Maurice almost threw us out of the venue the moment he saw us holding his other birthday cake. Ni hindi siya nag-abalang hipan ang apoy sa kandila. Maurice stormed to us with fuming ears and reddish eyes, demanding that we should get out of the property.

I just don't know if it's because he's trying not to cry or he's really that mad that his eyes turned red when he saw us.

Needless to say, the surprise went really well.

Mag-iisang oras na rin kaming nakapasok sa loob at sa buong oras ay hindi nawala sa paningin ko si Beatrice at Maurice. Both of them, especially the birthday celebrant, decided to stick with me during the party. They said they can't trust me alone and that I might sneak out to go home anytime. I just rolled my eyes at them because I've been entertaining that thought for a while.

Pero hindi ako makahanap ng pagkakataon para makaalis lalo na't kanina pa ako namamangha sa lugar na ito. Kanina pa lumilibot ang paningin ko para pagmasdan ang loob ng Milliamo's. All I can say is that the pictures that I saw about this place didn't do them justice at all.

Malawak ang lugar. There's enough space to cater more than a hundred guests. The pavilion situated on the right is just a pleasure to the eyes. It's a high ceiling, square type, made of steel and glass that gives off an open air feeling. The illuminated ceiling makes the pavilion particularly experiential at night. Overall, it looks sophisticated and high-end.

Agaw pansin din ang pahabang swimming pool sa tabi lang ng pavilion. Marami nang nahalina at lumalangoy doon ngayon. The lights beneath the pool illuminates them dimly enough to give a calm and relaxing vibe. Na siya naman tinatapatan ng ingay at tawa ng mga tao na nasa open bar. High tables are found everywhere but there's a concentrated amount near where the drinks are.

Maurice's visitors kept on calling him but he also kept on ignoring them as we stay a few tables away from the packed bar. Puno na ng ingay ang paligid dala nang palalim na gabi. From observing, I could say that the people Maurice invited knows how to party like people in the city. Not that I can say much in that area. Mabibilang lang sa kamay kung ilang beses na akong nakapunta sa mga bar. And heaven knows I'm never there to party.

I guess, this is the first.

"He's the only surprise I'll gladly accept tonight." Napabaling ako kay Maurice nang magsalita siya.

We were talking about some rumors a while ago. I think I lost track.

"Hey! I invited him here so you should be thankful to me! May tinatapos pa raw na plate 'yan. Imagine how hard it was to persuade him!" Taas kilay na sagot ni Beatrice.

Her blush is a bit deeper than when we came in. I glanced at her almost empty champagne glass then back at her face. Tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang pagsagot nito kay Maurice. Walang preno ang bibig.

That's just her third glass.

I guess Maurice's not kidding when he said that Beatrice can't hold her alcohol. But then, who fucking gets drunk over three glasses of champagne?

Napatingin ako sa aking baso. This is my second Margarita. It won't hurt if I get another one.

"Fine, then! Thank you," Maurice cut off Beatrice's long monologue. He sips on his drink. "bitch."

"See! Ang dali lang s-" she glared at him. "Hey, wait a second!"

And she resumed her nonstop blabber. Napailing na lang ako at tahimik na inagaw ang baso niya. Hindi niya 'yon napansin at tuloy pa rin sa pagsasalita. She's done with these 'alcoholic' drink. Beatrice needs water.

I raised my hand to call the attention of the nearest waiter. Medyo hindi naiilawan ang pwesto namin kaya nahirapan akong tawagin ang atensyon niya. Nang mapansin naman ay agad siyang tumalima para lapitan ako. Pero bago pa man siya makalapit nang husto, may mas nauna na sa kaniyang waiter na makalapit sa amin.

"Martini and a glass of water, please." Sabi ko nang makalapit siya.

I wasn't even paying attention when I put Beatrice's glass on the tray he's holding. Nang medyo nagtagal sa harap ko ang waiter ay saka lang ako nag-angat ng tingin.

I had a good look before Reamo turned his back on me. Napakurap ako nang isang beses bago sinundan ng tingin ang pag-alis niya. He went straight to the bar and put the tray on the long table. Nakita kong bahagyang nagulat ang bartender nang makita siya. They talked a bit and I saw the bartender laugh on whatever he said before he vanished to get something. Matapos lang ang ilang saglit ay dala na ni Reamo ang isang tray na tanging dalawang baso ang laman.

I thought he was going home. He looked like he was about to go home a while ago. Yet now, he's in complete uniform like the others, with the necktie in place and the cuffs of his sleeves back down.

Diretsyo lang sa paglalakad si Reamo at walang hinintuang lamesa kahit na may nagtatawag ng waiter. That or they might just be trying to catch his attention. It must be because of the dim lights around the place that his eyes appear darker than usual. Although there's a subtle glint in it that get's a shade brighter as he approaches. Napaiwas ako ng tingin nang matantong sa akin nakatuon ang paningin niya.

No. It's dark here. I must be imagining things.

Sakto ang pagtikom ng bibig ni Beatrice nang ilapag ni Reamo ang mga baso sa lamesa namin. He's almost beside me save from some good inches to keep his arm from touching mine. Itinuon ko ang atensyon sa baso na nilapag niya sa harap ko. I tried my best to do so instead of noticing how Reamo towers over me, his body completely blocking the lights.

Agad din naman siyang umalis nang maibaba ang mga inumin. Hindi ko na siya binalingan at sinundan ng tingin dahil si Maurice at Beatrice na ang gumawa no'n.

"Fuck me." si Maurice. Bumaling siya sa akin na may nanlalaking mga mata. "That's Reamo!"

Inabot ko ang inumin na kanina ko pa pinagmamasdan. Yes, Maurice. He's here. So, what?

"Wait, hindi mo siya guest?" Nagtatakang tanong ni Beatrice.

"No! As if I could invite him even if I wanted to." Muli silang tumanaw sa balikad ko.

"He wasn't wearing that necktie kanina kasi. Akala ko inimbita mo rin." said Beatrice.

"Huh? What do you mean by that? Nakita mo siya kanina?"

"Well," sabay silang bumaling sa akin. I raised my brows at them in question eventhough I can clearly see where this is going.

"What?" I asked.

"Our dear friend here," Beatrice points at me. There's an irritating smile plasted on her lips. "had a little rendezvous with her prince charming just before I picked her up."

"You slut!" Hinampas ako ni Maurice. Luckily, walang natapon na inumin mula sa baso ko. "Anong ginawa n'yo, huh!?"

"At doon pa talaga sa shed. My gosh, Maya, can't you think of any better place to-"

"Shut up. You're making things up, Beatrice." I said. Pero sadyang may tama na ng alak ang kausap ko kaya inignora niya lang ako.

"Making things up? Baka kamo kayong dalawa ni Reamo ang nagme-make out kanina." Tatawa tawang sabi niya.

Maurice grins and then looked at me with those prying eyes. "So, did you enjoy it?"

"Pwede ba, Maurice?"

"What? I was just asking!"

I ignored them and sipped on my drink. Sayang saya ang dalawa sa nakakunot kong noo. Nilibot ko na lang ang paningin ko kaysa pagtuonan ng pansin ang magkaibigan pero kahit na gano'n, naririnig ko pa rin ang pinaguusapan nila.

"Si Reamo talaga ang dahilan kung bakit pumunta si Maya dito." Pangaalaska ni Maurice.

"Please. I didn't even know he works here." Iritang saad ko.

The both of them laughed now that they made me irritated at them. They really love pissing me off. At hindi ko naman malaman kung bakit kumukulo lagi ang ulo ko sa tuwing inaasar nila ako kay Reamo. Maybe I'm really prone into losing my self control just like what Blaze told me. I have to fix that.

But then, for the record, I haven't punched these two for mocking and making me irritated. It this happened inside the agency or in the academy, they might be sporting violet bags under their eyes by now.

The blinding lights from the bar catches my attention. I didn't even notice that people around that area are now dancing to the beat. Any minute now and I'm sure that Maurice will lead us there to party. Pero agad kong napansin ang pagtahimik ng dalawa. Maurice and Beatrice stand a bit closer to me now. Nagtataka akong bumaling sa kanila para magtanong pero nang makitang parehong direskyon ang tinitignan nila ay agad na lang akong bumaling doon.

There, from the partying crowd, I saw Nissa parading her straight shoulder length hair and her silver chain purse. She's wearing a maroon crop top and the same colored wide leg pants. May kasama pa siyang isang babae na medyo hawig niya sa itsura. Only that she looks calm and collected unlike Nissa who looks like she's ready to slap me using her metal purse now that she has her sharp eyes directed on me.

Muli akong napainom nang lumapit silang dalawa sa lamesa namin. The other lady went straight to Maurice while Nissa stays a few feet behind her, still glaring at me. 

"Happy birthday, Mau." Bati nito sabay beso kay Maurice. Mukhang kilala ni Maurice ang babae dahil tinanggap niya ang bati nito nang maayos.

"Thanks, Millicent. Buti nakarating ka." Hindi nakatakas sa pandinig ko ang pagdiin ni Maurice sa huling salita. Maging ang pasimple niyang pagtaray kay Nissa ay kitang kita ko.

"Yeah. I'm supposed to have a meeting pero na-cancel last minute. Dumiretsyo agad ako rito because of that." Sabay baling nito sa amin ni Beatrice.

Millicent smiled at Beatrice before she looked at me. Ngumiti lang din naman siya sa akin bago bumaling muli sa kausap. I stared at her face.

I've been observing her movements the moment she started to talk to Maurice. Kalmado siya at maayos ang tindig. She looks like someone who is always level-headed. It's hard to find anything that can relate this girl to Nissa.

Aside from one.

"Don't worry, it's okay. Go and enjoy the party." Saad ni Maurice.

"We will. Thank you." At saka sila umalis.

The partying crowd welcomes the both of them eagerly. Mukhang marami ang nakakakilala sa kanila dahil agad silang dinumog ng mga naroon. May ilan din namang nakapansin kay Nissa pero hindi gaya ng sa pinsan niya na halos dumugin ng mga tao.

She looks elegant wearing that asymmetric black, silk-satin and lace,  midi dress. I know someone who would gladly kill just to get her hand on such a killer dress. Starts with B and ends with itch. Her dress is a real eye-catcher but there's another thing that caught my attention. It's the way she looked at me a while ago. That's the same look whenever Nissa finds me, only that it is subtle and controlled.

One look and she already scanned and judged my whole being, snap, just like that. Seems to me that Nissa hates me so much, she had to share that hatred to her cousin.

Well, blood is thicker than water. And I'm just a mere stranger to this Millicent so why would she hesitate to judge me, right?

But the thing is, she looked like she hated me more than Nissa does.

Or maybe I'm just reading her gaze too much.

"Nakalimutan kong sabihin sa mga bisita ko na bawal ang alagang hayop sa party na ito." Maureen said while following the ladies with his sharp eyes. A moment later, he looks at me. "Y'all know I hate rabid animals."

So do I.

Mas lumalim ang gabi. The guests who were in the pavilion are now outside to enjoy the pool and drinks. Mas lalong naging nanging maingay ang mga bisita ni Maurice. Isa na ron si Beatrice na hindi na mapigil mula sa pag-aaya na mag-swimming. I know a perfect way to stop her but I think I'll pass and just watch how she'll drown herself willingly. In that way, I'll finally be entertained tonight.

Habang pinapanood ko kung paano maghilahan ang magkaibigan, biglang nag-vibrate ang table namin. One long vibration followed by a short one. I immediately picked up my clutch bag off of the table.

"I'll just go to the restroom." Sabi ko at agad na tumalikod sa dalawa.

"Maya, you bitch! Get your ass back here! Alam ko ang balak mong gawin! Hey!" Maurice struggled between calling me names and pulling Beatrice back to our table. I simply ignored him.

Dalawa ang restroom dito. Isa malapit sa pool at isa sa loob ng pavilion. I went straight inside the pavilion after seeing groups of naked people hanging near the restroom of the pool area.

Mangilan-ngilan na lang ang tao sa loob ng pavilion at halos lahat sila ay palabas na rin. Because of the thick glass walls, the sound coming from the outside is muffled here. Nangingibabaw ang isang klasiko at elegante na tugtog.

Agad kong tinunton ang restroom na nasa dulong kaliwa. Dalawang pinto ang naroon. Bumukas ang isa at iniluwa ang isang lalaki na magulo ang  buhok. Hindi ko alam kung natural na singkit siya o dala lang ng kalasingan kaya halos pikit na ang mga mata niya. Umiwas ako para makadaan pero nabangga ko pa rin ang braso niya nang bigla siyang gumewang.

"Ano ba!?" He irritably glared at me. "Hindi ka ba.."

I looked him dead in the eyes. Natigilan siya at napatitig sa akin. Nang hindi na siya gumalaw pa ay agad ko siyang nilagpasan. Halos mahawakan ko na ang busol ng pinto nang may napansin akong kakaiba.

The doorknob is a lever handle. Which means that pulling the handle down would open the door from the inside and outside. It's an easy locking system for bathroom doors with cubicles inside.

But then...

Mariin kong tinitigan ang nakababang hawakan ng doorknob. This is a high end place. It is highly uncanny for it to have defected items around. Sinubukan ko na sipain nang bahagya ang pinto pero hindi ito bumukas.

I looked around and saw nobody. The guy I bumped a while ago disappeared immediately. I scanned the walls and saw that the nearest cctv there is, was a good five meter distance from where I stand.

Remembering the message I received, I fished out my phone from my clutch bag. Nang makita ang laman ng mensahe, agad akong napabalik ng tingin sa pinto.

SDC-ED-0027

I received a code.

"Is something wrong?" Mula sa pinto, napabaling ang tingin ko sa nagsalita.

Right in the middle of the hallway, Reamo stood while holding a silver tray under his arm. His tall frame is rigid as if delivering drinks from one table to another did not wear him out. He also remains attentive, narrowing his eyes to the bathroom door and immediately darting back to me when I angled my body towards his direction.

But I don't think he was that attentive to notice me hiding my phone from him.

"Yes." I answered.

He instantly took a step forward. A determined look passed in his eyes briefly before I spoke again to stop him from his further advancement, and to stop myself from backing away.

"Please call the police."