"Let him go?" Kunot-noong tanong ni Grand. "What do you mean by that, Mrs. Daria?"
Huminga ng malalim ang ginang. "Ryu may not be back for a long time. Ang totoo'y hindi ko alam kung babalik pa siya. Napakalaking suliranin ang pinagdadaanan ngayon ng pamilya at iyon lang ang maaari kong sabihin sa inyo."
Grand smirked. "It's fine if you don't tell us. I can easily pay people to investigate and provide information within twenty-four hours." Tumalikod na ito. "Let's go. We are wasting our time here."
"Grand—wait," tawag ni Luna na nagpahinto kay Grand sa pagbukas ng pinto ng opisina. Lumingon ito sa kaniya.
Ibinalik ni Luna ang pansin kay Mrs. Daria. "If Ryu left because of me, I wanted to say that I'm deeply sorry. At kung gusto niyang umiwas sa akin, ay naiintindihan ko. Pero sana ay iparating ninyo sa kaniya na humihingi ako ng tawad at na sana ay hindi nadadamay ang mga kaibigan niya."
Umiling ang ginang. "Ryu-kun maybe hurt, but he didn't leave because of you, Luna-chan." Muli ay pino itong ngumiti at inabot ang kamay niya.
"I've known Ryu-kun since he was a little boy. And believe me, he is the kindest, sweetest, and most genuine boy I have ever met in my entire life. Sa maraming pagkakataon ay nagugulat na lang ako dahil biglang yayakap sa akin at magsasabing mahal niya ako next to his mom. At sa tuwing dumadalaw dito sa restaurant ay laging may dalang munting regalo o pasalubong sa lahat. He's very friendly and everybody loves him.
Ito ang unang pagkakataong nag-kwento siya sa amin ng tungkol sa babaeng gusto niya sa school, and whenever he told us how his day went without you yelling at him, we could see joy in his eyes. Until... three weeks ago, everything changed."
Three weeks ago? The day I pushed him away...
"He was sad and lonely. Ilang araw siyang nagmukmok sa bahay nila. Isang araw ay bumisita ako at nagkita kami. He told me about his plans of pursuing you again when he comes back to school. Sinabi niyang gagawa siya ng paraan para bawiin ng school commitee ang suspension niya at kakausapin ka niyang muli at papatunayan sa iyong siya lang ang nararapat para sa iyo," Mrs. Daria smiled sadly. "Ryu Donovan has no plan of giving up on you, Luna. Very persistent, isn't he?"
Nanlabo ang kaniyang paningin nang bumukal ang kaniyang mga luha.
"But—something happened. And... Ryu had to leave."
"What exactly happened, Mrs. Daria?" tanong ni Grand na humalukipkip. "You probably know who I am. And you know that even if you don't tell us, I would still find a way using my money."
"Your father's money, you mean, Mr. Falcon?" sabat ni Mrs. Daria na ikinalalim ng kunot ng noo ni Grand. Huminga ito ng malalim. "I am not breaking my promise to Iris. But if you really insist, go ahead and investigate."
*****
"I just spoke to my father's friend who has a private investigation office in Philadelphia. Someone will call me tomorrow with a result."
Sinulyapan ni Marco si Grand nang bumalik ito matapos makipag-usap ng matagal sa cellular phone nito. "Do you think Ryu is in trouble?"
"I don't know," sagot ni Grand. "Pero kung kasama niya ang Mommy niya, I don't think he is. Ang hindi ko lang maintindihan ay kung bakit kailangang itago sa atin ang nangyayari."
Si Luna na kanina pa nakikinig sa mga ito ay tumikhim para kunin ang pansin ng lahat. She forced a smile. "I... just want to take this moment to apologize. I have been really rude towards everybody and it's something I am ashamed of right now."
Kasalukuyan silang nasa private room sa loob ng isang malaki at magandang pub na pag-aari ng pamilya ni Blaze. It was one of those Western-type pub na nakikita lang niya sa mga Western movies, which is understandable dahil napag-alaman niyang Amerikano ang ama ni Blaze.
At sa grupo ay hindi lang ito ang may ibang lahi. She learned that Blaze and Raven were half American, Marco had a Greek blood, whilst Jet and Ryu had Japanese blood running through their veins. At ang lahat ay galing sa maayos at mayamang mga pamilya— Grand Falcon being the richest.
"Don't worry about that, Luna," sabi ni Kane. Humalukipkip ito at sumandal sa couch. "Naiintindihan naming masyado ka lang nasakal noong mga panahong iyon. We are sorry if we made you feel uncomfortable. It's just that... it was the first time that Ryu liked someone and we got curious. Kaya sinuportahan namin siya."
"And there is nothing to apologize," sabi naman ni Marco. "We have caused you trouble in the past couple of months and we are the ones who should apologize to you. I hope we can start anew."
Pino siyang ngumiti at tumango. "Sounds good to me."
Seann clapped his hands twice. "Okay, so moving on. Ano'ng plano natin ngayon?"
"Kailangan pa rin nating linisin ang pangalan ni Ryu sa CSC," sabi naman ni Kane.
"Yes, and what's next after that?"
"Wait for the result of the investigation," sabi ni Grand. "Plans will be made once we have full details."
*****
FOLLOW | COMMENT | VOTE | SHARE