Chapter 5: Open Book

I blinked a few times, almost questioning if the man standing before me was an apparition. But no, he was real, and he looked visibly annoyed by my reaction. He adjusted his slightly crumpled necktie before speaking.

“I know it’s surprising to see me here at this hour, but as you know, I’m a busy man, and this is my only spare time,” sabi niya sa baritonong boses. His voice was reminiscent of Seven’s—though his carried more authority, confidence, and intelligence. Hindi naman sa hindi tunog matalino si Seven pero iba ang aura ng lalaking nasa harap ko. It's the kind that makes you feel small in his presence.

Bahagya akong napaatras, still unable to find my words. Alam kong mukha akong tanga sa harap niya. Facing Wolff Glass Bane—how could anyone act normal after that?

He glanced at his watch, almost signaling not to waste his time. I wasn’t getting any of his unspoken cues, so he took something out of his wallet. It was a business card from Bane Laboratories, bearing his name. Nagtatakang nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin ko sa card at sa kanya.

“Sorry for being rude, but this could cause a scandal, and a few hours later, you’ll find yourself in the news. Let’s take preventive measures and talk inside, shall we?” he suggested.

Tila saka lamang ako nagising. I opened the door wider and he entered. I half-expected the black-suited guards to follow, but they remained outside, standing watch. Pumasok sa loob si Wolff na tila ba alam na alam niya ang bawat sulok ng bahay.

I watched his every move. Tila bawat hakbang ay pinag-iisipan. Or perhaps it was just his presence. He seemed out of place in this house, more suited to a palace or a vast laboratory filled with high-tech machinery and equipment.

“You must be Dani,” he began once comfortably seated on the sofa. Napatango ako, kahit na may pagtataka.

Earlier, I had felt a different level of nervousness, and now this? His presence made me feel like I was escaping Zone Z all over again!

“I regret not being able to come home during Governess Emily’s wake.”

Hindi ko alam kung ano ang isasagot kaya nanatili akong tahimik.

“She was my favorite governess.”

He rose from his seat and walked around the room. He picked up some picture frames from a side table, briefly inspecting each before selecting another one and smiling.

“I remember this picture,” he remarked, lifting one of the frames. “This was during the ribbon-cutting of—”

“Excuse my rudeness, pero I'm sure hindi ka nagpunta rito pata makipagkuwentuhan tungkol kay lola,” I interjected, trying to regain control of the conversation. It took a lot of courage to say what I had in mind, pagod ako at napakaraming katanungan sa isip ko. I just wanted to rest and forget everything that had happened, as if my heart was about to burst with all the different emotions I was feeling.

He smiled—a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. “Governess Emily was right; you’re sharp.”

Hindi ko alam kung ano ang kanyang ibig sabihin, but I didn’t press for clarification.

“Sabihin mo kung ano ang sadya mo. I’m sure you didn’t waste your precious time coming here for nothing,” I said pointedly, emphasizing the word ‘precious’.

“Right,” he agreed. He took out his phone and tapped a few buttons, projecting holographic data. “This is the stock index of every Glass company and its subsidiaries. I’m giving you the option to choose based on their market performance.”

“And?” I asked, bewildered.

“Choose which Glass company or any of its subsidiaries you’d like to be a part of,” he explained. “I can give you a brief on how these companies are performing—”

The nerve!

Did he really think so highly of himself and so little of me? Did he think I’d leap at any opportunity to benefit from the Glass family? Lumapit ako sa may pinto. “You know your way out, right?”

Bahagya siyang nagulat sa sinabi ko. Quickly, he turned off the holographic display and pocketed his phone. “I’m not doing you a favor, Dani. I’m doing this out of respect for your grandmother.”

Mas lalo lamang akong nainsulto sa sinabi niya, at mas nanaig ang kagustuhan kong paalisin siya.

“Well, her ashes are in that urn,” I said, pointing to the side table where my grandmother’s ashes lay. “You don’t need to pretend to be nice to me to show respect for her.”

He scoffed. “Wow, you’re rude.”

Who’s the rude one here? How dare he show up and act like he’s flaunting their wealth, thinking I’d jump at the chance to latch onto the Glass family? At bilang respeto na niya iyon kay lola?

“Keep your wealth to yourself, Wolff Bane. Hindi ko kailangan ang respeto mo sa lola ko para mabuhay,” I replied, echoing his earlier sentiment na dahil lamang iyon sa respeto niya kay lola.

Wolff Bane let out a sigh. “Miss Emily was right. You’re tougher than I expected.”

His opinion of me didn’t matter. Gusto ko na lamang magpahinga at isipin na panaginip lamang ang lahat. To wake up from this nightmare that began in Zone Z and ended with meeting Wolff Glass Bane? Ah, just imagining that relief!

“The door is that way,” paalala ko at tinuro ang pinto.

He looked at me for a few seconds before sighing again. He took a few steps towards the door but stopped halfway and turned back to face me.

“I don’t mean to alarm you, but the mortgage on this house has not been fully paid since your great-grandmother’s time,” he said. “Miss Emily stopped paying it as part of an agreement with my mother while she was in service to the Glass family. Now that Miss Emily is gone, the mortgage will resume.”

No way!

“What?” bulalas ko.

“And I’m planning to build a Bio Lab, an extension of Bane Laboratories, in this area. Unfortunately, this house is included in the planned demolition—”

Parang gumuho ang mundo ko! Ilang surprisa ba ang matatanggap ko? I had enough already!

“You’re kidding, right?” I asked, unable to believe what I was hearing.

He shrugged lazily. “Do you think I’m the type to joke about this?”

No, definitely not.

But he was trying to pressure me! Anong gusto niya, magmakaawa ako sa kanya? Tanggapin ang alok niya? Why would I want to benefit from them? Just to remind myself, I hated the oligarchs. I hated the Glass family. Nangako ako sa sarili na hinding-hindi ako magiging galamay ng mga Glass!

But what about the house? This had been our home for decades! It even came from my great-grandmother! At ang mga libro! Even if I had to work tirelessly to find a way to pay the mortgage, I would do it!

But what does a public school teacher earn?

Experience and genuine satisfaction in teaching, but not enough money to pay off debts and others. That’s the sad truth. What teachers earn is enough only for daily living. We're not even appreciated enough by most people. Some think it's a lousy profession. They don't realize all the hardships that teachers face, the amount of patience we invest, and the efforts we make.

I knew it! Wolff Bane had this all planned out to pressure me! Ginigipit niya ako, pero para sa anong dahilan?

“If I work for any of your companies, would you promise not to demolish this house?” tanong ko. I have principles in life, and one of them is not to be enslaved by the Glass family. But if bending those principles was the only way to keep hold of the things that mattered most to me, I would do it.

What about all the memories here? The mini-library underground? My plan to reopen the mini-school that my great-grandmother turned from a toolshed into a classroom? Kailangan kong tuparin lahat ng iyon.

Wolff smirked. “I believe in the saying that opportunities only knock once, but you wasted that opportunity. I’m sorry, but my offer no longer stands.”

What?! He was quick to take offense! I realized Wolff wasn’t someone you could take for granted. I knew he meant it when he said his offer no longer stood!

“Wait,” I said in a calmer voice. If I continued to be rude, Wolff wouldn’t be shaken in the least. I needed a new strategy. I couldn’t let this house be demolished! Where would I end up if it were?

He looked at me with no expression on his face and glanced at his watch, as if indicating that I was wasting his time.

“I’m sorry,” I said, biting my lip. “I know... I know I was rude earlier, pero masisisi mo ba ako?” I exaggerated slightly to show that I was on the verge of tears. Damn, I hated this. “I’m still grieving for my loss, and then I saw you. My grandmother was close to your family, so I got emotional. Wala ako sa matinong pag-iisip nang tinanggihan kita. Of course, I need a job to live. What were you saying about the market performance of your companies?”

Wolff just blinked at me and looked at his watch again. “I still have a lot to do. I don’t have time to give you a briefing, but I’ll send a financial analyst here regardless,” he said as he headed for the door.

“Wait!” I called after him. I had something I needed to ask him! I wouldn’t be able to rest until I had asked him!

He stopped halfway and turned to look at me. “What is it?”

“Um.” Tatanungin ko ba siya? Well, it was just a question; there couldn’t be any harm in it. “Do you have a sibling? Or a twin? Someone who looks just like you, except perhaps darker... maybe more muscular?”

He sneered. “I thought the Glass family’s life was an open book? I’m an only child.”

It was, but was it really an open book? There were still secrets, right? Even though their every breath was documented in the news, I was sure there were still things they kept hidden from the media and the world. What if everyone in Sanip believed Wolff was an only child, but in reality, there was Seven, locked away in Zone Z?

Was I even making sense?

He turned the doorknob, but before he fully exited, he glanced back at me. “Oh, and by the way, your acting is terrible.”

Before I could grab something solid and throw it at him, he disappeared through the door.

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