Marrying Mr. Stranger

Chapter 4

"I'M only here for business." Pagkumbinsi ko sa sarili habang inaayos ang manggas ng aking formal coat. 

They wanted me here for the wedding, I'm here for my company.

Nasa may entrada na ako ng restaurant nang salubungin ako ng isang waiter para ihatid sa table na ni-reserve ng matandang Perez.

"Ms. Perez, this way please." Magalang na sambit ng waiter. Sumunod ako rito.

Habang papalapit sa table, nakita ko ang malaking bulto ng lalaking nakaupo patalikod sa direksyon namin. He had wide shoulders, neatly cut hair, moreno, and by the looks of it, he could be more than 6ft tall.

Nauna na ang waiter patungo sa lalaki para ipaalam na ako'y dumating na. Tumayo ang lalaki sa kinauupuan at humarap sa direksyon ko.

Napahigit ako ng isang malalim na hininga. I already saw him in newspapers, magazines, TV and social media but all of those didn't give justice to how handsome of a man this fellow was in front of my eyes. 

He has thick brows, sparkling almond hazel eyes, high pointed nose, sharp jawlines and plumped lips. His hair was neatly swept back with few strands escaping to his forehead.

Isang ngiti ang namutawi sa labi nito.

Oh gosh! His lips form a heart shape when he smiles.

"Enjoy your dinner, Mr. Salazar and Ms. Perez. If you need anything, just let us know." Wika ng waiter at umalis.

"Hi, Ms. Perez." Pormal nitong bati. Nagulat ako sa mala-ASMR nitong boses. It's so deep I can drown from it.

Nagising ako sa aking huwisyo nang ilahad nito ang kamay sa akin.

"Hello, Mr. Salazar." Wika ko at nakipagkamay. Malaki ang palad nito kumpara sa akin, di malambot tulad ng aking inaasahan pero wala namang kalyo.

"Well, let's take a seat." Anito habang iminumwestra na maupo na rin ako. He pulled out the chair across him for me and made sure I sat comfortably.

"I hope you don't mind that I already ordered the food so we can start eating when you get here." Anito nang makaupo na rin ito sa harap ko.

"Oh, not really, Mr. Salazar."

"You can drop the formalities and call me Anton. I guess I can call you Damarah, right?"

"Right." Maikli kong sagot.

Ilang saglit pa'y dumating na ang mga pagkain. He ordered two orders of steaks, a soup and a salad.

"Thank you." Wika nito sa waiter at sinimulan nang hiwain ang steak sa harap nito.

I chose to sip one spoonful of soup first to warm my mouth. Ilang saglit pa'y kinuha nito ang plato ng steak sa harap ko at ipinalit ang plato ng hiniwa nitong steak kani-kanina lang.

Trying to impress me huh? Tudyo ko sa isip.

"Thanks." Tipid kong sabi.

At nagsimula na kaming kumain.

Kinabahan ako nang bahagya kaya't di ako masyadong nakakain. Still, I tried to eat in small amounts.

After a few mouthfuls of food, he put his utensils down, wiped his mouth with a napkin and drank a half glass of water.

"I don't want to beat around the bush. We already both know what this meeting is all about, right?" Anito.

"Of course. And I don't want the wedding." Direkta kong sagot at ibinaba na rin ang kubyertos. Inabot ko ang aking baso ng tubig at dahan-dahang lumagok para di mabilaukan. I could hear my heart pounding in my chest.

I continued gulping the water slowly while side-eying him. I could see his jaw clenched. Slowly after, I put my empty glass of water down.

"Marry me and I'll give you what you want." Mahina ngunit madiin nitong sambit. He's looking at me straight in the eye determined not to take no for an answer.

What a romantic proposal. Sarkastiko akong napangiti.

"Why are you going to great lengths in marrying me? I may be a Perez but only an illegitimate daughter, matagal na akong umalis sa poder nila and I don't have anything to do with the Perez family."

"Then why are you even here?" Nakahalukipkip na sambit nito.

"For a business proposal."

"Isn't this wedding a business proposal?" Sarkastiko nitong sabi.

Oo nga naman. This wedding is only for business.

"I'm talking about 'another' business proposal." Nagpakawala ako ng isang malalim na hininga. "You see, I know you don't wanna be married to me either. Why don't we just skip that part and you invest in my company. I'll make sure you make the most of the money you will invest."

There, I said it. Yun lang naman ang ipinunta ko rito. Ang kumbinsihin siya na mag-invest sa aking kumpanya.

To my surprise, a sarcastic chuckle came out from him. "Me? Not wanting to marry you? Why wouldn't I when after the wedding, a bigger business venture with both of our families is going to happen soon?"

Bigla akong nanlumo. Eh ano lang ba ang kumpanya ko kumpara sa malalaking negosyo na itatayo nila? With both of these affluent families combined, they could go bigger. To secure that, they marry each other.

"Why not marry me and I'll invest in your company? How much do you want? 30 million? 40 million?", Kaswal nitong turan.

Shocks! Sobra-sobra pa para makaahon ang kumpanya. Ang dami nang magagawa nun!

But I was supposed to be here to turn down the wedding and convince this man to invest in my company, right? Baliktad sa plano ang nangyari.

"It's 50 million then."  Kalma nitong sabi na parang magbibigay lang ng candy.

Hindi ko alam kung ano ang magiging reaksyon sa tinuran nito.

"Can't decide? You can only get this opportunity once, Damarah. Just say 'Yes' and we'll have a deal."

Afterall, I was only here to save my company. Inisip ko ang mga taong nagtatrabaho sa kumpanya at ang mga pamilyang umaasa sa kanila. If I don't take it, I will never find another opportunity like this. However, nakakapag-operate pa rin naman kami kahit kulang ang production dahil sa mga na damage na makinarya. With smarter strategies, we could push through. Kahit paunti-unti, kaya naming bumangon kahit di mag-invest si Mr. Salazar.

Humigit ako ng malalim na hininga bago bitawan ang desisyon ko. Masuring nakatutok sa akin si Mr. Salazar habang nanatiling nakahalukipkip. His eyes narrowed down on me waiting for my answer.

"Okay, yes. It's a deal." Saad ko.

Isang ngiti ang namutawi sa labi nito. He stood from his chair, went to me and confined me from where I'm sitting by placing his one arm at the back of my chair and one on the table. He bent his body down towards me to look at me face to face leaving few inches of distance. I could feel his warm breathing against my face. He looked at me straight in the eyes and said,

"Good decision. See you in a month... wife." And gave me a peck on the lips.

Hindi ako nakagalaw sa gulat. Nakaawang ang aking bibig habang kaswal lang itong naglakad papuntang counter, nagbayad at umalis.

And just like that, I'm engaged.

A week later, a contract for the 50 million investment was sent to my office together with the check. And a month later, we were declared in a simple ceremony by the legal officiant as husband and wife.