Dancing with the Devil

Chapter 21

Menacingly, he stared at me, his gaze following my every move as I reapplied my makeup in front of him. Leaning his weight on the table, he looked like a madman, grinning whenever our eyes met. I dropped my compact mirror, warning him with a glare.

"What?" he laughed innocently, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Darling, get my alcohol, please." Turo niya sa alcohol na hindi ko naman nakita kanina. Diretso ang tingin sa akin, nang-aasar pa niyang ini-spray sa kamay niya.

"Stop it!"

Inignora niya ang suway ko, bahagyang pinagpag ang sarili at tinuwid ang lukot sa manggas ng suit niya—na gawa ko.

"You wanna come with me?"

"Where?" nagtatakang tanong ko. "To the meeting? Am I even allowed there?"

Nag-aalangan ako dahil ayaw kong makadisturbo—private meeting nila 'yun.

"I'm the boss. Who says you're not allowed?"

"Come on, I want to get this done right away—so we can pick up where we left off." He shot me a playful grin.

Tinabig ko ang kamay niyang humawak sa aking braso at nilagpasan siya. Mabilis siyang sumunod sa akin, siya na mismo ang nagbukas ng pinto. Sinalubong kami ng sekretarya niya. I could feel the urgency in his every move.

Panigurado ay dahil late na ang boss niya sa meeting. I walked behind him, letting his secretary do her job, and to add up—I couldn't catch up with their pace.

"Wait a second." Nilingon niya ako, kunot ang noo. "Why are you walking behind me? Are you ashamed of me?"

"Ask my feet, they might answer."

He was in awe of my choice of words, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I'm sorry for asking, princess. I shouldn't have questioned your—" He clapped a hand over his mouth, cutting himself off, only to annoy me further. "Come on, stand beside me."

Ang galing-galing talaga niya mang-bwisit.

I walked past him, arms crossed, only to realize I wasn't familiar with the place. I halted instantly. Inirapan ko siya nang makita ang ngisi niya. His secretary was silent, probably wondering why her jerk boss was acting up.

"This way, ma'am." He held my arm, leading the way.

He held the door open and let me in first. Tila dumaan ang anghel nang itapak ko ang paa sa loob ng meeting room. Confusion filled the air with my sudden presence, questions crossing their eyes at my appearance. Though their gazes were heavy, I understood. Hindi nila ako kilala, at hindi ko rin naman sila kilala. I'm not even relevant to this meeting.

Kung hindi lang ako nahila ng isa, malamang sa malamang ay nagmumukmok ako sa office niya ngayon.

As soon as he stood beside me, they settled down. He guided me to the empty seat—the one reserved for him. This somehow reminded me how apart our worlds are. The gap is huge, one I can't ignore. It made me feel small.

They were already well-established, while I was still at the starting point.

I avoided their gazes, keeping my head held high. Fake it until you make it. They were all dressed formally, wearing their best suits paired with ties that represented them.
Samantalang ako, naka-uniform lang. It looked pretty basic.

He leaned into my ear. "You look perfectly fine. Just don't mind them."

Naghila siya ng bakanteng upuan at nilagay ito sa kanyang tabi. He snickered at Art, who was hinting at him to move his seat so I could perfectly settle on his right side. My brother was seated in front of me, making it easy for our eyes to meet.