Chapter 31

After the meeting with Rosie, dumiretso ako kay Abuela. I just needed to tell her about what I'd do kahit alam ko na alam niya naman na.

But then my day had to be ruined.

"Abby," I said when I saw her. She looked like she was about to leave.

"Nadia," she replied curtly.

"Good to see you."

"Likewise."

We'd be the best of friends if only she didn't decide that she also wanted that one thing that I'd wanted all my life.

She didn't want the presidency—she only wanted Maven and her little family. Pissed me off that she'll have Maven run for presidency regardless. No one would dare touch her and her family—everyone knows she's deranged.

"Good luck on the election," she said.

I forced myself to smile. "Thank you. Good luck to Maven, too."

"Thank you," she replied as she gave me a small nod and went about her way.

I still had six years to make a game plan about the presidency. Now, I had to focus on the senate.

"I'm taking the baby," I said.

"I've heard," Abuela replied.

"How? I literally just decided."

"I predicted," she replied.

Kumunot ang noo ko. Was I that predictable? That was disappointing.

"No one is expecting you to kill a baby," Abuela said.

"If you were in my position?" I asked her.

She just gave me a passive look.

I knew it.

She would do it—she's done worse.

"Do not compare," Abuela said. "Ordering the killing of some man you do not have personal ties with is different from killing a child you have personal ties with. The former is easier."

I know that.

It's easy to order death—I'd seen her do that... not in so many words... sometimes, just by giving a look to her security... It's eerie... and scary.

"It's gonna ruin my chances," I said.

"A baby is always a blessing."

"Not when the baby's a bastard," I replied.

Abuela chuckled a little. "I won't care about that baby, Nadia—that baby is not my grandchild."

"I don't expect you to," I said. "I just..." Tumingin ako sa kanya. "I can't do it. I can't kill a child," I admitted.

I thought I could.

I really thought I could, but as it turned out, I draw the line on innocent kids.

But Rosie? I had no doubt in my mind that I could do it.

"No one's forcing you to," she replied.

"I feel like this one's gonna bite me in the ass someday," I said.

"Maybe," she said. "But you're a problem solver—you'd always been."

My lips parted.

Was she... complimenting me?

"This is nothing," Abuela said. "You take that child. You project a happy family. If people knew about it, deny it. If they persist, act like the victim. Always be the blameless victim."

Abuela looked at me.

"You made that man out of nothing," she said. "If things get bad, you drop him."

My lips parted.

"You choose yourself—always. You and your family. And that man is not your family."

I felt like I was a child and she was holding my hand, guiding me on where I should go and what I needed to do. I had always hated being told what to do and not to do—but never with Abuela. I had always wanted to be her... and better. But she never really talked to me like this. I knew she favored Maven—she's always been open about that.

But now?

I felt like she's guiding me.

"You're not disappointed in me?"

"With what?"

"That... I can't even do this?"

"Easier said than done, hija," Abuela said. "You'll get there someday, but don't hurry."

"And Abby?"

"What about her?"

"She'll use this against me," I replied.

"She will," Abuela replied. "You have six years to study her. You will learn a lot—both her strengths and weakness."

"The only thing she has over me is money."

"Stop complaining," was all she said before I left because I felt like there was nothing left to say.

* * *

"Why are we here?" Archibald asked after he took his chair. I had my secretary send his secretary a calendar invite for tonight's dinner. Magkasama kami buong araw dahil sa campaign, pero hindi rin kami nakapagusap. I mean, I knew that he wanted to talk to me, but he couldn't bring himself to.

Shame is such a powerful thing.

And at least he's self-aware.

"I'd like to discuss something," I said.

"You want to talk?"

"Discuss."

"Why here? Bakit hindi na lang sa bahay?"

"Because this is a business discussion," I replied. "I figured the ambiance might help," sabi ko sa kanya. I usually conduct my business appointments over dinner. It's just easier to close deals when people are well-fed and a bit drunk—not that I'm planning to get Archibald drunk because god knows what happens when he gets drunk.

The waitress came in. She took our order. Even as I was saying my order, I could feel the tension coming from Archibald's end. Ganyan talaga kapag guilty. Every little thing I did made him nervous.

When we were alone again, I brought my attention back to him. His eyes were on my face like he was memorizing every inch of it. He looked like he was longing for me, but I was not living in delusion like Rosie.

Archie might love me, sure... but he didn't respect me.

He slept with someone else.

Sure, maybe someday, I'll forgive him for that—but if there's one thing I am sure of, it's that I will never forget it. Every time I'd look at his face, I would remember how he was with someone else. How he was with her, even after I specifically asked him not to.

I would probably forgive him, but I'll never respect him again.

To me, he's just like the men who disappointed me as I grew up.

"Business discussion?" he asked.

I nodded. "I talked to Rosie—"

I could not miss even if I wanted to—how his eyes widened a little, how panic quickly showed on his face. Why was he panicking? Did he say something to her about me? I hated that he talked about me with her. She was no one and he dragged her in to our lives. I would never be able to forgive him for that.

"Don't worry, I did not hurt your little mistress," I told him.

"She is not my mistress," he said.

"Your baby mama then." His jaw clenched a little. Umayos ako ng upo. I did not want to participate in this pissing contest with him. "I talked to her yesterday," I continued. "I told her that I'd allow her to give birth."

His eyes widened.

"But," I said before he got excited. "I will be taking that baby and raising it as our kid."

Confusion was painted all over his face.

"I'll be wearing a fake belly and I'll be 'giving birth' at the same time," I explained. Tahimik pa rin siya. He was probably digesting everything o baka mahina lang talaga siya. Either way, I needed to spell it out for him because I did not want to explain again. "In one of the campaigns, I will faint and then news outlets will report that we're expecting our first child. Everyone will be happy for us. I expect that the survey numbers will go up," I told him.

Based on survey, mas binoboto talaga kapag may pamilya na iyong tao. For some reason, the voting public just trusts people with family—which does not make sense. I'd rather vote for someone without family because that way, that person will devote his or her time to work. But whatever. As long as I can use it to my advantage.

"You will do that?" he asked.

"Why not?"

"Because not even a week ago, you wanted to—" he said and then stopped. He couldn't even verbalize it.

"Kill the baby?" I asked him. "If I were being honest, that was my first option. But I decided that I can use it to my advantage."

Hindi siya nagsalita.

Good.

This time, let me fully lead because clearly, if I let him lead, we'd end up in the ditch.

"People love babies. God, I hope the baby's not ugly," I said because Rosie's objectively not that good looking. She's fine, but nothing special. I still wonder what Archibald saw in her. At the very least, I hope the baby gets Archie's DNA... face wise. But the intellect's from the mother's DNA. This baby isn't even given a fighting chance with its parents' DNA.

Such is life.

"I'll be having interviews, doing PR. The usual drill. I'll still join the campaign and people will be in awe of how devoted I am to you," I said.

"Why... are you doing this?"

"Because you fucked up and once again, I am forced to clean after your mess," I told him.

"I just asked you to not do... that," he said. "I did not ask you to raise the baby, Nadia," he continued. "You don't have to put yourself through that."

Tumingin ako sa kanya.

"Put myself through what?" I asked.

Hindi siya nagsalita.

"This is a political decision, Archibald," I said and I saw the hurt and disapproval in his eyes when I said his name.

"Of course," he replied.

"Of course it is," I said.

"Paano kapag nalaman ng iba?" he asked. "You said it yourself—walang sikreto ang hindi nabubunyag."

I calmed myself down.

How dare this disappointment of a man ask me this question after the fact that he was the one who dragged me in the middle of this?

"Then I'd have you convert religion and tell everyone who would listen that you made a mistake, but in the middle of the darkness, you found the Lord," I told him.

His lips parted.

Why was he going against me? I was merely fixing his mess.

"Let me worry about that when it happens because obviously, I'm the brains in this operation," I said.

His jaw clenched. "Pumayag ba siya?" he asked again.

"Yes," I replied. "With a condition," I continued. "She wanted you to go on doctor's appointments with her. Probably go shopping for baby clothes, too."

Kumunot ang noo niya. "What? And you agreed with that?"

"Yes," I said. "But everything will be done in private."

If she thought she could force my hand by being seen in public with Archibald while she's pregnant, she's sorely mistaken. I'd gladly push her in front of a moving train first before that could happen.

"Do I even have a say in this?" he asked.

"No," I replied. "Because clearly, you think with the wrong head."

**

This story is already at Chapter 36 patreon.com/beeyotch. Subscription starts at 100php per month for all stories. You can also join the patreon facebook group. You can email [email protected] for assistance :) Thank you!