STONE-COLD BILLIONAIRE

PROLOGUE “Time of death, 5:29 PM.” Clive fell down on the floor upon hearing the doctor, declaring the time of death of his beloved wife, Zaira. Her car has been hit by an out of lane truck on her way to the eye bank, 4 PM in the afternoon. Kalalabas pa lamang daw ng asawa niya sa kotse nang araruhin ng sinasabing sasakyan na nawalan di umano ng giya. Pati na ang dalawa nitong bodyguard ay hindi rin nakaligtas. Zaira had been regularly visiting the eye bank. She’s looking for possible eye donors for those people who had lost their eyesight and need Keratoplasty. Napaka-charitable ng asawa niya pero hindi niya maunawaan kung bakit sa dinami-rami ng tao sa mundo ay ito pa ang mawawala. Bakit hindi na lamang iba? Iyon ang nasa isip niya. His shoulders shook as his tears fell on his cheeks. Nakatingin siya sa walang buhay na asawa, duguan at halos lasog ang katawan. Nasa ibaba ang tama nito, wala sa ulo at sumasakit ang dibdib niya dahil naaalala niya ang mga huling sinabi nito sa kanya bago mangyari ang aksidente. “If one day, mamatay ako, promise me hon that you’ll donate my cornea.” Zaira said that two weeks ago and she kept on repeating that to him, as if it was some kind of a joke. He was damn irritated that time but because he loves her so much, he just said yes. And now it happened. Umiiling na kinagat niya ang labi at hindi mapigilan na hindi mapalakas ang hikbi niya. Their marriage is not an easy one. Dalawang taon na silang naghihintay ng anak at matyaga silang nagpapa-checkup. Zaira is even planning to adopt and he agreed to it. They found out that she’s not able to have a baby and Clive did his best to make her feel still loved. He always supported her and never made her feel less as a woman because she couldn’t bear a child. All of a sudden, all his effort vanished at that moment she died. Parang nawalan ng saysay ang lahat ng pagmamahal, pagpapahalaga at suporta niya sa asawa. Ito lamang ang pamilya niya. Ulila siyang lubos sa magulang kaya minahal niya nang husto si Zaira. She’s been his very first love since College days. She was his queen. He never thought that even his wife would leave her and now he’s alone again. Ito lamang ang babaeng totoong nagmahal sa kanya. Lahat ng mga naging girlfriend niya, mapapansin na mga gold digger at gusto lang ay ang kagwapuhan na mayroon siya, pero sa oras na makakita rin ng iba pang lalaki na may itsura, pumapatol din kahit boyfriend pa siya. Nakatunganga siya habang tinatanggal ang mga nakakabit kay Zaira na tubo at kung anu-ano pa. Pakiramdam niya sa mga oras na iyon ay namatay na rin siya. It was like the feeling when his parents died and nobody was left with him except for his nanny. Hindi nagtagal ay namatay din ang yaya niya noong high school siya. Ano bang bago? Lahat naman nawawala sa kanya. Aksidente rin sa sasakyan ang ikinamatay ng mga magulang niya. Nahulog sa bangin ang mga iyon, nakuha man halos hindi na makilala pa. Blangko ang isip ni Clive habang nakatingin sa katawan ni Zaira. Kasama nitong ililibing ang puso niya. Ano pa bang bago sa istorya ng buhay niya? A person will come, will definitely leave him in the end. And hindi lang sa kanya nawawala ay ang pera, kayamanan at ang kanyang negosyo. From now on, his company will be his everything and his life.