Money has all the power to give anyone the means to live. But sometimes, it is what will lead you to your own grave.

I roamed my eyes around the place. I wonder how much all these things costs.

The dim light from the chandeliers reflected the color beige, complementing the black theme, with a minimal white highlight, of the whole place. From the interiors, drapes, chairs, tables down to the cutleries, were all screaming power and elegance. 

What do I expect? Zaldivar will always be a Zaldivar. Hindi pa ito ang kasal. What more when the wedding comes.

The euphonious and a bit romantic melody coming from the violin made me ecstatic as I stared at the violinists in line from both sides of the venue.

The guests were all in their formal attire. It's them who gave other colors to the venue. Without the guests, all will be black and beige.

"I know a place, Miss." Lumipat ang aking mga mata sa aking harapan nang marinig ang kausap. He introduced hisself as Ranulf. "Don't you want—" 

"Rieselle." A voice from behind called, cutting Ranulf's words. 

I pressed my lips and gave an apologetic smile from the man in front of me. "I'm really sorry. You see, I can't take your offer. I have a boyfriend, Ranulf."

"Rieselle, who are you talking to?"

"I'll go ahead. I'm sorry." I bowed a bit and turned my back on him even before my mother reached me.

Pagharap sa kabilang direksyon ay sinalubong ko si Mommy. Hinabol niya ng tingin ang lalaking nakausap ko ngunit agad ko ng hinaranggan iyon. 

"Mommy." A soft voice escaped from my lips.

Her eyes bore unto me. Marahan siyang nagpakawala ng malalim na hininga. I shifted my weight when her stare lasted longer. "W–what's wrong?" 

Tikom ang bibig niya akong nginitian. "You really grew up already. Parang kailan lang, ako pa ang nagpapaligo sa 'yo. Now look, you're now a fine lady."

I timidly shook my head. "Don't make me cry, Mommy." 

"I still can't believe that my daughter will soon leave us."

My lips parted and I chuckled. "Mom, I won't leave–" 

"Oh, come on," she breathily replied while sighing. "One of these days you'll start living with Chaos."

Natigilan ako at napalabi. 

Mommy gave me a playful stare before chuckling. "Enough of this. Have you seen him?" 

"Not ye–" Natigilan ako nang makita ang bulto ng lalaki sa likuran ni Mommy. 

The man my mother's pertaining to is now behind her, wearing his black coat and champagne dress shirt underneath, complementing the champagne colored mermaid cut gown I'm wearing.

I pressed my lips as I stared at his naturally dark and piercing eyes. His thick brows, imperious nose and protruding jaw made him more intimidating. 

But not for me. 

Umayos ako ng tayo at nananantyang inangat ang gilid ng aking mga labi.

"Oh! Chaos!" Lingon ni Mommy sa kanyang likuran nang mapansing napako roon ang aking mga mata.

"Good evening, Tita," he formally greeted. His rough voice echoed a bit.

"Good evening." Malugod namang bumati pabalik si Mommy. "I'll leave you both so you two can talk," she instantly stated like she knew there's something to talk about between us.

Hindi na siya nag-abalang hintayin pa na may sumagot sa amin ni Chaos at basta na lamang kaming tinalikuran. My eyes followed her until she vanished in the crowd.

As I withdrew my gaze from the direction my mother took, that's when I met the eyes of my boyfriend… fiance rather. I inwardly smirked at the thought. 

Christopher Carlos Zaldivar, looking expensive as always, is standing in front of me, intensely staring. Titig na titig at tila nanghihigop ang mga mata.

Hindi ko mabilang kung ilang segundo o inabot ba ng ilang minuto ang pagtitig niya sa akin. Habang tumatagal ay palakas nang palakas ang tibok ng aking puso, not because he's in front of me… or maybe...

"Chaos," I whispered. "Is t–there a prob–" 

He took a step forward, eating the distance between us. "I missed you." 

"O–oh!" I forced a chuckle. I'm sure relief is evident in my face. Dahilan kung bakit agad ko siyang nginitiian.

"You're… stunning," he added.

The smile in my lips widened in a reserved manner. "Thank you," I replied using a small voice, still recovering and trying to calm myself. 

His hand crawled on my waist. Marahan lang iyong humagod at hindi rin nagtagal na magkadikit ang aming mga balat. "And you dyed your hair."

My blond, near gray hair is in loose curls tied in a low ponytail, cascading down the middle of my bare back. "Hmm. D–don't you like it?"

I licked the lower part of my perfectly shaped lips, tasting the nude shade of lipstick that I applied earlier. I looked at him with a soft expression in my brown eyes. 

Muli niyang pinasadahan ng tingin ang aking buhok, tila sinusuri iyon. Then he shook his head. "I love it more. I love you," he stated while his were fixed on me.

At bago pa ako makasagot ay agad ng nalunod ang aking boses dahil sa kanyang ama.

"Let us all welcome, the soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Carlos Zaldivar!" I heard his father announce. The crowd applauded while the violinists seemed to be hitting the high notes of the violin.

"They're calling us, h-hon," untag ko. Hindi na ako nag-abalang sagutin pa ang huling sinabi niya. "Let's go," I whispered and gently clung in his arm. 

Marahan ko na siyang hinila patungo sa direksyon kung nasaan ang ama niya dahil mulhang wala siyang balak na gumalaw sa kinatatayuan.

The usherette approached us and lead the way towards the stage.

The reserved smile in my lips remained intact while nodding in every guest that made an eye contact with me.

The stage was elevated a bit from the ground. Nang tumapat kami roon ay tila noon lang natauhan si Chaos. He removed my hands from him. 

I questionably eyed him. Because I didn't get it at first but his hand landed on my back, while the other one held my hand to guide me as I stepped on the stair. 

"Careful," he reminded.

"Thank you," I softly muttered while carefully controlling the emotion in my face.

Aero Zaldivar, Chaos's father handed us both a wine glass as soon as we got in the stage. Malugod kong tinanggap iyon at nagpasalamat.

We remained standing beside each other. Chaos started his speech. First, for the merging of our family's company and lastly on our engagement. Hindi na ako nagsalita at ipinaubaya na sa kanya ang lahat. 

All I did was smile and sometimes nod when I agreed on what my fiance's saying.

His hand encircled on my waist the moment he declared a toast. He leaned to reach my ear and started whispering. "Anyway, you're not answering my calls. I missed you, hon." 

Hindi na ako nag-abalang lingunin pa siya. "I'm busy," I nonchalantly answered using a tone devoid of any emotion.

I elegantly raised my wine glass for a toast while looking at the crowd, a smile plastered on my face. But I felt him stilled beside me. 

Doon ko natanto kung ano ang lumabas mula sa aking bibig. Palihim akong luminga sa paligid. I let out a deep sighed.

Unti-unti kong naibaba ang kamay na may hawak na wine glass. The smile I formed for the crowd wavered. I cleared my throat and turned my eyes on him. Lumamlam ang aking mga mata. I apologetically tugged the side of my lips. "I'm sorry, hon. I'm just preoccupied the past few days," paliwanag ko gamit ang malambing ngunit problemadong boses.

The things in my mind's piling up like a heavy workload. Hindi ko na alam kung ano ang uunahin kong problemahin. 

Though, I shouldn't let those bother me especially right now. I need to focus on my engagement and of course, to my fiance, Chaos.

I felt him gently caressed my waist. "We'll talk later, huh?" 

I suddenly remember, this is the first time we met since our engagement almost failed. The last talk about that topic only made the situation worse. But I'll make sure we'll fix it this time. I won't ruin this.

Tumango ako at sandaling humilig sa kanyang balikat. 

We left the stage and started greeting the guests like a newly married couple.

Isa-isa naming nilibot ang bawat mesa kung nasaan ang mga bisita.

I once caught Ranulf, the guy earlier, looking at us like he wants to go and talk to me but he can't. Nag-iwas na lamang ako ng tingin.

Agad iyong nawala sa aking isip nang huminto kami sa table kung saan naroon ang mga pinsan ni Chaos. This is the last table. Hindi ko alam kung sinadya ni Chaos na ihuli ang table ng mga pinsan niya dahil nasa bandang unahan naman iyon. 

Though some guests were still approaching us. 

Pito ang naroon sa table na pawang mga pinsan niya, apat na babae at tatlong lalaki. They are all Chaos's cousin in his father side, the Zaldivars. Two seats were vacant in that table like those were reserved for us. 

He pulled the chair for me, just beside his cousin who smiled at me. I smiled back. Habang ang upuan sa aking tabi ang siyang inokupa ni Chaos.

He introduced them all as this is the first time I met them. I've seen them before though.

"Zaldivar is indeed a big family," I hesitantly commented. 

"Ah! Really?" Nangingiting sagot ni Harmony sa aking kumento. "We're actually incomplete, right now. What more when all are here?"

"Are you into partying?" Chaos's cousin asked. If I'm not mistaken, she's an actress. I'm not fond of watching television, it's just that, she's really a known actress and a model too. Her face is not new as it was always displayed on billboards.

"You know, at least once a month, we're all going out just to bond, mostly at clubs but don't be too loud about it.'' She roamed her eyes before continuing, this time her voice is a bit lower. "Auntie Margielle and the others would freak out when they learned what we're doing. Pare-pareho kaming pagbabawalan kapag nagkataon. Wala namang masama sa ginagawa namin. So you can come with us. Kasama naman si Chaos–"

"Peony," saway ni Chaos sa sunod-sunod na salita ng aktres. "She's not into partying. She can come with us but not when we're going to clubs."

Tipid ko silang binigyan ng ngiti. "P–pwede naman akong sumama." 

"Not when you're uncomfortable to do so."

Chaos… know his fiancee well.

I bit my lower lip and just smiled at them to end the conversation or to at least divert the attention.

Hindi naman ako nabigo dahil agad na nabaling ang usapan, lalo na noong may dumating na panauhin sa aming lamesa. He got the Zaldivars' attention so he must be important. 

I reached for Chaos's hand under the table and held it to get his attention. "I'll just go to the restroom." 

"Let's go," sagot niya sabay tayo sa kinauupuan. Dahilan kung bakit muling nabaling sa aming ang atensyon ng mga nasa mesa.

"No need, hon. I can manage."

"I'll just–"

"Chaos." Guerdon, his cousin, cutted his words. 

"What?" He frowned at his cousin. 

"For once, let your woman go. Unless you want her to slip off your hand due to your tight grip?" Unti-unting sumilay ang ngisi sa mga labi ni Guerdon nang makita ang reaksyon ni Chaos.

"Based on experience, Kuya?" The woman beside me taunted, making Guerdon's smirk vanish. The others started teasing Guerdon. 

Muli kong kinarap si Chaos na ngayon ay marahan ng bumabalik sa kanyang kinauupuan. 

"I thought you'd come with me?" I nibbled my lower lip, suppressing a genuine chuckle coming out of my lips. 

His eyes narrowed as he tilted his head a bit. "Now you know how to tease."

"H–huh?" Tila walang alam na tanong ko. "I was just asking," I smiled.

It took me a while before I finally reached the restroom because of some guests who approached me. Ngunit nasa bungad pa lamang ako ng restroom ay hindi na ako tuluyang nakapasok dahil sa narinig.

"If only the Serranos weren't a family friend, I'll ask Mama not to push through the engagement." I stopped hearing an elegant yet unfamiliar voice of a woman. 

"And if I were Cecille? I won't let that woman marry Chaos," the voice continued. It didn't sink in at first but the mention of the name of Chaos and his mother made it dawned on me that whoever this woman is, she's pertaining to me.

"What's wrong with Rieselle? She's a fine lady, a good one. And she came from a family friend." A different voice of a woman stated using a suggestive tone. It was a soft voice but still managed to give a hint of authority.

I leaned on the wall to hide myself. I have no intention to listen but it's me they're talking about. 

"Hindi ba, iyon ang gusto mo para sa anak mo? Or maybe you want Rieselle for your son?"

"For my son?" May panunuyang sambit ng babae. "Stop your delusions. That woman is too good to be true. Mukhang nasa loob ang kulo. Can't you see?"

W–what? 

"What if the Serranos are planning something? The merging of both companies happened because of Chaos and that Serrano's engagement–"

"Matagal ng may relasyon ang dalawa, Margielle. And it's not your son who's marrying Rieselle. Just let the kids. Besides, this is not a good place to talk about that."

"I was just saying."

The clicking sound from the stilettos made me shift my weight. Noon ko natantong papalabas na ang dalawa. My heart raced as I glanced behind and realized there's no other place to hide.

Sa muling pagharap ko ay nakatigil na ang dalawa habang nasa akin ang mga mata. I bit my lower lip and lowered my gaze.

"Oh! Rieselle?" 

Bahagya akong nag-angat ng tingin. 

"M–Ma'am," I stuttered as I tried to equal Cello Zaldivar's gaze. The only woman among the six Zaldivar siblings. 

Beside her is Margielle Zaldivar, wife of Cello's brother, who was taken aback the moment she realized I've heard what she said.

"Have you—" 

I turned to Margielle Zaldivar. "Hindi ko po alam kung bakit... nasabi niyo ang mga iyon. I–I'm sorry if it looks like my f–family have other intentions." I held and fidgeted my fingers. "Mahal ko po si Chaos. W–wala po akong—"

I bowed my head as Margielle Zaldivar walked away, ignoring my words.

"Margielle!" mariing tawag ni Cello ngunit hindi na lumingon pa ang ginang.

I tried to remember who among the Zaldivars is Margielle's husband but I can't. The Zaldivar is a big family that it was difficult to memorize who's who. 

I waited for Cello to go too but she didn't. Nag-angat ako ng tingin nang maramdaman ko ang marahan niyang paghawak sa aking braso. "I'm sorry about what you heard, hija. Kung maaari ay huwag mo na lang sanang isipin iyon. It doesn't matter what her opinion is. Dahil kayo ni Chaos ang magsasama at magpapakasal."

I let the corner of my lips hesitantly rose for a smile. "No problem, Ma'am. Naiintindihan ko po si Ma'am Margielle."

She winced upon hearing how I addressed her. "You should call me tita. I'm your fiance's aunt. Parang pamangkin na rin kita. And please, don't mind Margielle."

I cleared my throat and gave her a small nod. "A–alright, Tita."

"I'll go ahead then." Malugod siyang ngumiti sa akin. "And welcome to the family."

I chew my lower lip as I slightly bowed my head. "Thank you." 

Bakas ang ngiti sa aking mga labi habang hinahabol ng tingin ang papalayong bulto ni Cello Zaldivar. 

But the moment she went out of my sight, unti-unting nawala ang matamis na ngiti sa aking mga labi. My lips turned into a grim line while my brow rose upon remembering what I heard from Margielle. 

These Zaldivars really can't stop getting into my nerves. 

__________