#NewClassicPFL

Chapter 31
Regret

"Lavi..." Sic's husky voice enveloped my ear as I felt his hot breath on my neck. "Wake up now."

Wanting to be lazy in his bed and sleep more, with my eyes still closed, I flipped to the other side and wrapped my arm around him. I buried my face on his chest where I found warmth and comfort.

He chuckled, then kissed my forehead and renewed the way he hugged me.

Kahit inaantok ay napangiti ako saka tumingala sa kanya habang nakapikit. "More kisses please," I said in a sleepy tone.

Mas lalo naman siyang natawa pero sinunod pa rin ang gusto ko. Not even three seconds had passed and I felt his lips on mine. He gave me five pecks on the lips. Everything was so natural like we were already together for a long time.

I don't think I'll ever get tired of his kisses.

"Are you awake now?" he asked after granting my wish.

Feeling a bit playful, I smiled and shook my head. I wanted to cuddle with him more, so I tried my luck.

He chuckled once again. "If you still want to sleep, I'll let you stay here," he said. "But I need to meet up with our lawyers today."

Napadilat naman ako habang nanatiling nakayakap sa kanya.

"I'll come back to you after we're done," he continued.

Ngumuso ako at saka umiling. Dahan-dahan akong kumawala sa kanyang pagkakayakap upang maupo sa kama. On the other hand, Sic was quietly watching me with an amuse stare. There was a ghost of a smile on his lips. Pakiramdam ko ay talagang nagbalik na ang dating siya.

"What do you want to do?" he asked in a very soft tone like he was talking to a kid.

"I want to come with you," I told him.

"To meet our lawyers?"

I nodded. "Yes, and I also want to see Brenna if possible."

With my request, his face became stern. Alam ko na kaagad na hindi niya 'yon nagustuhan. I could almost hear him objecting and saying 'no' just by looking at his face.

"Why?" he probed first instead of straight up expressing objections.

"I..." I trailed for a few seconds because I didn't really have an exact reason. Naisipan ko lang dahil gusto ko. "I just want to see her."

I was so scared of her last night, and after I heard the story from Sic, I also got angry. I didn't know why but there was an urge inside me to see her one last time. I guessed it would probably clear my mind and make me feel better.

"I'll let you see her."

My eyes widened when he surprisingly agreed. I really thought he wouldn't allow me to come with him after what happened.

"But not today," he added.

Napaawang ang aking mga labi at bumagsak ang aking balikat. As expected. Of course, he wouldn't let that happen easily.

"I want to make sure that she'll be jailed first," he explained. "Ayokong lumapit ka sa kanya hanggang sa malaya pa siya. Even though there'll be security around, I still didn't want to risk it."

Inabot ni Sic ang aking kamay. Napaangat ako ng tingin at diretsong tumitig sa kanyang mga mata. Muli kong nakita ang takot sa loob no'n.

"I don't want to make the same mistakes," he softly said, almost like a whisper. I could still hear the guilt laced on his tone even after I gave him reassurance. "I'll make sure she won't be able to hurt you again. So please, wait until she's put behind bars then I'll take you to her just like what you want."

Knowing how anxious he was, I didn't act stubbornly and just simply yield to him. Napangiti naman siya at mabilis na pinatakan ng halik ang aking mga labi bago kami lumabas ng kuwarto.

While Sic was busy taking care of my plate, I checked my phone and was surprised to see multiple missed calls from my father. He also sent me text messages that I quickly read.

From: Dad
Where are you?

From: Dad
Lavinia

From: Dad
I saw what happened. Get home now!

My eyes widened to see his last message. My pulse raced for miles as I exited the message app and searched for trending topics about last night. However, I didn't find any articles about what happened during the red carpet event. Doon ko naalala ang bilin ni Sic kay Mr. Joel bago kami umakyat sa hotel room.

"Sic," I called his attention.

"Hmm? Do you want anything else?"

"No." I calmly shook my head. "I checked the net and there's no news about last night..."

"Of course, there's none," he simply said, then looked up to me. "The media was suppressed. Kung may makikita ka mang rumors, no one will be able to confirm it. Walang puwedeng maglabas ng photos at videos. They'll be sued if they dare," he explained.

There was a huge amount of worry eradicated from my chest. I appreciated how Sic acted so fast along with Mr. Joel. Kaya nga lang ay hindi pa rin maalis sa isipan ko kung paano nakarating kay daddy ang nangyari. He said he 'saw' what happened.

How is that possible when no form of media was released? Did he hire someone to follow me closely?

"What are you thinking?" he curiously asked. "You don't have to worry about that anymore. I won't allow them to stain your name."

"It's just my dad..." I sighed and pushed my phone to him.

He hesitantly picked it up and checked out what I wanted him to see. His eyes widened upon reading the messages from my father, quickly lifting his gaze back to me. "He's back home?"

I nodded and leaned my back on the seat.

"Since when?"

"Two weeks ago. The night before we came home from Palawan."

"Shit," he cursed.

Napakunot ang aking noo. "Bakit? May problema ba?"

"You need to eat faster. I have to take you home now."

I was slightly bewildered when he picked up his pace. He frantically finished his breakfast while I froze and watched him in confusion. I had no idea why he was suddenly all over the place.

"Bakit ka nagmamadali?" tanong ko. "What time are you going to meet the lawyers?"

"Eleven."

Pursing my lips, I got my phone back to check the time. It was only eight-thirty in the morning. He still had a lot of time to prepare. I wanted to stay longer with him. It was the first day since we became an official couple.

"There's still two hours and a half left. Why are you in a rush?" I asked and lazily drank my juice.

"You didn't tell me your father's home already," he said frustratedly, like I did something so bad. "You didn't go home last night. What is he probably thinking now?"

My eyes narrowed as I looked at him panicking. I even dared to cross my arms. "Are you afraid of him?"

"No," he immediately answered. "Ayoko lang isipin niyang sinasamantala kong wala siya rito. I haven't even met him personally."

I sighed at his reason. "Sic, you don't have to be old school with my father," I told him as a matter of fact. "And besides, he doesn't really care where I go and I don't need to ask permission. I'm an adult now. I can live my life independently."

"He is still your father," he said. "We're done faking and pretending, Lavi. I'm serious about you. I want him to see that and know that I respect you."

My lips parted as my heart melted with his warm words. It felt so great to hear everything that he just said. But despite his sincerity, I was afraid it wouldn't reach my father's heart. It wouldn't be easy to please him.

To be honest, at that moment, I had no plans of letting him meet my father. I was worried about all the things that could possibly happen if they did. I'd rather play safe. I didn't want anything to be ruined.

No matter how rich and influential he is, unless he's an heir or a CEO of a huge company, my father would never accept him. He wanted someone who could help me once I inherit our business and continue our legacy. He would never want someone in a different industry, especially not from the entertainment world where he had a lot of prejudice.

Gaya ng gustong mangyari ni Sic, pagkatapos naming kumain ng umagahan ay nag-ayos na siya para ihatid ako sa bahay. Medyo traffic kaya ten-thirty na kami nakarating sa bahay. He wanted to come inside and greet my father, but since he'd be late for the meeting, he just dropped me off and went away.

Once his car was already out of sight, I finally went inside our gate. I couldn't stop myself from smiling while reminiscing our kisses. It's like I was back to being a teenager. My steps felt so light like I was floating on air. I thought no one could take the happiness from me until I stepped in our living room and saw my father waiting.

Agad akong nanlamig nang tumama sa akin ang kanyang mga mata. Even when he calmly brought his newspaper down on the center table and stood up from the sofa, my heart was once again filled with anxiety. I was too happy and lost in the moment that I forgot about his missed calls and messages.

"Mabuti naman at naisipan mo pang umuwi," he said while fixing his cuffs. "I thought you already forgot that you have a home. You didn't even bother answering my calls or replying to my messages. Wala ka na ba talagang pakialam sa iisipin ng magulang mo?"

I smirked, trying to hold back myself from laughing. "I believe I'm old enough to decide for myself, dad," I said. "And please don't act like you're concerned about me. Alam ko namang papagalitan mo lang ako at ipapamukha sa aking wala akong mapapala sa pagmomodelo, 'di ba?"

My father's jaw clenched as he pressed his lips into a thin line. It seemed like I hit a nerve. I knew him so well that I was certain he would only make me feel more embarrassed and insecure. He was never the type of father who supported and encouraged his daughter. Rather, he would always criticize, making me feel small.

"Tama po ako, 'di ba?" I faked a smile and stared straight into him. "You never truly cared about me. Kung sakaling mapahiya man ako sa harap ng madaming tao, sisisihin mo ako at sasabihin mong kasalanan ko 'yon dahil nagkamali ako ng desisyon sa buhay. You'd tell me that I should've just listened to you. You'd never try to comfort me."

"And so what? Hindi ba't tama naman talaga ako?" he snapped back, indirectly admitting that it's what he'd really do. "Look at what happened to you now. You almost became the laughingstock of the whole country with that drummer boy and you still wouldn't listen!"

My forehead creased. "Don't bring Sic into our conversation. He did everything to protect me."

"Protect you?" He sarcastically laughed. "If he really wants to protect you, he'll stop ruining your future. He should know that you're better off without him."

Kinagat ko ang aking ibabang labi at kinuyom ang kamao habang pinipigilan ang sariling mas lalong sumabog.

I made the right decision of not bringing Sic home to meet him. I was glad that he didn't have the time to stop by. He was already feeling insecure of himself, thinking that he didn't deserve me. If he'd hear my father's words, it would surely break him into pieces. Hindi ko alam kung mapapatawad ko pa si daddy kapag nangyari 'yon.

"You don't know anything about us and you don't even know him as a person," I firmly said, defending Sic from his prejudice. "He knows and understands me well. He supports and encourages me to do better. He believes in me. He trusts me," I said without taking a breath, feeling like I was finally losing my temper. "More than anything, he's not someone like you who only knows how to control me and manipulate my life."

"Lavinia!" My father finally exploded after I said all those words which surely slapped him hard. His face was red and the veins on his neck were protruding. "Wala kang utang na loob! I did everything so that you could live a comfortable life! Pagkatapos ay 'yan ang sasabihin mo sa 'kin? You're a huge disappointment to me and your mother!"

I gritted my teeth when he mentioned my mother. Nag-init ang aking mga mata. I calmed myself down to avoid saying words that I would only regret in the end. I didn't want to completely burn the bridges down as he's still my father. Kaya naman kaysa manatili roon ay agad ko siyang tinalikuran para muling umalis.

"Where are you going?" he asked. "Stop right there! We're still talking! Don't you dare walk out of this house, Lavi!"

Not saying anything and keeping my silence to leave in peace, I continued marching towards the door.

"If you leave now, I swear you're going to regret it!" he threatened me.

Hindi ako natakot at nagpatuloy pa rin sa paglalakad paalis. I didn't look back anymore. I quickly crossed the driveway and reached the gate. Hindi ko pa alam kung saan ako pupunta. But then, like the sky opened up to give me hope, I suddenly saw Sic talking to our guard when I thought he had already left for his meeting.

Nanlaki ang aking mga mata. Mabilis akong tumakbo palabas. I heard him asking the security if he could meet me. Nang nahagip naman ako ng kanyang tingin ay agad nabaling sa akin ang kanyang atensyon. He looked surprised to see me, but I was even more in shock that he was there right at the moment I needed him.

"Lavi, you dropped your pho—" Before he could complete his sentence, I threw myself to him for a hug. He immediately caught me in his arms and made sure that we wouldn't fall to the ground.

"Please take me with you!" I begged and buried my face on his neck.