Chanelle’s POV:
“Ate, you’re distracting me. You’ve been pacing back and forth since you came back.” Pagrereklamo ng mabait kong kapatid.
“Can you please check the CCTV at the house?” I bit my thumb out of habit. Ganito talaga ako kapag kinakabahan.
He was typing something on his laptop.
“Why do you need to check? May kailangan ka pa ba sa bahay?”
“No. I just want to go there now.”
After a few minutes of typing, we were able to check the live CCTV footage at our mansion.
Nothing unusual so far. Ibig sabihin pwede akong bumalik. May naalala kasi ako kanina habang pauwi na kami ni sir Tristan sa bahay niya.
“Dustin, are you done with Warren’s card?” Napansin kong natigilan siya sa pag tap sa keyboard ng laptop niya. I knew it. It must be hard for him. “I’m going back to the house to get more information on whether or not Leandro is involved with the organization mommy ninang mentioned.”
“No.” He suddenly closed his laptop. “That’s too dangerous for you, ate.”
“I can’t just sit here and let them do all the work.” I clenched my fist. “I don’t even think they know that Leandro was one of those bastards.”
Hindi naman sa minamaliit ko ang trabaho ng mga agents na yun. It’s just that I think we can find those bastards faster if we split the work.
“It’s still not confirmed if he really is.” Biglang tumayo si Dustin. “Sana lang ate alam mo rin kung paano mag ingat.” He patted my shoulder.
“Go change. I’m going to call Uno then prepare things you might need.” tumango lang ako bago lumabas ng kwarto niya.
Mom, dad, wag po kayong mag alala. Gagawin ko ang lahat para mabayaran nila ang ginawa nila sa inyo. I will protect Empire Corp from those bastards’ filthy hands.
Suddenly, those events flashed back in my mind. I saw my mom asking me to run. Kahit hirap na hirap siyang mag salita.
“R-run…. y-your brother.” mom was pointing to their walk-in closet.
I immediately went back to my brother’s room to help him get up. I pulled his hand and went straight for mom and dad’s walk-in closet. My brother was trembling.
Ngunit kahit hirap na hirap akong hilahin ang kapatid ko, nanginginig pa ang mga tuhod at kamay ko, we managed to get in one of the secret passage my parent made while they were still alive.
Nakalabas kami ng kapatid ko at kaagad kaming itinakas ni tito Eduard nang makita niya kami sa labas.
I clenched my fist again.
“Those fucking greedy bastards.”
*********************
"Ace, we’re here."
"Uno, hintayin mo na lang ako dito."
I looked around. Ang tahimik talaga dito. Kaya siguro napili nina Mommy na dito magpatayo ng bahay? I missed them so much.
Nagmadali akong buksan ang pintuan. Bigla akong natigilan nang may maramdaman akong kakaiba.
[Alpha Charlie Echo, can you hear me?] Pinindot ko ang button ng earpiece ko para mapakinggan niya ang boses ko.
"Yup. Loud and clear."-me
Umikot muna ako sa first floor to see if something is suspicious. Ang tahimik talaga ng bahay. It feels like it's haunted by ghost.
Schiesse! Bakit yun ang iniisip ko?!
[Ace, something’s wrong with the mansion’s security system.] Dustin suddenly spoke through the earpiece.
“I’ll go check. If I can't respond in ten minutes, call Uno.”
The living room is obviously clear. The guest rooms look untouched. And the kitchen....
Wait. There's a note on the kitchen counter.
I will kill you, Chanelle!!!
Red lipstick. I would've been scared if it was blood. Napahilamos ako sa mukha ko.
Oh who am I kidding?! I'm an assassin for pete's sake! Di dapat ako natatakot sa mga gano-
Natigilan ako nang may narinig akong bumagsak. Napalingon ako sa pinanggagalingan ng tunog. That sounded like the big vase on the second floor. May narinig din akong pagputok ng baril.
Sumilip ako sa may pintuan. Someone's in my house?
[Damn! Someone barged into my room. Baka siya ang gumalaw ng computer ko! They're typing something!]
"Schiesse!" Pabulong kong pagmumura.
I need to get on that second floor fast!
Ipinatong ko sa kitchen counter ang note at kinuha ko sa gun leg holster ko ang handgun ko. Lumabas na ako sa kitchen. Pagharap ko sa tapat ng hagdan, itinutok ko na kaagad sa harapan ko ang hawak kong handgun at dahan-dahang umakyat ng hagdan.
I need to be fast. Kaya bawat hakbang ko, I always look at my surroundings for any signs of movements.
Come out you piece of crap!
Una kong pinasok ang kwarto ko at tiningnan ko ang paligid ko. No one's here. Then who was that?
“Ace.” napalingon ako sa likod ko.
“Uno. Bakit ka pumasok?” nakahinga ako ng maluwag.
“I heard a gunshot. So I immediately followed you here.”
I pressed the button from my earpiece before speaking.
“Wo sind diese Bastarde? (Where are those bastards?)”
[Diese verdammten Bastarde fassen immer noch meinen Computer an! (Those damn bastards are still touching my computer!)]
“Ace, I’m going to check the other rooms. Will you be okay?”
I nodded.
“Be careful.” Tumango si Ysa at lumabas na ng kwarto ko.
Nagmadali akong pasukin ng walk-in closet ko. I went straight for my briefcase where I keep all my knives. I attached two knife holsters on both my left and right thighs.
[Alpha Charlie Echo, wear your contacts. We need records just in case anything happens.] Narinig ko ang sinabi ni Dustin, kaya sinunod ko kaagad ang sinabi niya.
“Ready. Keep monitoring. I’m going to the study room in a bit.” Nilapitan ko ang vanity table ko at kinuha ang nakatape na flash drive sa ilalim nito. Kaagad kong itinago ang flash drive sa hidden pocket ng shorts ko.
Dahan dahan akong lumabas ang kwarto at dumeretso kaagad sa study room. I’ve checked the shelves one by one.
“Financial reports, contracts, business proposals…. Profiles?” Bakit may ganito si daddy?
Nagsimulang mag scan ang contacts ko ng mga data. Most of these people have been in the company even before I was born.
So it’s true. Tinatarget nga talaga ng mga hayop na yun ang posisyon ni daddy sa Empire Corp. Isinara ko ang hawak kong folder at ibinalik sa shelf. Some of the files here are fake. There must be archives somewhere here in our house.
I pressed the button on my earpiece.
“Dustin, can you check on Uno for me?”
[Das werde ich. (I will)]
Sinimulan ko na i-check ang desk ni daddy. Wala akong makitang nakatago dito na magagamit ko. Pero nakita ko ang family picture namin sa isa sa mga drawers. Napangiti ako nang makita ko ito. It was our last family picture before they died.
I was about to put it back when it slipped out of my hand.
“Verdammt! (Damn!)” I cussed in a low voice.
I picked up the picture and was about to keep it when I saw a button under the table. Kaagad kong itinago ang picture sa bulsa ko.
“What is this?” I pressed the button and one of the book shelves suddenly moved.
May isang kwarto doon. Pumasok ako at biglang sumara ang pintuan.
There were a lot of folders inside. May mga nakatambak din sa sahig. Inisa isa kong buklatin ang mga folders na ito.
Ito mismo ang mga files na hinahanap ko. Ang mga totoong business projects na ipinasa kay daddy. Rejected din naman ang mga ito sa maraming dahilan. Isa sa mga ito ay masyadong malaki ang nirerequire na budget para sa project. Ang iba ay useless ideas lang.
“Rousse-Echeistoff Project.” What is this? Casino Hotel? “William Rousse?” Who the hell is this guy?
[Alpha Charlie Echo, do you hear me?] That’s Uno.
I pressed the button on my earpiece.
“Yes, Uno. I’m here.”
[Positive. Someone is in your house. Mukhang hindi siya nag iisa. I already killed two guys here behind your house.]
“Okay. I’ll be out in a bit.”
Inikot ko pa ang kwarto hanggang sa nahanap ko ang kailangan kong impormasyon. May nakita akong red book sa isa sa mga kahon sa kwartong ito.
Der Kreis der Brüderlichkeit (The Circle of Brotherhood):
Vercetti
Kojizuko
Buenavista
Monteverde
Aleksidze
Khardziani
This looks like family names. There are four unreadable names in the list. Sa sobrang kataggalan na siguro nito nakatago, halos mabura na ang mga pangalan. This must be the organization mommy ninang is talking about.
Pero tama ako. Mukhang kasama nga si Leandro sa organisasyon na yun.
Matapos kong mahanap ang mga impormasyong kailangan ko, lumabas na ako sa kwartong iyon. Siniguradong kong walang nakakalat sa study bago ako tuluyang lumabas.
Maingat ang bawat galaw ko. This how I was trained. Para malaman ko kung nasaan ang taong kailangan kong patayin at kung paanon ko siya susugurin.
I leaned down to look at the first floor. Dustin must’ve locked down the whole mansion.
[Alpha Charlie Echo, nasa labas si Uno.]
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine here.”
[Be careful.] I smiled.
Napansin kong may biglang tumakbong babaeng nakapula sa baba. Dali-dali akong bumaba ng hagdan habang hawak ko pa rin ang handgun ko.
Sinundan ko ang babaeng nakapula hanggang sa makarating kami ng guest room ng bahay.
"Stop. " I demanded. Itinigil niya ang pag hahalungkat sa kwarto.
"Well, well... I should just ask you instead to find answers. Am I right, Amarah? " Humarap siya sa akin at ngumiti. I'm still pointing my gun at her. "Or should I call you ACE? Hm? "
"What are you doing in my house? " I asked her.
She took a step forward.
"Looking for you, of course." She folded her arms and smirked. "But I was expecting to see your dead body."
I aimed at her left arm and shoot. Umalingawngaw ang tunog ng pagputok ng baril sa buong bahay.
"GOD! "She shouted. Tinitigan niya ako ng masama.
“I am not someone who can be easily killed. Mahirap patayin ang masamang damo.”
"You shouldn't have done that, Ace."
I know what she's talking about. I smirked.
"Serves him right for trying to make me his Queen." Nilapitan ko siya at tinutukan ko ng baril ang kanyang mukha.
"A woman like you is no match for an assassin like me, Arden.”
Oo. Si Arden Santillan ang kaharap ko ngayon.
“Seeing you here makes me think that you must’ve left something in this house, right?’
I shrugged.
“Maybe?”
“Oh. I like the thrill of treasure hunting.”
“May nahanap ka ba?”
I think I just hit the spot.
Sinipa niya ang kamay ko at nabitiwan ko ang aking baril.
Schiesse!
I blocked and dodged all her attacks.
"Aaaaahhhhh!!! You should die you fucking bitch! " sigaw niya sa akin.
"He was quite sweet. He would've been my boyfriend if he didn't try killing me and my brother." She attacked me again but I was able to dodge it.
She was able to pick up my gun. But I kicked her stomach and she sat on the floor while crying in pain.
"You bitch! I will kill you with my own hands! Warren would never kill you!" I took my knife and threw it towards her.
No. I purposely missed her just to scare her. Napapitlag naman siya.
Lumuhod ako sa harapan niya para magkasing-lebel na kami. I stared straight into her eyes.
"He almost raped me. He even tried to kill me. If I was not smart enough, he would have lived... Forced me to marry him and take over my parents' company. You're saying he will never kill me? Tch. He was the one who told me that he will kill my brother!" I shouted in anger at her face.
"He won't-" Hindi ko siya pinatapos. I slapped her face HARD.
"I'm very sure he wants to kill me. So better tell me something you know about his plans. I know you know something about him being involved with my parents' death. '' Tinanggal ko ang kutsilyo na nasa dingding at itinapat ko iyon sa leeg niya. "Speak or I'll slit your throat open."
"I have nothing to say." She glared at me. I stabbed her left arm.
"SPEAK, YOU BITCH!" I slapped her again. She was crying while trying to take the knife out from her shoulder.
"Stupid bitch. You won't be able to move because my knife has a drug that can paralyze anyone stabbed by it. "
“Ace!” Narinig ko ang boses in Ysa sa likuran ko. “You’re not supposed to kill that bitch. We still need to interrogate her.”
“That fucking bitch almost killed me, Uno!”
“Still.”
“H-help.” narinig naming pagmamakaawa ni Arden.
“Take off all your holsters. Someone is coming.”
“What do you mean?”
“May nakasunod sa atin.”
[They already called back up. Move it, Uno!]
“Give me those holsters now. I’ll escape through the secret passage in your room.”
I groaned in frustration but took off my thigh and leg holsters anyway.
“Hey, bitch.” Tawag pansin ni Ysa kay Arden. “If you fucking tell something about what you saw today, remember I can easily come and go in their headquarters. Kaya kitang patayin nang walang nakakapansin. Got that?”
Namumutla na si Arden, pero tumango pa rin siya. Umalis na si Ysa.
“W-warren,” muli akong napatingin kay Arden. “is not someone who can kill without reason.”
Nagulat ako sa sinabi niya.
“Then why-”
Natulala ako nang mapansin ko ang dugo sa balikat niya. Bigla siyang tumawa ng parang baliw.
B-blood.
“Chanelle!” napalingon ako sa tumawag ng pangalan ko.
“B-bloo-”
Bago pa ako makapagsalita, niyapos na kaagad ako ng lalaking tumawag sa pangalan ko.
“What are you doing in this fucking place at this fucking hour?!”
Narinig kong sigaw niya bago ko naramdaman ang panghihina.
“C-Clyde.” tawag ko sa kanya bago nagdilim ang buong paligid ko.