Termination of Desire

Kabanata 23

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, may I call in front of our very own, Miss Frances Dominique Villarosa?"
 
The crowd applauded as I stood up and gracefully walked across the stage. I'm wearing a red low-back fishtail gown and a crystal-embellished ankle-strap flared heel. I sashayed into the banquet hall as I smiled at my guests and at the media covering it.

We had my inaugural ceremony done in the morning and now a special dinner for all my guests.

"A chemist and a perfumer, the Frances Fragrances founder created her first boutique in the southern part of France at the age of 27. The boutique quickly became an essential destination for dandies and elegant women. Through continued success and the patronage of members in high society, Frances Fragrances opened its flagship store in the heart of Paris and put its mark on the Parisian fashion scene. The success of the house peaked with the creation of EDP and EDT and they were sold and marketed internationally," the male host gave a brief background information about me.

Nasa projector ang mga mata ng mga tao habang nagsasalita ito. There is a visual presentation of how I started building up my business. How I started from scratch. How I develop my products through the years. How I market and sell them internationally. And how it became a fast-rising perfume brand in Paris.

Every process. Every hardwork. Every success. Every failure I had, was visualized. And I'm so proud of what I've done. But I guess, there wasn't any other person prouder than me but my father.

Nakangiti ko siyang tinitignan sa malayo na nagpupunas ng kanyang mga luha habang pinapanood ako. Dahil do'n, namuo na rin ang mga luha sa sulok ng mga mata ko.

Although my mom wasn't here tonight, my dad never failed me. Not that I didn't want her. I just don't wanna force her again...like before. One thing I've learned from my experiences is that, it's okay if I don't have to force anybody to accept me, like me or love me. Someone who stays with me and accepts me is the only one that matters. Ten long years were enough to mourn. And I think I've mourned enough.

"Frances Fragrances strives to create perfumes not only to fulfill their primary functions, but also inspire emotions...and surprise." Ngumiti ako matapos sambitin ang huling mensahe ko.

Nagpalakpakan ang mga tao. Tinignan ko si dad. Siya na yata ang may pinakamalakas na palakpak sa lahat. Napangiti ako. This was just a dream. To make my parents proud. And I'm so happy I made it.

I was very grateful for the outcome. I never expected their warm welcome. Well, given that Filipinos are most likely like that. I expressed my overflowing gratitude and I couldn't be happier.

I looked at the table of the Esquivels. Kumpleto ang pamilya ni Gunther dahil nandito ang daddy niya; Col. Rheagan Esquivel whose eyes are exactly like him. I was right. He inherited his beautiful eyes from his father.

Nandito rin ang iba pang kamag-anakan nila like Mr. Axton Esquivel—the Engineer and Architect of my shop. He's a younger brother of Col. Rheagan. He was with his wife, Mrs. Xiomara Esquivel. And another man from the right, Mr. Ryl Esquivel—a business tycoon; their first born. Napansin kong mag isa lang siya at walang kasamang asawa. Although he's with his only son named Rhys, that I heard is very close to Gunther.

I moved my eyes to Gunther who's already looking at me. He lazily sits on his chair with a glass of whiskey on his hand. His long hair is down and it's disheveled in a sexy way.  I don't why when I look at him, it's just...so hard to look away. He's like a magnet trying to get me.

Napansin kong nagpabalik-balik na ng tingin si Mrs. Esquivel sa amin kaya binawi ko na ang titig ko at ngumiti sa ibang guests.

I entertained guests. I met different business owners and perfumers like me and had future business plans with them. I talked to advertisers, beauty editors, fragrance experts, and researchers. And all of these wouldn't be possible if not for Miss Scarlett. The event wouldn't be this big and successful if not for her unbelievable connections.