To Charm a Playboy (COMPLETE)

Part 17

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FAMILY meeting. Iyon ang tawag ni Raven pag pinapatawag silang magkakapatid ng kanilang Lola Myrtle. Hindi na maalala ni Imogen kung kailan sila huling nag-usap sa attic. Mukhang importante ang sasabihin ng matanda.

"'You think maybe she's dying, and she's gonna tell us about her living will?" tanong ni Willow habang paakyat silang apat sa hagdanan.

"Willow!" halos sabay-sabay na bulalas nina Imogen, Raven, at Finnegan na napatigil pa sa paglalakad.

"What, just saying," balewalang ani Willow. "I want the curio cabinet in the dining room."

"Luh, akin iyon," sabi naman ni Raven.

"You wish." Inirapan ito ni Willow. "You can have her antique arinola."

"Gagang ito!" asik ni Raven.

"Will you please quit it?" nababanas na saway ni Finnegan sa dalawa.

Napapailing na lamang ni Imogen. Ang totoo'y hindi maganda ang pakiramdam niya sa 'family meeting' na ito. She could sense Grandma Myrtle's franticness being tucked away when they were talking in the phone. Isa pa, kararating lang ng matanda mula sa abroad. Usually ay nagpapahinga ito ng ilang araw bago makipagkita sa ibang tao.

Naghihintay ang kanilang Lola sa rocking chair nito nang sapitin nilang magkakapatid ang attic. Isa-isa silang nagmano dito. Humalik sa noo nito si Finnegan at yumakap, agad kinamusta ang matanda. He was always the sweetest.

"Luuuh, may pa-kiss si Kuya. Sa kanya na ipapamana ang Bentley niyan," biro ni Raven.

Nagbabantang tumingin dito si Imogen, kay Willow din bago ito nakabuka ng bibig.

"Hopeless, just hopeless," sumusukong usal ni Finnegan bago ito umupo sa sofa katabi ni Imogen.

"Okay." Tumikhim si Grandma Myrtle. "I wish there was an easier way to say this, but..."

Nahuli ni Imogen na nagtinginan sina Willow at Raven, mukhang nag-aalala din gaya niya.

"Lola, may problema po ba?" usisa ni Imogen.

Bumuntonghininga ito bago nagsalita. "Your parents' death, i-it... it wasn't really an accident. Well, it was, but—..."

"Lola, what do you mean?" nanlalaki ang mga matang tanong ni Raven.

"Someone killed them?" Willow asked in her coldest, quietly raging voice.

Tumingin dito ang matanda. "You can say that. Just... hear me out first." Pinagsalikop nito ang mga kamay sa kandungan. "There is this secret that I have been keeping from you all, ayoko na sanang pag-usapan iyon dahil nakalayo na tayo sa sanhi niyon. But I was wrong. Our family is cursed."

"Cursed?" naguguluhang sambit ni Raven.

"Your mother was cursed to die on her thirtieth birthday. It so happened that your father was with her that time, kaya pati siya ay nasali sa vehicular accident na iyon. It was a few years later when I learned about it, and who caused it."

Halos hindi humihingang naghihintay ang magkakapatid sa susunod na sasabihin ng matanda.

"Violet was cursed in exchange for good luck, wealth, and success."