Accrued Interest

Chapter 14

"ARE YOU SURE you don't want me to go to the clinic with you?"

"Yes, Aga. I'll be fine on my own."

"Okay, sige. I'll jus---"

"May sasabihin nga pala ako," Lea hesitated.

"Ano yun?" Aga said expectantly on the other line.

Tell him, Lea. This is a big deal for him. She barely got any sleep thinking about this. Today, she's standing in front of a 37-story steel-framed modular building, the Teho Investment Corporation. Lea knows what Teho Investment Corporation is but what she doesn't know is what links Sandro to this company. She made sure she's done all the necessary research on Sandro Irez before attempting to juice him of information that night in Palawan but now she realized her efforts went all down the drain. Sandro is a guy who knows how to play a game. He's like a master chess player. He knows what his opponents' next move will be and he is very well prepared for a counter-attack. Lea assumes that Sandro already knows who she was even before she approached him that night. He's got everything covered up and it's making the job harder for Lea. She can't help but face him. There's no other way and her time is running out. On the other side of her world, there's Aga, expecting she'll honor the promise she confidently offered him the other night. She believes Aga deserves to know, but if she tells him, his inevitable anger and negative reaction will surely spoil her plan. She can't have him standing in her way, not right now when the cards are stacked against her. Lea closed her eyes and tried to breathe in and out slowly.

"Lea?" Aga said in a troubled voice, her sudden silence made him uneasy.

"Ah... Gusto ko lang sabihin na I'll be very busy today kaya you don't have to call or message me." and the decision was made. Her mouth worked faster than her heart and brain. She blames and is at the same very thankful for the impulsiveness her pregnancy hormones caused her. So that's it. Just keep Aga in the dark and make sure he'll never find out. Hindi na niya kailangang malaman. She will make her engagement with Sandro very quick. What she wants is for her plan to be successful without Aga knowing. Oh God, she's asking for the moon.

"Oh... right. Fine. Ayaw mong kulitin kita. Basta promise me you'll take of yourself. Promise?" Promise? Lea swallowed the lump in her throat. Mangangako na naman ako saýo, Aga. I'm so sorry.

"Promise." The call ended.

Lea closed her eyes once again. She placed a hand over her heart. It feels like hundreds of elephants are walking over her chest. Sobrang bigat sa pakiramdam.

Lea eyed Sandro's headquarters. This is the company his secretary told her to go to. When she called his "office" the other day, he refused to speak to her but instead scheduled a meeting with her today in the place she was most curious about, Teho Investment Corporation. Teho is a long-standing corporation in the country which was established 30 years ago. Its CEO is a Finnish businessman named Juhanni Koskinen who is also married to a Filipina. Now, what is Sandro's connection to this company? He is certainly not Koshiken but if this company is really trying to takeover MICB, then we are doomed.

Lea entered the building and was immediately amazed by its interior features. Dressed in her usual oversized suit and pencil skirt, Lea felt a little out of place but not as much as she felt whenever she's with Aga's family. Everybody in the lobby is so chic and modern-fashioned. Despite the company being old, a lot of the employees are young and stylish as if they are being led by someone similar to their age. Obviously, she's never been here and MICB and Teho didn't have any sort of connection before. The receptionist directed her to go to the 36th floor- an office which is too high for someone who doesn't hold any executive power in this company- right after she announced her appointment with Sandro Irez.