TINALIKURAN na ni Pola sina Phillip at Seth habang abala ang mga ito mag-usap sa pamamagitan ng pagpapalitan ng tingin. Yes, she's smart, but she's no mind reader. Hindi na rin naman siya sinundan ni Phillip—not that he was required to. Maigi na rin iyon dahil baka may makakita pa sa kanila.

She heaved out a sigh.

Loose strands of her hair had gone astray, so she brushed it all up to the side and tucked them behind her right ear. Hinigit ni Pola ang mga libro sa dibdib at nagpatuloy na sa paglalakad. She knew she's not supposed to . . . but a part of her was curious about that Champagne. Bakit kaya ganoon na lamang ang reaksyon ni Phillip. Sino ba iyon?

      Pola clamped her eyes shut for a moment. Stop it, Portia Larra. Tumigil ka na. Walang dahilan para ma-curious ka sa pagkatao ng Champagne na 'yon. Ano naman kung may connection sila ni Phillip? That's none of your business.

      But deep down, Pola knew those warnings she had been telling herself were only to justify her unacceptable thoughts. Ipaggiitan man niyang hindi pa siya distracted, a portion of her mind was telling her otherwise. Napakapa siya sa kaniyang dibdib. Be still, my heart. Be still.

      She cleared her throat, adjusted her big-rimmed glasses, and shook her head, forcing to push that thought aside. Tumuloy na si Pola sa kaniyang klase.

     Parati siyang dumarating nang maaga sa classroom nang sa ganoon ay wala pang tao kapag papasok siya. She never liked drawing people's attention. But because Phillip hold her hostage in the elevator, pagtulak niya ng pinto ay kamuntikan pa siyang mapagkamalan na professor nila. Lahat ay nakatutok ang tingin sa kaniya, maski ang kaklase nilang araw-araw late, hindi makapaniwalang naunahan si Pola.

      Great, you got everyone's attention now, she reprimanded herself.

      Pola hissed, tipped her head low, with her eyes glued to the floor, as she made a beeline to her usual seat.

      Ito ang unang pagkakataon na na-late siya sa klase, at hindi na rin ito dapat maulit pa.

      Napakurap si Pola nang makitang may pares ng putting rubber shoes na nakade-kwatro pagkarating niya sa kaniyang puwesto. Kunot ang noong nag-angat siya ng tingin sa may-ari niyon. A girl. Her dusky red hair pulled into messy pigtail buns.

      Face ever so bright, the girl lifted her chin and smiled at Pola. "Hi! Can I help you?"

       For one fleeting moment, Pola felt a tinge of jealousy upon seeing her light hazel eyes. They're mesmerizing.

      Bago niya ito sagutin, pinaraanan niya muna ng tingin ang buong silid. Ang babae lamang ang bago sa kaniyang paningin. Ito marahil ang Champagne na tinutukoy ni Seth.

      "Ms. Fuentez? Bakit ka nakatayo?"

      Pola's back stiffened upon hearing their professor's shrilling voice. For a brief moment, she pondered whether to just occupy the next seat or ask the new student to move—to a different school maybe. But before Pola could even decide, she looked over her shoulder and said, "She's on my seat."

      "Oh, my gosh!" the girl shrieked. Patalon pa itong tumayo at mabilis na hinablot ang puti ring backpack na nakasandal doon. Tinutop pa nito ang bibig. "Oh, my gosh! I'm sorry! I'm really, really sorry! No one told me na this chair's occupied na pala." Inalog-alog nito ang braso niya, the bangles in her wrist clanked like tiny bells. "Sorry talaga, my bad!"

     "I-it's okay," anas ni Pola, may kiming ngiti na nakapaskil sa mga labi.

     "Sorry about that, Ms. Fuentez," rinig pa niyang sabi ng kanilang professor. "You're probably the new student," ani pa nito sa babaeng inililipat na ang mga gamit sa bakanteng silya na katabi niya. "Come here and introduce yourself, hija."

      "Yes, Miss!" said the girl in a chirpy voice before jumping to her feet.

       As the latter waltzed towards their professor, Pola sat on her chair and prepared her things. Nakumpirma niyang ito nga ang Champagne na tinutukoy nina Phillip at Seth nang magpakilala ito. Champagne took twenty minutes of their time because she just wouldn't stop talking. Nagawa nitong ikuwento ang buong detalye ng buhay nito. And much to her surprise, everyone listened attentively. They were all charmed by her bluntness and enthusiasm.

      Nang matapos ang napakahaba nitong pagpapakilala, muli itong bumalik sa tabi ni Pola.

      "I didn't get your name," Pola heard her say, but in a hushed tone. Nagsisimula na kasing mag-discuss ang professor nila sa harap.

       Pola ignored her. Ganoon ang parati niyang ginagawa sa tuwing may lumalapit sa kaniya para makipagkaibigan. 

       "Uy," anito pa. Hindi pa nakuntento ang dalaga't inisod pa ang silya palapit sa kaniya. "Do you usually hold grudge to people that easily? Hindi ko talaga sinasadyang upuan ang silya mo."

       But Pola kept her mouth shut and focused on the discussion. Nagtagumpay naman siya dahil hindi na siya kinulit pa ni Champagne. Bagama't naririnig niyang bumubulong-bulong ito.

       The lecture seemed to last forever that afternoon. Hindi na mabilang ni Pola kung ilang beses niyang tsinek ang orasan. And when her first class finally ended, sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon, nakipag-unahan siyang lumabas ng classroom.

      A beep from her pocket made her stop dead in her tracks. She reached for her phone and read the message.

      Nook?

      Pola couldn't help but scoff. She deleted the message, put her phone on silent mode, and slid it back into her pocket. Nagpatuloy siya sa paglalakad papunta sa susunod niyang klase.

—

It was already 7 in the morning, the sun should be up dancing in the sky, but it struggled to brighten the whole vista. The horizon, too, shared the same mood as it was filled with heavy clouds. The ground was even damp, leaving muddish-brown dirt on Pola's immaculate white cleats. Pursing her lips, she shifted from one foot to the other.

     As a trophy daughter, kasama sa obligasyon ni Pola na samahan ang ama tuwing maglalaro ito ng golf—na ginagawa lamang nito whenever a big-shot investor or business tycoon comes to the city. It's also like a prerequisite for Pola to accompany her father even if she wasn't allowed to speak. She could only nod, smile, and fake a chuckle.

      Napabuga ng hangin si Pola. She'd been standing in the bunker with her father for almost an hour now. Kausap nito si Mr. Siachongco, ang chairman ng isang malaking media group. At kung titimbangin niya rin ang nangyayari, mukha namang maisasarado ng kaniyang ama ang deal. He plays that game better than golf.

       "Your daughter is really beautiful," kapagkuwa'y sabi ni Mr. Siachongco. Tumingin ito sa kaniya at binalandrahan siya ng makahulugang ngiti. "You look like your mom, hija."

       Pola's lips curled into a reticent smile.

       "Smart like her mother, too!" Humalakhak ang ama niya. Pride and joy echoed in his voice. "Maaga pa lang ay tine-train na namin silang magkapatid sa pagma-manage ng mga negosyo. Lalo na ito si Pola"—tinapik siya ng ama sa balikat—"malaki ang paniniwala ko na magagampanan niya ang kaniyang tungkulin bilang future chairman of the board nang maayos."

      Tumango-tango si Mr. Siachongco. "I'm sure she wouldn't want to disappoint her parents as well."

       Matagal nang alam ni Pola ang mga iyon. That responsibility had been glaring in her eyes ever since she was young.

Habang pinakikinggan ang mga ito pag-usapan ang planado niyang buhay, idinako ni Pola ang tingin sa ibang direksyon. Kumunot ang kaniyang noo nang may makitang isang pamilyar na pigura.

       "Phillip?" she breathed. Kumislot din ang kaniyang dibdib.

       "Yes, darling? You're saying something?" anang kaniyang ama.

       Pola smoothed the creases on her forehead and turned to face her father again. Sunod-sunod siyang umiling. "Nothing, Papa."

       Napalunok si Pola. Pilit niyang sinisilip sa kaniyang peripheral vision ang binata. Naglalakad ito papalapit sa kanila! Tumriple ang pagkabog ng kaniyang dibdib. She was panicking! Ramdam niya ang pamumuo ng butil-butil na pawis sa kaniyang noo. Dahil baka mapansin na ng kaniyang ama ang kaniyang pagkabalisa, tumalikod siya sa papalapit na lalaki.

       Lumampas kay Pola ang tingin ni Mr. Siachongco. "Isn't that the young heir of the Grecco Group?"

      Don Paul followed the line of his gaze. Umangat ang kilay nito nang makumpirmang naroon nga ang anak nina Chairman Filmor and Doña Constance. Humigpit ang pagkakahawak ni Pola sa grip ng kaniyang golf club.

"Didn't know the Greccos are also eyeing them?" she heard her father say, but more to himself.

Matalik na magkakaibigan ang mga ama nila. For sure they wouldn't do anything to sabotage her father's plans. Knowing Don Paul, giyera iyon—isang madugong giyera. Wala itong pinalalampas.

       "Good morning, Don Paul. Zǎoshang hǎo, Chairman Siachongco," bungad na bati ni Phillip sa mga ito. She didn't know he also speaks Chinese. Pormal ang ngiting gumuhit sa mga labi nito. Wala rin siyang mabanaag na kahit anong emosyon nang gumawi sa kaniya ang tingin nito. "Pola." Pagkatapos ay tumango lamang ito.

     She nodded back to acknowledge his presence. Pigil-pigil niya ang kaniyang paghinga. "Phillip."

"Napagawi ka rito, hijo?" anang kaniyang ama.

"My father sent me here, Sir." Phillip kept his voice moderate, portraying a calm frame of mind. "May pinaabot lamang siyang regalo kay Chairman Siachongco." Binalingan nito ang kasamang chaperone na may bitbit na dalawang box ng mamahaling alak. "Siya dapat ang pupunta rito, but he's out of the country."

      Hindi na nagulat si Pola sa kapormalang ipinakikita ng binata. Iyon naman ang nauna nitong imahe sa kaniya.

Humalakhak si Mr. Siachongco. "Your father knew me well." Tinapik nito si Phillip. "I'm proud of what you have become, young man. Parang ito si Pola. Napakamasunurin din sa mga magulang." Lumingon ito sa kaniya. "Kilala n'yo ba ang isa't isa?"

Phillip's gaze bored into her. Pola moistened her lips at the sudden shift of their conversation. "A-ah, yes, Chairman. Magkaibigan po ang mga Fuentez at mga Grecco."

Mr. Siachongco smirked and looked at Phillip again. "She's pretty, right?"

"Indeed she is," walang kaabog-abog na sagot ni Phillip.

Pola could feel the weight of Phillip's gaze. Every ounce of it. He was looking at her so intently that a cold shiver raced up her spine.

"I hope my son could meet Pola," kapagkuwa'y sabi ni Mr. Siachongco kay Don Paul. "I think they'd make a great couple."

Hindi nakaligtas sa paningin ng dalaga ang bahagyang pagkalukot ng mukha ni Phillip.

Napakamot sa noo si Don Paul. Impis itong natawa. "Ah, I'm sure we could introduce our kids to each other. However, we really do not encourage Pola to engage in anything that might distract her as of the moment. This stage of her life is very crucial to us because in just a couple of years, papasok na siya sa kumpanya and she needs to prove herself to all these business monsters out there."

Tatango-tangong pumamulsa si Mr. Siachongco. "It's great that you are training her for that, but you know, Paul, I hope you don't mind me saying this. Hindi robot ang mga anak mo. They have emotions and little dreams, too."

But her father didn't seem offended. Hindi maari, he'd lose his biggest investor. "Pola's dream is to manage all our businesses."

Pola wanted to scream 'no'. She wanted to disagree with her father and applaud Mr. Siachongco's statement, but she couldn't. She could only smile and nod.

What a great pretender.

Sandali pa silang nag-usap-usap doon. Naunang umalis si Phillip. Nang nagpipirmahan na sina Mr. Siachongco at ang kaniyang ama, nagpaalam siyang mauuna na para mag-powder room. Mag-isa siyang lumulan ng golf car pabalik sa pavilion.

Nagtataka siya nang makita ang chaperone ni Phillip. Naroon pa ba ang binata? She glanced down at her watch. Halos isang oras na nang umalis ito, ah.

Kamuntikan nang mapatili si Pola nang biglang may humatak sa kaniya papasok ng banyo. He pinned her to the wall and placed his palm over her mouth.

"Don't shout, your father will kill me," said Phillip. "One week na kitang sinusubukang kausapin, but you just keep on ignoring me. Hanggang kailan mo ba ako parurusahan?"

      Pola's stiff shoulders eased down, though she could still hear her own pulse jackhammering in her ears. Nang makahuma'y pinalo niya ang kamay nitong nasa bibig pa rin niya.

      "Are you crazy?" she said, almost whispering. "Paano kung may makahuli sa atin dito?"

      "Hindi ko alam, Pola. You're driving me crazy." Lumayo ito at sinabunutan ang sarili. "Are you really not gonna give this a shot?"

      Pola's brows furrowed. "What am I gonna give a shot?"

       Humakbang papalapit sa kaniya si Phillip at ipinalipat-lipat ang daliri sa kanilang dalawa. "Us."

       "You heard my father earlier, Phillip. Ipakilala pa nga lang ang anak ni Chairman Siachongco, hinarangan na agad niya, e."

       "Bakit? Gusto mo bang makikala ang anak ni Chairman Siachongco?"

     "What? No! Don't put words in my mouth." Naghihirap ang kaloobang bumuntonghininga siya. Sandaling kumibot-kibot ang mga labi niya. What she's about to said would break not just Phillip's heart, but also hers. "My point is, masasayang lang ang effort mo sa akin. Find other girl, Phillip. Someone that is worth your time and effort."

       His gray eyes softened and Pola wanted to immediately take back everything that she said. "But you're worth it."

       Umiling ang dalaga. "Marami pang iba d'yan. T-that Champagne. She's pretty. Bagay kayo."

       "Are you jealous?"

      "I'm not. W-why would I be?"

       "Alam kong isa siya sa dahilan kung bakit mo ako iniiwasan. Champagne is our family friend. Kababata namin siya ni Seth noong nasa States pa lang kami. Ako dapat ang magsusundo sa kaniya sa airport, pero napaaga ang uwi niya at nawala rin sa isip ko na darating siya. Gusto kong ipaliwanag 'yon sa iyo agad nang personal, pero hindi kita mahagilap."

      "You don't have to explain."

       "I don't want you to overthink."

       "Phillip, I . . ." Pola filled her lungs with air. "I can't afford any distraction right now. Again, you heard my father. Mahihirapan ka lang. Ni hindi nga tayo makapag-usap nang maayos in public, e."

      "I don't know what you did to me or what have gotten into me, but I'm willing to go through it all just to be with you." Ginagap nito ang kamay niya. "I'm not going to distract you, Pola. Promise nandito lang ako to support you. I'll help you study, keep up with your priorities. Kahit ihuli mo na lang ako, it's fine with me."

       "Phillip, you don't deserve this . . ."

      "Do you like me?"

       Pola was caught off guard with his question. Napakurap siya't napaiwas ng tingin sa binata. "It doesn't matter. I can't let any of this happen—"

     "Just answer me, Pola. Damn it! Do you like me? And please don't lie. For once, be truly honest with yourself." Frustration laced his voice as he paced back and forth.

      Ilang segundong katahimikan ang namayani sa paligid.

       "Pola . . ." namamalat ang boses na untag sa kaniya ni Phillip. "Fine—"

       "I like you," putol niya rito sa ubod ng hinang boses. "But—"

        "No buts, no ifs. That's all I need to hear."