TRACE DIMAGIBA (Wild Men Series 1)

005

Present... After three years.

CHLOE

23rd Street, New York, USA

"Chloe McIntyre! Wait!" That was Oliver, my handsome boss and the CEO of the company where I've been working for a year. Isa ako sa mga junior interior designers ng Jameson Realty Group. Gusto ko ang trabaho ko plus mabait pa itong boss ko.

I smiled. Si Oliver, siya ang lalaking pangarap ko!

And why the hell not? A perfect gentleman, wealthy, and possessed a generous heart. Twenty percent ng earnings ni Oliver ay napupunta sa charities na sinusuportahan niya. He's just too good to be true, and I like him. But wondering for the possible reason kung bakit niya ako tinawag, I stood beside my car and waited for him to come closer.

"Hey, Sir Oliver!" nakangiti kong bati.

He was almost catching his breath when he finally stood before me. "Going home already?"

"Ah, yeah." I tucked loose strands of hair behind my ear. "What's the matter? Do you need anything?"

"Well, I just wanna ask you something." He shrugged.

It felt like heaven as we exchanged glances. He seemed to be musing in his deep thoughts, so I took the chance to smize him all to my heart's content.

Thirty-eight na si Oliver at almost twenty-three naman ako. It's a fifteen-year age gap, yet it didn't matter. Iyon pa nga ang reason kaya ko siya gusto talaga, mature na kasi siya at hindi gaya ng mga kaedaran ko na sex at goodtime lang ang habol sa relasyon. Moreover, I don't want to be like Carly—my older sister—who fell in love for some jerk.

My sister was an intelligent woman. Actually, since Carly graduated with flying colors, she had a handful of companies to work with. Nonetheless, New York ang top priority namin puntahan noon pa. Pangarap namin ni Carly ang manirahan sa Big Apple mga bata pa lang kami. Gusto namin maging independent at patunayan ang kakayahan namin sa parents namin at makawala sa pagiging control freak ni Mommy.

And all was well until everything changed six months ago, yeah... when Carly's secret affair took a wrong turn. I found her in bed, bathed in a pool of own blood. Carly slashed her wrist, and the name and words written on the wall were—Trace Dimagiba, I hate you!

Carly lived. Nasa California na siya after she was out from the hospital. She was diagnosed with severe depression kaya kailangan monitored siya ni Mommy, at para sure na hindi na niya maulit ang pag-suicide. And about Carly's douchebag ex? Well, I knew nothing about my sister's fucktard ex-boyfriend, but I knew my sister well. 

Hindi ko nga maunawaan kung bakit ang gaya ni Carly, na matalino at maganda, ay lolokohin lang ng Trace Dimagiba na 'yon? That damn guy dropped Carly like a hot potato! Carly trusted him, but all she got was misery. What an asshole!

I hate that man! Send him to the devil, and I would celebrate. I cannot accept that some bastard hurt my sister. Carly was a respectable, exceptional woman with a heart for the less fortunate. My sister was a devoted volunteer for charities that helped orphans. And that man?! He's nothing compared to my sister!

"Hey, um, are you free on Saturday?" Oliver disturbed my thoughts about Carly. I blinked. Oh, gee! How could I forget about Oliver?

"Oh, I'm sorry, I spaced out." Jeez! This is Trace Dimagiba's fault!

"No worries," Oliver chuckled. "So, are you available? Saturday night, I mean?"

"Sure, sir! Saturday, then!" I replied enthusiastically. The butterflies in my stomach danced gloriously as I gazed at Oliver's dreamy, expressive eyes. Obvious na gusto niya rin ako kaya chance ko na sa Saturday. And that was only four days to wait. Cool!