The Last Teardrop (TS3)

Chapter 1

"Kelsey, hurry up! What's taking you so long?", I almost shivered when I heard the cold voice of Tita Monica outside my room. She sounded a bit irritated and in a hurry.

She's the legal wife of my dad, Martin Chua. She doesn't like me but she got no choice when Dad brought me here in their house two years ago. Dad is too powerful that even his wife follows what he says.

Tita Monica isn't that bad because she never hurt me physically but she isn't that good either. She always makes me feel that I don't belong in this family. The way she talks to me and the way she looks at me always slaps me the reality that I was a product of my parents' mistake.

"Bilisan niyo na dyan!", even the stylist almost jump when Tita Monica's loud voice surfaced the hallway, "Where's Juliana? Jairus, nasaan na ba ang kapatid mo? We'll be late!", we heard her voice fading away, probably looking for her only daughter.

"'Yan! Ang ganda mo talagang bata, Kelsey!", Ate Gwen, the gay stylist, clapped her hands after finishing what she's doing to me, "Grade 4 ka pa lang pero ang tangkad at ang ganda mo na"

I smiled shyly at her. Sa ilang taon ko na rito sa mansion ng mga Chua at sa dami na ring party na napuntahan, siya lagi ang nag-aayos at nagbibihis sa akin.

At first, I don't feel comfortable being this glamorous pero dahil na rin sa exposure ko sa mga ganitong events, nakasanayan ko na rin na inaayusan palagi. Mabuti na lang mabait at magaling ang stylist na naassign sa akin. She always reminds me to be confident because I look good.

"Thank you po", I smiled while she's helping me in getting up from my seat.

I'm wearing a lace glittery long lace-sleeves dress with thin strings as its strap. The tube top is black in color with layers of lace skirt wherein the color fades from the waistline until the hem of the cloth. It's simple but looks elegant according to the designer.

Ate Gwen pulled my hair into a bun with some hair strands falling on both sides of my ear. I was staring at myself on my reflection on the mirror while she's slowly putting a small tiara on my head as a final touch for her masterpiece for tonight.

"You're so beautiful Kelsey", she said adoringly while staring at my reflection.

I was used to being complimented like that. They were always saying that I'm tall for my age reason why my school often joins me to different pageants. Minsan nga lang hindi ako sumasali dahil iyon ang nagiging rason ng pagkakagalit sa akin ni Juliana.

We're the same age. Mas matanda lang ako ng ilang buwan sa kanya kaya kapag may gusto siya na gusto ko rin, ako na lang ang nagpaparaya. Aside from I don't like to create any misunderstanding with her, I also got no choice because... of course I'm just an outsider for this family.

I couldn't even call them 'my family'.

All of them don't like me here, except for my Dad, my Ahma and maybe a bit of my Ahia. The coldness I always feel whenever I'm with them makes me shiver everytime.

My cousins were also distant from me. I don't know if it's because they were being warned by their parents or they just don't like me because even my Angkong couldn't accept me. It's like I'm a disgrace to their family.

"Kels, let's go", Ahia Jairus appeared on the doorway seconds after I heard his cold voice.

He's older than me by five years. Unlike Juliana and our other cousins, he's a bit warm to me, though not that warm. He's almost like our Dad. I could feel that they care but he's not that showy or... maybe I'm just assuming things.