"As of now, there's no news about finding Jade. With how vast the world is, we don't know where to look for them. Calm down, focus on the reward your Lola will give you first."
I took the bottle of liquor Kenneth handed me. I came here to his condo to get updates. I couldn't contact him, so I went to him directly. Chris and Rhaiven were busy with their own lives, especially Rhaiven.
"What calm? How can I calm down in this situation? I don't even know where Jade is. Man, it's useless if I get the reward while I'm still married to that woman. I want the annulment as soon as possible."
I took some of our snacks and ate them. Yes, I was able to convince Mahana to pretend, but what I'm afraid of is that she might not do her job well. Besides that, Misty doesn't know about our marriage yet.
"So what can we do? It seems like they're hiding."
"That's what's puzzling me the most, why are they hiding after the wedding? Do they have other reasons why they're hiding? Did someone order them to do that?"
Night after night, I've been thinking about the possible reasons for the wedding. It's like someone is behind all of this, and whoever that is, I have no idea.
"Don't tell me, you suspect Mahana."
"It's not like that, bro."
"Then what? Is there anything suspicious about her actions?"
"Nothing, really."
"True! Would you have a hard time convincing her if she knew about your wedding? It's obvious that she's also a victim. But, what you're thinking is still possible, think about everything that happened to you when we were in high school, maybe she's taking revenge. Be careful."
I don't know who to side with here. I don't know if I should trust Mahana even though there's nothing that makes me overthink her actions. Kenneth is right, she's also a victim; all her actions are valid for me to say that she has nothing to do with what happened.
The question is, who did this to me?
"I hate it when things are messy. I want my condo to always be clean. I don't like sloppy people, and I absolutely hate it when people touch my things."
I just let Mahana bring in her luggage even though she was having a hard time getting them through the door. She was giving me attitude again when I picked her up, so she can deal with it herself.
"What's the point of me living here if you don't want me to touch any of your stuff?"
She plopped down on the sofa, pouting and hugging herself, threatening to explode in anger again.
"I'll allow you to use the kitchen stuff, but know your limits. I'll take care of the groceries and all the bills here in the condo, just do your job well," I replied and looked at her. I didn't receive any answer from her except a nod. "Of course, I'll let you use the bathroom, but I'll warn you in advance, I don't like dirty people."
She frowned at what I said, her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at me. "Do I look dirty?"
"I didn't say that. I just said I don't like dirty people," I defended myself.
She sighed deeply and fixed her hair. I walked towards the cabinet because I was going to get something.
"Oh, wear that when we go out with Mom."
I handed her the small red box containing the ring. I made it a point to buy one so I could tell and show Lola that we were really married, even though we weren't. Of course, we needed props to pretend to be a married couple. Rings are one of the symbols of a married couple.
"Psh! You even bought this, you might deduct this from my salary," she retorted while examining the ring.
I put my hands on my waist and faced her. "Lola will doubt us if we don't wear wedding rings. Besides, you haven't done anything yet, and you're already talking about salary. Tsk!"
"Well! It's better to be clear, right?"
I scratched my head in annoyance. "Okay! Just promise me, you're going to do your job well, hmm?"
Mahana nodded. "As long as your salary is sufficient and correct, I have no problem." She even gave a thumbs-up and smiled widely, reaching her ears.
I ignored her and went to my room to take a shower, but she hurriedly stopped me by grabbing the hem of my shirt.
"Oh, why?" I replied irritably and roughly removed her grip on the hem of my shirt because it would get damaged.
"Speaking of salary, can I have an advance?" She replied, biting her lip, even making puppy eyes, thinking she was cute. Psh!
"What do you need it for? I already said I'll take care of all the expenses here in the condo, right? Besides, gosh, Mahana, you haven't even started yet."
She looked at me with a shy smile. I even noticed that she was rubbing her hands as if she was nervous.
"Well, I don't have decent clothes, what if we go out with your parents? Hello, I don't want to look shabby in front of them, you know. I think you don't want a wife who looks like a jejemon when I try to buy nice clothes." (jejemon is a Filipino slang referring to a subculture)
What she said made sense; at least her brain is working too. She's a bit of a tomboy when it comes to dressing up. She only wears slightly fitted pants and a t-shirt. Sometimes, she even wears clothes given by campaigning politicians.
"Okay, coincidentally, we have a trip with Mom tonight."
"Huh? Where?"
"To Rhaiven's, there will be a party at their place, and they expect us to come."
"Oh, perfect then, let's go, but you'll pay for it first, even just for my taxi fare." She took out some money from her small wallet.
"I have my own car."
"Oh! Right." She scratched her head and I left her to take a quick shower because I was disgusted with myself. I left her in the living room because she had just taken a bath when I picked her up at their place. She was also busy arranging the things she brought while I was taking a shower.
"Sheesh! It's so expensive. At the thrift store, this is only twenty pesos."
I cover my face whenever Mahana complains about the prices of the clothes she's holding. It's obvious she doesn't buy here at expensive stores. What's embarrassing is that a saleslady who's been following us can hear everything Mahana is saying.
"Can you just be quiet if you think it's expensive? It's embarrassing, there's a saleslady following us," I whispered to her as I subtly approached her to stop her.
"What's the matter with you? I'm just hinting, you never know, they might give us a discount."
"Psh! Just pick whatever you want, I'll pay for it. Hurry up."
I left her, letting her choose what she wants since it's for herself anyway. She picked a few dresses, clothes, and skirts that I hope would suit her when she wears them. After we paid for the clothes we bought, I took her to the shoe store.
"Wow! Their sandals are so beautiful," she said in amazement as soon as we entered the store.
I told her to choose the sandals she wanted because I'm not knowledgeable about those things. I just sat on the couch of the store while waiting for Mahana. A saleslady was assisting her while she was choosing. I just watched her try on the sandals she liked.
"Wow! Thank you for this," she said, raising the paper bags she was holding slightly after we bought her things.
I nodded and continued walking towards the parking lot. I just sat down waiting for her, but I still felt tired. Aside from the money I spent, my energy was also drained.
"Mahana! Hurry up, Mom and them might be waiting for us at the house."
I was already dressed, but Mahana hadn't come down from my room yet. She was the first one to take a shower, but she was the last one to get dressed. I've knocked on my room several times, but all I get are 'just a moment' replies from her.
"Just a moment, I'm still getting ready."
My gaze landed on the door of my room, which just opened, and it revealed a very beautiful woman that I didn't quite expect. Fuck! Her clothes suit her so well, like a model who will walk on a stage, and her makeup is also light, and her hair is styled nicely.
I was really stunned by her beauty, but...This is wrong!
"Hurry up, I've been waiting for you for a while," I said, immediately looking away because she might notice that I found her beautiful. "You act like you're the new CEO who's going to have a party with your posture."
"Tsk! You were even staring at me with your mouth open."
"Your mom was the one staring. Tsk! Let's go."
I went out of our condo first and didn't wait for her until we both got into the elevator. Even inside, I still couldn't help but steal glances at her while she was busy taking pictures of herself. Psh! This monster has hidden beauty, huh.
"Finally! The couple is here. Hi!"
Lola immediately greeted us as soon as Mahana and I entered the house. Lola wanted us to go to Rhaiven's together; even if I complained, I still had no chance.
Mahana and I both kissed Lola on the cheek, who was very happy with our arrival. Mahana, being the good "wife" that she's pretending to be, wrapped her arm around mine and stuck close to me. I went along with all the sweetness she showed Lola to impress her. It seems like our pretense is effective on Lola.
"Oh! You're here. Did you receive my message, son?"
Mom was coming down the stairs, followed by Dad, who was busy fixing his watch on his wrist. When they got closer to us, Mahana and I both greeted them respectfully.
"Not yet, Ma, why, what is it?"
"Rhaiven's party tonight won't push through."
"Huh? Why?"
"They decided to hold it next week to pay respect to the passing of former Mayor Queja."
No way!
"What?" I replied in disbelief, feeling like I was frozen in place after hearing what Mom said. Mahana and I even exchanged glances because of that.
"Yep, we're going to Mayor Queja's wake since he was also our business partner. So, let's go, it's embarrassing if we're late."
Mom and Dad carefully escorted Lola out of the mansion, but Mahana and I were left in the living room, both nervous, knowing that one of the people who would have been a witness in our annulment case was dead.
Fuck! What about our annulment, Mahana, if Mayor Queja is dead?