PARADISE OF THE DEVIL (GONCALVES 1)

Chapter 20

I went out of the shower the next morning. Jair was already out of bed and nowhere to be found in the bedroom. It was 6 a.m. already and I would leave as soon as possible to be on time at work. I could be irresponsible at times, but not when it came to work.

I had no idea where Jair was. Maybe he was working out or something. I was yawning when I left the bedroom. I heard a noise downstairs so it must be Jair. I wondered what he was up to.

I was still on the stairs when I smelt delicious food and a sizzling sound coming from the kitchen. I paced fast to the kitchen and found Jair cooking something with only his boxers on.

He might not be wearing an apron to show off his abs. And I might need only a cup of coffee for breakfast.

"Good morning," bati ko sabay dungaw sa niluluto nya.

He tilted his head to kiss me. "You smell just like me."

"You have a very expensive body wash and shampoo," I said.

"I think we have a lot in the storage. You can bring home," he offered.

I shook my head. "No, thanks."

Gago nito. Para namang nasa hotel ako at umuuwi ng mga body wash, shampoo at kung ano pa. Pinuri ko lang ng konti at nagyabang na.

"That smells good," pag-iiba ko ng topic.

"We have leftover meat from last night so I'm making sisig. I have a coffee maker over there," turo nya sa machine na nasa kabilang dulo ng island counter.

Tumango ako at lumapit doon para gumawa ng dalawang cup ng coffee. Ilang oras lang ang tulog ko kaya ginawa kong sobrang tapang ang kape. Hindi na naman nagreklamo si Jair sa sobrang pait nito.

I waited until he finished cooking. My mouth instantly watered with the sight in front of me. I lost all my energy last night so I had to recharge by having a heavy breakfast.

"We'll take your car back to the city. I also have work and a lot of meetings to do today," he said in the middle of eating.

He seemed busy but at the same time had a lot of time. His secretary might be so stressed because of him. Jair was a type to do whatever he wanted and if he didn't want to do something, he just did not.

"I don't wanna be stuck in the traffic. Marami akong trabahong gagawin ngayong araw."

"We'll leave right after eating," he said.

I nodded and focused on my plate. I was on my second bowl of rice when I heard a loud and continuous honk of a vehicle. Nagtataka akong bumaling kay Jair nang tumayo ito at nag-excuse.

"Stay here," he said before marching out of the kitchen.

Since I was a huge curious, I stretched my neck to see what was going on. Was he expecting someone? Bigla akong kinabahan dahil baka bigla nalang dumating si Madam Goncalves at matagpuan ako dito! Fuck! I didn't have any excuses in my pocket!

Kumunot lalo ang noo ko nang marinig ang mga yapak ng sandals na papasok kaya napatayo ako at napasilip sa living room. Kung nandito si Madam Goncalves ay tatakas talaga ako nang walang paalam.

I couldn't be here too early for work and I didn't think I could lie to her. I respected Madam Goncalves so much. Hindi ko alam kung may mukha pa akong maipapakita kung mahuhuli nya ako dito atsaka aabot ito kay Ms. Frida.

"I can't even enter my own house!" a familiar voice echoed from the living room until here in the kitchen. "I can't even use my credit card to buy breakfast for myself!"

I found Lilia in a raging state as she threw her bag on the sofa. She looked like she was crying and looked stressed out. She was bare-faced and she still looked beautiful. Her clothes were not fancy but she still looked respectable.