Your Lucky One

Chapter Nineteen: Suite 1067

Trese Anaya's Point of View

It's Saturday night at wala naman akong ibang kasama pag ganitong oras kundi si Yukio at Kasha. But tonight is different because it's Yukio's birthday. These past few days have felt like an endless loop of torture, attending classes repeatedly while struggling to focus. To make matters worse, Miss Lenore rarely sits with me during our so-called tutor sessions. Most of the time, she leaves me in her office with piles of materials to study, I did my part para naman maka-catch up ako sa lesson. I don't want to blame her, she's got her own meetings, work, and responsibilities. She also keeps on dodging my brothers' meetings for their upcoming wedding and I don't know if she's really doing it on purpose or she just busy with her works, madalas kasing tawag ng tawag ang sekretarya niya sa kanyang sariling company sa office niya sa University and sometimes I over heard them talking, pero kunwari na lang wala akong pake o narining.

But today, I'm not at school. I'm on a yacht party with Yukio and Kasha. It's Yukio's 23rd birthday, and, as expected, Yukio's definition of a party is lavish-booze everywhere, vibrant music, and a mix of people I barely know.

Kasha leaned in close and whispered, "Is that Zakate Akio?"

"Dr. Zakate Akio, yes. My cousin. Is that new to you?" Yukio responded, confused. Zak was always around. We've known him for a while now. "You're weird if ngayon mo lang siya nakilala."

"No, it's just... my first time seeing him in a setting like this. He's usually not the party type," Kasha replied, looking uneasy as if she had stumbled upon a secret.

"Well, it's my party, so he came," Yukio shrugged nonchalantly as if it was no big deal.

The sound of laughter, music, and clinking glasses swirled around me, and I started feeling dizzy. The dizziness is not from excitement but from too much of everything, alcohol, noise, and people. It was overwhelming, and I hated it. The sensation of slowly slipping into being wasted.

"Hey, I'm heading to the shore for a while. The people here are getting too wild," I said to Yukio, I really needed a break from the chaotic scene on the yacht.

"Sure, but be back before midnight. There's going to be a fireworks show to ring in my 23rd birthday. Don't miss it!" Yukio shouted back, his voice mixing with the thumping bass of the music as I made my way down.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be back," I yelled over my shoulder, though I doubted he heard me.

I hopped onto a jet ski and sped towards the shore. The breeze from the sea whipped through my hair, and for a moment, I felt free from the crowd. The island ahead wasn't too far from the yacht, and as I drew closer, I saw the familiar signs of another party at the nearby club, people dancing, drinking, and laughing. It seemed the wild energy of the night had spread everywhere.

The island was a paradise, a perfect blend of modern luxury and traditional Japanese elements, all owned by Yukio's family. It was evident in every detail-the clean lines of the architecture, the carefully manicured zen gardens, and the soft glow of lanterns that lined the pathways. Even the hotel where we were staying had a serene elegance to it, with shoji doors and bamboo details that made you feel as though you had stepped into another world.

For me, having the club beside this kind of place is weird, pero iisipin ko pa ba yon. It was Yukio's island, after all.

I had about two hours before the fireworks show. Plenty of time to clear my head and as I walked towards the hotel, I spotted a familiar figure near the Lobby. It was Kuya Timothy, standing with a woman I instantly recognized, Miss Dahlia, the Dean of Engineering and Architecture at our university. Bigla ko namang naalala ang huling kita ko kay Kuya Timoy, and their is something that snap in to my head instantly. Dahlia...