VITO

Valerie and I walked to the entrance and were greeted by the hotel staffs that stood by the door in their all white uniform. We were just a couple of steps in when we heard a loud bang coming from outside.

"What was that?" Valerie's head turned in surprise.

"It's probably nothing." I shrugged.

"Sounds like a gun shot." There was deep worry in her face. "I'm having a bad feeling about this, Vito. Sa ibang araw na lang-"

"But we're already. Just relax, okay? I got you." I gave her a reassuring smile.

Then then were men in security uniform hurrying out. Valerie tensed up and stopped ton watch them while chewing on her bottom lip. Bryce had the same lips as hers. Full and pillowy. Damn it! Thinking of her made me feel shittier. I'd never thought of myself as a good man but shit, what I did with Bryce... Valerie would kill me if she ever finds out. She'd often refer to Bryce as her baby girl whenever we talk about her. She had no idea how much that baby girl had grown and how much of a tease she was. I wanted to stay away from her but something just pulls me in. I couldn't resist her even if I wanted to.

"I'm... I don't know why but I'm feeling anxious all of a sudden. I know that's a gun. Ano bang nangyayari?" She asked.

"Look, I know you're nervous about this whole thinh. I understood but I don't want you to back out now. Nandito na tayo. You've been wanting to do this, didn't you?" I told her.

She bit her lips again and slowly nodded her head. "But what if...?"

"Shh... no more what ifs. We're going to do this today. It's going to be fine." I smiled.

She nodded again and then took a deep breath. Muli kaming nakasalubong ng isang grupo ng securities. They seemed to be in a hurry like the first batch we'd seen.

"What is happening outside?" Valerie asked.

"Ah, ma'am, may nagbaril po sa may parking lot." One of the men answered.

"Oh, God." Napahawak si Valerie sa dibdib niya. "Are we safe here?"

"Opo, ma'am. Under control na naman. Hinihintay na lang ang pulis at ambulansya."

"See, everything will ne alright. We have nothing to worry about." I said.

We walked to the elevator and pressed the floor to our room. Valerie looked visibly nervous as we stood next to each other. Despite her being twice my age, Valerie was a stunning woman. She wore this flowing pale pink floral dress that moves with her when she walks. Even her figure doesn't look her age. It was as if this woman had discovered the fountain of youth. I had adored Valerie the first time I had saw her at señor Jaime's wake, she had this timeless beauty that knows no age. Bryce had indeed gotten her mother's beauty, I knew she'd age beautifully as her mother in the future.

I swallowed at the thought of what had happened yesterday at my pad. Bryce kneeling in front of me, her warm mouth around my cock. I had to take a deep breath in to calm myself and my buddy down there at the thought of her. Jesus Christ! Maybe I really was sick in the head. I was thinking of all the things we'd done yesteday while her mother was just standing beside me. And then, guilt assaulted me. Unti-unti akong napailing, pinapalis sa isip ang iniisip at nararamdaman ko ngayon.

The elevator opened to our floor and we walked down the hallway stopping in front of our door.

"Vito?" She said as my hand reached the door lever.

"Yes, senyorita?" I stopped to face her.

"Thank you." She said with a soft smile. "Thank you for doing this for me."

"Senyorita, siguro ngayon ay pag-aalinlangan kayo but I promise you, after this you'd feel better about yourself."

"Why are you doing this?" She asked, crossing her arms over to her chest.

"Because I want to help." I said and her brow cocked as if telling me she was unconvinced. "And you have something I want."

She chuckled. "That's what I've always liked about you, Vito. You've always been honest."

I lowered my gaze. Well, maybe I wasn't as honest as I should be. I had mouth fucked her baby girl yesteday. Damn it!

"After you, senyorita." I said as I opened the suite.

I watched as she walked in, her hips swaying back and forth.

BRYCE

I was almost on the verge of a nervous breadown as I paced back and forth. Even though it was over my nerves were still pumping up adrenaline and my stomach was still knotted that I felt like I could throw up at any minute now. Or maybe it was because I was moving around so much? I didn't know but I shouldn't care because I had so much to think about other than this. It was as if my mind had been diverting its attention to something more trivial as this to keep myself from going crazy.

"Bryce." A man in white lab coat pulled me from my thoughts. "Ikaw ba si Bryce?"

"Yes! Yes, I'm Bryce!" Natatarantang sagot ko. I wanted to ask if he was okay but I couldn't find the words.

"Let's go in." He quietly said before turning his back to me and walking through the door again. I quickly followed behind him and we stopped in front of one of the white curtains.

Hinawi ng lalaki ang kurtina and then there was my Dad in bed. Agad akong tumakbo sa kanya at napayakap. I cried so hard I couldn't breathe.

Daddy..." I nuzzled my face into his neck. "I'm sorry, Daddy."

"Shh... you have nothing to apologize for." He said, rubbing my arm that was wrapped around him. "I'm sorry, Bryce. I am so sorry you had to see that."

"I'm just glad you're okay. Dad, don't ever do that again. Hindi mo ba kami naisip? Who would give Pixie a piggyback ride when you're gone? Sino na lang magdadala kay Cookie at kay Toffie sa paintball? Kapag nawala ka who would spoil me?" My voice were shaky with tears.

"I'm sorry, Bryce." I could tell that he was trying hard to keep the tears at bay. "I wasn't thinking straight. I had a few drinks in the office."

"You were drinking even at the office?" I lifted my head from his chest to look at him.

His gaze lowered as if humiliated. "Bryce, I couldn't take it. It's driving me mad. The thought of your Mom with another man. As much as I didn't want to believe it back then, it was eating me alive. Tuwing pipikit ako iyon ang nakikita ko. Sa tuwing makikita ko ang mommy mo, iyon ang naaalala ko. I just wanted to forget."

"I'm sorry, Dad. Hindi ko akalain na hahantong sa ganito. I just wanted you to believe me. I hated the thought of anyone making a fool out of you." I sobbed.

"I'm willing to be a fool for your Mom. Wala akong pakialam kung kailangan kong magmukhang tanga o magbulah-bulagan. I've loved her for almost 3 decades and I don't see myself ever stopping."

"Dad, lalo ka lang masasaktan..."

"But it would kill me to be apart from her. Bryce, mamatay ako kapag wala si Val sa buhay ko. Do you understand?"

"Dad..."

"I can't live without her. She'll come to her senses, you'll see. She will realize that I'm the only man for her. Magsasawa din siya kay Vito." Dad closed his eyes and tears fell on the corners of them. It killed me a little inside seeing him this distraught.

"She doesn't know how lucky she is to have a husband like you but I know I'm lucky to have you as my Dad." Muli kong hinilig ang ulo ko sa dibdib niya.

I felt him kiss me on the side of my head. "Thank you, Bryce. Thank you for always understanding."

"Promise me you won't do that again. You won't do anything that could possibly hurt you."

His chest expanded as he took a deep breath in and then slowly breathed out. "I'm already hurting. Sometimes, I wish I never knew about her affair. Sometimes I wish I could live in oblivion."

I bit my bottom lip and it slowly dawned me that I almost killed my father. Ako ang may kasalanan kung bakit muntikan na niyang barilin ang sarili niya. If I hadn't taken him there it wouldn't have happened. I pushed the gun away from him before he fired it and it shot through the roof of his car. Mabilis naman na rumesponde ang mga securities sa parking lot. Dad wrestled with the securities because he wouldn't let the gun go until finally he was tazed. It sent him cold to the ground and then he was unconscious. They had to rush us to the hospital only to find out that his blood alcohol was enough to get a whole small island drunk. When I came to his office, he's already had a hint of alcohol on him but I didn't know he had that much alcohol. I thought since he was at work, he probably just had a shot or two. He was good at hiding him being drunk.

We were eventually released by the doctor. The police came over to talk to us to find out what had happened so that they could have a record of it but no charges were dropped against him.

I had Dad's secretary drop off my car to the hospital so we could use it to get home.

"Bryce..." I heard Dad say as I was driving, my eyes focused on the road.

"Yes, Dad?" I took a quick glance at him.

"Promise me won't mention this to anyone. Not to Ate Anais and especially you're Mom."

"But Dad-"

"Bryce." His voice was low and strained.

There was a sudden silence between both of us. It hung heavy in the air, it was so palpable that it was almost suffocating.

"You know, your Mom and I never planned you..."

"Well, thanks for letting me know, Dad." I sarcastically said, rolling my eyes.

"No, listen to me. We never planned you. You happened after the first big fight we ever had as husband and wife. I got jealous of her boss, flew to another country and she went after me. Her stubborn love for me saved our marriage and you are the beautiful reminder of that." He said with a nostalgic smile etched on his lips. It was almost to painful to see.

"Now it's my turn, Bryce. Ako naman ang gagawa ng paraan para masagip ang relasyon namin. I don't give a fuck if she's having an affair with a younger man. I would have my wife back. I would love her so stubbornly, without an ounce of pride im my body, I would love her. Wala na akong pakialam kahit magmukha akong gago sa mata ng iba. What's important is her and our family."

I felt a squeeze in my heart at his words. Even though he was hurting about what Mom did, he still spoke of his love for her.

"Dad, I'll help. I'll do everything to help you save your marriage." I said, swallowing back the lump in my chest.

"Oh, Bryce... I thought I'd already lost you. First your Ate Anais, I'd already lost her to Coco and then you're Mom. And you were slowly changing..."

"No, Dad! You'd never lose me. I will always be your girl." I forced a smiled despite the tears burning in the corners of my eyes. I had always been a daddy's girl even more than Ate Anais. I had always looked up to my Dad, I'd always thought of him as the best man in the whole wide world. Kahit anong mangyari, hindi magbabago ang tingin ko sa kanya, even now when he was at his weakest.

"Thank you, Bryce. I love you, baby girl." He uttered like he always did since I was little.

I pulled up in front of the house and Dad and I walked in. We could hear Toffie laughing and then he was runninh towards us.

"Hi, Daaaad!" He wrapped his arms around him.

"How was your sparring practice?" Dad asked him, kissing the to of his head.

"It was okay. Where did you and Ate Bryce go? Mom's been calling you but you won't pickup the phone." He said with brows furrowed.

"Ate Bryce and I just finished some work." He said and looked around. "Where's Mom?"

"She's in the living room with Kuya Vito."

Dad paused for a while, his jaw and fingers clenched, his muscles recoiling.

"Kuya Vito has a really cool car but Mom won't let me ride with him. It's parked right outside." He pointed with his fingers. "He said he also did sparring when he was young and he showed me some cool moves. He's the coolest, Dad!"

"Hon." Suddenly Valerie was walking up to hin and wrapping her arms around him. Dad remained stoic as she kissed him. "Late ka yata ng uwi ngayon. Hinintay ka namin for dinner."

Then Vito was behind them, walking towards us with hands in his jeans. She even brought his lover here. Ang kakapal ng mukha nila.

Nagtama ang mga mata namin ni Vito. He gave me a meaningful look, I blushed and looked away.

"Hon, nandito nga pala si Vito. Remember him? He was my father's friend." She pulled away from Dad and turned her head to Vito.

"Yes, I remember." There was no emotion in Dad's tone and then he lowered his mouth to my ear. "Act normal. Please, Bryce, I don't want your Mom to know."

"Nalaman ko kasing nandito siya sa Manila so we decided to meet up. Inimbita ko na din siya magdinner dito. Saan ba kayo nanggaling mag-ama?" Mom was smiling as her eyes averted from Dad to me. "Did you have a daddy-daughter date?"

"Yes, we did." Dad said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"That's good that you're bonding again. You two have been fighting like cats and dogs for the past few weeks." Sabi niya.

It's all because of you.

I tried my best to keep my eyes from rollling.

"Can we just eat? I'm starving." I sighed.

"Halika na. Everything's ready. Kayo na lang talaga ang hinihintay namin." Mom took Dad's hand and pulled him to the dining.

Vito and I were left standing there. Tinitigan ko si Vito at umarko ang kilay ko sa kanya habang nakatingin din siya sa akin.

"Bryce, can we talk?"

"We have nothing to talk about?" I pursed my lips in annoyance.

"What happened yesterday-"

"Kuya Vito, don't even bother talking to her. She's always grumpy. She's not as cool as you." Toffie said. If this were any other situation, I would've nudged his freaking head but I was just thankful he was here to break the tension between Vito and I.

"Come on! Let's go to Mom and Dad kung ayaw mong tayo ang mag-sparring ngayon dito." I said, putting my hand over his shoulder and dragging him to the dining room.

"Ouch!" I said when I gave him a soft slap on the back of his head. "Mom! Dad! Ate Bryce hit me!"

He came running to the dining room and I got scolded by Mom before I could even sit on the dining table. Vito joined us, sitting next to me.

"How has your day been, Hon?" Mom said in a happy tone as if she hadn't fucked another guy earlier.

"Busy." Dad answered. "Been through 2 meetings today."

"Maybe a little massage will help you relax later." Ew! I knew her tone meant something more than a massage.

Tumikhin si Dad bago binaling ang atensyon sa lalaki sa tabi ko. "Vito, ano ang ginagawa mo dito sa Manila?"

"May mga inaayos lang akong personal business."

"How long are you going to stay?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, sir. Honestly. I've missed the city life. I need a vacation from the hacienda, it wasn't the life I grew up in. I missed the hustle and bustle of the city. The party and everything."

"Is that what you really missed?" I whispered, my lips lifted into a smirk as my hand snaked to his thigh. I stroked his inner thigh up and down.

He suddenly stiffened to his seat and swallowed back a groan.

"Bryce..." He muttered.

My hand went up, almost touching his crotch. Nalasinghap siya sa ginawa ko which made me smile. I could feel him getting hard as I bumped against his crotch.

"Oops?" I said as I pushed my spoon from the table and it dropped to the ground on Vito's side. "I'm sorry. So clumsy of me."

Yunuko ako para kunwaring kunin ang spoon ko. I lowered my head until it was right at his crotch.

"Bryce, honey, we'll just get you a new one. Hayaan mo na yan." Mom said.

"Sit properly up, young lady." Said Dad with a faint hint of scold.

Tumaas ang mga mata ko kay Vito as I slowly raised my head back up. He was trying to be casual about it but his eyes said differently. He was looking at me as if telling me to stop what I was doing.

The dinner was fueled by strained small talks and I was glad when it ended.

"What were you doing?" Mahinang anas niya when we were able to have the time alone. We were on the living room while Mom was getting Vito's keys and Dad and Toffie were still in the dining talking about his sparring class.

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to sound innocent.

"You know what I mean, Bryce." He said and then he pinned me to the wall behind me. "Fuck! Do you know how bothered I am since yesterday? You're all I can think about with that mouth of yours around me."

He was so close I could feel his breath against my face. I just stared at him as our bodies ground against each other.

"Were you, Vito? Were you imagining me? My wet pussy around your cock, you want that don't you?" I said in a seductive voice as I ground my body againt his even more. Even with the pants getting in the way, I knew he was aleady hard.

"Fuck! Why are you torturing me like this, Bryce?" He said in a gluttural tone before crashing his lips to mine.

"Vito...?"

Parang nataranta siya nang marinig ang boses ni Mom. He tried to pull away from me but I held him and wouldn't let him go for a few seconds. I knew it scared him shitless and I laughed to myself. Binitawan ko na lang siya nang marinig ko ang yabag ng heels ni Mom. Frankly, I couldn't care less if Mom walked in on me with her lover. I would love her to see this but I had plans for her. I wanted to leave her broken just as she did to my Dad. I bet there's nothing more painful than to find out your lover left you for your young daughter.

"Vito, here's your key." She said with a smile as she walked in.

"Thanks, senyorita." He said, trying hard to hide his labored breath.

"Sure. If you need anything, huwag kang mahiyang lumapit sa amin." Mom said.

"Bye, Vito. See you." I bit my bottom lip and winked at him.

"Bye, Bryce."

"You two seem to be hitting off good." Malawak ang ngiting sabi ni Valerie. We walked Vito out, I stopped in front of the door and watched as Mom walked him to his car. They stood there and talked for awhile before Vito waved again. I'd realized he was waving at Dad who was standing beside me.

"What were you doing, Bryce?" Dad said in a low tone, his eyes fixed on Vito.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm a man. Alam ko ang ikinikilos niyo ni Vito habang nasa dining table tayo. What was that all about?"

"Dad, trust me on this."

"Trust you on this? So, you're not even going to deny? You were playing hanky panky with him under the table." Dad growled.

"I'm doing this for you." I said, my voice shakibg with unshed tears, and then I walked into the house.

Sumunod sa akin si Dad. I knew by just the sound of his footsteps that he was mad. "You're fooling around with that boy for me? How does that make sense?"

"If you're not man enough to take Mom back, I'm willing to do the dirty work for you." I faced him, tryinh hard not to let the pain and anger bubble up. "Hindi ko kayang umupo na lang dito at panooring kitang magmukhang tanga."

"Bryce..." His face mellowed down and bore a look of guilt and shame.

"Ako ang gagawa ng paraan para lumayo si Vito sa kanya. I will do everything to keep him away."

"By what? By whoring yourself to him? You think I'd let my daughter whore herself out?"

"You don't want to lose Mom, do you? Kapag lumalim ang kung anuman ang relasyon nila, that will happen. She will leave you for him. And then what we'll happen to you? You're going to drown yourself in pity?" I knew what my Dad was capable of doing to himself. Kung hindi man niya mapatay ang sarili niya with his gun, he surely was capable of slowly killing himself with alcohol.

"You're my baby girl. I don't want you to..."

"Dad, I got this. Alam ko ang ginagawa ko. I will just seduce him, lead him on. Nothing more. Trust me on this." I said as I looked him in the eye.

He looked back at me with a raging battle with himself. He was seriously considering it. Dad had always been strict to Ate Anais and I when we were growing up, especially with out interactions with boys. Him considering what I'd said told me that he was that desperate.

"Dad, isa lang ang gusto kong gawin mo. Ayusin mo ang sarili mo. No more alcohol, no more wallowing in self-pity. Maybe then you can win her back." I told him.

"Bryce, I don't know what to think..." He brushed his fingers through his hair.

"Just let me do this, Dad." I forced a smile and kissed him on the cheek. "Everything will be okay soon."