Ken fidgeted in her seat as she watched Tristan drive with a tense jaw. Papunta sila sa police station at hindi niya alam kung gaano kagalit ang kasama niya.

"I'm really sorry, Tristan." She took a deep breath. "I know that I sound like I'm just giving you lame excuses but you seem like a good person and I feel really bad about lying to you."

"It's fine, Ken," he said. Halatang tinatago nito ang disappointment pero rinig na rinig iyon ni Ken sa boses ng binata.

"It's not. I know, it's not. Ginamit ko ang paghanga mo kay Selene." She knew it was manipulative and she wasn't proud of it. Kahit pa maaaring si Tristan ang may pakana ng sabotage sa Zafiro Malls. "Hindi kita pipiliting patawarin ako pero pwede ba akong magpaliwanag? Just so you know that it's nothing personal."

"Nothing personal? Kendra, you played with my feelings," he said, shaking his head. "Sobrang excited ko no'ng pumayag ka sa date na halos hindi ako nakatulog for a week. I might be in lo—"

"Woah, teka lang!" Ken held up her hand to stop him. "Don't you dare say the L word. Imposible 'yan. You're infatuated at most and you only actually like me because I look like Selene. Ano bang nagustuhan mo kay Selene? She's a conceited fuckgirl who—"

"Hey! Stop slandering her, she's a goddess."

Ken rolled her eyes. Ngayon lang ulit siya nakapag-eye-roll sa isang bagay na walang kinalaman kay Sage. But she hated someone more than she hated Lily's fuckboy suitor—her fuckgirl, younger self. "Have you ever met Selene or nakita mo lang siya sa Instagram? Haven't you heard? Twenty-nine guys were linked to her in the two years that she was a bit popular. She officially dated eight, had a fling with twelve while the remaining nine were just rumors."

"Mali ka naman eh, she officially dated nine guys," Tristan said.

Tumaas ang isang kilay ni Ken. Mas alam niya pa?

"You probably don't know but she secretly dated Miko."

"Miko? 'Yong photographer?"

"Yup, magkakilala ba kayo?" Tristan replied. Ken could hear the tinge of jealousy in his voice.

Ken scoffed. "Ang kapal niya, ah? Never naman naging kami! Kung anu-anong pinagkakalat ng manyak na 'yon..."

She suddenly lurched forward as Tristan's Porsche Cayman came to an abrupt stop. Buti na lang at naka-seatbelt sila dahil kung hindi, malamang, sumubsob na siya sa windshield.

Agad siyang nilingon ni Tristan. "Never naging kayo?"

Shit. Napakagat ng labi si Ken.

"You're Selene."

"No..." Ken started though she knew it was pointless to deny it at this point.

"That wasn't a question. Ikaw si Selene!" He gasped. "Naka-date ko si Selene! Pwede bang magpa-picture?" Halatang-halata ang pagkasabik sa tono nito.

"Seriously? So hindi ka na galit?" Did she just meet her Number 1 Fan?

"I'm still disappointed and hurt, pero damn, ikaw si Selene! Matagal kitang pinangarap. What happened to you? Where have you been? Babalik ka ba sa pagiging model?" sunod-sunod na tanong ni Tristan.

Ken hated herself for carelessly revealing her identity but at least now, Tristan didn't seem as pissed as he was earlier. "Okay, first things first. I'm Ken now and Selene is an awful person. Wala akong balak bumalik sa gano'ng lifestyle. At kung ako sa 'yo, kakalimutan ko na rin si Selene. Your fixation with her is unhealthy."

Huminga siya nang malalim at nagpatuloy. "Moving on to more important stuff, my team broke into your office to get proof."

"Huh? Proof of what?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"At ngayon ka pa magpapanggap?" Ken clicked her tongue. "Didn't your company sabotage Zafiro Malls' recent pageant? At bilang head ng PR ng Centrine Corp., our mishap would've benefited you, right?"

"What the hell are you talking about? May proof ka ba sa binibintang mo?"

"Of course, I do," Ken replied, fully confident. "Maraming contestant ng pageant ang nagsabing pinuntahan sila ng isang lalaki at tinakot para hindi tumuloy sa pageant."

"Okay, that sucks but what does that have to do with Centrine Corp.?"

Ken took out her phone and played a video for Tristan. "This is a footage from one of the surveillance cameras in a contestant's condo lobby. Sigurado siyang ang lalaki sa video ang sumindak sa kanya and I can understand why they were so scared." Isang lalaking naglalakad palabas ng lobby habang nagsusuot ng baseball cap ang nasa video. The bearded man wearing aviator sunglasses, a leather jacket, denim jeans and combat boots was obviously over six feet tall

Tristan was watching intently when Ken paused the video. "Do you recognize the logo on that cap?"

His eyes grew wide in recognition. "Yeah, my brother designed that logo... Pero imposible ang binibintang mo. Centrine Corp would never do anything that low. You are being misled."

Ken's eyes narrowed at him. "Explain."

"First, hindi bagay sa outfit ng lalaking iyan ang baseball cap. Hindi 'yon sinuot para pumorma. Second, saktong sinuot niya 'yong cap sa tapat ng CCTV camera para mapansin talaga. Malayo pa ang labasan at hindi naman maaraw dahil 6AM nakuhanan ang video na 'yan ayon sa timestamp kaya siguradong hindi niya sinuot 'yan dahil sa weather. And last, hindi niya 'to sinuot nang maayos. Naka-tagilid ang cap dahil tinapat talaga sa camera ang logo. It's a set up. Why would someone committing a crime intentionally reveal their workplace?"

"I guess you have a point." Bumuntong-hininga si Ken. Tristan raised valid arguments and truth be told, she felt that something was off when they first saw the footage pero wala naman silang ibang lead kaya umasa sila rito.

"Naniniwala akong walang kinalaman ang Centrine Corp sa sinasabi mong sabotage move but rest assured, we will investigate this incident. Now, I don't even want to start with the multitude of lawsuits that we can file against your team. But maybe you'd like to explain what exactly you guys were trying to accomplish."

"Alright. But please, pwedeng mag-drive ka na ulit? Baka kung ano nang ginawa ng Sage na 'yon kay Lily eh."

"He's actually a really nice guy. You seem to hate him," Tristan commented as he stepped on the gas.

"He deserves the hate." Ken sneered. "Anyway, like I said, we wanted to gather evidence kasi kayo ang naging number one suspect dahil sa lalaki sa video. Heidi and Matt searched your office and your computer while I kept you busy. Them being hungover and falling asleep under your desk wasn't part of the plan."

"Bakit 'di na lang kayo pumunta sa authorities para magkaro'n ng formal investigation?"

"The management wanted to resolve this discreetly so we had to gather our own evidence and possibly negotiate with you. I could've asked Matt to hack into your system but he knows that your IT guy is good enough to immediately discover a breach so we had to do it the old-fashioned way."

"Old-fashioned way?"

"Yeah, they somehow sneaked into your office. Hindi ko sigurado kung paano, pero pwede mong itanong kay Heidi. That's part of her expertise. So after breaking in, kumopya sila ng files mula sa computer mo but I guess we won't be using those now," Ken finished sheepishly.

"The PC is password protected, how?"

"Ni-reset nila ang password mo. You generously provided the answers to the security questions so thanks, I guess."

Tristan frowned. "So that's why you were interested in the name of my childhood pet and my date of birth." Ken nodded as the guilt she felt increased.

* * *

They arrived in less than five minutes. Nilapitan ni Ken sina Lily at Sage na nasa labas ng station habang nagpa-park si Tristan ng kotse.

"Bakit ang tagal n'yo? Did you confess?" agad na tanong ni Lily pagkakita sa best friend nito.

Ken just nodded as they walked together towards the entrance.

"Nag-confess ka ng feelings para 'di kayo kasuhan?" Sage asked from behind them. There was something off about his voice.

Napahinto sa paglalakad si Ken at tumingin siya kay Lily. "Wait, gagana kaya 'yon? Do you think he won't sue if I date him?" She thought that the guy's idea was pretty good, iba talaga mag-isip ang mga fuckboy.

Lily stopped her before she even attempted it. "No, Ken. It might work but that's just too mean. Alam mo namang type na type ka no'ng tao, 'wag mong paasahin kung 'di mo kayang ibalik 'yong feelings niya."

"Then maybe he'd accept other services, right?" Ken replied jokingly while wiggling her eyebrows at her best friend. From the corner of her eye, she could see Sage glaring at her. Problema no'n?

Lily flicked her forehead. "Don't even think about it, Kendra."

* * *

Madaling naproseso nina Ken at Lily ang pag-release sa dalawa nilang kaibigan dahil na rin sa pagpayag ng kampo ni Tristan na hindi magsampa ng kaso. Community service na lang daw ang ipapagawa sa apat na magkakaibigan. Pumayag din ang Centrine Corp na makipagtulungan sa investigation ng pageant incident.

In-offer ni Sage na ihatid si Lily pauwi pero dumating na ang personal driver ng eredera. Sinabay na rin ni Lily sina Matt at Heidi dahil lahat sila, papuntang north. Si Tristan din, sa north nakatira pero inalok nitong ihatid si Ken. Masyado nang nahihiya si Ken sa mga nangyari kaya hindi niya matanggap ang karagdagang kabutihan. So she ended up waiting for a bus in a dingy bus stop.

A gray Porsche 718 Boxster S stopped in front of her. Bumaba ang bintana sa passenger's side at nakita niya ang fuckboy sa loob. "Get in," Sage said.

"Thanks, but I don't need a charity ride," sagot ni Ken.

"Ang dami namang arte nito, we live in the same building."

Ken crossed her arms and looked away. Hindi na siya pinilit ni Sage. "Alright, have it your way. Ingat mga holdaper sa'yo," he said before rolling up the window and driving away.

Wala pang isang minuto ang lumilipas nang makaramdam na si Ken ng malalaking patak ng ambon. She ignored it at patuloy lang na naghintay ng bus sa bus stop na walang bubong. Unti-unting lumakas ang ambon hanggang tuluyan nang bumuhos ang ulan.

Ken covered her head with her hands to shield it from the rain and started to run while looking for a structure that could temporarily shelter her from the downpour. Nakayuko siya habang tumatakbo kaya hindi niya nakita ang taong nabangga niya bago siya mapaupo sa sidewalk. 

Hindi pa siya nakakatingala para tingnan ang nabangga niya nang maramdamang may naglagay ng cap sa ulo niya at nagsampa ng jacket sa mga balikat niya. Hinila nito ang kanang kamay ni Ken para makatayo siya, sabay takbo habang magkahawak pa rin sila ng kamay.

"Dali, baka ma-tow 'yong kotse ko. Suot mo nang maayos 'yang jacket." Doon lang niya na-realize na si Sage ang kahawak niya. They ran to an adjacent street where Sage's car was illegally parked. He opened the door for Ken and this time, pumasok na siya sa kotse nang walang angal.

"Sasakay ka rin naman pala. Kung 'di ka, nag-inarte kanina, eh 'di sana hindi ka naulanan," Sage said as he wiped the water on his face with tissues.

"Sino ba nagsabing balikan mo 'ko?"

"I just saved you from pneumonia."

"OA, pneumonia agad?"

"Posible naman talaga 'yon. Pwedeng magpasalamat ka na lang?"

"Whatever, thanks," Ken said. Napaisip siya kung posible ba talagang magka-pneumonia kapag naulanan. She was pretty dry since he lent her his cap and jacket but every time she breathes in, she smells the addicting musky scent of his aftershave.

She watched him try to dry himself in futility. Paano kung si Sage ang magka-pneumonia? Basang-basa ang binata pero in fairness, bagay dito ang wet look. Napailing si Ken, kinilabutan sa mga naisip niya.

Sage made fun of Ken's recent mishaps as soon as he started driving. "Sablay ka palang team leader eh, nahuli ang team mo." His taunt was followed by a sniff. Sigurado, sisipinunin 'to, soon.

"Kung 'di dahil sa'yo, hindi sila mahuhuli," Ken replied.

"Ano namang kinalaman ko sa palpak mong planning?"

"Kung hindi ka nagpa-party kagabi, wala sana silang hangover at 'di sila makakatulog sa office ni Tristan."

"Now, that's too far-fetched. 'Di na kayo mga minor para pagbawalang uminom. It was their decision to drink, how is that my fault?"

"Basta, everything is your fault!" It had been a long day and she was really tired kaya si Sage ang napagbuhusan niya ng frustration.

"Okay, it's my fault. I'm sorry," Sage said quietly.

Napatingin sa lalaki si Ken. Instantly regretting her outburst, she was suddenly worried that she offended someone who just showed her kindness even if he was perpetually annoying. "Shit, sorry. I didn't mean to—"

Nahinto ang paghingi niya ng tawad nang mapansin niyang tumatawa si Sage. "I was just kidding. I know you had a rough day. You should learn to chill. Kaya ang sarap mong asarin eh, high blood ka kasi lagi," he said.

Napairap si Ken sa sinabi ni Sage pero nakahinga rin siya nang maluwag nang malamang nagbibiro lang ito.

* * *

It was a short drive to Aerist Tower. Sage parked his car at the lower basement and they both got on the elevator. Huminto ang elevator sa upper basement at sumakay ang isang middle-aged na lalaki.

"Well aren't these my favorite Aerist residents, Sage and Kendra?" the newcomer slurred. He reeked of alcohol and was even holding a bottle of vodka.

Of course, Ken knew who this was and by the way Sage grimaced, she was sure he also knew the man. 

I knew you were trouble when you walked in, Taylor Swift's famous song played in her head as the elevator ascended.