VIP Badge
JIEGO
I was hesitant to pick up the phone, but I know not doing so would only make the matters worse. He could find me everywhere. He would always track me down. A kind of an arrangement he has with my father. Hell, there’s no hiding from that man.
I excused myself from the conversation and stood up to receive the impatient call.
“Attorney…”
The background noise was deafening. It’s like the sound of a chopper’s spinning blades?
“MR. SY, ARE YOU AVAILABLE TO MEET RIGHT NOW?” – he was speaking loud to drown the noise of whatever it was behind him.
“hey, can you hear me sir? I am in a business trip right now. I won’t be home until tomorrow noon. Is it okay to meet by then?”
“YES. WE SHOULD MEET AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I FOUND OUT SOMETHING. YOU WILL NEVER BELIEVE THIS.”
My heart thumped automatically. What else? What more surprises to come my way? I nodded, and them realized how futile that was because he won’t see I did.
“hold that information, attorney. I prefer we talk about this in person.”
“VERY WELL. SEE YOU TOMORROW LUNCH, SIR.”
“SEE YOU.”
I dropped the call. Couldn’t say I was looking forward to it, actually. Something about the unknown is terrifying. Especially when it came from Atty. Sumayo. Though I know nothing can top the revelation of me being the only son of a billionaire.
“I’m sorry for that, Tina. You were saying…?”
She was chewing her food. She held up a finger, telling me to wait. When she swallowed the food, with a sip of her latte, she gave me an apologetic look.
“I’m sorry, that didn’t look good, Sir. anyway, as I was saying, tonight you have to dress to impress. Aside from your name, you have your looks. We’ll take advantage of that to gain their favor. I heard they’ll only pick three companies to sponsor. Sy Group of Companies should be one of that. No, Sy Group of Companies should the on the top of that.”
She muttered a lot of words, but I only filtered some. And it kept ringing.
You have your looks.
I have no intention of assuming she finds me attractive, but her appreciating my physical appearance was flattering.
“sure, Tina. Let’s do that.”
“we will, sir. this is going to be your night.”
I smiled as she held out her hand to shake mine. I did, and the slightest touching of our skin felt like too much. I shivered, which is kind of off-putting. Man up, Jiego.
We finished our breakfast, having casual conversation in-betweens. She told me stories about her family, this roommate she had back in her old apartment named Julia and her pet dog at home name Lander. It’s cute how every little thing of those felt therapeutic. My mind was in chaos, thinking about the meeting tonight. Somehow, talking about other stuff made it go away. As well as the thought that I won’t be attending the meeting alone. I have the vibrant and amazing Tina with me.
When we were just standing up to leave the table, EJ slipped in and gave Tina a quick hug. It made me uncomfortable.
“TJ! Let’s go check the beach? I won’t take a no for an answer.”
I frowned, but then Tina already said yes. Quietly, I walked from them as they plan on what to do for the rest of the day. As for me, I couldn’t wait for this day to end. I’m more curious on what new information would Atty. Sumayo tell me tomorrow over lunch.
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“that’s them sitting on the front row, sir. you may want to greet them and introduce yourself.”
I cleared my throat and fixed my tie. All right. if I were to be one of the lucky companies to gain their sponsorship, there’s no room for hesitation.
“secure our table, Tina. I got this.”
I said and gained a smile from her. I made my way to the front row of seats from the presentation screen on the stage which men in black shirts were setting up. When I reached the seats, the businessmen and women from various countries eyed me up and down. Some smiled, some frowned.
“Good evening, ma’am/sir. I’m Jiego Sy, CEO of Sy Group of Companies. I’m glad you organized this event. And… welcome to the Philippines. You’ll have a lot of amazing experiences here.”
One of the stood up and shook my hand. He’s a man in middle age, thick eyeglasses and a powdery fair skin. The bridge of his nose was slightly crooked, which was the only imperfection of his face.
“right. The Sy family. I heard of what happened to your father. I’m sorry you have to experience that. I’m Jacob Reins.”
I nodded. I guess Mr. Daniel Sy’s that influential, huh? His death even reached international news. How could I fill in those shoes?
“he was the greatest man I knew, sir. Have you met him?”
“met him? oh, I was great friends with him. Each time he’ll be at Manhattan, he would hit me up and we would hang out after our business ventures… and you, wow you really have a striking resemblance to him. It’s like meeting old Daniel again.”
“I’m glad he has some great friends like you, sir.”
He chuckled.
“well, I’m also a lucky one to have known him. come, let me introduce you to the rest.”
And there goes my ticket to a higher advantage than the rest. Tina was right. My name itself was a VIP ticket to succeeding my endeavors. I was introduced to the rest of the team and I didn’t even do the talking. It was Jacob who told them all about my father. He even told them a background of my company, which gave me less job than necessary. The next minute I was already laughing with them… on a first-name basis.
“if I may be excused, ma’am, sir. I have to check on my secretary for something.”
“Let’s talk more later, Mr. Sy.” – said Susan Cole, one of the investors. She’s from London.
I searched for Tina in the crowd and as soon as I saw her reading on a vacant table, I changed my route to meet her. She looked up when I pulled the chair beside her and sat down.
“you’re right. Being a Sy is like owning a VIP badge.” – I said, smiling wide
“does that mean you did great out there, sir?”
“I did… on account of my father’s name. You were right, too. He’s a phenomenal man. Most of them either knew him personally or read about him. I’ve never been so proud.”
She smiled with her eyes. Wow. This isn’t the first time I saw her smile something about this one is different.
“thank you, Tina. I don’t know how I’ll survive this weekend without your wild ideas.”
“I’m just doing my job sir. Also, it’s worth it seeing you like this.”
And then her eyes widened, realizing what she said.
“What I meant was… seeing you this proud of your name, sir. it sounded right in my head but when I blurted it out I didn’t realize it kind of sounded different.”
“nope, I like the first thing you said before you corrected it.”
Wow. Did I just say that?
And then another phone call from Atty. Sumayo. Really? How urgent is this matter that he has to call me twice in one day?