A/N
This is a one-shot, spin-off story of Ricky and Maya’s Adventures and Misadventures but this stars the famous twitterserye characters of @IamPhilipTang, @ImCarloAsuncion and @AmorDJPowers.
To the avid followers and readers of the PhilMor / CarMor twitterserye, I’m sure you are very much familiar with the amusing and very entertaining (sometimes SPG🙈) characters I’m referring to. If not, you are missing all the fun.
Now here goes…
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“You make me feel so young.
You make me feel there are songs to be sung,
Bells to be rung,
And a wonderful fling to be flung.
And even when I’m old and gray,
I’m going to feel the way I do today
Because you make me feel so young.”
Philip Tang was smiling widely in front of his bathroom mirror. He was singing (with a little bit of dancing) Frank Sinatra’s ‘You Make Me Feel So Young’.
His lower body was covered by a towel and he spent hours, yes hours, shaving, fixing his hair and admiring his looks.
He was even winking at his own reflection. “You really look good Mr. Tang! Really really good!!! Every man would envy you! Say goodbye Richard Gere, Philip Tang is here!” he told his reflection.
“Philip, here’s the suit your brother sent. Pinakuha na nya kay Kevin para makapagbihis ka na. He’s still at the florist getting the flowers.” his mother Esmeralda shouted just outside his bathroom door. She had to because her son was singing so loudly that he didn’t seem to hear her.
“Please just put it there Ma. Thank you! Love you!” he shouted back.
His mother just shook her head and smiled. Between her twin sons Carlo and Philip, Philip was more like their father, good in business, strict, stern while Carlo was the easy-going one like her, who enjoys staying at their strawberry plantation in Benguet, who’s into farming, orchid cultivation and also a pet hobbyist. Carlo and his family lives in their mansion in Baguio with his wife and teenage son.Both the 45 year-old twins were close to their mother and also father.
But though Philip was more exposed to people, being the famous businessman that he is, Carlo is more sociable than him. Carlo had a fair share of girlfriends in his teenage life and he was already married at the age of 25. Philip on the other hand, never had a girlfriend in his entire life and even during their prom before, his date was a cousin.
Their father Roberto was already concerned about his son that’s why over a family dinner years ago, he asked Philip about his sexual preference. Philip assured them that he is not what they think he is but he also revealed his secret problem, and that is his fear being committed or even fear of approaching women. At first they all laughed about it, finding Philip’s dilemma absurd but as years passed and Philip reached the age of 30 without a single girlfriend at all, they understood the gravity of his problem.
That’s the reason why his family couldn’t be blamed when they were all excited when they heard Philip talking about a certain woman he saw at the convention. He called his parents who were in Europe for a vacation and his brother Carlo who was in Baguio, where he lives with his family, to share his news. One trait of the Tangs is they always communicate with each other despite the distance and their stature. Amidst their serious facade is a warm, oh well eccentric at times, close-knit family.
After Philip shared about Amor Powers and his intention to get to know her, his parents cut short their European vacation and Carlo immediately flew to Manila.
It was like a celebration for them and funny as it may seem but they wanted to give Philip their full support on this.
“Son here’s the perfume I was telling you about. Philip?” It was now his dad Roberto who was knocking at his bathroom door.
“Pa pakilagay na lang po sa kama. Thank you.” He again shouted.
“Bilisan mo na dyan. Your mom said you’ve been there for more than 3 hours already.
“Yes pa. I’m just rehearsing my speech.” he lied.
Oh well he was really rehearsing but not a business speech but the lines he would tell Amor once he meets her. He and his brother had been rehearsing those lines over and over the night before and he was really confident that he would be able to pull it off.
After a few more minutes of talking to himself, practicing his lines and admiring his looks, Philip removed the towel and went into the shower to take a bath.
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“Lily stop staring at me.” He told his secretary who had the awed expression on her face as she was staring at her boss.
“Boss bakit…”
“You don’t have to say it Lily. I know. I know.” he said with that smug look on his face. He really felt so good with his new image.
Lily just hid her smile while Kevin, his bodyguard and driver also smiled. They didn’t want spoil the very good mood of their boss.
“Kevin are we there yet? Ang tagal mo namang makarating. The closing ceremonies might have been finished by now. Baka the party has already started. Wala na akong maaabutan doon.”
“I’m on it Boss. In five minutes we’ll be there.” his driver assured him.
“Good! Lily were the flowers sent earlier?”
“Yes Boss. We also made sure it was sent anonymously as you’ve instructed and the card you made was included.” Lily answered him.
“Very good. Thank you.” then he got his mirror and again checked his looks and smiled widely again.
They were inside a limousine which was traversing the streets of Makati. They were on their way to the venue of the closing ceremonies of the recently held convention for the top businessmen of Asia.
Philip Tang, being the owner of the chain of hotels, casinos and theme parks in Manila and Macau was a highly esteemed member of the group.
After the week-long activity, tonight would be the closing ceremonies. A night of dancing, drinking and having fun was also to cap the said event. It would be a great opportunity to meet the attendees and talk about anything other than business.
Philip Tang was one of the eligible bachelors to be attending the event. He attends yearly but he just usually gives his speech and leaves his secretary to attend on his behalf.
He was the admired, revered and respected President and CEO of Tang Games and Entertainment, which ironically is far from his personality. He was never game and never indulged in having a good time. It’s all business, work, meetings and making money for him.
Many women were swooning over him. They always thought that Philip Tang was a great catch. Some would even go out of their way to get his attention but Philip remained aloof, distant and as many would say “suplado”.
Little did they know that as much as he wanted to be close to women, he can’t. He doesn’t know how to interact with women in matters other than business, until 3 days ago when he laid his eyes on one of the participants of the event, Amor Powers.
Amor Powers , the President-CEO of Powers Malls and Cinemas was a first time participant. It used to be her dad, Edward Powers attending the yearly event as she was formerly based in the US. When she returned to the Philippines after her further studies in the States, she took over their business.
When Amor Powers took the stage to discuss about the success of their business, all eyes were on her and this included the ever-elusive, Mr. Philip Tang.
Philip Tang couldn’t remove his eyes from Amor the moment he saw her up that platform giving her speech until she finished her speech and even the time when she mingled with the other participants. He badly wanted to go near her, introduce himself but he can’t. He just can’t.
This handicap of his, his fear of women had been detrimental to his social life for years but he was never bothered by it until that day when he badly wanted to introduce himself to Amor Powers, the day when he wanted to take a shot to get to know the woman who caught his attention and maybe his heart.
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“Ms. Powers you look tired. Would you want me to bring you home now?” Peter, Amor Powers’ assistant and driver suggested as he noticed his boss seemingly bored and sleepy. They were attending the closing ceremonies of the week-long business convention.
“No Peter. It would be rude to leave. I could still manage. Maybe we could stay until the start of the party. Mabilis lang tayo then we could go home.”
Amor Powers was seated beside Peter. She preferred to have her assistant with her as she couldn’t stand men trying to get close to her. For her, men are both distraction to her goals and destruction of what she had already achieved. She was never interested and was aloof to men, by choice.
In the entire duration of the convention, many tried to get her attention, many tried to be friends with her. She’s been polite enough to give them a nod and a smile but she wouldn’t engage in a conversation. She just doesn’t want to until she laid her eyes on the President -CEO of the Tang Games and Entertainment, Mr. Philip Tang.
She had heard women talk highly of the man and she just laughed knowing that he wont pass her taste but when she saw him, that suddenly changed.
The man is really handsome. His lopsided smile, jet-black hair and chinky eyes made him all the more attractive. He seemed aloof though and not very sociable but Amor prefers it than those men who kept on bothering her during the convention.
He is articulate and intelligent as seen in the way he delivered his speech about his business and the way he answered questions with clarity and coinfidence. He was also charismatic that he was able to get the attention of all those attending the convention. Everyone listened intently to him then.
Amor shook her head and smiled when she realized that she was thinking about a man. This wasn’t normal as she never got attracted to anyone. But she felt giddy when she remembered him. Too bad, the person she had been thinking of wasn’t around. The closing ceremonies and party would have been ‘interesting’ if he was here.
Then she stared at the flowers which was sent by someone who calls himself ‘Richard Gere’. She cringed imagining that it might be from a DOM-type guy who was also a participant in the convention.
Maybe the guy picked up her joke during her speech.
“I want to devote my time to business, to my parents and to myself. Men are just a waste of time,” she giggled then added, “oh well unless they look like Richard Gere.” This was part of her speech. The guy definitely got the idea from it.
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“Boss we’re here.” Kevin interrupted his Boss who seemed like memorizing something.
“Okay Kevin. You and Lily could just stay close but please don’t make it obvious that I have company. ”
“Sure Boss.”
Then Philip Tang alighted from his limo and strode towards the entrance of the event.
He was ushered to his table and he could feel that people were staring at him. This was normal and he was used to it.
But as he was walking towards his table, his eyes were scanning the area trying to search for the very reason why he attended in the first place.
“We’re glad that you finally joined us Philip. We’ve been missing you for five years.” Mr. Molina one of the officials in the said event welcomed Philip.
“I decided to give it a try.” Philip replied.
Then as the other women participants joined them in their table, they all gasped when they saw Philip.
“Mr Tang you look…”
“Don’t say it..” Philip cut whatever Verna, one of their associates, has to say
“…different” Verna finished in a whisper.
As the party progressed, Philip was already bored and disappointed that all his preparation was for nothing.
He was planning to just finish his dinner and leave until he saw the very reason he was here.
Amor Powers was seated at another table with some ladies and her assistant. She was not aware of Philip’s presence as well. She had been discreetly looking for him too but she didn’t see him.
Philip suddenly got excited again and his heart thumped fast at the mere sight of her. Nervousness hit him again but he should do this. He must meet her. He prepared for this.
Gathering all courage, Philip stood and excused himself from everyone at their table.
Fixing his suit, he confidently strode towards Amor Powers.
But halfway on his way to Amor, he suddenly forgot the lines he would be telling her, the lines he’d been rehearsing. His mouth suddenly turned dry and his palms became sweaty.
He needs to calm himself first. He didn’t want to spoil their first meeting so he went the opposite direction towards the restroom.
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“Uhm Hello Ms. Powers. I am Tang, Philip Tang. Argh!!! That sounds like a lousy James Bond introduction.”
“Oh Hello there Ms. Powers! You are so sexy like me.. Gahhh!!! That sounds so ungentlemanly.”
“Miss Powers, you look powerful! God that sounded stupid.”
“Hello there! I saw you glowing from afar and your glow attracted me to come to you. Ahh that’s so fairytale-ish!”
“Your hair looks great Ms. Powers just like mine…. Damn!!! I should have written the pointers Carlo gave me.”
Philip was inside the restroom rehearsing in front of the mirror.
He was nervous and all the confidence he has awhile ago just left him. He’s a total mess now.
He dialed his brother’s number.
“You’ve done it?? How was it? Are you with her now?” the excited Carlo was asking him nonstop.
“No Carlo. I forgot my lines. Can you recite them for me? I’m inside the restroom now.”
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The moment Philip went out the restroom after a quick tip from his brother, his eyes darted towards the table where Amor but she was no longer there.
He later found out that Ms. Powers had left the venue already.
Annoyed and angry at himself, he decided to leave as well.
Still feeling upset for disappointing his parents and brother, Philip asked his driver to leave him at the nearby bar, just a few minutes ride from the venue of the event. He asked Kevin to bring Lily home first then change the car and fetch him. He lied that he needed to meet someone very important.
Actually he badly needed a drink.
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Amor Powers decided to have a few drinks before proceeding home. She met with a college friend at the same bar where Philip after she left the party. Peter was just outside, in his car waiting for her instructions. She didn’t want to appear like she’s being chaperoned. The person she was meeting was a girl anyway.
When her friend went ahead of her, she was supposed to get her phone to call Peter but decided that she needs another drink for a good night’s sleep. She scanned the area and saw a lone figure by the bar. The men seemed harmless by his looks. She decided to just go to the counter and order her drink there.
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Philip was having his 3rd glass of scotch when he felt someone beside him. To his surprise and shock it was Amor Powers.
She just smiled at him the moment their eyes met. She doesn’t seem to remember him.
“Hi.” Was all he could say.
Amor just nod her head as she drank her wine. After finishing it and was in the act of paying for her drink, Philip hurriedly fumbled for his wallet that his nervous hands made it slip from his fingers and fall.
It was Amor who immediately hopped from her seat and who dove to get the wallet in the floor. She handed it to Philip. He was so embarrassed but he managed to smile.
“Let me pay for your drink.” He offered Amor and to the bartender he added. “Her drink is on me.”
Amor didn’t want to embarrass the seemingly jittery man more that she no longer argued.
But as he was sort of looking for some sort of card from his wallet as the bartender was waiting for him, Amor decided to take charge.
“They don’t honor senior citizen’s card here. Ako na lang po magbabayad. My treat.” Then Amor smiled at him while paying the bartender.
“What!??” A furious sounding Philip Tang glared at Amor.
“Shhh… kalma po kayo. Your blood pressure. Ako na lang po lo. You don’t have to argue with the establishment if they don’t honor your card. Hayaan mo na sila. These employees are tired and they are just following orders from their boss.”
“But..”
“Hey okay lang po yon, you see my father ganyan din po sa inyo. He won’t eat or drink anywhere na hindi honored yun senior citizen’s card nya. That’s why I usually go with him for situations like this.”
Philip was red not only with embarrassment but also with anger. How dare she mistook him for a ‘lolo’.
With a louder than usual voice, he cut what Amor was saying.
“Excuse me Ms. Amor Powers, I am not an old man. I am Philip Tang and we attended the same convention together.”
Horror, shock and embarrassment was written on Amor’s face. She didn’t make eye contact with the man earlier so she didn’t see his face, but now she realized that it was indeed Mr. Philip Tang. And oh boy he was indeed angry.
“Ah eh you can’t blame me. Puno po kayo ng uban. Nung nasa convention kayo itim naman yan eh. Mabilis pala pumuti.You should have dyed your hair black. Anyone would have thought the same way as I did.” She tried to explain.
“My hair is black! I dyed it gray!”
“What? Why? Lahat po gustong umitim yun buhok tapos kayo gusto ng mala-uban look?” There was genuine wonder in her face.
“God!!! Because I wanted to look like Richard Gere!!!”
“Richard Gere?”
“Yes the Hollywood actor you seemed to be so fond of.”
Then Amor realized – the flowers, his look, this man desperately wanted to get her attention. There’s no problem with that coz she was also very attracted to him when she first saw him.
“Oh Mr. Tang, you didn’t have to do that. I just say that to ward off men. But I don’t care if you don’t look like him. As long as you’re not a jerk, which I assume you are not, you could still get to know me.” Then she smiled sweetly at Philip who was still trying to calm himself.
Then Amor offered her hand to introduce herself formally. “Hello Mr. Tang, I’m Amor Powers. It’s great to have a very interesting first meeting with you.”
Then Philip smiled this time. He shook her hand.
“Nice meeting you Amor. Can I call you Amor? And please do call me Philip.”
“Okay Philip then. I’m really sorry awhile ago. You see, hindi ako tumingin sa mukha mo. I just noticed your hair. I would have recognized you if tiningnan kita sa mukha. I’m really sorry.” She was genuinely apologizing.
“It’s okay Amor. At least I didn’t have a hard time trying to get your attention.”
“Indeed! I wouldn’t have noticed you too. It was indeed a very interesting first meeting Philip.”
They spent a couple of minutes more before deciding to leave. Philip was able to invite Amor to dinner for the following day.
He walked her to her car.
“Thanks for the wonderful evening Ms. Powers.”
“Thank you too Mr. Tang.” then she added, “Hindi mo ako niloloko ha? Hindi talaga yan ang normal hair color mo ha?”
“Amor!!!!”
“I’m just kidding Philip. I’m just kidding! I’m looking forward to our dinner tomorrow.”
“Me too. Goodnight. Call me when you get home.”
“I will.” Then she casually went near him to give him a kiss on his cheek.
Seeing his surprised reaction, Amor just caressed the part she kissed and smiled again. “Goodnight again Philip.”
“Go… goodnight Amor.”
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A/N : Nahirapan ako dito. It’s easier to do a Ricky and Maya version. Nakakatakot kasi si Boss @IamPhilipTang. Baka masamurai ako.
Anyway Boss and Madam @AmorDJPowers pagpasensyahan nyo na to.
dreamytimmy - thoughts i wanna share 