Moth to a Flame

Quaranta| Matchmaker

THIRD PERSON

Keegan's eyes widened in disbelief as the left side of the mansion erupted in a shower of flames and debris. He instinctively raised a hand to his face, brushing away imaginary ashes.

Wala sa sarili itong napahilamos at nangungunsumeng napatingin kay TK na may hawak-hawak ng notepad at kinakalkula na ang bilyong dolyar na kakailanganin nila sa pagpapaayos ng mansyon.

And then it happened again. A deafening blast roared from the second floor, sending a plume of smoke spiraling into the sky. Muntik na mahimatay si Keegan, mabuti na lang ay nahawakan ni TK ang braso niya. "A-are you okay?"

For a moment, all Keegan could do was stare, his brain struggling to process the absurdity of it all. "The second floor just exploded! Hahaha!" Mangiyak-ngiyak nitong tawa.

TK watched, bewildered, as Keegan sank to the ground, crouched on the grass with his hands tangled in his hair, his body shaking. Was he laughing or crying? It was impossible to tell—maybe both.

"The master's office is on the second floor! Do you have any idea how much that single room costs?!" Marahas itong napatayo habang nanghahamong pinanlisikan ng mata si TK.

Poor TK gulped at the intensity of his stares. He can feel how stressed out he is just by the exasperation of his voice. Pakiramdam niya nga ay kung hindi nito makontrol ang inis niya ay baka siya pa ang pagbuntungan nito ng galit niya.

"That single room alone costs about twenty years of my living expenses, Theodor Klein!" The shift to using his full name rang out like a warning bell. At that moment, TK knew for certain Keegan had reached the end of his rope.

"I'm so done!" Hinubad niya ang black coat niya sabay unbutton ng white long sleeves niya. Every movement is a testament to his frustration.

"I'm tired of babysitting those brats!"His luxurious black Louboutin shoes followed, flung carelessly onto the grass.

He has finally lost it.

"A-are you resigning?" TK stuttered, taken aback as he watched Keegan toss his wallet and work-related cards into the air.

Natatawang napalingon sa kanya si Keegan. "Resigning?" He closed the distance between them and gazed at him with piercing eyes. "Kung mag re-resign ako baka mabaon sa utang ang magpipinsang yan sa rami ng utang!" Hindi niya maiwasang hiyaw.

Kung financial management lang ang pag-uusapan ay kahit si Kage ay walang pakialam doon. It was always him who manages the money and allocates neccesary funds for projects and certain budgets.

And although he was filthy rich, he lived a frugal life. Hindi siya basta-basta gumagastos ng pera sa mga walang kabuluhang bagay. Kaya naman itong pagkasira ng mansyon na mas mahal pa sa buhay niya ay nagbibigay ng labis na irita sa kanya.

"Tara, TK. Paisa nga ako," bugnot niyang ingos na ikinakunot ng noo ng kaharap.

"W-what?"

His eyes widened when Keegan threw a punch on his face. Muntik na siya mabuwal sa kinatatayuan niya kung hindi niya kaagad nabalanse ang sarili niya.

"Yung isa maluho na pintasera, yung isa naman may sayad sa utak at wala sa katinuan! Konting-konti na lang ay masisiraan na rin ako ng bait!" Umamba ulit ito ng suntok pero naiwasan na ito ni TK.

He doesn't understand much, but he felt like Keegan was badmouthing Kage and Leticia—and by far, he's the only one who could do that.

"My Lord!" Napaatras ang lalaking tumawag kay Keegan nang makita kung gaano kabangis ang mukha nito.