EMMA DAMIAN 5

--Emma--

Part of me wanted to say nothing, to keep the small paddle tucked away in my purse and leave Damian twirling in the breeze. It would've also been sweet. When he saw me from up on the stage, he felt relieved, as if everything would go according to plan and he would – as always – get his way. I'd have been perfectly justified in hanging him, especially after what he'd done to me.

But, as enraged as I was with Damian, it was nothing compared to my hatred for Marian Mendoza. She'd made high school a living hell for me, bullying me like the privileged brat she was.

So be it if I had to team up with Damian to ensure she didn't receive what she wanted.

After all, I wasn't playing with my own money.

"Did I hear fifty thousand pesos?"Carlos inquired. " Carlos inquired.

I took a deep breath and wrapped my fingers around the paddle. It was now or never, I reasoned. As I swung the paddle into the air, my hand surged up.

"Fifty thousand pesos!" She exclaimed.

Everyone turned around to see who had placed the winning offer. Marian locked her frigid glare on me, and she narrowed her eyes as if she might tear me apart limb from limb with a single hard stare.

Girlie, you'll have to do better than that.

"Here we go," I muttered under my breath, unable to keep a grin from growing across my face.

"Miss Emma Sy, the charming and clever woman behind this amazing party we're all enjoying tonight, has given us two thousand dollars!"

" Carlos congratulated. "Can we, however, raise it any higher?" ”

"Sixty-five thousand pesos!" exclaims the narrator.

Marian didn't miss a beat when she called.

Carlos teased, "That didn't take long. But, folks, we're not stopping there, are we?"

Marian's prim demeanor showed she was irritated, yet she still felt in complete control of the situation.

"Ninety thousand pesos!"

“Wow! " Carlos explained. "Let's keep the momentum rolling!" ”

I opened my mouth and began to speak, but another voice from the crowd interrupted me before I could say anything.

"One hundred thousand pesos!" Another wealthy woman has entered the fray.

I had a thought. Instead of getting dragged into a three-way fight, I'd let Marian and the new woman fight it out. That's exactly what they did.

"One hundred twenty thousand pesos!" Marian yelled, her voice irritated.

As everyone waited to see if this new woman would take it to the next level, silence enveloped the room. Damian was very nervous as he took the stage. And it didn't bother me that he was sweating. Every now and then, a smug person like him could use a little time in the hot seat.

"We have a one hundred and twenty thousand pesos!" Carlos exclaimed cheerfully. "Do we have a hundred and fiffty there? no hundred fifty? Then...going once, twice..and...s-"

It's time for me to make my move. "two hundred and fifty thousand pesos!"

That drew the party's attention. When I yelled my bid, everyone came to a halt, from the guests to the service staff to the band. I could feel the weight of the sum, even if it wasn't my money. It was a lot more than I had on my credit card. Damian grinned, glad that I had beaten Marian to the auction.

"We've acquired a total of two hundred and fifty thousand pesos!" Carlos said as he looked around the gathering. “Wow! Is there anyone else? ”

Marian's furious expression on her face told me she wasn't happy, so I looked at her. She shifted her sight away from me, focusing on the older man she was married to, or was divorcing, or whatever their status was. She pouted at him, as if to implore, "Please, pretty-pretty-pretty please?" ”

But all he did was shake his head. I knew I'd won at that point.

Marian slammed her paddle down on the table and buried her chin in her upturned hands, a pout on her face that belonged on a five-year-old who had not had her way.

“Two hundred and fifty thousand!

Carlos rang the doorbell. "Going once... going twice... sold!"

There was a round of applause. I'd paid ten thousand dollars to take Damian to Boracay for a fantastic weekend. Of course, Damian had paid ten thousand pesos to have himself transported to Boracay, but no one else needed to know that.

As Damian exited the platform, Carlos presented the next stud for bidding.

Hannah came over to me as I fought to regain my breath, and my heart raced. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," she said, her eyes wide with surprise. "Wow, it was exciting!"

"It was," I answered, a grin on my face. "And you know what else?" says the narrator. It was complete nonsense."

Hannah's forehead creased in perplexity. "Can you tell me what you're talking about?"

Before I could tell her the truth, a few other guests came up to me and congratulated me, telling me how jealous they were that I would be spending the weekend in Boracay with Dr. Damian Alcantara Aquino. I didn't say anything about what was really going on.

I noticed Zea waddling over with her hand on her belly and a puzzled expression on her face. "Oh my God!" exclaimed the speaker. " she explained. "It's unbelievable! That was...so intense that I was afraid I'd go into labor! ”

With a smug smile, I remarked, "Glad to put on a good show." It was perplexing. Working behind the scenes was one of the most enjoyable aspects of my profession. But, at the time, I was having a lot of fun being the star of the show.

"Don't misinterpret this," Zea cautioned. "However, I had no clue you were making that much money. It's one thing to have seventy thousand pesos in the bank; it's quite another to have two hundred and fifty thousand pesos to spend on a weekend in Boracay. Not to mention, why would you put your money on Damian, of all people? You despise him."

I made the decision that it was time to clear the air and reveal the truth. Marian was visible above their shoulders. She remained sat and glared at me with a look of utter hatred in her eyes. I couldn't stop myself from doing it. I gave her a wink. Before speaking to her husband, she banged her fist into the table. She then leapt to her feet and stormed out of the room. It was a fantastically entertaining private performance only for me.

Damian, Mr. Tight Scrubs himself, arrived us at that very time, his towering bulk looming over the three of us. The talk came to a halt when he entered the room.

With a cocky grin, he replied, "Sorry to interrupt. "However, I wanted to pay a visit and congratulate the grand prize winner. I'm looking forward to our weekend together, Emmie," he said as he took my hand in his, leaned down, and kissed my knuckles.

I couldn't even begin to think of a response because I was so taken aback. The only thing that came out of my mouth was, "Um..."

Hannah was taken aback, and Zea stood by, suspicious. And I was more turned on than I'd ever been before in that moment. Damian remained a jerk, a callous jerk. But I'd be lying if I pretended not to notice what was going on, how much I felt like melting into a puddle in front of everyone.

Returning to my wits, I shook my head. It was time for me to take a stand. "Thank you, Damian," I whispered as I slipped my hand from his and coughed. "However, I will not accompany you anyplace."

"Wait, what?" Hannah inquired, a beautiful pout on her lips.

"Boracay sounds like a lot of fun," I said. "However, I'll be booked for the entire weekend."

That comment drew puzzled looks from everyone.

"Which weekend do you think it is?" Damian inquired.

Shit. His smirk told me I'd made a mistake.

Hannah chimed in, "Yeah. They haven't even said when it will take place."

"What I intended to say was that I'm so busy with work for the next month or so that there's a fair chance I'll be busy."

Hannah looked at me with interest before pulling out her trusty clipboard and flipping over the pages. "Well, most Saturdays, we're very open, and—"

As my lame justification was blown to shreds right in front of my eyes, my face flushed. So much for getting out of the situation without a hitch.

Hannah pushed, a smirk on her lips, "You really should just go, Emma. You're in desperate need of a vacation."

As I realized I wouldn't be able to get out of this, I softly muttered to myself. All I wanted to do was get away from Damian as quickly as possible.

"Well," I responded. "I need to go check on some...stuff," she says. And, Hannah, I'm sure you've got...things to do as well."

"Yeah," Hannah said, evidently perplexed by my actions. "I'm going to do a sweep of the place."

"And I'll go check on Carlos," Zea added, staring at her husband as he leaped off the platform, the bidding now over. They both walked away, leaving Damian and myself alone.

"Are you sure you don't have a tux to change into?" I inquired, my tone sterner than required.

He replied, "Sure, sure. But first, let me tell you something."

I sighed, knowing he was about to add salt to the wound. "Can you tell me what that is?" ”

With a grin on his face, he leaned in, his mouth inches from my ear, his hand on the wall behind me. "I'm looking forward to our weekend together," he said as he walked away, winking at me before leaving me alone.

I couldn't think of anything to say or do. I just stood there, wide-eyed, for a few moments. With a remark like that, he knew precisely what he was doing. And the worst part was that his presence, his voice, and even his bravado had driven me insane. My skin was tingling, my cheeks were flushed, and I was drenched.

He'd done it before, and now he'd done it again. Because, as much as I hated to admit it, Damian Aquino was the one man who could get me moving.

And here's the worst part: He'd finally get his opportunity.