Sayang

Chapter 2: Who's Lattrel?

The window of the jeep was open, and the air conditioning system inside had been switched off. Whether he turned it off because that's simply how he does things or because he noticed that I was shivering here, I'm grateful to him in either case.

When he keeps his mouth shut and wears his customary bored expression, he appears to be a charming individual; he isn't even bothered by the fact that my body is already wetting the seat of his jeep, which appears to be quite costly.

"This is nice," I said something in a soothing voice before placing my arm across my lap and slumping into his car seat, embracing the cool night air from outside as I closed my eyes. It occurred to me that if I continued to close my eyes, I would fall asleep at any moment, so I opened them.

But my head turned to my side without my consciousness and I saw the guy looking at me with his elbow on his open window while his head was resting to it.

I'm not sure why, but I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks as the seconds ticked by. Anyone would feel the same if this type of guy would continue to stare at them even after they have already caught him.

"W- What are you looking at? Look a-at the road!" Even though I tried my hardest to seem as confident as possible, my voice came out so unsteady that I almost banged my head on the dashboard out of embarrassment! When I heard him chuckle, I returned the glare, but he pretended as nothing had happened.

With just one glance at his beautiful face, my heart was already soaring with delight, and now he's going to make fun of me? Good lord.

After that, it took several minutes before we were able to enter via the large gate. I was embarrassed when the security guard gave me a sorrowful smile, and I felt horrible. Surely my Lola and cousins gave him an earful. The driver drove for two minutes before we arrived at the main entrance, which was at the top of the great stairway that welcomed us.

"Iha!" When I heard Manang Olivia exclaim after she noticed me peering out from inside the jeep, I immediately closed my eyes. I noticed a lot of shadows coming from behind her, and I gulped when I noticed my Lola peering down at me with serious eyes while holding her crane. Uh-oh.

"You should get down, right now," I was startled when I heard a voice from my side, and I turned to see the man staring at me, bored, but with a mischievous smile on his face. I took a deep breath and gazed at him with a screwed-up brow as if begging him to let me stay here. When he got out of the driver's seat and moved over to my side before unlocking the door I was holding tightly, my eyes widened a little more.

"Do you want me to carry you down?" My face flushed with shame once more as I rushed to get out of his jeep as quickly as possible. I turned to look at my cousins, who were snickering and laughing at me while my Lola get down the stairs.

"You, child!" Ouch. When I felt her slap her crane on my leg, I closed my eyes firmly and heard a stifled laugh from behind me, where the guy was standing and I merely looked at him before glaring at him in return. When I received a slap on the arm my gaze returned to the front.

"Manang..." Then she just glared at me, which caused me to glance down at my feet again. While I was being beaten here, my cousins and the man behind me appeared to be enjoying the spectacle.

"Look at you, Child! What's that on your skirt? Did you swim?" Upon hearing this, I quickly widened my eyes in frustration as I peered down the length of my skirt. I was taken aback by how filthy the hem of my skirt had become; there was even mud dripping from it at one point.

I looked back at the man behind me with remorseful eyes as he looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face. What the f*ck, I didn't just wet his seat, I also soiled the floor of his Jeep Wrangler. But he's acting like it was nothing.

"Go inside and clean yourself for dinner." My Lola said this to me as she walked past me. When I turned back, she was beaming at the gentleman who had picked me up.

"Lattrel, I am so sorry for the inconvenience. It's ok if you won't come here tomorrow," I was about to turn to face them when Manang Olivia dragged me upstairs as I had heard my Lola say something.

"What a grand welcome? - No hugging, Ate! You're so dirty, right now." It was said by one of my male relatives who was a year younger than me and who was hiding in the back of his Kuya when it happened.

"After I gave you a Car last month, that's how you'll welcome me?" I said to him disappointedly before going inside with Manang Olivia, who always sighed deeply when she saw the track of dirt that my skirt was causing.

During my wait on the floor, where I was holding myself since the chill from the powerful air-conditioned was slowly seeping into my body, Manang prepared a hot bath for me in the main shower room.

"Manang... Who's Lattrel?" I asked as my curiosity was piqued, as she began to feel the water in the large bathtub to see whether the temperature was appropriate so that I may in immediately.

"Lattrel, he was hired by Madame as the head of our fruits plantation. He also helps us in the horse stable and he was one of the most trusted people of Madame- Come here," she said and I stood up from the floor joyfully leaving my skirt on the floor together with my baby blouse and bra.

Already as soon as my first feet touched the water, I could feel the heat streaming out of my chilly body. I smile as I slid down the big bathtub until my head was already submerged in water, where it remained for a brief moment.

"Should I add the soap now?" Manang Olivia has asked me a question, and I respectfully nod my head. Manang Olivia was like a second mother to me. I grew up without a mother, and my father was often abroad on business trips, which is why I was always left with my Lola and her house companion, Manang.

"How much was his wage, that he was able to buy a jeep wrangler?" And its Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392, which was the costliest Jeep Wrangler ever built. If I wanted it, I'd have to save up that type of money for two months, but I... I came from a privileged family; this isn't really a problem for me.

"He bought that with his own money, let's not talked about it. I need to go to check the kitchen. I'll have your clothes sent by the maids. Ok?" She whispered this tenderly to me before kissing me on the cheeks with her lips. Manang Olivia was still the same person she had been.

The bathroom was rather empty when I arrived, and there was nothing particularly noteworthy. It's the same old, sophisticated white bathroom, and I hope I could be in charge of the renovation when the time comes to do it myself. But for the time being, I'm going to think about how I'm going to break the news to everyone that I'm going to be staying here for good.

_____

Iha;

Another Tagalog term for Daughter/ younger girl.

Ate/ Kuya;

Tagalog term of Sister/ Brother.