Chapter Eighteen

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"Milgrace, are you ready?" my dad asked.

Nandito ako sa condo nila. Dumalaw ako kahapon kaya naisipan ko na ring dito matulog. Soft opening na ng La Grâce ngayon kaya roon kami tutuloy.

"I'll just put lipstick, dad. Lalabas na rin ako."

"Okay. We'll wait for you downstairs."

Matapos kong maglagay ng red lipstick ay pinagmasdan ko pa nang mabuti ang sarili ko sa salamin. Kailangan maganda ako mamaya dahil ako ang bida sa araw na 'to. Main character vibes dapat.

I stood up and turned to the body size mirror. I wore a white tube and put a creamy brown coat on partnered with brown wide leg pants.

Ang tangkad ko tingnan dahil sa pants and to look better, I am wearing four-inches nude ankle strap heels.

Kinuha ko ang phone at bag ko saka lumabas sa kuwarto. Handa na sila mommy at hinihintay na lang ako. Humalik ako sa pisngi nila nang makababa.

"You look stunning, honey," puri ni mama.

Ngumiti ako sa kaniya. "Ikaw rin, mommy!"

"How about me?" asked daddy.

"You're always pogi naman! I know you're already aware of it. Palagi mo ngang sinasabi, e."

"Nako! Tama na ang bolahan. Baka ma-late pa tayo. Tara na," aya ni mommy.

"Okay lang po ma-late. 'Di naman nila bubuksan 'yong shop nang wala ako. Ako ang kailngan do'n, e. VIP po ako," biro ko.

"Kapal naman ng mukha mo," patutsada ni daddy na tinawanan ko na lang.

Nakisakay ako sa kotse nila at iniwan na muna ang kotse ni Cai dahil dito pa rin naman ako uuwi mamaya.

Medyo matagal ang biyahe dahil bukod sa malayo, traffic din. Mabuti na lang at ilang minuto lang akong late.

Punong-puno na ng media sa labas. Nagkumpulan sila matapos mamataan ang kotse namin. Nakita ko na rin ang iilang bisita na invited. Natanaw ko ang ayos sa labas ng shop. Maganda ito at pinuno ng bulaklak.

Bumukas ang pinto ng sasakyan. I didn't expect the man who opened it. It was Cairus looking seriously at me. He offered his hand. I held it as I made my way outside.

"Congrats, love. You look beautiful always," he whispered to my left ear while we were walking.

Halos maipit na ako sa nagtutulakang media kaya hindi ko na nagawang tugunan ang sinabi niya. Mabuti na lang at may mga bodyguard kaya naman nakapunta pa rin kami sa harap.

Nasilaw ako sa mga flash ng camera kaya iniharang ni Cai ang braso niya sa mata ko.

"Congratulations to your soft opening, ma'am!" Iyon lang ang naintindihan ko sa mga sinasabi ng reporters.

Ang ilan sa kanila ay apurado nang magtanong, hindi ko naman maintindihan.

"Excuse me," dad interfered. "Let's start with the ribbon cutting first. The questions will be entertained later. Thank you!"

I mouthed thanks to my dad. I stood up in front and smiled at them. I will still have a little speech before cutting the ribbon.

I cleared my throat and heaved a deep breath before speaking. Muli ay ngumiti ako sa kanilang lahat na nasa akin ang paningin ngayon. Cairus didn't left my side. It is as if, he is my personal bodyguard that the job is to protect me from all of them.

"I would like to thank you all for coming as the opening of my shop will start today," I started. "Months ago, this was just a plan. It was a boring day in New York then out of the blue, I came up with the idea of creating my own brand. La Grâce is just a plan out of boredom. A few months ago, my debut as a fashion designer here in the Philippines happened. Now, my plans are already happening. It seems so surreal. Hindi ko naman akalain na ganito magiging kainit ang pagtanggap sa akin ng fashion industry sa Pilipinas. Nagsisimula pa lang ako pero ang dami nang kumikilala kaya labis akong nagpapasalamat sa inyo. Let's just hope that this business will be successful, maybe not now or not too soon but in the future. Please be with me as I celebrate this day. Thank you!" My speech is just short but I know to myself that it was genuine and sincere.

Villaverde Brothers Series 1: Taming the Ruthless✓Tahanan ng mga kuwento. Tumuklas ngayon