The Larcenist Queen

Chapter 4: Cheap

Chapter 4
Cheap

"Axis is a fucking jerk!" I groaned as I sat grumpily on the couch. "He's an arse! I hate that guy!"

Tumawa si Eleanor at inilapag ang isang baso ng juice sa harapan ko. "Chill, Ada, what happened last night?"

"He asked me to dance with him. I won't dance with anyone without anything in return, so I made him agree to bring me to his house. He said it's a deal," inis kong kwento saka pinagkrus ang aking hita. "And when we're done dancing, he fucking ditched me. He ditched me! Me! Dammit."

"How?" Eleanor grinned. Mukhang natutuwa pa ito sa nangyari.

"I don't know! He's sneaky! Sinusuot ko lang iyong heels ko then when I looked up, wala na siya! Damn, he's going to pay. I swear!"

Mahilig akong manloko ng tao pero 'pag ako na ang naloloko, talagang nag-iinit ang dugo ko. I swear I'm going to rip that guy's body apart. I swear!

And why did I even trust him? As if naman tutupad talaga siya sa sinabi niya!

Humalakhak si Eleanor. "That guy is something. Wala pa atang nang-iwang lalaki sa 'yo. More specifically, after dancing with you. You're a good dancer kaya I'm sure he'll not throw away the chance to get you in bed. Sigurado akong he's turned on. Lalo na't ikaw pa ang nagpresintang magpunta sa bahay niya."

Yeah. He's a guy after all. Almost everyone I danced with wants to get me in bed. But I always cock-blocked them and leave them hanging. Ako ang nangiiwan sa ere, not the other way around. So, when that Axis Jeo Croix left me last night, natapakan ang pride ko that's why I'm so, so pissed.

"Whatever," umirap ako't humalukipkip. "Kumusta iyong pinagagawa ko sa 'yo?"

She clapped and brought her laptop. Inilapag niya ito sa maliit na mesa sa harap ko. "We can hear everything live. As usual, we can record it by clicking that red button. Then here's the live CCTV footage in the meeting hall. Look, nakaayos na ang free snacks para sa magmi-meeting. They'll probably be there in a few."

Pinagmasdan ko ang screen ng kanyang laptop. I slid down at nag-indian seat sa carpeted floor.

Napatingin ako kay Eleanor nang tumunog ang kanyang phone. She sighed when she saw the caller. Based on her reaction, I knew who it is. It must be her guardian. When her father died last year, ang matalik na kaibigan nitong si Thaddeus Smith ang kumupkop kay Eleanor at umasikaso sa trabahong naiwan nito. I met him once and he seems nice. Pero ayon kay Eleanor ay strikto raw ito pagdating sa kanya.

"I'll just answer this call," she said in dismay bago tumayo at tumungo sa veranda.

Sinambot ko ang baso ng juice at sumimsim ako roon. I watched the live footage closely. It took a minute before a woman entered the meeting room. She must be Katrina Merced dahil inaayos niya ang AV presentation.

Ilang saglit ang lumipas ay may pumasok na apat na lalaki. One is Hansen IV, next to him is his father, Hansen III. Then there's another older man who I presume is Yuan Cho. And the other male figure is Axis.

Tumaas agad ang kilay nang makita siyang naroon. What is he doing there?

"Good afternoon, Mr. Cho," Katrina said as she givesa him her hand. Nag-kamay silang dalawa bago siya lumingon kay Axis. Ngnumiti ng matamis ang babae. "Mr. Croix, magandang tanghali."

She's obviously trying to get his attention, but Axis only nodded. Ha-ha!

"Let's proceed," sabi ng nakatatandang Galileo. The others settled to their seats. Katrina nodded and begun explaining her presentation.