Private Affairs by Libby Lestrano (free books to read txt) 📕

Lucas smiled as he gulped finish his drink. “I guess I'm totally different from you, you see, you haven't changed a lot since high-school.”

“That's why you noticed me so easily.” Cornelia finished.

“Actually, I noticed you because you're wearing something different from the crowd.” And he laughed heartily.

Cornelia smiled. Is that supposed to be a joke? She wanted to ask him.

“Yeah, actually I haven't changed a lot. What about you? Are you married? Do you have kids?” she curiously asked.

“No, no...” he laughed. “I'm a bachelor. I don't have kids.”

“Well you look like you already have,” she said as she laughed, very delighted of what she'd just cracked.

He just stood there, staring at her, half-smiling.

Cornelia stopped laughing. Well, that's supposed to be a joke, she thought.

“Where's your mother?” Lucas asked breaking the silence.

“She's in there.” She pointed into some direction. Lucas seems to care not. He kept on staring at her which is actually a good thing because she's not really looking at her mother's direction. She cannot find her mother.

“Actually, we...we're leaving. It's almost eleven and I think she's drunk.” she hurriedly went away from Lucas. She cannot being with him anymore. His stares and half-smiles make her uncomfortable. Their conversation is going nowhere.

She looked for her mother. She found her talking at some guests and sure enough Mrs. Diaz is not at all drunk. She doesn't drink. Cornelia approached her.

“Mom, we have to go.”

“But why? The party isn't over yet.” Mrs. Diaz asked.

“I...I think I overeat. I need to use the toilet.” Cornelia insisted.

“But there are a lot of toilets in the place, dear.” Mrs. Diaz pointed out.

“I think this is beyond ordinary. I think I have a diarrhea,” she lied. She wants to escape the place as soon as possible.

“You sure, dear?” Mrs. Diaz asked thoughtfully. “Wait a minute. I have to say goodbye to them first.” She immediately went away. Cornelia kept looking at different directions. She doesn't want Lucas to see her.. when Mrs. Diaz returned, they immediately went out from the building to catch a taxi.


“What did I do?” she asked herself when they were on the cab. “Am I too paranoid?” Lucas is giving her the feeling of being studied. She doesn't like it. She is thinking on boy's motives. Is he interested on her? Foolish, she thought. The man is handsome, he might have a girlfriend.

“Are you okay, dear? Can you still make it?” her mother asked when she noticed her murmuring something.

“I'm okay. I'm better off here away from that place. I just need to rest.” she answered sincerely.

Mrs. Diaz's face was bewildered.


When they reached home, Cornelia has to stay in the bathroom fro two hours just to prove her fabricated situation.

“So, how are you feeling?” Mrs. Diaz asked.

“I'm feeling better. I just need to sleep.” Cornelia went directly to her room. She's so tired but she cannot sleep. She's pondering on what had happened in the party. She has been so silly! So cowardly silly! She cannot fight Lucas' stares back. She so conscious of herself. Damn! She's like a teenager who meets her crush for the first time. What would Lucas think for that walkout? That she's fallen in love at first sight? Yuck!

“Stupid!” she scolded herself.


It was 9:45 when she was finally able to lift her body up. She had been awake several times but she always gets back to sleep. She has no alarm clock so she decides when to get up. Her body feels lighter this morning. She looked for cellular phone and found out that she has nine messages and five missed calls. She opened the first message. It said 'Good Morning'. She opened the one. It bore the same greeting and so with the third. It was all the same number. The number isn't on her list. She deleted them all. The same number has had miscalled her, too. She ignored it laid her cellphone back. She went outside and headed to their kitchen. She found a note in the table, 'FOOD ON THE FRIDGE' she read. It was Mrs. Diaz's note. Her mother had went to work before Cornelia could wake up. She was about to open the refrigerator when the phone rang. She picked up the receiver.

“Hello.” She began.

“Uh...hi, Cornelia! Good morning!” It was a deep broad voice of a man like a criminal on a suspense thriller movie except that it speaks of 'Hi' and 'Good Morning'.

“Ahuh...and who's this?” she inquired.

“It's Lucas.”

She calmed herself.

“I just wanna make sure if you received my messages this morning. I texted and called you many times but you don't respond so I thought I had the wrong number.” Lucas continued.

“No, no...I received them all. It's just that, I woke up very late...and I didn't know it was you.” Cornelia explained. “By the way, how did you get my number?”

“I got from Mom. She had your number.”

“Okay...and is that all?” Cornelia asked trying to end the conversation right away.

“Wait a minute. Can I ask a favor?” Lucas went on.

So here's the reason for all the teeny-weeny flirts, Cornelia thought.

“What?” she asked.

“Can I..call you with your mobile number to make sure it's really right?”

She gave a shrug. So this is not yet the revelation point.

“Okay, so...I'm putting this down, alright?”

“Yeah...okay.”

She put down the receiver, just then her cellphone rang. She went to her room and picked it up.

“Hello, Lucas?”

“Yes. Your voice is sweeter on the mobile phone. I'm relieved now, to know that I'll be hearing it from time to time.” She can almost see him smiling on the other end.

It annoyed her. What's this? A guy's first move on a woman? She mulled over.

“Hello, Cornelia? Are you still there?”

Lucas voice almost made her jump. “Yes, but...can I end this call? I'm so hungry. I haven't eaten my breakfast yet, you know. I want to eat.” she said without hesitation.

“Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. Go, take your breakfast first.” Lucas apologized.

“Okay. Bye.” She ended.

She put her cellphone down. She was nearing the door when her cellphone rang once again. She picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Hey! It's me.” It's Lucas. “I just wanna make sure I can always call you from now on. Well, don't bother to say anything! I'm ending this now. Bye.”

She put down her phone but before she could get any farther, it rang once more. She picked it up quickly. This time, she was really pissed off.

“I don't know how to say this but you're really getting into my nerves!” she yelled. She doesn't care what will he say.

“So, is that why you're not answering our calls, Ms. Diaz? We've called you twice but you don't answer.”

She was startled. It isn't Lucas.

“Who is this, please?” she asked modestly.

“And now, you're starting to forget us! What do you think you're playing at?” She identified the voice. It was Mr. Cheng.

“Oh, I'm sorry, sir! I thought you're...uh...never mind. Well, what is wrong, sir?”

“Well, we just need you in the office right now! I don't care what you've been busy with. I need you to be here now!” the man on the line uttered firmly.

“Okay, Sir!” She put down the phone, she felt like a fool for that.

“Oh, no!” she muttered to herself knowing that she cannot take her breakfast that morning. She hasn't even taken a bath.

She washed her face and put on clean clothes. She readied a bag to put all the things she'll need. She opened her closet to start packing up things: extra clothes, jacket, cap, set of stiletto, and her cellphone. She closed her closet. She looked at herself.

“Wait a minute! Where's my ID?”

She opened her closet again and searched for it. She found it under the heap of her undergarments.

“Oh! Here it is.” Castro, Digna: EIO.

“At last, I'm ready!” And she went out of the room.

Chapter 3

Cornelia arrived at the EIO building at 10:45. It should have been less than a 30-minute drive from her home but because she drives slow, it took her almost 45 minutes. The EIO building is located at the heart of Pasay but it is not well-visited and only few cars and people pass by it. It was an abandoned building before the organization bought and took it as the EIO headquarters in the Philippines. The building is not quite large but it has a huge courtyard. Cornelia parked her car in the huge parking space. There were only few cars parked in the lot. It was Sunday morning and she’s not expecting too much people today. She went immediately into the boss’ office.

“Good morning, Sir! I’m so sorry! I really thought it was somebody else who’s calling me.” She talked rapidly. For 6 years of working with EIO, she has been so comfortable with talking to Mr. Cheng.

“I’m glad you’ve made an effort to apologize, Ms. Diaz,” he snorted out. Mr. Cheng is a Chinese man, tall and very neat. He met Cornelia in a Taekwondo Competition in Manila. She was the representative of their school. She was only 17 at that time but Cheng saw a special ability within Cornelia. Although she finished only third, it was her whom Cheng decided to train and give a place in EIO after 2 years.

“By the way,” he continued, “I called you because I want you on the case.”

She looked puzzled. “What case?”

“The kidnapping case. I want you to accompany the team and rescue the girl. The kidnappers are in Manila. The team will arrive in less than an hour and I need you on the field this time.”

“Wait…wait a minute!” Cornelia interfered. “You want me on the big kidnapping case?”

He nodded.

“And you mean I’ll be working on the field this time?”

He nodded half-smiling. “You will make the drop. They want a Filipino to do it.” He was referring to the kidnappers. “I want you to be very careful on that. Mr. Watkins is very eager to see his daughter. She’s been gone for almost two weeks and every passing day means so much to him.” He explain the situation like it is just a small business.

“Well, I’d be very much willing to help, Sir!” she assured.

“Yeah, I’ve been expecting that.” He laughed. “You can go now!”

Cornelia walked out of the room. Finally, after 6 years, she’ll be working on the field. Although she was the most oriented with martial arts, she wasn’t allowed to work on the field. She understands it was because she is a weakling in guns. She hadn’t passed her lessons on it. She stays on the car in every operation and helps guide the team.


The first to arrive is Johny Chan. He is kind of the leader of the group since he is the most mature. He is a Chinese guy and lives in Hong Kong. Most of the members of the organization are Chinese. In fact, Cornelia's the only Filipino the organization has taken. She was hired when the bosses decided to transfer the headquarters from Hong Kong to the Philippines.

In a