Halos hindi ako makatulog kagabi dahil sa dami ng iniisip ko. Ngunit ang pinaka-gumulo sa isip ko ay ang sinabi ni Jax.
Am I going crazy or could the little girl be really mine?
Nawala ako sa lalim ng iniisip ko nang may tumawag sa akin, "Sir Niccolo." pagsasalita ng secretary ni dad.
"Sorry, what was that?" paumanhin ko nang hindi ko napansin ang sinasabi niya.
"Your dad told me to give you this key. Your company car is parked outside, he said you should use it for your stay." she instructed.
"Oh, thanks." sabay kuha ko ng susi sa kaniya, isa itong Mercedes Benz. Ngayon ko lamang naalala na mayroon palang nakalaan na company car para sa business conference na ito.
Our company participates in this annual conference, si dad ang attendee rito noong mga nakaraang taon. But he wanted me to attend this year and do the reports for our company.
Nang magsimula ang conference ay umupo ako sa nakalaang table para sa akin. Isa-isa kaming nag-present ng annual reports namin, kabilang na rin ang dad ni Jax dahil iisang line of work ang company nila at ng sa amin.
"Congratulations on your presentation, hijo." he greeted me after the meeting.
"Thank you tito, likewise." pormal na sagot ko sa kaniya.
We're in good terms, but until now I still kind of blame him for how my family fell apart. But if that didn't happen, hindi sana makikilala ni dad si tita Sophie, at hindi ko rin makikilala si Adaline. So I'm still thankful for everything that happened.
Even if it's as shitty as this, I'm still glad I met Adaline.
"Send your dad my regards." tinapik niya ang balikat ko at saka nagpaalam na sa akin. Tinanguan ko na pamang siya bilang pagpapaalam.
Nilingon ko ang secretary ni dad na naghihintay sa akin, "We don't have anything scheduled after this, right?" tanong ko sa kaniya.
Chineck niya ang tablet niya, "We have none, sir." sagot niya.
Tumango ako, "Good, have the rest of the day for yourself. If you want to eat out, just charge it to the company." habilin ko sa kaniya.
"T-Thank you, sir." tila ba nahihiyang pasalamat niya sa akin. She's a little older than me but she looks kind of shy.
Tumango ako sa kaniya at dumeretsyo na sa parking lot kung nasaan ang company car. Tinignan ko ang relo ko, it's only 3 PM. Sumakay ako sa loob at nilagay ang destinasyon ko sa GPS,
"Calculating... Route to Santa Monica Pier." anunsyo ng GPS.
5 PM pa ang meeting time namin ni Adaline ngunit inagahan ko na, just to anticipate if there's any traffic. I don't want her to wait.
Iba't-ibang tanawin ang nadaanan ko bago ako nakarating sa Santa Monica Pier, ibang iba ang environment dito kumpara sa kinalakihan ko sa Australia.
I can't help but think if this is where Adaline really wants to live, I don't picture her as a city girl.
Pagpatak ng alas-kwatro ng hapon ay nakarating na ako sa Santa Monica Pier. Pagkatapos kong i-park ang sasakyan ay nag ikot-ikot muna ako rito.
It's kind of windy here at naglipana rin ang mga kainan, mayroon ring carnival na nakatayo malapit sa mismong pier. Sa paglalakad ko ay napansin kong may iilang estranghero ang tumitingin sa akin, most of them are Americans.
Napakunot ang kilay ko nang hindi ko malaman ang dahilan nila, hanggang sa napagtanto kong naka-work attire pa pala ako habang sila'y festive ang mga suot. Dali-dali kong hinubad ang coat ko at tinupi ang sleeves ko.
Hanggang ngayon ay hindi ko pa rin alam kung paano ko hahanapin si Adaline, I don't even have her number at basta-basta na lamang niya akong nilayasan noong nagkita kami.
"You're here early."
Napalingon ako sa babaeng nagsalita mula sa likuran ko.
"H-Hey." gulat na sagot ko kay Adaline. Lumunok ako nang malalim, "I finished work early."
Napansin kong naka-formal attire siya. She's wearing beige long sleeves with black slacks and coat.
"Oh, me too." tipid na sagot niya. Napatingin naman ako sa mga papel na hawak niya.
"You're still selling properties?" tanong ko sa kaniya.
Tumango siya, "I still manage my dad's company."
Ang akala ko ay tuluyan na niyang iniwan ang kumpanya ng daddy niya, simula nang ma-terminate ang contract ng partnership ng parehong kumpanya namin.
I guess she just continued doing business here, she just wanted me out.
She tilted her head onto the direction of pier, "Let's go?" tanong niya sa akin.
Tumango ako at nagsimulang maglakad kasama siya, ipinatong ko ang coat ko sa balikat at inilagay ang isang kamay ko sa bulsa.
"So what do you want to know?" tanong niya habang naglalakad kami. Natahimik naman ako sa tanong niyang ito.
Tila ba lahat ng katanungan ko sa isip ay nawala, and all my focus just went to this exact moment.
"Are you happy?" I asked her. Iyan na lamang ang unang lumabas sa bibig ko.
Her expression changed a little bit.
"I-I guess, Nikki makes me happy." sagot niya.
I smiled at her, maybe she really knew what was best for her.
"How old is her?" I asked her out of curiosity.
"She just turned four, last March 18." she replied while giving me a slight smile.
Suddenly, all my questions were pointless the moment I saw how content she is with her life here. What's the point of trying to get answers, when the answer is right in front of me?
She really wanted her own family, and James was the one capable of giving that.
"Is that all you wanted to know?" tanong niya sa akin.
Napahinto ako sa paglalakad at ganon rin ang ginawa niya, tumitig pa akong saglit sa papalubog na araw.
Hinarap ko siya, "Yeah, I guess. I can see that you're happy, that's all what matters to me even after all these years. I no longer want to know why you suddenly left, because I can see that you made the best decision for yourself." I said as I forced a smile out of me. I looked away once again, "Yes, I was hurt, but eventually someone saved me from that pit of sadness and anger." I don't know why I can't say that straight to her face.
"O-Oh.." tipid na sagot niya.
I looked at her once again and I didn't expect her reaction, I can see her eyes starting to water. I felt as if I had said something that hurt her, "W-What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing." aniya, ngunit hindi pa rin ako mapanatag. "I-I just feel bad for everything I did." she added.
"You shouldn't, I'm okay now. I accepted everything the moment I saw how happy you are with your family." I comforted her.
She wiped her tears before they were able to run down her face, "So who's the lucky girl?" tanong niya.
Napahawak ako sa balikat ako, I'm debating wether I should tell her or not.
"It's Celine." I answered.
"R-Really?" tila ba hindi niya makapaniwalang sagot. Dahan-dahan akong tumango sa kaniya. "T-That's good." tumatangu-tangong sagot niya. Hindi ko alam ngunit parang mahirap para sa kaniyang sabihin iyon.
Nag-iwas tingin siya sa akin at kinagat ang labi niya. Natahimik kaming muli at magkasamang pinanood na lumubog ang araw.
BINABASA MO ANG
Unlawful Destiny
Romance[COMPLETED] WARNING: R18+ | This novel contains mature scenes that are not suitable for young readers. Read at your own discretion, and above all- enjoy! *** Si Adaline DeLana ay ipinanganak na may marangya at masayang pamilya. Ngunit nagbago ang l...
