IMPOSTORA

CHAPTER 4

SINIPAT ni Mihara ang suot na relo at muling napakunot-noo. Masyado siyang maaga kaya naisipan na muna niyang magkape sa isang cafe sa airport bago dumeretso sa departure hall. Napabuntonghininga siya, pangalawang baso na ng kape ang hawak niya at parang mas lalo lang niyon pinapakabog ang dibdib niya sa kasabikan.

Sigurado si Mihara na ngayon din ang araw ng flight ni Mrs. Montefort, at sigurado din siyang sa iisang eroplano lang sila sasakay. Nang tumunog ang cellphone niya ay saka siya tumayo, si Art na ang tumatawag, marahil ay nabasa na nito ang text niyang nasa NAIA Terminal 1 na siya.

"𝘉𝘢𝘬𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘯𝘢 𝘪𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘰 𝘯𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘸𝘢𝘨 𝘮𝘰 𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘭𝘰𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱 𝘮𝘰?"

Natawa si Mihara sa narinig. Nahihimigan niya ang pag-aalala sa boses ng senior editor. "Kahit bagyo hindi ako mapipigilan, Art," aniya at isinukbit na ang hand carry bag.

"𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘥𝘢𝘮 𝘬𝘰, 𝘔𝘪𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢—"

"Oh, stop your intuitions, Art. I'm not a superstitious person," putol niyang pinaikot pa ang mga mata, Pagtapos niyang mag-iwan ng tip sa table niya ay saka siya dali-daling naglakad palabas bitbit ang mainit pang kape sa to-go cup. "Malakas ang pakiramdam kong ito na ang breakthrough—ouch!" Natapon ang kapeng hawak ni Mihara—pero hindi sa kanya, kung 'di sa lalaking nakabangga niya.

"Shit. That's hot."

Gulat na nag-angat ng tingin si Mihara sa malalim na tinig na iyon ng lalaki. Nang magtagpo ang mga mata nila ay parang nalunok niya ang dila. "I-I'm sorry—"

"It's okay. Ikaw? Are you okay?" tanong ng lalaking nakasuot ng wire-rimmed glasses. Sinipat pa nito ang damit niya kung natapunan ng kape. "It's my fault. Hindi kita nakita—"

"Hindi! Ako ang may kasalanan..." pag-ako niya at pasimpleng pinasadahan ang katawan nitong nabasa ng kape. He was wearing a thin white cloth and she could clearly see his abs through it. "You know, what? I think you need to change—"

"Yes, I guess..." Ngumiti ang lalaki sa kanya at parang nasa lalamunan na ni Mihara ang puso niya. "Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal."

Tumangu-tango si Mihara. Hindi niya maalis ang mga mata sa guwapong mukha ng lalaki. Bilugan ang mga mata nito at matangos ang ilong, may pagkakahawig ang facial features nito sa mga Indian. Kung hindi rin nagkakamali si Mihara ay hindi nagkakalayo ang edad nila pero sa height, 'di hamak na mas matangkad ito sa kanya sa height niyang five feet and five inches.

"I'm sorry uli..." pinilit niyang ngumiti kahit pa tila naka-glue na ang mga mata niya sa mukha nito. "I owe you a shirt. Ah, I'll get your number na lang para pagbalik ko kokontakin kita for the shirt."

Natawa naman ang lalaki sa sinabi niya at sa tingin niya ay alam na nito ang ibig niyang sabihin. "Sure, Miss...?"

"Mihara," mabilis niyang sagot at inilahad ang kamay sa lalaki. "Just call me Mihara."

"Nice to meet you, Mihara." Nakangiting tinanggap ng lalaki ang kamay niya. "I'm Pavlov Carlos."

Matapos makipagpalitan ng numero sa lalaking nakabangga sa cafeteria ay nagmamadaling tinungo ni Mihara ang lobby. Muli na namang nag-ring ang phone niya, ang akala niya ay si Pavlov na iyon kaya napasimangot pa siya nang makitang si Art na naman ang tumatawag.

"Papunta na ako sa check-in" kaagad niyang sagot sa tawag nito. "I'll be careful, Art. Thanks for your concern."

"𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘨𝘢 𝘬𝘢 𝘯𝘢 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘢𝘰?" natatawang tanong ni Art sa kabilang linya. "𝘉𝘢𝘬𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘭 𝘬𝘢 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯—"

"Ah, stop it," Mihara cut off and rolled her eyes ceilingwards. "Sige na, tatawagan kita kapag nasa Maldives na ako."

"𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺, 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴. 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘔𝘪𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢."

"You can count on me, Art. We'll get more subscribers for this topic." She took out her ticket and went to the line. "Goodbye for now. I'll call you when I get off the plane."

Naglalakad na siya papunta sa counter nang may mahagip na batang umiiyak sa gitna ng lobby. Gusto mang balewalain niya na lang ang bata pero nanaig pa rin sa konsensya niya na lapitan ito. Mihara knew what it feels like to be forgotten and left out, and she saw younger self to the child. Crying and looking for her mom that might not come back—just like what happened to her.

"Hi, are you lost?" tanong niya sa batang babae at yumukod sa harapan nito para magpantay ang mga mata nila. "Where's your mommy?"

"I'm lost..." sagot ng bata sa kanya sa kabila ng mga paghikbi. Mihara could clearly tell in her eyes that she's scared. "My mom left me," she added and cried again.

"What's your name, baby girl?" Mihara asked worriedly. Hindi naman bago ang ganitong tagpo sa airport pero hindi niya pa rin maiwasan makaramdam ng pagkainis. "And, your mom, what's her name?"

The kid looked at her again. She wiped her face and fought back her tears. "My name's Billie," she answered. "I'm five years old. My mom's name is—"

"Billie!" A woman shouted angrily from a distance. "Get her!"

Two men in similar suit rushed towards them and took the girl away from her immediately. Magkasalubong ang mga kilay na nilingon ni Mihara ang babaeng nag-utos sa dalawang lalaki na sa tingin niya ay civilian guards. Kung ito ang ina, hindi ba dapat ito mismo ang kumuha sa anak nito? Mas lalo siyang nakaramdam ng pagkainis sa naisip.

"Where have you been?" iritableng tanong ng babae sa bata. "I told you to stay close to me, right?"

Nang humarap ang babae sa direksyon niya ay ganoon na lang ang pagkagulat ni Mihara. Sa dinami-rami ba naman ng mai-encounter niya sa check-in, iyong mismong subject niya pa? Umaayon naman talaga sa kanya ang tadhana.

"Akalain mo nga naman," Mihara smirked as she watched the poor child being reunited with her estranged mother.

Pasimpleng tumalikod si Mihara nang bumaling sa kinaroroonan niya si Amara Montefort. Mukhang hindi naman siya nito napansin dahil ilang segundo lang ay narinig niya na niya itong maglakad palayo kasabay ng mga guwardiya.

Nilingon niya muli ang mga ito at ganoon na lang ang galit na naramdaman niya nang makita kung paano nito pagalitan ang anak na batang babae. She doesn't even look worried that the little girl got lost because of her negligence. And what's the use of her two bodyguards if they can't secure the child's safety?

This is the first time that she saw the daughter of the CEO. The Montefort family never showed their daughter to the public. What she looked like, her hobbies and her interests were all kept private. Mihara thought it was a good decision to make the child's life normal and out of the spotlight. Pero sa nakita niyang nangyari ngayon ay mukhang may itinatago din na domestic abuse ang pamilya. Mihara witnessed that even the innocent child was a victim of her mother's evilness.

Mula sa 'di kalayuan ay pinagmasdan niya si Amara. She doesn't change even a bit. Her looks, how she dressed, and talk were all still the same. She's still the Amara that she despised four years ago. Pero hindi inaasahan ni Mihara na maging sa sarili nitong anak ay napakasama ng trato nito. Her grudge towards the woman was the real reason why Mihara wanted to expose the trash behind the Montefort Winery. And, she was certain that Amara was the one behind the massive forced retirement of hundreds of old employees in the winery.

The Montefort Winery, which was known for promoting equality and often seen helping people in need by giving them job offers, was secretly having a massive forced retirement in their company. Thus resulting in hundreds of jobless people.

At iyon ang isa sa mga gustong i-expose ni Mihara. But her main target was the CEO's monster wife, Amara Realez-Montefort. Ang kailangan niya lang gawin ay mangolekta ng sapat na impormasyon at mga konkretong ebidensya bago isulat ang scandal online series na magpapabagsak sa Montefort Winery. She's confident that her Montefort Dark Secrets Series of articles will go viral and bring more viewers and site visitors—just like her other scandal articles.

Sino ba naman kasi ang mag-aakala na ang hinahangaan at iginagalang na pamilya sa bansa ay may itinatago palang halimaw sa katauhan ng ilaw ng tahanan? Ngayon pa lang ay gusto nang i-congratulate ni Mihara ang sarili para sa isang 'job well done'.

Sinusundan na niya sina Amara at ang anak nito kasama ang dalawang guard papunta sa boarding plane nang mag-ring uli ang cellphone niya. She thought it was Art, but Jonas's name flashed on the screen when she checked it.

"I thought I made it clear to you that we're done?" she immediately said with furrowed brows.

"𝘔𝘪𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢, 𝘣𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪 𝘮𝘰 𝘴𝘢 '𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘪 𝘯𝘢 𝘱𝘶𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢 𝘬𝘢 𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘢 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴?" he asked, sounded betrayed.

"Why would I tell you? We're done—"

"𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸? 𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺? 𝘎𝘰 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵—"

"Sira ulo ka ba, Jonas?" She asked in disbelief. "At paano mo nalaman na papunta akong Maldives—"

"𝘔𝘪𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦... 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦—"

She pressed the end call button. "Bakit ko naman siya hihintayin?" Nang tingnan niya uli ang phone ay text message naman mula kay Art ang natanggap niya. "Sinasabi ko na nga ba, Arturo! Tsismoso ka talaga!"

Pinatay ni Mihara ang phone at nagsuot ng sunglasses bago sumakay ng plane. Ayaw niyang masira ang araw niya ng lalaking sinungaling na ginawa siyang sugar mommy. Iginala niya ang paningin sa business class cabin para hanapin ang seat number—nina Amara at ng anak nito. When she found them, she walked casually in their direction.

Mihara noticed that Amara was sitting in between the two civilian guards while the kid sat on the other side of the aisle alone. Mihara shook her head in disgust.

𝘈𝘯𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘦𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵𝘰? 𝘔𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘭𝘪 𝘯𝘪𝘺𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘶𝘱𝘰 𝘴𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪 𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘴𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘱 𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪 𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦-𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳-𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘪𝘺𝘢?

Mihara used that opportunity to quickly walked towards the child and occupied the seat beside her. Nang dumating ang may ari ng seat number ay nakiusap siyang makipagpalit at idinahilan na lang na pamangkin niya ang batang katabi. Nakahinga siya nang maluwag nang hindi naman na nag-usisa ang pasahero at pumayag.

"Why are you alone?" tanong niya sa batang babae. Gusto man komprontahin ni Mihara ang ina nito ay nagpigil siya at isinaisip ang mga plano at malaking scoop.

"My mom doesn't want to sit with me..." the poor girl answered and bit her bottom lip to fight back tears. "If only daddy was here, he'd sit beside me."

𝘙𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘌𝘖?

Isinantabi ni Mihara ang awa sa bata at tumitinding galit kay Amara para makakuha ng impormasyon. After the safety equipment demo, she glanced at Amara's direction, and what she saw shocked her. She was flirting with her two bodyguards. Her hands were literally on the crotches of the two men, and from her seat, she could see that she was about to give them a hand job. Mihara quickly turned her back on them to cover the child's view.

"Where's your daddy?" she asked to calm the child and to divert her attention from her mother.

"He didn't come with us..." she said, tears welled up from the corners of her eyes. "I don't want to come with Mommy, but—"

The plane started to take off. Mihara held the little girl's hand to calm her as the plane took off. But seconds after it left the land, they smelled burnt in the air. And, before they knew it, a loud explosion happened.

***