his voice.

What surprised me is to see how his 'love meter' is slowly going up. 

No, no. Ayokong umasa. This can’t be real. 

The app must be broken or something. Or maybe it was just a glitch since this is not the final product yet. We were still finalizing some features of the app. This may not be 100% accurate yet.

Yes, that’s it. That must be it. 

The app must be playing tricks on me. There’s no way that Louie is falling  in love with me. No freakin’ way.