Beneath the Never-ending Facade

Chapter 05

Chapter Five

"How are your businesses doing, Richel?" Mamita spoke formally to Uno.

"They've been doing well, Ma'am." Uno briefly answered. She nodded as a response.

I was silent the whole time while listening to their conversation. When I finished talking to Faye about an issue circulating on the internet, we immediately came down to see Uno's family.

I wasn't certain where Uno's mother was. I haven't seen her in ages. But she was always gone back in the day. I was interested in asking Uno at the time, but I thought that their mother had reasons for being away from them.

I had last seen her at a museum grand opening in Italy. She had a business arrangement with the owner.

"Have you been well, Amuleth?" Kuya Rashael asked politely.

"I have, Kuya." I answered. Uno looked at me and raised his brow, unsure about my answer.

"Amy, how are things with Uno? Have you guys been hanging out lately?" Uno's father, Tito Leo, asked. It seemed like he was expecting me to say 'We're dating'. Dating that man would mean asking me to throw myself out the window. It was both impossible and dangerous.

"Yes, Dad. Amy's been such a sweetheart lately," Uno stated while smiling. He didn't even attempt to conceal it. His response sounded so sarcastic. At this point, tolerating him would be my only option.

"Come on, Uno. Don't be so silly." I shook my head lightly and sipped on my wine glass. Tito Leo laughed and raised a toast.

"To Amy and Uno," he said.

"To you and I, baby." Uno leaned closer so that he could whisper in my ear. He was able to do this because he was seated beside me. He is such a flirt.

I stopped myself from rolling my eyes and gave him a sweet smile instead. He was fortunate that I took acting lessons, or else, he would be embarrassed in front of everyone.

It was good that I knew how to pretend. I can also play this game, Richel.

The atmosphere changed in an instant. Finally, I could breathe properly again! It became light when they began telling us stories from our childhood. I, too, would laugh whenever they would.

But it was all pretentious.

Considering the fact that I overindulged today, I felt like my stomach was likely to burst. I wasn't meant to because I wasn't supposed to gain weight. It was bad for my image.

I was thinking about an internet issue involving myself and a co-actor of mine allegedly going out together, despite the fact that he had a different love team.

People, really. One can post false information, and the others would instantly believe. Why were they so gullible?

But I knew what I was getting myself into when I entered this industry. I was aware that I was prone to many allegations and problems. You could never get away from that.

I wanted the accusation to go away as soon as possible. I had to be discrete for a while so that people were able to quickly forget about it. Engaging in that chaos would imply that I am becoming defensive.

I was already shining. I couldn't allow a minor inconvenience to take it away from me. I already had a lot of projects. I couldn't let that opportunity pass me by.

I suddenly snapped back to reality when my phone beeped. I felt it through my handbag. I sneakily checked it while they were all chatting.

From: Unknown Number