NSFW
eutontamo
Forum Expert
Fragments – 13 Lily Remembers The Party (Part 1 of 2)
Roger’s POV
-------------
I drove home as fast as I could. Nakahinga ako ng maluwag ng pumasok ako sa bahay at wala pa ang asawa ko.
Since I came straight from Candice’s place after a night of intense sex, feeling ko ang lagkit ng katawan ko. Kaya agad akong nagshower, nagsipilyo, at nag-ayos sa sarili. Nag blower pa ako sa aking buhok para matuyo ito agad at magmukha akong bagong gising.
Sakto lang ang preparasyon, dumating si misis habang kunwari ay nakahiga pa ako sa kama at kagigising lang.
“You up, Babe?” Ang bungad na tanong ni Lily na nakangiti sa akin.
“Kanina pa, pero tinatamad akong bumangon eh.” Sagot ko sabay tayo at lapit kay misis. Binigyan ko siya ng halik sa pisngi at yumakap na rin.
“Kumusta yung meeting nyo kagabi? Everything fine?” Tanong ko.
“Ah. Eh, oo Babe. Maaga namang na finalize sana yung agreement pero biglang sumungit ang panahon kaya hindi na ako nakauwi pa kahapon. Sorry talaga Babe.”
“No prob. Ang importante ay walang naging aberya.”
Hindi ko gustong lumabas na parang nang-uusyuso, so I tried to be as casual as I could with my questions. Mukhang hindi naman naalarma si Misis.
Napaisip ako na baka hindi talaga si Lily yung babae sa kama na nasa video. Baka may gusto lang mam-bwisit sa akin, dahil nga parang hindi naman naiilang si Misis na pag-usapan ang naging lakad nya kahapon.
Hindi rin ito mukhang guilty. Hindi ko rin aninag sa itsura nito na may parang tinatagong lihim.
“So tuloy ba ang cooperation nyo with…?”
“Yes Babe. Tuloy na tuloy, with Mr. Ledesma and the Solid Textiles Group behind him.” My wife completed my statement. Excitement was clearly on her face while talking about the project.
“With this tie-up we expect a revenue spike of about 15% to 20% in the next three years.” Pagtutuloy pa nya.
“But the real big catch is the promotion of the luxury underwear brand that we launched months ago. We should expect to see a significant increase in the market share in years to come.”
Lily was talking while she was busy taking off her jewelries and the accessories she was wearing. She went inside her walk-in closet and placed her bags and personal items.
This has been her usual routine, so sanay na akong nakikita siyang ganito. Parang automaton, alam nya saan ilalagay lahat. Usually, after itabi ang mga personal effects nya ay magtatanggal na ito ng damit at magbibihis ng pambahay.
I was lying on the bed looking at Lily as she was describing the project. I enjoyed how driven she was. She stood in front of the full length mirror and was about to take off her body-tight dress, when she suddenly paused.
As if remembering something important, she stopped what she was doing and briskly walked into the bathroom leaving me hanging. Nasa gitna pa lang kasi sya sa pag-eexplain ng ins and out ng project nila.
“Babe?” I asked a bit confused.
“Sorry Babe.” I heard her voice behind the closed bathroom door. “I just remembered. Hindi pa pala ako nakakapag shower today.” Ang natatawa nitong paliwanag.
“Paki-oven na lang pala muna yung food na dinala ko. It’s on the dining table in a plastic wrap. I’ll be done in a minute and we’ll have breakfast together. Ok?” She shouted as I heard the sound of falling water in the shower.
“Take your time, Babe.” I shouted back and went outside the bedroom to check the food she mentioned.
It didn’t take long for Lily to finish her bath. Nang lumabas ito ng kwarto ay nakasuot na siya ng oversized na T-shirt at pajama bottoms.
Matagal nang hindi nagsusuot ng ganito si Lily, yung parang balot yung katawan. Kaya naman medyo nanibago ako. Since that unforgettable honeymoon, medyo kasi naging iba na manamit si Lily.
Medyo naging mas liberated o yung tipong mas sexy, like maninipis at sobrang liit na shorts, yung bakat na leggings, at minsan nga naka panty nga lang at shirt pag nasa loob lang ng bahay at walang ibang tao.
“What?” She looked at me when she noticed I was staring at her in a weird way.
“I haven’t seen you in that kind of pambahay outfit for quite some time, Babe.” Sabi ko.
“Well, I just felt like wearing them again.” She said with a smile. “Don’t you miss my ‘manang’ look?”
Manang. Old lady. That’s how she used to describe her choice of clothing when we were still dating. That was when she was so conservative with practically everything. Even when we got married she had kept wearing clothes ‘decently’ kung nasa bahay lang. Recently lang talaga siya nagbago.
“Well, I kinda missed it, yeah.” I admitted then I smiled wickedly and added, “But I still prefer you wearing your pekpek shorts. Lalong lalo kung naka underwear ka lang dito sa bahay.”
“Wow really? Tell me, are you really my husband, Roger?” She pretended to look scared then shouted as if addressing someone outside. “Help, someone kidnapped my husband and replaced him with a manyak.”
Natawa kami pareho. Napailing ako sa antics ng asawa ko. Kahit yung humor nya nag-iba na rin, may halo nang kapilyahan.
After a good laugh I insisted. “Really, nakakamanyak ka naman talaga Babe.” Sabay yakap sa kanya. I also didn’t pass up the chance to feel her up- her boobs, yung maalsa nyang puke, at ang kanyang malamang puwet.
That made my wife flush red in embarrassment. “Hoy, Enough. Ano ka ba, ano nakain mo kagabi?” Ang natatawa nitong tugon sabay kurot sa may singit ko.
Muntik na akong napaubo sa sinabi ni Lily. May kakaiba nga naman talaga akong nakain kagabi. Ang pangalan nya ay Candice. Pero hindi dapat ito ipagsabi kahit kanino, lalo na sa asawa ko.
After nang konting tuksuhan, we had a lazy but otherwise relaxing breakfast. Pansamantalang nawaglit sa isip ko yung video na natanggap ko from someone anonymous.
Last night as I was still emotional, I thought of confronting Lily when she came back, but now that I’ve thought about everything more deeply, I decided na magmaang-maangan na lang.
At most, I’d play by ear. Pakikiramdaman ko kung may milagrong nangyayari na hindi ko alam. After all, ang intention ng agreement namin ay para mapanood ko sya while getting fucked.
Well I’ve heard of the term. Yung gawin syang **** ng iba. Medyo weird na parang and dali-dali na lang tanggapin ang ganitong scenario with my current self. When I’ve learned of it the first time, with Bob and Jake, parang nanikip ang dibdib ko sa kirot.
Parang gumuho ang mundo ko. That was how I describe the feeling. Of course, the feeling of devastation was eclipsed by my overwhelming lust. Every time I thought of the scene of my wife getting banged by those men, I really couldn’t help but get an erection.
Yes, I admit that I want to see more of that happen. Pero gusto ko andoon mismo ako sa eksena. The combination of dread and excitement, naisip ko pa lang parang mababaliw na ako. It’s like a drug.
However, I don’t want to make her feel that I’m really excited. I’m really kind of hypocrite, diba? I don’t want to sound that I was looking forward to it. Ganoon. Gusto ko yung feeling na napilitan lang ako, or kami sa sitwasyon, o yung nadala lang. Mas nakakalibog ang ganu’n.
Gusto ko rin yung parang patago, yung parang hindi nya alam na andoon ako. Yung parang takot na takot syang mahuli ko, pero nagpapaka-**** pa rin dahil sa libog nya.
Yung mga ganyang scenario. But how to go around to make it happen, wala pa akong idea. I’m almost certain that if I tell my wife, she’d be more than willing to try. But then again, I don’t want to make it obvious.
So for now, I’d play by ear na lang talaga and look for a chance na maisakatuparan ito kung saka-sakali.
Also her phone. I was really curious about what’s inside it.
That unknown person told me something was in her phone that should surprise me. I should try to find a way to get access to it.
So the rest of the morning, we spent it lying on the bed. Just cuddling. Usap usap konti. Medyo napansin ko that Lily’s so uncharacteristically tired.
May office joke kami sa ganitong klaseng kapaguran. Yung tipong buong maghapon kang nagtrabaho sa construction. I was tempted to tease her with the joke, but decided not to. Alam ko my wife’s very hardworking. And with my promotion, she might feel the need to compete dahil napag-iiwanan ko na siya.
I know the feeling sucks so I didn’t tease her.
So nagpatuloy siya ng pagkukwento ng mga nangyari after ng signing with the client. She told me they had some sort of drinking party after the meeting and it ended up pretty late daw. It’s her way of explaining her tiredness as she had a hard time keeping her eyes open.
“Uminom ka ba ng marami?” Tanong ko.
“No, no. I just had two cans of beer. You know Babe that I can’t have too much.” She said.
So far, parang nagsasabi naman talaga ng totoo si Lily. That first video had her holding a can of beer. As to the fact that she only had two cans, I couldn’t really be sure.
Also I was curious about the people in that “party” so nag-usisa na rin ako konti.
“Sinu-sino pala kasama nyo sa meeting? Yun pa rin ba kasama nyo sa party afterwards? How about Ninong David?”
Mentioning Ninong got her to stare at me. She paused and looked at me. Malaman yung mga titig nya.
“Babe? Are you still thinking that Ninong and I…”
“No Babe, don’t misunderstand. I just want to know if he took good care of you. I assume most of the people were strangers to you and it could be awkward.”
That convinced her. And she started to drop names. I was only familiar with two names. Mr James Ledesma and a certain Butch Sesante.
Mr Ledesma is a bigshot in textile industry. While Butch Sesante is a well-known figure in media and public relations.
It’s understandable to have a PR expert when you’re about to launch a big marketing campaign, so I nodded my head. I don’t know about the other people that she mentioned though.
She even said na may mga anak mayaman pa sa party. Scions of well-known and rich families. Yun daw ang pagkaka-describe sa kanya ni Mr. Ledesma, ang nag-imbita sa kanila sa private party na yun.
She never declined getting to know those people, kasi nga they seemed to be people of influence. Building connections. Networking. Sa aming trabaho alam namin pareho ni Lily na importanteng bagay ang magkaroon nito.
“Curious lang ako. Wala bang mga girls sa party maliban sa yo?” I asked a bit puzzled.
Medyo natawa si Lily sa expression ng mukha ko. “Loko. Of course meron. Malaki yung lugar, may kanya-kanyang tables yung guests. Some of them brought a partner pa nga. May isang table pa na, they were all ladies and they looked like they came from well-off families. Meron ding mga older ladies. May kanya kanya silang circles”
“But I never got a chance to be introduced to most of them. Yung pinakilala ni Mr Ledesma ay pawang mga friends lang nya. They talked mostly about business kahit na it was a party and leisure lang dapat ang pakay. But you know businessmen.”
I agree. You can’t really separate business from leisure with these bloody businesspeople. They are wired that way.
“How about yung event. Saang hotel yun ginanap?”
“Not a hotel.”
“Not?”
“Yup. I was surprised pa nga. It was a very private villa. It was three storey. I was also huge, parang mansion sya kung tutuusin. The design was like a medieval castle. At least that was my impression. I didn’t get to see the entire place, but I heard may pool pa daw ito. May parang mini-forest pa nga daw for camping and hunting ang property.”
“Really?” I never heard of such a place.
“Yes. It was not registered on any map. Yan yung sabi ni Mr. Ledesma. Membership only lang din ang access except for those high-ups or nasa tuktok ng hierarchy- those people can bring outsiders sa parties, like that one. Mr Ledesma happened to be someone with authority. So na-invite kami ni Ninong.”
“Actually, kung hindi masama ang panahon. Mr Ledesma wouldn’t have invited us. But after ng meeting, he felt bad to leave us knowing na hindi kami makakauwi. So he invited us over na lang.”
“Ano ba tawag sa grupo nila?” Medyo curious lang ako. Hindi kaya ito kulto? Ito ang sabi ng malikot kong isipan.
“Teka lang Babe ha?” Lily got up and went to her closet. When she came back meron na syang hawak na parang business card.
“Mr Ledesma gave that to me. He knew you were my husband. Ang usap-usapan daw sa business community you’re one of the brightest prospects sa industry. He also knew of your promotion.”
“He said you would eventually learn about the private group as you go up the ladder in the company. But he told me, it would be a great thing if you learn about “them” this early. Klaro na daw ang upward trajectory ng career mo Babe.”
“I’m so proud of you!” With that she hugged me tight and happily kissed my lips. I kissed her back passionately.
I was about to get horny na naman, as I started caressing her body. Pero agad umayaw si misis. Pagod daw talaga sya, at konti lang ang tulog nya kagabi dahil sa party.
“Sorry Babe. Promise next time.” Sabi nya while giving me an over-the-top ‘sad’ face.
Hindi naman ako nagpumilit pa. So nag-usap pa kami konti hanggang sa naramdaman kong naka-idlip na si Lily.
Dahil dito, I had the time to check the business card na binigay ni Mr. Ledesma. Nagulat ako, hindi pala ito isang business card na made of thick paper. Parang isang ATM pa nga na gawa sa plastic-like materials ang nasa kamay ko. There were also some bar codes at the back and a square-looking logo na mukhang QR code.
Sobrang bongga naman ng grupong ito.
Yung front face ng card ay may logo ng isang parang diamante o gem. Tapos may letrang C-R-O-W-N in golden strokes.
Crown. Feeling hari at reyna siguro yung mga myembro nito.
Napaisip ako. Mr Ledesma gave me this card, so ibig ba sabihin, he’s inviting me to join? I tried to search for the private group crown sa phone ko. None. Walang rumehistro. Mukha nga yatang sobrang sekreto ng grupong ito.
Then naisip ko lang. May parang QR code sa likod, what if i-scan ko ito? I picked up my phone and scanned the logo, and hola! May lumitaw nga na isang website.
‘Welcome to Crown’ ang sabi. Then sa may bandang baba ay may dalawang blankong box na for “Guest” and “Member.”
It was asking for a log-in pass. I checked the card. The bar code has numbers below, so I clicked “Guest” and keyed in the numbers.
I got in. The screen changed to a landing page. I understand as a mere guest, the information being shown to me must be very limited.
But still, if the figures are true, then this group is so next level.
Big-name celebrities, influencers, business people, politicians. The numbers of prominent people mentioned is staggering. And they said the power and movers in the country, in one way or the other have a stake in the club.
I checked the group’s mission-vision. As expected, it appeared very Rotarian, and pretty much like any socio-civic group in the country or abroad.
In short, it aims to improve human society, promote peace and development. Blah blah blah. Very formulaic and generic, but may hinala ako na hindi ganito kasimple lang ang grupong ito.
One thing very interesting is that the CROWN group in the Philippines is merely a local branch. There’s a grand main club somewhere in the world pa pala. International. Global scale, but totally unknown to commoners.
I wonder if Caroline has heard of CROWN. I checked the time, and it’s 9 in the morning. It should still be 3AM in Italy, which I believe is where she’s at right now. I’d better call her later or tomorrow na lang.
Meanwhile, na-antok na rin ako after thinking alone for some time. Then hindi ko namalayan na nakatulog na pala ako.
------------------------------
Meanwhile, somewhere in South America…
“Old man, I’ve delivered the news. I never want to see all of you, but for my dear friend, I had to. Whether you acknowledge him or not, I don’t care. Take this as me informing you. I’ll take him as my own.”
With that, the gorgeous middle-aged lady walked out of the grand hall. Following her is an elderly assistant. Outside the wide gates, a luxurious car was waiting, it’s backseat door open.
Silently, the elegant lady went into the car. The elderly assistant gently closed the backseat door before getting into the passenger seat.
“Let’s go. We have a plane to catch.” The imposing lady said.
The car drove out of the magnificent estate, leaving behind an old man with wrinkled face in his study.
He stared unblinkingly at a photo of a young man, trying to see any semblance of his dead daughter through that image. But from his expression, he neither looked sad nor happy.
-----------------------
It was four hours later that Lily woke up groggily. She was startled awake from a very vivid dream. The first thing she did was to check if she was still in that strange place.
Seeing her sleeping husband beside her, she released a deep sigh- a sigh of relief.
She gently caressed her husband’s face, guilt written all-over her face. Roger softly groaned by the gentle touch, but he didn’t wake up.
Lily stared at her husband’s face, wishing he’d open his eyes in concern and ask:
“What’s wrong Lily?”
Then she would say what’s been on her mind the entire morning. She would say ‘sorry’ and tell him the truth.
She waited and waited, but every minute her new-found courage was slipping away.
Roger never opened his eyes.
Lily could only bite her lips and smile bitterly.
After thinking it over, Lily felt ashamed having done such a thing and to pretend like it was nothing. Suddenly, she felt so dirty all over and had the urge to take a cold shower.
She hurriedly went to the bathroom.
And as the cold water fell down her naked body, she couldn’t help but shiver as she recalled what had happened in that private villa the previous night.
(Continuation below)
Roger’s POV
-------------
I drove home as fast as I could. Nakahinga ako ng maluwag ng pumasok ako sa bahay at wala pa ang asawa ko.
Since I came straight from Candice’s place after a night of intense sex, feeling ko ang lagkit ng katawan ko. Kaya agad akong nagshower, nagsipilyo, at nag-ayos sa sarili. Nag blower pa ako sa aking buhok para matuyo ito agad at magmukha akong bagong gising.
Sakto lang ang preparasyon, dumating si misis habang kunwari ay nakahiga pa ako sa kama at kagigising lang.
“You up, Babe?” Ang bungad na tanong ni Lily na nakangiti sa akin.
“Kanina pa, pero tinatamad akong bumangon eh.” Sagot ko sabay tayo at lapit kay misis. Binigyan ko siya ng halik sa pisngi at yumakap na rin.
“Kumusta yung meeting nyo kagabi? Everything fine?” Tanong ko.
“Ah. Eh, oo Babe. Maaga namang na finalize sana yung agreement pero biglang sumungit ang panahon kaya hindi na ako nakauwi pa kahapon. Sorry talaga Babe.”
“No prob. Ang importante ay walang naging aberya.”
Hindi ko gustong lumabas na parang nang-uusyuso, so I tried to be as casual as I could with my questions. Mukhang hindi naman naalarma si Misis.
Napaisip ako na baka hindi talaga si Lily yung babae sa kama na nasa video. Baka may gusto lang mam-bwisit sa akin, dahil nga parang hindi naman naiilang si Misis na pag-usapan ang naging lakad nya kahapon.
Hindi rin ito mukhang guilty. Hindi ko rin aninag sa itsura nito na may parang tinatagong lihim.
“So tuloy ba ang cooperation nyo with…?”
“Yes Babe. Tuloy na tuloy, with Mr. Ledesma and the Solid Textiles Group behind him.” My wife completed my statement. Excitement was clearly on her face while talking about the project.
“With this tie-up we expect a revenue spike of about 15% to 20% in the next three years.” Pagtutuloy pa nya.
“But the real big catch is the promotion of the luxury underwear brand that we launched months ago. We should expect to see a significant increase in the market share in years to come.”
Lily was talking while she was busy taking off her jewelries and the accessories she was wearing. She went inside her walk-in closet and placed her bags and personal items.
This has been her usual routine, so sanay na akong nakikita siyang ganito. Parang automaton, alam nya saan ilalagay lahat. Usually, after itabi ang mga personal effects nya ay magtatanggal na ito ng damit at magbibihis ng pambahay.
I was lying on the bed looking at Lily as she was describing the project. I enjoyed how driven she was. She stood in front of the full length mirror and was about to take off her body-tight dress, when she suddenly paused.
As if remembering something important, she stopped what she was doing and briskly walked into the bathroom leaving me hanging. Nasa gitna pa lang kasi sya sa pag-eexplain ng ins and out ng project nila.
“Babe?” I asked a bit confused.
“Sorry Babe.” I heard her voice behind the closed bathroom door. “I just remembered. Hindi pa pala ako nakakapag shower today.” Ang natatawa nitong paliwanag.
“Paki-oven na lang pala muna yung food na dinala ko. It’s on the dining table in a plastic wrap. I’ll be done in a minute and we’ll have breakfast together. Ok?” She shouted as I heard the sound of falling water in the shower.
“Take your time, Babe.” I shouted back and went outside the bedroom to check the food she mentioned.
It didn’t take long for Lily to finish her bath. Nang lumabas ito ng kwarto ay nakasuot na siya ng oversized na T-shirt at pajama bottoms.
Matagal nang hindi nagsusuot ng ganito si Lily, yung parang balot yung katawan. Kaya naman medyo nanibago ako. Since that unforgettable honeymoon, medyo kasi naging iba na manamit si Lily.
Medyo naging mas liberated o yung tipong mas sexy, like maninipis at sobrang liit na shorts, yung bakat na leggings, at minsan nga naka panty nga lang at shirt pag nasa loob lang ng bahay at walang ibang tao.
“What?” She looked at me when she noticed I was staring at her in a weird way.
“I haven’t seen you in that kind of pambahay outfit for quite some time, Babe.” Sabi ko.
“Well, I just felt like wearing them again.” She said with a smile. “Don’t you miss my ‘manang’ look?”
Manang. Old lady. That’s how she used to describe her choice of clothing when we were still dating. That was when she was so conservative with practically everything. Even when we got married she had kept wearing clothes ‘decently’ kung nasa bahay lang. Recently lang talaga siya nagbago.
“Well, I kinda missed it, yeah.” I admitted then I smiled wickedly and added, “But I still prefer you wearing your pekpek shorts. Lalong lalo kung naka underwear ka lang dito sa bahay.”
“Wow really? Tell me, are you really my husband, Roger?” She pretended to look scared then shouted as if addressing someone outside. “Help, someone kidnapped my husband and replaced him with a manyak.”
Natawa kami pareho. Napailing ako sa antics ng asawa ko. Kahit yung humor nya nag-iba na rin, may halo nang kapilyahan.
After a good laugh I insisted. “Really, nakakamanyak ka naman talaga Babe.” Sabay yakap sa kanya. I also didn’t pass up the chance to feel her up- her boobs, yung maalsa nyang puke, at ang kanyang malamang puwet.
That made my wife flush red in embarrassment. “Hoy, Enough. Ano ka ba, ano nakain mo kagabi?” Ang natatawa nitong tugon sabay kurot sa may singit ko.
Muntik na akong napaubo sa sinabi ni Lily. May kakaiba nga naman talaga akong nakain kagabi. Ang pangalan nya ay Candice. Pero hindi dapat ito ipagsabi kahit kanino, lalo na sa asawa ko.
After nang konting tuksuhan, we had a lazy but otherwise relaxing breakfast. Pansamantalang nawaglit sa isip ko yung video na natanggap ko from someone anonymous.
Last night as I was still emotional, I thought of confronting Lily when she came back, but now that I’ve thought about everything more deeply, I decided na magmaang-maangan na lang.
At most, I’d play by ear. Pakikiramdaman ko kung may milagrong nangyayari na hindi ko alam. After all, ang intention ng agreement namin ay para mapanood ko sya while getting fucked.
Well I’ve heard of the term. Yung gawin syang **** ng iba. Medyo weird na parang and dali-dali na lang tanggapin ang ganitong scenario with my current self. When I’ve learned of it the first time, with Bob and Jake, parang nanikip ang dibdib ko sa kirot.
Parang gumuho ang mundo ko. That was how I describe the feeling. Of course, the feeling of devastation was eclipsed by my overwhelming lust. Every time I thought of the scene of my wife getting banged by those men, I really couldn’t help but get an erection.
Yes, I admit that I want to see more of that happen. Pero gusto ko andoon mismo ako sa eksena. The combination of dread and excitement, naisip ko pa lang parang mababaliw na ako. It’s like a drug.
However, I don’t want to make her feel that I’m really excited. I’m really kind of hypocrite, diba? I don’t want to sound that I was looking forward to it. Ganoon. Gusto ko yung feeling na napilitan lang ako, or kami sa sitwasyon, o yung nadala lang. Mas nakakalibog ang ganu’n.
Gusto ko rin yung parang patago, yung parang hindi nya alam na andoon ako. Yung parang takot na takot syang mahuli ko, pero nagpapaka-**** pa rin dahil sa libog nya.
Yung mga ganyang scenario. But how to go around to make it happen, wala pa akong idea. I’m almost certain that if I tell my wife, she’d be more than willing to try. But then again, I don’t want to make it obvious.
So for now, I’d play by ear na lang talaga and look for a chance na maisakatuparan ito kung saka-sakali.
Also her phone. I was really curious about what’s inside it.
That unknown person told me something was in her phone that should surprise me. I should try to find a way to get access to it.
So the rest of the morning, we spent it lying on the bed. Just cuddling. Usap usap konti. Medyo napansin ko that Lily’s so uncharacteristically tired.
May office joke kami sa ganitong klaseng kapaguran. Yung tipong buong maghapon kang nagtrabaho sa construction. I was tempted to tease her with the joke, but decided not to. Alam ko my wife’s very hardworking. And with my promotion, she might feel the need to compete dahil napag-iiwanan ko na siya.
I know the feeling sucks so I didn’t tease her.
So nagpatuloy siya ng pagkukwento ng mga nangyari after ng signing with the client. She told me they had some sort of drinking party after the meeting and it ended up pretty late daw. It’s her way of explaining her tiredness as she had a hard time keeping her eyes open.
“Uminom ka ba ng marami?” Tanong ko.
“No, no. I just had two cans of beer. You know Babe that I can’t have too much.” She said.
So far, parang nagsasabi naman talaga ng totoo si Lily. That first video had her holding a can of beer. As to the fact that she only had two cans, I couldn’t really be sure.
Also I was curious about the people in that “party” so nag-usisa na rin ako konti.
“Sinu-sino pala kasama nyo sa meeting? Yun pa rin ba kasama nyo sa party afterwards? How about Ninong David?”
Mentioning Ninong got her to stare at me. She paused and looked at me. Malaman yung mga titig nya.
“Babe? Are you still thinking that Ninong and I…”
“No Babe, don’t misunderstand. I just want to know if he took good care of you. I assume most of the people were strangers to you and it could be awkward.”
That convinced her. And she started to drop names. I was only familiar with two names. Mr James Ledesma and a certain Butch Sesante.
Mr Ledesma is a bigshot in textile industry. While Butch Sesante is a well-known figure in media and public relations.
It’s understandable to have a PR expert when you’re about to launch a big marketing campaign, so I nodded my head. I don’t know about the other people that she mentioned though.
She even said na may mga anak mayaman pa sa party. Scions of well-known and rich families. Yun daw ang pagkaka-describe sa kanya ni Mr. Ledesma, ang nag-imbita sa kanila sa private party na yun.
She never declined getting to know those people, kasi nga they seemed to be people of influence. Building connections. Networking. Sa aming trabaho alam namin pareho ni Lily na importanteng bagay ang magkaroon nito.
“Curious lang ako. Wala bang mga girls sa party maliban sa yo?” I asked a bit puzzled.
Medyo natawa si Lily sa expression ng mukha ko. “Loko. Of course meron. Malaki yung lugar, may kanya-kanyang tables yung guests. Some of them brought a partner pa nga. May isang table pa na, they were all ladies and they looked like they came from well-off families. Meron ding mga older ladies. May kanya kanya silang circles”
“But I never got a chance to be introduced to most of them. Yung pinakilala ni Mr Ledesma ay pawang mga friends lang nya. They talked mostly about business kahit na it was a party and leisure lang dapat ang pakay. But you know businessmen.”
I agree. You can’t really separate business from leisure with these bloody businesspeople. They are wired that way.
“How about yung event. Saang hotel yun ginanap?”
“Not a hotel.”
“Not?”
“Yup. I was surprised pa nga. It was a very private villa. It was three storey. I was also huge, parang mansion sya kung tutuusin. The design was like a medieval castle. At least that was my impression. I didn’t get to see the entire place, but I heard may pool pa daw ito. May parang mini-forest pa nga daw for camping and hunting ang property.”
“Really?” I never heard of such a place.
“Yes. It was not registered on any map. Yan yung sabi ni Mr. Ledesma. Membership only lang din ang access except for those high-ups or nasa tuktok ng hierarchy- those people can bring outsiders sa parties, like that one. Mr Ledesma happened to be someone with authority. So na-invite kami ni Ninong.”
“Actually, kung hindi masama ang panahon. Mr Ledesma wouldn’t have invited us. But after ng meeting, he felt bad to leave us knowing na hindi kami makakauwi. So he invited us over na lang.”
“Ano ba tawag sa grupo nila?” Medyo curious lang ako. Hindi kaya ito kulto? Ito ang sabi ng malikot kong isipan.
“Teka lang Babe ha?” Lily got up and went to her closet. When she came back meron na syang hawak na parang business card.
“Mr Ledesma gave that to me. He knew you were my husband. Ang usap-usapan daw sa business community you’re one of the brightest prospects sa industry. He also knew of your promotion.”
“He said you would eventually learn about the private group as you go up the ladder in the company. But he told me, it would be a great thing if you learn about “them” this early. Klaro na daw ang upward trajectory ng career mo Babe.”
“I’m so proud of you!” With that she hugged me tight and happily kissed my lips. I kissed her back passionately.
I was about to get horny na naman, as I started caressing her body. Pero agad umayaw si misis. Pagod daw talaga sya, at konti lang ang tulog nya kagabi dahil sa party.
“Sorry Babe. Promise next time.” Sabi nya while giving me an over-the-top ‘sad’ face.
Hindi naman ako nagpumilit pa. So nag-usap pa kami konti hanggang sa naramdaman kong naka-idlip na si Lily.
Dahil dito, I had the time to check the business card na binigay ni Mr. Ledesma. Nagulat ako, hindi pala ito isang business card na made of thick paper. Parang isang ATM pa nga na gawa sa plastic-like materials ang nasa kamay ko. There were also some bar codes at the back and a square-looking logo na mukhang QR code.
Sobrang bongga naman ng grupong ito.
Yung front face ng card ay may logo ng isang parang diamante o gem. Tapos may letrang C-R-O-W-N in golden strokes.
Crown. Feeling hari at reyna siguro yung mga myembro nito.
Napaisip ako. Mr Ledesma gave me this card, so ibig ba sabihin, he’s inviting me to join? I tried to search for the private group crown sa phone ko. None. Walang rumehistro. Mukha nga yatang sobrang sekreto ng grupong ito.
Then naisip ko lang. May parang QR code sa likod, what if i-scan ko ito? I picked up my phone and scanned the logo, and hola! May lumitaw nga na isang website.
‘Welcome to Crown’ ang sabi. Then sa may bandang baba ay may dalawang blankong box na for “Guest” and “Member.”
It was asking for a log-in pass. I checked the card. The bar code has numbers below, so I clicked “Guest” and keyed in the numbers.
I got in. The screen changed to a landing page. I understand as a mere guest, the information being shown to me must be very limited.
But still, if the figures are true, then this group is so next level.
Big-name celebrities, influencers, business people, politicians. The numbers of prominent people mentioned is staggering. And they said the power and movers in the country, in one way or the other have a stake in the club.
I checked the group’s mission-vision. As expected, it appeared very Rotarian, and pretty much like any socio-civic group in the country or abroad.
In short, it aims to improve human society, promote peace and development. Blah blah blah. Very formulaic and generic, but may hinala ako na hindi ganito kasimple lang ang grupong ito.
One thing very interesting is that the CROWN group in the Philippines is merely a local branch. There’s a grand main club somewhere in the world pa pala. International. Global scale, but totally unknown to commoners.
I wonder if Caroline has heard of CROWN. I checked the time, and it’s 9 in the morning. It should still be 3AM in Italy, which I believe is where she’s at right now. I’d better call her later or tomorrow na lang.
Meanwhile, na-antok na rin ako after thinking alone for some time. Then hindi ko namalayan na nakatulog na pala ako.
------------------------------
Meanwhile, somewhere in South America…
“Old man, I’ve delivered the news. I never want to see all of you, but for my dear friend, I had to. Whether you acknowledge him or not, I don’t care. Take this as me informing you. I’ll take him as my own.”
With that, the gorgeous middle-aged lady walked out of the grand hall. Following her is an elderly assistant. Outside the wide gates, a luxurious car was waiting, it’s backseat door open.
Silently, the elegant lady went into the car. The elderly assistant gently closed the backseat door before getting into the passenger seat.
“Let’s go. We have a plane to catch.” The imposing lady said.
The car drove out of the magnificent estate, leaving behind an old man with wrinkled face in his study.
He stared unblinkingly at a photo of a young man, trying to see any semblance of his dead daughter through that image. But from his expression, he neither looked sad nor happy.
-----------------------
It was four hours later that Lily woke up groggily. She was startled awake from a very vivid dream. The first thing she did was to check if she was still in that strange place.
Seeing her sleeping husband beside her, she released a deep sigh- a sigh of relief.
She gently caressed her husband’s face, guilt written all-over her face. Roger softly groaned by the gentle touch, but he didn’t wake up.
Lily stared at her husband’s face, wishing he’d open his eyes in concern and ask:
“What’s wrong Lily?”
Then she would say what’s been on her mind the entire morning. She would say ‘sorry’ and tell him the truth.
She waited and waited, but every minute her new-found courage was slipping away.
Roger never opened his eyes.
Lily could only bite her lips and smile bitterly.
After thinking it over, Lily felt ashamed having done such a thing and to pretend like it was nothing. Suddenly, she felt so dirty all over and had the urge to take a cold shower.
She hurriedly went to the bathroom.
And as the cold water fell down her naked body, she couldn’t help but shiver as she recalled what had happened in that private villa the previous night.
(Continuation below)
