Play Pretend

Chapter 16

#OLAPlayPretend

Chapter 16
Engaged

Mabilis kong nilunok ang kaba na naramdaman. Habang nagmamartsa palapit sa kanya, dinampot ko sa loob ng bag ang flyers ng DVH na naipon ko. As soon as I reached his desk, I slammed the papers on top of it and glared at him. Kung abot ko lang siya ay baka nasaksak ko 'yon sa baga niya.

Habang galit at naiinis ako, nanatiling nakangiti sa akin si Xaiver. Sinulyapan niya lamang 'yon at mas lalong naging mapang-inis ang ekspresyon. He was certainly enjoying watching me suffer.

I couldn't believe I almost fell for his sweet gestures and chivalrous acts. He was so good at pretending and playing with my heart. Luckily, I was smart enough to guard it and keep my feelings in check because I would never let myself fall for someone like him.

"I see you got the advertisements... Are you here to apply for the position?" Xaiver smiled and cocked his head to one side.

"Advertisements?" matigas kong ulit. "Advertisement na sa akin lang nakakarating?"

"And what's wrong with that, Chantal?" He raised a brow and smirked. "You are my target market."

"Ano?"

"I'm glad that the trashy marketing plan Joseph came up with still worked," Xaiver added, insulting Joseph's ideas, which also put a great shock on me. "I never expected you to last this long, though."

May kinalaman si Joseph? Akala ko ba wala siyang alam?

As I expected, he really knew something. Imposibleng wala. Ayaw ko mang pagdududahan ang pangungumusta niya sa akin paminsan-minsan, but I honestly didn't expect him to do that on his own accord. I underestimated Xaiver's wickedness. I knew he was cruel, but I never thought he would be this cruel.

"Ano ba'ng kailangan mo sa akin, Xaiver? Ano ba'ng gusto mo para tigilan mo na ako?" nanginginig kong tanong sa galit.

"You know exactly what I want, Chantal," he coldly said this time. "And you also know that I won't stop until I get what I want. I never lose."

Without a word, Xaiver grabbed the same documents he showed me last time from his drawer and placed them on his table. He also picked up a fountain pen and opened it, urging me to sign the agreement.

"Marry me and be my wife," Xaiver seriously said. "We'll separate in three years. No extensions. All conditions will be in your favor. After that, you can do whatever you want in your life, and I won't bother you anymore."

"Ang sama-sama mo..." hindi ko na napigilan ang sarili. Dala na rin siguro ng matinding bugso ng damdamin.

Xaiver's serious gaze just locked on me as he said, "I never claimed to be kind, Chantal. Don't expect me to be one."

Nag-init na ang bawat sulok ng mga mata ko. I bit my lower lip hard while staring at him. Ayaw kong sumuko. I didn't want to bend my principles. I didn't want to succumb to his evilness. I wanted to still be firm with my decision and reject him once more. I wanted to fight for what was right, but I knew there was no way I could ever escape him. But as I pictured my responsibilities inside my head, I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Kasabay ng pag-alala sa responsibilidad ko, naalala ko si Mama. I recalled her eyes filled with faith and hope while whispering words of encouragement to me. She was very positive that everything would be okay in time, but that would never happen unless I accept Xaiver's proposal. Kung magipit man ako sa pera, hindi ko siya pwedeng pabayaan lang. I would do everything just to make sure she would get the best treatment and live a longer life.

I had no idea what could happen in those three years, but as long as we were bound by a contract, wala akong dapat alalahanin. Everything would go according to plan.