I Fell For You

Chapter 25: Pain

At ten in the morning, nagsidatingan na ang mga workmates ko para sa gagawing meeting. Kasama nila Karl, Victor, at Madelaine ang aming head architect na si Architect Fate. She's also my strict supervisor so I feel kind of anxious with the presentation.

Mabuti nalang ay mayroong mini media room sa bahay para magamit namin sa meeting. Naghanda sila Mommy ng long table roon, at mga biscuit bilang snacks. Naiayos ko na rin ang powerpoint presentation ng aking fully revised design proposal, at hinihintay na lamang na magsettle sa upuan ang mga kasama.

"Architect Constantine will also be here in a minute," my supervisor said na medyo ikinagulat ko. I didn't know Kuya will join us today. Hindi niya iyon nabanggit nang mag-usap kami kanina.

Ngumiti na lamang ako at tumango. They busied themselves with the handouts of the design I provided. Karl, our intertior designer, will be presenting with me so he focused reviewing his slides on his laptop.

Napatingin ako sa phone ko na nasa table nang mag-vibrate ito. Nakita kong isang mensahe iyon mula sa prinsipe. Madaling araw palang sa kanila roon at mukhang kakagising lang nito.

Ephraim:
Good morning, baby. How are you feeling?

My phone vibrated once more for another message.

Ephraim:
I see you've seen my messages. Please let me know if you're feeling good. Let me call you?

Ephraim:
Today's your presentation, right? Good luck, bb! I know you got this.

Ephraim:
We'll be holding the press conference today. The Queen will be with me as well as my father.

Ephraim:
I love you, Ieva.

My heart hurts by just looking at his messages. I picked up my phone and decided to turn off my notifications for a while. I really didn't want to think about him at the moment. I have to condition myself to work, and work only. Iyon ang priority ko sa ngayon.

Bumukas ang pintuan at pumasok roon si Kuya Cryd na naka-white long sleeves at black slacks. Hawak nito ang isang puting hard hat at mukhang kagagaling lang sa site.

Tumayo ang mga kasama para iacknowledge ang kanyang presensya.

Lumapit ako kay Kuya at humalik sa kanyang pisngi. He patted my head, and showed a small smile. His eyes look bloodshot, though. I was worried he was tired from work.

"Shall we start?" Arch. Fate said. Tumango naman ako at nagmamadaling pumunta sa unahan para simulan ang presentation.

This is my biggest project to date so I did my best presenting all the designs. Nga lang, hindi ata iyon nagustuhang ng mga kasama.

"Ieva, your designs are good but there are a lot of lapses here," the head architect commented after we were done presenting. Binaling ko ang aking tingin kay Kuya Cryd na mukhang problemado din sa tinitignang disenyo. I fiddled with my fingers, suddenly getting nervous.

"Hindi mo naiconsider 'yong distansya ng mga columns. And the measurements of the room, may discrepancy, baka magkatalo nanaman kami ng engineer nito." Tinuro niya ang tinutukoy sa plano. "You failed to ensure the basic structural safety as well. You focused on aesthetics too much. Siguradong madaming aayusin ang engineer kung ito ang makikita."

I thought I did well with the presentation but the more she talks, the more I realized that I have made a lot of honest mistakes. My brother didn't comment but his silence means he agrees with her. Nanliit ako dahil doon. I didn't intend to disappoint any of them.

"Hindi tayo magtatayo ng lego house, Genieva." My supervisor let out an exasperated sigh. "We can't lose this project too. Bukas na ito ipepresent, and I'm the one to personally present it for you."