Fall From Grace (Del Griego Series #1)

Prologue

Allure

Everyone sees right through me. I don't know what I was expecting, honestly. All those acting classes and prestigious awards and perfecting the art of pretending to be someone I'm not and of course people still catch onto my bullshit, because who doesn't? It's an eerily familiar tale, and it's getting so old. Hindi ko alam kung bakit hindi pa rin ako natututo.

"Ano ba kasing nangyari, Allure?" tanong ni Tessa, isa sa mga publicist ko. Kagaya ng iba ay nakaharap siya sa kan'yang laptop, abala sa paglilinis sa panibagong problemang dinagdag ko sa trabaho nila. "You need to tell us in detail so we can make a statement. Ano bang sinabi ni Irina sa 'yo at nag-react ka nang ganoon? Did she taunt you?"

Tulala lamang akong nakaupo sa couch sa harap nila. Malamig kaya mahigpit ang hawak ko sa blazer na nakabalot sa 'kin. Lumapit sa akin si Tiffany upang i-abot ang isang tasa ng mainit na gatas.

"Thank you," I rasped against the dryness of my throat.

Ngumiti lang siya at tumabi sa 'kin.

"Hindi mo lang pinahiya si Irina sa harap ng maraming tao, sinaktan at sinabuyan mo rin siya ng inumin. You ruined the ball. Kung wala kang magandang dahilan para roon, maniniwala talaga ang mga tao na ginawa mo 'yon dahil sa insecurities at laki ng galit mo sa kan'ya."

Gumuhit ang mapait na ngiti sa labi ko. It's true I was angry, though. I don't think there's any reason good enough to justify what I did. Nagpadala pa rin ako sa emosyon ko, na dapat ay hindi ko ginawa. Now everyone knows what kind of person I really am.

I heard the door to the veranda slide open and close as Kenna, my manager, walked back into the room after making a series of phone calls. Dumapo ang tingin niya sa 'king hindi ko matagalan.

"Don't worry about the girl too much. Allure is losing some of her jobs, but Irina herself isn't relevant enough to cause it. Worry about her connections, especially with the mainstream media," aniya.

Tumango ang isa ko pang publicist na si Emerson bilang pagsang-ayon. "At worst, the scene earlier just shocked some netizens, especially considering it's uncharacteristic on Allure's part. Pero karamihan sa kanila ay pinagtatawanan lang ang nangyari. Ang mas malaking problema natin ay ang past issues at conspiracy theories na nagreresurface online. Some media outlets are milking the hell out of them already. Lalo na 'yung... uh, mga may kinalaman sa mga del Griego."

I sucked in my breath at the mention of that name. The glittered evening dress I was wearing clung tighter to my skin.

"Hindi malabong may kinalaman si Irina sa mga 'yon," si Kenna, "It's an effective way of delegitimizing Allure's stance against her father and boyfriend's crimes. It's also putting every other causes Allure's supporting in a bad light."

A lump formed in my throat. Humigpit ang hawak ko sa tasa ng gatas na hindi ko pa rin nababawasan.

"What about the press?" tanong ni Tessa, "Nasa baba pa rin sila at walang balak umalis hangga't wala silang nakukuha ni isang salita mula kay Allure."

Tumango lamang si Kenna. "They definitely won't relent any time soon. Pero kung haharap si Allure sa kanila ngayon, she's bound to fall into their trap."

"What do you propose then?"

Binalingan ulit ako ni Kenna. My shoulders tensed under her penetrating gaze. Tila binabasa niya ang buong kaluluwa ko. I hate that about her. Because I know she can actually pull that off. Effortlessly. "Allure will extend her stay in Cebu. Long enough to let it all die down."

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. I swear the way my head jerked up toward her nearly gave me whiplash. I parted my lips to say something but the words died on the tip of my tongue. What she said replayed in my mind in a haunting loop as I tried and failed to process it.