4 Years Later

"Congratulations on your promotion, Mr. CEO!" a heavily-accented voice exclaimed. After four years of not dating anyone, his mother was finally able to convince Sage to go on a blind date. He was having dinner in a restaurant in Clarke Quay with Nikki, a girl of Chinese descent. God knows where his mom found this girl.

Sage tried to look interested but he wasn't really in the mood for this. In the process of dedicating the last four years of his life to climbing the ranks in his grandfather's hotel, he had turned into a workaholic.

Hindi naging madali 'yong training program na pinagawa ng lolo niya. He actually started as a bellhop, carrying guests' bags to their rooms and receiving tips. Nasubukan niya rin ang iba pang mga trabaho sa hotel—sever sa hotel restaurant, barista sa hotel cafe, housekeeping staff, maintenance personnel, receptionist, at assistant sa iba't ibang department tulad ng accounting, marketing at human resources. Marami pa siyang ibang pinagdaanang posisyon bago maging manger, director and finally, chief executive officer, just a few weeks ago.

"Thank you," Sage replied. He politely smiled at Nikki but made no effort to continue the conversation. Kung dati, lagi siyang may girlfriend o ka-fling, ngayon, wala na siyang interes sa pagkakaroon ng love life. He focused on work and he was generally happy being single. Pinagbigyan niya lang talaga ang nanay niya ngayon.

His phone started to ring. Sage was secretly relieved to see his assistant's name on the caller ID. May excuse na siyang umalis sa date na 'to kung may kailangang gawin sa hotel. "I need to take this call," he told his date before going outside.

"Hello," he answered the phone.

"He-hello, s-sir. There's something I f-forgot to tell you," the caller stammered. Janelle was his junior assistant who was pretty new to the job. His senior assistant, Eli, was on vacation and it was Janelle's first time handling everything alone.

Sa tono ng assistant niya, hindi malabong may nagawa itong 'di ikatutuwa ni Sage. "Is everything okay, Janelle?" he asked.

Narinig niya ang buntong-hininga ni Janelle bago ito sumagot. "Sir, may dumating na mail galing kay Ms. Lily Zafiro three weeks ago. I placed it in a separate pile but we were so busy with your promotion and the move to your new office that I forgot to give it to you. It looks like a wedding invitation."

Parang huminto ang mundo sa narinig niya. Sa apat na taong hindi sila nagkita, wala ring communication na naganap. Even his elevator scandal was quickly removed from most of the streaming sites but Ken never said anything about it to him. As much as he wanted to hear from Lily or Ken, he didn't want to approach them first. But if they tried to reach out, Sage made sure that they would be prioritized.

One of his assistants' duties was to sort his mail. When both Eli and Janelle started, Sage made it clear that any mail from Lily Zafiro or anyone named Ken, Kendra or Selene will be classified as important and should be given to him as soon as they were received. And they missed this letter from Lily.

He knew it was an honest mistake. Pero asar na asar si Sage. Gusto niya mang pagalitan si Janelle, ipagpapaliban niya 'yon.

Humigpit ang hawak ni Sage sa cellphone niya. "Open it, basahin mo," he ordered his junior assistant.

Janelle cleared her throat and began to read. "With great pleasure, Lily and Ken invite you to the celebration of their marriage..."

Kung ano man ang kasunod noon, hindi na narinig ni Sage. Tila huminto ang oras nang marinig niyang ikakasal na si Ken. All the feelings that he had suppressed for four years came resurfacing. Just hearing her name gave him butterflies but realizing that she was forever going to be someone else's lawfully wedded wife made his heart drop. Mahal niya pa rin pala kasi.

He suddenly regretted not trying to contact her. Sana pala hinanap niya si Ken. Kung hindi man sila magkakatuluyan noon, sana pala maayos ang nakuha niyang rejection. He didn't even try hard enough to make her believe that he truly loved her. Hindi niya nga rin nakumpirma kung ano talagang nangyari kina Ken at Lily no'ng araw na 'yon. All he did was run away.

In a split second, Sage made a decision. He was going to talk to her before she got married. Gusto niyang siguraduhing walang pagsisisi si Ken sa mga nangyari sa kanila. He wanted to see if she was genuinely happy and only then will he wholeheartedly be able to let go of his love for her.

"Sir? Are you still there?" he heard Janelle ask. Matagal pala siyang nag-space out.

"Ah, yes. Kailan ulit ang wedding?"

"It's tomorrow at eight in the morning."

"Okay, there's still time. Book me a flight. Saan ba 'yan?"

"Curzon Hall po 'yong pangalan ng venue. It's in Sydney."

"Sydney?!" He expected it to be somewhere in the Philippines pero wala nga palang same-sex marriage doon. Sage quickly calculated the time he needed. Sydney was three hours ahead of Singapore and the flight to get there would take eight hours which means that he had to get on a plane within an hour if he wanted to be there at 8 AM.

"'Wag ka na palang mag-book ng flight! Please call one of AIO Group's pilots and see to it that a jet is ready. I'll be in Changi Airport's private jet terminal in one hour," he said. "Bye," he didn't even wait for Janelle's reply before ending the call.

Tumakbo siya pabalik sa table nila ni Nikki. "Sorry to cut our date short but I need to leave now. I'm a regular at this place so they'll charge your dinner to me. Please order anything you want. It was nice meeting you," medyo hinihingal pa niyang sabi. He flashed one last smile at his date, who's jaw had just dropped, before grabbing his jacket and leaving.

* * *

Seven hours later, Sage was sitting not-so-comfortably in one of the company's private jets. Everything was posh and luxurious. The pretty flight attendant had provided everything he had asked for but Sage couldn't stop fidgeting. The closer they got to Sydney, the more nervous he became. What if Ken actually hated him?

"Would you like some wine?" the flight attendant asked. Tiningnan ni Sage ang bote. It was Yellow Tail Riesling, the exact same white wine that he shared with Kendra on the night he kissed her under the stars.

"Yes, please," he replied. The flight attendant gave him a glass and filled it with wine. Sage gulped it down and got a few more refills so by the time they landed, he was a little more drunk than tipsy.

He arrived in Sydney at around 8:30 AM. Mayroon nang naghihintay sa kanyang silver na Audi S4 sa airport na magdadala sa kanya sa wedding venue. He hopped in the car and began to straighten his tie and fix his hair. Dapat lang na gwapo ako sa unang pagkikita namin ni Ken in four years... Hmm, ilang beses ko rin 'yon nahuling nakatingin sa abs ko. Pa'no ko ba ipapakitang meron pa rin akong abs? Gupitin ko kaya 'tong americana... Shit! What the hell am I saying? I shouldn't try to seduce someone who's about to get married!

Masyado siyang maraming nainom. He tried to stay focused amidst the buzz.

* * *

Nakarating din si Sage sa Curzon Hall. It was a castle-like manor with a neo-Romanesque architecture. He ran as fast as he could to find the garden where the wedding ceremony was being held, desperately wishing to not be too late.

Natagpuan niya rin sa wakas ang hardin. It was in an open style courtyard with majestic water features and a gorgeous European-inspired landscaping.

"Speak now or forever hold your peace," the wedding officiant said.

It was now or never. Tipsy from the wine, jet-lagged from the flight and short-breathed from running to the venue, Sage shouted from the corner of the garden, behind the guests. "Ken, please don't get married yet. Give me a decent closure before you do 'cause I'm still in love with you!"

And then he realized something. This was the most idiotic thing he had ever done in his twenty-seven years of existence. 'Di niya man lang kasi tiningnan kung nasa tamang kasal ba siya.

Over a hundred guests turned their heads to his direction. Sage walked closer to the aisle as the shame began to sink in. His heart dropped into his stomach when he finally got a decent look at the couple.

Lily was standing at the altar in her haute couture wedding dress with a guy he didn't know. Kahit 'yong mga ikinakasal, halatang nagulat at nakatingin rin sa kanya. 'Di kinaya ng akala niyang limitless confidence niya ang kahihiyang ito.

"S-sorry," he mumbled before quickly turning his back and walking away. He heard the sound of footsteps. Someone was running towards him. If guards were about to tackle him, he definitely deserved it.

As soon as he turned to look, a girl in a flowy pale pink chiffon dress grabbed his collar, bringing his face closer to hers. "What the fuck is wrong with you?! Sa lahat ng pwede mong siraing kasal, 'yong sa best friend ko at kuya ko pa talaga?" Kendra hissed as she glared at him, obviously pissed.