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Chapter 9. Like

"WHY didn't you tell her the truth?"

Timo asked Rexton the moment he went back in the latter's office. Hinintay talaga niyang makaalis ang dalawang babae dahil hindi niya gusto ang paraan ng tingin ng gitarista ng bandang Sunshine sa kaniya. It's like he did something wrong but he couldn't point it out.

"Bree was here. And it isn't the right time for that. Baka mabigla si Jinny kapag binigay ko ang trabaho ngayon. 'Tsaka na, kapag may sapat na tayong ebidensya."

"Bakit ba si Jinny ang napili mo?"

"Of all the girls, she's a mother. She's experienced and I think it's easy for her to execute the job. Lalo na ngayong hiatus ang Sunshine ay sakto ito para sa kanya."

Sa totoo lang ay hindi siya sang-ayon dito. Jinny looked so soft, so fragile, that he only wanted to protect her if his opinion would be asked.

"How will you know that she won't turn it down?"

"I'll make sure of it. Wala siyang pagkakakitaan ngayon at kakailanganin niya ng perang panggastos sa pamilya niya. Lalong-lalo na sa anak niya. Mahal ang magpagatas."

"Talking from experience, huh?" he commented. Sa loob-loob niya'y gusto niyang akuin ang lahat nang magiging gastusin ni Jinny at ng pamilya nito. Kahit pa buong angkan nito ay susustentuhan niya.

Bahagya siyang natigilan at umupo na sa pang-isahang sofa upang iwaglit ang mga kakatwang bagay na naiisip niya.

Rexton dela Costa was his client when he was hired to acquire some fishy informations about Montreal's rival company, Wang Xi Entertainment. He worked with WXE's sister's company, Torres Broadcasting Station, as a field reporter before he got fired, and was immediately recruited by VBS. That was before the tragedy of his family befell. Then, Rexton and him became friends after that said job.

The reason why he was fired at TBS was because he became a whistle-blower about the station's misdeeds—not paying the taxes and taking advantage of employees' vulnerability by letting them work overtime without pay or not paying the right contributions for the benefits of each employees. Nagkaroon ng lawsuit matapos niyon at natalo ng ilang milyones ang istasyon. Pero para sa kanya'y hindi pa rin sapat iyon. Na barya lamang iyon para sa mga namumuno sa TBS.

'I still didn't have the power before...' Aniya sa isipan.

Totoo naman iyon dahil tinanggalan kaagad siya ng trabaho bago pa man niya matapos ang pagbabalita niya ng katotohanan sa National TV. The live coverage was immediately ended that time and he was fired right away. And since he's a whistle-blower, he was affirmative that no other company would hire him anymore.

Who would hire someone like him though? He was tagged as a whistle-blower and companies were threatened by that fact. Especially those who had dirty deeds.

Except Velizario Broadcasting Station. Ang head nito mismo na isang baguhang abogado ang nag-hire sa kanya para bumalik sa pagiging reporter. Pero aminado siya na hanggang ngayo'y hindi pa rin sapat ang kakayanan niya na mapabagsak ang corrupt na istasyon ng mga Torres. 

Noong nalipat siya sa VBS ay mas umingay ang issue tungkol sa rating istasyong kinabibilangan niya pero kaagad ding namatay ang balita tungkol sa TBS nang pumutok naman ang isang blind item tungkol sa isang sikat na artistang nagbebenta ng aliwsa mga mayayamang dayuhan.  Madaling nalimutan ng mamamayan ang patungkol sa violations ng TBS. Talk about the media play and how did the Torreses work dirty to bury those topics about their station.

He sighed because he earnestly regretted about how reckless he was before. Masyado siyang nagpakampante na sasaluhin ng AIA ang desisyon niya. But their head did nothing but go from one country to another for his treatment.

Ah, yes, he's also working at Arellano International Agency, or AIA. It's a private intelligence agency. He's one of the top agents in there and he trained most of the agents who wanted to join the agency, especially those who wanted to be a private investigator. He aced on that field that was why he easily learned who were the people behind TBS' misdeeds.

Kinuha naman ni Rexton ang serbisyo niya dahil alam nitong halos siya na ang nagmamando sa AIA. Paano'y ang head nilang si Eulogio Arellano ay palaging may iniindang sakit sa katawan. But he was doubtful about that thing because why did he have to be sick at that same time when he exposed TBS' controversies? Why didn't he back him out when he could certainly do that? And why was that Luigi Torres, the CEO of TBS, easily let go of him when he could also easily file a lawsuit against him? There were lots of things running in his mind and after a year, he just thought about seeking answers for those questions.

Since he's still doubtful, he silently gathered information about the agency itself, and there's definitely something was going on in there. Something was wrong with Eulogio Arellano and his dog, Nikolaj Devila. Uunahin niyang alamin ang lahat tungkol sa matinik nilang sleeper agent nilang si Nikolaj.

Awtomatikong nagtagis ang bagang niya dahil lamang sa naisip niya ang mga Devila. Kung hindi pa nagsalita si Rexton ay hindi mababaling ang kanyang atensyon dito.

"Bakit mo naman sinabing si Jinny ang ibinabahay ko?"

Hindi siya kumibo kahit halata naman ang panunukso rito. He saw them going inside the office. Just the fucking two of them. What else would he think, right? Kahit pa nga alam naman na niya ang totoo, malay ba niya, hindi ba?

Damn it, why do I sound like a mad dog? He castigated in his mind.

"I thought you said you liked Sunshine's guitarist before?" Rexton asked again in a playful tone of his voice.

"That was before I knew she has a kid. I never wanted to have some intimate relationships with single mothers," he lazily reminded him.

"Fucker. You fucking want her. You were ogling with her hot body everytime you look at her."

He gritted his teeth. Did this fucker just say that Jinny was hot? That's definitely true but he oddly didn't want to hear that thing coming from Rexton's mouth, or any man's.

"If you find her hot, then, why don't you court her?" He tried to sound not affected.

"Sure. I'd do that," parang nang-aasar namang sagot nito. "But I know you like her more."

"Fucktard," he muttered under his breath. 'Why's he saying that I like Jinny more? Does it mean that he likes her as well?'