AETERNUM SERIES 1: A TWIST OF FATE (COMPLETED)

CHAPTER ONE

" Aren't you late for work?", tanong ni Anna sa kaibigang si Sophia na para bang walang pakialam sa oras. Both of them were working in Hotel Sacher Wein, a five star hotel in Austria. Ang kaibigan niya at ka-share sa apartment na iyon ay sa back of the house naka-assign samantalang siya naman ay sa Café Sache Wein ng hotel naka-assign bilang chef de partie.

Nakita niyang nakabihis na si Sophia pero prente pa itong nakaupo sa harap ng tv at nanonood ito ng Fox News mula sa flatscreen tv nila na nakadikit sa dingding ng sala.

" Nah. The hotel's just a five minute run from here," balewalang sagot ng dalaga in her thick German accent.

Anna took a glance at her wristwatch. Seven-thirty in the morning, it says. At tama si Sophia, the hotel they were both working was just a five minute run from their apartment. Gustuhin man niyang sumabay kay Sophia sa pagpasok ay hindi niya iyon magawa. Strict sa time ang kanilang head chief at kinakailangang nasa kitchen na sila fifteen minutes before their scheduled duty.

" I'll see you later," paalam niya sa kaibigan na nakilala niya two years ago nang mag-OJT siya sa mismong hotel na pinagtatrabahuan nila ngayon. Bubuksan na sana niya ang pintuan ng sala nang isang pamilyar na boses ang pumailanlang mula sa television.

" Almost nobody believed when she first exposed the abuse. We fought hard to prove all the allegations were true and now, here we are. This victory is for all those immigrants whose rights are violated by these people," buong-buo ang boses ng lalaki. 

Parang itinulos si Anna sa kinatatayuan at parang robot na kusang napalingon sa nakabukas na TV.

Marco, her mind whispered as she stared at the man being interviewed by the anchor of the news program. Parang nasa loob ng opisina ng binata ang mga ito. He was seating on a swivel chair, his back straight, eyes as dark as the night, looking devastatingly handsome in his dark blue suit.

Sa ibabang bahagi ng screen ay naka-flash doon ang issue ng kanilang usapan: Victory on sexual abuse case filed by a Korean immigrant.

Pakiramdam ni Anna ay bibigay ang kanyang mga tuhod sa mga sandaling iyon. Seeing Marco Vallarta again caught her unprepared. Shock was understatement on what she's feeling right now. His black as coal eyes seemed to bore into her very soul kahit na alam naman niyang hindi para sa kanya ang mga titig na iyon. She took a deep breath to calm herself and silently sat next to Sophia, totally forgetting the time.

"Er ist gutaussehend," komento ni Sophia na kagaya niya ay nakatitig din sa screen at nilingon siya.

" Wer?," tanong niya na kunwari ay hindi alam kung sino ang tinutukoy ng kaibigan na gwapo. She silently thanked heavens that Sophia didn't bother to ask why she's still here.

Sophia softly laughs at muling ibinalik ang tingin sa tv. " Der rechtsanwalt. Und intelligent auch. I've been following this case for months now and this man impressed me."

Wala sa loob na napatango si Anna sa papuring iyon ng kaibigan sa lalaki kahit na nagtataka siyang hindi niya alam ang tungkol sa kasong hawak ng binata. It could be the fact that she was slaving herself at work to even watch news.

Yes, Marco Vallarta was everything Sophia said. He was dangerously handsome and intelligent, a lethal combination for a man. And she's a living testament to how the combination could affect a woman.

" Aber er kommt mir bekannt vor. Ich kann mich einfach nicht erinnern, wo ich ihn gesehen habe," wika ni Sophia na nakakunot ang noo. She would speak in German whenever she's thinking deep or in excitement. Balewala naman iyon kay Anna dahil nakakaintindi na siya ng German.

" Perhaps he's familiar because you often see him in the news? You mentioned you were following this case, right?", Anna offered to her friend. Sophia's forgetful sometimes na kinakailangan pa niya ito i-follow up minsan kung may ihahabilin siya dito. Besides, saan pa ba pwedeng nakita ni Sophia si Marco maliban sa panonood nito ng news? Marco's thousand miles away from Austria.