KABANATA 7

Dmitry NOTHING FASCINATES ME. Not women, not even s*x, f*****g nothing. I am bored to death. Being someone who can have everything is tiresome sometimes. There are no challenges anymore. Mabilis kong nakukuha ang mga bagay-bagay dahil may pera ako para bilhin ang kahit anong gusto ko. Women are at my mercy and can be my fuckhole any time I want because…well, who doesn’t want to sleep with Dmitry Ivanov? No one. But when I met Cecily Alcazar—Ivanova, she made me feel…unwanted. When I heard that my uncle, Ruslan, married someone young one year ago. I thought of some cheap woman whom he met in a club or somewhere. I didn’t expect much. But after meeting her, why do I have this urge to…bend her? And she reminds me of someone from the past. A woman that I only met for one night but scarred me to life. Mariin kong ipinikit ang aking mga mata. Let’s not talk about her. The defiance in Cecily’s face, the bravado, and the fight, it’s f*****g turning me on. I know she’s someone I shouldn’t be lusting over since she’s my uncle’s wife, but the monster between my thighs doesn’t want to take that reason. “Iyo ang bar na ito?!” tanong ni Cecily sa akin matapos kong magpakita sa kanya. She’s been avoiding me since this morning at hindi ko alam kung anong nagawa kong kasalanan. Nang sabihin niya na aalis siya ng bahay, hindi ko napigilan ang sarili at sinundan siya. It made me laugh that I am stalking my uncle’s wife. Because she’s right, she is none of my business. Sinabi ko man kay Ruslan na ako ang bahala sa kanyang asawa, pwede ko naman siyang pabantayan sa ibang tauhan ko, but here I am and pathetically stalking her. I shrugged my shoulder, like it was an obvious fact. Ipinikit ni Cecily ang kanyang mga mata na akala mo ay napagtanto niya na most of the clubs, bars, and casinos here in Puerto Rivas are run by my family. We are part of the four families who monopolized Puerto Rivas. Walang maaaring kumalaban sa amin because the moment you build a business that resembles ours, it’s either we will acquire it or just f*****g destroy it. Agad na tumayo si Cecily. Tumaas ang noo ko dahil sa ginawa niya. “We’re out of here,” sabi niya sa akin at agad na naglakad sa dance floor para siguro hanapin ang kanyang kaibigan. I rolled my eyes. When I first saw her, she looked like someone who couldn’t even break a plate. Why am I the only one receiving the attitude? Tumayo ako sa kinuupuan ko at sinundan kung saan papunta si Cecily. Nakipaggitgitan siya sa mga taong naroroon. She’s so tiny, na minsan ay naiipit na siya ng mga naririto. I massaged my temple and stride faster towards her. Agad ko siyang sinalag sa mga taong nagsasayaw sa dance floor nang sa ganoon ay hindi siya maipit. I keep doing that until she finds her drunkard friend. “Ingrid!” Tumakbo si Cecily papunta sa kaibigan niya habang ako ay sinusundan lamang siya. “Cecy!” Tumayo ang kaibigan niya at ibinigay sa kanya ang isang inumin na hawak nito. I find Anton in a corner, watching us. Tumango siya sa akin at tumango ako sa kanya. Anton is my right-man hand and my most trusted man. The reason why I don’t want to follow my father’s position in the Bratva is not because I am not interested but because it’s my act of rebellion against him. I hate my father with all my life. Mukha lang kaming nagkakasundo pero malapit na kaming magpatayan. Kalmado lang siya ngayon dahil akala niya ay sinusunod ko ang mga gusto niya—well, other than taking his position in the organization. Nang makita ko kanina na magpunta ang kaibigan ni Cecily sa dance floor, pinasundan ko ito kay Anton, just to make sure the girl will not die in my club. “Ingrid, uuwi na tayo. Tara na.” Hinawakan ni Cecily ang kamay ng kaibigan at hinila ito papaalis pero hindi sumama ang kaibigan niya. “Nooo!” she slurs. “Let’s have some fun! Minsan na lang ako mag-party. Pagbalik sa Manila ay puro pag-aaral na naman ang gagawin ko.” Nakawala ang kaibigan ni Cecily at muling sumugod sa dance floor. Mabilis itong nawala sa paningin ko. Tumingin muli ako kay Anton at sinenyasan siya. Nakuha niya naman ang pahiwatig ko sa kanya. Narinig ko ang mahinang pagmumura ni Cecily dahil nakawala ang kaibigan niya. Napangisi ako nang marinig ko iyon. What cute way to curse. Napatingin si Cecily sa akin at nang makita niyang nakatitig ako sa kanya, agad siyang nag-iwas at umalis sa kinaroroonan niya. I silently followed her, blocking her from all the drunkards who almost bumped her or from the sight of the perverts who were eyeing her. Because, damn, the girl is effortlessly hot. Simple lang ang suot ni Cecily, not too revealing, but how that dress molded her body is f*****g my mind. Hindi na ako magtataka kung bakit napapatingin din ang iba sa kanya. My uncle is one lucky bastard. I fisted my hand. Just having the thought of what might Cecily and my uncle were doing every time they were in their f*****g room made me sick to my gut. Maybe that’s the reason why I have been grumpy since yesterday. I need to f*****g calm down. I just met the girl yesterday. Tumunog ang cellphone ko kaya tumigil ako sa paglalakad. Tiningnan ko kung nasaan si Cecily at nakita ko siyang naupong muli sa couch. Kinuha niya iyong baso na naglalaman ng cocktail na kanina lamang ay hindi niya pinapansin. Ininom niya iyon nang isang lagukan. “Hello,” sagot ko sa tumawag. I didn’t even glance at the caller’s ID. Nanatili ang tingin ko kay Cecily. “Dmitry!” sigaw ni Chaos. Hindi ko na kailangang malaman kung sino ang tumawag para masigurado na si Chaos iyon. Sa aming magkakaibigan, siya ang pinakamaingay. “Nasaan ka?” “Puerto Rivas,” sagot ko. Kumunot ang noo ko nang tumawag ng waiter si Cecily. May sinabi siya rito at tumango ang waiter bago umalis. “What the hell? Bakit naandiyan ka? Naandito pa naman kami sa BGC. Anong ginagawa mo riyan, Dmitry?” Hindi agad ako sumagot dahil ang buong atensyon ko ay nasa isang babae. Bumalik ang waiter dala ang order ni Cecily. She ordered another cocktail. Napagisi ako. “Babysitting.” Hindi ko man nakikita si Chaos, alam ko na nakakunot na ang noo niya. “What the f**k? Are you serious—” “I’ll call you back later, Chaos. I am kind of busy.” I ended the call and walked towards where Cecily was. Naubos niya na ang pangalawang baso niya ng cocktail. She waived again to the waiter. Hindi niya pa ako napapansin. She signed two glasses. Napatingin sa akin ang waiter, and I nod at him before I sit where I was seated earlier. Cecily is closing her eyes. Masarap man ang lasa ng cocktails namin dito, but don’t underestimate the alcoholic content of each drink. A glass can knock out a light drinker. I observed her a little more. Cecily has this angelic face with a little fierce due to her attitude, heart-shaped and pinkish lips, fair skin like Snow White, and long and wavy hair that compliments her overall look. She’s a little short but has a bomb body that can make any man drool. Hanggang ngayon ay napapatanong ako, how did my f*****g uncle get her? What’s the catch? What I said earlier to her wasn’t an insult. Hindi ko ipinapamukha sa kanya na kaya siya nagpakasal kay Ruslan ay dahil sa pera nito. I was genuinely curious, dahil walang matinong babae ang magpapakasal kay Uncle. Everyone knows how awful that man is. Kaya nga iniwan ng unang asawa. When Cecily opened her eyes, she caught me watching her. Did I flinch? No. Simula nang makilala ko siya kahapon, naging isa na ata sa hobby ko ang panoorin siya, nakatingin man siya o hindi. I have this sense of familiarity kahit ngayon ko lang naman siya nakilala. Weird, but I am finding the answer to why I am fascinated with my uncle’s wife. Do I like the idea of forbidden love? Halos matawa ako sa iniisip ko. I don’t believe in such a thing. Love is either a chemical reaction of your brain—hormones or a fictitious thing that humans created due to their delusions. Napatunayan ko na hindi totoo iyan. Pinatunayan mismo sa akin ng mga magulang ko—front row seat. “Stop staring at me!” sabi niya sa akin. I smirked at her as she gulped her third glass of cocktail. “Why am I always the receiving end of your cranky attitude, krasotka? You’re nice to other people but not to me.” Kumunot ang noo niya. Siguro ay hindi niya naiintindihan ang itinawag ko sa kanya. Well, that’s for her to find out. “Ask yourself. You were rude to me first.” Pansin ko sa kanya na medyo iba na siyang magsalita. Kinuha niya ang isa pang baso at ininom ulit iyon. Napataas ang isang kilay ko. Roon ko rin napagtanto na nakakaanim na baso na pala siya. Hindi ko ata iyon napansin dahil sa kakatitig ko sa kanya. “I wasn’t rude.” “You are! If you want me to be nice to you, be nice to me, too. Hindi ako nagpakasal kay Ruslan dahil nasilaw ako ng pera niya. I need his help.” Sandali siyang tumigil at inubos ang pang-anim na baso. The next thing I saw, she’s sobbing. Kumunot ang noo ko nang makita ko siyang umiiyak. f*****g hell! “Kailangan ko nang tulong niya kasi…kasi….” Napatayo ako at lumapit sa kanya. She’s drunk. “Enough with that. Let’s get you home.” Nang alalayan ko si Cecily. Tinanggal niya ang pagkakahawak ko sa kanya. Good thing, I am gripping her hard. Fuck, I am being hard, too. The moment I felt how soft her skin was, it awakened something that shouldn’t be woken up at this time. “Huwag mo akong hawakan—” Hindi na naituloy ni Cecily ang kanyang sasabihin nang bigla siyang masuka. She vomited on my trousers and on my f*****g shoes. Holy hell! Mariin kong ipinikit ang aking mga mata. I carry her even though she’s mumbling something. I called some staff to clean the mess and told the waiter the bill was on me. Ipinasok ko si Cecily sa kotse at iniayos siya sa passenger’s seat. Habang inaayos ko ang kanyang seatbelt, sinampal niya na naman ako. “Asshole…” Nakapikit na ang kanyang mga mata and I think she’s just sleep-talking. “Be thankful, I don’t punish drunk girls,” bulong ko kay Cecily kahit na wala na siyang malay. Nilinis ko muna ang dumi sa aking trousers at sapatos bago ako pumasok sa loob ng kotse. I combed my hair using my hand and looked at the girl sitting in my passenger seat. “What a weird girl.” Tumawag sa akin si Anton kanina at sinabi ko sa kanya na siya na ang mag-uwi sa kaibigan ni Cecily. I will send them a car so she can take the girl home safely. Cecily is still mumbling things. This is the first time I am aiding a drunk girl. Hindi ko gawain mag-alaga ng babae. I don’t f*****g entertain them; they entertain me. s*x is all that I need from them, and after that, we’re done. So, remind me again why am I doing this to this girl? My uncle’s wife, to make the situation worse. Sinulyapan ko ulit si Cecily at napamura ako sa isipan ko when I realized that I am really infatuated with her. Maybe I really find her hot, and I want to bed her. It’s impossible for me to feel things beyond that. When it comes to women, I let my c**k rule me and not my f*****g heart. No-uh, impossible. Kinuha ko ang cellphone ko, and I called someone who will surely understand me right now. “Dmitry,” bati niya sa akin. “Rage…” Rage is one of my friends, at alam ko na may maayos siyang maipapayo sa akin ngayon. “Napatawag ka? I heard you are in Puerto Rivas.” “Yeah…” sabi ko at muling tiningnan ang babaeng natutulog sa passenger seat. Ngumisi ako at umiling sa sarili. Maybe I really lost it. “I have a question.” “What is it?” Ipinikit ko sandali ang mga mata ko at itinanong kay Rage ang gusto kong itanong. He can’t judge me now, right? After all, the fucker fell in love with his stepsister. “What’s the worst punishment that I will receive if I ever lust on someone who is forbidden to be touched by me?” tanong ko sa kanya. There was a long pause on his end before he finally said something. “How forbidden?” Muli akong huminga nang malalim. “My uncle’s wife.”