66
Damien Martinez
"The headquarters has been hacked?" Diego repeated, as if he was still trying to come to terms with the fact that something as terrible as this had happened.
I hung my head, feeling depressed. Now he knew what a failure I was. I couldn't even look at him.
"Look at me, son," he said, so softly that I faced him.
"I'm sorry, Dad," I said with a tired smile.
"You can tell me how disappointed you are in me. Don't worry, I'll take it all in. After all, I know I deserve it," I said, bracing myself for the fury that would come next.
Diego's face softened as he looked at me. He shook his head slightly.
I paused. The scolding... why wasn't it coming?
"Do you have names?" he asked instead, and I knew he was referring to who might be behind the headquarters hack, if I had any idea.
"I don't know for sure," I admitted, "but I think Morgana might be behind it. It's the only thing that makes sense," I added.
"I see," was Diego's only reply.
I looked at him carefully. "Why aren't you scolding me, Dad?" I asked.
Wasn't he supposed to be yelling at me for how incompetent I was? I couldn't even manage my own life properly, let alone a huge building like headquarters. Not only did I feel miserable now, but also lesser than everyone around me.
"Scolding you?" Diego asked, tilting his head to one side with a frown. "Now why would I do that? You make mistakes, Damien. You're only human."
Somehow, I felt a warmth spread around my chest at his words.
He was encouraging me. Diego, the heartless, twice-as-restless business tycoon, actually had time to encourage me.
He gave a small laugh, seeing the way I was surprised.
"What did you think I was capable of?" he asked. "If you still want me to talk you down and make you feel like total crap, then that's fine too. I will do just that," he added, although this time there was a slight playful edge to his voice.
I shook my head. I didn't even know what to say.
Diego placed his hand around my shoulders and sighed.
"Damien, I know we haven't had the best of relationships, and well, I'm pretty sure I won't be winning Father of the Year anytime soon," he paused, staring intensely at me. "But I want you to know this, Damien: I'm not just the heartless man I make myself out to be. I'm ready to be a father to you anytime you need it."
I felt fresh tears glistening in my eyes, threatening to break loose.
Diego had always been that figure in my life, constantly pushing me to be better even when I felt like I couldn't take it any longer. He was always there to test my limits, as much as I hated it. He was brutal and cruel to everyone, and I wasn't even an exception.
So why did it warm my heart so much to see the same man play the role of a father in my life? Just when I thought I was a total failure, he was here to lift me up? It all didn't make sense; the world was really turning into chaos.
"I'm not going to talk you down, Damien. Not today," Diego continued, his eyes twinkling. "I can see you're already doing a good job by yourself."
I gave a sigh and breathed deeply, finally deciding to let it all out.
"I need help, Dad," I admitted. "I honestly don't know what to do."
He shifted his position. "It's like a game of chess, son. There's always a way to win; you just have to find it."
"God, this isn't helping at all," I thought, groaning in frustration.
"Maybe I want you to make that way a little clearer," I said in a low voice.
"Fine," he gave a sigh. "Tell me what you have done, then."
"Well," I said. I didn't even know where to begin; everything was just so messed up.
I ended up opening up to him about everything that had happened. I told him about the meeting with Carl and how he wanted to negotiate with me, how he wanted to control me just because he had Clarissa.
And somehow, I also ended up telling Diego about my inner thoughts, how much it hurt me to tell Karl in that expressionless voice that Clarissa didn't mean anything to me, when the opposite was true.
"I don't know what to do now," I said once I was done.
"But his last words scared me. It was almost like a threat. I think he is going to make his move, and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to like it one bit," I finished.
"Then you have to make your move faster," Diego said, pointing out the obvious.
"I can't make him disappear," I said. "For one, headquarters isn't even functioning, and even if it was, he has Clarissa."
I turned away. Wasn't Diego hearing any of the things I was saying? If I dared to act now, I would only be putting Clarissa in more trouble than she already was in.
"I can't do anything until I've rescued her," I told Diego.
Diego frowned for a minute or so, as if he were contemplating.
I could already see that a plan was forming in his head. If only he would be faster and just tell me what to do right now; I was more than willing to follow orders, as long as Clarissa came out unharmed in the end.
"You can't do anything, that's true," he admitted at last.
"But I think you know someone who can. Or rather, a body who can," Diego said.
My eyes twisted in confusion. What was he talking about? I could barely think straight here, and he was going ahead, leaving ambiguous information, leaving me puzzled to figure out.
I waited for a while, hoping he would elaborate a little—anything—I was ready to settle for anything.
"Figure it out, Damien," Diego said, patting my shoulders and stepping backwards.
"I know you can," he added.
"But if you already know the answer," I flung my hands in the air in exasperation, "why won't you just tell me?" I asked.
He gave a wry smile. "Because then everything would be too easy, and we don't want that, do we now?" he asked.
"Where's the fun in easy?"
And with those last words, he turned around and retraced his steps back toward the main entrance of the estate.
"Jerk," I thought, glaring at his back as he paced away. How could he...
He brought me so close to the answer and then threw me off again. Just when I thought he had changed. That was a classic Diego move. He wanted me to figure it all out on my own.
Yet, I did feel better after speaking with him. So maybe this wasn't as bad as I thought after all.
Maybe I should start thinking about what he meant by saying that there was someone who could act and do something about this situation.
And considering enough time, I was begging him to tell me the answers. But if I knew Diego all too well, which I did, then he was not going to tell me anything, especially when he had already given me hints.
He was that annoying type of jerk.
At that moment, I felt my phone ring.
I pulled it out from my pocket and looked at the screen. The moon was already peeking out; it was almost nighttime, if it wasn't already.
My mind raced the moment I saw who the caller was.
Tristan...
His name was displayed in bold letters.
I paused, my heart racing.
"Any updates?" I asked, getting straight to the point.
"Yes," Tristan replied, sounding breathless. "I think we're finally making headway," he said happily.
"Where have you been?" I asked quickly.
"I've been trying to reach your line," he said.
I frowned slightly at that.
Thinking about it now, the place where the abandoned warehouse was located was probably devoid of any network coverage. That was the only explanation.
"Say, why don't you come straight to the office?" Tristan suggested.
I paused, realising that there might have been a lot to talk about. Without a doubt now, he had stumbled on some sort of clue.
I nodded, then remembered he couldn't see me.
"I'm on my way," I replied.
I knew for myself that I wouldn't be able to relay everything that happened at the abandoned warehouse over the phone anyway.
I made my way out of the estate and into my car. It was pretty dark now, but luckily, I was used to driving at night too.
I stepped on the accelerator and sped down the highway when it finally hit me.
I might not be able to do anything, but there was someone who could.
There was a body who could.
"Diego, you're a genius!" I thought.