The Billion-Dollar Proposal (COMPLETED)

XI: Yours for a Moment

A/N: GAGI HAPPY 1K!!!!!! Thank you thank you po so much!!!! For this chapter, ala akong masabi kundi enjoyyy wahahaha char ramdam na ramdam ko na ho ang galit niyo sa akin nakakatouch ng slight emz. Pardon me for the grammatical errors and misspelled words.

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Leni was in the middle of reviewing OVP paperwork and some scripts and agendas that Roque sent to her for tomorrow's forum together with the US ambassadors and bosses. However, she is pretty stuck on one tab of her browser and is ignorant of this fact.

It was her googling, 'Why don't women cheat?'

It was only recently that she did, but for the longest time, she remained loyal to her agreement with the Marcoses. It's possible that it's pretty much a given for them both because of the situation they're in, but in spite of that, the topic of husbands cheating on their wives is still something of a mystery to her. Asking questions like, how can they do it heartlessly while still being proud of themselves at the same time? What is the point of getting married to someone and promising to spend the rest of one's life with that person if one then goes on to have another lover after making such a solemn commitment?

Napahiga na lang si Leni sa kanyang unan at napapikit ng mata. She couldn't even differentiate if it was her relationship or work she was stressed into. She decided that breaking and lurking down were both going to be a waste of time, and since she wasn't yet too exhausted to sleep, she turned off her laptop and iPad, then grabbed a coat from her closet and put it on herself. It can't hurt to take a walk through the neighborhoods of Los Angeles, can it?

Lumabas siya ng hotel ng naka-coat at naka-beret lang at nilagay sa kanyang malalim na bulsa ang susi at cellphone nito. She reached for an umbrella, which, thank God, is available for free, and opened it up above her head while clenching it tightly in her hand because it was raining quite overwhelmingly outside. She started walking in the direction of nowhere while releasing all of the uncertainties and thoughts that had been occupying her mind into the chilly wind of Los Angeles.

A sliver of solitude and peace and quiet was exactly what she needed. People she saw and bumped into along the street do not recognize her, and they did not even ask her to take a selfie with them or something similar. She was strolling along, looking up and down and turning her head from side to side as she went because she was observing the height of the buildings in the city. She came across a food stall just a few steps away just in the nick of time as her stomach growled from the discomfort of the cold and, most likely, hunger as well. She paced up her walking and finally arrived at the food station.

She took advantage of the peace and quiet to place an order for a salad sandwich and a hot chocolate because, fortunately, there was no line to get in and there were few people inside the establishment. Leaving the location as swiftly as she could, Leni continued to walk while simultaneously eating her food. She turned her umbrella over so that it covered her as she continued on her trek when the rain finally started to slack up.

While she was sipping on her drink, she heard something brisk but masculine steps behind her. Agad namang kumunot ang kanyang noo at nilingon ang likuran. There was neither anything nor anyone else there, however, because she was overthinking the situation, he kept his head in that position until she accidentally bumped into something.

Or someone, rather.

"Matuto ka kasing tumingin sa dinadaanan mo," the former senator uttered in a calm yet soothing manner. He wasn't reprimanding her, it felt like an element of surprise.

"Anong ginagawa mo dito?" her irked tone got the best out of Leni.

Bongbong clicked his tongue and replied, "Sinusundan ka."