Island of Obsession (Island Series 2)

CHAPTER 21

"So, bukod sa pagluluto, ano pa ang mga hilig mo?" tanong ni Sir Adolfo habang magkasama kami sa lamesa, kasama ang buong pamilya ni Benjamin, pati na rin sina Mommy at Daddy.

Bago pa ako makasagot, napansin ko ang pag-irap ni Bellamy sa akin. Halatang-halata ang inis niya sa presensya ko. Napailing na lang ako. Para naman talagang gusto ko siyang maging sister-in-law.

I forced a smile at Sir Adolfo. "I enjoy watching documentaries," I replied. Truthfully, I had no real passion for cooking. If I could just say it out loud, I'd admit that I'm more interested in the world of directing and movies.

Sir Adolfo nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer.

"And where did you and Benjamin first meet?" Madam Lucelle, Benjamin's mother, suddenly asked.

I froze for a moment, unprepared for the question. I was about to respond when Benjamin quickly jumped in. "Mom, I already told you, Andrea and I had been talking online for a while, and when I finally returned to the Philippines, we met up at a coffee shop," he said smoothly, as if he had rehearsed it.

Madam Lucelle nodded.

I could feel Sir Adolfo's eyes on me as the conversation continued. I knew he had suspicions about us, which was likely why he sent Klara to our house to spy on us. You want to play games? Fine, we'll play.

"Dad, kono me no mae ni iru kusoyarou wa ore-tachi no koto wo kagi mawatteiru," I said in Japanese, smiling to keep up appearances.  [Dad, this bastard in front of me is onto us.]

"Nagare ni mi wo makasero; yatsu wo wana ni kakeru hitsuyou ga aru," my dad replied in a low voice, giving me a slight nod.  [Just go with the flow; we need him to fall into our trap.]

We noticed the puzzled expressions on everyone's faces as they tried to figure out what we were talking about. Sir Adolfo cleared his throat, clearly uneasy.

"I'm sorry," my dad smoothly covered, switching to English, "Andrea was just telling me that she's allergic to shrimp and wasn't enjoying her meal."

I nodded, following his lead. "Yes, I'm sorry for the confusion. It's not that the food isn't good; it's just my allergy," I added with a strained smile.

Ngunit sa loob ko, ramdam ko ang bigat ng panloloko. Bawat pilit na ngiti, bawat mahinhing tango, parang sinulid sa sapot na unti-unti akong binabalot—isang sapot na hindi ko alam kung paano makakalaya.

I felt Benjamin's hand slide into mine under the table, and I looked up at him.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "Excuse us for a moment, I need to give my girlfriend something," he said, his eyes locking with mine.

I played along, feigning excitement. "Aww, how sweet! What is it?" I replied, mimicking his tactic to give us a moment alone.

Benjamin stood up and gently helped me to my feet. I glanced at my parents, and they nodded in silent understanding. We walked hand in hand, slowly distancing ourselves from the others. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Bellamy watching me, her gaze sharp and unyielding.

Patuloy kaming naglakad hanggang marating namin ang CR ng mga lalaki. Pumasok si Benjamin at huminto ako sa pinto. Tiningnan niya ako na para bang hinihila niya akong sumunod.

"What? No way. I'm not going in there," I protested, my face scrunching up in disbelief.

"Then where can we talk without anyone overhearing us?" Benjamin responded, his expression unreadable.