Chasing Waves : Siren Series #1

Prologue

CWPrologue

People say, a queen cannot be a queen without her king. I disagree. Women can live alone.

I dare say, we do not need trash in our lives.

In the ancient history, Catherine the Great, whom I deify, overthrown her husband. In her reign, she conquered the Ottoman Empire in two great wars and expanded her sovereignty on Russia's Empire over three continents.

I do not condone to the idea that men can save the day. Because women are the real heroes.

Mariin kong hinawakan ang scented paper sa kamay. Umismid ako sa nabasa. Mas along kumonot ang noo ko habang  tinititigan kung kanino galing iyong invitation. Monteiro Industries. At talaga naman, nagpadala pa talaga sila ng physical invitation para dito.

Greetings Miss Hutton!

In celebration with the company's fruitful year, you are cordially invited to our wine and dine celebration! It is our pleasure to have your presence in our humble party.

-Monteiro Industries

Last week pa akong may nareceive na email mula sa kanila pero hindi ko iyon pinansin. Kahit ang sekretarya ko ay ika-ilang beses na din nakatanggap at paulit ulit akong tinanong for confirmation, pero kahit ni isa hindi ko iyon pinagbgayn ng pansin. I am too busy to give a damn for this nonsense.

Lukot na ito mula sa pagkakahawak ko. I glared more at the scented paper. As if naman kawalan kung hindi ako pumunta. I rolled my eyes and crumpled the paper. Bukas na bukas, for the 5th time, ay uutosan ko agad si Jerna na mag email ulit ng general response.

Wala akong oras para sa mga walang kwentang bagay. 

I threw the paper on the trashcan and stood up. Kinuha ang champagne glass at bahagyang sumimsim doon. I'm not going to that damn party. My decision is final. No one could ever change my mind.

My eyes focused on the view in front of me as I face the gleaming skyscrapers of the city from here, on my office floor. My grip tightened on my champagne glass. And I cringed as a memory flashed in my head. Sumimsim ako mula sa champagne glass. The sweet alcohol softly burnt my throat as bitterness washed over my head.

Worst decision ever. Shame.

Napailing na lang ako sa naalala. I always thought I belong to him. He was my favorite subject, my most worthy challenge and every glance is a gem I would die for. 

Noon iyon.

I took the risk. And guess where it led me? Pagak akong napatawa. Fucking naive. But I guess it was a great lesson learned. He was my lesson learned. It's just so sad that how much we fucking try to explain ourselves it would still be useless to closeminded people.

I again took a small gulp from my champagne. Hindi ko namalayan na may lumandas palang luha sa pisngi ko. Disgusted by the weakness, I quickly wiped it off as I savor the sweetness of the beverage. Ah, I love how this champagne calms me.

Years have passed but dang, I can still vividly recall everything. Every detail feels like a fresh memory to me. I didn't do it. Umiling ako at mabilis na pinalis ulit ang luha sa pisngi.

I shouldn't cry over such weakness. But I can't help it. I was fucking blinded. This is my disgusting weakness. Why would I shed a tear over some bullshit asshole? But here I am. No matter how hard I try, I still do. Putangina.

"Miss Astrid."

I took a deep sigh and composed myself before facing her, afraid that my secretary would notice my sulky mood tonight. Wearing my cold expression, liningon ko siya.