Chapter 32

Primrose

Kumunot ang aking noo nang makarinig ako ng ingay galing sa kusina.

“Good morning, Primrose!” They greeted.

“Good morning."

Scanning the room, I realize that Loey was the only person that’s missing this morning. I sat on the head of the table as Kuya Eros put rice on my plate while Kuya Jinmin put ham and egg on it.

“Thank you.”

Hindi naging tahimik ang umagahan namin dahil sa daldal ng iba. I actually missed the noise while eating in this house. Sila lang talaga ang nagbibigay ingay dito sa bahay. I’m actually grateful for that. Kahit nga si manang sinasabi sa akin na sobrang natutuwa siya sa SBG, lalo na kina Baron. She even told me one time that she’s happy that I have them by my side, especially Loey, who did a great job of being a husband to me.

“Wow, ngayon na lang yata tayo nagkasabay ng day-off, ‘no?” tanong ni Baron sa iba.

They all nodded. Then Kuya Eros turned to me. “Sayang lang kasi busy si Loey. Siya lang ang kulang.”

I sipped on my drink before smiling at him. "Loey needs to wrap up the on-going project so it wouldn’t overlap with the upcoming preparation for the comeback.”

We talked for a minute before I got ready for work today. Kuya Jinmin, Nate, and Baron told me that they’ll visit their parents while the others will stay at home today, though Dred said that he’ll drop by the Empire later. May kailangan kasi siyang kausapin na isa sa comedian ng Empire.

“Primrose!”

I turned to Dredleigh. He was standing in front of the door.

“Loey said that he’ll go straight to the Empire later."

“Really? Okay."

"Ingat!"

I smiled and waved my hands. "Thank you! Ingat din mamaya sa pagpunta."

Loey got another project. He got another supporting role, but unlike the last drama, this one is a movie. As much as I don't want him to participate in that movie because he's with Karlin, Loey's manager already accepted the offer of letting Loey join in the theme song. So mas maganda na pati sa movie ay nandoon siya. Para din naman sa exposure niya iyon kaya naman hinayaan ko na lang din.

“Good morning, Miss President!”

Everyone bowed their heads. I gave them a slight nod before I walked straight inside my office and sat on my swivel chair. I stared at the ceiling for a moment. 

Another day and maybe, another issue that needs to be solved. Seriously, the past few days were hectic. The entertainment industry was loud and chaotic because of some endless rumors, scandals, and a blind item that didn't really look like a blind item. They were too detailed about the person they’re talking about.

My eyes drifted to the Iced Americano placed on my table. I looked up at Ate Alice. A smile plastered on her face. “Coffee for our dear CEO.” She sat on the chair in front of my desk. “By the way, some of the shareholders were asking if Loey and you still have no plans on having a child.”

Ate Alice laughed at me when the drink I’m holding almost slip on my grip. Mabuti na lang hindi pa ako umiinom at baka mabuga ko pa iyon sa kanya!

“What?”

“Prim, of course, they’ll be curious about you, having a child. You’re a married woman now.”

“What did you tell them then?” I inquired.

She tilted her head as if she was thinking about something, then she shrugged. “I told them that you’re not yet ready to be a mom. Though, I told them that maybe in the future they can expect a little Primrose or little Loey.”

“Ate!” I cried.

“What? They seem happy with my response so don’t worry about it.”

I rolled my eyes before returning my attention to the screen of my laptop. She laughed again before briefing me about my schedule for today. Akala ko nga ay aasarin niya pa ako, eh. Mabuti na lang na may mga kailangan din siyang asikasuhin kaya hindi na siya nagtagal sa opisina ko at bumalik na siya sa sarili niyang desk sa labas.

While reading some documents, my attention turned to Ate Alice when she entered my office again. She’s frowning as she embraced her tablet.

“We have a problem, Prim,” Ate Alice said.

I put the documents that I was reading down and let out a sigh. “What is it this time?”

She gave me her tablet and motioned me to read the article.

Halos ibato ko ang tablet lalo na nang mabasa ko ang title pa lang nito.

Karlin was found visiting Loey inside his van. Are the two secretly dating?

“Kailan ito?” tanong ko.

“Kagabi lang daw iyan sabi ng manager ng SBG. He confirmed that Karlin went inside their van, and as she requested, Mr. Riason got out of the car to give the two some privacy.”

My heart clenched. I inhaled deeply when I felt something building inside my chest.

“Privacy for what?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Sabi lang daw ni Karlin ay may kailangan siyang sabihin kay Loey na importante.” Ate Alice eyed me warily. "The fans got excited that they're congratulating the two even though it's still just a rumor."

My eyes closed tightly. I inhaled slowly through my nose and exhaled through my mouth.

“Call them to the conference room along with the PR team.”

She nodded before she left the office again to notify my husband, Karlin, and the team. We need to handle this properly. I placed my hand on my chest—calming the fast beating of my heart because of the emotion swirling in me. I hate dating scandals. What I hate the most was the fact that the fans may be enjoying the news about the two.

I reached for the bottle of water, gritting my teeth.

Ilang beses na yata akong huminga nang malalim pero ang bilis pa rin ng tibok ng puso ko na para bang may sakit ako rito. Hindi nakatulong na ilang oras pa bago matapos sa schedule sina Loey bago makarating dito. 

I have to trust him, right? It’s just a dating rumor and we all know that it’s not true. There’s no way he’ll enter a relationship while he’s still married. Everyone in my company knows that he’s already married to me, and even Karlin knows that. She shouldn’t have let the rumor happen.

My head snapped to the door when Dredleigh entered.

“Hey.”

He sat on the couch as he gave me a concerned look. I called Ate Alice and asked her to bring us some drinks before I stood and walked towards Dred, sitting on the couch across from him.

“I’m fine, Dred,” I smiled.

“Wala pa akong sinasabi.”

Napanguso ako. “I could tell that you’re here out of concern. You don’t have any reason to be here. It’s not like you’re visiting me because you miss me, lalo na’t nasa iisang bahay lang tayo, tapos magkasama lang din tayo kaninang umaga.”

This is what I love about them, they didn’t mind showing their concern to others. Just like now, Dred seems to have read the article spreading like wildfire on the internet. He walked inside the office earlier with a frown on his face.

He looked at me carefully before he leaned back and crossed his legs. “I bet the other members are cursing him already for letting it happen.”

“Come on, it’s not like he wanted this to happen,” I said.

“Why are you defending him?”

I pouted again. If he was serious earlier, this time, the ends of his lips curved into a smile as he stared at me, waiting for an answer.

“I’m not defending him,” I replied. “I’m just stating the fact, okay?”

He shook his head before we decided to just talk about his upcoming movie with the other well-known actors and actresses. The talk made me forget about my worries even just for a moment.

I’m really proud of Dredleigh’s dedication when it comes to his work. It’s actually not that easy for a singer to also be an actor. The schedules might overlap. Besides, people look down on their acting skills. Many would say that the singers should focus on their music because they can’t act like the others who were already used to that field.

A knock on the door interrupted us. Ate Alice went inside while holding two cups of coffee and placed them on the center table inside the office.

“Hi, Ate Alice,” Dred greeted.

“Hi, Dred!” she greeted back before turning to me. “Loey’s on his way here. Si Karlin naman ay may kailangan pang tapusin.”

I nodded. “Thank you, Ate.”

She stayed in the office for some minutes. She also asked Dred about his projects and even asked for a movie recommendation she could watch on her day-off.

When Dredleigh left, I took that chance to lay on the couch and just rest. Pakiramdam ko ay ubos na kaagad ang lakas ko dahil lang sa article tungkol kina Loey at Karlin. I realize that I need to be kind to myself and not overthink. I’m a CEO, so I should not let my emotion overwhelm me. I have to stay grounded as much as possible.

I didn’t notice that I was already sleeping until I felt that someone’s caressing my hair. Nang buksan ko ang mga mata ko ay kaagad nitong nahagip ang nakangiting lalaki na nakaupo sa sahig habang pinagmamasdan ako.

“This is the first time that you slept here, Primrose,” Loey said. “It’s a peaceful sight.”

Ilang beses akong kumurap at nang mapagtanto kong nakahiga ako habang ang isa naman ay nakangiti lang sa akin, mabilis ako umupo at inayos ang buhok ko na medyo nagulo.

He laughed before he moved and sat next to me.

Silence reigned inside the office. I thought he’ll talk when he sat but he became silent, glancing carefully to my side. I refused to look at him as I played with my fingers on my lap.

“Are you not going to ask why she’s there?” he asked, breaking the silence.

My clenched. “Should I? I already heard that Karlin needs to tell you something important, that’s why.”

He nodded and looked away. “Yeah, though she stayed longer than I expected.”

“Let’s talk about it later, okay?” I said. “Magpahinga ka muna riyan. I’ll just sign some documents while we wait for the others.”

I stood and walked back to my desk.

“Prim?”

“Yes?” I asked without looking at him.

“You don’t believe the rumor, right? It’s not like she’s there because I wanted to.”

Saglit akong natigil sa aking ginagawa habang diretso lang ang tingin ko sa mga papeles sa lamesa. “Don’t worry, I don’t believe in rumors easily. I’ll also hold on to the fact that you’re my husband.”

Isang ngiti ang sumilay sa aking labi habang pinagmamasdan ang payapa niyang mukha. Loey decided to take a nap while we waited for Karlin. It’s fine with me since I also need to busy myself with other things because I don’t want to overthink. I already know that it’s just a rumor, so I shouldn’t take it as a big deal.

My eyes turned to Ate Alice who peeked and mouthed me that Karlin’s here. Isang tango ang binigay ko sa kanya bago tumayo’t lumapit sa natutulog na Loey. I tapped him on his cheeks thrice.

“They’re already in the conference room,” I said when he opened his eyes.

He rubbed his eyes before he nodded and followed me.

Lahat ay napatingin sa amin nang pumasok kami ni Loey sa conference room. Saglit na kumunot ang noo ko nang mapansin ang pagtaas ng kilay ni Karlin habang nakatingin sa aming dalawa ni Loey.

What’s her deal?

I inhaled deeply before I sat on the chair next to Uncle Reylan. Loey followed and sat next to his manager. Karlin looked at him with a smile on her face. I looked away.

Uncle cleared his throat. “As you can see, everyone’s busy because of the calls we’re getting about the issue. Well, we all know that the rumor is not true since Loey is already married.”

“Bakit niyo pa kami pinatawag kung alam niyo naman pala ang totoo?” tanong ni Karlin. Mabilis siyang sinaway ng manager niya pero inirapan niya lang ito.

The attitude of this girl

“We want to ask for your opinions as to how to handle it,” I replied. “After all, your visit to Loey caused this to happen, Karlin. Why did you even visit him knowing that there might be some reporter hiding?”

“So bakit kasalanan ko?”

“Wala akong sinasabing kasalanan mo. I’m just saying that you should have been careful.”

She scoffed. “Come on, just say that you only care about Loey and I’m the one to blame for this scandal!”

“Karlin!” Loey shouted.

She glared at him before she crossed her arms on her chest and leaned against the chair. Hindi na siya nagsalita kaya naman humingi ng paumanhin sa akin ang manidyer niya. I nodded and turned to Uncle Reylan. He let out a deep sigh before clasping his hand and placed it on the table.

“Let me remind you that you’re still talking to your CEO, Karlin,” he said. “We’re not blaming you, but as an idol, you should know the risk when you went to Loey. Okay, I’m not going ask the reason for your visit to him, but let me ask your opinion of how we should handle the rumor between the two of you, which is obviously just a rumor.”

Sumulyap muna si Karlin kay Loey at sa akin bago tumingin kay uncle. “Let’s do nothing about it.”

Mabilis na tumaas ang kilay ko sa naging sagot niya. I bit my lips to calm myself. I know I shouldn’t take this personally and every word that I’ll say might only cause a misunderstanding just like earlier. Well, I have to admit that I’m not just being a CEO but I’m also being a wife.

She turned to me and smiled. “Rumor like this can be used as an advantage for our upcoming project, right? Besides, using the dating rumor for our benefit is just normal in this industry, don’t you think so, Miss President?”

Lahat sila ay napatingin sa akin. Hindi ako kaagad nakapagsalita dahil kailangan kong timbangin ang sasabihin ko, lalo na’t alam ko naman na may punto ang sinabi ni Karlin. Still, I felt heavy inside. Should I just let the people assume that my husband is dating Karlin? I know that they don’t know about me, but will I be okay with that?

“Well you have a point,” I admitted. “Anong masasabi ng PR team?”

“I agree with Karlin, Miss President. We can use the dating rumor as a marketing strategy since they have an upcoming project together.”

I don’t like it but what can I do? I’m also the CEO of the Empire. I should think about what’s good for my artist.

But then, do I really have to experience what I experienced before?

****