I let out a scream the next time I woke up. From the room where I was, I could see the reckless sunshine.
With a loud shout, I tightened my grip on the blanket that was just covering the rest of my naked body.Cormac jumped off the bed, even though he was surprised by my shout and slightly confused, but when he saw the situation of the two of us in the same bed, he was only able to say, “What the hell is this?” I quickly picked up the clothes on the floor, not letting go of the blanket blocking me. When I got it, I went straight to the bathroom, locked it, then only released the smile of success. I just did it! The bomb just exploded. Last night, we actually slept together. I really thought I could not make the plan, so I am very grateful that my brother called around four in the morning. I followed the desperate plan. I slowly undressed him—his shirt, including his pants. I have said that it is not good that I do not get what I want on the first try because I will not allow it to be rejected in the next few times. I won’t have it as what Cormac wants. It has to be my way. After taking off a few pieces of his clothes, I followed mine and then covered myself with a blanket. I just can’t lose this game, and especially, I will not let the process take longer. I will pretend something happened to the both of us so that I can get his attention, nothing else. I know he will not remember anything because he was also a drunk last night, and if there is, his own belief will taint that in what happened today. When I got dressed, I quickly went out of the door. I immediately saw that Cormac seemed to be waiting for me, sitting on the edge of his bed. “Avery–” “I’ll be going.” He stood up quickly because of what I said. “What? I mean–” I have noticed this concern earlier. Maybe he was trying to think about what had happened and reached for any reason. “I will go now. Just realized that you might not really want to cooperate with us for AFA. I won’t force you. This would end here,” I scowled at him then went straight to the door. This plan should fucking work! I even heard Cormac call my name, but I never turned around again. I need to be the ‘hard-to-get’ woman from now on. Now, I know and observe him well. He’s the type that does not pay attention to the women who approached him first. Fine! I’ll give him what he wants. He should be the one to come to me now. I was in a hurry to take a taxi home. Kuya Jac is irritated. I lied about my place earlier, and I told him I took a hotel because I can no longer handle getting home. But then, I knew that he was not convinced. In the taxi, I could not help but look at my cellphone. He should be calling by now! He should now be restless, and he’ll push himself later to explain. My hand landed on my mouth, wanting to hold back a laugh. This is exciting! Over and over again, it was as if my feet were tickling with the extra excitement I was feeling. “Shit!” I almost shoved my phone. I was hilding when it suddenly rang. I was not wrong. . . I just know he would call me in any way possible. I lingered on it for a while before answering. “Avery, go back. We need to talk.” The man’s voice was really authoritative. “I want to rest. Besides, I’m done forcing you, gaining your trust and stuff. I’m out to find a new person who’ll accept my offer.” I held the cellphone tightly to my ear. That’s right, Cormac. Be confused, pressured, and then agree to my offer. “What was that?”I want to burst out laughing. I will give all the credit to a blog entitled “How To Get A Man 101”. If I couldn’t get Cormac Carter as our actor, then I’ll get him as a man. I will start getting his trust then. He himself will tell me what I need to know. “I know, okay? You didn’t mean to do it. Alcohol is the one to blame. I understand. Just. . . I just need to stop this. We need to make progress in the documentary, and I won’t waste the day–” “Let’s talk,” he said straight. I automatically smiled. This is it! I feel like I’m holding him by the neck, and luck is on my side. “I told you. We don’t have to talk about it. If we do not know what was done, we must forget that.” I did everything I could to speak seriously. I’m afraid that I could pop the bubble when I accidentally laughed at what I was doing. “Forget that? Why?” I overlooked my sudden arrival at our house. I made it possible to pay the taxi driver and get off. I prefer not to answer immediately, so in that case, I could make him more anxious. “Are you, perhaps, disappointed?” Before I could enter the gate, I could see Kuya Jac’s sharp eyes at the door of the house. He stands in front as it crosses his two arms across his chest. This isn’t a good time for this. I sighed. I can do nothing but quell my brother’s anger. “Disappointed?” I asked. I heard his deep breaths before saying, “About my last night’s performance–” “What the actual fuck?” I panicked, alright? I could not stop myself from screaming because of his words. How. . . How can I fucking know that? Nothing happened to us! “Ah, shit. Forget it. Just go back to my office right now.” I can no longer focus too much on what Cormac is saying because it was really my brother Jac who approached me. He no longer waited for me to reach the door. “I – I can’t,” I gulped. I really can’t because I know my older brother’s words will take a few more hours. Second, I won’t. I cannot just obey him. It should be another way around. “I’m hurt.” Holy damn! I really wanted to laugh but I couldn’t. “What? You’re in pain?” I quickly turned off the call. Enough of my games first. It looks like I now have to deal with my brother, Jac, seeing how thick the smoke in his ears and nose. “Hey. . .” But come to think of it, this isn’t a bad day. I got what I want. From now on, he will struggle to see me. I swear that. “Avery! I’ll be waiting for your explanation.” But for now, I will first prepare my ear for my brother’s scream. “How about let’s go in first–” “Now!”"C! Why are you late? I'm already jealous of your work!" The men burst out laughing, except for Cormac. Because of what Raz said, I also couldn't help but laugh. Because Stoney is so serious, I didn't think his friends are bullying him. He still looks like a bully. Stoney, the bully. "Why the hell are you laughing?" It was as if I swallowed my laughter when he suddenly spoke, it was weak, so I'm sure he just whispered that to me. It looks like this guy is used to his friends' bullying. He was sitting next to me because that was the only one with ample space. Levi and I were in the middle. The boys were noisy as usual. They talked about anything, about office, work, and occasionally have fun teasing each other. While the man on my left was busy. . . being 'stone'. I want to laugh at myself, becoming a bully. "What are you doing here? Why are you still with that man? Does
Before I went home, I prepared myself for my brother’s lecture, but I still couldn’t help but get bored. I know I did not do well, but all of that has a purpose. That thing can’t define what I exactly did! “Quit it, alright? Quit that job!”I quickly followed my brother, who was about to walk out. It’s good that Jacques is busy playing with the nanny, so he won’t pay attention to our fight. “You’re unreasonable!” I shouted back at him. I will not allow him to stop me now. I just want everything to end up with nothing. Also, we don’t have any choice. What are we going to present to the public then? “You’re the one who’s being unreasonable! You are doing too much for that man, Av. There are more–” “Why can’t you understand the fuck out of me?” I couldn’t help but get angry.
I simply took off the sunglasses I was wearing. I focused at the door, looking for Cormac Carter’s parents, who have just arrived from their scheduled flight. That’s the only door they can go out to, so I can’t take my eyes off it. “Cindy, are you okay?” I immediately turned to one of the staff who was with me. I know this might be a lame plan, but this is the first thing that came to mind. “Are you sure, Miss Avery? What if I’ll be called to the police station after this?” Cindy said in a low voice. I just laughed at the woman” reaction and then shook my head. Of course, I will not go to war without a shield and knowledge. Before coming, I got to know a little bit of information about his parents. Both of them love to facilitate outreach programs here in the Philippines, and I can only say that Cormac did not inherit from them b
“You two seem so close,” Mr. Carter said immediately when we got back to the seat. Cormac is now with us. My plans and this will only be ruined because of Stoney. “Of course not.” “Yes, we are.”I almost turned to the man on the side and glared. He just raised an eyebrow at me and then fiddled with his phone. I don’t know what Cormac is planning. Is it to get revenge to visit me again, or is there something else? Because if he wants a fight, I will never stop him. My mother gave birth to me so that I won’t be a loser! “Yes, we are.” My answer became bolder on that part. “Glad to know that. It’s good to meet you now, Avery. I’m sure you will be able to stay at our house more often,” Mrs. Carter said as a matter-of-factly. This is a big misundersta
I collapsed and threw myself on the sofa as soon as I got home. I’ve never been this exhausted in my whole life. I closed my eyes for a few minutes before I heard my brother’s voice. Since I got home early, I’m sure Jacques is still in the nursery at home with his tutor. At an early age, my older brother made sure that he was learning little by little. He couldn’t focus, so we just hired a tutor who dad also recommended. “You should rest, Av.” My heart quickly softened at what Kuya Jac said. Ever since he has really been my running mate, he was my enemy when I was bothered by other things. He knew all my misfortunes, but then, he stayed with me. He still never gets tired of proving that he is there for me. When was the last time I greeted him? He suffered a lot. It is not easy to raise a child who has done nothing but find his mom.  
It was past five o’clock in the afternoon when I arrived at BSE. I wouldn’t be relieved if Ma’am Cassandra and I would just talk about it on the phone, so after what the woman, I thought I would fly the distance between our home and the office. This must be a joke. Maybe Cormac was just mocking me or something, and I wanted to be sure. “Ma’am Cassie, what was that? What do they agree to?” I asked right after entering. The woman’s gaze remained straight. She shrugged slightly before speaking. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you guys. When you’re about to give up, the other side will agree. What really happened earlier about meeting his parents?” I had trouble sitting down but eventually started telling her what had happened. Starting with the plan at the airport, getting into their house, and how ann
“Dada!” My eyes immediately widened when I heard that loud shout as soon as we entered the place. Even before I could ask, the man beside me hurriedly attended to the kid approaching us. I froze right at my place. Is my intuition right all this time? Is he hiding a child? But why in an orphanage? “Dada, where were you? There are more of us already!” The boy smiled widely in front of Cornac. Bewildered, I took my cellphone out of my pocket and simply took a picture of them. I don’t know why I did that, but maybe I’m just worried I won’t see Cormac’s smile again. “Really? If that’s the case, I know you’ll be happier,” he said, smiling. I tried to ignore what I saw, but I also couldn’t help but smile. The man has this side. He’s not the Stoney that I used to kn
“Everything’s doing fine, sister. It’s great that there are more children here,” Cormac said enthusiastically as he ate one after the other. I have done nothing but wonder. Is Cormac Carter really what I see now? More than what I found out, he wasn’t really his parents’ biological son. It is also surprising that he has such a personality. He seems so different. But then, even though my resentment towards the man was rude, I still couldn’t help but be happy for him. I may be a little out of place, but I ignored that. The nuns here are kind, so as the children. I just don’t know why I can’t socialize with them. Maybe, it’s about the truth. The fact that Cormac isn’t really a Carter makes me even sadder. “I am glad that they are at home. . .” Cormac continued. “The anniversar