Prologue

Everybody said that my life is a page ripped straight from a fairytale book.

I was born lucky to have a powerful father who runs one of the biggest haciendas in La Union, a tycoon who is a monster in business but a loving father in house.

I thought that when parents are so busy in their businesses and work, they forgot about their children.

Well, certainly not my Papa.

Kung anong tipid ng ngiti niya kapag nasa trabaho ay ganun naman kalawak ang kaniyang ngisi kapag nakikita niya ako pagkarating niya sa bahay. He's strong yet gentle. Strict yet understanding.

And my Mama is the most graceful and elegant woman I've ever known. She's a ballerina when she was young and her face appeared in so many fashion campaigns during her youthful days. Papa is so smitten by her and I can tell why. She's soft-spoken, fluent in many languages, and an intelligent woman. Not to mention that she's really beautiful, too. She's the only brown-haired beauty in our house. Namana ko kay Papa ang itim na itim kong buhok. Mama's hair is brown and floats like loose curls, while mine is a dark mess.

Just simply looking at my mother makes me feel so little about myself. She's so pretty and talented and smart while I'm just... me.

Kung anong ikinatalento at ikinatalino ng mga magulang ko ay siya namang ikinatahimik ko. Mama is a social butterfly while I, on the other hand, is just plain Jane. Every time she hosts dinner parties in our mansion, I would stay in the corner, awkwardly chewing French bread and sipping juice while I watch her get adored by many.

Alam kong marami ang disappointed sa akin. The De la Rua couple is a majestic, powerful duo and they gave birth to a disappointment like me. Walang talento. Hindi kagandahan. I'm not even good in socializing and I am constantly drowning in my insecurities.

"Mama, will I ever be beautiful and talented like you?"

"Of course, Anna." My mom would always tell me in her soft, elegant voice. "You'll be just as beautiful and talented like your Mama. Maybe even more."

While her words consoled me at nights when I highly doubted myself, I still couldn't control my thoughts and my mind.

My parents can dress me in the most expensive haute couture clothes and I still wouldn't be beautiful as them. I will never be beautiful as them.

"You look beautiful tonight, princess." Papa complimented me when he stepped inside the room and saw me wearing a beige fairy dress by Paolo Sebastian. Mama specifically picked it for me, to suit my young body while the color makes me look more mature.

"Really?"

Sinulyapan ko ang sarili sa salamin. I look nowhere near my mother. My hair is coiffed and I got my diamond earrings on. I even wore a pair of nude heels tonight to compliment the dress my mother efforted so much to find.

"Yes." Papa crouched a bit to kiss my forehead. Napangiti ako. "I am sure that the young men in the party will be head over heels for you."

I hesitated but then nodded. I accepted someone's compliment for the first time. Mama said that part of being beautiful is believing in yourself that you are divine and ethereal. I like how she's able to accept compliments gracefully.

"If you start believing that you are beautiful, then the people surrounding you will also see you as a goddess, too." Si Mama sa tuwing nalulungkot ako kapag ikinukumpara ko ang sarili ko sa mga anak ng business associates ni Papa.

I mean, who wouldn't be insecure when you're surrounded with tall, elegant girls who wears champagne slip dresses and high heels and looks very mature in their dark makeup? Samantalang ako ay nagmimistulang bata.

"You really are still a kid, Anna. You're fourteen!" natatawang sagot palagi ni Mama kapag nagc-complain ako sa kaniya.

That night, I believed in my father's words that I am pretty. I could be pretty if I want to. I started smiling at our guests and joined my parents in welcoming them at the grand parlor of the mansion.

"This is my unica hija, Savannah..." I could hear the pride in my mother's voice as she introduced me to Dad's one important investors.

"She looks like you when you were younger, Anastasia." Nakangiting wika naman ng matandang eleganteng babae. I stared at her and smiled politely, thinking that the pearls around her neck would cost more than our mansion.

"She dances ballet, too." Panggatong pa ni Mama.

My cheeks burned in embarrassment. I started ballet when I was a kid, since my mother introduced me to it and I wanted to follow her footsteps. But I could tell that I am the least elegant and graceful dancer in our class. Sometimes, I don't like attending our classes because I get compared to my mother, who had been a professional ballet instructor in her younger days and an icon to that ballet school.

"Really? I'd like to see you perform, darling..."

"Actually hindi po ako kagalingan..." my voice got weak and I trailed off when another guest came to join the conversation. I easily got drowned in the sea of voices and my mom's soft laughter echoing as she exchanged greetings with the guests. I took a step back and inhaled.

"Mama, sa restroom lang po ako." I excused politely and didn't event wait for her reply. Dali-dali akong naglakad palayo sa nag-uusap na mga tao at dumiretso sa restroom namin. It is located near the dining hall, so people attending the party are most likely to use it.

Doon pa lang ako nakahinga nang maluwag nang makapasok ako sa cubicle. Ipinikit ko ang mga mata at sinapo ang ulo. I never thought it would be this stressful. Dealing with guests and talking to them politely takes so much of my energy, unlike my mother who is born a social butterfly.

"Is she really Tita Anastasia's daughter? She looks..."

"Plain?"

"Ugly."

A burst of giggles exploded inside the restroom which made me freeze in my seat. I was about to reach for the lock and step out. My heart clenched painfully inside of my chest as I continued to listen to their wicked laughs, talking in hushed voices about how I looked like a kid trying hard to make it to adult's world.

"You see how she walks in her heels? I thought she's a dancer! I expected her to be very graceful, not a clumsy girl."

I bit my lower lips and stayed still. I could recognize the voices but I don't want to confirm it. I am friends with Dad's political friends, too. Shanna and Denise. They complimented me earlier, telling me that I looked really great today.

Blinking back the tears, I waited patiently for them to leave the restroom before I headed out. Tama nga ang hinala kong sila iyon nang makita silang papabalik sa party nang tuluyan na din akong lumabas.

I stared at the sea of people dancing gracefully on the marbled floor. They are elegant, and happy, and beautiful. Our mansion is filled with beautiful people, even the maids are attractive and the bodyguards imposing. Ako lang ata ang naiiba rito.

Nawalan na ako ng ganang bumalik sa party. I glanced upstairs, wanting to retire to my bedroom early tonight. Hindi rin naman ako mage-enjoy kung lulunurin lang ako ng mga pekeng puri.

Alone and realizing that at 14, I have no real friends, I went silently to the dark kitchen. It has been very busy here earlier, with Mama inviting the best cook in town to serve us in the party.

I could hear nothing but the awkward stabs of my heels as I headed inside, and almost got a heart attack when an elongated shadow moved in the darkness of our kitchen. I heard a curse, and then a pair of slit, intimidating eyes darting towards my direction.

"Oh shit..."

I stared at the tall, young man with wide eyes. Parang sasabog ang dibdib ko sa pinaghalong kaba at takot nang makita ang estranghero sa kusina namin.

Ilang segundo din kaming nagtitigan dalawa, and I think, by far, it is the longest time I stared straight into a man's eyes. I should be intimidated by him, because of his towering height, expensive perfume, and cold eyes but I couldn't move.

"Uhm... w-what are you doing here?"

The light from the moon, streaming through the big, naked windows slanted over his hands and I saw him gripping the neck of a wine bottle. Napasinghap ako. My eyes traveled to his wet lips again, concluding that he has been drinking the bottle of wine alone in the kitchen while the people in the party are still dancing.

I hesitated. Gusto ko lang naman ng isang baso ng tubig. But seeing him here, I feel like an intruder in my own house. Ni hindi ko magawang gumalaw dahil sa tindi ng pagkakatitig niya sa akin.

"Uhm..."

"You're the daughter of the De la Rua couple?"

I bit my lower lips, dropping my gaze in shame. Even this mysterious stranger knows who I am. It is such a disgrace that I don't know how to act around him, while he probably knows half of my life story. Tinitigan ko siya. I am trying to find any sense of familiarity in his cold, brown eyes but I couldn't get anything out of him.

Maybe he's the son of one of the wealthy businessmen who attended the party. He's got the aura and the looks of an expensive young man who probably spends his weekends on a yatch, replacing girlfriends every now and then thanks to his devil-may-care look.

Isang mahinang tango lang ang naging sagot ko sa kaniya. He nodded once, in response, and then took a sip of his wine again. I couldn't see half of his face because he's lurking in the dark, but I could tell that he's a really attractive man. Ilang babae na kaya ang napaiyak ng lalaking ito?

"Why are you here?"

Umiling ako bilang sagot. Tapos ay nagkibit-balikat.

"Are you bored out there?"

Hindi ako nakasagot kaagad. I was starting to enjoy the first ten minutes of the party if it weren't for the staggering mean words that I heard from Shanna and Denise. And when I realized of how disappointing it is for people to find out that the daughter of Anastasia and Simone De la Rua is an awkward, talentless girl.

The kitchen smells so much of red velvet and cinnamon but his perfume override the aromata and started assaulting my nostrils. While my Papa sprays perfume, I never thought that it'd be this attractive until I discovered it from this man.

"Here. Take a sip."

Nanlaki ang mga mata kong napatingin sa kaniya. A lazy crooked smirk appeared on his lips when he noticed my sudden discomfort. Umalis na siya sa pagkakasandal mula sa sink at nilapitan ako.

To say my breath was blown when I saw him in his full manly glory is an understatement. I never saw a young man as attractive and seducing as him before. And based on how he looks, he's probably a few years older than me. A student in a prestigious university, training to become the future CEO of their own company, if I have to guess.

"Here, Savannah..." aniya sa baritonong boses at inilapit sa akin ang bote. I stared at the ring of the bottle, knowing that he'd sipped at it earlier. Sobrang lakas ng tibok ng puso ko.

"I... uh..." I stammered like an idiot, my cheeks burning in so much embarrassment.

"Come on. Just one sip." May halong lambing pa ang boses niyang sinabi.

With his irresistible voice and menacing looks, I accepted the bottle from him, thinking that he has no bad intentions towards a kid like me and I am in the safety of my own house. I'm sure he'll never think of hurting me.

Titig na titig siya sa akin habang nilalapit ko ang bote sa bibig ko. I've tasted wine before, in lieu of milk before because of my Papa. Parang sinusunog ang pisngi ko nang lubos ko nang malapit ang bote at sinimsiman ito nang konti habang siya naman ay hindi inaalis ang madilim na tingin sa akin.

I shut my eyes close and felt the expensive, smooth claw of the wine at the back of my throat. Huminga ako nang malalim at nanghihinang ibinaba ang bote. A satisfied look crossed over his handsome face.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah... thanks." I croaked.

"Good." Without permission, he brushed his knuckles lightly against my cheeks. I shivered with the touch. Nanginginig ang mga kamay kong ibinalik sa kaniya ang bote ng wine. "Do you want to go out? Pahangin lang."

"Saan..." I feel like I'm being hypnotized by this man, but naïve as I was, I know I'm going to follow him wherever he wants to go.

"Kahit saan..." he said lazily. "Alis lang tayo saglit."

I stared deep into his hazelnut eyes, knowing that I couldn't say no. He's perfectly aware that he's irresistible and he's using it to play his cards well.

I glanced back at the party, knowing that I have no place there. And then glanced back at the dark stranger who made me feel alive in just the first five minutes that we've met.

Finally, I nodded and followed him.

"Good." He smirked again and took a sip of the bottle as we walked out of the mansion.

I know that my life is a fairytale, and just like any other tales, it has its gloomy chapters too before I reach the happily ever after ending.

I just never expected that the gloomy chapters will be such a tragedy.