Chapter 7 - Lunch Together
1109 Words
I
Atty. Wilgreg, opens again the 201 files of Atty. Ninia Salamera. From grade school until she finished law school, she has been at the top of her class. “Wow, excellent! Sobra Saliente!” he whispered.
Atty. Ninia’s father was a farmer. Was, because his father had died already two years ago. Her mother is an elementary teacher. Basically, Atty. Ninia Salamera came from a poor to a middle-class family. No wonder, she is very simple. As far as he knows, she does not even have yet her own car. Atty. Wilgreg called Rowell through their Company’s internal landline phone and asked him to come to his office.
“Rowell, I am just wondering what was the cause of the death of Atty. Ninia’s father? The HR department failed to take note of that in their summary of interviews about her.”
Rowell secretly smiled upon seeing the interest of the new CEO in the newly hired lawyer of the Company. “Sir, I am not so sure about my info, but I heard that his father had a heart attack upon knowing that a land grabber was able to register their land at the registry of deeds and demanded them to leave the premises.”
Atty. Wilgreg’s forehead narrowed. “Thank you, Rowell. Consider our talk right now as confidential.”
“No problem Sir. My mouth is always shut.”
After Rowell left, Atty. Wilgreg called his friend working at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and something is telling him to investigate further what he learned from Rowell.
“Brod, I have a favor to ask from you. I wanted to know everything about this woman, especially the death of her father and about their grabbed land. I am going to send her full name and some details to your messenger,” Atty. Wilgreg stated upon hearing the voice of her lawyer friend on the other line.
“Sure Brod, no problem. Who am I to refuse the request of the new CEO and only heir of the Lincuja’s.” Atty. Bryan’s laugh can be heard on the other line.
Atty. Wilgreg laughed back. “Fool, nothing changed, I am still Wilgreg Monaro and not Wilgreg Lincuja.”
"And hmm, why are you so interested in this woman? OMG Atty. Wilgreg Monaro, this is your first time to have this kind of interest in a woman. I must see her then."
The two young lawyers laughed out loud thereafter.
II
The next day, Atty. Bryan’s report about Atty. Ninia Salamera is already in the yahoo mail of Atty. Wilgreg. He looked at the location of the grabbed land. He called Atty. Ferrer, who has been once the director assigned at the Registry of Deeds of Batangas City. The latter promised to give him feedback in a couple of hours, maximum of one day.
Lunchtime, Atty. Wilgreg called Atty. Ninia Salamera. “Atty. Salamera, bring your lunch over here, I heard that you always bring your own food, we will discuss something while eating lunch.” He immediately put down the telephone, without even waiting for the woman’s reply.
Atty. Salamera’s teeth gritted. “That man is not thinking. How can I eat properly, if he will discuss something with me over lunch? What an insensitive, self- centered brat hah!” She stood up with a frowned face, brought her food, and walked towards the office of the CEO.
Smilingly, Rowell knocked on the CEO’s office and let Atty. Salamera in.
“Atty. Salamera please have a seat there.” The CEO pointed the chair across him at the round table, where he is now having his lunch. His foods are neatly prepared on top of the round table.
“Did you cook your own food Atty. Salamera?” The CEO asked while looking at her packed lunch.
“Ah yes, how about you Atty. Wilgreg?” she retorted.
“Well, Mom cooked these for me and made sure to put them inside my car, even without my permission.” Then he laughed.
“I see.” Atty. Salamera opened slowly her packed lunch.
“Hmm, smells good, let me guess, that’s pork adobo, right Atty. Ninia?” He is looking at her food.
Atty. Ninia smiled. “Right.”
“Hmmm, Atty. Ninia, do you like Puchero?
“Yes, I used to cook that too.”
“Good. You like Puchero more than your adobo?” The CEO’s eyes have a hint of naughtiness.
“Ah ah, I know your point, here I give you some of my adobo but you have to give me puchero too.”
Atty. Wilgreg laughed so boyishly that Atty. Ninia was almost mesmerized.
“A fair deal my little Ninia,” he said then gave her puchero and waited for her to give him back with adobo.
Then he eats without any hesitation. Looking at him, Atty. Ninia secretly smiled, hmm, he seems so cold and ruthless outside but deep inside this man is almost a kid by heart.
“By the way Atty. Wilgreg, what do we need to discuss over lunch?”
Upon hearing her question, he suddenly stopped eating and looked at her. “I just wanted to know what your packed lunch for today is. My guess was right; you have your adobo and I was able to have eaten a part of it.” He shrugged and laughed again a little.
Atty. Salamera frowned, which the CEO noticed. He looked at her again and said, “You cooked well. You can contest with my Mom when it comes to cooking adobo.”
The woman made a long breath and started to clean up the mess on the table. Atty. Wilgreg watched her with amusement.
"A woman who can easily clean up a mess on the table will be a good wife," Atty. Wilgreg said in a mysterious way while looking keenly at Atty. Ninia.
Furrowing, Atty. Ninia looked up. "What? What did you say, Sir?"
"That was what I read in one of my Mom's novels," Atty. Wilgreg said while still looking penetratingly at Atty. Ninia.
Atty. Ninia looked away, with her heart beating like thunder. "How could he be so perfectly gorgeous and adorable?" she thought while she continued to clean up the table.
"A husband will certainly be ashamed to make a mess if he knows that his wife will dutifully clean his mess always for him, without any complains," Atty. Wilgreg uttered again.
Atty. Ninia looked up again, furrowing.
"That was the next statement written in that novel that I read." Atty. Wilgreg stated with his eyes dancing with more amusement.
- Writer
