Accidentally Yours

Jealous

Alice Leal Guo stormed out of the session room, frustration clearly etched across her face. Janine and a few of her colleagues followed closely behind her.

"Alice," Janine called out, trying to catch up.

“Those questions were absurd! Parang mga tanga!" Alice burst out, her voice filled with irritation.

“Alice, lower your voice,” Janine warned her. They were still in the hallway, and though it was empty, someone could overhear.

“Sowhat? If you want I could even scream this in front of the Senate instead?” Alice shot back, still seething.

"Alice, please, calm down," Janine urged, her voice gentle but firm.

“How can I calm down when that one obnoxious senator kept insisting I have some lover or something? Ehh siya nga hindi ko pinilit na ibalik yung naninakaw niya sa bayan!” Alice ranted.

"Stop, someone might overhear you, and you’ll just give them more ammunition,” Janine advised cautiously.

"It’s not my fault I couldn’t present a childhood friend from when I was five! Is it a crime that my dad was overprotective when I was young?” Alice vented, unable to contain her anger any longer.

"Galit na galit sila sa akin dahil may dugong intsik ako. But what about that smug senator sitting beside them earlier? Parang ewan na sobrang yabang!” Alice added as they stepped into the elevator.

Janine had long since given up trying to stop her friend from speaking her mind. She watched as Alice’s frustration bubbled over.

"Here, drink some water. It'll help you calm down,” Janine offered, handing Alice a bottle. Alice took it gratefully.

“You should actually be glad about what they said earlier," Janine said as she skimmed over some documents.

“Why in the world would I be happy about their invasion of my privacy?” Alice asked, still clearly annoyed.

"It proves they don’t have anything substantial against you. The evidence regarding the POGO accusations is weak, which is why they focused on questioning your citizenship," Janine explained, her voice calm and composed.

"Really?" Alice asked, her anger already subsiding.

"Yes, so calm down. You’re overreacting," Janine replied as she sipped her own water.

"But why was the Madam Chair only one who focused on the POGO questions?” Alice pouted, recalling how Risa Hontiveros had been the only one who asked the questions she had anticipated during the hearing.

"Of course, that’s the Madam Chair. What chance do we have against her?” Janine laughed.

"And here I was, ranting when we stood no chance against Hontiveros in the first place," Alice rolled her eyes and playfully raised her fists, as if mock-punching Janine.

As the elevator doors opened, Janine's car was already waiting for her in the Senate's basement parking lot.

“Are you coming with me?” Janine asked.

“No, my driver’s on the way. I’m headed straight to Bamban,” Alice said, opening the door of Janine's car for her.

"Alright, I’ll meet you tomorrow in Bamban to discuss the next steps we'll take in this case," Janine explained.

"Okay, take care," Alice said, nodding.

Janine hugged her before getting into her car. "You too, be safe. See you tomorrow."

As Alice waited for her own car to arrive, she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She turned around, and there stood Senator Risa Hontiveros.

---

Risa Hontiveros had been silently observing Alice, who was now talking to her lawyer after the Senate hearing. Since the session ended, Alice hadn’t glanced in her direction, and it irked the senator.

"Madam Chair," a voice interrupted her thoughts. It was Senator Loren.

"Huh?" Risa snapped out of her reverie.

"You’ve been zoning out for a while now, and why do you look so upset?" Loren remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was just thinking about hearing. Mayor Guo answered most of the questions well, but there were still some she dodged," Risa explained, though her thoughts lingered elsewhere.

"True, and there’s still the matter of her citizenship. Is she really a Filipino or not?" Loren nodded in agreement.

Senator Jinggoy joined the conversation. "I heard some intel—Alice is apparently married to a Chinese national."

"Married? Then what about the mayor from Pangasinan?" Loren asked, intrigued.

"Beats me. Maybe she's just using him," Jinggoy shrugged.

Risa’s irritation grew as she listened, especially when Senator Win joined in. "Actually, I heard her lawyer is her girlfriend."

Risa quickly turned her head at this. "Attorney Jimenez?" Jinggoy asked, surprised.

"Yes, apparently they’ve known each other for a long time, and they’re very close," Win added.

Before the conversation could continue, Risa abruptly stood up and gathered her things.

"Where are you going? The hearings are done for today," Loren asked.

"I’m heading home," Risa muttered, offering no further explanation as she made her way to the elevator.

Her thoughts raced, and she couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the absurdity of the situation.

Hindi hamak na mas maganda ako doon, she mused.

When the elevator doors opened, she was surprised to see Alice and Janine hugging before Janine’s car pulled away. Alice stood there, waiting for her own car, unaware of Risa’s presence.

Risa cleared her throat and spoke. "Mayor Guo."

Alice turned, startled. "Madam Chair, how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to see everything," Risa replied, walking over to stand beside Alice.

Alice frowned in confusion. "What do you mean, Madam Chair?"

"You don’t have to call me that anymore. We’re not in session. And you can drop the act—you don’t have to lie to me," Risa said, her irritation is clear.

"Senator, I’m not lying to you or to anyone," Alice responded calmly.

"Really? What about all the lies you said during the session?" Risa pressed.

"I didn’t lie, Senator. If I said 'I don’t know,' it’s because I genuinely didn’t know the answers to some of those questions. I’m sorry if that frustrated you," Alice explained.

"Really? And what about your citizenship? Did you date the mayor from Pangasinan just to secure Filipino citizenship?" Risa asked, her tone accusatory.

"He’s not my boyfriend, Senator," Alice answered flatly.

"Then what about your lawyer?" Risa pushed further.

Alice chuckled softly. "Why are you even asking, Senator? Are you jealous?"

"Me? Jealous? Why would I be?" Risa shot back, even more annoyed.

Bakit ako magseselos?

"It was just a joke, Senator. Relax. Like you said, we’re no longer in session, so there’s no need to dwell on this right now," Alice smiled, trying to defuse the situation.

Risa became silent

When Alice’s car finally pulled up, she opened the door but paused before getting in. “For the record, Attorney Jimenez is just a friend, not my girlfriend. I hope that clears things up.”

Risa could only watch as Alice got into the car and disappeared from her view, a mix of emotions swirling inside her.