Alabang Boys Series #1
Jaesie Rosenthal knows what she brings to the table, and love is just another luxury she doesn't have any plan to buy. But a multi-million-peso agreement is something she will consider when it comes to business.
When Rico Dard...
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RICO, IN his semi-formal attire, was intimidating all of my employees. He was inspecting everything. Everyone inside my café was so attentive na kaunting lingon lang niya, nakaabang na silang lahat para sumagot.
"Miss Jae, sure bang legal 'tong ginagawa niya?" bulong ni Shiela habang sinusundan namin ng tingin si Rico. He was scanning all corners of my coffee shop as if he were a legitimate health inspector. He even had a freaking clipboard with him! Pati ako, nape-pressure sa ginagawa niya! Good Lord.
"He said it was for his branch. It's legal if it is," I said to Shiela as quietly as I could. We were standing beside the counter and keeping our distance from Rico.
He was doing this because he had already signed our contract. Branch niya 'yon. If he wanted to study my branch, he was free to do so. But he was definitely giving us tension we didn't need right now.
"All right."
Sabay-sabay kaming napatayo nang deretso nang magsalita siya. Even si Jason na nasa counter, umayos kahit wala naman itong kinalaman sa ginagawa ni Rico.
"Kakausapin ko na lang ang architect kasi malaki ang lote na nabili ko sa Cebu." Lumapit na rin siya sa amin habang titig sa clipboard niya at sa mga isinulat niya roon. "Maybe I'll add a few details to occupy the spaces para hindi sayang. Hihingi rin ako ng kopya ng menu, but I'll do that after ma-settle fully ang agreement since hindi ko personally ima-manage ang branch sa Cebu."
"You'll stay here in Manila?" I asked, looking at his poker face.
"I must stay here in Manila. Marami akong commitments dito na hindi ko puwedeng iwan."
I was staring at Rico intently. Aside from having the looks, he's really into his business—literally and figuratively. He said he was my boyfriend, which I agreed with, yet he was here, intimidating all of us with his domineering aura of a successful man who doesn't give a shit to anything not worthy of his time.
Nanliliit ako sa sarili ko, hindi ko alam kung bakit. Kapag kaharap ko siya at wala siyang sinasabi, parang ipinararamdam niya sa akin na sobrang layo niya para abutin ko. He's a Dardenne. He doesn't like to play games with anyone. Akala ko, pinaglalaruan lang talaga niya ako, pero sa tuwing nagsasalita siya, laging ako ang core kaya siya may sinasabi sa akin. Parang bumababa siya sa kung hanggang saan lang ako para lang maabot naming dalawa ang isa't isa.
But . . . no, that was wrong.
He was keeping a slower pace para mahabol ko siya. That was the best description of what he was doing. And I don't think na ibababa niya ang sarili niya sa level ko.
He finished observing slash intimidating us before lunch. He asked me out, but I said, marami pang gagawin sa café, so he left para yata magtanghalian.
I was expecting na sa labas siya manananghalian, but he came back at twelve, may dala na siyang full set of meals para sa aming dalawa. And he ordered sa menu namin para sa meryenda for my employees kasi nag-lunch na lahat maliban sa akin.
