Avery Montemayor - He's No Prince Charming

Chapter Twenty-seven

"Thank you so much for granting us your permission to have an interview with you, Miss Alvarado." Malugod na bati ng writer mula sa Sought Magazine.

I shook her hand and smile in return.

"The pleasure is mine. Have a seat, please..." I gestured towards the seats in front of me.

Gusto kong umiling at matawa sa nangyayari. Three days ago, I turned down their invitation for the feature on their magazine and I thought, that was it. Ngunit sa sumunod na araw rin agad ay nag-e-mail silang muli at humihingi ng kahit maiksing interview na lamang. Naalala ko pa kung gaano kalaki ang ngiti ni Olive nang sa huli ay um-oo na rin ako sa interview upang hindi na sila mangulit. At ngayon nga ay narito na agad sila sa opisina para sa interview na aking pinaunlakan.

"Maaari ba kaming kumuha ng larawan ninyo pagkatapos ng interview, Miss Alvarado? Just one shot here in your office for your profile."

"Sure, it's fine." Tumango ako at ipinatong sa ibabaw ng aking mesa ang magkasaklop na mga kamay.

I gave them a few minutes to set their equipments up and offered refreshments while they're doing so. They promised that the interview won't take too long so if they finish early, I could still attend to my other appointments after this.

"So, let's start, Miss Alvarado." Tumingin na sa akin ang interviewer at ngumiti.

"By the way, I'm Cassandra Rivera of the Sought Magazine. You may call me Sandra, Miss Shantell Alvarado... How would you like me to address you, Ma'am?"

"Shantell will do." I simply said.

Tumango-tango siya at saka nagproceed na sa kanyang mga katanungan.

"We all know you're one of the youngest CEOs of the country right now, but what do you think are your edge over your competitors?"

"Hmmm..." saglit akong napaisip. "I wouldn't call it my advantage but rather, something that has been instilled in my mind since I was young. My family, especially my grandfather and Dad, had always reminded me that someday I'll have to take over the family's business. And probably because of that, at a very young age I've been learning everything about business, taking notes about the things I might encounter, and had always been aware of the responsibilities I will shoulder when that time comes. In other words, I've always been business minded which is undeniably why, despite the pressure, I took over the whole corporation even when I know I still have a lot to learn."

"So, you have always been ready for this role?"

"You could say that." I nodded my head.

"Wow." Manghang sabi nito saka ngumiti ng malaki. "You're a great risk-taker even then, Miss Shantell. Speaking of risks, could you tell us about the most courageous thing you have done in your life?"

"That's a nice question, I must say." Puri ko sa kanya na sinagot naman niya ng ngiti at pasasalamat.

"I think the most courageous thing I've ever done so far in my life is learning how to love. I've learned how to love the life that I have, myself most especially. I've learned how to love every beautiful thing that God has been giving me."

"Have you ever fallen in love with someone?" diretsahang tanong niya na inasahan ko naman nang maitatanong.

And without any hesitations, I nodded my head.

"Yes, I did."

"Did, past tense." She emphasized. "I won't ask you to expound that Miss Shantell, instead, can you tell us how this experience contributes to who you are today?"

"Well, like how failure does to people, it made me tougher. I found out what my flaws are and since then, I've been working on improving myself better each and every day."