The Brokenhearted Heartbreaker

24

"The hell, Cami! Tumayo ka! Stand up!" Napaigtad ako sa sigaw ni Ate Alyvia. Feeling ko ay mas galit siya ngayon.

Hindi ako nakinig at patuloy na lumuhod. Buti na lang at carpeted ang office niya kaya hindi masyado masakit sa tuhod ngunit kahit ganoon ay nangangalay na ang mga binti ko.

She sighed, probably too tired with all my drama. Hindi niya na ako pinilit na tumayo. I could also see her tap her foor impatiently in front of me.

"You won't break his heart. You'll toughen it."

I'm not sure if that was supposed to cheer me up and encourage me but it didn't do anything like that. It made me feel worse.

"Why are you so heartless?" Bulong ko, sakto lang na marinig niya.

She scoffed. I saw her feet move and next thing I know, she's sitting in front of me.

Hindi ko na napigilan ang sarili at napatingin na sa kaniya. This is the first time I saw Ate Alyvia sit on the floor. This is so out of her personality!

"If you won't stand up, sit on the floor, at least," nakangiwi niyang sabi. "We don't kneel for anyone, remember that."

Masama ang tingin ko sa kapatid at ganoon din siya sa akin. Alam kong ako ang nakikiusap dito pero hindi ko rin mapigilan ang sarili.

She leaned on the glass window and sighed. Ako naman ay sinandal ang tagiliran sa gilid ng kaniyang desk.

"I knew about you," aniya sabay ng pagtaas ng gilid ng kaniyang labi. "I overheard him asking for Papa's approval. I saw his list of pros and cons of dating while in law school and doing internship."

My mouth gaped open, making Ate Alyvia pause. Ngumisi siya dahil sa reaksyon ko.

"I let all happen, of course," she continued with a shrug. "I am his mentor and not anything else. What he does on his personal life is not in my scope. Plus, I think... you would make a good pair... he can tame your wild side while you can humble his big head... you're not fan-girling over him, after all."

For some reason, I chuckled lightly. I'm not sure if it's because of the fact that Ate Alyvia actually approves us... or the fact that she said that Iouis and I can be a good pair.

Sabay kaming napasinghal ng kapatid. Although I feel good about what she just said, I know that it's about to be followed with something that will make my heart heavy.

"Did you know that he got accepted into Harvard, Stanford, and Yale law? You can be a summa cum laude and still not get accepted," Ate said with an admiring tone. "But Iouis? It was effortless. Didn't even break a sweat. He was just that good."

I sighed again. As much as I appreciate all of this—the no screaming kind of conversation—the sooner she tells me what she wants to tell me, the better.

Mas kinakabahan ako ngayong madami siyang magagandang sinasabi. I feel like she's just prepping me for what's about to come.

"Cut the crap, Ate," sambit ko sa seryosong tono. I want her to know that I'm not playing and this is isn't something I take lightly. "If you want me to break his heart, then you better give me a good reason to do so."

She smirked and nodded. "The Euro's law firm cannot stand alone. They have to have a partner firm that will help them manage all the Euro's assets to avoid inside... funny businesses... but the thing they've been wanting to avoid is what's exactly happening."

Ate Alyvia paused. Hindi ko alam kung sinasadya niya ba o...

"The other firm is doing something against the Euro's firm?" She wants me to guess it!