TRACE DIMAGIBA (Wild Men Series 1)

008

CHLOE

I rolled my eyes, irritated with myself for the nth time.

That man... I sighed. He is a freaking handsome man, who was my ex-crush, who just a while ago was casually brawling with the police, and yet still occupying my mind!

I shouldn't be thinking about him, yet he's infiltrating my mind, reminding me of how he used to be my source of inspiration years ago.

Three years ago, when I first met him—No! Not met him!—I mean when I accidentally bumped into him. After that ay hindi ko na siya nakita pa. At kahit may plans kami ni Harriet pumunta sa lugar nila—ni Paige, in fact—ay hindi kami natuloy for some unexpected circumstances.

It was just that sudden moment and I can't forget him after. Kung hindi pa ako nakahanap ng work ay hindi siguro siya nawala sa isip ko. Yes, it was just last year I stopped thinking of him. When I swiftly secured a job with Carly's help, I enjoyed newfound freedom.

But that freedom was interrupted. And our family's problem—Carly—became the focal point we had to confront.

Thinking of Carly, si Trace Dimagiba na naman ang pumasok sa isip ko. How I wish makaharap ko na siya. Gusto ko nang umuwi ng US. Hindi ko gusto ang ginawa ni Trace Dimagiba kay Carly pero sana ay hindi niya kaugali ang ex-crush kong si Patricio Dimagiba. Sana hindi niya kaugali para madaling makipag-usap.

At si Patricio... Jeez! I remember how he proudly shouted his name and status to taunt the police officers earlier.

"Fuckers! You don't fucking know me?! Listen well! I am Patricio Ferreira Dimagiba, Jr. The 'awesome' son of Governor Patricio Dimagiba, Sr. of Salvacion. Call my father so he'll be here. Itong kasama ko ay si Logan Dimagiba Castillejo. Pinsan ko. And we are Dimagibas. Wala kaming kinatatakutan! Mga bobo!"

That was what Patricio exactly said. I don't know if he was okay or not, for he seemed insane. Gorgeous but mentally unstable.

I suddenly felt a sense of unease. What if... yeah... possibly...

That... Trace Dimagiba, whoever he is... he might share similar traits with those two earlier, Patricio and Logan. They are Dimagibas, like Patricio stated, proudly and tauntingly.

Napailing ako. One thing was certain, they exude arrogance due to their influential family backgrounds. Gosh! What a mindset! Kaugali nila rin iyong mataba kanina na nanakit sa matandang driver.

"He's still handsome, right?" Harriet said with a delighted tone beside me.

"Who?" I asked, even though I already knew who she was referring to. And it's true, Patricio is still undeniably attractive.

"Paige's brother. Who else? I thought you got it when I asked you if you recognized him. That was my hint. He was the one you had a crush on years ago," Harriet reminded me with a smile.

I awkwardly smiled. Oh, gee! So Harriet still remembers that. "Why didn't he recognize you?" I curiously asked. Best friends sina Harriet at Paige pero hindi kilala ni Patricio ang pinan ko. How come?

"We hadn't met again after that time when he picked up Paige in Baguio. When Paige and I graduated, he didn't attend, too. Sabi ni Paige ay hindi darating ang kuya niya kasi naroon ang father at mistress ng father nila. They have some family issues and—" Harriet stopped talking. Nanlaki ang mga mata. Suddenly she recognized that she spoke in Tagalog. "OMG, Chloe! Sorry, I forgot!" Harriet chuckled. I mean—"

"No need to translate, Yette. That's fine! I understand it all." I smiled. "In fact, I want you to use the Tagalog language every time you talk to me. I wanna learn the accent and eventually speak confidently without feeling embarrassed that I might be laughed at."