Isla Luna : Illegal Desires

Chapter 8

Another Life

                                                                                -8-

6 months after....

"...and as we celebrate the Del Valle Group of Industries its 35 years of success, I welcome my dear daughter, Margarette Louise Del Valle." blah blah blah.

I got up from my seat at pumunta sa gitna kung saan naroon sina Mom and Dad. I can feel that all eyes are on me and the flashes of the camera are everywhere.

Ngumiti ako ng pilit sa kanilang lahat.

"She is now managing the Valle Airlines effective on Monday." sabi ni mommy.

And the crowd applauded and the media took the opportunity to take a photo of us. Me, my dad, and my mom, all in one picture with smiles on our faces. Bukas na bukas, nasa dyaryo na agad ang litratong ito. At  hindi ako magtataka kung malinlang ang publiko ng mga ngiti namin. 

We may be close and smiling right now, pero hindi alam ng marami na kapag nasa bahay lang kami, ni wala ni isa sa amin ang nakakayang ngumiti. My parents are disappointed at me. They were and they still are.

And for the past six months, I'm already paying the price.

This is my new world now.

"You have a contract signing at 10am, a meeting with the Cojuangcos at 4pm, conference with the board at 5:30, and a dinner reservation with Mr. Gabriel Aquino at 8 o'clock. That's all, Ma'am. " That's Lydia, my secretary. It's monday today at like what my mom said, ako na ang bagong COO ng Valle Airlines.

"Thank you Lydia." I dismissed her as soon as I went inside my office.

Sinarado ko iyon at sumalampak sa swivel chair ko.

Work, work, work. Ang daming trabaho. Simula nang bumalik ako ng Maynila, binigyan na ako ni mommy ng maraming trabaho. She let me manage two of our companies at the same time na talaga namang ikinaloka ko pero ngayon, binigay na nya sa akin ang Airline. She even closed my personal advertising agency, which really saddened me because I love that agency so much.. Pero wala akong magawa.

That is also part of my punishment.

Napahilot ako sa ulo ko. Ang aga aga stressed na ako. Tumayo muna ako at nagtimpla ng juice. Hindi ko na inutusan pa si Lydia because I don't want to see anyone muna. I want to be at peace even just for a couple of minutes.