Sweet Downfall (32 page)

He grunted. “Why are you here pestering me so early.”

“Lulu called me up to check on you today. Somebody tipped her that you were in trouble again. Your phone couldn’t be reached last night.”

He shook his head. His publicist didn’t know this country from Adam weeks ago and now she was comfy with the local press and high-society gossip-mongers. “I went to Lothario after leaving Monique and DL’s party. The doctor at the club checked me. I’m fine. I came home at dawn.”

“Maaan, what happened?”

“Don’t ask.”

Joey slammed a plate of breakfast in front of him. “Eat.”

She may be a dyke but she was a superb cook. Despite his injuries, his mouth watered at the sight of food. He picked up the sandwich and took a bite.

Joey went out of the kitchen and when she came back, she spread a few tabloids and a national daily on the breakfast counter. “You’re making these dogs rich.”

Indeed, if he and Angie were a business, they would be raking in huge money. Their dirt dominated the front covers again, bypassing important national issues. He read Manila Star’s shit. Even this decent broadsheet braved getting sued just to cash in on the scandal.

Slugfest of the Rich and Famous!

Sex, lies and videotapes. This would aptly describe the high-profile love triangle of Jaq Montero, Angelina Yulo and Jordan Lavega that erupted into a bloody spectacle at a gala hosted by the DeLestes at the Empress Hotel in Makati last night. It all started when an alleged sex video of young lovers Jaq and Angie (Angie was merely 18 according to reliable sources) was leaked on the internet and became the most downloaded clip in the country’s history of celebrity video scandals.

He cussed and stopped reading. “Remove those crap heap from my sight. Now!” he snarled. He didn’t wanna think about anything. It hurt to breathe, much less think.

He really needed a break from all this shit.

Joey removed the rags and put them in a drawer.

“Care to tell me what’s going on between you and Angelina Yulo? It’s getting really nasty.”

“Nothing. Everything’s been blown out of proportion.”

“I’m sure it will be shown on TV.”

“From now on, don’t bother telling me anything about her, okay? And I don’t give a bloody fuck what they’re saying about me.”

The land line rang. Joey took it “Hello?” She put her palm on the mouthpiece. “It’s Aunt Celica.”

He shook his head.

“Ah, Auntie, he’s still asleep...Okay, I’ll tell him when he wakes up…Okay, bye, Auntie.”

Joey placed the phone back to its cradle. “She’s freaking out. She saw you in the morning gossip news. TV’s really making money out of your shit, too.”

He sighed. He felt guilty for dragging his relatives into this old mess all over again. He wished he could shut out the world from his life for a day of peace.

Joey was looking at him slyly. “What?” he snapped.

“I think you’re still hung up on Angelina Yulo. I have an idea what happened way back. You two having an encore?”

He drank his coffee.

“You jealous of her BF?”

“She is nothing, alright? Now, drop it!”

“I’ve never seen you go batshit crazy over a chick, cuz. She must be really something.”

If only Joey knew all the shit he had been through because of Angelina Yulo, she would probably join him in his vindictive desire to lynch the whole Yulo clan.

“Joey, if you say another word about her, I’ll duct tape your trap, I swear to fuck.”

Joey shut up.

He finished his breakfast and stood up. “I’m going to Cavite. Wanna come?”

“Cavite? What’s happening there?”

“Charity.”

“What kind?”

“Habitat for Humanity. We’ll construct houses for the poor.”

She grimaced. “Under this heat?”

“What are you, a pussy? You don’t wanna ruin that smooth woman’s skin of yours?”

“Fuck you!”

“We’ll leave in twenty minutes. I’ll just take a quick shower.”

He turned around but he heard Joey grumbling.

“He just wants to hide from the press and he has to drag me to this charity-my-ass-I-don’t-give-a-shit craphole.”

“Pussy!” he shouted.

“Hah, my dick is bigger than yours!”

He jogged back to his bedroom.

He needed to do something productive today or he would end up killing himself or somebody.

The site for the Habitat for Humanity project
was a government-donated land in Cavite. Today, some one hundred volunteers from all walks of life will work together to build thirty low cost houses for thirty families. Monetarily, Jaq had already donated millions for this foundation but he enjoyed participating in the actual implementation of the project.

The site was already swarming with people
when they arrived. Joey immediately jumped out of the truck to look around. As expected, she immediately zeroed in on a pretty young woman.

Jaq shook his head in amusement. Joey sure got game. That dyke had probably nailed more beavers with her strap-on than his dick.

He was welcomed by co-volunteers, mostly colleagues in the local entertainment industry, who he’d been working with for HFH for a few years now. He would always time his trip to the country to coincide with a local HFH event. Even in the US, Habitat For Humanity was his favorite charity.

Everyone asked what happened to his face. He told them he’d had an accident. But he knew they knew what happened to his face. Facebook and Twitter delivered news faster than anyone could say, voila!

“Jaq!”

He glanced to his side and was met by a vision of loveliness, enough to brighten his day.

Alyandra Monleon was walking happily toward him, gorgeous in her denim overall jumper. He long hair was braided and wrapped in a bandana. Yandra was one of those high-society heiresses who had a big heart for the poor. He really liked her.

“Oh my God! What the hell happened to your face?!”

He grinned and winced. “Come here, gimme a hug.”

Yandra gave him a hug and stared at his face again. “Gawd, you look awful!” She truly sounded like she didn’t know what happened to him.

He adjusted his aviator glasses over his eyes. “Got into some accident. How have you been?”

“Same old. I’m busy with a new biz.”

She was always busy with different stuff. Like him, Yandra was an artist. “What is it this time?”

“I’m launching a series of boutiques for a clothing line and fine art. It’s like fashion meets the art world.”

“Nice. When’s the launch?”

“Soon and you’re invited. You know why?”

“I’d need a reason to be invited to your shindig?” he teased.

“This time, yes. Bad Boy Records will provide the entertainment, that’s why. I don’t want the usual black tie red carpet stuff. I want badass rock ‘n roll atmosphere.”

“You got it. Who’d you want to perform?”

“Romjin McKay! He’s hot!” she readily answered.

He grinned. “He’s got a crush on you, too.”

She made a face. “Me? You’re pulling my leg. No way! Why me?”

“Why? She had to ask!” he chuckled. “You’re one helluva beautiful, smart woman for one? Two, a kickass artist. Three, a fearless environmentalist. Four–”

“Alright, stop!” She was blushing now.

“Seriously, RJ is always asking about you. I’ll invite him to join us in the next project. He really wants to meet you.”

She didn’t look convinced. “Since when? Since I made that Save the Earth ad?”

He grinned, recalling her glorious beauty in nothing but body paint in a giant billboard hanging along a main boulevard in Manila, shocking and causing many a motorists who saw it for the first time into near mishaps. Not even Alexis’ powerful connections were able to take that billboard down as it was sponsored by an international environmental protection agency.

“I have to admit, that ad made RJ ask about you on a daily basis instead of just once a week.”

Yandra looked flattered now. “Tell him, I’d like to meet him, too.”

“Who do you like to meet?’

They were both surprised to see the intruder.

Alexis was standing some five meters away.

“X! What are you doing here, man?”

Yandra didn’t look happy now. “Look what the cat dragged in. A dead rat!”

Alexis walked toward them wearing dark aviator glasses, a green polo shirt, khaki cargo pants, leather shoes and a white Callaway cap. He looked ready to play golf.

“Hello, brat. Ready for action?” X said to Yandra.

Yandra put her hands on her hips. “Did you come here to hand me a donation check?”

Jaq immediately sensed an undercurrent of sorts. He watched them interact with growing curiosity.

Alexis smirked. “In your dreams, sweetheart.”

“Then why are you here?”

“To help the needy, of course.”

She raised one elegant brow. “What about your needs?”

Alexis grinned. “Plenty of ‘em taking care of it, don’t worry.”

Yandra looked really pissed off now. “I see. I guess I gotta look for other donors, then. I’m sure there are a lot of gentlemen out there who’d be willing to help me with my charities.”

“Well, good luck, sweetheart.”

“Hah! We’ll see.” She walked out of them in a huff.

Jaq looked at Alexis, puzzled.
“What donation check was she talking about? Don’t tell me you’ve suddenly become a tightwad?”

Alexis chuckled, his eyes following Yandra’s retreating figure. . “It’s a private joke, man.”

Private joke? It was getting more interesting, Jaq thought.

“So who’s this guy she wants to meet?”

“Romjin McKay.”

“Sorry. Who?” X said in deliberate dismissal.

“You’ve heard of him. The rock star currently making a lot of panties weep. He has a crush on little Yandra, I think.”

“I don’t want him near her, understand?”

It was a flat statement that brooked no arguments. “And why not?”

“He’s a horn dog!” Alexis said irritably.

He guffawed. “And we aren’t?”

“Your horn wants Angie. Mine plows many. Romjin had better point his horn some place else. Yandra ain’t fairgame. Got that?”

“Wait, are you putting the Code on her, man?”

The Lothario Code was a privilege each member was entitled to– to get first dibs on a woman they really liked, forbidding other members from playing their moves on her. It was a one-time privilege so the woman had to be special. “Hell no! She’s like family. Her Dad is my godfather. My good-for-nothing old man is her godfather, too. I’m just protecting her.”

Jaq looked at his friend speculatively, not overly convinced.

“So, what do we do here?” Alexis changed the topic, his eyes scanning the vast construction site.

“You will help?” He looked at Alexis’ custom-made designer golf shoes. “In those Lobbs?”

“Just don’t make me shovel shit.”

He’d never heard Alexis mention HFH as one of the charities supported by the Ellinor Allende Fund, the foundation Alexis named after his dead mother.

“What’re you lookin’ at?”

“Nothing, man. I’m just surprised you’re here, that’s all. Never pegged you to be the hands-on type in your charities.”

Alexis shrugged. “I’m looking for new projects to finance. This might me a good one so I came to check it out.”

He came to check a construction site looking like a billionaire on his way to play golf with fellow billionaires. That didn’t add up.

“By the way, you look like a poster boy for battered men. She did give you a mean swing right there, I can see,” Alexis commented, looking at his face.

“You’re the ninetieth person to say that today.”

“What are you gonna do now?”

He sighed. “I don’t know. I can’t think with a double shiner and a swollen nose.”

“Two brawls in a row, over a woman? Never seen anything like it. And I don’t get it.”

“Yeah? I heard that incident with the ambassador to France two years ago. I didn’t get it either,” he retorted, referring to one of Alexis’ rumored gun duels with the irate husband of his former mistress. He knew those duels were not rumors but Alexis denied all incidents to the press.

Alexis shrugged. “Didn’t do it for the women, bro. I did it for the husbands. As you can see, they’re all happy Lothario members now,” he said without remorse.

“All are either separated, annulled or divorced.”

“Hey, bottom line, I did them all a great favor. Saved ‘em from their faithless wives and miserable marriages,” Alexis reasoned out in his usual laid back cynicism.

“You fucked their wives to save those guys from their faithless wives? Wow, you should write a book on that, man. Truly hard to the core.”

“Correction, I didn’t go out of my way to fuck those women. They went our of their way to fuck me. There’s a huge difference, you know?”