A HUGE mansion. Good helpers. And a jerk boss.
“Is she the new hire? A maid, you say?” His deep voice sounds sexy. He has a very nice pair of brown eyes too.Halos hindi ako makaimik habang nasa harap ng lalaking tinatawag nilang Remmington Accardi. No words can explain his whole appearance so well… except that, he looks very gorgeous as hell. He was chewing something on his mouth while smirking at me. His almond eyes looked beautiful, it goes well with his wide lips.I can’t believe that he is rumored to be a mafia boss. Nanonood naman ako ng mga action movies, aside sa mga animated series sa Japan sa gustong-gusto ko. And mostly, in those action movies – the mafia bosses are always ugly looking. With bald head, a huge mustache, bad odor, and they are also short. But this guy, even just sitting – I can say that he is a six footer.“Yes, boss,” sagot ng lalaking nasa likod ng sofa na inuupuan niya.“Ha,” he lets out a soft chuckle. He even stared at me from head to foot, and suddenly, all those good feeling I felt towards him jump out of the window. “Thought she is here to study. Looks like a nerd to me,” mapang-insulto niyang sabi. Ni hindi hininaan ang boses na tila sinasadyang iparinig sa akin!What the hell? Is this how he treats his employee?!Hindi ako makapaniwalang napatitig sa kaniya. Umawang pa talaga ang labi ko na ikinangisi niya lalo. Imbis sumagot ay nakagat ko ang pang-ibaba kong labi. I looked away, not wanting to answer his insults. I need this task to work out. This is my only way out of our clan.“Are you seducing me right now? You, a maid?” Mabilis na bumalik ang tingin ko sa kaniya.“Excuse me? You insulted me earlier, tapos ngayon ay aakusahan mo ako ng pang-aakit? Nakatatawa. Wala akong nakikitang kahit ano sa iyo para akitin kita, Sir.” Talagang diniinan ko ang salitang Sir para matauhan ito.I’m here for work, not for his insults or accusations!“I like her. Do you, Mics?” baling niya sa lalaking nasa likod niya.“Yes, boss. I like her too—”“You shouldn’t. I liked her first so back off,” malamig niyang putol kay Mics na ikinakurap-kurap ko.Baliw ba ang lalaking ito?“Yes, boss.”At mas baliw pa ata ang mga nagta-trabaho sa kaniya. How can they say yes to everything he says?!“Okay. Call someone to lead her to her room. And let them assist her for everything she needs to know. I’ll wait for you in the car.”Sa ganoon lang ay nawala na siya sa harap ko. Wala sa sariling sumunod na lang ako sa naiwang lalaki na nagpakilalang Michael. Pagkatapos niyon ay naiwan ako sa ibang mga maid na tinuruan ako agad sa mga dapat kong gawin.“KAHIT na anong mangyari ay huwag na huwag kang magtatanong ng personal na bagay kay Sir Rem!” babala sa akin ni Sheena. Isa siya sa mga pinakamatagal na maid na nandito sa mansyon.“Hindi ka naman siguro nagbabalatkayo, ano?” bigla ay tanong ni Lera.“Lera!” saway sa kaniya ni Sheena pero nanatiling nakatingin sa akin si Lera.“A-Ano? Siyempre hindi! Masiyado akong mahirap para gawin ang bagay na iyon,” sagot ko, nauutal. Very different from how I talk back to Remmington Accardi earlier.“Siguraduhin mo lang! Alam mo ba na ang pinalitan mo rito ay natanggal dahil nalaman ni Sir na reporter siya? Alam mo ba kalat ngayon na mafia boss daw si Sir. Hindi nga namin alam kung sinong nagkalat eh sobrang bait niyan sa amin! May mafia boss bang nilalakihan ang sahod namin kapag alam niyang naghihirap kami. Saka nahihingan din namin si Sir Rem ng tulong kapag may problema kami kaya hindi ako naniniwalang mafia boss siya. Baka iyong nagkalat ang mafia boss!” dire-diretso niyang sabi na hindi man lang kami nakasingit.“Huwag mong takutin ang bagong dating, Lera. Mas mabuti pa ay magsimula na kayo sa mga trabaho ninyo. Huwag ninyong hintayin na kayo ang sumunod na mawawalan ng trabaho—”“Uy, Manang Gina, naman! Walang ganiyanan! Baka biglaang magdilang anghel ka kahit galing ka po talagang ilalim kasi masiyado kang bitter sa buhay! Bleh!” Mabilis na tumalikod si Lera para tumakbo habang natatawa. Naiwan naman akong kinakabahan lalo sa gagawin ko.Hindi ko dapat bigyan ng dahilan si Remmington Accardi na pagdudahan ako. At hindi ko dapat ipahalata masiyado na nandito ako para alamin ang mga bagay na tinatago niya.A news broke out. The television was open when I passed by the kitchen. Walang ibang tao roon pero nanayo ang lahat ng balahibo sa katawan ko nang bumungad sa akin ang litrato ng isang babae. It reminded me of what Manang Gina said.“Anong pangalan po niyong babaeng reporter, Manang?” kuryuso kong tanong dito.“Rosey Buenaflor.”“Rosey Buenaflor, a known reporter was reported dead in her workplace. She was working when she suddenly fainted, and when the autopsy check her body. It was stated that she died of cardiogenic shock.”Cardiogenic shock is a serious medical condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. I know about this condition because one of my grandfather died of it before.It’s just that, I feel something different this time. Like everything was stage play. That Rosey Buenaflor didn’t really died by just a simple sudden shock, but was actually killed.And I could be the next person. If I make any mistakes, I could die by the hands of that man.I need to avoid him as much as I can.“What are you doing?” Nabitawan ko ang hawak kong kutsilyo. The dark alley of the kitchen made it seems like I was in a horror movie as I turned to face the person who arrived.Ganoon na lang ang pagtahip ng dibdib ko pagkatapos bumungad sa akin ang puting-puti na mukha nito. Isama pa ang puting suot nito.“MULTO! GHOST! Manang! Manang! May multo, Manang Gina!”TILA hangin ang galaw nito sa sobrang bilis. Nakita ko na lamang ang sariling nasa loob ng bisig niya. “What the! Shut up. I’m not a ghost!” My eyes widened. Panic filled my system as I struggle to get freed from him. “It’s me, Remmington! Calm down!” I can’t! Kung kanina ay natakot ako sa multo, ngayon naman ay sa kaniya na! How can I calm down now that he is holding me?! Bigla ay pumasok sa isipan ko ang nakita sa telebisyon. The news about the woman named Rosey Buenaflor made my whole body trembled in fear. Hinila ko ang kamay niya paalis sa bibig ko at nagtagumpay naman ako. “Get off of me! –” He immediately covered my mouth again when I started shouting. “I will, but you have to calm down. Don’t shout, okay?” At tulad ng sabi niya ay mabilis niya akong binitawan dahilan para lumayo ako kaagad. I just realized then that the reason his face was white was because of the facemask he is wearing. Now that he is close to me, I saw that the white dress I thought the ghost was weari
“ANG malas ko talaga kagabi!” bulalas ni Lera habang naghuhugas ng mga pinggan. “Anong nangyari na naman ba?” tanong ni Sheena. “Nanaginip kasi ako kagabi. Kasama ko ang crush ko na si Jungkook tapos mag-k-kiss na dapat kami noong biglang may narinig akong sigaw. Parang tinatawag si Manang Gina—” Mabilis akong naubo pagkatapos mabilaukan. Mabilis na lumapit sa akin si Sheena. “Dahan-dahan lang, Honey. Ayos ka lang ba, ha?” Naibaba ko ang hawak na baso ng tubig para lang tapikin ang dibdib ko. “O-Oo, ayos lang… nagulat lang,” mahina kong sabi sabay iwas ng tingin. “Naku, uhaw na uhaw ka ba, Honey?” naiiling na sabi ni Lera pagkatapos ay ngumiti. “So, ayon nga at narinig kong may sumisigaw ng pangalan ni Manang Gina kaya nagising ako ng kaonti—” “Ah, diligan ko muna ang mga tanim sa harden. Mauna na ako sa inyo,” singit ko at tumalikod kaagad pero nabangga ako sa isang matigas na bagay. “Anong mayroon dito?” The hard thing I bumped into vibrated when that person asked. Doon ko n
I’M DOOMED.Hindi ko inisip na mangyayari ang bagay na ito dahil hindi naman ako kahit kailan na-attract sa iba. And I’m not used to how my body reacts to him. It feels so hot every time he is near me. Pakiramdam ko ay bibigay agad ako kapag inaya niya ako sa kama. Which I can’t let happen. I have a boyfriend. William is my long-time boyfriend for six years. I’m already twenty-five and just waiting to be freed from my family’s caged, then I will asked William to marry me. We will have a family, and children. Iyon ang plano ko simula pa lang noon. Iyon ang gusto kong mangyari, pero nagkandaloko-loko lahat ng gusto ko dahil lang ipinadala nila ako rito sa mansyon ni Remmington. “So? How was it? Is he hot?” tanong ni Rona. She’s on the phone, as I tried to hide myself inside the bathroom for privacy. “Stop it, Rona. I need your help. Please, gawan mo ng paraan para mapapayag sila. Kailangan kong makaalis dito, Rona. Mababaliw ako kapag ipinagpatuloy ko ito,” bulong ko sa kaniya habang
“NAPANSIN ninyo? Parang hindi na masiyado umaalis si Sir Rem dito sa mansyon,” bigla ay sabi ni Lera. Sabay kaming lumingon ni Sheena kay Remmington na nandoon sa sala. Kausap nito si Mics, pero mula rito sa kinatatayuan namin ay wala kaming marinig na kahit ano. “Baka wala na siyang trabaho sa ibang bansa,” sagot ni Sheena pero umiling agad si Lera.“Narinig ko kayang nagreklamo si Mics kahapon. Ang rami raw kasing tumatawag kay Sir Rem mula sa ibang bansa. Gusto raw siyang makausap at ma-meet sa personal, pero sinasabi lang ni Sir Rem na marami pa raw siyang gagawin dito. Iyon nga lang ay sinabi sa akin ni Mics na wala naman daw talagang trabaho si Sir Rem dito sa Pilipinas masiyado. Ang pinakahuli ata ay iyong sa pinagawa niyang beach resort sa Pangasinan,” sunod-sunod na sabi ni Lera. Lumingon pa ito kay Remmington bago niya tinitigan ng mariin ang lalaki. “Hindi kaya ay dahil sa nangyari roon sa nagpapanggap na maid? Naaapektuhan ba si Sir Rem sa mga fake news na kinalat ng ba
“I TOLD you she was a bad news, Remmington. Look at you now, if people learns that what that woman said was really true then you will lost everything that you have. Even if she dies, she will still have the last laugh,” my cousin, Harvien Kavanagh, uttered with dismay on his face. I chuckled at that. “I don’t really give a fuck if she gets the last laugh, as long as she dies,” malamig kong turan dito.Hindi ako makapaniwala sa nangyari. That woman, Rosey Buenaflor, was a spy brought by a magazine company! She tried to get into our mansion to actually learn more things about me. To unveil the mask I’ve been wearing ever since, but that was a wrong move on her part. Getting caught in my studies, and her writing in her blog about my real identity is actually her calling for death. “Kapag may ginawa ka ngayon ay lalong pagdududahan ka ng lahat. They will think that you killed her to shut her up. You shouldn’t move unless the issue dies--”“I can’t wait until the issue dies, Harvien. I ne
“SIR!” she called. Agarang naglumikot ang mga mata niya habang ang kaniyang mga kamay ay mabilis na tinakpan ang kaniyang sarili. Pero huli na ang lahat dahil nakita ko na.She was wearing something so alluring in the middle of the night, that I was actually glad that I found her here first. Dahil paniguradong mabubulag ang kung sino mang titingin sa kaniya habang ito ang suot niyang damit.My smirk grew wider. “Hindi mo kailangang takpan. It’s actually hot... it suits you,” pabiro kong sabi na ikinasama ng tingin niya sa akin.“Bakit po kayo nandito? Akala ko ay bukas pa po kayo uuwi?” tanong niya. I am supposed to be offended by how she asked me, but I am more amused than offended. No one have ever asked me questions like she does it. “Tinapos ko agad kasi namimiss kita,” sagot ko sa kaniya. Natawa ako ng mas lalong nasira ang ekpresyon ng mukha niya. She rolled her eyes at me. Hindi ito tulad ng pinapakita niyang personalidad sa iba. She was more beautiful this way. Nagagandahan
“INIIWASAN niya ba ako?” tanong ko kay Mics na nasa likod ko lang. Abala ako sa pagtitig kay Honey na hindi lumilingon sa akin simula pa kanina. Nothing happened in between us. I respect her, so I didn’t dare to touch her while she was asleep in my bed. In fact, all I did was to stare at her until I was satisfied -- and that means until morning came. Nang magising siya ay mabilis siyang umalis sa kuwarto ko ng walang sinasabing kahit ano. She ran away from me just like that. And ever since I came down to the sala, she did all sort of things just to avoid me. Iyon ang sa tingin ko. “Sinong tinutukoy mo, boss? May problema ho ba?” Nag-angat ako ng tingin kay Mics na hindi naintindihan kung sino ang pinag-uusapan namin. Hindi ako sumagot at umiwas na lang ng tingin. Pero kalaunan ay hindi ako matahimik kaya muli akong nagtanong.“How do you asked for someone’s attention, Mics? Especially, a woman’s attention. Did you asked for it directly? Or text it? Or probably write it in a piece
“ANO na, Remmington? May balak ka pa bang lumabas sa lungga mo?” the person on the other line, Harvien Kavanagh, asked. Ilang beses na niya akong tinawagan para lang alamin kung buhay pa ba ako o matagal ng nakabaon sa libingan ko. “What do you want?” tanong ko sa kaniya. “And don’t think of saying excuses. I know you you are just fooling around every time you said that you just want to check if I’m breathing or not,” dagdag ko pa. My cousin laugh.Siya lang ang nag-iisa kong pinsan na kasundo ko. He is my first degree cousin in my biological mother’s side. I found him here in the Philippines as a beggar on the street. Dala-dala niya ang apelyido ng kaniyang Ama na iniwan sila noon para sa ibang babae. I took him in when I learned that his mother, which was my mother’s sister -- left him too because she can’t feed him. Unfortunately, our mothers were both prostitute in a club. That is where they also meet our fathers and had us. Kaya sa lahat ng mga taong malapit sa akin ay si Harvi