It was Saturday morning, Rafael was sitting on the couch, watching TV, relaxing as there were no classes, at the same time exchanging texts with Kanna while being glued to the television. He was ecstatic for every message that the lass is sending to him. Moments later, Karl and Riko arrived, fresh from watching a movie at the theatre and went to the dining area.
"I wanted to concentrate on the movie, but you kept on kissing me in the neck," Riko murmured. Taking out the pancit and lumpia that they bought. Karl was stunned of his wife's murmuring sat down.
"Did I kiss you?" Karl wondered, glancing at his wife, "How will I kiss you when I am asleep?"
"You were asleep?"
"Why you. I was asleep, no wonder when I woke up I heard a sound like a champagne popping,"
"That's not what it sounds like, it was like a suave breath,"
"Why are you complaining when we've already arrived home?"
Riko tried to interrupt but Karl didn't mince any word and quizzed his wife, "Why didn't you tell me when we were at the cinema? Someone has been kissing you?"
"I couldn't react because I thought it was you!!" Riko tried to reason out.
"You couldn't react because you liked it?"
"That's too much!"
"Why would you let someone kiss you?!"
"I didn't know it was you, you used to do that before!"
"That's it, let's go back to the cinema, I'll kill that guy!"
"Nevermind, you don't even know that person is still there! I don't even know what he even looks like," Riko reacted, prompting Karl to settle down and looked at her straight in the eye.
"You let someone kiss you and you don't even know what that person looks like," Karl murmured as Riko went into their room to change clothes and noticed that Rafael was at the living room, trying to hold his laughter.
"Rafael, have lunch, the Lumpia and Pancit are already getting cold."
"Sure!" Rafael replied, sitting beside his father when Kyoko arrived with Rina-their younger sister and a male playmate named Felix.
"Dad, Rafael, I'll leave Felix and Rina here with you because I'm going to my violin class," said Kyoko who quickly closed the door and went off. Rina gently approached her father and kissed his cheeks.
"Papa, can I play with Felix?" the innocent child asked.
"Oh sure, you can play in the living room and please don't go out," Karl gently answered to which Rina happily returned to the living room.
"Felix let's play, let's pretend we are siblings and we'll do some pretend to cook," the young girl said, Felix glanced at her and looked down for a bit.
"It's kind of old-fashioned," said Felix and formulated a new game, "How about this, let's say you are my kumare and I am your compadre."
"Then what will happen?" a curious Rina asks. Karl and Rafael stopped eating and listened to what Felix will say next.
"Because your husband, my compadre is in abroad you are in need of money, then you'll go to me and will say 'Compadre, can I borrow money?', and I will answer 'I will give you what you want, if you give me what I want'."
Upon hearing what Felix had suggested, Karl spitted the Pancit he was chewing and glanced sharply at the two kids, astonished by the statement.
"Don't continue that game, everyone knows that game, play another game, that's not good," Karl told the kids and slurped the Pancit once more.
"I know!" Felix exclaimed, "Let's say we're classmates."
"That's good, school," Karl interrupted as he savors the Lumpia he is eating as Felix continued to explain the new game.
"Let's say we're classmates, our teacher is absent, so we watched movie inside the theatre, just you and me in the balcony."
For the second time, Karl choked because of the food he was eating, spitting the Pancit and lumpia, glancing at Felix and Rina again.
"Wait a second, I'm suspecting. You're trying to crawl under my daughter's skirt! Change the game!"
"Okay, let's change it," said Felix, who was scratching his chin thinking of another game.
"I know!" Felix exclaimed again, "Let's pretend that I am a doctor!"
"That one very good, Doctor!" Karl interjected.
"So what will be my role? Nurse or a Doctor too?" Rina asked.
"No, you will give birth, so you have to lie down, I am going to be in charge," Felix happily replied.
That moment, Rafael tried to hold his laughter while indulging himself with a plate of pancit while Karl stood up, irked by the young boy's games.
"I've been noticing you, you're trying to paint my daughter, it's like you will do some exploration on her!" Karl raised his voice, "You better go home, Rafael take him home!"
"But dad, I'm still eating," Rafael tried reason out.
"Take the kid home!" Karl yelled, leaving Rafael with no choice but to bring Felix home and watch over Rina.
Rina Marino, ten years of age, ninth child of Karl Marino, third second daughter with Riko. her shy and clingy personality made her a favorite child of Karl and instead of being planted with jealousy, her elder siblings are fond of asking favors from her or asking her to protect them from Karl's anger.
After taking Felix to his home, Rafael and Rina squatted at the gutter, thinking of what they will do for the rest of the afternoon.
"Oni, Dad and Oji-sama gave me three thousand pesos, let's go to the mall!" Rina invited, Rafael smiled, knowing what he would do next.
"Can we invite another one?" he asked her sibling who nodded with affirmation. Unable to hide his excitement, he lightly pinched his sister's cheeks, "You made your Oni-chan's day a happy one!"
Without hesitation, he took his phone and dialed Kanna's phone number. Few seconds later the lass answered the phone.
"Hi Rafael," Kanna answered from the other line.
"Hello Kanna, are you vacant today?" Rafael asked.
"Uh... I'm afraid not. My Dad is throwing a dinner party tonight and he wouldn't let us go out of the house," Kanna said in an apologetic tone.
"That's a bummer,"
"But I will be vacant tomorrow, let's hang out at the mall?" Kanna offered as a consolation.
"I'll take that as a promise," Rafael replied.
"See you tomorrow," said Kanna as she hung up the line.
"So you wouldn't go to the mall with me?" Rina asked, frowning at her eldest brother while holding her bag.
"How about we go to the mall tomorrow, Dad might get angry we didn't go home early," Rafael cautiously responded knowing that Rina will get upset. However, her sister smiled and pinched his cheek.
"Okay Oni, that's a promise!" Rina joyfully responded, grabbing her brother's hand as they walked together and went home.
---
The next morning, at St. George's Academy. His best friends, Eugene and Gary - a chubby young man whose father is working as a stockbroker and a mother who owns several hectares of land surrounded Rafael. The three sat in the corner glancing at their classmates while conversing with one another.
"Rafael, who's that girl walking beside Jiena?" asked Gary. The three musketeers turned their heads at Jiena and the girl beside her.
"What are you looking at?" asked Jiena, glancing sharply at the three musketeers.
"Who's the girl beside you?" Eugene promptly asked.
"Rafael and the two extras, I would like to introduce you to Erina," Jiena introduced the young lady. "She's our new student and is my seatmate."
"Nice to meet you," Gary offered his hand to the young lady. Erina only gave a sharp stare and slightly glanced at Rafael.
"Someone might get jealous, so let's go," said Jiena, leaving the classroom with Erina.
Erina was a short girl, but in the scale 1 to 10, she is 8.5; she has a short brown hair, almond eyes and a fair complexion. She is a transfer student from Hosokawa Academy. Her father was reassigned in Manila to serve as Finance Chief for Innovare, the company that Karl Marino founded. Erina was place in the same section as Jiena in order for her to easily adapt the academy culture.
Upon seeing Jiena and Erina away, Rafael was relieved and grasped for air, glancing at Kanna who was busy talking with her classmates. He noticed his best friends were staring at some girls. Suddenly a tall, good-looking guy with a short blonde approached Kanna and her friends. He noticed that the lass was feeling uncomfortable, shrugging off the young man's advances.
"Look at that guy, he's so breezy," Gary remarked, sharply staring at the young man.
"Oh, that guy is Jude Almeida, his father owns one of the largest corn traders and hotel chains in the country," Eugene explained.
Rafael remained calm though he clinches his fist, and his teeth were grinding while looking at Jude Almeida. When the bell rang, it was a sign that the class has ended and it was time to go home. The lad rushed to the waiting shed where Kanna was waiting for him.
"Sorry, I'm late," Rafael said, "My sister is waiting outside, so let's go?"
"Sure," Kanna responded, and the two went at the school gate where Rina, Rafael's younger sister, was standing under the waiting shed.
"Rina, I'd like you to meet Kanna," Rafael introduced his date to his younger sister.
"I think I have seen you at Bianca's party," said Rina smiled, shaking Kanna's hand.
Without hesitation, they into a mall and strolled along the park. While Rina bought some stuff for herself, Rafael and Kanna sat down at a bench, drinking coffee.
Rafael cleared his throat and glanced at Kanna, who was enjoying the view of the park. "There was a guy that approached you this morning."
"Oh, that was Jude Almeida," Kanna answered, sipping a cup of coffee. "He is the son of my father's business partner, he is breezy, right?"
"I see," Rafael let out a sigh of relief, smiling at Kanna. "I thought he is courting you or somewhat boyfriend."
"Ha!" Kanna interjected, "I never liked guys who had so much guts and confidence, it makes me sick."
That point, Rafael mustered all his courage and confidence. His face turned red as he glanced at Kanna. "Kanna, I wanted to say something to you,"I think this is the right time to say this, it's been six months since we first met, Ever since then, I never took my eye on you. And every time I see you. My day is complete, Kanna Fontierra, I...I like you".
Kanna gave a beaming smile as they stared at each other. The young man was tensed as the lady was calm and relax, holding his hand.
"I thought you were just another guy who looks into the body, but I was wrong, you're such a good guy and honestly, I like you too," says Kanna.
While Kanna and Rafael's eyes locked unto each other, Rina arrived and sat between the two lovebirds, drinking water from her tumbler.
"Oni, let's go home, Mom is looking for us," says Rina.
"Let's just text each other tonight," says Kanna, kissing Rafael's cheek. At that point, the young man bit his lips. He was trembling for a moment, prompting Rina to hit him in the head.
"You'll tremble a lot when Dad finds out I am not home yet!" Rina carrying her things and walked ahead.
------
Rafael turned silent after being scolded by his younger sister. Upon arriving at their house, Rafael and Rina greeted Riko by giving a peck on her cheeks, as she was busy entertaining visitors in the dining room, serving tea.
"Oh, here you are," Riko said, introducing Rina and Rafael to her guest, "Rafael, Rina, I want you to meet Yoshiko and her daughter Erina."
"I think I've met you before, Jiena introduced you at school." says Rafael.
"Yes, it's an honor to meet you again Mister Rafael," Erina softly replied.
"Just call me Rafael," the young man replied, "It's nice to meet you."
"Rafael is in the same class as Erin?" Riko asked, but Rafael had gone inside his room.
"I wish I could speak fluently in Filipino and English as you are Madam Marino," said Yoshiko, staring at his cup of tea.
"They threatened me with divorce if I couldn't learn how to speak English, Tagalog and Cebuano in just a matter of six months," Riko replied, much to Yoshiko's surprise.
Like Riko, Yoshiko was also a celebrity, when the former started a trend of marrying a Filipino, the latter also followed by marrying a financial executive now working alongside with one of Karl's trust men in Innovare, when Riko returned to Japan to become a powerful honcho, she also joined aided the Marino Matriarch, reaping the benefits from the appointment. When Karl formed Innovare he gave Yoshiko's husband the position of Finance Head all because of Riko's persistence. The appointment almost caused a rift when Karl's classmates wanted to appoint someone among their peers, while Riko and the rest of the Japanese investors went on with Yoshiko's husband; forcing Karl to make a Solomonic decision.
Few minutes after Yoshiko and Erina had left the house, Karl and Jiena arrived and sat down on the couch, exhausted.
"So how was your trip?" Riko asked, serving tea to her husband.
"The Northern Faction has created another front for their smuggling business," Karl answered.
"Smuggling? What is it?" Riko queried.
"It's the illegal movement of goods into or out of a country," Karl answered, sniffing an inhaler, "But that's not important right now. They have the guts to do smuggling right now because of this so-called Dragon Lord,"
"Isn't that the leader of the Golden Triangle?"
"That Dragon Lord is in contact with Red Scorpion and the Sparrows, I suspect that this person was the one who sent a strike team to kill us."
"You still don't know the identity of this dragon lord?"
"Nope, I am as clueless as some wife who lets someone peck her neck at a movie theatre."
"The problems aren't that worst, right?" Riko massages her husband's aching back.
"My back isn't aching, my lower parts do," Karl complained.
"You want me to blow those pains away?" Riko offered as Karl nodded with lust, and so the couple went inside their room, leaving a disgusted Jiena and Rafael in the living room.