Dancing with the Devil

Chapter 27

"Hello, I'm so sorry!"

Matapos kong iupo si Malaya sa back seat, papasok na ako sa sasakyan. I glanced through the mirror and winked at her to let her know that it's fine. She might be young, but her maturity is really scaring me.

As much as possible, ayokong pumasok sa isipan niyang nakakaistorbo siya sa akin. I can feel how sad she can get whenever she thinks that she's bothering everyone around her.

"Are you in the meeting place na ba? I'm so sorry, but I'll be late for our meeting. I had an emergency, and I needed to bring someone with me." Nilingon ko ang pamangkin na nagsimulang abalahin ang sarili sa panonood ng iPad niya.

"But don't worry, she's well-behaved! If you want, I can get her a table near us so we can discuss things thoroughly," dagdag ko.

"Okay, yes. Yes, thank you!"

"Malaya, your eyes are too near the screen," suway ko sa kanya matapos ibaba ang telepono.

Hindi ito sumagot ngunit tahimik na inilayo ang iPad sa kaniyang mukha. Napabuntong-hininga na lang ako at nagsimulang magmaneho patungo sa aming destinasyon.

It took us half an hour to reach the meeting place. It's a coffee shop. Napaisip ako sa sarili na sa shop ko na lang sana kami nagkita, pero okay na rin siguro... I need to learn to compromise. After all, this is a collaboration that my business will benefit from.

Besides, it's such a nice place. Vintage and antiques are scattered around me. Hindi siya awkward para sa ibang customers na hindi gusto ang ganitong mga theme—komportable dahil sa akmang pagkakaayos ng buong lugar. Some accents from the modern era were incorporated, smoothly blending in.

Hindi mo ito mahahalata, lalo na kung hindi ka observant.

Tangan-tangan ang kamay ng aking pamangkin, inilibot ko ang tingin sa loob. My smile widened as I waved my hand to get her attention.

"Hannah, hi!"

"Omg, it's been a fucking while!" tili niya.

People looked her way, pero wala siyang pakialam. Her eyes were astounded at the sight of Malaya by my side—silent, rooted to her place. I tried getting her attention, but it seemed like her soul just left her body.

"Gosh! She looks exactly like you!" she exclaimed in excitement. "Hello, hello?! I'm Tita Hannah. What's your name? And you're so cute!"

I could see how badly she wanted to pinch Malaya's cheeks but refrained from doing so.

"Thank you po, I'm Malaya po."

She smiled quietly, her hold on my hand tightening a bit. Yumuko ako sa kanya, pinanood siyang magtago sa likod ng aking binti. She was shy, hiding cutely behind me. Inilapat ko ang kamay sa kaniyang likuran, marahang siyang itinutulak paharap patungo sa upuan.

"I'm sorry for bringing her. Wala kasing magbabantay sa kaniya," paumanhin ko matapos makapag-settle na kami sa kaniya-kaniyang upuan.

"Ano ka ba! It's fine, and look, oh. Who would dare reject a kid that looks so cute? This is no biggie, and besides, we're just finalizing everything. Hindi naman tayo maiistorbo."

"I can see she's very well-behaved at her age, ah," puri niya at ngumiti sa pamangkin ko.

Hannah didn't mind Malaya's presence at our table as we finalized the plan. Pinilit pa niya akong sa table na namin manatili ang bata. Hannah's planning to open an Italian cuisine restaurant. When she heard that I baked pastries, she didn't think twice and got me as their provider for their pastries.

Well, I'm not really the one who personally bakes them. I have workers to do that, but wanting to work with her while exploring another side of the business world, I took the courage and said yes.