Lost in the Maze: Elias de Marcel

Kabanata 22

KABANATA 22

Atasha's POV

I was currently in the main kitchen teaching basic cooking skills to the interns when Zylee entered.

"Chef, your future in-laws are in the VIP guest area," she informed me. I was immediately puzzled about what they were doing here.

"Take over for me here; you handle them," I instructed her before leaving the kitchen.

I quickly went to the office to change my uniform to formally meet them. I also instructed the other waitresses to prepare food for them. After that, I headed to the VIP guest area to face them. Although I still had no idea why they were here, perhaps they had something important to tell me.

"Atasha, darling!" Tita Stella greeted me as soon as she saw me.

"Tita," she said, hugging me and kissing me on the cheek. "Tito, it's good to see you," I greeted my future father-in-law with a smile.

"It's good to see you too, Atasha iha," tugon ni Tito Hector.

"If you don't mind, what brings you here?"

Tita Stella gently held my hand and gave me a reassuring smile. "We're here to discuss something important with you, about the wedding," Tita Stella announced, causing me to freeze mid-action.

"Wedding?" I echoed back, my heart skipping a beat.

"Yes, dear, your wedding," she clarified. "We've taken care of all the necessary arrangements for your upcoming nuptials with Elias," she added, a sense of finality in her tone. "We've already decided that it's best to secure everything for your future."

"But Tita, shouldn't Elias be the one to—" I began to protest, but was quickly interrupted.

"From what I can tell, Elias doesn't seem to have any plans of getting married anytime soon, Atasha," Tito Hector interjected. "And knowing what he's been up to lately, I'm not going to let him ruin his reputation over that, Jocelle Sadejas," he added, causing me to halt and struggle to find the right words.

So that's why Elias was so angry about those pictures, accusing me of taking them and giving them to Tito Hector. Elias had also mentioned something about a wedding, and this must be it. It seems like Tito Hector has decided to have Elias and me married, knowing that if this drags on any longer, Elias might give in to Jocelle.

His words lingered in the air, adding a new layer of complexity to an already complicated situation. The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence as I grappled with the reality of what they were saying. It was clear that they intended to protect Elias and secure our future, but was this the right way to go about it? The weight of their decision pressed heavily on my shoulders.

"Dear, wala akong ibang gustong pakasalan ni Elias kundi ikaw lang. Dahil ikaw lang ang nakikita naming perfect to be his wife, alam ng Tito mo na matutulungan mo si Elias na mas lalo pang mapanda ang reputasyon niya sa kumpanya," pahayag pa ni Tita Stella.

"Your Tita Stella is right, Atasha. No one could ever take your place," sang-ayon naman ni Tito Hector.

Matapos ang naging pag-uusap namin ay dito na rin sila nag-lunch bago sila umalis dahil may mahalaga pa raw silang dadaluhan. Ngunit ang usaping yun ay nakapag-pagulo sa utak ko. Hindi ba dapat masaya ako dahil sa wakas ay matutupad na yung pangarap ko na maikasal kay Elias? Ngunit bakit iba ang nararamdaman ko ngayon. Hindi ako masaya sa ideya na hindi si Elias ang magplaplano para sa kasal namin. Isa kasi sa gusto ko, yung kaming dalawa ang magplaplano.

Ngunit alam kong imposible na ring mangyari pa yun dahil sa mga salitang binitawan ni Eliae mula ng araw na yun.

"I will never marry you."