"Hurry up, John!" sigaw ko sa aking secretary na inaayos pa ang pagkakalagay ng kaniyang eyeglasses pagkababa namin sa sasakyan.
Dire-diretso na ang lakad ko patungo sa building ng mga Monteros, ngunit ang aking secretarya/bodyguard ay tila hindi pa makausad dahil sa rami ng dala. Paano ba naman kasi, dala niya iyong Mcbook, folders para sa a-aprobahan kong project, isang iPad, at cardigan na inutos kong ipadala sa kaniya kahit na hindi naman malamig ang panahon.
Nang maayos niya na itong nadala ay tsaka siya tumakbo at sumunod sa akin.
We were greeted by the guards and employees at the lobby, pero wala silang nakuhang tango man lang o sagot. Nagpatuloy lamang kami sa isang private elevator na iginiya sa amin ng isang lalakeng staff.
I heaved a sigh, this is ridiculous. Why do I need to come here! Kung pwede naman na roon sa company namin itong meeting na ito! Why here? Papa should owe me an explanation later, this is frustrating! Lalo na't marami pa akong ginagawa sa office ko nang bigla akong tinawagan ni papa para sa meeting na ito.
The elevator shut open nang nasa tamang palapag na kami. I sighed hard at taas noo na lumabas galing doon. The staff guided us towards a room.
John, on my side, looked stiff and firm. Kahit na halatang hirap sa dinadala, binuksan pa rin ang pinto para makapasok na kami. I tried to maintain my composure, at walang imik na pumasok kahit na maraming mga pares ng mata ang nakatingin na ngayon sa akin.
I saw dad sitting near Mr. Anazo, isa sa mga board members ng aming kompanya. They were talking awhile ago nang pumasok ako, he gestured his hand beside him, so dumiretso ako roon at umupo.
"Am I late?" tanong ko sa kanya ng hindi tumitingin.
"No, you're just in time, hija."
I roamed my eyes inside the room, majority of the board members are from our company, hindi ko maiwasang magtaas ng kilay sa aking ama na ngayon ay nakatingin sa akin.
"What is this meeting all about, Pa? Bakit nandito iyong mga board members natin? Why here?" I asked coldly.
"You will know later, Aria."
I rolled my eyes in disbelief, papa laughed halfheartedly.
"I hope this meeting isn't some kind of no-sense, pa. I'd rather stay in my office than attend that kind of meeting."
"I know, I know, but I assure you this isn't no-sense, Ari."
I half-heartedly smiled. Lumingon ako kay John na nakatayo pa rin.
"What? Are you just going to stand there? Sit." utos ko sa kanya saka siya umupo at inilapag iyong mga gamit sa table.
"Aren't we going to start yet?" Mr. Anazo asked.
"Uhm... Mr. Monteros hasn't arrived yet sir, so technically, this meeting will not yet start without him, around." sagot naman ng isang babaeng naka buwaghag ang buhok. Her soft features tell that she's from a well-known family. Her dress is a bit old-fashioned to me, I made a sour face, saka nagtaas ng paningin only to find out that she's staring at me, too. So I averted my gaze.
Marami ang umangal at nadisappoint, pero wala ring nagawa kundi ang maghintay ng isang oras. Can you believe that? 1 hour of waiting! He must be insane! Whoever that man, I hope he'll never get his way here anymore! He isn't worth the wait.
This is ridiculous!
Umamba akong tatayo. My patience is enough for today. I won't tolerate this shit, that shit. My time is too precious to wait!
They all looked at me when I stood up. Our board members sighed when they realized that I have already lost my patience.
"Ari, what are you doing? Sit-"
"I'm going back to my office, papa. One hour of waiting is enough, I had so many work to do, I cannot tolerate this." I retorted cooly.
But before I could get out of the room, the door opened and a man came with an authoritative aura on his face.
"Mr. Monteros is here, finally!" the girl awhile ago cheerped in happiness.
