The Billionaire's Switch
Hade Alexandrius Romualdez was a longtime bachelor and can be said to be one of the richest businessmen in the entire Philippines. It's doing things left and right and everyone can't stop when it's going to get married. Even his family and friends do not know the state of his life or if he plans to marry. He's tall, rich and handsome. He seems to have everything you want in a man. There have been many rumors about him and many have linked him to some woman but all of them have no proof. There are a lot of bodyguards in the vast mansion where it is located and there is no denying that the land it covers is very wide. But what if one day her parents suddenly thought of marrying her off to a powerful family outside the country who are their business partners. This is the Montreal family based in the United Kingdom. The Montreal family is one of the influential families and arranged marriages are common among them which are not hidden from everyone. Hade Alexandrius Romualdez strongly opposed it especially since he would not agree to marry a woman he did not know and even more he did not want to tie himself down just for a relationship that also had no destination. Hade Alexandrius Romualdez believes that marriage is sacred and that a relationship that is just a flurry of money and power has no purpose.
Chapter 6.1
Alice, hello? Wait, hello?
Boses ng isang babaeng nasa cellphone habang makikitang mabilis na ibinaba ng dalagang may-ari ng telepono.
Impit lamang ito umiyak na kanina pa nito pinipigilan ngunit mukhang traydor ang nag-uunahang mga luha nito sa mata na hindi na tumigil sa kakaagos.
Her name is Alice Grace Buenaventura. A probinsya girl from Guimaras. Yes, she was a rural girl who are now having her first flight to Europe, to United Kingdom to be exact.
Ito na naman ang sarili niya, she was too weak now yet she's travelling alone. pakialam ba nila? May pera naman siyang naitabi.
She is on her break down, paano ba naman ay iniwan siya ng kasintahan niya. It was so tough for her that's why she was travelling alone right now.
"Yes, Sleia? Hi." Tipid na saad ni Alice while he was on the verge of making herself okay but she's not.
"Oh god, buti tumawag ka. I want to reached out you earlier than this couple of months. Are you okay?!" Aligagang saad ng nagngangalang Sleia sa kabilang linya. Mukha talagang gusto siya nitong bombahan ng mga tanong.
Kasalanan niya rin naman, she wasn't reaching out first and this time, she just bother this lady na pakay niyang puntahan.
She was not Sleia for her, she was her twin to be exact. They have complicated life and she was not ready to tell how complicated it was.
"Sleia, I-I d-don't know what to d-do." Tanging naisambit lamang ni Alice sa kabilang linya ngunit maririnig na umiiyak na talaga ito.
Mayroong iilang mga taong dumaraan ang tumitingin sa kaniyang gawi ngunit wala siyang pakialam, uunahin niya pa ba iyon kung sarili niya ay nasa breaking point. Gusto niya ngang magwala at sumigaw kung nasisiraan na siya ng bait pero di niya ginawa, di niya keri at baka mapagkamalang baliw dito sa hallway ng airport.
"Hey girl, just calm down okay. Wait, are you crying and do I heard about a plane sound? Mind if I'm wrong sa pagkakarinig ko?! Magsu-suicide ka girl, di pa ko ready makita sarili kong mategi?" Tila natatarantang saad ni Sleia sa kabilang linya. Masasabing mukhang sobrang aligaga nito na animo'y may pagkamaarte pa.
Hindi niya pa nasabing noon ay palaging kausap niya ito sa telepono nila sa bahay at mayroong mga katulong itong kababayan nilang pilipino na nahire sa bahay nila sa United Kingdom este bahay ni Sleia kaya nakakaintindi at maalam ito sa pagtatagalog. She's not assuming and she don't see herself facing his father. Until now, she's not ready to face the problem of their family o kung pamilya pa ba sila? Her heart is already broken because of complicated family set ups and his boyfriend leaving him is like making her life miserable, nowhere to go and her memories full of their memories is just too much to bear by her fragile heart.
"Kahit kailan talaga girl ay ganyan ka. Di pa ko nabubuang at di ko gagawin yun. Alam ko namang mangwawarshock ka sakin. You are me and I am you right? Di ko gagawin yun. And by the way, I am on the airport, unahan na kitang puntahan diyan sa inyo!" Mahabang litanya ni Alice na animo'y pinipigilan ang kakaibang asal ng babaeng ito na sobrang praning pa sa kaniya.
"Buti at alam mo pang may kambal ka pa dito. Yay, I'm so excited na pupunta ka. Btw, Ba't napano ka ba ha? Sino'ng nanakit sa'yo at pagsusuntukin ko and show how great my martial arts, black belter to girl kaya humanda yang kupal na yan!" Matapang na saad ni Sleia na tila gusto ng lumabas sa telepono at pagtatadyakan ang sinumang nanakit sa kakambal nito.
Napangiti na lamang ng sobra si Alice habang makikitang pinapahid ng kamay nito ang mga luha nito.
Aaminin niyang na-touch siya sa pagiging super duper concern ng kakambal niyang si Sleia. She was lucky to have a twin sister like her. It's not something that someone could replace her, she's very special to her kahit na magkabilang mundo ata sila at di kailanman pagtatagpuin.
Sa lahat ng kambal siguro, sila lang siguro yung may special bond at masasabing opposite yung pag-uugali o yung mga likes.
Kambal man sila but she was the weak one. Sleia is born to be brave and like to do impossible things. Yun lang ay ito rin ang may pinaka-weird na idea sa kanila sa lahat ng bagay. Ewan ba niya, she was the weak one siguro that's why their father didn't choice her.
She didn't resent Sleia by her father's choice. Wala itong kinalaman sa problema nila, it was just they have that family crisis.
Hindi niya mapigilan na ihalintulad ang boyfriend este ex-boyfriend niya sa ama niya. They choose their family over their love. Minsan naiisip niyang pare-pareho lang ang mga lalaki sa mundo.
It was not that easy for her to shut down her sorrowful heart. Pakiramdam niya ay kumikirot ito at unti-unti ng namamanhid. Paano niya gagawin ang mga bagay na gusto niyang gawin kung mananatili siya sa probinsyang iyon, all of the place there, nakikita niya ang magaling niyang ex. Their end is not that happy, atleast for her siguro dahil pakiramdam niya ay siya lang ang nagdurusa ngayon.
"Hello Alice kambal, andiyan ka pa ba?!" Salita ni Sleia sa kabilang linya.
"Ah sorry Sleia medyo lutang lang ako. First time ko kasing ba-biyahe at sa europa pa talaga. And usap nalang tayo after kong makapunta diyan dahil baka malate pa ko sa flight ko." Tila nagmamadaling sagot ni Alice habang mabilis nitong tiningnan ang relo nito. It was ten minute earlier before her flight. Ayaw niyang mabaliw at lumipad mag-isa patungo doon. Ang mahal pa naman ng ticket noh at ayaw niyang sayangin ito.
"Okay, ingat ka ha. Alalahanin mong may kambal ka pa dito, wag kang pabiktima sa airplane crash dahil magkikita pa tayo." Rinig niyang pagdadrama ng kapatid nitong tila napakaweird mag-isip.
"Kahit kailan talaga ang weird mo. Yes ma'am, I'll be careful because of your great theory." Pagsang-ayon ni Alice habang tumatakbo na ito patungo sa kung saan ang direksyon ng sasakyan niyang eroplano at pinatay na ang tawag.