Chapter One

Special

I've known her as Isabeli Flores. She's a primary school teacher, and it's funny and cute how we first met.

I was trying to drive a car in this country, and I got so frustrated with the unending traffic. I was running out of patience, and it was the worst experience. I'm used to driving fast, and if I can overtake the cars in front of me, I will. But I was so stressed that I didn't realize I was driving outside a school.

I almost hit some kids and their teacher...

Agad din akong lumabas sa sasakyan ko nang hampasin ng kasamang teacher ng mga bata ang hood nito.

"I'm sorry, I didn't notice that there were children crossing..."

She was staring at my face, and she even stuttered a bit when she spoke to me.

"M-Mag-ingat ka sa pagmamaneho mo! Masyado kang mabilis."

But I was already smiling as I looked at her pretty face. That was the first thing I noticed. Maybe it was because I hadn't been around any women for weeks, too busy with my own activities. I'm not a playboy like my brother, well, maybe just a little. But Alejandro Rozovsky is much worse.

Now that I saw someone beautiful, I felt energized. I glanced at her teacher's uniform. She's a teacher, so I should be more mindful and respectful.

I understood what she said. Even though I grew up in Germany, we spoke German, English, and some Tagalog words at home.

"I'm sorry. I want to make it up to you. Uh, kids, who wants some ice cream?" I turned to her students as well.

Her eyes widened slightly. "Anong sinasabi mo na ice cream? Pauwi na ang mga bata."

"It's okay, teacher! I want ice cream, too!"

"Yes! Me, too!"

There were three students with her.

"Pero kailangan n'yo nang umuwi," she told her students.

She helped them cross the street, and parked just across was the car that would pick them up. The drivers were likely already waiting since they were right in front of the school. A traffic enforcer approached to check my driver's license.

My car was now parked on the side while we were talking. I saw the kids saying goodbye to their drivers, telling them they were going to have ice cream with me and their teacher. I smirked.

I'm not great with children, but I know they love sweets, especially ice cream.

In the end, they all came with me for ice cream, along with their teacher. I couldn't help but smirk more to myself.

I found myself sitting inside an ice cream parlor with her three pupils and their beautiful teacher.

"I want chocolate ice cream!" one said.

"Me, vanilla!" another chimed in.

"Mine is strawberry."

"All right, let's order everything," I said.

The kids seemed thrilled with me. They even brought their nanny and driver, so I ended up treating them all to ice cream.

"Uh, my name is Akhlas," I introduced myself while the kids busily enjoyed their ice cream.

"Isabeli..." she replied a bit timidly.

I smiled. What a pretty name. Can I call her Elie for short? It sounds cute.

"I'm Akhlas Mccrea Rozovsky." I said my full name.

She paused mid-bite of her ice cream and looked straight at me.

"Why? Does my name sound familiar to you?" I wondered if she knew any of my relatives here in the Philippines.

She shook her head. "No."

I nodded. It seemed she didn't know the Rozovskys yet.

Well, I'll properly introduce myself to her.

After the kids finished their ice cream, they thanked me and said goodbye to their teacher, heading home with their nannies and driver.

She waved to the nannies.

"Ingat po kayo," Isabeli said.

The kids' nanny smiled at her. "Mauna na po kami, teacher." They also smiled at me as they said their goodbyes.

Once they left, it was just the two of us. She turned to me. "My students were happy for your treat, but next time, be more mindful when you're driving."

I nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry about that."

She gave a slight nod.

"Oh. Let me take you home. Where do you live?"

She looked at me. I thought she might refuse, but she allowed me to drive her.

Inside the car, I tried to make conversation, and she responded, though I was doing most of the talking.

"Are you not from here?" she asked.

"Yes. I came from Germany. I grew up there." I answered.

She slowly nodded, looking ahead on the road. "Pero marunong kang mag-Tagalog?"

"Yes. We spoke English, German, and some Tagalog words at home."

She turned to me and nodded. I smiled at her, and she looked back at the front.

"Dito lang," she said as we arrived at a decent-looking house–her house.

"Salamat sa paghatid," she said, unbuckling her seatbelt and preparing to get out.

"Wait, can we meet again?" I didn't want to miss the chance.

Unlike my brother Alejandro, I don't just sleep around with anyone. I actually want something more meaningful. I've always quietly desired something deeper, like what my other siblings have, but I just haven't found it for myself–until now.

I saw her slowly nodding. A smile grew on my lips. I didn't know why I suddenly felt so excited.

"Thanks! I'll see you again tomorrow. Can I take you to school?"

"You'll come back early in the morning?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yes."

In the end, we agreed on that.

I returned to my hotel feeling happy. Ayaw ko na makaabala pa sa kapatid ko, kaya nag-stay na lang ako sa hotel kahit sinabi naman niya na pwedeng doon na lang ako sa bahay ng pamilya niya habang nandito pa ako sa bansa.

"Yes," I answered my brother's call.

"When are you coming back, Akhlas?"

"Not sure. I think I'll stay here longer than I planned."

"Oh. Really? Did something catch your attention there?"

I secretly smiled but didn't let him see it.

"Interesting..."

"I'll just call you again."

"You never called me, Akhlas."

"Well, I will soon. I'm just taking care of some business."

"In Ordnung (All right)."

Then I ended the video call and returned to my work on the laptop. I still had to manage my firearms business.

I learned to handle a gun from my brother, who loved shooting. He often took me to his activities, even when I didn't want to go. It was hard to refuse him. He's so persistent, especially when bored. I ended up developing an interest in guns, which led me to start my own business.

The next day, I arrived early to pick up Isabeli from her house. Her mom greeted me.

"Ikaw ba ang kaibigan ng anak ko? Halika, tuloy ka. Nagbibihis pa kasi siya. Sinabi nga niya sa akin kagabi na may kaibigan daw siyang magsusundo sa kaniya ngayon." Her mom smiled kindly at me.

I returned her smile and thanked her for welcoming me into their home.

I noticed several pictures of Isabeli in the living room. They lived in a humble but cozy home. I saw pictures of just the two of them, along with some old photos of an elderly woman probably her grandmother.

"Ang aga mo."

I stood up from the sofa when I saw her come out, dressed in her teacher's uniform.

"Good morning," I greeted her.

"Mag-almusal ka na rin muna kasama namin, hijo," her mom said.

"Uh..."

Isabeli nodded, and I felt a bit shy about joining them for breakfast. I hadn't eaten since I went straight to pick her up after getting ready.

After breakfast, we said goodbye to her mom and left.

"Kayo lang ba ng mom mo ang nakatira sa bahay n'yo?" I asked, curious. I hadn't been this interested in anything before. I usually didn't care unless it required my attention.

She looked at me, seated in the passenger seat. "Oo," she replied tersely, so I didn't press further. She might not want to discuss it.

"Your mom was kind to let me into your home," I said after a moment.

She looked at me again as I drove. "I introduced you as my friend. She trusts me."

I nodded.

Shortly after, we arrived at her school. We got there quickly, even though I had slowed down while driving.

"Salamat sa paghatid," she said in her gentle voice.

"You're welcome!" I smiled widely.

"Susunduin mo uli ako mamaya?" she asked with a smile.

Damn, her smile was gorgeous. She looked calm and beautiful, and I felt
that there was something truly special about her...

"Yes. I will," I replied quickly, not wanting to get lost in her beauty.

I had never appreciated a woman's beauty this way before. But Isabeli had a kind of beauty that felt special to me.

I was just about to ask her if I could pick her up later, but she had already asked me that herself.

"Okay."

We stood there for a moment in front of my car.

"Pero wala ka bang trabaho?"

"Oh. It's okay. I have a business in Germany, but I'm working on my laptop while I'm on vacation," I told her.

She nodded. "Okay. I don't know why you're doing this."

"Uh?" I smiled awkwardly. "Well," I scratched my nape, feeling shy. When did I ever feel shy like this? It wasn't like me.

"Are you... attracted to me, perhaps?" she asked directly.

My lips parted slightly as I looked at her. I realized that I was indeed attracted to her. From the first moment I saw her, I found her beautiful. She had a special kind of beauty that I had never seen before.

"Well, I think you guessed it right," I said. Tsk. I'm not usually like this. I suddenly felt excited and shy at the same time.

What the hell is happening to me? Maybe it's because she caught my attention. Just like my interest in guns, this feels like the same kind of excitement. It's probably that.

She smiled. "Okay. Kaya lang nagpapaligaw ako."

"Oh. All right."

"Kaya mo?" she asked.

I nodded. "Gagawin ko."

We held each other's gaze. I haven't tried courting a woman before, but I think I can do it for her. Because I want her.

But at that moment, I didn't question why this seemed to happen so fast...