Chapter 2

Primrose

Whenever I think about growing up, there's a mixed feeling of excitement and fear. Yes, there are things I can do which I couldn't when I was a teenager. However, I know that there are also responsibilities that could drain me.

Kagaya na lang ngayon, wala pa akong planong pumasok ulit sa isang relasyon pero para lang sa kompanya ay mukhang kailangan kong sumugal.

"Your artists are suffering, Primrose, and since you don't have a boyfriend and you have no plans of finding one, Mr. Lee suggested that he'll just find you a husband which will only last for a year and a month more or less," Ate Alice said as she combed my hair with a hairbrush.

We're inside my room, preparing for the lunch date with my uncle and someone he said he would like me to meet.

"Paano kapag artist rin ang nahanap niya?" I asked in a low tone, "You know that I don't want to marry a celebrity."

It's been two weeks since uncle Reylan visited. Sa dalawang linggo na iyon ay gulong-gulo ang isip ko, hindi alam kung anong gagawin ko lalo na sa kondisyon na pagpapakasal.

Noong una ay pumayag naman siyang bigyan ako ng oras para pag-isipan ito kaso wala pang isang linggo ay may panibagong mga isyu na namang kinaharap ang E Entertainment. Of course, I can't let my uncle destroy my father's company! He did so much for the sake of the artists under the E Entertainment and no one, not even his own brother should dare to harm and destroy them!

Ate Alice clapped, "You're really pretty! Bagay talaga iyong binili kong baby pink na dress."

I giggled, "You really know what's best for me."

"Will you trust me if I say that I think that it's also the best for you to meet the guy–celebrity or not?"

I rolled my eyes dramatically, "That's why I'm dressed right now, right?"

She shook her head and laughed.

Siguro nga mas mabuti na rin itong mangyayari. I mean, I don't want to marry someone for convenience. Isa pa, kung celebrity nga ito, am I not forcing him or stealing his chance to find his own person that he will love and cherish? Kaso, parang wala naman na rin talaga akong choice.

Sumasakit din ang ulo ko tuwing iniisip kung anong magiging rason ng isang tao para pumayag na pakasalan ako. I don't want to be judgemental but I think the past really left a deep scar in me, knowing that there are people who will do everything for something that's definitely beneficial. Well, I'll also be one of those people since I agreed on marrying someone for my benefit, so it sucks.

Ate Alice patted me on my shoulder when we arrived at the restaurant, "Be good, okay?"

Tumango ako sa kanya. Mabait naman ako pero dahil siguro sa nangyari noon ay parang nagbago rin nang kaunti ang personalidad ko, alam nina ate Alice iyon kaya rin naging maingat sila sa akin noon.

My jaw dropped as soon as I saw the people waiting for me inside the VIP room. Yes, people! There were nine men inside the room including uncle Reylan!

He shook his head while grinning. What the hell?

"Tatayo ka lang ba riyan, Primrose?"

"Huh?"

Nakita kong natawa ang ibang nasa silid, kaya naman mabilis akong yumuko bilang pagbati sa kanila bago umupo sa gilid ni uncle Reylan at tumabi sa isang lalaki.

Halos nanlaki ang aking mga mata nang makita kung sino ang nasa harap ko.

"We meet again," he smiled.

I nodded shyly, while the others are looking at us, confused. Hindi ko alam kung anong mararamdaman ko lalo na't sigurado akong isa sa kanila ang aking mapapangasawa. Pwede pa naman siguro akong umatras, 'di ba?

Uncle Reylan coughed, "It looks like you two know each other, huh? Makes it easy."

I frowned, "What do you mean?"

He shrugged, "First, let me introduce to you the SBG! Well, sila na pala magpapakilala sa sarili nila, kahit alam ko naman na kilala mo na talaga sila."

He grinned and winked at me that's why I couldn't help but glared at him. I know what he's doing! Hindi sa ayokong malaman nilang fan nila ako pero hindi talaga ako sanay na magpakilala na ganoon, lalo na at future boss nila 'ko! Bakit nga ba pati sa harap ni uncle ay nag fan girl ako noon?

Uncle Reylan turned to the person beside me and nodded.

The guy smiled. He's handsome with his brown hair that matches his pale skin. Hindi siya ganoon katangkad kung tutuusin, ngunit maganda ang kanyang katawan. Alam kong halos lahat ay nagwawala para lang makita siyang mag topless.

He clasped his hand, "So, we're the SBG of E Entertainment. We debuted eight years ago. SBG has nine members, but due to some issues, one of our members is currently taking a break," he explained. "Anyways, my name is Eros Resuello, the leader of SBG."

Eros offered his hand which I accepted and shook it.

"By the way, you can call me and kuya Jinmin as well, kuya. You don't have to call the other members that. Just treat them casually even though they're older than you," he added.

Tumango naman ako't ngumiti sa kanya. Lahat sila ay mas matanda sa akin ng ilang taon pero mas malaki ang agwat nina kuya Eros at kuya Jinmin sa akin, kaya siguro sila nalang ang kailangan kong tawaging kuya. Gosh, it's a bit awkward to call them like that as a fan actually, mostly as a boss!

The guy next to Kuya Eros coughed before turning to me, "Hello, I'm Nathan Wu, the youngest member of SBG. You can call me by my stage name which is Nate. I'm the lead dancer and rapper."

Compared to kuya Eros, Nate is taller than him. Plus, Nate is a bit skinny but they have the same skin color. He may be the youngest but he acts like he's older than the other members. Besides, he really looks matured with his black hair. He often looks serious and well, snobbish. 

But they said that, despite his cold appearance, he's actually a shy guy.

Then the person sitting beside him stood. A soft giggle escaped my lips, mahaba kasi ang aming table at hindi ko na gaano makita ang katabi ni Nathan kaya rin siguro siya tumayo. Well, isa siya sa medyo maliit sa grupo.

He smiled widely and waved his hand. He's such a cutie! To think that he's the oldest pa, ha? "I'm Jinmin Kim! Lead rapper, vocalist, and the big brother of SBG!"

I giggled with that. When the others turned to me, I just shrugged. Ang cute kasi talaga niya! Lalo na with his brown hair and sparkly eyes. Hindi ko nga alam kung bakit rapper nila ang bias ko at hindi siya, eh. He's a sub rapper naman.

The member sitting at the end of the table like uncle Reylan scratched the back of his head, "I'm Kaito Lim, the main dancer of SBG and the second youngest. My stage name is Kai."

After he introduced himself, Kaito brushed his greasy blonde hair with his hand. He's skinny like Nate, matangkad din siya at matured din ang itsura niya. Sa kanilang lahat, si Kai lang ang moreno.

Just like earlier, I just nodded, acknowledging their presence. I may be calm outside, but inside, I was about to explode from happiness, being near and being able to talk to the SBG felt like I was just dreaming! Still, I'm nervous to find out who among them will be my future husband.

Dumapo ang tingin ko sa taong nasa gilid ni Kai. Siya ang tahimik at kanina pa tumatango lang habang nagpapakilala ang ibang miyembro.

Dark circles were apparent around his eyes. Hindi siya payat pero hindi rin siya mataba, sadyang mapapansin lang na may laman ang kanyang katawan hindi kagaya ng ibang members ng SBG.

"Hey, kuya Dred, it's your turn."

Dred turned to me and blinked, "Oh right, my name is Dredleigh Blaise and Dred is my stage name. I'm one of the main vocalists." His voice was whole and deep which is manly. Though it sounded like he didn't have an emotion when he introduced himself.

"My name is Dredleigh," the guy with white hair mimicked him. Mabilis naman siyang hinampas ng taong ginagaya.

The members laughed, while uncle Reylan and I couldn't help but shook our head with a smile on our face.

Dati napapanuod ko lang ang mga kulitan nila pero ngayon ay nasa harap ko na sila nagkukulitan, para bang halos lahat ng problema ko ay nawala.

The white hair guy then turned to me and smiled cutely, "Hello! Am I cute?"

"What's that?" the other protested. The room suddenly filled with complaints. He ignored all of it and just stared at me. Can I say that he looks like a baby with the way he smiles?

I wasn't sure if he was acting cutely or it's just normal. Either way, I just nodded in response.

His smile grew wider, "My name is Baron Byul. I'm one of the main vocalists of SBG and the cutest member!"

Eros shook his head, "Main vocalist siya, that's it. Also, he's the shortest member in the group and that's a fact."

"Hey! You're so mean kuya Eros!" Baron pouted at their leader. 

True, alam ko na madalas siya ang inaasar pagdating sa height dahil halata ito lalo na kapag itinabi siya sa pinakamatangkad sa kanila. He would definitely look like a squishy person!

Ngumuso lalo si Baron dahil sinaway na siya ng iba pa, lalo na ni Dred na handa na yata siyang kurutin.

"Hi!" the guy with black hair greeted like he's hitting a high note, "I'm Matteo Zhong. Matt is my stage name and one of the main vocalists of SBG. Nice meeting you!"

He gave me a friendly smile. I saw a piercing on his left ear. He has a sharp jawline and his lips shaped like a heart. Just like Kaito, he also has blonde hair.

"The pleasure is mine," I replied.

They all fell in silence when the guy in front of me coughed. He still has this charming aura even though he's a giant, like seriously, he's the tallest in the group! He's also cute but also manly. Why am I attracted to him the first time I watched their videos?

"I'm Loey Parker, well, you know about me already, right?" He smirked. "The rapper of SBG and..."

"Your future husband."

My eyes blinked. For a moment I couldn't help but stare at him, stunned with what he just said.

I may be their fangirl, but as I've said before, I don't want to marry a celebrity!

Hindi madaling pakalmahin ang puso kong nagwawala dahil kay Loey. I mean, he's my favorite member! Noong napanuod ko ang isang music video nila, si Loey na ang nakapukaw sa aking pansin kahit na kaunti lang ang exposure niya roon. To be honest, I only watched their other videos because of him. But I found myself loving the whole group.

"I'm Primrose Foster," I introduced myself. Then, I turned to Loey and cleared my throat, "Future husband? Pumayag ba ako?"

My eyes caught how Loey shook his head to uncle Reylan when uncle was about to say something. I didn't know that someone can actually stop the Vice-President from saying even just a word!

He then leaned back on his seat as he crossed his arms, "Ayaw mo ba sa akin?" Just like how he portrayed himself in the entertainment industry, he looks like a lost sheep when he's asking a question.

I avoided having eye contact with him that's why I pretended to play the glass of water I'm holding before saying, "What do you think?"

He frowned at first, then he grinned widely, "I don't know." He shrugged, "But then, I remembered a girl who was surprised when she saw me. She even blushed. I think she's one of our fans."

My cheeks heated. This guy! Kapag wala talagang camera ay may mga ibang ugali silang pinapakita sa ibang tao. Alam ko naman na minsan ay gusto nilang pinupuri ang kanilang sarili, pero kailangan ba talagang ipaalala iyong nangyari noong nakaraan?

"Bakit nadamay sa usapan iyong babaeng nakakita sa 'yo?" kumunot ang noo ni Baron doon.

"Ask her."

Their attention turned to me. When I shrugged, Loey chuckled, shaking his head as if I did something amusing. Is he showing me the real him or what? He's kinda annoying right now! Alam ko naman na isa siya sa mahilig mang-asar kaso ngayon niya pa lang ako nakilala.

"I'm sorry but I don't think I can marry a celebrity, most especially an artist under my company," I said straightforwardly.

"Why not?"

Before I could even answer, uncle Reylan interrupted, "Your uncle wanted to cancel all their projects for the month, including their preparations for their comeback. Since they needed help, I approached the SBG."

A sigh escaped from his lips, "I explained to them your situation and the condition of your father, Primrose. I know you don't want to be with a celebrity, but I can only trust our artist."

I remained silent. Alam niya ang dahilan kung bakit ayoko na makipagrelasyon sa taong nasa entertainment industry, alam niya kung paano ako nasaktan ng isang tao mula rito.

"To be honest, at first they didn't want to accept my proposal just like you, however, we can't just ignore the fact that your uncle is out of our control. That's why Loey volunteered to marry you if that's the only way for you to take over the company," he explained.

I get his point. I was guilty to not appreciate his help because of a personal reason and letting my emotion overwhelm me. If I wanted to help them, I should just accept Loey, right?

"Don't worry, I just really want us, SBG and the other artists under your company to be safe, at alam natin na hindi kami magiging ligtas kapag si Mr. Foster pa rin ang nagpapatakbo sa kompanya mo," Loey interrupted. "I don't have any ulterior motives or whatsoever. So I hope that there won't be any misunderstanding between us, Ms. Foster."

I shook my head, "No, I'm sorry if I offended you. It's just that... You also need to live your life and find a person whom you will want to marry with all your heart."

Uncle chuckled, "Celebrity or not, iyan din siguro ang sasabihin mo. Prim, it's not like we'll force the two of you. You still have control over this matter. I decided to give you time to get to know each other anyways."

I shrugged, "I don't think we still have time for that though."

Kaya nga ako pumayag dahil hindi na namin alam kung anong plano ni uncle sa kompanya, eh. Paano pa kami magsasayang ng oras para lang magkakilala pa kami ni Loey?

Matt raised his hand, I gestured him to speak which he did, "Even though you're not yet the CEO, don't you have a power even just a little to help your artists? I mean, nasabi na kasi noon ni Mr. Lee na gumagawa ka ng paraan para maayos ang mga isyu noon kahit patago lang."

Uncle Reylan smiled, "I think you can still help them, Prim. Besides, you'll act like a real couple in front of the board. Hindi nila gustong magpakasal ka para lang sa posisyon, nakasaad din iyon sa kondisyon ng iyong ama."

He massaged his temple, "They have the final say as they observed your marriage life, kaya mas magandang magkakilala muna kayo ni Loey kaysa mabuking na pinakasalan mo lang siya para sa posisyon. Isa pa, hindi rin magandang malaman ito ng iba, mawawala ang respeto nila sa inyong dalawa."

I heaved a deep sigh. Hell, I forgot about that!

When I didn't say a word, Loey raised his hand, "I think it's better for me to court her first."

My heart skipped a beat. What the hell is he saying?

*****