Isla De Fuego Series 1: Deception (EROTIC-ROMANCE)

Chapter Six: Headquarters

CHAPTER SIX: HEADQUARTERS

KINAUMAGAHAN ay nadatnan ni Alexander si JM na nagsusulat sa isang notebook sa kitchen table. Napansin niya ring umikli ang buhok nito kumpara kahapon. Ang mahaba nitong alon-alon na buhok na umaabot halos sa bewang ay ngayong hanggang dibdib na lang ang haba. His curiousity had his brows clashing and his lips twitching kaya nilapitan niya ito ng kaunti at tiningnan ang sinusulat nito.

She's writing on a... planner? Who the hell is still using paper when you have gadgets and stuff? And she uses a set of emoji and emoticon stickers on her damn notebook. Yeah, like there's a limited emojis in smartphones.

"Good morning." Narinig niyang bati sa kanya ni JM sabay turo sa coffee pot na nasa island counter gamit ang ballpen nitong may ulo ng isang pink na baboy sa dulo. Madali niyang tiningnan ang coffee pot na umuusok sa init. "Pasensya na at gumawa ako ng kape. Hindi ko kayang mabuhay nang walang kape." She said all of that while her focus was still on her damn notebook.

Lex poured a coffee on his mug, his eyes never leaving the godforsaken notebook. Why did he contribute much to modern technology when someone doesn't even recognize or appreciates its existence? Is she technology-challenged? He shook his head in disbelief.

Sumandal siya sa island counter at matamang pinagmasdan nag ginagawa ng dalaga. He almost wanted to throw his mug at her when he saw her get the fucking phone out of her tote bag. Then why the hell use a fucking notebook?

He massaged his temple. Mababaliw siya kapag iisipin niya pa kung paano mag-isip nag babaeng nasa harap niya ngayon.

Akmang aalis na siya ngunit narinig niyang may kuasap na ito sa telepono.

"Good morning. This is Jeanne Maurice Sanchez, former assistant to Hefner Waverly... Well, I've heard about discrepancies about the schedule and I wanted to help out by sending you the guidelines about fixing his schedule... Uh-huh... You're welcome. Please feel free to contact me for future anomalies regarding his schedule... Welcome!"

Napangiti si Lex. She's pretty cheerful for an underrated assistant. Hefner is lucky to have her as his assistant.

On the other hand, now he knew why the Beltrans had a hard time searching for her. She used her mother's maiden name and hid under the Waverlys' skirt. A clever idea, actually, since Waverlys and Beltrans are rivals. That's exactly why the Trivanos and the Waverlys has a strong bond in the industry. The enemy of my enemy is my friend kind of vibe.

"JM." Tawag niya sa dalaga. Kaagad itong tumayo at ngumiti sa kanya. He flinched because of her response. How could she act like that after what happened between them last night? He could swear she's upset when he left.

"Sasama ka sa'kin ngayon. Ipapasyal kita sa HQ."

HINDI MATAWARAN ang saya ni JM nang isama siya ni Lex papunta raw sa Headquarters ng Isla. Katabi niya si Mang Ernie habang nagmamaneho ito samantalang si Lex ay nasa backseat at nagtitipa sa laptop nito.

"Nga pala, Mang Ernie. May amusement park ba rito? O kahit restaurant o nightclub man lang?"

"Aba'y oo, hija. Nag-iisang hotel at casino rito ay 'yung pag-aari ni boss Lex. Iyon ang amusement park ng mga mayayaman rito. Sugal." Humalakhak si Mang Ernie sa birong iyon. "May mga restobar rin kung gusto mong magpakalunod sa alak."

Her smile faded. "Casino, huh? Hindi talaga mawala ang lugar na iyon kahit saan." She smiled wryly.

Alexander entered the conversation. "Please drop us off in Corinne's boutique."

"Pero, boss. Nandoon na po si Ma'am Corinne sa HQ niyo."

Alexander almost rolled his eyes. "And I specifically told her to wait—"

"Dala na rin daw ho niya ang mga damit na pina-order niyo kagabi."

It is JM's turn to be confused. "Damit? Pwede pala mag-order ng damit dito tapos ide-deliver kinabukasan?" Tanong ng dalaga kay Mang Ernie.

"Para lang po sa mga VIP iyon, Ma'am JM, kagaya ni boss."

Tumango na lamang si JM bilang pagtugon.

At last, they've reached the infamous HQ. Napanganga si JM sa magarang wooden two-story vacation house na nasa harap nila ngayon. The place is nearby the beach but it would take minutes to get to the seashore. May view ang lugar ng nabanggit ni Mang Ernie na "Eros Garden" at kaunting parte ng dagat mula sa di-kalayuan.

Sinundan niya si Lex papasok sa bahay at kaagad na bumungad ang isang lalakeng nakasuot ng eyeglasses at V-neck shirt na halos hulmahin ang magandang hubog ng katawan nito. Not to mention that he wore a checkered, blue and white three-fourths. He looked pretty sharp in his sense of style and movements. He looked at her like she's a mathematical problem right in front of his eyes. The way he looked at her was so... analytical.

"Ako nga po pala—"

Tumalikod na ang lalake. "Go inside, Lex."

Napasimangot si JM. That guy is weird. Sinundan na lamang niya si Lex papasok ng bahay habang tinitingnan ang disenyo sa loob no'n.

The style looks classic and homely. All of the types of furniture in the house are made of wood and marbles to highlight the theme of the house. There's even a surfboard display in the living room just behind the sofa that's facing the flatscreen TV. The gadgets all have "Trivano Tech" logo on it.

"Oh my god! Did Lex just brought a woman here?"

Nilingon ni JM ang nagsalita. She almost gasped when she saw Corinthine Goldstrom— The owner of the high-end fashion boutiques all over the country. Naitikom niya ang nakangangang bibig nang maka-recover siya sa shock.

"You know me, didn't you?" Tumakbo palapit sa kanya si Corinne at sinuri ang damit na suot niya. Nahiya si JM dahil hindi man lang niya napagplanuhan ang susuotin. Nakakahiyang ipakita niyang wala siyang sense sa fashion.

"I see, you like casual clothes but it ruins your charming face, darling. You need something sweet to match your charms." Hinila siya ni Corinne paakyat ng bahay. "I have something in the drawers." Kumaway ito kay Lex at sa lalakeng naka-glasses. "We'll be right back!"

On the other hand, Lex invited Logan to sit on the sofa.

"Who's that woman, Lex? Don't tell me she's one of your flings because I know you more than anyone else around here." Logan threw a dangerous look as if he's interrogating a suspect. "You're planning something, aren't you?"

He leaned his back on the couch. "Whatever it is, you know it's none of your business."

Logan smirked. "Alexus Anderson Trivano. Still clueless, huh?"

He sat straight from slouching on the couch and threw Logan a puzzled glare. "What do you know now, Logan?"

Logan's amber eyes sparkled with excitement. "Why don't you ask your she-devil for a gamble?"

_____

Author's Note:

Magabal po ang update nito dahil under editing pa siya. Will post the chapters kapag tapos na po i-edit. But in the meantime, please settle with the raw version. Thank you.

-missbellavanilla