Entangled

Auguste is working quietly at his desk when Iñigo went to his office.

“Cuz! Another exposé about you. How can you be this famous, I wonder?”

“I don’t have time for your whining, Iñigo. I have a company to run.”

“Oh! I guess you haven’t seen the post on Tarlac Elite yet?”

At the mention of the said Facebook Group, Auguste’s hand stopped typing on his laptop keyboard. He slowly diverted his gaze on Iñigo, who smiled mockingly as he once again won his cousin’s attention.

“That’s the downside of being a dedicated CEO, my dear cousin. You lose track of the world outside the four walls of this building.”

“What is the post all about?”

Iñigo shrugged. “Check it yourself.”

As soon as Iñigo left the office, Auguste went to his cell phone and check the post. There in the Tarlac Elite was a post that says:

“Guess who is Auguste Ortega’s Cinderella. She’s none other than the girl named Margaret, Fatima Velasco’s executive assistant. Yes, the very efficient EA managed to get a chance to meet the Ortega prince, and it seems she has also managed to get his attention. Rumors say that he even left a dinner with a prince just to be with her. Lucky girl you are, Margaret!

“Will she be his date on the royal engagement of Astrid Villar? Let’s all find out. I'll keep you posted for the development of this fairy tale story. More updates coming soon!”

“Robert! Robert!”

The trusted assistant immediately went inside the office. He stood in front of Auguste’s desk as the latter is already walking back and forth on the other side.

“I want you to take down this post immediately!” Auguste showed him the post.

Robert took the cell phone from his boss’s hand and read the post.

“How did that Admin manage to know about Margaret? And who is that Admin anyway?”

Robert looked at Auguste who is very furious as of the moment.

“Didn’t I tell you to track that down the first time?”

“Yes, Sir. I asked the IT department to track down the user named Admin, but they were not able to do so. They said they will continue trying, but until now I haven’t received any updates from them.”

“Are you saying I'm paying a bunch of incompetent IT staff?”

“Sir, it seems like this Admin person is also very skilled when it comes to computer technology. That, or he also have a very competent IT team. Our staff could not track him down.”

Auguste breathe deeply to calm himself. He is aware his emotions are getting the best of him, probably because it was Iñigo who told him the news. That cousin of him really knows how to turn his mood upside down.

“Just take that post down.” What else can they do about it? “Then tell IT to quickly search who that Admin person is!”

“I will, Sir. But, have you seen the comments?”

Robert showed Auguste the comment section of the post. The other members of the group had screen-grabbed the post, saying they have saved it in case it will be taken down again.

“I think it is unnecessary for us to delete it. Everyone has a copy of it, Sir.”

Auguste felt more annoyed, but what can he do? He just slumped at his executive chair like he was very exhausted.

“Check with IT the progress of the search for that Admin person. Tell them to track that person down immediately. Whoever does that will earn a big bonus from me.”

“Noted on that, Sir.”

Robert went out of the office, leaving Auguste alone. The latter just stared blankly at the space in front of him. It seems all his enthusiasm to work today has been lost because of that post. Why is everyone so consumed with his love life lately?

He looked at his cell phone and read the post again. Now that his panic has subsided, he now sees who the real victim of the post is. It's Margaret. She's not even aware that her name is on this Facebook group. Not just her name but her whole identity.

He feels bad for her. He feels guilty. If not because of him, she would not be dragged into this mess. Sometimes, being an Ortega is a curse. Being a member of one of the richest clans in the province means you are always in the radar of the public. Good thing this was posted in a group inside their circle only. What if this post is accessible to everyone? This would surely blow up.

The post said that it was shared 16 hours ago, meaning yesterday afternoon. It has gained 4,000 plus comments and reactions, more or less the total number of members of the group. That means almost everyone has seen it. Almost everyone in the group, everyone that matters.

Auguste's mood was staled since he found out about the post. He did not bother taking it down, since it’s no use because everyone has seen it and even took a picture of it. But things got even worse when an unexpected visitor arrived at his office. It was Astrid.

He tried to be as casual as possible, even meeting her on the receiving area of his office that looks like a mini living room.

“I hope you’re not too busy,” Astrid said.

“It’s okay. I have time to spare.” Can he tell her that he wasn’t able to concentrate the entire day because of that Facebook post?

“That’s good...” Astrid looked down. “I came to ask you about the engagement.” She looked at him again. “You didn’t confirm you will be attending.”

It was Auguste’s turn to look away.

“Auguste, I know it’s quite... weird... unusual... unorthodox, even. But I just want to make sure that we’re really okay now. That everything is settled between us.”

“And I can show you that by going to your engagement party?” He looked back to her.

Astrid did not answer.

“Can’t I just say that everything is okay now? That I am okay with you getting married to your prince? He apologized to me already, in front of our friends like it was a scene from a reality show.”

“Auguste...”

He wasn’t able to hide his disgust. He was triggered by Astrid’s unwanted reconciliatory attempts, as he is distressed because of the post to begin with.

“Do you know how offensive that apology scene was? It’s like your prince slapped me with his exuding humility. My pride was being struck by his royal humbleness. I felt totally conquered.”

“I’m sorry. Samuel did not intend to offend you.”

“And then you want me to show up in your engagement like nothing happened? Astrid, don’t you think that’s overkill already? Are you really trying to literally kill me?”

Astrid did not answer. She actually looked down as tears started forming in her eyes.

“Don’t you even realize that me attending your engagement will be more humiliating? Degrading, like all my pride has been tossed out of the window. I think you did not, because all you think of is for you to know that everything is okay. You didn’t even regard how I really feel. Do you even consider how I feel right now that we’re talking? How I felt when I met your fiancé? Did you even think about my feelings?”

Astrid just stared at him, her eyes glistening with tears. Auguste felt a little guilty, so he looked away.

“I’m sorry. I guess I was so inconsiderate,” Astrid said. “I wanted so much for us to reconcile, not thinking about how you’ll feel about it. Even before we became lovers, we were friends. I just wanted to go back to that time, but maybe we really cannot anymore. I'm sorry for being too naïve.”

Auguste is now feeling guilty. All the rage that he is feeling earlier has been washed down by Astrid's tears that she immediately wiped away.

“I understand if you won’t like to go.” She tried to smile at him. “And I’m sorry for forcing you to do what I wanted.”

“I’m sorry...” He doesn't know what more to say.

“Don’t be. It’s my fault.” She stood up. “Thanks for your time, anyway. I hope we can see each other again, talk and maybe resolve everything. But I'll understand if that will not happen.” She smiled sadly. “You don’t have to go to the engagement party.”

Auguste stood up when Astrid started walking to the door of his office. She stopped and turned to face him again.

“Goodbye, Auguste.”

Auguste stood there frozen. That goodbye and the sad smile that Astrid just gave him, it was just the same when she broke up with him. And the feeling it gave him is also the same. It's like his world is ending. It's like his mind has lost its ability to think.

He sat down slumped on the sofa. What has he done? What would he do? How can he solve this? His mind is one of the most brilliant among the smart people in the region, but right now he can’t think of anything else but that scene that has just happened in his office. That sad look on Astrid’s face. Those tears that lined her eyes. Her sad smile.

Oh! There's another one. The Facebook post. Surprisingly, it managed to stay in his mind and not get drowned by the issue with Astrid. And he doesn’t know why, but he felt like he also needed to resolve that issue with Margaret. He doesn’t know why, but he can’t take away the bad feeling he has for Margaret for being entangled on this messy life he has.