#DS3Unscripted #BelayaxPierce #LKCouple #DaggerSeries

CHAPTER 7: HEART

BELAYA'S POV

Tulalang nakatingin ako sa kawalan habang kinakain ang bowl ng fruit muesli na nasa harapan ko. Madilim na sa labas pero kagigising ko lang at disoriented pa ako. I finally have a vacation and I'm here in my house in Tagaytay. I'm used to my schedule but it doesn't mean that I'm immune to fatigue. Umaga na ako naihatid dito ni Sebastian kaya wala talaga ako halos na tulog mula kahapon.

The movie that I was part of officially got wrapped up yesterday. It took us six months to finished it. Masyadong mahaba ang tinagal ng movie na iyon bagay na hindi naman kadalasang nangyayari unless mahirap talagang gawin iyong pelikula dahil kumplikado ang scenes at malalayo ang locations. Our movie was supposed to be easy to shoot but because of the problems we faced ay tumagal iyon bago matapos.

Maraming nawalang footages dahilan para kinakailangan na i-reshoot ang mga iyon. Most of those are my scenes. Halos muntik na nga na hindi matuloy ang pelikula dahil kukulangin na sila sa budget. Hindi naman kasi kasama ang ilan pang mga buwan sa dapat nilang bayaran sa amin. But Sam and I decided to waved off the payments and just finish the movie. Hindi na rin iba sa amin ang producer at director.

Nangalumbaba ako sa lamesa. I could do that movie again and again but I won't be tired as I am now. Iba naman kasi ang dahilan kung bakita pakiramdam ko ay gusto ko na lang matulog para matakasan ko ang realidad.

I don't have any energy left in me because I lost the reason that I'm always recharged.

Nagdadabog na kinuha ko ang kutsara ko at muli akong sumubo. I only managed to keep Pierce as my body guard for almost a month before all hell broke lose. It's not even my fault. My plan was smooth. But that one stupid audio recording ruined it for me.

A few months ago...

Tumingin ako sa relos ko pero hindi pa rin dumadating si Pierce. We're supposed to meet by six o'clock but it's almost seven now. Hindi siya iyong klase ng tao na na-le-late kaya nakakapagtakang kahit isang mensahe mula sa kaniya ay wala akong natatanggap.

"We're really getting behind, Bela. Pasunudin mo na lang kaya siya sa location?"

Tumingin ako kay Sebastian at tinanguhan ko siya. Napapabuntong-hininga na sumandal ako sa upuan habang tumitipa ako sa cellphone ko. It's the fourth text I've sent him but he's still not answering. Nang hindi na ako makuntento ay nagpadala na rin ako ng mensahe sa numero na ibinigay sa akin ni Thorn noon. It's the number connected to their headquarters. To my surprise, it didn't took long before my phone vibrated.

Tinignan ko iyon at nakita ko na tawag iyon. Mabilis na sinagot ko iyon at inilagay sa tapat ng tenga ko. "Hello?"

"Am I speaking to Miss Belaya Lawrence?"

"This is she."

"This is Julian form Dagger Security and Investigation. We would like to advise you that Mr. Pierce Dawson won't be working with you as well as any of our employees."

"What?" I whispered.

"We will be sending you a termination letter of the contract that you signed. If you have any question, you can send us an email. Have a nice day, Miss Lawrence."

Napanganga ako nang basta na lang ibinaba ng lalaki ang telepono. Naguguluhang binuksan ko ang email ko at nakita kong may bagong pasok doon na mensahe.

To Ms. Belaya Lawrence,

This letter confirms that our company, Dagger Security and Investigation, effective today will terminate our agreement.

We have concluded, following our investigation and the emergence of proof, that your conduct and intention violated the agency's policy. Our contract heavily stated that anything that will prove the case to be fallacious with the intention to deceit or mislead the company will subject the agreement to an immediate termination. As a respect for your privacy that will also be beneficial for our company, this will remain confidential. If this will leak out, we will assure you that it won't be coming from us.

The accounting department will reach out to you to send you the invoice in terms of payment returns with the complete breakdown of those the company will charge you for the time that an employee worked on your case.

For any more questions, you could reply on this email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Attached below are the anonymous recording that we received.

Sincerely,

Dagger Security and Investigation

Nanginginig ang mga kamay na tinignan ko ang attachment ng email. Pakiramdam ko ay lumobo ang ulo ko nang makita ko na audio file iyon at mayroon pa na transcription document. I opened the document and I felt blood drain out of me.

"Fuck!"

Bahagyang napapreno si Sebastian at tumingin siya sa akin sa rear view mirror. "Anong nangyari?"

"Someone sent an audio recording to Dagger with me telling the person on the other line what I did so I could get their service."

"Ako, si Mireia, at ang pamilya mo lang ang nakakaalam di ba?"

"Yes."

"Have you talked to anyone in public place or something?"

I racked my brain to answer his question. Lagi kaming magkausap sa telepono ni Mireia at ng mga kapatid ko pero wala naman akong natatandaan na binanggit ko ang sitwasyon ko sa publikong lugar. I was careful.

"Give me your phone, Belaya."

"What-"

"Now."

Nagtataka man ay ibinigay ko sa kaniya iyon. Itinabi niya ang sasakyan bago niya binalingan ang aparato at nagpipindot doon. "Have you ever downloaded something or clicked a link?"

"Hindi ako basta nagbubukas ng link at alam mo iyan. But I downloaded a few games in my phone that I saw sa mga advertisement na dumadaan sa social media accounts ko."

Tinignan ko ang ginagawa niya at kumunot ang noo ko nang makita ko na ni-log out niya lahat ng social media pages ko na bukas. He started to delete a lot of applications before he signed out of the cloud.

"What are you doing?"

"Your phone's been tapped."

"What?" I whispered in shock.

I know about those kind of things. I'm not familiar how pero alam ko kung ano iyon. Ang hindi ko maintindihan ay kung bakit may gagawa no'n sa akin at kung bakit kinakailangan na ipaalam sa Dagger ang mga pinaggagagawa ko.

I'm not denying that what I did was wrong. Alam ko iyon bago ko pa sinimulan. I told them I'm receiving letters and gifts from an unknown person. I made it sure that nothing will be traced back to me. I did that so that I could have Pierce on my service. It's not right but I don't regret it.

Pero hindi ko maintindihan kung anong makukuha ng taong nagpadala sa kanila ng recording na iyon?

"Give me my phone," I told him.

"I'm going to call the director to cancel our schedule today then we'll bring this phone to your family's agency."

"Sebastian, I need my phone, and no we're not going to tell anyone about this."

"Belaya-"

"Kung totoo ngang may nag tap sa cellphone ko then shouldn't Dagger handle it first?"

"They won't work with you now that they know."

Nagtagis ang mga bagang ko dahil alam kong totoo iyon. "Give me my phone."

Wala na siyang nagawa nang dumukwang ako at inabot ko iyon. Imbes na ibigay sa akin ang sarili kong cellphone ay ang kaniya ang inabot niya sa akin. "Don't use your phone to contact anyone."

Humigpit ang pagkakahawak ko doon pero hindi na ako nagsalita pa. He also gave mine back. Binuksan ko ang contacts ko para hanapin ang numero ni Pierce at pagkatapos ay dinial ko iyon sa cellphone ni Sebastian. I hit call and it rang a few seconds before someone answered.

"Where are you?" I asked before he could speak.

Sandaling katahimikan ang nayamani sa kabilang linya pero nang magsalita ang lalaki ay rinig ko ang tinitimping galit doon. "Don't call my number again, Miss Lawrence."

"We need to talk. I can explain-"

"You played me and you used our company for your games. We're running a serious business, Miss Lawrence. I know you grew up having everything but that doesn't gave you the right to treat anyone as your toy."

"That's not why I did what I did," I hissed.

"I don't need to hear your reasons but what I know is that I don't want to have any more connections with you. Kung kailangan mong kausapin ang Dagger, send an email but do not call my personal phone again."

"Pierce-" Hindi ko na natapos ang sasabihin ko nang basta na lang niyang binaba ang tawag. "Fuck!"

"Belaya-"

"Don't call the director. We're going to have the shoot today."

"That's not smart."

Sinalubong ko ang tingin niya at alam kong kita niya roon ang emosyon na pinipigil ko. Damn it! "I want something to go right today, Sebastian. Tatawagan ko ang kapatid ko on the way to the location but I'm not going to waste this day any longer."

Present day...

I looked down at my phone when I heard it vibrate on the counter top of the center island where I was sitting. It's a new phone, one that my older sister gave me. It's safe so that any harmful software won't be downloaded in it.

They tried to tract the owner of the software on my other phone. Turns out I downloaded a game that was made solely to wire tap a phone. Kahit ine-exit ko iyon ay nananatiling bukas ang application dahilan kapag may tinatawagan ako ay nagagawang kunin niyon at irecord ang mga tawag ko. Iyon nga lang, the application has a defensive system. The moment that Sebastian deleted and reformatted my phone, it also burn out the trace of the wire tap.

My family was worried but nothing really happened after that. They even check thousands of messages in my social media accounts pero wala namang kahit na ano na kakaiba sa mga iyon. It could be just a malicious application intended to spy on people. Baka nga hindi lang ako ang nagdownload no'n.

Inabot ko ang cellphone at binuksan ko iyon. Sa kabila ng nararamdaman ko ay napangiti ako nang makita ko ang text message na galing kay Lia. She sent me a picture of the twins. Apparently, ang dinadala niya ay kambal na babae. Tinago niya nga lang sa lahat at sa asawa niya. Everyone just found out when she gave birth yesterday.

May contact pa rin ako sa kaniya maging kay Lucienne at Luna. The Dawson brothers are angry at me but the women were not. Nagkita pa nga kami ni Luna last week for coffee when I had an off day.

Napatingin ako sa pintuan nang bumukas iyon. Hindi naman na ako nagulat dahil maraming tao ang alam ang pass code ko. The person on the other side of the door is either one of my family members, Sebastian, or my best friend.

Nangalumbaba ako nang niluwa ng pintuan ang pamilyar na pigura ng kaibigan ko na akala mo ay may runway show na pupuntahan. She's wearing a skin tight black dress that are showing more than a "hint" of her "gifted" cleavage. Mataas din ang takong niya kahit hindi naman na kailangan iyon dahil matangkad na siya. She's 5'7 or 5'8 I think. Her hair are fashionably curled and her make up is minimal but it was done beautifully. She's the ultimate wet dream.

Madami siyang dalang paper bags na basta na lang niya ibinaba sa sahig nang makita niya ako. Nameywang siya at pinasadahan ako ng tingin.

"You look like shit," she said with that husky voice that gave thousands of men a hard-on.

"Thanks."

"Your older sister called me. They're worried dahil hindi ka masyadong bumibisita sa kanila. Sabi ko nga sa akin nga hindi ka na masyadong tumatawag."

"I was busy."

"Busy enough to forget all about us? Ganoon ka na kabigatin ngayon at hindi ka na ma-reach?"

"Matagal na akong bigatin."

Pinaningkitan niya ako ng mga mata at inilagay niya ang mga kamay niya sa bewang niya. "Goodness, Bela. Are you telling me that you're being a sad little shit because of a man?"

"I'm not a sad little shit. I'm a tired little shit."

"You're going to shake it off. We're going out. I bought you a lot of clothes and shoes."

"I don't want to."

"Well sucks for you because you don't have a choice." Humalukipkip siya at tinaasan niya ako ng kilay. "I didn't travel for hours to stay inside your house. Take a bath and get dress. I'll do your make up for you. I can't stand to look at your face."

"Witch."

"Bitch," she answered back. "Now go. Kapag hindi ka kumilos ako ang maghuhubad sa'yo."

Nagdadabog na tumayo ako at binigyan ko siya ng matalim na tingin. It doesn't faze her. She's use to my mood swings the way I am used to hers. Kahit na di hamak na mas matangkad siya sa akin ay minsan ko na siyang kinaladkad palabas ng kuwarto niya nang mag-break sila ng animal niyang ex dati.

"Wench!" I hissed as I passed her by.

"Floozy!" she called out to me. "By the way, you're driving. Binaba lang ako ng manager ko kaya sasakyan mo ang gagamitin natin."

"Isasako kita tapos ililigaw kita!"

"As if! You'll miss me slut!"

"Whore!"

RAMDAM ko ang mga tingin na pumupukol sa direksyon namin ni Mireia. We're used to it so it's easy to ignore them. Ang pagkakaiba nga lang ngayon ay binabalik ng kasama ko ang interes na binibigay sa kaniya. The hoochie is on a prowl.

She's single right now. She broke up with her boyfriend of two months a week ago, base na rin sa mga update na pinapadala niya sa akin na hindi ko naman sinasagot. I was actually really busy. I wasn't lying about that. Hindi nga lang katulad noon na may energy pa ako para sa ibang bagay. This time I just want to sleep when I have the time and not talk to anyone.

"That guy is cute and he's looking at you."

"Hindi siya sa akin nakatingin," sagot ko at sumimsim sa vodka spritzer na hawak ko. I'm on my way to my 4th glass and I'm beginning to get tipsy. Maybe even more.

"I know I'm irresistible but don't sell your self short, shorty."

I rolled my eyes at that. Isa kasi iyan sa trip niyang asarin sa akin. Ang height ko na kinulang. Sakto lang naman ang height ko. Lahat naman ng height kulang sa mga taong higante.

"I have no plans to date anyone."

"Wala naman akong sinabi na makipagdate ka. Just enjoy the night," sabi niya.

"Men that can't comprehend other words more than their limited vocabulary that consist of gym, hot, and sex is not my idea of fun."

"Judger mo naman. Marami namang nagpupunta sa bar just to unwind. Malay mo genius pala, nag-chi-chill lang talaga."

"I doubt that."

"Stop being a negative little munchkin and just have fun."

Malakas na bumuntong-hininga ako. Kilala ko si Mireia. Kung gaano ako kakulit ay ganoon din siya. Lamang lang siguro siya ng mga dalawang dangkal sa kakulitan. God gave me a friend like her so that I could taste my own medicine whenever I annoy people.

Inikot ng babae ang mga mata at sinenyasan niya ang bar tender bago siya muling humarap sa akin. "Belaya Lawrence, do I need to hit your head so you would wake up?"

"I'm awake-"

"Any man would look at you will drop everything they own just to have you. Even if you're not an actress everything about you screams movie star. It sometimes hurt to look at you because I can't help but question my sexuality-" Ngumisi siya nang bigyan ko siya ng masamang tingin. We both know she's lying because if I date a lot, she will put any serial dater to shame. She love her men just like she love her collections of shoes. Which is a lot and there's always a new one. "What I'm saying is, you know you're beautiful and talented. Iyong mga trophy sa bahay mo ay isa lang sa mga madaming patunay niyon. So stop obsessing with this guy when clearly it's his loss and not yours. Even the hottest prince on this planet will rather be a commoner just to kiss your feet."

"I don't need a prince. I need Pierce Dawson."

Tumingin siya sa kisame na para bang pinag-iisipan niya kung lalayasan niya na ako. Nang ibalik niya sa akin ang tingin niya ay bumuntong-hininga siya. "Bela, munchkin, are you in love with that guy?"

"No."

"So why can't you just get over him?"

"Because I like him."

"You liked a lot of men before him."

"I like dating and I was interested with them. It doesn't mean that I really like them. Not the way I like Pierce. Not even close. It's been too long since I felt this way with anyone."

Sandaling nakatingin lang siya sa akin na para bang may kung ano siyang binabasa at nakasulat iyon sa mukha ko. Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay pero nanatiling tikom ang mga labi niya. She looks contemplative. Kita ko ang katanungan sa mga mata niya at alam kong kahit na gaanong katabil ang dila niya ay hindi madali para sa kaniya na itanong ang kung ano man na iniisip niya.

"Spit it out," I said to her.

"Well... I was just wondering. Are we talking about normal feelings or something that is more like what you had with... you know?"

Nag-iwas ako ng tingin dahil alam na alam ko kung sino ang tinutukoy niya. I fixed my eyes on the dance floor instead of meeting hers. "I don't know."

"Oh, Bela..."

I shrugged away the concern in her voice and I slide out of my chair. Tinignan ko siya at tinaasan ko siya ng kilay. "Are we going to dance or what?"

It took her a moment before she got up from her chair too. She know when not to push. I don't talk about it. Not even with my family.

We went to the center of the dance floor and it wasn't hard to get into the dancing. Mireia is a hoot when it comes to partying. Hinayaan ko ang sarili ko na tangayin ng musika. I don't want to put a damp on this night when she's clearly trying to make me happy.

We gyrated, twirled, and laughed as if we're in our own world. Ramdam namin ang paglapit ng mga katawan sa amin but we expertly moved around them so that they could not close in on us. I guess in a way Mireia knows not to force me back to the dating pool. Specially not when we opened that topic that we rarely do.

Hindi ko alam kung gaano na kami katagal sa dance floor nang huminto ang babae sa pagsayaw. She fished out a small phone from the top of her dress. Hindi ko alam kung paano niya napagkasya iyon doon para itago. Her dress are barely holding up her "twins".

"Fuck, my mother is calling me. Let's go-"

"Dito na lang muna ako."

"No."

"I'll be fine. I'm a big girl."

"You're a tiny wittle thing."

I looked at her sharply and I pushed her away, "Go. Bago ko pa maisipan na isako ka at ipatapon sa pinakamalapit na bangin."

"Behave, okay? I'll be back." Pinandilatan niya ako. "If anyone try something, channel your inner kung fu master."

"I did taekwando not kung fu. And I did it terribly."

"Same thing."

Mireia will never leave me in any kind of circumstances. Pero pagdating sa nanay niya ay kaya niyang bitawan ang lahat. Her mother is still sick and she only got Mireia.

Muli kong itinulak ang babae na binigyan ako ulit ng nagbabantang tingin bago siya umalis sa dance floor. Nang mawala siya sa paningin ko ay ipinagpatuloy ko ang pagsasayaw na para bang akin ang lugar na ito.

I felt someone bumped into me and when I looked up, I saw a beautiful pair of kind eyes that looks familiar. Tinignan niya ng masama ang isa pa na kasama niya na mukhang siyang dahilan kung bakit bumangga siya sa akin. "Sorry, Miss."

"It's fine."

Napapakamot sa batok na nahihiyang tinignan niya ako. "I don't want to pretend that I don't know you. It's the reason why my friend is being an ass. I'm a fan."

The bodies on the dance floor shifted when another popular song echoed around the place. Lumakas ang boses ng mga tao na naghiyawan at nang magsimula silang umindak ay nagitgit ako nang taong nasa likod ko dahilan para matulak ako paabante. I stumbled on my high heels but the man in front of me caught me before I fell.

Inayos niya ako ng tayo at mabilis na binitawan niya ako. "Sorry again."

"For catching me?"

"For touching you without your permission." I didn't hide the surprise in my eyes and I know that he saw it. "I have three younger sisters and our mom is a single mother. If I showed any woman disrespect they will skin me alive."

Despite my current emotion, I couldn't help but smile at that. Inangat ko ang kamay ko sa direksyon niya. "My name is Belaya Lawrence and since you're built like a bear, you could protect me from these schmucks."

Nahihiyang inabot niya ang kamay ko at ngumiti. "Tristan Donovan."

Nanigas ang buong katawan ko sa pangalan na sinabi niya. I felt the part of me that I locked away inside me started to wake up. Humakbang ako paatras at dahil na rin siguro sa pinaghalo-halong emosyon at sa alak na kinonsumo ko ay naramdaman kong naging mabuway ang tayo ko.

"Are you okay?"

That's why his eyes are familiar. Minsan ko na siyang nakita. I saw his picture on a file with his name, those eyes staring back at me. The one I begged my older sister to get for me. It's been years and I only look at his file once. I promised that to my sister. I promised that I will never search for him.

Bumuka ang bibig ko para magsalita pero walang salitang lumabas sa mga iyon. Kita ang gulat sa mga mata niya nang sunod-sunod na tumulo ang luha sa mga mata ko.

"Miss?"

Nanginginig ang mga kamay na inangat ko iyon sa direksyon niya. He didn't moved away. Not even when I placed my palm on his chest.

"Jackson."

"I'm Tristan-"

Lumuluhang umiling ako. "Jackson Cooper."

"Do you want me to call someone? May kasama ka ba? I could help you look for them if you're not feeling good."

"Jackson..." I whispered.

"I'm-"

"You have his heart. You have my Jackson's heart."