Chapter Two

Yesterdays event was a success and I now have to face another day as the new CEO of my fathers company. At dahil dun, sobrang aga kong nagising, yung type ng aga na naunahan ko pa yung alarm clock ko. I usually get up around five am para makapag work out ako at makapag ayos ng hindi nagmamadali, then I always go to work at around eight in the morning or sometimes mga quarter to eight pa, para lang din maupdate ako ng sekretarya ko ng schedule for the day ko.

Today I woke up at around four in the morning and kahit naman papaano morning person pa rin ako so hindi naman ako ganun nabanas na ang sobrang aga kong nagising. Instead I used this opportunity to start the day right by thanking the one who always got my back, God and then I went out my condo para mag jog. Meron kasing malapit na park sa condo ko na very friendly sa mga gustong mga work out. Kaso nga lang, mainit sa Pilipinas at medyo late na nagigising ang ibang tao ngayon, that or kailangan na nila mag ayus para hindi nila maabutan yung traffic sa main roads.

As for me, I truly enjoy the park, bukod sa spacious na siya and very green, you can freely think of idea kapag nandun ka, nakaka tulong din kasi yung scenery. Kaso minsan kasi, hindi nako nakakapag jog dito kasi meron nakong gym area sa mismong condo kaya doon nalang ako madalas nag woworkout pag morning. Pag gabi naman, minsan ate na ako nakakauwi or I have to bring my work back at home kaya hindi ko na rin magawang tumambay sa park.

Since nasa around four am palang, its only natural na medyo madilim pa sa daan and for sure kunti lang or possible na wala pang tao sa park. From my condo to the park its usually takes ten minutes but i'f I run going there, minsan mga nasa six to seven minutes away lang siya. So inumpisahan ko ng mag stretching at iadjust yung timer ng iwatch ko I have to make sure na nasa right pacing ako para hindi ko ma strain yung katawan ko because I can't afford to get sick right now.

After a quick fifteen minutes warm up, I started running at my usual pace and while doing so I made sure to wear my running earphones para makinig ng podcasts ng ibat ibang speakers with their own topics. Instead of listening to music, tinrain ko na yung sarili kong dapat sa araw araw na nabubuhay ako, dapat meron akong natututunang bagay. Like for today, I chose to listen about overcoming little signs of depression. Lalo na ngayon na sobrang dami ng reasons bakit nag fafall to suicide attempt yung iba, its always better to know something about this stuff. Especially now that I have to oversee thousands of people, their mental health is also part of my responsibility. Hindi rin kasi biro yung amount ng pressure na meron sa kompanya, we are an advancing company and we need to always make sure that everything goes smoothly within our system or else baka mahack kami at mawala ang lahat ng importanteng bagay ng mga clients namin.

I have to prepare myself when it comes to this kind of things since one of my goal is to make sure that my staff works at their one hundred percent.

Just as I suspected wala ngang tao sa park, though expected, I was hoping na baka meron akong ma encounter na kapwa ko din jogger or kahit yung mga trip lang mag walk along the park. Hindi lang din siguro ako ang morning person sa mundo or in my case, yung around sa place ko. Dahil yung condo ko located siya malapit sa city and dahil na din sa maganda siya at safe, mostly ng nakakasabayan kong umaalis doon is either a celebrity or kapwa ko din businessman. Kaya na isip ko lang din na baka merong katulad ko out there na mahilig pa ring mag work out even after too many work at their own companies.

Iba pa din kasi yung meeting personally tsaka yung sa social media lang. I honestly think that one of the reasons kung bakit sobrang successful din ng tatay ko during his time is because sobrang kilala ni dad yung clients niya and its on a personal level. He actually makes time to meet and hang out with them so he'll know exactly what they want an what they need. Isa din ito sa mga tinuro niya sakin before niya binigay ang posisyon sakin, kaya din siguro nung college akala nung mga iba kong kaklase sobra akong sipsip sa mga professors because they all like dme at some point and in my defense, lahat ng mga yun ay dahil sa fact na alam ko yung mga gusto nila at nagagawa ko ng tama yung mga pinapagawa nila. My friends know me like this and kahit pa minsan iba na yung nasasabi ng ibang tao sakin, they all don't care because they know na isa yung sa mga ingredient sa pagiging successful ko ngayon.

The sun was slowly rising and I can see the clouds changing its color from once dark, to greyish blue, to a slowly touch of orange. Hinayaan kong irecord ng utak ko yung magandang pagangat ng araw sa mga oras na yun, its not everyday that I get to see something so breathtaking. Tiningnan ko yung smartwatch ko and saw that almost magdadalawang oras nakong nag jojog. I usually jog for three miles in an hour but since today, medyo mabilis yung pag jog ko and yung heart rate ko okay naman, lumalabas na parang malapit na akong mag five miles. Dahil dito, I decided to jog back to my place dahil nadin naligo nako sa pawis and I can feel my body resisting from all the exertion. I could use some sweet hot shower.

Agad ko din namang narating yung condo building at bago ako pumasok sa mismong building, I had to stop sa harap para pawisan yung pawis ko at ayaw ko din namang pumasok ako ng elevator or ng lobby mismo na tumutulo ang pawis. Habang nagpupunos ako ng pawis, nakita ako ng isa sa mga workers ng condo na sobrang tagal na ding nagtatrabaho dito. Kaya hindi na bago sakin na memorize na niya halos lahat ng nag sestay dito.

"Oh boss, aga mo ata ngayon?" Pagbati nito sakin habang hawak hawak ang mechanical kit niya.

"Good morning Mang Ben, ang aga mo rin atang mag memekaniko ngayon?" Tinanong ko siya at siya namang pangiting nagkamot ng kanyang noo.

"Oo boss, meron kasing sira yung sa forth flour, baka mareklamo nanaman, kaya habang tulog pa ang halos, aayusin ko na" Masipag si Mang Ben, I mean never ko pa siya nakitang tinamad na mag ayus at tumulong sa mga condo owners.

"Oh sige Mang Ben, sa sipag mo dapat matagal ka ng prinomote" Pabiro kong sinabi at napatawa nalang din si Mang Ben "Akyat nako mang Ben, see you later" nagpaalam nako sa matanda at pumunta ng elevator para pumunta sa floor ko, which is in the forty-second floor. I would have preferred the very last floor which is the forty-fifth floor, kaso masyadong malaki na yung space doon and its not good for someone like me. Although my place is already big, mas malaki pa rin yung na sa two floors above me.

Jameson, one of my friends, is the one who suggested that I check out this place nung naghahanap ako ng bagong tirahan. Jameson is an architect and itong building na to yung isa sa mga designs niya. Since nung time na naghahanap ako ng bagong tirahan, halos kakagawa lang ng unit ko, kinuha ko na agad siya para if meron ako gustong ipadagdag or customize, possible pa siya without causing too much trouble sa owner ng building. Malaking tulong din na meron kang friends na architect and engineer na pwedeng tumulong sayo para alamin yung mga materials na safe, secure and eco friendly. After a few changes and adjustments, finally nabuo yung condo ko. Of course, every penny spent on this place came from my own savings and hard work.

As for chores and laundry, I have my own waching machine and dryer pero meron pa din akong housekeeper na thrice a week pumupunta dito para maglinis and maglaba. Usually its Manang Luz or minsan yung isa sa mga maids din nila mom. As for food, I cook for my own food if nasa bahay ako or I can eat outside or dadalhan ako ni Jana ng food. Hindi siya masyado nagluluto because para sakanya, mas gusto niyang nagbebake kesa nagluluto. Kaya sa aming dalawa, ako ang madalas nagluluto at siya ang bahala sa dessert.

I reached my floor and since this floor holds spacious areas, mapapansin mo na agad na kunti lang ang mga pintuan sa dito. Sa floor ko, meron lang atang four units and a door na nag lelead sa fire exit. Yung dalawa sa mga ka floor ko, kilala ko na din dahil most of them nasa circle of friends lang din namin nila Jameson. After din kasi ng ilang months of staying here, naging client na din namin yung may ari ng lupa at building nato. Since they need a safe place and a grade A security personnel, saan pa ba sila maghahanap nun kung hindi samin diba. So basically, this building is under out protection and most of the people here, kilala ko na.

Every unit has their own triple lock system. A fingerprint scan, a pin and a keycard, kahit ano sa tatlo pupwedeng mag unlock ng pintuan namin. At dahil moving forward yung technology this days, from the 20th floor until the 45th floors, nagawa na naming mapalitan lahat ng smart-home-system. Ibig sabihin lahat ng appliances to lights to water sa bawat unit, pwede ng icontrol through designated unique monitors. To make the system safer and secure, our tech engineers and IT experts proposed na iseparate yung system sa phone or sa computer. Any type of machines na posible iconnect sa internet is at risk of being hack so to prevent that, we managed to make a system na connected sa isang designated monitor na for this specific use. Hindi siya pwedeng gamitin for internet browsing nor social media logging. Basta itong monito na to, para lang talaga siya sa pag control ng appliances and everything na nakaconnect dun. One of the key factors din ng monitors na to is once na nadetect nitong may gustong mag hack ng system na nirurun niya, agad itong mag poproceed to shield-mode, and during this time, I didisconnect niya ng kusa ung lahat ng connected sa loob ng condo, pati ang locks and pins habang iaalert neto yung main servers namin sa base company. By then, bago pa matapos yung pag hack nung mga system ,na trace na sila namin.

Since na propose tong system na to, umangat yung sales namin and mas dumami yung clients namin. Its not perfect but it helps a lot of people. Kaya pagdating din sa kompanya, sobra sobra din ang security na meron kami. Although sinasabi ng mga tech engineers namin and IT experts na khit mahack

kami wala din makukuha samin kasi naka develop na sila ng isang tech na posibleng i seperate lahat at imove to another system yung data and files na naka store samin once na hack kami. The problem is hindi pa kasi nasusubukan ito and even if we do try, theres that risk na baka may gumamit ng opportunity na habang naka bukas yung system namin eh may makuha sila. Everything is possible now with the help of IT geniuses. Yun talaga ang hinahighlight ko everytime na may bagong proposal na nilalagay sa harapan ko. About half of the people na nagtatrabaho sa kompanya namin, IT experts and geniuses na kailangan alagaan at respetuhin because of their skills and talent. One of the heads in the tech department is a very close friend of mine kaya kapag meron ng naguumpisang trouble sa tech dept. agad akong naiinform.

I dont usually use my finger print scanner to unlock my unit, I tend to use my pin kasi yun na yung nakasanayan ko. Jana would used to scold me for being not careful, baka daw di ko alam may naka silip na sakin at inaalam kung anong code yung ginagamit ko, at least naman daw pag fingerprint mahirap iduplicate and copy. Kaso after awhile, she just grew tired of telling me.

Kapasok ko ng condo agad ko ng tinabi yung running shoes ko sa cabinet na nakaset para lang sa lahat ng footwear ko. I made sure na lahat ng sapatos ko well maintained and nasa tamang temp lalo na yung mga leather shoes ko. After putting away shoes, I went to my laundry area next para ilagay naman yung damit ko na puno ng pawis sa basket. I grabbed some water on the fridge before ko nilabas yung kakainin ko for breakfast. I decided to make some bacon and egg sandwich since I could use some protein right now.

Habang hindi pa malambut yung bacon pumunta nako sa banyo para maligo. I don't usually take long showers but because I did start my day early I thought I could use some time to relax in my shower.

After some time in the shower and managing to make myself clean and spotless, kinuha ko na yung towel to wipe myself dry. Lumabas ako ng banyo with towel hanged tightly around my waist. since most of my clothes are for office attire, I decided to have al my clothes hanged and ironed. I also designed my room to have a space dedicated for all my clothes and things. This was also because of Jana's influence, she told me that as a professional and a businessman, I must put all my things in one area where I can find and keep everything. Para sakanya, its not right to just put up a wall closet and out everything there, so she made sure that while I was approving designs for the new unit that I have that certain area just for my personal things.

I chose to wear some of black suit since today is actually my first day as the new CEO, but before ko suotin and aking coat, nilagay ko muna ito sa aking hanger kasi magluluto pa ako at kakain.

I went back to my kitchen and niluto yung eggs and bacon. Mahilig din ako sa toasted bread so ano pa ba ang best tandem when it comes to breakfast kung hindi ang classic bacon, egg toasted sandwich. While the eggs are frying and the bread toasting, I grabbed some orange juice since oj's goes perfectly with breakfast. I'm a coffee guy but pag breakfast, I always start with water and fruit juices. Once my food are prepped and ready to eat, I went to my bar stool and simply ate my food. By the time I was done, nag ring yung phone ko coming from my wonderful girlfriend.

"Good Morning" I greeted nicely.

"You sound chummy, must be a great morning for you out there" She talks while panting, like shes talking while running or something.

"Where are you? Tsaka bakit ka hinihingal?" Patanong kong p

"Well, I'm on my way to have breakfast with Lannie and Vicky but I'm running late" she explains, still shes that person who hates rushing but she always gets late because she tends to do more actions once she realize that shes actually too early to leave. Productive na tao si Jana, she doesn't like wasting time and if there a free time na pwede niya ispare, ilalaan niya talaga to family niya, friend or minsan sa trabaho niya. Kaya kapag masaydo siya napapaagang mag prepare, may times na may mga bagay siyang ginagawa na naglelead sakanya para maging late.

"Kelan pa naka uwi ng Pilipinas si Lannie?" Laking states si Jana, last year of high school na siya halos nag start mag aral sa Pilipinas and it so happens that same college din pala kami ng papasukan. Lannie was her childhood bestfriend and si Vicky naman yung naging college bestfriend niya. Kaso nung umuwi si Lannie from states fours years ago, somehow nag click silang tatlo. And during the time na nililigawan ko si Jana, ang laking tulong ng friends niya and ng mga kabarkada ko na din.

"Last week daw, kaso she had to go straight to Cebu and deal with her moms business. Kakabalik niya lang kahapon kaya nagyaya na siya agad mag meet for breakfast. Do you want me to bring you something?" She asks sweetly

"You dont have to, maaga ako nagising kaya nakapag prepare din ako ng breakfast" I answered knowing na may posibilidad na meron p din siyang dalhin para sakin.

"Okay then. I'm almost at the resto, medyo malayo yung pinag parkingan ko kaya nilakad ko nalang. I'll see you later sa office. Call me if you need anything, okay?" knowing her barkada for sure hindi siya agad agad papaalisin after nilang kumain. Lalo na kung si Lannie nga ang nag pumilit na mag meet sila. Maybe I should just give her the day off, para naman hindi siya mag rush the whole day.

"Hey love? bakit hindi kanalang mag off the whole day? That way hindi mo na kakailanganing mag rush na bumalik sa office" Suggestion ko lang naman sakanya to, her opinion always counts of course. Though I'm the CEO, i don't want her to feel na parang inoorder around ko na siya. She always value her freedom to choose, though kapag naman alam niyang may mali siya and if I see her doing something that is not right, we both talk about it in a calm and collected way. Communication is important para mag work ang lahat ng bagay.

"Its fine. After ng breakfast kasi kailangan din pumunta ng Bora ni Lannie para naman sa client niya. And Vicky has to go back din sa office niya kaya I wont need the days off. Marami din ako kailangan gawin sa office" She explains

"Okay sige. I'll see later then. Enjoy kayo kumain. Tell them I say hi"

"Will do. Love you" she answers

"I love you too, I'll see you later. Bye" She tells me bye then she hangs up.

Its just the right time lang din para bumyahe nako going to my office, dahil malapit lang din to. I didn't have to worry about traffic. Since marunong naman akong mag drive, hindi nako nagpapasundo kay Manong Larry kasi kaya ko naman. Matagal ng driver ng family namin si Manong Larry, kaso growing up, siya na talaga yung main driver na palaging ready para ihatid at sunduin ako. Kaya kahit retired na siya and minsan pa train train nalang ng ibang company drivers namin, pag kailangan ko ng driver para idrive ako kung saan saan. Siya agad ang nag pepresenta. Wala din kasing pamilya si manong kaya saamin na din siya nag sestay. Kahit pa gusto niya kong pagsilbihan, I insisted na ako nalang ang magmaneho kung kaya ko naman at kung may oras lang din naman ako.

Pagkadating na pagkadating ko sa office, agad nako sinalubong ng assistant ko na hawak hawak ang phone niya with my cup of coffee.

"Good morning sir" pagbati si Roxy sabay bigay ng kapi at sunod sakin papunta sa bago kong office "Today sir, you'll be meeting the marketing department regarding po sa launching ng bagong tech that will be in 10:00, next is you have a scheduled meeting with Mr. and Mrs Janus Martin, tumawag na po ako sa sekretarya nila kanina and confirmed napo yung meeting. You'll be having lunch with them sa Westside po with a reservation for five. Balak daw po nila dalhin yung youngest daughter nila. After po nun, meron lang po kayong conference with Hong Kong branch at around 4pm sir" Padagdag ni Roxy.

"Thanks Rox, inform the marketing team na iakyat na dito yung soft copy ng proposal para ma review ko siya before the meeting" Roxy smiled before grabbing a pile of paper on my desk.

"One step ahead of you sir" she proclaims before handing me the file to read. Of course, kilala nako ng assistant ko. In the past years na pa palit palit ako ng sekretarya, si Roxy lang ang tumagal at nakaka alam ng kailangan ko. As far as I know ilang years na din siyang nag tatrabaho under sakin pero she was once assigned sa PR department bago siya nilipat sakin. Since then, everytime na may naaassign saakin na bagong secretary, siya na yung nag tetrain at palagi niyang minemake sure na match sa pace niya yung mga bagong employee. I don't like idling when it comes to work tapos mag oovertime kapag di agad natapos yung trabaho. As much as possible, gusto ko din matapos agad ang trabaho para din on time nakakauwi ung mga nag tatrabaho under my team. Kaya si Roxy, nirerequest ko palang ginagawa na niya kasi alam niya na kapag natapos niya agad yung trabaho, hindi ko na siya pipigilang umalis at umuwi sa pamilya niya kadating ng 6pm.

"Efficient as always Rox. You can leave now, Thank you" She smiles from ear to ear before leaving me and closing my door. Pero hindi ko man na enjoy yung time alone ko kasi after ilang minutes may bigla nalang pumapasok ng opisina ko without knocking. This kind of attitude could only belong to someone who would dare to push my buttons but would still have my back kahit pa anong mangyari. I stared at him while my other assistant, Jenny, comes in.

"Sir sorry, nagpupumilit kasi siyang makita ka" Jenny is new so she doesn't know who this person is. Hindi rin siguro siya nakita agad ni Roxy.

"Its fine. This lunatic is unstoppable anyways. You can go now" I instructed.

"Hey?! Is that how you treat a friend who came all the way from Europe just to greet you! By the way, I came straight from the airport ha. Tapos sasabihan mo lang akong lunatic!" He rants like a mother. Jenny was getting confused so I had no choice but to the introduction.

"Jenny, this is my so called friend Will Johnson. From now on, if he comes, just let him be kasi there no point of stopping him kasi he'll most likely win the argument anyways. So just don't bother. For now, you are excused. Tell Roxy na merong nanggugulo sa office ko ngayon, she'll know what to do" Jenny nods in understanding before taking another glance to Will, who is in his own way, flirting with my new assistant. I rolled my eyes and Jenny saw that so she dashes away from my office, not forgetting to close the door and leaving me with my best friend who is smiling from ear to ear.

"Shes hot!" Will comments but I just rolled my eyes once again. I stoop up from my chair when he approaches my desk. Naglakad ako patungo sa kabilang side ng table to para makaharap siya.

"You better stop hitting on each of my new secretaries. You know Roxy hates it when the reason for leaving because of you and your antics. Nakailang palit nako ng sekratary and half of them nilandi at iniwan mo lang" pasaway kong sabi sakanya at this time he was the one waving my words.

"We both know na crush lang din ako ni Roxy kaya naiinis siya kapag meron nanamang akong ibang nilalandi" he chuckles

"You know what? I don't care anymore. I'm just glad you're finally here" he smiles at my response then gives me his hand to shake and do our brotherly handshake. "Anong nakain mo at naisipan mo na din umuwi?" I led him to one of my couches.

Will is someone na hindi na pepermi sa isang lugar. The fact that his family runs an airline company makes it easier for him to disappear anytime and anywhere he wants. He is an explorer at kahit pa ilang beses na siya sinabihan ng magulang niya na mag stay na siya for good sa Australia, kung saan yung main company nila, hindi din nila napush si Will. From time to time nakakauwi siya dito para lang mag party or kaya makigulo saming magbabarkada.

We met dahil sa parents namin, one because mag ka business partner sila and second dahil halos samin nag sestay si Will nung bata pa siya. Palagi din kasing travelling sila tita at tito. Its not that wala na silang other people to trust but its because mas gustong nag sestay ni Will samin kesa sa familh niya sa Australia. Kaya yung parents ko di na rin nagdalawang isip na tanggapin si Will. Since noon, naging matalik na magkaibigan na kami. If theres someone who knows a lot of things about me, it would be him.

"Well" He fixes his shirt while looking at everything inside my office "I heard a news and I was wondering if meron ka ding alam sa alam ko?" he talks seriously and he never does that unless he is really serious about something.

"What is about?" Tanong ko sakanya pero bago pa siya makasagot, pumapasok si Roxy na may kasamang isang tasa ng kape at ang favorite na pagkain ni Will, Sushi.

"You always know what I need Roxy, keep doing this and I might just fall for you" Banat ni Will kay Roxy matapos ilagay ni Roxy yung kape and pagkain niya sa coffee table. Pero kesa sa saguting siya ni Roxy ng kung ano, inirapan niya lang si Will tsaka siya lumabas ng walang sinasabi. "Feisty as always" patawang sabi ni Will.

"Alam mo check mo yung sushi baka dahil sa ginagawa mo sakanyang panghihirit, panis na yung ipakain sayo" I warned him, just incase tuluyan na siyang napunta sa bad side ni Roxy. I believe in a fact that ladies are capable of doing crazy things just to get even. Kaya kahit pa alam kong hindi naman gagawin ni Roxy yun, its better to warn him.

p

not like that, shes too sweet to even dare poison me" he picks up the chopstick then picks one sushi to his mouth. Glutton.

"So now that you are fed and rested, baka naman gusto mong iklaro na sakin yung sinasabi mong kwento kanina?" He looks back to me tsaka siya napa buntong hininga.

"I was in Rio a couple of weeks ago. Rio is a small place so I eventually saw someone whom I thought dead until I saw her" I don't exactly know and understand where this conversation is leading to but base sa tono ng boses ni Will, I wont be liking the next thing he tells me. "The one and only Allyza Marie De Cruz , the one who suddenly disappeared six years ago and the one who broke your heart" Will used a lighter tone to tease me but we both know that talking about this topic is still sensitive to me. He knows na kahit anong pag bibiruan namin tungkol sakanya, there will always be a question inside me and wound na kahit anong pagmamahal or pagaalalaga, hinding hindi hihilum. Kahit pa may bago nakong girlfriend at mahal na mahal ko si Jana so dont get me wrong but Allyza, well she'll always be a part of me na di ko mabubura.

"and?"

"And, she'll be coming back to Philippines next week" He sighs looking at me "Shes coming back to form a merger between you and the LakSa corporation. In a way, siya na yung bagong representative ng LakSa Corporation" Will grabs his coffee while he studies the reaction I'm going to give pero wala akong binigay na change in character or mood. At some point alam ko din namang magkakaroon ng araw na bigla nalang siya susulpot. All this years wala na akong balita sakanya and knowing now that she'll eventually show up, I can't show any changes in my mood or character. Matagal na akong tapos sa ganung moment at ngayon ang focus ko nalang ay ang kompanya at si Jana. Whatever questions I may have kay Allyza, it will have its own time.

"If shes coming back for business, then thats what I'll give her. Professionalism is never a question for me" I cleared my throat. "Plus, matagal nadin ang nakalipas, maybe its finally time na magkita ulit kami para mapatunayan ko na din sainyong lahat, na i'm so done with here and ready to move forward with Jana"

"Look bro, I don't really care how you'll deal with this stuff once it happens. I just hope that you get yourself prepared or you might get tangled to something na hindi mo ineexpect" I know what Will means and I'm not that stupid para ma fall sa kung ano mang tricks. She's just someone from my past and not some evil person who plans to ruin my life.

Both Will and I continued talking, mostly about his new plans of expansion and his ideals about a new business. Syempre hindi maiwasang mabalik kay Allyza yung usapan but its mostly just about question of what shes been up to all this years. Though, I honestly feel like I don't care anymore of she does answer my questions or not, I just want to prove to myself na wala na talaga at ma assure ko din si Jana na siya lang. I know how much she knows about my past relationship, we never really talked about it but she knows the details. I just dont know what made her stay when I was being crappy to her after my break up with Allyza. Maybe if things get clearer, she'll eventually tell me why she stayed all this year.

If it wasn't for her. I might still be stuck in darkness.