Chapter 20. Ali
ALI couldn't help but reminisce about the young and innocent girl he had seen sashaying on the school hallway, going to her next class. Iyon ang unang pagkakataong nakita niya ang dalagita at hindi maipaliwanag ang estrangherong emosyong bumalot sa kanya.
Mula nang araw na iyon ay lagi na siyang nakatutok dito. He even asked students to gather information about her.
Heizen Maey, the Luzano-Salazar Princess. Bagay na bagay rito ang titulong iyon. She's as graceful and as demure as a princess. He wanted to see her grow but that seemed to impossible at that time.
He was seventeen while she was just thirteen.
Graduating na siya ng Senior High School kaya hindi na niya ito nasundan sa mga sumunod na taon.
He studied real hard so he would not depend on his family's fortune after college. Business course was not a piece of cake and he must admit, it was harder when he focused on studying while focusing on following Heizen grow up. He thought he wouldn't be able to see her grew but he found ways. Sapat nang nakikita niya ito sa malayo. And he never complained because he loved what he was doing.
Para siyang stalker kung mayroong activities ang Alma Mater niya at lagi siyang pumupunta sa tuwing may libreng oras, lalo na tuwing Sports Festival. The Salazar Princess became a varsity player in volleyball and their team became champion twice.
Heizen also won the crown of the school's beauty pageant on her eleventh grade. Para siyang asong ulol na sinundan ng tingin ang bawat galaw nito sa ibabaw ng entablado. She confidently graced on the catwalk and answered the questions smartly. During her reign, she did her part as the Campus Beauty Queen excellently. May mga projects kung saan ito ang nanguna't pinakinggan din nito ang hinahing ng masa. Because of Heizen's leadership, the school open court became a covered court. Pinangunahan nito ang pagsabi sa nakatataas. As a varsity player, she knew how it felt whenever they practice like they were fighting under the sun, too. He was beyond proud of her achievements at that very young age.
Kinalkula niya sa isip niya kung ilang taon na ito at napagtanto niyang dalawang-taon na lang ay magiging ganap na itong dalaga.
He couldn't wait to formally introduce himself to her and finally court her.
Graduating na siya ng kolehiyo noong pumutok ang balita tungkol sa trahedya ng mga Salazar. He stopped depending on his parents solely and focused on buying stocks at different stock markets.
Nagsisi siyang hindi agad natuto ng mga strategies ukol sa stock market, 'di sana'y natulungan niya si Heizen. Bali-balita rin kasi na bumagsak na ang negosyo ng mga Salazar mula nang ito ang humawak.
"Of course... They couldn't expect a fragile and broken seventeen-year old to manage those big companies."
Para siyang nawala sa huwisyo nang malamang inilabas na ang mga haka-haka sa mga business news.
"What will happen to Heizen?" Natakot siya sa mga maaaring mangyari.
Noong araw ring iyon ang graduation nito. Nagmadali siyang nagmaneho papuntang eskwelahan. It was a good thing that his mom was the guest speaker but he knew that even if his mom wasn't there, he would still fucking go and save his princess.
And after a week, he finally saw her at the orphanage. They set up a party for her eighteenth birthday but he startled when he saw her bruised body and a part of her face was bandaged. Even when it was covered, he could see that it was a burn. He was fuming that he wanted to kill who fucking did those horrible things to her.
Ilang araw ang nakalipas ay siniguro niyang nahanap niya ang lahat at naparusahan ang mga may gawa niyon kay Heizen. Ang iba ay menor-de-edad pa kaya hindi nakulong, pero dinala ang dalawang dalagita sa DSWD at nagpagamot. They needed help for their mental health.
Ang binata, labing-walong taong gulang, ay pinakulong na rin niya. Ngunit bago ito nadala sa bilangguan ay pinuntahan niya ito at pinaamin kung anu-ano ang mga ginawa nito kay Heizen.
He almost killed him when he spilled out what did he do. Bugbog-sarado ito't walang malay nang dinala sa ospital at ilang araw pa ay kinulong na sa selda.
Nagalit siya sa ideyang gustong ampunin ng kanyang ina si Heizen. Hindi siya makakapayag na maging kapatid ang nag-iisang babaeng matagal na niyang inaasam.
Desperado man ay pipilitin niyang magpakasal ito sa kanya. Afterall, he is a Villarreal-Quijano. Hindi ito maghihirap kung pakakasalan siya. He could provide what she wants, and what she needs. Kasabay iyon ng pag-abot niya sa kanyang mga pangarap.
Pero hindi iyon nangyari. Yes, he became an idol but he didn't get to marry Heizen Salazar.
Natauhan siya nang maisip kung gaano siyang naging makasarili sa parteng bigla na lang siyang lumitaw sa buhay nito at inalok na magpakasal. It was a good thing that he found a way to escape that foolish idea. Or maybe, he was just really a fool in love. Because of what he did, she might think he was a jerk but that's better that taking her youth away, right?
She just fucking turned eighteen and he couldn't just marry her just because he wanted to... that he needed her in his life.
Napagtanto niya noong mga panahong iyon na kung magpapakasal sila, dapat ay buo ang loob nilang dalawa, hindi lang dahil sa matagal na niya itong hinihintay.
"Son, why won't you let us adopt Heize? You see, she's a very nice girl. Naging kaibigan ko rin noon ang mga nasira niyang magulang," tanong sa kanya ng mama niya noong tinutulan niya ang pag-ampon kay Heizen.
"I like her."
Suminghap ito at ang kanyang abuela.
"Kung sinasabi mo lang iyan para hindi namin siya ampunin..."
"No, Lola, I really like her."
Tumahimik ang mga ito at mataman siyang tinitigan. Bumuntung-hininga siya at hinayag ang saloobin sa mga ito.
"I also asked her to marry me," amin niya.
"But she's just eighteen!"
"I know, Mom! Kaya nga binawi ko..."
"By saying it's just April Fools? You are a fool yourself, Ali. If your dad heard this, baka nabugbog ka na niya at hindi ko siya pipigilan man lang."
He just clenched his jaws. Sigurado man siyang hindi nito mapapayagang mangyari ang sinabi ay nakuha naman niya ang ibig nitong ipakahulugan— na masyado pang bata si Heizen para magpakasal sa kanya.
"I waited for many years so I could finally let my existence be known..."
"May pinagdaraanan pa si Heizen, apo," ang kanyang Lola.
Marahan siyang tumango.
"She was bullied... Halata sa katawan niya."
"Was she violated?"
Umiling siya pero nagtangis ang bagang niya dahil naalala ang nangyari. Sinabi na lamang niyang siya ang bahala sa lahat.
"Kung aampunin natin siya, hindi na niya iisiping umalis pa rito."
"I'll hire her."
"Ano?"
"She will be my personal maid."
"Son... what are you planning to do?"
He just smirked at his mom. Natawa siya nang parang gusto siyang batukan ng kanyang ina.
"Huwag mong pipikutin si Heizen, hindi kita pinalaking ganyan!"
"Hindi naman ako gagaya kay Papa," he teased. Namula ang kanyang ina. Her dad kidnapped her mom during their days and wooed her while she was held as a captive. Duda siyang naghirap ang ina niya dahil base sa kwento nito noon ay todo-bigay ang kanyang papa sa mga luho ng kanyang mama. He even bought her a very expensive car when she joked about it.
Malakas siyang tinapik ng kanyang ina sa balikat at nagtawanan silang tatlo.
"I'll make Heizen Salazar a Quijano if you want her to be a part of our family." He was so determined to do that.
"Let her love you first."
"Yes, I'll make sure..."
Pero tila umurong ang mga bayag niya nang mga panahong inakala niyang nahuhumaling ito sa boss niya. Ano nga bang laban niya kay dela Costa? He's a multi-billionaire while he's just a son of multi-billionaire.
At pinagsisisihan na niyang nagpagapo siya sa mga insecurities niya.
Kung sakaling hindi na siya nito gusto ngayon ay baka nabaliw na siya sa kaiisip kung paanong huhulihin muli ang atensyon nito. But he must've saved a nation during his past life because here she was, standing in front of him, smiling so lovingly while her still swelling eyes were begging him to make her feel real good.
Napapikit siya at bahagyang napatingala, tahimik na nagpasalamat sa kapalaran at Maykapal na hindi siya nito kinalimutan gaya ng inakala niya.