Chapter 39

                                    

                                          
THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION
•errors ahead
•wrong grammar
•taglish
• This is a work of fiction, names, characters, events, incidents, and location are only the products of the author's imagination or have been used in fictitious manner. any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, and event's are entirely coincidence, if you found some mistakes or grammatical errors, improper used of works kindly correct it to me. Thank you.




Chapter 39



Aiah Arceta.





The night event was in full swing, the venue glowing with warm lights as people mingled and glasses clinked. Kakatapos ko lang sa runway, and while I should've been basking in the afterglow of the applause, my mind was elsewhere.




I held a glass of champagne, pretending to listen to my manager talk about upcoming campaigns, pero hindi ko maiwasang mag-scan ng paligid. My eyes searched for a familiar face-o baka isa lang talaga akong tanga na naghahanap ng isang taong hindi dapat pinag-aaksayahan ng atensyon.




Then I saw them.





Mikha and Sophia Laforteza.






Sophia was leaning a little closer than necessary, clearly enjoying the conversation. Mikha, on the other hand, looked calm, her usual composed self, pero may kakaibang ngiti siyang ipinapakita-hindi yung normal na 'agent mode' niya.






Parang may sumikip sa dibdib ko. Alam kong wala naman akong karapatan, but seeing them like that-Sophia smiling at Mikha as if she owned her attention-hindi ko napigilan ang sarili ko. Jealousy was a strange, suffocating feeling, and I was drowning in it.







My grip on my glass tightened. What are they even talking about?






Bago ko pa napigilan ang sarili ko, lumapit na ako. My heels clicked against the polished floor, every step fueled by this strange mix of frustration and something I didn't want to admit.






"Hi," I said as I finally reached them, my voice sharper than I intended.






Both of them turned to look at me. Miss Sophia's smile widened, habang si Mikha naman ay parang nanatiling impassive, pero hindi ko ma-miss ang slight arch ng kilay niya. 





"Aiah," Miss Sophia greeted, her tone warm and friendly. "I was just telling Mikha here about how impressive your walk was tonight. You were stunning."






I forced a smile. "Thanks. Didn't know you two were close."





"Ah," Miss Sophia said with a soft laugh. "We're not, really ang tipid nga niya sumagot. But I invited her to have a chat earlier since I'm interested in her background pa rin. She's quite impressive too, you know."





"Oh, I know," I said, my eyes flickering to Mikha. "She's full of surprises.'






Mikha met my gaze, her expression unreadable. Pero ang nakakainis, she didn't say anything-hindi man lang nag-attempt na magpaliwanag.






"Well, if you'll excuse me," Miss Sophia said, her smile as charming as ever. "I need to speak with one of the sponsors. Aiah, you were amazing tonight. Mikha, don't forget our date."





As she walked away, naiwan kaming dalawa ni Mikha. There was a heavy silence between us, one I wasn't sure how to break.





"Miss Laforteza seems... interested in you," I finally said, trying to keep my tone neutral but failing miserably.