#DS8Uncovered #LuMa #BearCouple #DaggerSeries

CHAPTER 4: HIDDEN

LUNA'S POV

A few years ago...

Umakto akong nagulat nang makasalubong ko si Magnus. How long has it been? The last time I saw him was during the New York publishing conference, and that was a couple of months ago. Before that, there was the Singapore event.

I've been busy fixing the mess at the company I worked for. Pakiramdam ko iyon na lang ang role ko nitong mga nakaraan. It's like I became their crisis management officer.

Seeing Magnus right now, though, makes all of those headaches worth it. Para siyang fast charger at ngayon ay full battery na ako kaagad pagkakita ko pa lang sa kaniya.

"What are you doing here?" kunot ang noo na tanong niya.

Nakaka-miss din ang kasupladuhan niya. Itinuro ko ang suot ko na ID. "I'm here for the event. May iba pa bang dapat maging dahilan?"

Sa paraan ng pagkakatingin niya sa akin ay para bang gusto niya akong tirisin. Pangatlong "coincidence" na kasi namin 'to.

Bumaba ang mga mata ko sa suot niya na ID. May numero sa gilid niyon. Looks like my persistence paid off. "What are the chances? Magkatabi pa ang table natin mamaya sa conference."

He ignored what I said. "Vincent Torres was supposed to be here. Not you."

"He's busy, so he sent the next best thing." I batted my eyelashes at him. "And that's me."

It's a little white lie. I convinced Mr. Torres that he deserved a vacation after all the stress the company went through. I volunteered to attend the event at his place. Hindi ko naman kailangan na masyado siyang kumbinsihin dahil mukhang gusto niya na rin talagang magbakasyon.

If I'm being honest, it was also his fault that the company was struggling. I know Mr. Torres is trying his best, but that's not enough. Even if the root is healthy, if the leaves are rotting, it won't be long before the whole plant becomes compromised. I don't have plans to wait for that to happen while I'm still with them.

It's been awhile since I planned to move on from the company. I needed more, and I don't think I'll find that in the company. I needed a new environment and a new challenge. In short, bored na ako.

"Congratulations pala sa successful new book releases niyo. Bumibili ako lagi ng marami dahil kayo ang favorite publisher ko at favorite writer ko si Lucienne."

Pinamigay ko ang mga iyon sa mga ka-close ko sa opisina. Binibigyan na kasi ako ng complimentary copies ni Lucienne ng mga libro niya. 

He still looked suspicious of me, but he grumbled out a thank you.

"Kamusta ka naman? Nakakatulog ka pa ba? Stress ka pa rin sa mga taong dilim mo na mga writer? Kumain ka na ba? Gusto mong sumama sa akin mag-dinner mamaya? Na-miss mo ba ako kasi ako na-miss kita—"

A heavily accented voice cut off my words. "Sinowng na-miss mo at baykit hindi akow 'yan?"

Sa isang iglap ay natagpuan ko ang sarili kong nakapaloob sa mga bisig ng bagong lapit na lalaki. Para bang nanggigigil na hinigpitan niya pa ang pagkakayakap sa akin bago niya ikinulong ang mukha ko sa malalaki niyang mga kamay.

Sinimangutan ko ang lalaki na lalong ikinalawak ng ngiti sa mga labi niya. "Stop smushing my face, Donovan."

Weston Donovan, an American-raised Filipino and one of the board members of an American publishing organization that organized the CrossPub Conference event today here in Los Angeles.

He's also my ex-boyfriend.

We met when I turned twenty and he was twenty-five. I told my family that I wanted to travel for the rest of the summer with a few selected friends. I met him in Florida, and he followed us on our trip to Santa Barbara, California. Hindi pa siya roon natapos dahil sinundan niya rin ako pabalik ng Pilipinas.

He was fun to be with, he respected my boundaries, and he tried his best to keep our long distance relationship. But I have plans, and none of those include leaving my country. Hindi rin siya pwedeng umalis sa bansa nila dahil sa business nila.

Ending our seven-month-long relationship was a mutual decision. There were no hard feelings, and we even stayed friends.

"Why are you so adorable?" he asked.

"It's an inborn talent."

Pilit na kumawala ako sa kaniya at nang hindi siya kumilos at inangat ko ang kamay ko para kurutin siya. Natatawang pinakawalan niya ako para umiwas sa kamay ko at nakuntento na lang na ipalibot ang braso niya sa balikat ko.

I threw him an annoyed look before turning my attention back to Magnus, whose eyes were moving back and forth between me and the man beside me.

Automatic na bumalik ang ngiti ko nang nasa kaniya na ulit ang atensyon ko. Kahit ata magunaw ang mundo sa mga oras na ito ay makakangiti pa rin ako basta lang masilayan ko siya. Bakit ba kasi ang gwapo niya? Masyado tuloy kaming bagay.

"Are you not going to introduce me?" Weston asked.

I rolled my eyes at him, and then I looked at Magnus again, which of course made me smile again. "Magnus, this is Weston Donovan. He's part of the American publishing organization, and he's one of the people who organized this event." I gave Weston a stinky eye. "Though you don't deserve to know his greatness, this is Magnus Aquillan, the most talented, most handsome, and the hottest owner and EIC of Quetzal Publishing. Siya rin ang manlilibre sa akin ng dinner mamaya. Right?"

Magnus blinked, his expression blank. "Wrong." He mumbled "nice to meet you" to Weston before turning back to me. "I have plans later."

"Eh di isama mo ako sa plano mo. Magaling akong magplano. Kaya ko ngang i-plano pati ang future natin." Nang walang imik na nakatitig lang siya sa akin ay matamis ko siyang nginitian. "Hahayaan mo ba akong kumain mag-isa sa isang banyagang lugar na wala akong kakilala? I'm miles away from home, Magnus. Have some heart."

He tipped his chin to Weston's direction. "You know him."

"Hindi ah." Nilingon ko si Weston na ngingisi-ngisi lang sa tabi ko. "Sino ka ba? Lumayo ka nga. I don't talk to strangers."

Magnus cleared his throat. "Like I've said, I have plans. I'll probably have room service for dinner."

"Eh di iinvite mo ako sa room—"

For the second time, Weston interrupted me. Tinakpan niya ang bibig ko at nginitian niya si Magnus na muling nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin sa amin. He mumbled an excuse, and he walked away without a second glance at me.

Bago ko pa makagawang kagatin ang kamay ni Weston ay nailayo niya na iyon na para bang inaasahan niya ng gagawin ko iyon.

"Kapag nabasted ako, ikaw ang sisisihin ko!" asik ko sa kaniya.

He clucked his tongue with a shake of his head. "You just invited yourself into a man's room."

"So?"

"He's a man."

I blinked. "I'm aware."

He blinked back at me. "Do you want me to call one of your brothers?"

Nalukot ang mukha ko sa tanong niya. I won't hear the end of it if one of those men finds out that I'm here and pestering Magnus. They all know my fascination with Lucienne's boss. Hindi miminsan na pinagsabihan nila akong lubayan na si Magnus bago pa raw atakihin ang lalaki sa sobrang stress sa akin.

"So is he the reason why you're here after you turned me down when I asked you months ago because you said you were busy?"

"I was busy. Nagkaroon ako ng free time kaya ako nandito."

The way he looks at me tells me that he doesn't believe me. "But he's the reason why you've been begging me to change the arrangement of tables so yours would be next to them."

I cleared my face, letting an almost serene expression spread on it. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Napailing na lang siya. Something behind me caught his expression. "What was the term you used? Basted? I think there's another reason why he keeps turning you down."

Sinundan ko ang direksyon na tinitignan niya at kaagad nagsalubong ang mga kilay ko nang makita ko si Magnus malapit sa entrance ng event na may kasamang babae na nakalingkis sa kaniya. Okay. Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. She's just touching his arm. Kahit naman ang magkaibigan lang pwedeng kumapit sa braso ng kaibigan nila.

"That's just a friend," I said with conviction.

"You know her?"

"No."

"So how can you be sure that they're just friends?"

Binigyan ko siya ng matalim na tingin. "Basta sure ako. Bakit ba?"

"Paanow mo nga nasaybi?" Inangat-baba niya ang kilay niya. "Maybe she'll be the one to bring him his room service. With her as the dessert."

Hilahin ko kaya ang baluktot na dila ng isang 'to? "Una, dahil hindi mahilig sa dessert si Magnus. Pangalawa, mas maganda ako sa babaeng 'yon."

"I admire your fighting spirit."

"Kapag hindi mo ako tinigilan, sisiguraduhin ko na magiging spirit ka." I moved my hand, gesturing him away. "Doon ka na sa friends mo. Busy ako."

"How about you?"

"Marami na akong friends. Pwede na nga kitang ibawas."

He made a pinching motion with his fingers, and I moved away from him. Hindi nga lang ako tuluyang nakalayo sa kaniya dahil nagawa niyang abutin ang kamay ko. "Why don't we make him jealous? Jealousy can reveal hidden feelings."

"That's juvenile. I'm not that childish. I can make him like me through my cuteness."

An annoying, high-pitched laugh echoed around the lobby of the venue. A nerve pulsed in my temple as I watched the woman flirtatiously slap Magnus' arm lightly. I could feel a migraine forming when I saw that the man was smiling. A polite small smile, but a smile nonetheless.

Ang dami ko ng effort para pangitiin ka pero hindi ako nagtatagumpay tapos ngingitian mo siya? How is this fair?!

Kung makaakto ang babae ay para bang nasa drama sila at sila lang ang tao sa mundo. She kept tilting her head and fluttering her eyelashes. Malaglag sana ang fake eyelashes mo!

"So?"

Nag-angat ako ng tingin kay Weston. "I don't want to reveal his true feelings through jealousy. Jealousy is exhausting, and I want to reserve his energy for better things."

"Such as?"

Tinapik ko siya sa balikat. "Watch the professional. I'm just going to show you this once. May bayad na ang kasunod."

Ramdam kong nakasunod sa akin ang mga mata niya nang maglakad ako sa direksyon nila Magnus. When I was near them, I covered my left eye with my hand, and I let out a cry of pain. I made sure to bump into Magnus, acting like I couldn't see him.

It took me a lot not to smile when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Then a second later, my chin is being tugged up gently.

I heard Magnus' deep voice ask with concern, "What's wrong?"

"I think I have something in my eye."

Cry. You need to cry, right now. There were a lot of things I could think of, but as I racked my brain, the first thing that came to mind was my brother Trace ruining my dolls when we were young. I think it's more of an annoying memory than a sad one, but it will have to do.

I looked up at Magnus, my eyes clouding. "It hurts. Can you blow it for me?"

He didn't delay in doing what I asked. He leaned down, towering over my smaller frame. His breath felt warm, and there's a hint of a refreshing smell of mint on it.

Making him jealous could contribute to my success in achieving my goal, but it's hard to make someone jealous if he's so adamant about not getting involved with you. So the path I'm taking is a different one, but it leads to one thing.

I'll make sure that I'm always on his mind. I will continue to bother him until I've occupied every bit of his thoughts. When the brain surrenders, that's when the heart will take over.

And that's my main goal: waiting for his heart to be in the open so that I could easily reach for it until it beats for me.

Only for me.

LUNA'S POV

Present day...

It's friday. The favorite day of most people who are working. Kaya nga hindi na nakakapagtaka na maging si Alex ay kulang na lang ay hilahin ang oras para makaalis na siya. May date na naman siguro ang isang iyon.

It's the end of the work week, the last day of the month, and it's also the last day of Maven here in this building. Tomorrow is the official move of Maven to the new and bigger building that we bought from my husband.

Halos lahat ay nakahanda na para sa paglipat. Ang mga natitira ay bukas ko na aasikasuhin kasama ang mga taong nag-volunteer para pumasok bukas at sa linggo para tumulong. They, of course, are paid for their time.

I glance at the wall clock, and I realize that it was almost midnight. I arched my back, stretching. No wonder I feel so stiff. Kanina pa dapat ako nakaalis pero mukhang ako na naman ang huling tao sa buong building.

I gathered the documents on my table. Inilagay ko iyon sa nakabukas na kahon sa tabi ng lamesa ko at pagkatapos ay isinarado ko ang laptop ko at ipinasok iyon sa lalagyanan. The desktop will be transferred tomorrow, but I'll take the laptop with me.

Palabas na sana ako ng opisina nang mag-ring ang cellphone ko. Napakunot ang noo ko nang makita ko na si Kuya Trace ang tumatawag.

"Nag-away ba kayo ni Magnus?"

Lalong nagsalubong ang kilay ko sa bungad niya sa akin. "Hindi. Bakit?"

"Sigurado ka?"

Magnus and I sometimes buthead, but we haven't done that lately. Ang huling pinagtalunan namin ay ang tungkol sa bagong building ng Maven. "You know, Magnus, Kuya. Minsan lang magkaroon ng surge of energy iyon at hindi niya iyon sasayangin sa pakikipag-away kahit kanino."

"Eh bakit mag-isa 'to ngayon dito sa bar at nagpapakalasing? Ember and I went out on a date, and we decided to visit the bar where we first met, then we saw Magnus. Have you perhaps forgotten about an important date? "

Inabot ko ang maliit na kalendaryo na alam kong nailagay ko na sa kahon at ipinatong ko iyon ulit sa lamesa. I know it's not his birthday today. But even though I happen to forget, I doubt he'll make it a big deal.

Hinanap ko ang date sa kalendaryo. I'm one of those people who often forgets the date. Sometimes, even the day. Pero dahil huling araw ng buwan at huling araw ng linggo ngayon, madali lang makita iyon. "Malayo pa ang wedding anniversary namin..." I trailed off, my gaze stopping on the number on the calendar. "Oh."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Anong nothing?"

I let out a sigh. "Can you take him home, Kuya? Please?"

Ilang sandaling natahimik ang kabilang linya. Nang magsalita siyang muli ay dinig ko ang concern sa boses niya. "Is everything okay with the two of you?"

"We're okay."

"Luna—"

"I'm not lying. I'll tell you all about it next time."

"Would you, though?"

Ako naman ang natigilan sa naging tanong niya. It's hard to keep a secret in our family. But if there's someone who has hidden a lot of things from others successfully, it would be me.

I know that the time will come when what I'm hiding will be uncovered. It's not like I intend to keep it from them forever. I just don't want to talk about it yet. I'm not ready.

"I will. I promise."

My brother let out a sigh. "Fine. I'll message you later when he's home."

"Thank you, Kuya."

I ended the call, but for a moment, I just stayed where I was.

Magnus doesn't drink much. His work is enough of a distraction if he needs one. He doesn't drink if he has a lot on his mind or he has a problem. But I have witnessed once, in a rare moment, that he turned to alcohol to drown out his thoughts.

It was easy to be there for him at that time since I know the reason why he's trying to drink his feelings away. But this time I don't think I can when I know I'm the reason why he needed to be in that kind of situation again.

I looked down at my phone, and my finger hovered over the screen when I saw that I have an email notification, but I didn't open it. Not here. Not until I'm home.

Bitbit ang mga gamit na tuluyan na akong lumabas na opisina at dumiretso ako sa elevator. It didn't take awhile before I reached the basement's hallway. I walked towards the frosted glass door, and I was so lost in my thoughts that I almost collided with a man who was about to enter.

Mumbling an apology, I proceeded to walk in the direction of my car. Nang makapasok doon ay animong ang pagsara ng pinto ang gumising sa akin mula sa malalim kong iniisip.

I looked around the basement. There are three cars in here. One is Alex's car, which he usually leaves here on Friday when he has a date scheduled and he'll be drinking. The second car was Stella's, which is already accumulating dust since it's been here for almost a year. It's a classic old car that her grandfather gave her, and it broke down eventually. She was planning to let it retire, so she bought another car. Dahil iisa lang ang parking niya sa bahay ay dito niya na lang muna iniwan habang hindi pa sila nakakalipat ng asawa niya. Kukunin niya dapat iyon sa linggo.

The third car was mine. If there are only three cars in here, why did the man come from the basement?

_________________________End of Chapter 4