FEROX FOREVER 1: Nothing Sinful ✓

Kabanata 07

Abby

"Sigurado ka ba, anak, na trabaho 'yang pupuntahan mo? Baka naman binebenta mo na katawan mo sa kalye ha."

I groaned at Mom's crass description of her youngest daughter.

"Mom, it's not like that," I countered and checked myself again in the mirror at the living room. Okay pa naman yung nakalkal kong cocktail dress sa paningin ko. It looked too small for my frame but this was the only dress that looked good in my opinion. Mom had agreed as well when she'd help me fix my hair "And you can't blame me if that's the case. Kailangan ng apo niyo yung pera pampagamot."

"What would your Dad say about this?"

"Mom, I'm just saying the worst case scenario, but that's not my job. I'm just a nanny for this wealthy man's kid. His name is Cal and he's a delight," I explained to her, doing my best to put her mind at ease. "I'm not gonna be here for dinner kaya 'wag na kayo magtabi ng pagkain baka mapanis lang."

"Hindi ka ba mapapagod anak dahil pinagsasabay mo na ngayon ulit 'yang pag-aaral at trabaho?"

"'Wag na po kayo'ng mag-alala. Kakayanin ko 'to. Siyempre hindi ko naman hahayaan na mapabayaan ko yung grades ko. Yun na ngalang yung natitirang kapit ko sa scholarship. Just trust me on this one, Mom. I know what I'm doing.

Medyo may-edad na si Mom, forty-seven, pero kahit na gano'n, mukha pa rin siyang dalaga sa paningin ko. Must be her deep black hair that seemed to shadow her faint wrinkles and the lines fanning out at the sides of her eyes. She was beautiful.

I hugged her and kissed her forehead. "I'll be okay. Nothing for you to worry. Homicide detective yung isang anak niyo. She'll know where to find the body if my boss murders me."

"Abby!"

I chuckled. "I'm joking! Pero okay lang talaga ako. 'Wag na kayo mamroblema." I let go of her and take another once-over in the mirror.

I heard my mother gasped behind me. "Anak! May mamahaling sasakyan sa tapat natin."

"Fuck, he's here. Sabihin mo kay Dad na uuwi rin ako pero baka medyo late na." Then my phone rang.

"I'm here," the baritone voice said which made my skin shrivel up.

*****

"It's choking me," reklamo ko kay Veric sabay hila sa mala-turtle-neck na collar ng dress na suot ko ngayon. I loved the metalic-texture of the fabric and the sapphire color that complimented my skin, but damn I didn't like the hemline. The dress was more like a torture device than anything.

"It looks good on you," sabi lang ni Veric. Hindi man lang siya lumingon sa direksyon ko.

"Of course you'll say that. You chose this dress and you paid for it," I replied. It really looked good on me. I was able to confirm that when I'd seen myself in front of the mirror when we'd detoured to a Yves Saint Laurent outlet just a minute ago. "Thanks, by the way. Is this going to be deducted from my salary?"

"Consider it as a donation."

I rolled my eyes at him, pero hindi ko 'to 'pinakita. Napaka-out of touch niya siguro sa reyalidad kaya hindi niya alam na napaka-tone-deaf at insensitibo ng sinabi niya.

Not that I was surprised or greatly affected by it. I was a student in a prestigious private school in Manila, and I'd encountered many people like him. Rick kids. Nepo-babies. Socialites. Sometimes they do mean well, but other times, the condescending tone, their manner of interacting, the offensive vocabulary, it all could be deliberate to make you feel lesser than them. But I was already immune to that. Tatlong taon na akong nag-aaral sa Cypress U kaya sanay na akong makisalamuha sa mga taong kagaya ni Veric.

I glanced over my shoulder and smiled at Cal who was now in the back seat, head tilted down, dozing off. I'd transferred him there earlier when he began yawning.

"A party, huh?"

Veric remained silent, eyes on the road.

"Are there any regular people there like me, or mga bigatin lang ang nandoon?"

I saw Veric's eyes took a brief glance at me before returning ahead. "Artists. Celebrities. Businessmen."

Nodding, I said, "Your kind of people, then."

"They're not my kind of people," agad naman na sambit ni Veric, his voice a little higher as if he was offended on what I'd said. "I'm only there for something important."

"What do you do for a living by the way?" tanong ko sa kanya. "It's obvious that you're a businessman, probably a boss, but what line of industry?"

He grunted. "Business is business."

"Yeah, I get that pero ano'ng klaseng kumpanya," atungal ko naman.

Veric was quiet for a moment, as if weighing his next words. "I run a law firm."

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. "You're a lawyer? That's a surprise."

"What, it's hard for you to believe that?" Veric challenged.

I laughed softly, making sure to not wake Cal. "Akala ko kasi no'ng una mastermind ka ng isang sindikato, like you work for a mob or some shit."

Veric gripped the steering wheel tighter. I didn't know he had a fragile ego that associating him with a criminal organization was repulsive to him.

"What makes you say that?"

Nagtaka ako sa tanong niya. Why does he care if he's clearly annoyed at my first impression of him?

"You're not gonna kill me and ditch me in a gutter somewhere, right?" I tested. "Baka kung sabihin ko sayo, mas magalit ka."

"Hindi ako galit," he grumbled.

I snorted. "Your tone of voice says otherwise."

"Again, I'm not mad. Just... curious." There was a pause before the last word. When the traffic lights turned red in a wide crossing and the car stopped, Veric finally glanced my way with an unreadable expression.

He was waiting for my response.

I looked away from him, avoiding his penetrative gaze. "At first, it's the suits. Then the way you carry yourself as if you're always measuring everything up, studying them, before you make a move. But... in the end, it's just the overall feeling I get from you."

Heavy air hung in the space between us, but when he spoke, there was no edge of sourness in his tone, even with his faded Italian accent he seemed to always hide. "Is that something that I should be enraged about?"

I let out a humorless laughter. "Well, truth be told, I'm just being careful with you."

His brows clashed in confusion.

I sighed. "I'm still a woman alone with a man. Any girl would keep their guards up and be cautious if they are in the same situation as me."

At last, the lights blinked into green and we were driving through the city again.

I sagged in my seat, not sure what to make out from my conversation with Veric who'd turned utterly silent like a shell next to me.

Ite-text ko sana yung mga magulang ko na papunta pa lang kami sa party at nasa biyahe pa kami nang nagsalita si Veric. His words were full of conviction, but I couldn't put my finger on what made his response bone-chilling.

It sounded reassuring, but suspicious at the same time.

"You don't need to be careful with me."

I nodded, reluctantly. Unassured by his response.

Why does everything about Veric so cryptic?

Nothing Sinful