Behind Her Innocence (Hughes Series)

Chapter 12: Stranger Thing

A week went by. I was glad na puro sa labas ang mga meetings ko. I had an excuse not to see Aaron's face. I told Ines na siya na ang bahala kung sakaling may tanong man si Aaron tungkol sa gawain niya.

For a week, nagkaroon din ako ng peace of mind. Kasi pag nasa isang lugar lang kami, feeling ko su-suffocate ako. Parang anytime ay may problema na dadating.

But now, kailangan ko ng magreport sa office.

"Gwen!"

I was about to enter the elevator when Kuya Geron called me. "Kuya." I gave him a kiss on his cheek as a sign of greeting.

"Alam mo ba kung nasaan sina dad and mom ngayon?"

I was trying to remember the last time I talked to our parents. Inalala ko kung natanong ko ba sa kanila o kung nasabi ba nila sakin kung saan sila pupunta.

"Oh, I think dad mentioned to me that after his out of the country trip, he'll be visiting the currently under construction five star hotel building in Iloilo. Remember we have expanded in there? So I guess they are there now. They're going to meet the real estate agents and the architects."

Tumango siya. "Oh, right. Naalala kong inuumpisahan na pala nila ang construction doon. Nagtataka talaga ako kay dad bakit sa dinami-dami ng lugar ay doon talaga ang pinili niya. That place is not the most popular place to visit."

"Well if you don't know, kuya. Iloilo is civilizing gradually. Madami na ang nagpatayo ng business doon and their economy is growing. The tourists rate also went up. Alam mo naman si dad, he knows where he should invest. He's a businessman for years so trust him."

Napailing si Kuya Geron. "I never doubted dad when it came to business, but I was just complaining because of all people, bakit ako ang ma a-assign doon? I heard from my secretary that I have a scheduled appointment in Iloilo."

"Kuya, hayaan mo na. Dad entrusted it to you so you better grab the chance."

"Ano pa nga ba ang magagawa ko eh hindi naman kayo pwede ni Gray. Busy ka din lalo na at tini-train mo ang anak ni Mr Loyzaga. Busy din si Gray dun sa babae niya."

I laughed on his sentiments.

"Sige na, Gwen. Akyat kana. Babalik narin ako sa office ko."

"Okay. Good luck, kuya." Nagbeso ulit ako sa kanya bago ako sumakay sa elevator.

I went straight to my office.

"Maam, meron pong gaganapin na charity event bukas. Eco-confirm ko po ba sa kanila na darating kayo?" Ines asked while looking at her iPad.

"Yeah, it's mom's event and she's not here so I will be her proxy."

"Okay, confirm ko na po."

"Anything else?" I asked as I settled on my chair.

"Wala na po, maam."

Nagpaalam na siyang lumabas at ako naman ay tinuloy na ang trabaho. It was almost lunch time when someone entered my office.

"Kuya?" Gulat na tanong ko habang nakatayo saka sinalubong siya. "Akala ko wala ka dito sa office today?"

Nagbeso ako sa kanya.