"Girls, wala ako bukas, ha? May conference akong a-attend-an," I told Mavi, Hannah, and Alexia, having paused from sipping my iced latte. As with most of our breaks, the four of us were at Serendipity. The coffee shop across Medialink had quickly become our group's favorite hangout.

"Ay, gano'n? Saan naman gaganapin 'yang conference mo, sis?" pag-uusisa ni Alexia.

I told him the name of the five-star hotel that would serve as the event's venue.

"Wow. Sosyal naman pala ang destination mo tomorrow, Mirathea!" irit ng bruha. "Pwede ba akong sumama?"

"Hindi ka authorized na um-absent sa trabaho bukas, kaya manahimik ka riyan," nakaismid na sagot ko sa kanya. "Saka paniguradong hindi ka naman makikinig sa mga presentation bukas. Maghahanap ka lang ng gwapo ro'n."

Tumawa sina Hannah at Mavi.

"Hindi ka ba sasamahan ni Sir Vren sa conference?" Hannah asked when the laughter died down.

Umiling ako. "Busy 'yon. If I'm not mistaken, may meeting silang mga executive bukas ng umaga."

"Oh, an executive team meeting..." Mavi looked intrigued. "Tungkol kaya saan?"

Sasagot pa sana ako nang biglang may nagsalita mula sa aking likuran. "Hi, Ate Mira and Friends!"

Lumingon ako at tumambad sa akin si Myron na noon ay may ngiting nakakaloko sa mukha.

"Hi, baby bro!" Hannah greeted him back.

"Uy, Myron. Tara, kain," linya naman ni Mavi sabay turo sa kanyang half-eaten red velvet cake slice.

"'Wag ka riyan kay Mavi maki-share, Bebe Myron," pakli ni Alexia. "Dito ka tumabi sa akin. Hati tayo sa cheesecake ko." He ended this with a not-so-covert wink.

Myron grimaced. "Hindi na po, Ate Alexia. Busog pa po ako."

I giggled at his discomfort. My brother, predictably, hated being called 'bebe' by our flirtatious gay friend.

"Bakit ka nandito, Myron Theo?" I asked him eventually. "Tapos mo na ba ang mga ipinapagawa ko sa'yo?"

"Yes, madam. Naka-arrange na po ang lahat ng files mo according to date and subject matter."

"Very good. At dahil diyan, sasabihan ko ang Kuya Vren mo na gandahan ang feedback na ilalagay sa internship evaluation mo."

Myron rolled his eyes, surely thinking that even without my intervention, Vren would be singing praises about him in said evaluation. Palibhasa ay sanggang-dikit na silang dalawa ng bayaw niyang hilaw.

"Magpapaalam sana ako sa'yo, Ate," pagpapatuloy ng kapatid ko. "Aalis kami ni Kuya Vren mamaya. Ipakikilala niya raw ako sa bandmates niya sa Grey Light." Halata ang excitement ng mokong habang sinasabi 'yan.

"Sus, akala ko naman ay kung ano na ang ipagpapaalam mo." I waved an unconcerned hand. "Lumayas kayong dalawa ni Vren Andrei hangga't gusto niyo."

"Talaga, Ate? Payag ka?"

"Siyempre. Hindi naman ako mag-aalala dahil ang Kuya Vren mo naman ang kasama mo."

"Yes!" Myron pumped his fist triumphantly. "Thanks, ate kong maganda! Kaya love na love kita, e."

"Nang-uto pa ang bunso," I mumbled, smiling nonetheless.

"Sama ako sa inyo, Bebe Myron!" pagsabat ni Alexia sa usapan. "Gusto ko ring makita ang bandmates ni Papa Vren!"

"All-boys gimmick lang ang pupuntahan namin ni Kuya Vren, Ate Alexia," kaagad na pagkontra ng kapatid ko. "Boy ka po ba?"

"Oo! Anong klaseng tanong naman 'yan, pare?" sabi ni Baklita in his natural deep voice.

Hannah, Mavi, and I erupted into giggles.

"Anak ng... Makaalis na nga rito!" kakamot-kamot sa ulo na sabi ni Myron. "Bye, mga ate!"

Mabilis pa sa alas-kwatro na sumibat palabas ng Serendipity ang kapatid ko para makaiwas kay Alexia, ang kanyang greatest source of stress sa Medialink.

****

Today was, of course, not my first time to attend a conference, kaya naman hindi ko mawari kung bakit may kakaiba akong nararamdaman. I wouldn't exactly label it as anxiety, but I had a feeling that something out of the ordinary was going to transpire, and it's making me antsy.

I headed to the middle right row of the hall where the first presentation was scheduled to take place — a group of esteemed accounting professionals would be giving talks todays, in line with the theme, "Horizons: Leveraging the Accounting Profession". As I strode the aisle, I passed by a roaming hotel staff who was offering canapés around. I took one from his tray, grateful for the distraction.

Bago pa man ako tuluyang makaupo sa napili kong pwesto ay may tumawag sa aking pangalan.

"Mira, is that you?" asked a familiar voice from somewhere to my left.

"Ms. Lydia!" I beamed, recognizing Lydia Sanchez from ABV, the company I used to work for before I got hired as Medialink's accounting department head. She was my immediate superior, and was a great mentor to me.

"How are you, dear?" Nakipagbeso-beso sa akin si Ms. Lydia. "It's so nice to see you here."

"I'm doing good, ma'am," sagot ko sa dati kong boss. "Kayo po, kumusta na?"

"Busy but fine. As always." She chuckled. "I'm actually one of the speakers for today."

Sa puntong iyon ay nilapitan kami ng isang lalaki. As far as I could tell, he was in his mid-fifties, but he was one of those men who seemed to look better as they age — a silver fox. He looked so imposing in his crisp black suit, and even though I had no idea who he was, I had the impression that he's a big deal in the business world.

"Hi there, Lydia." The man addressed my former boss first, clearly on speaking terms with her. "How's ABV?" he then asked, flashing a polite smile as he waited for an answer.

"Never been better, sir," nakangiti ring sagot sa kanya ni Ms. Lydia.

"That's good to hear," sabi naman ng lalaki. "And who's this young lady?" He finally looked at me, and maybe it was just my imagination, but I could swear I saw a surprised expression cross his face. It only lasted a split-second, though, and by the time I could think more about it, his polite smile was back in place.

"Oh, this is Mirathea Custodio. She used to work at ABV, too. Very smart and talented," pagpapakilala sa akin ni Ms. Lydia. "Mira, meet Mr. Arkin dela Merced. He's one of the most respected businessmen in the country."

Natigilan naman ako nang sa wakas ay mapagtanto ko kung sino ang lalaking nasa harapan ko. It was no other than Bella's father, the business tycoon who was up until today just a faceless name to me.

"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Custodio." Mr. dela Merced extended a hand, which I reluctantly accepted.

"Likewise, sir," I replied, turning more self-conscious by the second under his thoughtful gaze.

"You look familiar, hija," pagkaraan ay sabi sa akin ng tatay ni Bella. "I think I've already seen you somewhere before."

"Could it be that you recognize Mira as the topnotcher of the CPA licensure examination from a few years ago?" Mabuti na lang at nagsalita si Ms. Lydia kaya kahit paano ay nabawasan ang pagkailang na nararamdaman ko.

"Maybe," Mr. dela Merced half-agreed, his brows slightly furrowed. "So, tell me, Ms. Custodio... which lucky company is employing you now?"

"I'm now working for Medialink, sir," sagot ko.

"Really?" His pensive expression was replaced by a merry one. "That's a nice surprise. The Montevillas are our family friends. It's Vren's turn to manage to company, right?"

"Yes, sir." Wala sa oras na napatikhim ako dahil bumalik na naman ang matinding pagkailang na nararamdaman ko. Ito na siguro ang dahilan kung bakit hindi ako mapakali kanina — nakikini-kinita ko nang may makakadaupang-palad ako rito na magbibigay sa akin ng Alert Level 99 Akwardness.

If only Mr. dela Merced knew that Vren is not just my boss... and if only he knew that I'm acquainted with his sick daughter, who happened to be not-just-my-boss Vren's ex-girlfriend.

"Kindly give my regards to Vren," Bella's father told me before bidding us goodbye. "Lydia, I'm looking forward to your talk. And Mira, I hope this isn't the last time we'd see each other."

****

Hindi pa man ako tuluyang nakaka-recover mula sa biglaang pagkikita namin ni Mr. dela Merced pero heto't may nakasalamuha na naman ako na hindi-inaasahan.

"Want some canapé?" The guy who took the empty seat beside me proffered his hand, on which rested three pieces of the appetizer.

Nakakunot ang noo na nilingon ko siya.

"Chase? Ikaw pala 'yan!" I exclaimed. "I didn't know you'd be here today, too."

Tumawa siya. "If I had my way, I would not be here. Kaso, wala akong choice. Ako ngayon ang sugo ng Global Projects."

"Ah..." Tumango-tango ako. I could already imagine Vren's annoyed face once he discovers I attended this convention with Chase.

"Dito na lang ako uupo, ha?" He gave me a lopsided smile. "Naa-out of place ako sa mga katabi ko kanina."

"S-sure." I managed to smile back at him. Wala naman sigurong masama kung hahayaan ko si Chase na tabihan ako habang nakikinig sa talk. It's not like we're doing anything that other colleagues wouldn't normally do.

"How are you, Mira?" he then asked me before popping a canapé into his mouth.

"Okay lang naman," sagot ko. "Just like you, if I had my way, I wouldn't be here. I'd rather be in my office, working. Pero mahirap kontrahin ang utos ng boss."

"And by boss, do you mean your boyfriend?" Chase snickered. "How's the guy, anyway? Maangas pa rin?"

I winced. "Gano'n lang talaga si Vren. Pagpasensyahan mo na."

"Hey, it's cool. Hindi naman talaga ako mapagpatol." Nagkibit-balikat si Chase. "By the way, I ran into Cherry and Alison last week. Kinukumusta ka ng mga katropa mo."

"Talaga? Miss ko na ang dalawang 'yon." I beamed, partly because I was happy to hear about my college best friends, and also because I was glad for the change of topic.

"Alison's getting married soon, isn't she?"

"Yup. Nabalitaan ko nga," I confirmed. "Inimbitahan ka ba niya?"

Chase nodded. "Pati nga si Charrie, gusto nilang isama ko," he replied, referring to his younger sister. "I think I can make it happen, though. Kapag dumalaw ako sa Australia, isasama ko pabalik dito ang kapatid ko, para maka-attend din siya sa kasal ni Alison."

"That's a good plan," sabi ko naman.

Not long after, someone announced on mic that the first guest speaker was ready to begin his talk, effectively cutting my conversation with Chase. I willed myself to focus my attention on the stage, aware that his eyes were still on me.

Akala ko, wala nang mas awkward pa sa nararamdaman ko habang palihim akong tinititigan ni Chase. Sabay-sabay kasing tumatakbo sa isip ko ang magiging reaksyon ni Vren kapag nalaman niya na kasama ko ngayon ang kanyang bagong mortal enemy, ang nabuhay kong curiosity sa kung ano ang tunay na ugnayan nina Bella at Chase, at kung anu-ano pang mga bagay. My mind was whirring with a lot of thoughts, I was only half-listening to the guest speaker.

Pero mas naging awkward pa ang pakiramdam ko nang malingunan ko si Mr. dela Merced, na nakaupo rin pala malapit sa amin ni Chase. Bella's father also happened to be staring intently at me. And when he noticed me looking back at him, he gave me a friendly smile, as if we're some old buddies.

I'm curious as to what's with me that piqued Mr. dela Merced's interest. Kung tingnan niya ako, para bang matagal na niya akong kilala.

It's as if I remind him of someone. And I wonder who that someone is.