Until Forever (Published!)

Chapter 8

Micheal was so angry. This woman had made him so mad that he wanted to break her bones! How dare her wish Jasmin something bad as death! That was just unacceptable. But he was also very aware of the fact that he was holding her wrist, her pulse pounding underneath his skin, and it was beating in a strange rhythm.

His teeth gritted. Nagagalit siya pero sa kabila ng lahat ay hindi niya maiwasang pagtuunan ng pansin ang babae. Her body was just a few inches away from him, and the wind  wafted her sweet scent to his nose. She also smelled like that yesterday, when she was just clad in a bikini with water dripping all over her delicious body.

He groaned inwardly at the thought. Her almost naked body paraded in his imagination, her breasts swelling underneath her bikini bra, her booty straining against the fabric of her bikini bottom. The image was sinful, tempting, and in just one split second, he felt his maleness stir. It was wild, raw, and something that he didn’t want to feel at the moment.

Sh*t! This woman wasn’t only dangerous to Jasmin. He had this gut feeling that she would also bring him trouble. Well, she was already giving him trouble as early as now.

Everything about her enticed him – from her fiery eyes, to the soft tendrils of her hair that was swaying in the gentle gust of the wind, to the fleshy pout of her lips. She had already made quite an impression on him yesterday, and he didn’t expect that the lovely woman who got his fancy would turn out to be an opportunist. In a different circumstance, he would covet her, but not when Jasmin’s wellbeing was at stake. He wouldn’t allow anyone hurt his stepmother.

“Huh! At ano ang tingin mo sa iyong kinikilalang ina, santo?” she scowled at him. And the fire of hatred in her eyes intesified and mirrored his own.

His grip to her wrist became harder, tighter and punishing. The more she talked bad of his stepmother, the more he had the urge to just crush her. “Jasmin is a good and well-mannered lady, but of course, she’s not a saint,” he said in clenched teeth. “Do you think you can really fool us?”

“I am not fooling around, for goodness’ sake!” exasperated na pahayag nito.

“Then, stop pretending to be Jasmin’s daughter,” nanggigigil na wika niya. “Patay na ang anak ni Mama at hawak namin ang death certificate niya. Now pray tell,  who is the mastermind behind this dirty, little stint of yours? Tell me, or else I’ll have the cops slam you in jail.” His mouth curved in a wry smile as he saw the sudden confusion in her eyes.

If he hadn’t just knew that Jasmin’s daughter was already dead, he would fall for this con. Why, this woman had a resemblance with his stepmother. The eyebrows, the nose, and the shape of her face looked like that of Jasmin’s. Katunayan ay mas kamukha pa nito si Jasmin kesa sa babaeng sumulpot noon at nagpakilalang anak ng stepmother niya. Hindi nagtagal ay napag-alaman nilang hindi pala tunay na anak ni Jasmin ang nagpakilalang babae at nagpapanggap lamang ito. The woman left and disappeared after they knew about her true identity. That was when they found out that Jasmin’s daughter was already dead.

“Death certificate?” muling ulit nito sa sinabi niya. “What death certificate are you talking about? I am still very much alive! How dare you!”

Patuya siyang ngumiti. “I know that you’re still very much alive, sweetheart,” he couldn’t help but become sarcastic. “But Mama Jasmin’s real daughter is already dead. Maybe you overlook that detail when you planned about this charade. But no, you can’t fool us. We know the truth. You’re a big fraud.”

“Liar!” nagbabaga ang mga matang singhal nito. Ipiniksi nito ang kamay na hawak niya pero hindi niya pinakawalan iyon.

“Between you and me, who’s the big liar, huh?” he dared her. “We still have Jasmin’s daughter’s Death Certificate, sweetheart. That was enough proof that you’re a scheming opportunist pretending to be Jasmin’s daughter so you could have access to her money?”

“Let me go!” Iwinasiwas nito ang kamay. And he had to let her go so he wouldn’t break her wrist. “This is quite so frustrating!” nahahapong pahayag nito habang nakalarawan ang paghihirap sa mukha. Pero maya-maya ay muling bumalik ang galit sa mga mata nito. “Kung ito ang paraan mo upang matakasan ni Jasmin Fernan ang katotohanang ako ang inabandona niyang anak, puwes wala na akong pakialam doon! Wala na akong pakialam sa inyo! I should just have sent my lawyer instead of coming here just to see my goddamned mother. I didn’t expect that this will be as frustrating as this. Okay, I’m giving up!” she snapped at him. “Happy now, huh, John Micheal Travilla?”

Her voice was full of sting and apparent hate, but he liked the sound of his name coming from her lips. Parang gusto niyang ipaulit dito ang pagbigkas sa pangalan niya.

“Okay, let’s just stop this mess. Kung hindi mo ako papayagang makita at makausap ang walang kuwenta kong ina, okay, fine! Magsama kayong dalawa! Hindi na ako manggugulo. I will just leave the work to my lawyer, then. Anyways, he can come here himself, and verify the fact that I did come here to see my mother. I hope you won’t deny that, will you?”

“And what exactly do you mean by that, woman?!” He lashed out at her. He caught her wrist again, and held her firmer.

“Kung hindi ko rin lang naman makakausap ang aking ina ay wala ng rasong manatili pa ako rito. I’ll send my lawyer as soon as possible. Siya na ang bahalang kumausap sa inyo. That’s all I need.” Ipiniksi nito ang kamay ngunit hindi niya iyon binitiwan. “Let go of me, Mr. Travilla,” asik nito sa kanya. “And don’t worry, ito na ang huling pagkakataong tatapak ako sa teritoryo ng aking mahal na ina.” She said the word ‘mahal’ like it was a poison. “You will never see me again!”

“No!” Kaagad na tutol niya. The thought that he wouldn’t be seeing her again suddenly drew a mass of rebellion deep inside him. He didn’t expect that he would feel that way, but he didn’t want her to go yet. Mas lalo na ang isiping hindi na niya ito makikita kailanman. “Mag-uusap tayo,” galit na pahayag niya.

“Wala na tayong dapat na pag-usapan pa, Mr. Travilla. You don’t want me to see my mother, then, I’ll better not waste my breath anymore. It’s just useless. Si Jasmin lamang ang ipinunta ko rito. Now, if I can’t talk to her, it’s better to leave the-“

“You just can’t leave like this, woman.” Mas lalo pa niyang hinigpitan ang ang pagkakasaklit sa palapulsuhan nito na para bang tatakbo ito anumang sandali. He knew that he was acting on impulse, and that it was not a good thing, but he just couldn’t help it. “You still have a lot of explaining to do.”

“Isa lang naman ang gusto kong mangyari, ano ba! I just wanted to see my mother after twenty-six freaking years! At kung hindi mangyayari iyon ay nagsasayang lamang ako ng aking panahon. I’ll give my lawyer a job.”

“No!” tutol niya sa kontrolado pero mapanganib na tinig. “You have already created a mayhem in this family. What you did is not just something that I’ll let go and forget. Now stay and explain everything. Bakit ka nagpapanggap na anak ni Jasmin?”

“I am not pretending! And I don’t wana waste my time here anymore! Just let me go, and let’s forget all about this mess!”

He took a sharp intake of breath. He still wanted her to stay. “If I’ll let you see Jasmin, will you tell me your story?” He groaned inwardly, not pleased with what he just said. Hindi na niya dapat na idinadamay pa ang stepmom sa kalokohan niyang ito. But he did anyway. Darn!

She looked at him as if he had grown two horns. “Are you sure?” paninigurado nito.

“Listen,” he cursed under his breath. “I’ll let you see Jasmin, okay? That’s after you tell me your story, and why you’re here. But you need to be very behaved. Isa pa ay marami akong mga kondisyunes na dapat i-discuss sa iyo bago mo makita ang Mama.”

“Okay, whatever! Let me go and I will tell you all you need to know,  all the dirty, bloody details! ” she uttered in a very disdainful tone.

Micheal sighed and let go of her wrist. Nagagalit siya sa sarili. Bakit ba siya nagpapadala sa babaeng ito? She was a bloody opportunist, and a threat to Jasmin’s wellbeing. And she was an enemy. An enemy he was reluctant to part with yet.

Alam niyang kalokohan iyon. But he wanted to know about the woman more. He wanted to still listen to her eventhough he knew the truth.

Well, he could let her talk. In that way, he could uncover her conniving plan. Then, he could just discard her later on. But definitely, he wouldn’t allow her get close to Jasmin, nor hurt his stepmom in any way. He would protect Jasmin from her. Sisiguraduhin niya iyon.