The Ruthless (Quantum Meruit Series #1)

03. Coldly

03.
Coldly

—————

So it began.

“Hindi pa ako nangangalahati.” I rolled my eyes and lazily reached for the iced coffee drink I consumed whenever I would pull all-nighter. “Ikaw? De puta madre. Hindi naman ganito kalala no’ng First Year, a.”

Nayeli groaned from the other line. “Same thought. Hindi ko na alam kung papa’no ko iba-balance lahat. Have you printed your cases in Human Rights Law? Meron ka pa bang soft copy? Pa-send naman, o.”

“Himala.” Mahina akong tumawa sabay patong ng binili sa counter. “Ikaw ang madalas maagang mag-compile ng mga kaso.”

“Well, surprise. Pa-send na lang sa email ko. You still have my email address, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. Ipapasa ko pagbalik ko sa bahay. And by the way, ‘di naman ako ang nag-compile ng mga ‘yon.” I grinned. “Si Bredant.”

She hissed, earning a chuckle from me.

Ang bait-bait kaya ni Bredant. Tapos inaaway-away niya lang.

I was expecting her to tell me she was no longer interested. Pero mukhang desperada rin siya para sa oras dahil wala na siyang sinabi pa.

Matapos kong kunin ang sukli ay dumiretso na ako sa pinto. Pagkalabas ay binuksan ko agad ang iced coffee at ininom iyon.

I was busy memorizing some provisions silently when a tall guy wearing a red shirt came out of nowhere. Tumabi siya sa akin at sinabayan ako sa paglalakad. Gulat na nilingon ko iyon at handa na sanang magmaldita nang napagsino ko iyon.

It was Hernan, my ex-boyfriend.

“What the hell,” iritadong sabi ko. “You’re a total creep. Do you know that?”

Ngumisi lamang siya. Matapos akong isang beses sulyapan, ibinaling niyang muli ang mga mata sa unahan habang nakapamulsa.

“It’s late. Bakit nasa labas ka pa?” he asked.

“Pakialam mo ba. E, ikaw? Bakit nandito ka? Are you stalking me? Do you know that I can file a protection order and a complaint against you—”

“Lawyer na lawyer na, a,” sansala niya sabay ngisi sa akin. “Sige nga. What case would you file against me?”

I coldly stared at him. “Violation of the Anti-Violation Against Women and Children Act. Kung ‘di mo alam, VAWC o kaya RA 9262. Puwede ring Unjust Vexation.”

Humalakhak siya na parang biro lamang ang litanya ko. “Anong violation naman ang ginagawa ko sa’yo, aber?”

“Stalking me, your ex-girlfriend, for absurd or for no reason at all is punishable by law, Hernan. And you vex me so much! Kaya puwede ba . . .”

“Ito naman. Joke lang. Napadaan lang ako.”

“Kapag ‘di ka talaga tumigil kakasunod sa’kin, talagang irereklamo na kita sa otoridad!” banta ko at mas binilisan ang paglalakad.

Asshole!

Hernan and I had been together for a year. We broke up before I entered law school. I found him cheating on me. At ang kapal ng pagmumukha na sabihing nagkulang ako sa kanya kaya nagawa niya akong gaguhin! Tapos ngayon, ang kulit-kulit at pinipilit akong makipagbalikan sa kanya.

Asa.

I remembered my friends who were envious of me because he was my boyfriend. Masuwerte raw ako. Guwapo raw, mayaman, at maayos si Hernan. At first, I thought I really was.