SUMMARY

Gaizer Red Cervantes is a 23-year old young adult who doesn’t

know how to socialize. All he had are his three childhood best
friends; Arciel, Aria and Lawrence. And here’s the problem, he’s
inlove with Arciel but too shy to confess. What will he do? Will
he get what he wants? Will I finish this book? What will
happen? Oh good lord, help me.
Marlaine Paula A. Ambata
Struggling author

RED
You’re my favorite shade of red.
 PROLOUGE
“Where did you go?” I asked her while looking at her eyes. She showed me
a little smile. She’s hesitating to answer. I can see it. I can feel it. She
doesn’t want to tell me.

“Why are you asking me? Haven’t you heard it from them?” she’s lying. Her
index finger is on her knuckles and scratching them. She’s lying. Why?
Why did she lie to me?

“Where?” My voice is a little louder that she squinted a bit. But that
doesn’t mean that I’ll let her fool me. No, not again.

“I told you. I got pregna-“ Her words made my blood rush that I kicked
the trashcan beside her. She’s telling bullshit. Bullshit!

“The truth Arciel! Tell me the fucking truth!” My heart’s beating so fast
and my body’s filled of anger that I didn’t realize how I shouted at her.
God!

“Look I’m sorry. I didn’t mean t-“ before I even finish my sentence she
cut me off.

“No. it’s okay. You want the truth? Red, after all these years, after all
the things we’ve been through you still don’t know the truth? God!” She
exclaimed and I can feel how she’s suppressing her tears. God, what did I
just do?

“I thought you can understand me. I thought you know me better than
anyone else. I thought… I don’t know.” Her knees are wobbling but she
stood like a wood. Before I even hold her hand she walked away from me.

And I can’t forget the last thing she said before she left…

“I hate you.”

CHAPTER ONE
Then the Prince Charming tried to run after Cinderella. But she’s just
too fast he can’t chase her. All there’s left is her little glass slippers.
He watched her as she faded away to the darkness. Then he turned around,
his men asked him what was that all about but he refused to answer.
Instead, he walked inside the hall, sat on his throne and watched as the
party goes on. He put the little glass slipper on his side table and drank
his wine. She’ll be back. He thought. But when?
“Hurry up guys! Padating na sila. Sinasabi ko naman kasi sa inyo e
gumising kayo nang maaga para sumakto tayo sa oras. Ayan tuloy, baka
maabutan pa nila yung kalat dito.” Aria shouted as she put the banner on
the wall above the dining table. Lawrence, on the other side, makes faces
while she’s scolding the both of us. She’s kind of right tho, but we did
tried our best to wake up early. Our alarm just didn’t do his work well.
While Aria talks to herself, I went to the kitchen to see if they cooked
everything they love. Menudo, kare-kare, estufado, pansit bihon, some
kakanins and leche flan. Seems good.
Ah, that smells so good. Those pork meat looks so tender I wanna taste it
so ba-
“Hijo, gusto mo bang tikman? Heto oh.” Aling Ina said as she put a spoon
of menudo in front of my mouth. I was hesitating but the smell’s just so
good I gulped the food and savor the tenderness of the pork meat and how
the sauce mix well with it. I’m sure she’ll love it when she tasted this.
After checking up the kitchen, I went to the security room to see if their
car’s already in the gate. So far, nothing is happening. Its only 5 am, I
bet they’re still in the plane and is preparing for landing. Besides,
they’re in the Philippines, traffic jam is everywhere.
Nothing much to worry about. I might as well help those two prepare
they’re ‘surprise’ to the Tan family. Although I’m sure that I won’t be any
help to them.
“Hoy! Saan ka ba galing? Print mo nga ‘to tsaka kuha ka ng crepe paper
doon sa sala. Bilis!” Yes, Aria’s getting agitated. She needs to keep her
cool. Arciel said that their estimated time of arrival is between 7am to
8am. Nothing to worry.
But because Aria’s really mad right now, all I can do is to follow her
orders and print out some pictures and letters.
“Chill ka lang Alenn, manood muna tayo ng TV saglit para medyo kumalma
ka naman. Masyado kang maraming nainom na kape.” Lawrence teased her
but she just replied him with her middle finger. Shaking my head because
of those two, I opened the laptop and clicked the document Aria gave to
me.
It’s just their family photos. Oh, looks like her sister gave birth to a
baby girl. Why didn’t she mention any of that to me before? Maybe she’s
just too busy that she forgot to tell me.
‘Magandang umaga Pilipinas! Isa na namang bagong balita ang aming
ihahatid sa inyong lahat. Anti-corruption bill, naipasa na. Pakinggan
po natin ang buong balita kay Carlos. Magandang umaga Carlos’
Wow, it’s been what, five years? Since the 16th President of the Philippines
ended his term. There’s a lot of things that happened and the 17 th is the
one who’s cleaning up after him. Hope to see the country at it’s best again.
And I really hope they can minimize or eliminate corruption here. I’m
tired working for them.
‘Kapapasok lamang po na balita, isang sikat na business tycoon ang
muling nagbabalik bansa upang magsimula ulit. Narito si Kathleen
upang magbalita. Kathleen?’
‘Magandang umaga sayo Pia. Narito ako ngayon sa NAIA matapos naming
makatanggap ng isang email mula sa Tan Corporation. Maaalalang
lumipad ang pamilya Tan noong 2022 sa London. Doon ay pinili ng
pamilyang manatili at mamuhay nang pribad-’

“oh my god.” My head turned to Aria who’s now covering her mouth while
looking at her phone. I looked at Lawrence who also looked confused.
‘Bakit po kayo pumuntang London?’
‘Hmm, bakit nga ba? Siguro para masubaybayan naming ang paglaki ng
una naming apo? Kahit sa saglit na panahon hahaha.’
‘Totoo po bang nabuntis si Ms. Arciel at pinili nyong itago yon kaya
kayo pumuntang London?’
may lived in London for five years but her dressing didn’t changed a bit.
She’s still rocking her infamous white shirt and black pants with a
rubber shoes. God, she’s just beautiful. Can’t help myself but to fall in
love more.
“Hello Tito Red!” my heart almost stopped beating when a little girl hold
my hand. I looked around and saw everyone giggling. My eyes narrowed
and looked for Arciel who’s already holding her stomach. Go on, laugh at
me, you crazy little lady!
“Hello. W-What’s your name?” why the hell am I stuttering?

‘That, I can’t answer. I value my daughters’ privacy and I believe that “My name is Cindy Aquela Tan. I’m five years old.” She can talk really
the answer to that won’t do anything good to the society and economy.’ well for a five-year old kid.

‘Pero kamukhang-kamukha po ni Ms. Arciel ang apo ny-’ Well, not surprised though. Tito Alex and Tita Glenda are known to be
great teachers specially to young kids.
‘And so are my other daughters. So if you please excuse us, we want to
take a rest after that really long flight. Thank you for your time.’ “Let’s continue our talking in the dining area before the food gets cold,
shall we?” Aria interrupted which made me feel relieved. Just want this
My heart’s pounding. What the hell is that? This… this is Arciel’s ‘surprise’ to end and hide myself in my room for weeks.
daughter? How? When? Who…
“Titigan mo pa para matunaw.” I rolled my eyes at Lawrence who did
All of my thoughts flew away when I heard the gate opening. Aria quickly nothing good but make fun of everyone. Tss.
picked up the party popper and walked towards the main door. Lawrence
followed her while I’m still left here dumbfounded. Can someone please
explain everything to me?

“C’mon Gared!” Aria pulled me and the next thing I knew, the confetti
from the party popper are flying around the Tan family.

Tito Alex and Tita Glenda gave me their hugs and kisses. Ate Amelia and
Arella hugged me too. They gave their gratitude to the three of us for
giving them a little surprise. I couldn’t hear anything else that they’re
taking about. My mind’s focused to the girl who’s walking inside the huge
doorway.

God knows how much I miss her. Her hazelnut eyes, her natural brown hair.
Looks like she cut them off from her waist to her shoulder length. She

CHAPTER TWO
When Cinderella came back to the castle, Prince Charming hardly
remember her. She’s still wearing her light blue gown and her blonde
hair’s still up with a little light blue hair band. But the Prince just
doesn’t recognize her. He knew it was her but he never approached her.
Until someone stood up and asked to dance with her. He watched them as he
clenched his fist and drank his glass of wine.
Everyone’s having a good time talking about the things they’ve missed
for the past five-years. It was kind of awkward since I’m not really close
to Arciel parents, especially her sisters. Plus, there’s a little kid beside
me who keep on glancing at me. Is there something wrong with my face?
Tsk. Can’t ask Lawrence and Aria since they’re the ones who can’t stop
talking. I hate those two.
“Yes Tito. Alam nyo po ba na nakapasok sa top 10 si Lawrence sa ALE. Lots
of Architectural Firms are offering him a job including AIDEA but he
refused all of them. Masyadong hambog!” Everyone burst out laughing
because of Aria’s story of Lawrence. They do like to tease each other. I’m
not surprised if they ended up marrying each other.
“Hindi naman kasi! Masyadong OA ‘to si Alenn. I refused their offer kasi
masyadong nakaka-pressure. Besides, in-offeran din nila yung Top 1 kaya
umayaw ako. Ang sama kaya ng ugali nung Top 1 kung alam nyo lang.”
Lawrence defended himself. But it seems like no one heard him and
continue laughing. I don’t even get why they find that story funny.
While everyone’s making fun of Lawrence, I continue eating my meal. It’ll
be waste if it gets cold and mushy.
“Ay eto naman pong si Gared, nako! Ewan ko ba pinaggagagawa sa buhay.
He studied computer science and then right after graduation, he enrolled
himself to another course. He’s now a computer geek with a license in
chemical engineering. Grabe sa kasipagan ano po?” And there she goes. I’m
sitting here and is quietly eating my food when Aria can’t stop
blabbering about us. What a loud woman.
“Oh really? That’s great of you, hijo. See that Arella? Dapat ganyan ka
rin kasipag tulad ng Kuya Gared mo. Hindi yung puro ka dyan shopping
and anime.” I don’t know if Tita Glenda complimented me or what, I just
gave her a smile and didn’t dare to look at Arella. She might think that
I’m bragging about my degrees.
So I went back to eating and feeling anxious about myself because of
Cindy’s gaze. Why is she even looking at me? Does she need something? God!
I don’t even know how to speak with this kid.
“Cindy, is there something wrong?” Ah finally! I slightly look at Cindy’s
other side to see who’s the angel who asked her.
“I want to call him Daddy, Mommy Arciel.” That’s right. The angel is no
other than Arciel. Why do I even think who it was?
“Oh my god, why do you even think about that Cindy? He’s not even your
father.” Arciel slightly lowered her head to level Cindy and whispered
that to her. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but her voice is a little loud for
me to hear it.
But then Cindy stood up to her chair and look at Arciel. “And so as Papa
Alex and Mama Glenda but I still call them that! Why can’t I call him
daddy?!” my eyes widened when her little index finger pointed at me and
everyone turned quiet. They all look at our direction. I sat properly and
move a little to the back to hide myself from them.
“That’s disrespectful, Aquela. Sit down.” Tito Alex said with full
authority. He may look like a calm person but he’s a really strict man.
That’s one of the reasons why I feel awkward and anxious around the Tan
family.
With Tito Alex’ words, Cindy sat down with her grumpy face. She crossed
her arms and looked away to Arciel’s side where everyone is sitting. I’m
at the end of the table so there’s nothing to worry on my side.
Anyway, I’ve been talking nonsense again.
After ‘scolding’ Cindy, everyone focused on eating their food. No one
dared to talk. It feels kind of suffocating because of the atmosphere
here. I badly want to open a topic but it feels so wrong.
It’s almost 15 minutes and we’re almost done eating but still no one’s
talking. Now I feel like I really need to open a topic. Maybe we can talk
about how great the food is? Or... or maybe about their flight? We can
also talk about business? Argh! I don’t know!
“Hey…” All of my frustrations fade away when someone grab the side of
my shirt. It was Cindy. She’s looking at me and signaled me to move closer
to her.
“You’re Gared, right?” I looked at her confusedly but nodded at her
question.
“I can still call you Daddy Gared, right?” My eyes widened but quickly
calm myself. I gave her a smile and nodded. Sure, she can call me that.
She could be Arciel’s daughter, nothing to worry about. And even if she’s
not, she calls her Mommy. It’s like her way of calling people Tito and
Tita.
The rest of the meal was quiet. I didn’t feel awkward since Cindy keep on
giving me smiles. Which is weird because why would she smile at me? She’s
just mad earlier and now she’s so happy. Hays, girls.
“We’ll help you arrange your things Tita para makapag-pahinga rin kayo
nang maaga. I know you all badly want to take a rest na.” Aria said before
everyone stood up to go to their respective rooms.
Lawrence went with Tito and Tita’s room while Aria went with Arella.
Ate Amelia took Cindy with her and insisted that she’ll do her own things.
I’m left here with Arciel who’s staring at her food.
I took all of my courage to stood up and walk to the kitchen. Why the hell
I’m feeling like this? This is too obvious! She’ll tease me again on how
head-over-heels I am for her. Damn it!
Oh wait, we’re done eating. Meaning to say, we need to clean up the table.
All I have to do is to call Aling Ina and tell her that we’re done.
That’s a really bright idea! So, where can I find Aling Ina? Hmm, she
should be around here in the kitchen. Oh, maybe she already walked out
in the dining hall. Right.
How can I help her? Should I collect the plates? Yes, that could be the
one thing I can do to avoid Arciel. Oh wait, I’m not ‘actually’ avoiding
her. I’m just…trying to help. We’ve eaten a lot and there’s a lot of plates
to collect. Right? Right. I can talk to Arciel later or maybe tomorrow.
Yeah. I can still talk to her.
“Aling Ina, let me help you with that.” Without Aling Inas confirmation,
I grabbed the stack of plates that she’s holding and carefully walked
back to the kitchen. Then I turned around and go back to the dining area
to collect some… maybe drinking glasses? Anything I can get there.
Unluckily, the house helpers finished them all and there’s nothing for
me to do. But, the good thing- no, not a good one, the thing is Arciel’s
gone and I think she already went to her room. She may not need my help
there so I guess, I’ll just wait for those two in the living room. I’m kind
of tired in preparing all of this stuffs. I mean, tired of helping. Just
realized that I didn’t do much compare to the house helpers and those two
loud idiots.
Ah, what a soft and comfy sofa they have. The helpers did a great job
maintaining the house’ interior. Should asked if their can also do my
unit. It looks like a garbage there.
In the middle of my daydreaming about cleaning stuffs, Arciel suddenly
shouted which shaken up the whole house- or village.
“GIVE IT BACK TO ME, CINDY!” But the little girl doesn’t seem to hear her
and continue running and to my shock, she hid behind me and do the ‘shhh’
action. Confusedly, I nodded and waited for Arciel to go down the stairs.

Few seconds later, a furious Arciel looked at me as if saying, “bring her

out now!” So I used my right hand to point at my back where Cindy is
hiding. Poor little girl. I’d love to help her but I don’t want to die early.

We’ve been friends for a really long time and her face looks like she’s
gonna kill someone right here, right now. What could be the reason why
she’s all mad and why Cindy? What did this little kid do?

“Cindy in the count of three, you’ll come out or you know what’ll happen.”
She threatened the kid. I heard Cindy tsk-ed and stomp her feet out.

Arciel handed her hand as if Cindy needs to give her something. The
little girl sighed and gave a small brown rectangular box to Arciel.
Then she walked out and went upstairs.

“Buti hindi nalaglag.” I heard her whisper. She wiped some dirt off the
box and then looked at me.

“Oh, hi.” She said.

“Hi.” I replied.

CHAPTER THREE
After the dance, Cinderella stayed in the castle. Prince Charming was
surprised when he saw her sitting on the huge staircase. There he saw a
lady dressed in a torn out pink dress with her hair down. Her glass
slippers were turned into an old pair of brown boots that looks like her
father’s. All of her accessories disappeared. Her elegance faded away but
her beauty stayed. That moment, the prince couldn’t help himself but to
walk towards her. The next thing he knew, he’s laughing with her. Without
his knights, her sisters, his advisers, just the two of them and the moon
who’s smiling above them.
“Hi.” I replied.
What the hell was that? She’s your friend for almost two decades and
that’s your reply?! Dude!
“Wanna go and help me unpack my things? I’ve brought lots of things from
London. I may not finish them until tomorrow- “Knowing her, I cut her
sentence and pulled her to her room.
She’s smiling like an idiot when she opened the door. Then she put the box
inside her bedside drawer. Looks pretty precious for her that she keeps
it in there.
“So, saan ka na nagwo-work ngayon? You did what I told you before ha.
Kasi naman, mas bagay talaga sayo mga chemical shemene. Para kang si
Professor X ng powerpuff girls e!” she said and laughed at her own joke.
I rolled my eyes and act like I’m leaving when she pulled my shirt.
See? Still works.
“Okay hindi na. Ito naman, hindi na mabiro. Tulungan mo na ako.” Then she
gave me one of her luggage and unzip it. I sat on the other corner of her
bed and take everything out of her bag. Most of them are clothes, some
have books inside, some are her random things like phone cases, socks, and
other things.
We stayed quiet the whole time. This really is my talent, making every
atmosphere feel awkward. I should probably work this talent of mine.
It’ll make my social life even harder.
Minutes passed and I’m almost done with this one big luggage of hers. She
really did brought lots of things. Is she staying here for good or she
just wanted to bring these things back here. I wanna ask her but I don’t
know how to start!
“Arci-“I’m not able to finish my sentence because two loud human beings
entered the room. This could be our moment!
“VAKLA! Asan na mga pabili kong cologne at damit sa’yo? Sigurado kang
kasya yan sakin ha. Nako kapag hindi, hindi ko yan babayaran!” Aria said
as she easily moved out the things in all of Arciel’s luggage.
God! It took me almost thirty-minutes to arrange all of them. What a
great talent this loud woman had.
Arciel’s quiet room turned the loudest one in this house. Aria and
Lawrence can’t stop talking about every gossip they have in their sleeves.
They told Arciel every single story she missed out when she’s in London.
I stayed quiet the whole time and watched them. Ah, it feels so warm.
“Luh, nababaliw na naman yata ‘tong si Gared. Nangiti mag-isa!” My smile
quickly disappeared when Lawrence laughed at my face. He even used his
index finger to point at my lips. Tss.
So what if I’m smiling? What’s wrong with that? As if they never saw me
smile.
“Naiisip na naman siguro nya si Jasmine! Nuy! Ikaw ha, sa harap pa talaga
ni Agen- Aray! ‘To naming mga ‘to. Feeling mga teenager. Mga gurang na
e!” My heart pounded when Aria teased me again, not to my workmate
Jasmine, but to Arciel.
Ever since we were young, Arciel and I really have that kind of
relationship we can’t describe. I don’t want to assume anything nor
confirm it. Maybe because I’m not ready yet… for the truth. Or because
there’s a possibility that it’s all in my mind. That its only me who feels
this way. So I’ll just wait, for the right moment at the right time in the
right place. That way, I can avoid getting myself hurt. And I can still
prepare myself for the worst. Atleast I won’t be that ‘miserable’ like the
other guys.
“Hay nako Agen, kung ayaw na sa’yo ni Gared, nandito lang ako…” my eyes
widened when Lawrence took Arciel’s hands and caressed it. Even Aria is
speechless.
Why Lawrence?...
“Charot lang! Kayo naman masyadong pa-serious! Alam ko naming para kay
Gared ka lang e.” He said and raised his eyebrows up and down while
looking at me. I just rolled my eyes and looked away.
Damn. How do I hide this smile? If Aria saw me looking like this, she’ll
tease me all through the month!
Okay, all I need to do is to calm myself down, breathe in. Breathe out.
Don’t let their jokes get into you, Gared. Their just teasing you. Don’t let
them get you, okay? Okay.
Before I face them, I pretended to yawn a little and wiped my eyes.
Secretly, I pinched my cheeks to stop myself from showing any signs of
affection towards Arciel.
“Luh, antok ka na agad? Akala ko ba kaya mong mulat bente-kuwatro oras?
Weak naman neto!” Aria really talk too much now. And she even noticed
my fake yawn! What the hell is wrong with her?
Well, I can’t say that in front of her face so I just rolled my eyes and
move a little. Then I leaned on the headboard and pretended to slowly
close my eyes. Well, it’s kind of not an acting since I’m actually sleepy.
All blame to Aria who wake us up at 2 am in the morning to prepare her
‘surprise’. Tch.
“Alam nyo, umuna na kayo. May mga trabaho pa kayo bukas. Tsaka hindi ba
kayo hinahanap sa bahay nyo? Kanina pa kayong madaling araw dito sa
bahay. Matagal pa naman akong mags-stay dito. Lumayas muna kayo at baka
magsawa agada ko sa mga pagmumukha nyo.” Arciel jokingly said with her
poker face. If you didn’t know her too well, you’ll think that she’s being
rude when in fact, she’s not.
“Sabagay. Para makapag-pahinga na rin kayo. O sya sya, uuna na nga kami.
Mga lalaki ng buhay ko halina kayo!” Aria said but I still pretended to
be asleep. But a mother-ker just pulled my right food that made me stood
up.
“HALIKA NA!” Aria shouted at my face as if I’m not awake.
“Okay okay. Shut your mouth.” Arciel and Lawrence giggled to my response
while Aria just narrowed her eyes at me.
Oh, I’m scared.
The hell I’m not!
After our sweet goodbyes to each other, I’m finally back in my house. Not
actually a house since I’m currently staying in my condo unit. But I paid
for it so it is my house. Okay, I’m talking nonsense again.
*yawns*
I better give myself a goodnight sleep. This morning sucked all of my
energy for the week.
Ah, that was good!
With the help of my left hand, I hold my head and slowly turned it
counter clockwise. The sound of the bones cracking is so damn satisfying
and it makes my body feel good.
The next thing I did is quickly twist my upper body and damn that was a
real deal! Should remind myself to get a really nice massage because of
all these works I’ve been doing.
Wait, what time is it now?
22: 38
Still earlier than my normal time out. Maybe I’m just a really good
employee that I finished almost everything they gave to me for the whole
week. Not trying to brag about it but well… I’m just so good.
Anyways, it’s past curfew and I still need to fix my table and bag. Should
check if everything’s in there including my overtime pass. The guards
may know me but we still need to be sure to avoid any problems. That’s
what my father taught me ever since I was a kid. Too bad I’m now the
reason why he have lots of problems now. They’re all part of my work so
he can’t blame all of it to me.
With a few turns, the store is now in front of me. I went out the car, grab
a basket and take everything I can see and reach. There are lots of
variety of beers here and they all look so good. Maybe I should grab some
microwavable barbeques.
Just when I’m paying at the counter, a girl slides her drink to mine and
the cashier scanned it already! I’m already tired from all the work I did
and now I need to pay for someone else’s drink? Are you f-ing kidding
me?!
Before I give the money to the cashier, I turned around to see who the
hell is the lady who dared to mess with me tonight.
“Hi.” She said.
My eyes widened and my body quickly turned back to the cashier and
handed him my money.

“Ser, matagal pa po ba kayo dito? Magsasara na po kasi kami ng gate e.” Why is she here? Is she stalking me or what? I never mentioned this place
My heart almost jump when I saw Manong Guard with his flashlight to her before. How the hell…?
pointed at his face, suddenly speak. He should’ve knocked or moved his
flashlight the other way!

“Umm no. I’m just packing my things, Kuya.” I politely replied when in
fact, I really wanted to tell him how scared I was. But that’s too
embarrassing, I can’t say that.

When all of my things are in my bag, I quickly go down the stairs, since
the elevator already shut down, and then to the parking lot. I started
the engine and drove myself back to my unit.

Hmm, its still early. Maybe I can grab some snacks and drinks then send
a sick leave tomorrow? I’ve done all of my works already and if they
have questions, I brought my laptop and flashdrive with me. Maybe I
should grab some drinks, really.

As far as I can remember there’s a small convenience store near my

building. It’s 24/7 open when I moved there so maybe they still are? Let
me just check.

CHAPTER FOUR
Prince Charming pulled Cinderella closer to him as she cried herself out.
She told him how hard her life became, how unlucky she was, how her
family treat her. Prince Charming silently nodded and pat her back. He
doesn’t know how to comfort her. He just let her burst out until she
stopped crying.
“Thank you, Prince Charm. For listening to me. I think I’ll go ahead now.
My prince is waiting for me.” Before he can even reply, Cinderella left
him there, alone…and cold.
We were sitting in the dining area, waiting for the microwavable
barbeques I bought earlier. She’s tapping the table and is looking at the
window on her right side. She’s looking at the city lights that’s giving
off a New York vibe.
I don’t know if it’s just me or the night but she looks more beautiful
every time I see her. She’s beautiful yesterday but she’s more today. Maybe
I just can’t get enough of her. Or maybe the night really has an effect
on me. Making my heart beat so fast every time I’m with her.
*beep*
Even if she’s not smiling or doing nothing, makes me blush. This feeling
is killing me. How can I endure being with her if by simply looking at
her makes my heart skip a beat? What’s more if she talks to me or touch
me? I can’t even imagine what will happen to me.
“Hey.” I was startled when she suddenly touched my hand that’s on the
table. She looked at me straight in the eye and I can’t take them off.
“Are you okay? The food’s ready.” She said and pointed at the microwave.
Now that was pathetic. How long have I been staring at her? She might
think that after all these years I’m still the weird clumsy boy she used
to teased in high school. Tch.
Anyway, before the food gets cold again, I put it out of the microwave
and placed it in a clean plate. This man may not be a great cook but I
know how to properly serve food.
After placing the barbeque on a tray, I grabbed the cans of beer and two
glasses with ice in it. Also placed some table napkins to make it look
fancy, even if they’re just convenience store foods.
While cleaning up the mess I did, my eyes shifted to her side. She’s looking
at the huge window again. It seems like she wanted to talk about something
but don’t know how. Or maybe she just missed Philippines. It could also be
she’s still having a hard time adjusting here. Let’s not make things worse,
okay?
Before I finally serve the ‘food’, I stared at her for about ten second
and then walked towards her. It seems like she doesn’t notice me yet so I
waved my hand on her face. She blinked several times and then showed me
her beautiful smile. I smiled back and gave her a barbeque. She accepted
it and took a small bite.
“You’ve been staring at the city for a long time, something wrong?” I
asked her. She looked at me and made a face. She’s teasing me again!
“Stop pouting, hindi ka naman cute. AHAHHAAHHA!” I rolled my eyes and
crossed my arms. How dare she laughed at me? Nah, just kidding. Her
laughter is music in my ears. It’s more comfortable than her silence
earlier.
“But really, what’s wrong? You’re not acting like yourself ever since you
arrived here. You can always share it with me you know?”
Then I gave her a can of beer and a glass so that she can drink it easily.
But she just smirked and drink it straight from the can. She then squeezed
it and threw it in the trash can.
She raised her feet up and hugged her knees. Then she rested her chin on
it. That’s when I knew, somethings not right.
Ever since we were kids, this is the second time I saw her like this. The
first time was when she found out they were flying in London. It was all
sudden that their flight was scheduled the next day after her father
told her about it. She’s so mad that she went to my unit with cans of beer
and drank them all with me. It made me sick the next day that I almost
forgot to say goodbye to her. Good thing Lawrence picked me up that day.
“Hmm…” She’s handing me her phone while facing the city lights. With a
confused face, I took her phone and read what’s on it.
‘Daughter of the Tan Corporation, busted in an illegal club in Spain’
‘Arciel Glyndd Tan, also known as the Slu-th Woman, breaks up with
Kevin Chase Silvestre’
‘Two days after the break, Tan was reportedly seen with Silvestre’s
friend and business man, Neil George Xavier’
‘Arciel Tan, accused of accepting bribes from huge companies to win the
lawsuit’
It’s too much. There’s more of them but I can’t read it anymore. Arciel
isn’t like any of those. She’s a fine young lady who only wants to be a
successful someday. How could these people make such news and stories
about her? Did she do something that hurt their feelings? Because that’s
all fucked up.
She doesn’t deserve any of these. I’ve seen her study so hard so that she
can graduate ahead of us. She did lots of practice so that she won’t
flopped in any of her debates. I’ve watched her win arguments against
her professors and classmates. I’ve seen her worked so hard so that people
won’t question her abilities and her name. She did everything to meet
people’s standard, how could they…
“I’m planning to build a farm somewhere in the province. I’ll use your
name so that they will give it to me.” Wait- what? She studied for 23
years and now she’s gonna throw them all because of all of these?!
“Hey, don’t do that. We can still work it out. I’ll contact these people and
your-so-called-ex boyfriend. Please don’t give up. You wanted to become
an international lawyer, right? We ca-“In just a swift of a hand, she’s
already pointing a stick on my neck as if it was a sword, but it made me
stop from talking. She’s glaring at me and showed no emotions.
“I’m not asking you to fix it. I’m not even asking for your approval. I’m
just here to tell you everything so that you won’t be surprised when
someone told you about the land that I actually bought. This is my
decision so please…please don’t stop me.” Is it just me or her voice cracked
a little while saying that?
This isn’t the Arciel I loved. This isn’t the Arciel I knew. She changed. I
don’t know if it’s a good thing or not but I certainly don’t like it. she
throwing all of her dreams just beause of these fucking made up stories
of people who doesn’t actually know everything about her. She’s already
giving up when in fact the fight hasn’t even started yet. This isn’t her.
Something’s definitely wro-
Wait a minute. She’s tapping her fingers earlier? It was like, . . . ./ ./ .
- . ./ . - - ./ meaning…
Help.

CHAPTER FIVE
Prince Charming couldn’t sleep that night. He’s thinking what was that
all about. Did Cinderella intentionally waited for him just to say all
of that or it’s all coincidental. He wished it was the first one. Because
he hates himself now for being such a coward, for being too proud of
himself that he missed the chance to have her. For being such a fool that
he let her runaway that night and did not bother to chase her. For not
asking her to dance and just watching them from afar. He regretted it
all. But there’s nothing else he can do. The other Prince have her now…
My mouth opened but no voice was heard. She looked at me straight in my
eyes. It was cold and sad…but eyes never lie.
We were staring at each other for a few minutes when she just walked out
of my unit. It was so quick I didn’t even had a chance to run after her.
My mind’s in daze. What the hell was all of that? I may look like a genius
but I have no idea what is going on right now.
Why is she asking for my help? Did something wrong happen in London?
Well of course A LOT happened there. Tsk. She could’ve at least explained
one thing for me.
Should I call Lawrence? Maybe he knows something about her. Or maybe
Aria. Of course, she knows everything about Arciel, she’s her bestfriend.
But should I call her? What if just like me, those two doesn’t know
anything? Tch, this is driving me crazy!
*beep*
It’s already 23:42, who texted me?
+639874******
Good evening Mr. Cervantes. This is the Chello Real Estates located in
Cavite, Philippines. The empty lot that you wanted to purchase is
currently available. If you want to, we can accompany you there so that
you can see how big the land is. Sorry for the late notice, Mr.
Cervantes. We will wait for your response via email or text message.
Thank you and have a good night.
My eyebrows furrowed when I read the text. Did I boug- oh. It was the
land Arciel is talking about earlier. I don’t know what to reply. Should
I just forward this to her so that she can tell me what to re-
*beep*
+639874******
That’s what the real estate texted me. I’m just send that to you for a
proof. If they ever tried to call you, tell them that I’m your fiancé
and that you sent me there because you’re too busy to visit the land
yourself. -Agen
Oh, that’s Arciel’s number. Wait- how did she knew my numbe…r okay. Maybe
Aria or Lawrence gave it to her. It’s always either of those two anyways.
*sigh*
That was a really long day. Maybe I should give myself a good night sleep
tonight. I’ll think all of these tomorrow. Maybe I can surprise Arciel in
Cavite or go to work really late. I don’t know.
“Thank you, Mr. Cervantes. Don’t worry, we’ll process your papers right
away. I hope you and your wife build great memories in this land.” The
real estate agent shook my hand before he finally leaves the room. We
were left there in the room and no one dared to talk.
“Ehem ehem. So Mrs. Cervant- Aray! Oo na titigil na ako. Epal nito!” Aria
stopped hitting Lawrence after he screamed in pain. That was a joke but
I think, some jokes are meant to be real? Lol.
“Teka, bakit ba kayong lahat nandito? ‘Di ‘ba sabi ko sa inyo ako na lang
pupunta mag-isa? Tsaka Red, you have work right? Don’t tell me you
literally filed a fake sick leave just to accompany me here. Guys, I’m
telling you. Okay lang ako.” Arciel said before she walked out of the
room.
We watched her as she slammed the door close. I even flinched a little
because of the impact. Seconds later, Aria pinch my sides.
“What?!” I asked annoyed. But she’s mad as well and is glaring at me. She
raised her one eyebrow and then looked at the door.
With no clue in my mind, I stared at her.
“Goddammit! Habulin mo!” she exclaimed. My eyes widened when I realized
what really happened. Shit!
“Tanga talaga neto ni Gared.” I heard Lawrence said before I ran outside.
That, I can accept. Chasing her is my special ability, why didn’t I do that
earlier? Just how airheaded am I?
Anyways, how far does her short legs reach? That woman, this is such a
huge building, I know she hasn’t walked that far. She could be
somewhere…or some bench, massaging her legs. She’s not a fan of long
walks anyway.
“idiots…”
Wait- I know that voice.
It’s somewhere up the stairs. I walked a few steps from where I came from
and reached the staircase. There, I saw her facing the wall. She’s lightly
kicking and cursing it. That mouth of hers, she should really try and
minimize her cursing. Though, I know lots of kids are cursing nowadays,
still.
Anyways, I stayed there for a few more minutes until she finally noticed
me and turned around to face me. She’s staring at me while staying at
where she is. I took one step at a time and she step back every time. Until
there’s nowhere to go. She looked away and stretched her arms to stop me
from coming closer. I chuckled.
“Anong nakakatawa?! Baliw neto.” Her face almost looked like a ripe
tomato but I can’t stop myself from laughing. God, I’ve been trying so
hard not to burst out but I can’t!
Few seconds later, Arciel laughed with me. We looked like two crazy idiots
who’s laughing because of nothing.
“Stop laughing! Ang sakit na ng tyan ko kakatawa!” she said between her
laughters. But I can’t seem to stop and we stayed like that for maybe, two
minutes?
Damn that hurts. I can’t even feel my jaw right now.
“We should really cut the scene now Arciel.” I told her as we sat on the
floor. She just smiled and raised her shoulders. As if she don’t know what
to answer.
“I’m talking seriously here, Arciel. Let’s stop this nonsense and get
yourself together.” Instead of a proper reply, she pouted and gave me her
puppy eyes.
“Oh goodness gracious. If you didn’t stop now, I’ll literally call Dragon.”
Right after I said that she frowned and nod her head. I rolled my eyes
and pulled her to the room we went earlier.
The two idiots are still there and seems like they’re having so much fun.
When we arrived, they went silent and gave us concerned eyes.
“Mga gago! Tigilan nyo na nga yan. Mission success na. We need to go back
to the hq.” They frowned when I said about that.
Aria took off her black wig and flaunt her naturally dark brown hair.
Then she put on her black leather jacket paired with her black fitted
dress that can reach above her knee. Her backpack then turned into a
black handbag that matches her outfit. Then Lawrence’ keempee hair
turned into a modern pompadour one. He also took off his fake eyeglasses Mission 824: Completed
and wore his not-so-famous round-shaped vintage red sunglasses. His
fashion also changed from Hawaiian inspired outfit into a semi-formal
blue coat and denim pants.

Arciel then put her hair high up and then took her jacket off. Then she
put it in Aria’s backpack. She fixed her black leather but and tucked her
black sando in it.

On the other hand, I did nothing but to open my portable computer, yes,
it’s not a laptop but a portable computer, and re-check every data we
gathered. I also checked if there are still some surveillance camera that
I didn’t turned off. Our runaway car is also ready and I think, we’re off
to go.

“I hate you na talaga Gared! You always do things faster than the
schedule!” Aria tantrum. But the hell I care? Our job’s done and we can
now have fun this weekend.

“Next time talaga hindi ko na hahayaang si Gared ang mag-handle ng

missions natin. Lagi na lang parang nagmamadali e.” They continue
ranting but nah, what can I do? I’m a fast worker.

We walked outside peacefully and went to the head quarters without any
policemen running after us. That’s what we’ll have when we do things my
way.

“Ah, finally! Welcome back Agen!” Lawrence scream right after we entered
the building. He hugged her so tight and even gave her flowers.

“Ang landi! Umalis nga kayo sa harap ko.” Aria gave them a disgust look
and shoved them apart. I chuckled and watched as Lawrence teased Aria
for being single. Ah, how I missed this.

“After five years. Finally.” Arciel whispered on my side. I glanced at

her and damn, she really looked gorgeous in everything.

“Yeah. Welcome back.” I said and head towards my table.


CHAPTER SIX
Years has passed and it seemed like Cinderella disappeared without
leaving any trace. The only thing left was her glass slipper that was in
Prince Charming’s palace. He never threw it away. He kept it in his room
waiting for Cinderella. Wishing she’ll come back rushing to him. But I
guess, that day never happened. The palace became sad. -Fin
“No no no no. Nope, that’s not gonna happen. Never!” Aria even waved her
hand and shook her head to show how she disapproved the story Arciel’s
writing.
“C’mon, it’s the perfect plot for our mission! Cinderella was Mrs. Co while
the Prince Charming was his ex-husband. Then the real prince is Mr. Co
which became her one and only. See?” She’s being ridiculous. She just wants
to ruin the fairytale.
“Look, Mr. Deuxheinz killed Mr. and Mrs. Co with a wine glass. He stabbed
then in their throats and heart 20 times. How can that story became the
perfect plot for the mission?” But instead of listening to Aria’s rant,
she just laughed at her and clicked the publish button.
Unbelievable, she really posted that in her blog. Now people will make it
a trend and lots of people will make fanfictions again. She really is a
crazy lady.
Those two crazy women continue exchanging curses. It’s nothing new
anyway.
Lawrence tried to stop them while I do my thing. Writing reports. Aria
should be the one who’s doing it but she’s busy giving her bestfriend a
‘welcome speech’ so I’ll just do it myself.
March 24, 2022. Thursday. 4:48 pm. Mr. Deuxheinz arrived in Gatwick
Airport. Anete blended herself by being with her family. They were in
the same flight that is going back here in the Philippines. Stacia, Jace
and Zoi on the other hand, observed the target’s house by having a
welcoming party to the Tan Family. By 7:16 am, he entered his house and
is suspiciously inactive. His newspapers were delivered but never
claimed. He remained silent until two days later, he showed up in a real
estate agency. He applied there as an agent and was given a job to sell a
certain lot in Cavite. Anete and Zoi agreed to take the risk and buy the
land. Luckily, the target took the bait and asked for a meet up. The next
day, March 29, 2022, the team perform their act as buyers. They waited for
the perfect time to ambush him and interrogate him about the murder he
did two months ago. Written below was the target’s confession about his
crime/s:
“It was New Year’s Eve; I was sitting alone in my room thinking about how
miserable my life is. My wife divorced me and left me for another man,
my business went bankrupt, my family disowned me. There’s nothing left
to lose, I told myself. But then, I hold back. There must be something good
that will happen to me next year. Maybe this is just the start of my life.
But then again, when I finally decided to get up, someone called me. Your
wife married the Co’s heir, she’s living her life now bro. He said. Then
my mind went black. I loved her more than my life. I don’t even know why
I agreed to sign those papers. She’s the only thing that keeps me alive
after all the bad things that happened to me, why is she doing this to me
now? So, I went to her wedding afterparty and drank some alcohol. While
they’re having their first dance as a married couple, I broke the rim of
the wine glass and rushed over them. I stabbed them multiple times until
I realized what I did. Her white gown turned red because of her blood
while his husband looks like someone ate his guts. Fear came into me and
I decided to run away. Jealousy, anger and betrayal ate me up that’s why
I did that even though I know that I shouldn’t. Go on, handcuffed me and
make me a prisoner. I don’t deserve to live such a peaceful life because
of what I did.”
That’s the summary of our report. Now I should do the detailed one. This’ll
take me hours to finish this. I hope I can still eat lunch. My stomach’s
grumbling, we haven’t eaten something since we traveled in Cavite!
“Here, have a bite.” I looked up to see who’s handing me a triangular shaped
sandwich. Oh, just Lawrence.
“Thanks. Are you gonna help me with this?” right after I said that, he
chuckled and almost choked. Good thing there’s a bottle of water on my
side table. He immediately drank it and coughed to clear his throat.
“You’re such a funny man, Zoi. Of course, I’ll help you. Here, some CCTV
footage of Mr. Deuxheinz when he entered the wedding hall, airport, his
house and some buildings in London and Philippines.” He said and took a
USB flash drive in his pocket. He put it on my table and then walked
away.
“Hey! Jace! Atleast help me finish this report! Jace! Lawrence! Tch.”
Shouting at him didn’t do anything. What a nice friend I have.
Instead of thinking how my team abandoned me, I just focused myself in
finishing this so that we can really have a nice weekend. But that
Dragon, that Thanatos will surely mess with us again and give us some
dirty jobs just like what happened five years ago. Dang, I hate to
remember those times.
Anyway, I should really put myself into this and send this to Thanatos
before he actually showed up and look for errors.
==
“I’m really sorry for not helping you. Eto kasing si Aria e, nagyaya
pumuntang cafeteria! Pero infairness, masarap na nga mga lutuin doon.
Sino ba yung cook doon? Baka naman pwede syang pumunta sa’min at hainan
ako ng masasarap nyang putahe. HAHAHA!” Arciel gracefully said
although she sounded a little pervert there. Then Aria joined her and
giggled about the new cook.
“He’s John Axel Martinez, owner of a well-known restaurant in Maldives.
He doesn’t cook here frequently. His sous-chef’s the one who really cooks
here. Sorry to burst your bubbles but he’s already married. You guys ever
heard the name Stacy Jane Sanarez? Yes, that famous actress is his wife.”
I briefly told them the chef’s info but they don’t seem to like it. Well if
they’re not happy about that fact, that’s not my problem to solve.
“Epal talaga neto. Kaya ka naba-basted e! ‘Di ‘ba Agen?” Aria said in
annoyance. So what if Arciel dumped me?
“Grabe naman sa mg ana-basted. Bunganga mo talaga Alenn!” Pfft. Yeah
right. Lawrence got dumped too by Arciel.
“Mga epal kayo, anong basted basted e wala ngang nanliligaw sakin! Puro
kayo bugaw mga hinayupak.” The three of us looked at each other.
She’s such a dense woman. She doesn’t even realized that there’s already
two guys who took courage to confess their feeling to her but what did
she reply? ‘I love you too!’ and ‘Ang cheesy mo naman ngayon. Hindi ako
sanay ha.’ So tell me, what’s wrong with this lovely lady?
“Agen, Agen, Agen. Nanggaling ka na ng Europe at lahat pero ang manhid
manhid mo pa rin. Mamumuti pati buhok ko sa kili-kili dahil sayo e. tara
na nga!” Then Aria pulled Arciel to the parking lot. Me and Lawrence
followed the two of them and ride Aria’s car. We didn’t brought ours so
we’re riding in.
The whole ride was a mess. Arciel keep on teasing Lawrence and Aria but
those two keep on telling her how dense she is. I tried my best not to
barge in because I badly want to take a rest but they are devils and
teased me instead.
After such a long tiring drive, they finally drop me off in front of my
building. They shouted goodbye to me but I didn’t bother to look back. They
didn’t help me writing those long reports and even teased me in the car.
Just how much stamina do they have? They should atleast give me some.
Anyway, after taking a shower and eating some fastfood, I finally throw
myself in my bed and closed my eyes. It was a really tiring week. I deserve
this rest, this bed, and this peaceful night.
Or so I thought…
My body is tired and all but my minds still in the mission. There’s
something about it that’s bothering me. Maybe it was Mr. Deuxheinz’ words
before we left the room where we handcuffed him.
‘You guys were hired by that organization, right? Please register me in
the witness protection program. I think someone’s watching me.’

CHAPTER SEVEN
Snow White chased the deer she saw while wandering in the forest. She
walked and walked until she realized how lost she was. She tried to go
back but ended up in the darkest part of the forest. She gulped as she
walked through the branches of trees that looked like they’re laughing
at her. She tried to be brave until she saw a pair of eyes looking at her.
Without giving any sounds, she stepped back. But luck wasn’t on her side
for the ground she was stepping on was full of dried twigs and fallen
branches. It made a really loud sound that the wild boar went out from
the bushes and run towards her. She’s ready for her incoming death when
someone came to help her.
It’s been a week since we finished the Cinderella mission. We were busy
in our personal works during that time. Lawrence was busy in his own
firm and almost rushed a project. In which he did not because someone
helped him, which is a mystery to the three of us. Aria on the other hand,
was busy in their hospital. She’s a doctor there and she specializes in
nephrology. That explains her ability to stay awake for a really long
time. Nah, just kidding. She usually works there from 8:00- 15:00 so it
doesn’t really affect her sleeping schedule.
“Sir Gared, are you free this wee-“Before Jasmine finished her sentence,
I cut her off and stood up. It’s still early to leave but I need to avoid
her from inviting me.
“Sorry Ms. Jas. I have some things to do.” I said with my low voice and
walked out of our office department.
The moment I stepped into the elevator; my phone rang. Who could it be
this time?
“…” since I don’t know who the caller is, I decided not to say anything
until they do.
“Really, Zoi? Really? My number’s still not saved in your phone? Oh
c’mon!” psh. Maybe I shouldn’t have answered the call. It’s just Thanatos.
“What now? We still have lives of our own okay?” this is what I’ve been
talking about last week. He’ll show up in the worst timing of our lives
and gave us such a mission that can put us in jail. Just what the hell is
wrong with this guy?
“Nothing much. Just checking on your heart since Anete came back.” Even
though he can’t see me, I still rolled my eyes. He’s not good in teasing
someone.
“Anyway! This is my real agenda.” Now, he’s talking. Right in time ‘cause
the elevator door already opened.
While listening to him, I threw my bag in my car and start the engine.
“Oh, so you’re saying that Jace and I are the only ones doing this mission?
It’s located in England, isn’t it?” I asked to clarify everything he told
me.
“You got it! As for the prize, how about I make you the captain agai-“
here he goes again.
“Hell no!” I shouted and end the call. He really liked it when I get
annoyed. What can he get by doing that? Money? Tch.
==
“The target is Coral Gimenez. She’s born here in the Philippines but her
parents died a week after she was born due to a car accident. Her Auntie
who lives in States took her in and raised her there. She was doing fine
until she turned 12 years old; while wandering in the city park, she was
kidnapped by a group of men wearing ski masks and take her in their van.
Her aunt reported her as a missing person. Ten years has passed and the
policemen seemed like they forgot everything about the case, until
recently a body was found in a hidden cabin in West Midlands. The body
was said to be Gimenez’ and was confirmed by the police. Now here’s the
most peculiar thing, the residents said that they never knew about the
victim. But they do know that someone visits that cabin every day, they
just can’t name who it was but the police identified him as Carlos Dupuis.
A French pastry chef who recently moved in England.” We listened to
Thanatos as he explains almost everything about our mission.
Just like Arciel, this big guy also loved story telling. He even gives us
cliffhanger which is the most crucial information we need for the
mission. Not that I hated all of it because, I admit, I enjoyed solving his
puzzles and stories. But not everything! Just like this one, only Lawrence
and I will be working in this. We don’t have any back ups or anything!
Tch.
“Just…keep going. We might run out of time.” I calmly said. But he just
smirked and spin his swivel chair. Argh! He doesn’t want to tell us, does
he?!
“So…where was I? Oh right, that Dupuis visits her everyday until one
day, he didn’t show up. He just vanished. Policemen tried to trace him but
he’s just gone. Like really gone. BUT! Here’s another strange thing,
Gimenez died not because she was stabbed or anything bloody, instead, she
was poisoned. Investigators suspected that Dupuis did that to her but he
was gone a week before her time of death. People said that she could be
someone who was taken there to frame up Dupuis and some said she’s a
witch.” He leaned closer to us to make it more dramatic. What a childish
act.
“Okay okay. We get it. What’s the deal?” Lawrence asked, kind of annoyed
since we’re getting a mission out of the country. His projects are at risk.
“Finish the story. Give Coral Gimenez a happy ending. Easy right?” Thanos
asked with a mischievous smile. As if we don’t know what that smile means.
Psh. We’ve been working here for almost 7 years and yet…*sighs*.
“When is our flight?” I ask. Which I predict, is tonight.
“2:50 in NAIA. Enjoyy~”
Keep your cool, Gared. Keep your cool.
“What the hell is wrong with that madman?! Pucha pagod na pagod ako
buong week tapos bigla bigla niya akong papapuntahin sa England? Hng!
Nanggigigil ako! Lakas tama ng matandang yon!” Lawrence screamed with
low voice. It sounds like he’s squeaking but he’s not. I can’t help but to
laugh.
He’s telling the truth anyways. I just hope that this mission will be a
success and will be as quick as possible.
While we’re cursing Thanatos, we re-packed our luggage that’s in our room
in the HQ. The four of us have our own rooms here. Me and Lawrence shared
this one while the girls on the other side. It looks like a condo unit that
has its own kitchen and dining area, bedroom, living room and bathroom.
Nothing special was added. Maybe just a few gadgets and weapons that are
hidden in every place we can reach in case something bad happened. Aside
from that, yeah, there’s nothing special here.
“Hey, what do you think happened to Coral?” Lawrence asked while zipping
his bag.
“Auntie did it. I don’t know why or when or how, but I’m sure that her
aunt killed her.”
Woah, good thing all of my clothes fit in my bag! Man, that was not easy
to zip, huh.
Is Lawrence done with hi- woah! Why is he glaring at me?
“Really? Why did you spoil me?! The excitement’s gone now!” Wait-what?
“You’re the one who asked me about my theory. Besides, I could be wrong
this time. We don’t know.” I said. Which is a fact because we’re still here
in the HQ, packing our things.
“Yeah right. As if you never guessed anything wrong. Anyway, let’s grab
some food? I didn’t eat lunch earlier. My bwisit kasing dumating sa office
kaya nagpaka-busy ako. Bwisit na yon talaga!” And yes, he’s pertaining
to the Top 1 he hates.
Without replying anything, I pulled him outside and lead our way to the
cafeteria. They served free food here since the org is the one who pays
the chefs. Plus, who knows, this might be the last meal we’ll eat.

“Pero sa tingin mo, ano kayang gagawin nung dalawang madaldal dito?
Ano kayang mission nila? Kasi imposibleng wala lalo na’t bumalik na si
Agen.” What he said made me think the same.

Will they do such missions again? Who will protect those two? Can they
handle it now? Tsk.

“Chill pre. Feeling ko naman wala silang mission ngayon. Ni anino nila
wala dito sa HQ e.” I nodded as a response.

He could be right.

Maybe I should take a nap and prepare myself for tomorrow’s mission.
Yeah. That’s right.

CHAPTER EIGHT
Snow White woke up in an unfamiliar place. It looks like a one of the
houses she saw in the village but much smaller. She tried stretching out
her arms but the house is just too small she almost broke the ceiling. The
whole place was quiet that made her feel…watched. She went down the
small bed and looked around. Her eyes widened when she heard small steps
under the bed. She quickly turned around and saw little kids hiding there.
They were holding each other’s hands and quivered in fear. Snow White
felt relieved and took her guard down. She walked towards the seven
little boys and squatted to level their eyes.
“Hi, my name is Snow White.” She introduced.
‘Good morning passengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for
flight 824QR to West Midlands. We are now inviting those passengers with
small children, and any passengers requiring special assistance, to begin
boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification
ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes time.
Thank you.’
We stood up the moment we heard the announcement. That’s our flight.
Argh, just thinking about it makes me feel tired. We’ll be staying in the
air for hours! This is Thanatos’ fault! He didn’t tell us that we’ll be the
ones who will pay for this mission. If only we knew, tsk.
As always, the airport is filled with people. After all the shits that
happened in the country, lots of people decided to migrate. Can’t blame
them though. I used to be the puppet of the past administration and they
were all petrified about their scandals. They used me to hide all of those
and burn them. At first, I enjoyed their fear until they held me in
prison. Not actually ‘the prison’ but in some room in the Malacañang
Palace. Their fears turned into confidence that they keep on doing the
same mistakes. Those alligators. Good thing I escaped that.
Aish, just thinking about those times makes me feel sick.
Anyway, we already got in the plane and man, Lawrence already fell
asleep. He didn’t even wait the plane to take off. He just sat on his seat
and then closed his eyes. What a fucking mood.
But that’s fine. He’ll be awake for the next 12 hours so let him rest. While
he’s sleeping, I opened my portable computer and encode something to check
our tracking system.
Seems like our target is sitting seven seats ahead of us. Nobody would
ever suspect our target. The choice of disguise was really convincing it
didn’t even bother the security officers. Nobody would ever think that
that person is a criminal.
A few minutes later, the plane finally lift off. The flight attendants
explained everything about the flight but I didn’t bother to listen.
Instead, I eyed our target and waited for an hour to do my plan.
“Miss!” an attendant immediately walked towards me after I raised my
hand and called her attention.
“Can you please give me a bottle of water and paper cup. Looks like I
forgot to bring my tumbler.” She gladly nodded upon my request and leave.
Minutes later, she came back with her handy-dandy trolley. She handed
me my water and cup and then leave again to serve the other passengers.
Predictable, isn’t it? I’ll be pouring the water ‘accidentally’ to our
target to attach the microchip I made last night. People are still
sleeping since their body hasn’t adjusted yet. This could be a great time
to do my plan but I chose not to. Maybe I’ll do it when the target’s already
asleep. For now, let me make my very own disguise.
==
Okay. The chip’s ready so as myself. All I need to do now is to act like a
clumsy nerd. Always fits my personality. Psh.
Anyway, I put on my dentures with attached braces, my thick eyeglasses,
some freckles and fake eyebrows. I tucked in my polo shirt and button it
up to the very top. Next is my hair in which I decided to brush all of
them on the right side and put some water to make it stick like that.
After doing my ‘disguise’, I went out of the toilet and walked
staggeringly. Everyone’s already busy preparing their things but I keep
on bumping them.
“S-S-S-Sorry!” Seems like they took the bait and thinks like I’m just a
nerd with walking and speech difficulty.
This trick could be my specialty, although I really hate to act like this.
It’s the easiest one so… nevermind.
Before I forget, I opened the bottle of water and poured it in the cup,
half-full. While still doing my act, people glared at me and cursed in
annoyance. It’s part of the act though. I intentionally spilled some of
the water on the floor to make it more realistic.
When I was only two seats away from the target, my act changed from fear
to excitement. I run towards the target’s direction and then tripped
myself which caused the water to pour on his pants.
“I-I-I-I’mmmm-s-s-s-orry!” my hands trembled as I took my handkerchief
out and wipe his body.
“No, it’s okay. I can do it myself.” He said but I keep on wiping. Then I
reached for his head and act like I’m checking everything. But in reality,
I’m putting the microchip in his ear. That way he won’t be able to take it
away.
“N-N-No, m-m-my f-f-fault. S-S-Sorry!” my voice raised a little bit to
make it more dramatic.
Moments later, my big brother came in and is glaring at me. My eyes
widened and my hands automatically reached his legs. He must be surprised
about my actions.
“What did you do this time?! Come here and go back to our seat! You got
lost again, tsk.” Lawrence then pulled me by force and didn’t even bother
about the people who are watching our act.
“S-S-S-Sorr-“ before I even finish my sentence, he pushed me to my seat
and prepared our bag.
“Stop acting like a kid! You’re making me the bad man here.” He said
irritably. I looked down and shut my mouth until the plane landed.
We waited for everyone to get out of the plane so that we can still change
our appearances. After changing we walked out of the plane like nothing
happened and passed through the security without any complications.
Outside the airport, a red taxi is waiting for us. The driver quickly
recognized the both of us and gave us a ride to the designated hotel. We
checked in and then put our things in our rooms. After that, we went
outside and ride the red taxi again. This time, we’ll heading out to the
org’s HQ here in Doha.
“Hay nako! Wala nang pahinga e.” Lawrence said as he sighed loudly.
“I know. But we need to take some equipments so that we can finish this
ASAP.” He sighed again as a reply to my comment.
“Pero shuta pre, ang corny naman ng ginawa natin kanina! Mukha akong
tanga, akala mo ba!” he suddenly exclaimed which made me stop from
encoding.
“And you think that was easy for me? Hell no!”
“E sino ba kasing may sabi sayo na gawin mo yun? Pwede namang pasimple
lang yung paglagay ng chip, may pa-nerd act ka pa dyan!” That…was kind
of true tho.
“Arciel suggested that. I asked her how she sometimes pull off the chip-
attaching secretly and she said that she sometimes do a really dramatic
scene. Turns out, both of us are not fit in the work. Even if they forced
me to, I will never do it again. Never!” He nodded as he tried his best not Since I was awake last time, it’s my turn to sleep now. But before I close
to laugh. Did I say something wrong? my eyes, I re-check the target’s position and identity. So far, we’re doing
great. I just hope we can pull this off.
“Poor Gared. You know Agen for a really long time and yet, you didn’t
realize that it was Alenn. Nakalimutan mo na ba? Magkasama sila kahapon
at nag-sleepover pa. I’m sure Alenn’s the one who replied to you
HAHAHAHAHA!” My eyes widened when everything finally synced in.

My goodness gracious. I really thought it was her idea.

“We’re here.” The driver said that made us stop from chatting.

We went out of the car and rushed towards the HQ. We only have three
hours before our next flight.

Just when we were about to enter, two men approached us. They looked
familiar and I really think I met them before. I just can’t seem to find
them in my brain.

“Yo!” One of them greeted. The other one kept his poker face and lowered
his head, maybe to show some respect? I don’t know.

“My name’s Nigel. This emotionless guy beside me is Ice. We were recruited
a few hours ago.” He introduced. I nodded as a response while Lawrence
stared at him. Seems like he’s spacing out again. Is he sleepy?

“Good to see you here. Sorry but we’re in a hurry. See you guys around.” I
said and pulled Lawrence inside.

He came back to his senses when I handed him our handy-dandy briefcases.
We already have one in our luggage but this one has different purpose.

Right after we’re done packing, we ride once again in the red taxi and
grabbed our things in the hotel. Tsk, we just wasted money there. Should’ve
brought our bags with us. What a great decision.

Anyway, decision was made and it already happened. There’s nothing I can
do. We just boarded in the plane and rested for the whole trip.

CHAPTER NINE
It’s been a long time since snow white disappeared. Her stepmother claimed
the throne and ruled the village in a good way. She became the mother-
figure that the villagers prayed for. The queen’s loving smile and soft
voice convinced her people more to support her. But not the hunter. He
knows the queen’s secret and how she ended up like that. He knows
everything but he chose to shut his mouth and hide in the woods.
Ah, this man is unbelievable. He’s brave enough to travel everywhere with
this kind of bounty in his head. It’s not that I didn’t know about his
crimes and all but looking at his list gives me goosebumps.
“Wait- he’s the man Thanatos mentioned when he recruited us?! The one
they’re tailing in the Philippines and was involved in LOTS of child-
trafficking?! Why- How- I mean- Argh!” He’s frustrated, I know. After
all the crimes he did, I don’t think I can forgive him.
“Yeah. He’s the mastermind of all the mastermind, I guess?” Lawrence shook
his head in disbelief.
He was about to say something when we were interrupted by the sudden
alarm of my tracking device.
Shit.
“This is bad. Hide everything. Hide them!” my hands were trembling and
my voice was shaky when I said the instructions to Lawrence. He
immediately grasps my signal and move quickly.
The target’s walking towards our room. This is bad. Real bad. We haven’t
even started yet. Argh!
Knock knock*
We looked at each other and gulped.
He’s here!
Knock knock*
We walked towards the door. Lawrence moved behind the door while I
walked without showing any signs of fear. I’ve been doing this for years
and yet, everything feels new to me. Should really get myself together
and be tough.
“Room service for Mr. Zoi.” I didn’t called anything like that. A
I slightly looked at the peephole and there, a man in a hotel staff
uniform smiled at me. It was like he knew that I’ll try and try to see who
it was. Shit.
He figured it out.
But then, instead of letting my fears go through my system, I gently
opened the door.
My hearts pounding so fast when I lift my head and saw the man we were
just talking about. He’s wearing that soft smile that no one ever suspects.
He then move to his side to grab the service trolley that is suspiciously
covered in a white cloth.
I let him go inside the room but got surprised when he stopped and looked
behind the door. He greeted Lawrence with that creepy smile which never
fades away. Just what kind of person is this man?
We keep our guard up and moved to the nearest storage box where we keep
our weapons in. Yes, if Johnny English is here with us, I’m sure he’ll be
disappointed at us. But what can I do? I’m just a mere computer geek who
hides in the safest place in every mission.
“I’ll just place your things here, Mr. Zoi.” Then he gently take off the
cover.
Everything’s just too fast that the next thing I knew, we’re pointing our
guns at him and so did he, with his two hands.
Tsk. Should I call Thanatos? No, it’s too late to call for help. And even
if we did call, he might run away and- wait a minute. This man needs us.
He won’t run away.
“Pfft. Sorry.” How can I forget that? I look like a weakling earlier.
Anyways, I put my gun down but still can’t stop myself from laughing. I
was too nervous that they turned into laughter. God, this is not a really
good time.
“Why are you laughing?” He asked in a German accent. Yeah, he’s our target.
No doubt.
“Nothing. Just thinking about the consequences if you shoot any of us.
Maybe, attempted murder? And your request will be denie-“ He cut me off
by throwing his guns at me and pushed the trolley to Lawrence’ side. He
quickly collected them and moved in a safer place.
Carlos Dupuis helplessly sat on the floor. He looked at me while I’m
sitting comfortably on my desk. This will be the perfect time to call and
message Thanatos. We cornered his man.
Mission 50% done.
“Is that Dracon? You calling him already?” I turned around and saw the
face of a man who’s begging for his life.
“Yeah. And it’s Dragon. Not Dracon.” It’s the real name of our ‘leader’.
Funny since Thanatos sounds more appropriate.
“No, my brother’s real name is Dracon Dupuis. His cry was as loud as the
dragon when he was still a baby that’s why our family named him after
that creature.” Is he for real? Never in my entire life would ever think
that he’s related to Thanatos? Maybe that explains the reason why he’s
still looking for this man after all these years.
“Yeah yeah, anyway, let me put you some handcuffs and rope.” I stood up
to get those in the drawer when I felt the cold tip of the gun pointing
at my temple. My body automatically felt cold but still have the strength
to turn around and see the creepy smile of Carlos.
“You think it was easy? You think I’ll just surrender like that? No. Wanna
know why? Because I am Carlos. I kidnapped innocent children and sold
them out in the black market. And when I’m bored, I forced them to take
off their clothes an-“ Interesting. It seems like Thanatos got his
creativity from his brother. They sure can tell such stories.
“Let me stop you there, mister. And can you please put your toy gun down?
It ruins the mood.” He was shocked when I cut him off and confidently
lowered his gun using my index and middle fingers.
But damn that made me sweat beads!
“Jace!” I shouted. Lawrence came rushing and handcuffed Carlos. He also
tied his feet and hands and duct taped them, including his fingers. Just
to make sure he can’t really do anything that can harm the three of us.
“You-“ instead of continuing his sentence, he sighed heavily and looked
at me.
“I just really need to go to my cabin. You can join me if you wanted to.
Just please… I need to see her.” Lawrence looked at me and shook his head.
but I disagree and nodded. He rolled his eyes and walked towards the
communication system.
“If you’re pertaining to Coral Gimenez, I’m sorry to tell you but she was
found dead three weeks ago in your cabin.” Carlos’ eyes widened when he
heard the news.
Tears began to flow down on his face. He looked at me. His lips quiver
when he tried saying something. He looked up, maybe to stop himself from
crying. His eyebrows furrowed and looked at me in disbelief.
“Did you…Is she-Is she really dead?...” His weeping turned into loud
wailing when I did not reply.
We let him cry his heart out and let him drink some water to keep him
calm. Thanatos would scold us when he arrived in the HQ in his worst
condition so even if we hated Carlos, we’re still obliged to protect him
in any harm.
“Man, I told you. You should’ve said it when they arrived.” Lawrence
nagged but I just brushed him off and watched Carlos sob. We can’t let our
guard down again.
Minutes passed until he fully recovered. For a criminal like him, he
shouldn’t just let his weakness affect him. As for the criminals I’ve met
before, they used it to be strong blah blah blah. But Carlos just cried
like a baby. Wait a minute…
“She’s still alive, isn’t she?” Lawrence poked me using his elbow and asked
what is wrong with me. But I locked my eyes at the man who’s faking his
tears.
He remained silent. Tables have turned and he’s the one who’s got figured
out now. Dang it! I should’ve realized it earlier. Lots of time were wasted
because of his acting. Tsk.
“Are you gonna answer or not? We’ll just go to your so-called-cabin if-
“ He cut me off. See? Provoking someone still works. Learned it from
Lawrence and Aria who loves to tease each other.
“Wait! I… I’ll tell you everything. Just please don’t touch her.” he
pleaded. I raised my hands to assure him. Then he stared at Lawrence who’s
looking at us confusedly. Just like what he did to me I also used my elbow
to get him back to his senses. He then raised his hands and crossed his
legs as if he really wants to listen. Gago.
Before he started opening his mouth, I activated the micro-lens that’s in
my shirt button. It can record everything with audio and visuals and can
be used everywhere. Anyway, before I even talk nonsense again, I should
keep my ears open to see if my guess is right.
“It happened 22 years ago. Someone went me an email from a client who
wants to kill his brother and sister-in-law and to make it look like a
typical car accident. The client offered me such huge money that I
accepted it right away. The work wasn’t that bad and I think I can pull
it off. So, I booked a flight to the Philippines and planned the
assassination. It was a clean job plus; the client was happy about the
outcome. After receiving the money, I went back to Germany to accept more
jobs. My life wasn’t complicated during those times. Until the same sender
contacted me again. This time, she asked me to meet her in a restaurant
somewhere in New Jersey. At first, I was surprised that she knew about
my whereabouts. But I brushed it off and think about how large the money
I can get from her. So, I agreed. While walking to the café, a group of
men caught my attention. They were eyeing a twelve-year old girl who’s
playing with other kids. I got curious and followed them. The meet up
suddenly faded away in my mind. Then I realized that they were gonna
take her and kidnapped her. So, after they left their so-called-runaway-
van, I pulled the driver and knocked him out. His friends came rushing
in without even looking at the driver’s seat. Following their command, I
drove far away from the city park. When I ensured that we’re almost in
the border I stopped the van and knocked out the rest of them. The little
girl was so scared that made me not to remove her blindfold. She’s just
crying the whole ride until we reached our destination. Little Snow
Orphanage. I left her at the gate and put my jacket around her. After
that, I pressed the doorbell and hide myself. While hiding, someone
messaged me. Where’s the girl? And from that moment, I realized
everything that happened. My client wants me to kill an innocent kid. I
did not reply to the text, I teased her instead. For the past ten years I’ve
been moving around the world looking for the perfect place to frame her
up. But she really is a madwoman. She made me the bad man and even put a
€7,777,777,777 in my head.”
Now that explains half of it. I just need to confirm something before
surrendering him to Thanatos.
“The client you’re pertaining to, she’s your wife, isn’t she?”

CHAPTER TEN
Hunter’s silence didn’t last that long. The Queen found out about Snow
White’s peaceful leaving and executed the hunter. Without any regrets,
he greeted death with a smile. He knew that the little princess is safe.
He knew that no one will harm her in that forest. The queen, on the other
hand, desperately looked for Snow White. Her loving mother image turned
into an evil madwoman who killed every girl in town. After months of
being obsessed to Snow White, she was forced to resign her crown and
enter the asylum where she was seen looking at the bathroom mirror and
asking it for Snow White’s whereabouts. -Fin.
==
After Thanatos pick up his brother, me and Lawrence went to Carlos’ cabin.
We quietly walked inside and observed everything.
This doesn’t look bad. It’s much bigger than I thought. I’m kind of
expecting a storage room like cabin, but this… well this is a house! It
has a room, living area, kitchen, dining and bathroom. And it has lots of
furniture. This place is such a waste, we’ll burn this after the mission.
While roaming around, we suddenly heard a noise. Lawrence looked at me
and gulped. He’s used to these kinds of missions but still act like a scared-
y cat to ease the mood. Although it does help sometimes, but not now! His
fears are all coming to me and making me sweat so hard!
“Who are you?!” my soul almost jumped out of my body when someone pointed
a knife on the back of my neck.
It’s her.
Without moving a single inch, I opened my mouth. “What a nice way to meet
you, Mrs. Dupuis.”
She must’ve felt shocked and let go the knife. Lawrence quickly grabbed
his handcuffs and rope. Just like what we did to her husband. She stayed
quiet and keep lowering her head. While Lawrence is doing that, I quickly
send a short message to the HQ about this place.
This went pretty fast. I never thought she’ll just surrender like that-
“Pfft, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Our bodies froze when we heard her sinister
laugh.
We were just staring at her and when we blink, she’s already holding us
in our necks.
“You think I’m easy?! Are you out of your fucking mind?! Why on earth I
would surrender myself when Coral is still alive?! That stupid bitch, she
killed my brother! She deserves to die! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” she said as
she holds tighter.
We tried to escape and resist but she’s just too strong she can even lift
the both of us. I tried patting and kicking her but none of them worked.
God, is this the end of me? I still want to receive my paycheck tomorrow.
Damn it.
When all I can think is giving up, Lawrence tried his very best to grab
my hand. I slightly looked at him. He nodded as if sending me a message.
This technique.
Before my breath runs out, I tightly hold Lawrence’ hand and count to
three. Then we stretched our arms to her direction and punch her right
in the face.
Phew, it’s a good thing we both have really long limbs. God, my life just
flashed through my eyes there, huh.
“Tsk, akala ko ba hindi tayo mananakit? Puta, sakit sa leeg.” He said as
he massaged his throat.
Yeah, since we caught Carlos, I really thought that this will be much
easier since she’s alone here. But she’s much stronger that I can even
imagine. No wonder Carlos is afraid of her.
Once again, we grabbed handcuffs and ropes as well as duct tapes. I also
tried looking for some boxing gloves to make sure she really can’t do
anything to us anymore. Surprisingly, she has two pairs behind the
television. Without wasting anytime, I put it on her hands and feet then
taped it around.
“You really think this will work out?” My heart almost jumped out of my
body when she suddenly spoke.
God! her make up really scares me! It’s like she dunked her face in a pile
of foundation and then smudged her lipstick and eyeshadows. Plus, her
long blonde hair that is messier than the bird’s nest creeps the hell out
of me. I hope I can still give myself a goodnight sleep after this mission.
“Why do you think this won’t work?” Lawrence tried to have a
conversation. But she just grinned and stared at the both of us.
“How long do you think belladonna will take effect?” My eyebrows
furrowed when she asked that.
“Right after you ate it?” I answered. She stuck her tongue out and make
a face.
“Blahk! You really think that was that dangerous? Oh c’mon. You guys must
know about it!” Instead of answering, we both stayed quiet and focused
ourselves in tying her.
“It’ll take about 10 to 20 berries, I think, before someone can truly die. I
wonder how many did the children of Little Snow already ate?” Wait- did
she actually said little snow? As in Little Snow Orphanage? The place
where Coral is?!
“You- crazy madwoman!” I shouted in frustration. But she just laughed in
sinister. Damn it!
I quickly dialed Thanatos’ number and told them about the orphanage. They
immediately take action and told me that reinforcement will soon come
here.
After that, I looked at our suspect and damn. She really is out of her
mind. She must’ve suffered a lot and was trying her best to live.
Nah, just kidding. Empathy will do me no good. Besides, she’s the REAL
mastermind in Carlos’ list of crimes. It’s just that, he really loved her
that he’ll do everything just to make her happy. Too bad, she never felt
the same towards him.
“Who are you, really?” Lawrence suddenly asked after he sat down beside
me. She smiled and looked at the ceiling.
“Hmm, I’m Amanda Dupuis. And umm, I kill for fun.” She slowly said which
made every hair of my body to raise.
“Why do you want to kill Coral?” he asked again. Good thing my camera is
already activated to record this.
“Well, when she was still a young bouncy baby girl, everyone adored her
and her parents gave everything to her. Their attention, money,
everything! Nothing left for me.” She pouted after saying that. As if
it’ll still work for me. Hell no!
“That’s why I decided to kill her parents. If they don’t give their
attention to me, then no one will ever receive it. Even Coral! But when
they’re gone, it became so sad. I took her with me and raised her in New
Jersey. There, she met my husband who keep on pestering me about a child.
As years passed by, the closer their bond is. So…I asked my friends to
kill her. But this-motherfucker got in my way and hid Coral from me.”
Something feels wrong. I can’t describe what it is but there really is
something going on here.
“Ah, I felt so bad to the little girl who took my bait and ate my
belladonnas. Sadly, she died and became Coral Gimenez.” Wait- I know!
“Lawrence, grab her head!” Without any thinking, he followed my command.
My body also moved quickly and opened her mouth, there I found about
five belladonna berries.

She must’ve eaten some earlier and planned to take suicide in front of
us. Too bad, we can’t let her die peacefully without being punished after
all the crimes she did.

==

A cold breeze greeted us as we enter the building. It was peaceful and

quiet. Seems like a perfect day to meet her.

“Are you ready?” I asked him. He nodded and wiped the beads of sweat on
his forehead. I patted him on the back and let him in first.

There, lots of kids welcomed us. They seem to be playing around while some
are just reading their books. He looked at me and smiled. He’s really
nervous.

He looked around until he saw her with the other kids. He looked back at
me again, but I just waved my hand as if signaling him to go on. He
tightly holds onto his gift and bravely walked towards her.

From here, I can see how surprised Coral is when she saw Carlos again.
She hugged him so tight and cried her heart out. After that, he gave his
gift to her. She’s so happy that she teared up again. Carlos looked at me
and mouthed ‘thank you’. Before my tears fall down, I turned around and
walked out of the orphanage.

Ah, now that’s a happy ending.


CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ariel decided to obey his father and just watch Prince Eric from afar.
This results to Ursula’s failed plans. But then, an idea came up. She
decided to convince King Triton to let one of his princesses to explore
the human world. Her plan succeeded and a ritual was made. The king was
forced to think that it’ll be make easier for Ariel to go back if she did
the ritual. But in fact, Ursula has no plans of bringing her back. She’ll
let the little mermaid die there alone, without experiencing love.
“Nakabili ka na ba ng pasalubong para sa dalawang bruhilda? I’m sure
maghahanap yung dalawang ‘yon kaya mag-ready ka!” Lawrence been like
this since we left the hotel. He keeps on telling me to buy this and that
even though I told him that I already bought something. Just how excited
is he to see Arciel again?
After Lawrence dragged me to different souvenir shops, we finally head
to the airport. Damn that was some crazy job. I’ll never do that again.
Never! Lol, as if I have a choice.
Anyway, the girls have no idea that we’ll come home today. They thought
we’ll spend more than two weeks in England and decided to go back in
Cavite, which is our hometown. The place where we met each other. So,
Lawrence suggested that we surprise them and also our parents. We haven’t
seen them in a while since we started working in the city.
==
Ah, it’s been five days since I inhaled the polluted air of Philippines.
It’s already 8:33 and we still need to travel to Cavite which will take an
hour drive if there’s no traffic jam, but it’s Monday so I guess it’ll be a
really long drive.
“Huy, nandoon kotse mo. Halika na!” Lawrence called me. My mind cleared
up and followed him. We still need to report in HQ but we can do it in the
girls’ hideout. I just hope it’s not messy there. My whole body’s already
aching due to our long flight and nerve-wracking mission. Thanatos
really need to find someone who can finish his job. Argh!
The whole drive is quiet and there seems so be lesser traffic than usual.
It took us almost two hours to finally arrive at the hideout. But before
we arrive, we decided to atleast send a message to them that will surely
bring shock to their faces. We put on our black suits, just the top since
it’s hot in here, and fixed our hair. Then we wore our poker face as if
we’re talking to Thanatos.
“We successfully caught the killer. The legal department and public
affairs are now handling her. Thanatos also gave our team a new
job…being a teacher.” My face went gloomy right after I said the last
sentence.
Being a teacher is not that bad, I salute all of them, teaching is just not
my forte. I prefer encoding and analyzing data all day instead of
teaching those noisy kids who doesn’t even listen to you. Argh, just
thinking about how hard it’ll be making my head ache even more.
“Addition to that, we’ll be on our way to the hideout! Bye bye!” Lawrence
quickly pressed the send button and smiled at me.
“I thought we’ll surprise them?!” Instead of explaining himself, he
laughed like a kid and changed into his black tank top and grey Bermuda
shorts. He also put a manbun to look much ‘cooler’. As if it made any
changes to his look.
Anyways, since it’s really hot here, I also changed my clothes with a
white tank top on the inside and open-buttoned Hawaiian polo. It matches
my denim pedal shorts and white sneakers.
When we arrived at the hideout, Lawrence excitedly went out of the car
and didn’t even bother to wait for me. He even forgot to bring his bag of
goods which is for the two ladies.
Instead of sulking about it, I decided to park the car beside their
motorbike. Then I followed Lawrence to the main entrance.
This hideout is kind of the real definition of its word. The girls planned
everything while Lawrence designed it. All I did was to manage
everything that is about computers because that’s all I know.
Anyway, it is located in this huge flat field that had nothing but grass.
Yup, the whole hideout is placed underneath. It was like the hobbit town
but is much lower that if you didn’t look closer, you wouldn’t even think
that someone is staying there.
To get to the main entrance, you need to enter the passcode. But how? Just
like in the movies, there’s always this mysterious tree in which the main
character pressed the passcode and a hidden door will open. Yup, it’s not
that special but the girls find it easier to use. So even if me and
Lawrence disagree to that idea, we still support the two of them and went
on to their plans.
Before I enter the passcode, I took about three deep breaths to make myself
more comfortable now. Arciel must be overthinking now since we didn’t
talk that much than before and it’s bad for her so I’ll try my best to make
it up for her.
“Hi guys! Miss me?” Aria and Arciel looked so surprised so I grabbed the
chance and wrapped my arms around her since she’s the closest to me. Aria
quickly changed her expression from chocked to pissed. She rolled her
eyes and turned her back.
Arciel then looked up at me and smiled. “You’re back”
My heart almost melted but I tried my best to hide it. I just nodded and
pulled her closer to me.
“Guys, sina Stacy, Audrey, Kyrie, Ice, Kevin, Nigel, Jax and Jian. Ged and
Law, mga kababata namin na basta basta na lang sumusulpot kung saan-
saan, nakakayamot na.” Aria introduced while gesturing her hands to each
person. Then she smiled at us, annoyingly. But then, she and Arciel stared
at each other and the next thing I knew, they’re gone.
Right after they runaway, silence enveloped the room. It was awkward
plus, we barely know each other. Lawrence then walked around the hideout
and looked for food. How did I know? He came back with a jar of cookies
in his arms. What a funny guy. He almost ate everything in the plane and
also ordered some take outs in the airport! Unbelievable.
“So, gaano na kayo katagal magkakaibigan?” I was sittiing on the couch
when a girl suddenly approached me. Her voice sounds familiar- wait is
she…
“Ms. Stacy Jane Sanarez. Its an honor to finally meet you in person.”
Damn. I need to befriend with her. our company has been scouting her for
years to advertise our product but she keeps on rejecting our offers. Just
how much does this young lady wants?
“Oh, ito naman. Maliit nabagay. So gaano na nga katagal? May mga nagging
jowa ba yung dalawang yon?” right after she asked that, the other girls
crowded around me. The boys seem intrigued but chose not to circle around.
They just sat on the other side, a perfect distance to listen without
getting caught.
“Hmm… since we were five or seven years old? I can’t really remember. As
for the other question, both of them are too naïve when it comes to love
but I can remember how many boys they dumped before. Around
ten…thirteen? I’m sorry, my memory’s not as good as Arciel’s.” after
answering, the girls nodded and then excused themselves. Turns out they
have other plans to do.
We bid them goodbye and after that, me and Lawrence went to the computer
room to report about our mission.
We tried opening the door but it’s locked. So, this is where they hide, huh.
I grab something in my wallet and tried opening the door again but to
our surprise, they also opened the door. We lost our balance and I ended
up on top of Arciel. Damn, she looked more beautiful in this angle.
“Hoy! Nage-enjoy ka na yata dyan sa pwesto mo, ginoo?!” my eyes widened
when I realized how awkward our position is. I quickly stood up and
helped her.
“Sorry about that.” She just makes a face and looked around.

“Teka, bakit ba kayo nandito?! Tsaka nasaan sina Stacy?” Aria asked.

“Don’t worry about them. Umuwi na sila. Para kasing may tumawag doon
kay Nigel yata, then sumama na palabas yung iba, pati yung nagluluto
doon sa kusina. Si Jax yata yon e.” Wait- those names are familiar. My
mind can’t figure it out but those names, I think I heard it somewhere.

“Nigel sounds a little familiar to me. Is he part of the org or what?” I

looked at Lawrence who somehow think about what I said.

That Jax is the org’s famous chef but that Nigel…I just can’t find where
I heard it.

“Hindi naman siguro. Kayo naman mga praningning na. Anyway may pa-
meeting ba sina Thanatos mamaya? Kailangan ko ng explanation sa school
na yon! Leche naman yon!” we laughed at Aria’s complain.

But we still explained everything to her. In just a snap of a finger, we

look like our old selves again. Until…

“Mabuhay, Pilipinas!” Thanatos greeted the four of us.


CHAPTER TWELVE
Ariel almost died when she got her legs. She was still in the deepest part,
good thing her sisters helped her reach the surface but let her go when
they saw a huge ship. Since the little mermaid isn’t used having her legs,
she screamed for help. That’s how Prince Eric finally saved her. Ariel
fainted and didn’t know that her prince charming brings her life back.
She just woke up wearing a beautiful pink gown in a really huge castle.
Her body hasn’t adjusted with her legs and still having some troubles
walking around. So, Prince Eric decided to help her and keep her company.
“Mabuhay, Pilipinas!” Thanatos greeted the four of us.
What. The. Hell.
Whenever I saw his face, my body shivers in fear. It’s like he’s a walking
death bomb that will give us a hard time with his deadly missions. And
don’t make me add those little shits he made just to make it fun. He once
‘forgot’ to remind us about the police raid in Tondo while we’re trying to
deal with the drug lord. We almost died running away from the police!
And he thinks that that was fun?! What the hell is wrong with this old
man?
“Ano na naman kailangan mo? Pumasok ka na nga dito!” Aria said as if
he’s just a longtime friend.
Well, Thanatos is only 33 years old and our age gap isn’t that much. Plus,
he looks too young for his age that you might actually think he’s only
26 or 28 years old. in addition to that, he wore clothes that are trendy
and doesn’t make him look strange or old. he also encouraged us not to
show him any respects because it’ll make our ‘bond’ stronger. Which I
believe helped because we’re way more comfortable with him than the first
time we met.
“Oh wait, I have two handsome young lads with me. Come in, Ice, Nigel.”
Wait- I remember them now! They look a little carefree earlier that I
can’t remember who they are.
Thanatos moved a little forward and lead the two men inside the hideout.
Ice is still wearing his poker face look while Nigel showed his ever-
goofy smile. They’re still wearing their branded clothes from earlier.
This old-man must’ve saw them when they were walking out and decided to
introduced them to us.
“WHAT? Stop joking around. Agen just came back from her very long
hiatus.” Aria complained. She looked at Arciel to have her support but
she just heaved a sigh and nodded.
“Come in.” Arciel said without showing any joy. She must’ve hated the idea
of working with those two. Maybe it’s because of the dare or there’s more?
Oh please, this makes me feel more curious about everything that happened
in London.
After getting inside, we let the three of them sit on the sofa across us.
Arciel felt uncomfortable that’s why I decided to sat beside her. I pat
her shoulder and gave her a sweet smile. She might not tell me everything
about her problems but I still want her to know that I’m still her friend
that’s always ready to listen and be her punching bag.
“Enough with your silence. As I was saying, the guy with a scary face is
Cyrus Ice Quinn, also known as Ice. Yes, he’s the only successor of Quinnos.
One of the biggest corporations in the Southeast Asia. And the man beside
him, the man who wears glasses just to make him look smart and innocent,
is Neil George Xavier. The vice president of the same company. They’re
cousins and the only men who had the audacity to handle such business.
Nak-kaka-loka hin-di ba?” His introduction went smooth until he tried
speaking tagalog. He’s great with LOTS of language since he traveled most
of his days, it’s just that, his accent sounds really funny. Too slang!
And that’s the reason why I don’t usually speak tagalog too. The three
people beside me are too judgmental and thinks that everything is funny.
I just hate that part of them.
“Pfft. Magtagalog ka pa nga ng madami, Leader.” Aria suddenly bursted
out. Lawrence almost cried himself while laughing and so do Arciel.
They’re just-ugh.
“In love again with my accent? Oh well, that’s my charm.” He confidently
said and winked at us. Err, now that’s gross. We’re not like any other
member who fall for his dirty little trick.
“Anyway, I just drop by to introduce them to you. And oh, I sent you your
next mission. Don’t forget to read it. Buh-bye!” Not again. My body’s still
tired with all the things we did in England.
The six of us were left here and no one dared to answer. I hate this kind
of atmosphere. It’s like people around me gathered and released every
awkwardness in their body. It felt uncomfortable and weird. Err.
“So…” Lawrence tried to break the silence but didn’t know how to start.
I may not be a really good conversation starter but I’m a skilled
conversation escaper.
“So, we’re going home now. We’re too tired from our flight. Bye Aria. Bye
Arciel.” I kissed the two girls on their cheeks and then called out
Lawrence. He’s shocked but realized what I’m trying to do.
When we’re finally in the car, Lawrence burst out. He laughed and even
hold his stomach. I just rolled my eyes and started the engine. Ugh, why
do I need to drive?
After laughing at me, he wiped his tears and looked at my side. “You know
them, no? and you felt really awkward that you need to escape the place.
Hay Gaizer Red. Kalian ka kaya magbabago? Potah ka pinatawa mo ko nang
madami!”
“Same goes for you. We met them in Doha, Qatar last time. You don’t
remember because you’re spacing out, tanga!” His eyes widened when I said
the last word. Then he laughed again and take out his phone.
“GUYS! NAGMURA SI GARED! SABI NIYA TANGA RAW AKO! POTAH
ACHIEVEMENT ‘TO!” he shouted at the camera. Then he turned it around to
my side and then poke me.
”Gared isa pa nga! Dali papakita natin kina Agen!” He pleaded. But instead
of following him, I ignored him and shook my head.
”Ito naman, tanga lang e. Dali na. TA-NGA. Game! TA-NGA!” Still ignoring
him.
They’re my friends. And they’ve been waiting for me to speak tagalog
words. At first, I tried since there’s nothing wrong learning a new
language. But when I heard how they agreed to make it as their ringtone,
I got really offended and didn’t try to speak that again. Although I can
totally comprehend it, I’ve given up to use it with everyone. They
apologized to me and promised to never do it again but the trauma was
made. They’re still my friends though.
Anyway, Lawrence got tired of teaching me Filipino curses and decided
to arrange his things. His house isn’t that far from the hideout so he
doesn’t have time to take a nap. In just a few turns, I dropped him off.
After that, I drove to my parent’s townhouse here. We aren’t actually
lived here. They’re staying in Japan and sometimes have a short vacation
here. Until I turned five years old and decided that I need to have
permanent friends because I’m an only child. So, my mother and I moved
here while my father takes care of our business there. It’s a good thing
that those three idiots are playing outside our house and are taking a
peek to see who lives there. My mother quickly took me outside and forced
me to befriend them. Which I think is one of the greatest things she did
for me. If she let me do whatever I want before, I may become a lousy
business owner who doesn’t have a life.
This is too much information. I need to stop now and take a rest.
“Oh my! You’re back!” my mother scream as she rushed down the stairs.
She’s a 45-years old lady who’s just like Thanatos. They both like wearing
trendy and branded clothes that makes them look young, wild and free.
I’ve got nothing to complain about my mother, being like that. It’s just
that, she spends most of her time shopping that she forgot the things she Now’s the right time to sle- oh wait. I forgot something.
actually needs. My father, on the other hand, spoils her so much. And when
they meet, oh god. They’re sweeter than sugar and honey! Err, gives chills Search: Neil George Xavier and Arciel Glyndd Tan
to my spine.

“Hai, hai. I also bought you these limited-edition bags that the models
wore in the fashion show in England. You said you wanted these, right?”
her eyes widened and showered me with her kisses.

“This is too much, Gaizer! But still…thank you! Go on, take a rest.” She
patted my back and slightly pushed me towards my room.

Ah, I missed my bed so much. It’s been 6? 8? Months since I went home and
lay in this soft and comfy bed. My mother seems like she cleaned the room
everyday but still puts my things the way I organized them. Even though
she’s not used to doing house chores, she’s a total clean freak. So, even
the tiniest dust in this empty room is gone. It also smells like mint,
which is my favorite scent. Ah, staying at home is a really nice choice
instead of going home in my unit in the city.

But before I closed my eyes, I grabbed my laptop to see what’s our next
mission.

‘Mabuhay! Thanatos here. You guys have a mission in a private island in

Japan! Woohoo, Gared’s hometown. Anyway, Lawrence/Jace is the leader
this time since he loves parties. Yes! You read it right, you guys are
attending a party! Too bad for me since I have things to take care of.
Anyway, Agen/Anete is the technista for the mission since she just came
back from a really long hiatus. Then Aria/Stacia will be the strategist
since she’ll be the one who will join the party while Gared/Zoi is the
shaper since he’ll act as one of the waiters there. By the way, I only
listed Zoi and Stacia in the party because some guests will be joining
you there. Your flight will be tomorrow evening since the average travel
time will be one and a half days. That’s all. Salamaat!’

What a strange message. But I got the whole thing. So, that means Law and
Arciel will be having a great time in the computer room. I wonder what
kind of moves he’ll make for her to notice him.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Ariel was given two weeks to make the prince fall in love with her and
kiss her. Its her mission so that she can finally live in the land of
humans. She tried everything she knew about romance but all of them did
not work. Or so she thought. One night, when she was strolling on the
oceanside, the prince suddenly approached her. He asked her ‘what’s wrong’
and ‘what are you doing here alone’. She can’t help but to admire the
prince even more. She shyly sat on the sand, tucked her hair in her ears
and looked at the night sky. Prince Eric followed her and spend their
night together. She felt so…loved. The next day, they went to the library,
to the market, and a lot more. They even spent some time with the kids
who’re playing around the castle. She thought that finally, Prince Eric,
the man who she loved the most, the man who made her give up everything
she had, looked at her. Hopefully…
The next day, I decided to wake up early and visit Arciel’s family villa.
She mentioned before that most of her nieces are in there and she’ll spend
most of her time babysitting them. Maybe I could pass by and help her.
Plus, Cindy is already too much for her.
Since we’ll be travelling tonight, might as well bring everything now.
And I’m sure those girls didn’t read the message again because they’re
busy accompanying the newbies. I’m not affected tho.
“Morning ‘ma.” Mom’s doing her yoga thingy when I greeted her. She paused
to smile at me and go back stretching her body.
“By the way, we have another mission tonight. It’ll take us maybe a week
to finish it all? Don’t worry, we’re complete this time.” I informed her
since she knew everything about it. She’s not that shocked about our
mission but still pray for our safety. She’s still a mother after all.
Anyways, after packing everything, I bid her goodbye and hugged her so
tight. She doesn’t like it when I do that because she gets scared that it
might be the last time she’ll be able to do that. But I always assure her
that I’ll keep myself safe. That she doesn’t need to worry about me.
After that touching goodbye, I drive my way to the villa. It’ll take me
an hour to arrive because it’s too hard to locate. Plus, a thirty-minutes
along their extensive driveway. This is how great their family is and
also the reason why lots of people try their best and attack them with
issues. They just want them to lose all their assets.
“Gaizer Red Cervantes.” I voiced out to the intercom. A guard approached
me and asked for my ID and then let me in.
This is how they prevent any trespasser and intruder to come in to the
villa. And it’s not the end yet. I still need to show my ID in the main
door of their villa where lots of body guards are deployed. Can’t blame
them for doing this, Mr. Tan was accused of stealing millions of money
and even not paying his taxes. He may look like a mafia boss but he’s a
kind person. I remember how Arciel handled his father’s case very well
and calmly answered all the reporter’s questions. The org also helped her
and found out that the president is trying to take everything from their
family. He hired several people to bring him and his company down. Good
thing he was proven not guilty and was released from the prison. Yes, he
was detained for several weeks because people forced him to do it.
Anyway, I’ve talked too much again. After passing through the main door,
the craziest place welcomed me.
Toys everywhere.
Clothes hanged on different places.
Food smashed on every part of the floor.
And kids running away from Arciel who’s already tired.
“Thank goodness you arrived. I just woke up and this…happened!” she
shouted but the kids find it funny and giggled.
“Hi Daddy Gared!” Cindy greeted me and asked me to carry her. So, I pick
her up but then, another kid who looks like a three-year old toddler
stretched his arms as if he wanted to be carried too.
My eyes turned to Arciel who’s trying her best not to laugh. I sighed and
carried the two of them to the futon bed where they’re supposed to play.
Cindy suddenly stretched out her arms like a dinosaur and roared in a
really cute way.
“Markus! Woooaaar!” she said as she walked little steps towards the little
kid, who I guess, is Markus.
He quickly hid beside me so I hugged him and told Cindy that he’s not
here. She quickly changed her path and then turned around when Markus
went away from me.
We continue playing dinosaur on the futon while Arciel cleaned the house
with their helpers. Then she asked me to wait a little longer because
she’ll help their cook to prep the kids’ meal. After almost an hour, she
called us out and lead us to the dining area. She picked up Markus and
put him in his high chair. Cindy, on the other hand, sat on her own but
still needs assistance. So, I stand behind her and watched her climb on
her chair that was customized for toddlers in her age.
After everyone was sat down, I decided to go back in the living room but
the kids stopped me.
“Uncle Gai! Eat!” Markus exclaimed and pouted. He’s already holding his
training spoon and fork when I turned around. What a cutie.
“Yes Daddy Gared. We won’t eat unless you do!” Cindy said and crossed her
arms. She slightly pushed her plate and looked away.
Arciel looked at me and shrugged. She’s trying not to laugh as I sit
between Cindy and Markus.
Kids are cute and all but sometimes, they’re just too much. Maybe I’m just
used to be the only child in the family and grew up in a mature
environment. That could be the reason why I somehow hate kids.
In the first five minutes of their breakfast the kids are quiet and eating
peacefully. Arciel even heaved a sigh of relief. But then, Markus
suddenly threw his plate away. Our eyes widened by his behavior.
“Markus! What did Auntie Arciel told you?!” She exclaimed that made this
little boy tear up. He quickly leaned towards me and hugged my arms. My
hands automatically caressed his back to comfort him.
But then, I felt death glares coming from Arciel’s direction. Cindy
suddenly pat me and pointed at her mom. And God knows how scared I am
when our eyes met.
“He’s just a kid…” I mumbled and lowered my head.
Angry Mother Arciel isn’t the kind of person you want to meet.
My body’s ready to accept her rants but she just sighed heavily and
continue eating her breakfast. Markus stopped crying and act like
nothing happened.
What was that?
“Yes, they’re still young and can be silly most of the times. But as their
guardian, I need to teach them the basic etiquette and manners. This is a
harsh world, Red. One wrong move and everyone will turn their back at
you.” She said without looking at me. I was gonna say something but now
words came out of my mouth.
What should I do? I’ve got nothing when it come to disciplining the kids.
Maybe she’s right.
Just what did this harsh world do to my Arciel?
“GOOD MORNING, TAN-CERVANTES FAMIL- POTAH NAMAN! BAKIT
NAMBABATO?!” The kids giggled when Arciel threw her slipper to Aria
who broke the silence in the dining area.
“Hoy! ‘Wag kang magmura ditto. Gayahin ka pa ng mga bata!” Aria shrugged This is a work out. Right, I need to strengthen my muscles and carrying
and act like she’s zipping her mouth. The kids laughed louder. Maybe her these big eaters will help me.
face looks really funny that even a single move made them happy.
“Mommy Arciel!”
When they arrived, Arciel excused herself to bring those two in the
living room. Its quite far from the dining and I swear, you need someone “Auntie Arciel!”
to guide you ‘cause you’ll get lost if you walk around here all by
yourself. “Arciel”

Anyway, only the three of us are in the dining area. They’re still
inhaling the food and I think they’re planning to finish them all.
“Hey, hey, eat your broccolis you little kids.” I calmly said when Markus
and Cindy put their veggies on my plate. Instead of getting scared, they
giggled and put every single broccoli on my plate.
Keep you cool, Gared. Keep your cool.
The three of us called her in unison. Aria, Arciel and Lawrence looked
at us. They paus a minute and when they realized how silly I look; they
quickly opened their phones and snap pictures of me with the kids. Instead
of getting mad, I encouraged the kids to smile and pose for the pictures.
They even urged Arciel to stand beside me and pose for a family portrait.
She agreed and even kissed me on my cheeks. Everyone enjoyed that little
morning moment and so do I.

How can I make them eat these vegetables? Argh! Ah, the calm before the storm.

“Markus, Cindy. Look, I’m eating a broccoli shaped marshmallow! Hmm~

yummy!” The kids looked at me as I savor the taste of broccoli.

They looked so curious and asked me to feed them some of these

‘marshmallow’. I smiled ear to ear as I put the broccolis in their mouth.

“Yummy, right?” they nodded and inhaled everything that they put on my
plate.

Soon enough, every plate was cleared and they’re tummies are full.

“Daddy Gared!” Cindy called and stretch out her arms as if she wants me
to carry her.

After I carried her, Markus pulled my shirt and stretch out his arms too.

*sigh*

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The next day, Ariel excitedly woke up and searched for Prince Eric. She
spent the rest of her night looking for the most romantic places in the
village where they can finally share their first kiss. But her excitement
turned into despair. She finally saw the prince…embracing the most
beautiful princess she ever seen. She felt her heart breaking that she
runaway far from the castle. But fate really is harsh to her. It’s because
Prince Eric knew everything. About her being a mermaid, about her
seducing him. Everything. He’s just waiting for the right time to make
her cry pearls. He isn’t a very charming prince. He’s full of greed and
hatred towards the mermaids. Fortunately, for him, his plan worked out.
He followed the pearls from Ariel and collected all of them.
“Wait, I’ll just get my things in the car. Tonight’s the flight, right?”
Lawrence nodded but the girls stayed quiet. Oh no, not again.
“WE WERE TIRED YESTERDAY, OKAY? Plus, we can just pack our thing now.
Marami pa tayong time, OA nyo naman.” Tsk, Aria’s always like that. She
makes excuses that aren’t acceptable.
“Hala, paano yan. Nasa Canada ngayon sina Mama. May inaasikaso pa silang
business doon.” We looked at Arciel. She lowered her head and then looked
at the children.
“Let’s just call your sister or cousin.” I suggested. But her face became
more worried.
“I’ll try. Sige mag-aayos na rin ako ng gamit ko. Red, okay lang ba ikaw
muna tumingin sa mga bata? Our helpers are still busy.” She asked in
which of course, I agreed. “Oh my! Thank you!” she kissed my cheeks before
she went upstairs to her room.
“Aba aba aba. Quota ka na pre ha.” I gave Lawrence my sweetest smile to
tease him. He just scoffed and pulled Aria away. They still need to pack
their things and shop weapons for the mission. Plus, he’s the leader so he
needs to prepare everything lol.
After everybody left the living room, I turned my back to see how’s the
kids doing and to my surprise, they’re asleep! They must be really tired
from all the playing we did earlier and the unplanned photoshoot.
They’re lying on the futon and God knows how cute and peaceful they are
when their eyes are shut. So adorable!
While they’re still quiet, I took the chance to take pictures of them. My
mother will totally love it.
“Sabihin mo na kasi kay Tita Yosh na mag-adopt ng baby. Tsaka para na
rin hindi sya ma-bored na napakalaki nyong townhouse.” I almost dropped
my phone when Arciel suddenly lie down beside Cindy.
She really is her daughter. Their eyes, their mouth, their nose. Cindy
looks like her mom when we first met.
“Nah, she’s waiting for my own child. She said that she’ll wait for that
time but I don’t think that day would come.” Her eyebrows furrowed. “Why
not?” she asked.
Because I’m still waiting for you.
I want to tell her that but my mind says no. That it’ll hurt me more once
I found out the truth.
“Just because…” I paused. She tilted her head little as if waiting for my
next word.
“Because I’m sleepy. Wake me up when the two idiots came back, okay? Sweet
dreams.” Before she could even ask more, I lie down next to Markus and
closed my eyes.
“Tatanong lang e. Damot. Hmp!” I heard her said before I truly fall asleep.
==
Lawrence pointed at Aria’s mother who’s wearing a formal attire.
“So Stacia, you’ll act as Mrs. Madelle’s daughter which is the CEO of MGC,
one of their so-called-business partners. As you can see, she’s just a made-
up character to make it more realistic. Our target doesn’t have any
interests when it come to their family business so no need to worry about
getting caught. Zoi, on the other hand, will act as the most outstanding
waiter who only serves the celebrant. It may look like an easy task but
if you dig more deeper about her, she’s a real party animal who’s hard to
locate in the crowd. And that’s what Anete’s work. She’ll help you guys to
find her in a really huge, crowded event place. We’ll put these cameras
in every corner, every tables and chairs, every post and everywhere.
Basta alam nyo na yon. For us to locate her. And please be reminded that
our target tonight needs protection. The other team who’ll help us will
be the ones who will finish the whole mission. Thanatos told me that it
was kind of a personal mission about the Seishitsu Org. That’s all. Meeting
adjorned.” He said and turned off his laptop.
We’re already in the private plane provided by the other org. It’s been 16
hours since we departed but the island’s too private. Still have a long
way to go.
There’s only four of us and we all look tired. The two girls are already
sleeping right after they turned around. Lawrence fixed their seats and
blankets while I took off their shoes.
“Wanna drink? Mahaba-habang byahe pa ‘to.” I shrugged and followed him
to the plane’s mini bar.
“How’s your bonding with your stepdaughter?” he asked which almost
choked me to death. He quickly grabbed a bottled water and asked if I’m
okay.
“Dude, what kind of question is that?” I asked. He just shrugged his
shoulders and then turned around facing the bar counter.
“You two look better together. I just really wished that Cindy’s not her
child so that you two can have your own happily ever after.” He must be
drunk. He’s talking nonsense again.
“You need to take a na-“He stopped me before I finish my sentence. “If I
give up chasing Agen, would you take the risk?” my fists hardened when
he blurted it out.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Can you hear what you were saying?
Are you drunk? Did you do dr-“
“I’m fucking serious Gaizer Red. I’m giving her up.” He said and drank
everything in his rock glass. Then he turned around and looked straight
to my eyes.
Sadness.
Regret.
Hopelessness.
They’re all evident in his eyes but why. Why is he doing this to himself?
no offense I love Arciel so much and I’ll do everything to make her mine,
but seeing my bestfriend in pain just because we loved the same woman
breaks my heart even more.
“Don’t give me that look. Para naman akong namatayan. Tsaka babae lang
yan, marami pa akong makikilaladyan sa tabi-tabi. Malay mo isa pala sa
mga duchess ng England ang aking one and only. Hindi natin alam.” He
said as he forced himself to laugh. But he’s not a great actor like me.
Tears began to flow down his face. I pulled him closer to me to give him
a hug. That’s the moment he started sobbing.
“Gared I’ve known her since we were little kids. I’m always by her side. I
protected her from everyone who tried to harm her. I changed myself to
be the one she deserves. But why…who…what happened? She already have
Cindy…” his voice fainted as he speak.
It’s not like we hated the fact that she already have a child, but we hated
the fact that he met someone who could be better than us that she gave
him a chance to be with her. We hated the fact that after all this time,
after everything we’ve been through, she still looks at us as if we’re
siblings. She never saw us as a man. We’re her mere brother. And that’s
the fucking truth we always ignore.
Moments later, Lawrence fell asleep so I lay him down on his portable
bed. I stayed away for the rest of the flight. Wondering about the truth.
About what really happened in London. It kept on coming at me. I hate it.
==
Okay. So the camera should be on this side so that it can see everything
within 360˚angle. Per table, we need to put about three micro-cameras to
have a full view in the event’s place.
“Is Law alright? Kanina pa sya tahimik. Naba-bother na ako.” Aria
suddenly approached me. Maybe she deserves to know. She’s a better adviser
than me anyway.
“He said he’ll give up on Arciel. He won’t wait for her anymore.” Her eyes
widened and looked at Lawrence’ side who’s busy guiding the helpers.
“Don’t you dare give him that look. It’ll only make him feel worst. Just
listen to him and give a hug. Or maybe give him a really helpful advice.
Just don’t treat her like a paralyzed man. He’s just broken hearted, okay?”
Her jaw dropped after I warned her.
“Wow. That was long, Gared. Kung hindi lang yan tungkol kay Agen, na-
kwento ko na to sa kanya. Kainis.” Psh. I thought something went wrong.
She’s just shocked that I’m becoming more talkative than before.
Anyway, after we placed everything, we changed into our ‘costumes’. We
don’t have spare time to be broken. We have a young lady to protect.
A few minutes before the party started, I sneaked into the target’s room.
She’s already dolled and ready to go out. Looks like there’s nothing going
on in here.
“clear.” I whispered to the wireless intercom that connects to the
computer room where Arciel and Lawrence are.
“Nothing suspicious here.” Aria said on the other line. It’s also connected
to mine so that we can easily make a move when something bad happened.
After clearing the area, we signaled the MC to start the party.
“Let’s all welcome, Ms. Aera Shane Salazar! Along with her partner, Mr.
Marcus Pyro Ibarra. Let’s give them a round of applause!” Oh shit.
“Change of plans everyone. Change of plans!” my ears almost bleed when
Lightning shouted.
He’s part of the other team who’s helping us and their target? That Marcus
Pyro Ibarra. He’s part of their org before but things happened and he’s
making revenge now. He wanted to kill his ‘girlfriend’ which is Ms. Aera,
so we need to protect her at all costs.
“Wait until the program ends and avoid giving Ms. Aera any food and
beverages. Pyro got company and we don’t know what’s their next move.”
Water briefly commanded.
That’s my role so I stood right next to Ms. Aera and act like her servant.
Good thing I’m wearing that poison detector from Doha. So even if someone
handed her a food or drink, I can just act like my role to see if there’s
something in it or not.
So far, nothing is happening. The program ended peacefully and they all
decided to dance around the whole place.
Which is a really wrong move because we lost our target! Damn.
“I’m with her.” Aria said. Phew, that was close.
Aria kept her company to make sure she’s safe.
Not until…

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Ariel found out Prince Eric’s real intention but still chose to go back.
She closed her fists and bravely went inside the castle. There, she saw
the prince sitting and waiting on his throne. It was already dark and
only the moonlight makes their night bright. Suddenly, Prince Eric
walked towards her. Every step he did makes her heart skip a beat. It’s
like someone’s throwing knives at her. She lowered her head when the
prince finally stopped in front of her. But he holds her chin and lift
it to see her face.
Slowly, the moonlight touched their faces…
…and so did her dagger.
-Fin
We rushed to the gazebo where we heard several gunshots. Our way is too
crowded that we asked Arciel and Lawrence to lead us there.
“Guys turn left then 3 ’o clock. Napapaligiran na sina Water.” Arciel
commanded.
“Let’s activate your weapons guys.” Aria looked at me and grinned. She’s
so excited about her weapon since they upgraded it with the latest and
strongest materials.
With just a press on her belt her red long gown turned into a fitted one
just like Black Widow’s suit.
”Two men, south.”
She quickly took off the heels of her sandals and threw it away without
looking back. Luckily, she hit the both of them. Psh.
Then she took out her lipstick and activated it into a baseball bat. I
thought she’s done with it, but she took out two guns and quickly turned
it back into a lipstick. Woah. I really need to ask the org to upgrade mine
too.
“Five men. Two south. One east. Two north.”
Well, I’ve got no time to be jealous. While we’re getting into position, I
waved both of my hands downward and activated my watches into knuckles.
They look like boxing gloves but in metallic and much lighter form.
“Guys, my glasses.” After saying that, Arciel quickly turned my eyeglasses
into a huge holographic shield.
Okay. Time to show off.
Enemies run towards us when they saw our combat mode, lol. Saying that
makes me feel like an avatar in a game.
Anyway, we also run towards them. Aria attacked behind my back while I
clean our way. They must’ve thought that a nerd like me can’t do martial
arts. Well, too bad for them. I’m already a black belter.
“Guys! Don’t waste your energy to those thugs. Just run. Malapit na kayo
sa kanila. I’m on my way. The five of you can’t do that alone. Don’t worry
about our own target, nandito na yung Japanese police force.” After Jace
said that, Aria tsk-ed and frowned at me.
She hates the idea of running away but still followed what was told.
Arciel helped us locate Water’s team. But man, they’re surround- oh
nevermind.
“Leche. Sanaol pasabog-sabog na lang ng robot. Sana ganyan din budget
natin sa weapons. Kakurpot ba naman ni Thanato. Tsk.” Aria said. I don’t
know if she’s jealous or just amazed.
But god, that was the easiest way to escape from that many people.
Anyway, even if they bring lots of enemies down, there are still lots of
them. Good thing Lawrence came with his big two-handed sword. Aria also
transformed her lipstick into two metallic spikey baseball bats.
On the other hand, my knuckles aren’t just like this. They also
transformed into a bigger knuckle that has built-in guns. My hologram
also changed from shield, into a human form that can hold real weapons.
Aria handed my hologram her guns while Arciel freely control him.
“Ready for the entrance?” Lawrence said with a smirk on his face. This
dumbass.
Aria threw one of her hairbrushes that can turn into a smoke bomb. Right
after that, everything that can hear in this place are gunshots and
punches.
“You guys are quick.” Thunder greeted us and then pulled the trigger one
last time. There’s an enemy on his side so…yeah.
“Nah. Anyway, where’s Water?” Lawrence asked.
“She’s heading towards Pyro’s direction. She said she’ll stop the fire now.”
Rain said and then pointed at their direction.
“Marcus Pyro Ibarra. Leader of the greatest illegal syndicate in Japan.
I wonder why he’s doing all of this?” I didn’t mean to say it out loud and
I can feel everyone’s eyes looking at me.
Damn. That was embarrassing.
“Anyway, is everyone from that syndicate here already?” Ivan, part of
the Japanese Police Force, asked.
Lawrence took out his watch and showed a hologram. “I think so. There’s
no red marks on the event hall e.”
And then Arciel or should I say, my hologram walked towards us and
turned into a huge hologram screen. “Yup, we’re all clear. Plus, Ms. Aera
just got what she deserves. Handcuffs!” She said with excitement.
Well, that’s the reason why we were asked to protect her. She had lots of
lawsuits against her and it’ll be too painful for the people who filed
them if she’ll just die peacefully, right?
“Ah, finally! Tara na nga kay Mizu. Baka kailangan na nya tayo.” We were
shocked when Rain suddenly talked in tagalog. But then, we realized that
their org must be diverse too like ours.
“Pyro. Stop this bullshit.” Water said when we arrived near their
location.
Water raised her hands as she steps back from him.
“Mizu, please…come back to me. You and Draco. Please. I promise, I’ll
change.” He pleaded to her. But she shook her head and stopped from
walking away.
“I…” She opened her mouth but no words came out.
*bang!*
We looked at Ivan who pulled his gun’s trigger.
“Kung kelan gumaganda na e! Magki-kiss na sila e! Sayang!” Rain
frustratedly whispered to Ivan who’s glaring at Pyro.
That’s not a bad move, for me, because it’ll distract the target. If he’s
distracted, the other part of the team can take away his weapon from his
body part and take him down without using too much force.
“PYRO!” Water quickly run towards him and kicked his guns away. The she
turned him around, put his arms behind his back and bring him down. Ivan
run towards her and handed her handcuffs.
They must’ve not seen it but she wiped her tears before putting those on
his wrists. She loved him. Water loves Pyro.
==

“Aaaa! Mission complete guys! Yehey!” Arciel greeted us and hugged the
three of us.
“Vakla! Hindi ako makahinga! Oo na tapos na tayo! Jusq!” Aria complained
which made her let go.
The four of us went to the event place and good thing they’re all safe.
Ms. Aera glared at us when she passed by us.
“Love can really make a person go crazy. Buti na lang okay na ako.”
Lawrence suddenly said and smiled. A genuine one.
“Gago.” I blurted out. And as expected, they’re shocked.
“Ay wait lang! Gared alam mob a todo nood ‘tong si Agen kan- ARAY!”
Arciel pinched Lawrence that made him scream in pain.
“Nako Red! Huwag kang makikinig dito! Joke joke lang yon!” She defended
but Lawrence kept on teasing her.
What a martyr.
“Teka, yun ba yung part na napasali si Gared sa mga macho dancers kasi
nasa stage na sya?! Hoy potah tawang-tawa ako doon!” Holy shit.
My face turned red when I remembered that stupid dance. They told me to
stay close to our target but that cost me my dignity! God knows how cold
I am right now because they took my shirt off and never gave it back.
“Hindi naman kasi totoo! Kakainis kayo!” Her face looks like a ripe tomato
because of these two teasers.
“Luh, tinitingnan mo pa nga abs nya ngayon e. Huwag ka na mahiya.
Hawakan mon a marz.” After Aria said that, they laughed that made me
feel more embarrassed.
Good thing Ivan handed me a towel to cover my body.
Anyway, after teasing us, we went to our rooms to take a quick bath and
rest. We decided to leave tomorrow afternoon since we’re all tired from
these actions scenes that we did.
Well, that was a short one. The other team helped us a lot in this mission.
Plus, Lawrence did a great job leading us. He should do this more often.
Oh wait, no, I hate going into combat. It makes me smell like gun powder.
Err.
“Hey, can’t sleep?” The man beside me asked.
“Yeah. You too?” He just answered ‘hmm’ but when I looked at his side, he’s
already snoring. Sleepy head.
But dang, this mission is a crazy one. Imagine doing everything for the
man who can’t love you back. That’s what Ms. Aera is. But Marcus Pyro won’t
give anything to her because first of all, he loves Water more than
anyone else, second of all, Ms. Aera burned the orphanage where he came
from. She even tried killing his son, Draco. She also imprisoned him and
forced him to sign a marriage contract even though he’s married to Water
at that time. She’s too inlove with him that she forgot to save for
herself. Maybe that’s why she can’t accept the fact that he loves someone
else. But those aren’t excuse to make such crimes. It’ll never be.
Just like the little mermaid, who accepted her fate and watched the love
of her life love someone else.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Pinocchio tried his best to reach Geppetto’s hands but the ocean current’s
too strong that he was washed away from his father. A dolphin then
offered him a ride to the nearest island called Island of Busy Bees.
There, he tried every work including carrying a lady’s jug. Fortunately,
it was the fairy with turquoise hair who helped him a lot of times. She
acted as his mother and even offered him a gift if he went to school. He
agreed and studied so hard and even topped his class. But due to this,
other schoolboys got jealous and bullied him.
We arrived at Narita Airport after 10 hours in the air. Man, that was
exhausting. Plus, these girls keep on asking us to play with them,
specially Arciel. She brought lots of card games that we can enjoy while
travelling but we’re just really tired. We don’t have enough energy to
play.
Anyway, we arrived at our main villa. It was a mixture of traditional
and contemporary Japanese architectural design. Its huge enough to
accommodate the four of us. My father wasn’t there because he had some
emergency in France. My mother just texted me earlier that’s how I found
out.
“You guys can choose your own room. Mine’s along the hallway. You’ll
recognize it once you see it. ‘Night.” Without looking back, I walked to my
room and jumped on my bed.
My body still aches from all the running we did yesterday. Should’ve done
some stretching, tsk.
==
Today must be my lucky day. No one woke me up. I’ve got no work. Plus, the
girls are peacefully eating their meal. Oh God! Don’t take this
peacefulness away from me!
“I’ve been really curious about something…” Arciel suddenly spoke.she
even put her chopsticks down and looked at us.
I don’t know why but my heart’s beating so fast as if there’s something
about her that I can’t explain.
But when she opened her mouth…
…everything came back.
“What happened five years ago?”
**
It’s March 09, 2017. The most awaited day for everyone in our class.
Finally, graduation is here. They all looked so happy when they finally
received their diplomas. Some took pictures of themselves, with their
friends, and with their family.
Well, my parents forced me to pose for one since they’re really proud of
me. It’s not embarrassing because everyone’s doing it but still…
“Mr. and Mrs. Cervantes! Good to finally meet Gaizer’s parents.” Oh c’mon.
One of my professors who doesn’t know any students aside from me. To be
honest, I hate him. He always gives us these stupid tasks and lectures and
asked us to pass it within the day. And even if you pass on time, he would
still give you dos. Unbelievable!
“Oh. Thank you for helping my son. He must’ve given you a hard time.” Ugh.
I can’t listen to them anymore. They suck.
After walking out the hall, Lawrence and Aria greeted me. Hmm, she’s
really gone…huh.
“Hey, don’t act so gloomy. It’s your graduation day. You’re the first one
to have a college degree, you should be happy.” Lawrence tried to cheer
me up but I just can’t help it.
“Arte nito! Ay teka, tumatawag na si Agen!” A smile immediately flashed
on my face and my body automatically moved closer to Aria. Moments later,
a beautiful lady popped on the screen and greeted us with a smile.
“REEED!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Omg! Next mo naman pag-aralan Chem Eng
para masabayan mo gumraduate yung dalawang tukmol! HAHAAHHA!” Her
laughter filled my gloomy heart. It’s been two days since they left for
London but I missed her already.
“Sure thing! Just promise me you’ll be there in the ceremony.” Instead of
replying, she just laughed and changed the topic.
Yeah right. They’re staying there for good. Her family had a huge scandal
here that made them leave the country. It wasn’t their fault but their
reputation was ruined and they need some time to heal.
Few minutes later, my parents came out the hall and took a picture of us.
Arciel posed even if she’s only in Aria’s phone. That was quite fun.
“Bye Tito! Bye Tita!” Lawrence and Aria waved their hands and walked
away from us.
My mother then pats my back and lead us to the car. We went home and a
feast welcomed us.
“Congratulations, my son. You’re indeed a prodigy. Imagine, you finished
college at the age of 18? You’re just…wow! Where did you get that smart
brain of yours?” My father, as always, very proud of me.
It is true that I skipped three years of elementary because they enrolled
me in homeschool before, but that doesn’t mean that I’m smart. It’s just
that, I’ve got nothing to do with my life. Well, I joined an organization
two years ago, but that doesn’t mean I enjoyed being a member there. all
they did is to kill, protect, steal, etc. as if they’re part of CIA. They
also have this classified information about the government and their
dark sides. But nah, it’s boring.
Anyway, we just celebrated my graduation and after that my father came
back to Japan because as usual, he have lots of business to deal with.
==
It’s been three years since I graduated college. Lots of things happened
and now, I’m a third year chem eng student. Yeah, I know. Arciel is my
weakest point and I can’t say no to her.
Anyway, the whole world is in quarantine right now because of a certain
pandemic that originated in China. Scientists and medical workers pushed
themselves to find out the cure and vaccine. But everyone feels hopeless.
And even though lots of trials were made, they keep on failing and
failing.
It was around this time when everything fucked up.
On April 11, 2020, a group of people forced themselves in my condo unit
and tied my hands and feet. They put duct tape on my mouth and towel to
cover my eyes. One of them carried me like a sack of rice and throw me
inside their van.
The President. I told myself. This must be his doing. He really is a big
bad man.
I keep calm on our way to the Malacañang Palace. Even if they closed my
sense of sight, my brain can still remember the bumps and stops to get
there. And it didn’t surprise me that the president wanted to see me so
bad. Ever since I found his classified documents and saw how he framed
up Arciel’s family, our alliance broke. He’s a been found out anyway.
“We’re here.” A deep low voice said and took off the tape and towel. There,
I saw him…
“Oh, look who’s here. Don’t you miss me?” He greeted me with a big smile
which I know for sure, is fake. Like him.
“Don’t give me that look. You’re too handsome to glare at me.” He said as
he walked towards me. But I keep my cold-emotionless-face.
He’s the 16th president of the Philippines. He’s Pan Chua. With his face and
his age, no one would ever think that he’s the REAL president. It’s because
he’s a coward. He’s hiding behind someone else’ back and controlling him
like a puppet.
How did I know him?
Well, he’s my former professor when I was studying computer science. He’s
my most hated professor. He contacted me right after the pandemic came
out and asked if I want to be part of their so-called ‘cabinet’. The very
first time I read that; my mind was puzzled. Like how can he make such
student to be part of the government? What will I do there? Eat chips? I
mean, why would he offer such position when the country needs more
reliable people?
“You were a really smart kid, Gaizer. Or should I say Zoi?” my eyes widened
when he called me in my codename.
“Why? I’m the fucking president of this fucking country.” He paused and
stared at my face. “You’ll do what I told you to do. You’ve got no one to
call here. There’s no one who will dare to help you now.” Then he laughed
in a sinister way.
After that, he commanded his general police commander to put me in one
of the underground rooms here in the palace.
There’s only one single wooden bed with an inch foam. There’s also an
enclosed toilet and bath with a hanged white towel. This room also have
a set of table and chair.
“Cervantes!” The general called me with his ever deep-angry voice as if
I’ll get intimidated by that.
“What?” I looked at him with boredom in my eyes.

How did he…
“Oh young lad. I’m the one who taught you everything you know now. Don’t
be surprised when I told you what you said to Ms. Tan on September 4, 2019.
Silly dummy.” He’s just trying to pick on me. He’s trying to trigger me.
Keep your cool. Keep your cool.
“Oh, and that mission you did on December 07, 2018. You went all the way
to Greece just to capture Roberto, huh.”
“President Chua wants you to hack everything in the list and write fake
articles about these companies. He also said to do that within this day or
he’ll post this article.” He paused and took out his phone. Then he raised
it and showed me what’s on the screen.
Which I wish he never did.
‘Arciel Glyndd Tan, also knows as the Slu-th Woman, engaged with Kevin
Chase Silvestre.’

I closed my eyes and bit my lower lip. This man…he really is unbelievable.

“What do you want?” His eyes glistened when I finally asked him.

“Well, we both know what I want, right?” he asked and giggled.

FUCK!!!

“There’s no way I’ll do it for you.” I mumbled. He tsk-ed and grabbed me

by my hair. He lifted my head and looked straight to my eyes.

CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
Everything that was written in this book is merely an opinion of the
author or used in a fictitious manner. Characters, names, places, events
that resembles actual people or events is purely coincidental. Thank you.
##
His schoolmates pranked him and told him that they saw the whale who
ate his father. When Pinocchio found out that they were lying, he got
angry and a fight break out. He runaway and after all the things that
happened, the fairy gave him another chance. He didn’t waste it and passed
the school with high honors. So as promised, the fairy told him that he’ll
become a real boy the next day and urge him to invite his friends to a
party. But then, while inviting his friends, a boy named Candlewick told
him about Toyland. A place where they play all day and never works. He
went along with him through a coachman and had the most wonderful time
for the next five months.
‘Ayw lng mg-aral ng mga yan,,,kabataan tmad tlg…’
‘Nasasayng lng p3ra ng gobyerno sa inyo,,,dpt nga matuwa kau ksi nakkpg-
aral kau…’
‘Edi wow.’
‘Mama mo bading.’
I breathe heavily as I type those non-sense arguments. He’s watching and
laughing at me while my hands were forcibly doing these dirty works. A
gun was also pointed at my temple and anytime, this policeman beside me
can pull its trigger.
There’s nothing else I can do.
If only…
“Look at this activist, she really has the audacity to fight against me.
General, what do you think we should do to her?” He asked as he sat on my
desk table. If only I could punch him straight to his face…but they’ll
kill me. But it’ll be worth the life…right?
“Silence her, Mr. President.” The general replied without looking at his
eyes. He must be sick of his manipulation too. Well, everyone is.
“Hmm, nice answer. Matios! You heard our general, go on. Kill her.” His
words made me sick.
Pan Chua. Fuck you and your principles. Fuck you and your self-owned
philosophies. This country needs a leader who cares for its people, not
someone like you who lives for the sake of money and power.
Dang. If only I could tell him all of this.
But this isn’t the right time. Soon, I can finally walk out of this stupid
white room and raise my middle finger to this manipulator.
“Darling… are you thinking about me?” He asked flirtatiously and even
smiled sweetly at me which made me flinched.
“Oh, you’re trying to avoid me? C’mon, darling. I know you liked it.” His
hands felt like knives to my skin as he traced every part of my face. He
was about to touch my collar when the fake president went inside the
room.
“Mr. Pan! You told me that they won’t attack my child?! What the hell is
happening now?!” Psh. Isn’t it obvious? He got himself LOTS of haters and
they’re trying to bring his whole family down.
But as usual, this Pan Chua doesn’t give a damn about him and rolled his
eyes. He jumped out of my desk and walked closer to the fake president.
“You didn’t read the contract, did you?” He asked with his dreary eyes.
The poor man just gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. He may have done
a really huge mistake for being such a puppet of this faggot manipulator,
but he’s also a victim. If only these people knew who the real enemy is.
*sigh*
“What are you sighing for? Do your work or I’ll kill you!” Oh, I almost
forgot this killer beside me. He’s too quiet that I thought he already left
the room.
“No, you won’t.” He furrowed his eyes and moved his gun closer to my head.
He’s been doing that for almost 3 months since I got here but all he did
was threaten me every single day.
But this one could be different.
“You think I’m kidding? Huh? Huh? Mr. Chua gave me the permission to
pull this little trigger once you start talkin-“
“Go on. I’m not afraid to die anyway.” I said and turned around to see his
indignant face. His hands were trembling and his gritted teeth showed
how annoyed he is at my statement.
Ah…finally.
*bang!*
“WHAT THE FUCK JOHNNY?!”
Psh. His hand slipped and shot my wooden chair. He’s worse than I expected.
“M-Mr. P-Pan, y-you said t-that I c-can- I’m really sorry. He…He told me
to-“ And after doing such a thing, he can’t even accept the fact that he
disobeyed his god master.
“YOU’RE FIRED! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE OR ELSE-“ before Pan Chua
finished his sentence, he walked out of this prison cell and run for his
life.
If he’s faster than this self-proclaimed god.
“That stupid old man. He did nothing but failure. Should’ve fired him
earlier. Tsk.” I heard him whisper to himself as he walked towards me. He
helped me stand up and fixed my clothes.
“Did he hit you? How’s your hands- oh my god! Felipe! Felipe! Call a doctor!
My puppy’s bleeding!” oh, am I?
Few second after he called his assistant, a group of paramedics came
rushing towards me and put some bandages on my wounded hand. Now that
they put something on it, pain filled my body.
“Can you still work?” He asked worriedly when he saw how I reacted to
the alcohol they poured on my fresh wound.
“I-I don’t think so…” my voice was hardly audible but I think he can still
hear me.
“Tsk. That bastard.” He kept on talking and talking but all I can
understand is this pain that I’m feeling. Dang, he hit that deep, huh.
Moments later, the medics and the others left the room. Even Pan Chua
decided to give me a day rest to heal my wounds. He told me to lay on my
firm bed.
It was the most peaceful 2 hours of sleep I’ve ever had since they held me
captive; the reason why is that they never let me sleep like this. And
even if they did, they would still do something across my cell that will
keep me up all night.
Just like the other night; I finished my ‘works’ early. So, they gave me
‘free time’ to sleep or do whatever I want. But of course, my choice is to
lay my back on that ‘bulky’ bed and take a rest.
My eyes are all shut and my body’s all set to sleep when suddenly, on the
other side of this prison, loud screams and moans were heard. And guess
who it was…Pan Chua and his favorite prisoner slash bodyguard, Matios.
They were having sex right in front of me without anything to cover
their private scene!
And it didn’t happen once nor twice, but like three time every single
week! Imagine how crazy was that to listen to their ‘music’ while I’m still
hacking accounts and posting fake news. Good thing Matios have something
else to do and Pan Chua have to deal with the gunman who went bersek
earlier.
Anyway, since it’s all quiet here, maybe I should do some real work here.
My laptop’s still here which is a good thing. I thought that after hurting
my hand, they would take it away from me.
I took my laptop and looked around the room. After living here for three
months, I’ve learned that there’s only one working CCTV camera here which
shows my physical body working on that desk.
So maybe, we’ll act like we’re just working on my desk.
I turned on my laptop and logged in to my anonymous account. It can only
be accessed through face and finger print recognition. Unfortunately,
me, Lawrence, Aria and Arciel are the only ones registered to open this.
Even the greatest hackers can’t use fake ids and pictures, that’s how great
I am.
Right after it opened, Lawrence’ and Aria’s names popped on the screen.
May 02, 2020
Lawq-Lawq: HOY PUTANGINA MO GARED NASAAN KA?! HINAHANAP KA NA
NINA TITO AT TITA! TANGINA MO!
Alenlenlen: GARED NAGPA-BLOTTER NA SILA, ANO NA? SAAN KA NA, GAGO
KA!
June 09, 2020
Lawq-Lawq: Tangina Gared, magparamdam ka naman. Nag-aaalala na kami
sayo.
July 11, 2020
Lawq-Lawq: Gared kung nasaan ka man. Nakuha ko na yung code. Ingat ka
pre. Na-explain ko na rin kay na Tita Yosh and Tito Bruce lahat. They
promised not to tell anyone but we both know how protective your parents
are. Just… update me, okay? Keep safe man.
Thank goodness he received the code! I’ve been working for that since
they gave me access to their personal servers. All we need to do now is
release these data once we found more proof of corruption, murders, and
lots of illegal doings that Pan Chua and his team did in this country.
Well, if you’re wondering how I sent the code secretly without logging
into this account; try guessing. Lol. That’s right, through Johnny, my
gunman. We did everything in purpose. And he’s not one of our agents, he
just confessed to me how sick he was while doing dirty works for Pan
Chua. He even asked me to make him an ally or he’ll surely kill me. Of
course, as a desperate man, I took the bait and told him my plan. He even
questioned it because there’s no such thing like ‘escape’ in all of it. I
just told him that he needs to send the code to Lawrence’ address and asked
him to put him under witness protection. That’s all I can pay him after
giving him such deadly task.
Turns out, everything went well and even if they found out about this,
they’ve got nothing to do with it. Their scandals and shits will be leaked
and people will finally have the power to impeach him.
Gared-na-Gared: Yo. I’m safe. Get me outta here man. ASAP.
Lawq-Lawq: Gago ka! Tagal tagal mo hindi nagparamdam! Muntik na kaya every crime they did. Good thing Johnny said it fluently and we didn’t
umuwi si ano fail.

Ah this man. He even cut his message to excite me. I’m not even assuming Lawq-Lawq: Prepare yourself. We’ll be there in 35 minutes.
that she’ll come back.
After receiving his message, I quickly logged out this account and
Because I know she won’t be able to… arranged everything back to normal. I also reactivated the CCTV camera
and acted like I just woke up. Then went to my desk and acted like I’m
Gared-na-Gared: who? working.

Lawq-Lawq: Who-laan mo~ This will be the last time I’ll be able to do this so…one last look.

Gared-na-Gared: Tangina mo. All flights are cancelled in or outside the It was Arciel with her three year-old daughter…and Kevin Chase
country. Unless you’re one of these crocodiles who uses their power to Silvestre.
pass through every checkpoint.

Gared-na-Gared: Kahit yata check point sa impyerno kaya nilang

lagpasan e.

Lawq-Lawq: Pota pre! Ano na ba nangyari sa’yo d’yan?! Bakit ganyan ka

na magsalita? Teka ilalabas na kita dyan!

Took him long enough to realize that he needs to get me out of here. Good
thing Aria and Arciel aren’t online today. They’ll just give me eyesores
by sending me lots of curses. I know they’re just worried about me but
what can I do? This is what Thanatos gave me.

Yup, this is just a mission. And the reason why I’m the only one in the
field is because I’m the only one who have specialization when it comes
to computers and hacking systems, which is our main target.

As you can see, our country is all fucked up because of pandemic, plus our
economic ranking went down because of the long duration of home
quarantine. And there’s also this political problem which people blames
the most. That’s why the HQ sent me here to know how everything became
like that. They clearly instructed me to send the code BLOOD SUCKING
PARASITES through any means and they’ll get me out of here as soon as
they can. That code may also mean that I already sent them a copy our all
their documents, videos or sentiments that can hold them accountable to

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
But then, he noticed that lots of his playmates were slowly turning into
a donkey. Others said that they have this certain disease and soon enough,
both Pinocchio and Candlewick turned into one too. Pinocchio was sold to
a circus and when he can’t due shows anymore, he was sold to a man who
drowned him to skin him easily. But when he was to retrieve the donkey,
Pinocchio turned into a puppet again. He dived to the sea again and there,
he saw his father’s whale and ate him too. He unexpectedly saw Geppetto
and the two decided to escape. They lived a peaceful life in a farm. The
fairy saw them but decided not to turn the puppet into a human. He may
be a fool but he was given a lot of chances to change his destiny. The
fairy flew away from the farm.
“A fool will never be a king for he can’t take anything seriously.” She
mumbled.
-Fin
==
It has been twenty minutes since Lawrence messaged me but there’s no hint
of the org anywhere. Maybe they’re already in the lobby talking to the
guards. Or they must be looking for a vent to make my escape more
exciting.
Psh. What am I thinking? Of course, something bad happened to them. Those
bastards, now my escape will be delayed and this prison will be packed
with their faces. Their loud voices would be worse than Pan Chua and
Matio’s loud moans. Argh, just thinking about it makes me tired already!
“Cervant-“
“YOU- lucky piece of shit! Get the hell out of my palace. NOW!” Pan Chua’s
sentiment screams that they already arrived and is now picking me up.
His small narrow eyes glared at me as I brushed off the invisible dirt
on my clothes. The general who was cut off by Pan Chua eyed me as I
walked out of my cell. His eyes widened when I stood right in front of
him.
“What?” His deep voice echoed the whole cell but it didn’t scare me. Instead,
a smile flashed on my face and that smile turned into laugh.
Confused faces surrounded me as I burst out. Well, I’ve been suppressing
this for three whole months and still trying to but dang! It was so hard!
“What’s funny?” Pan Chua asked with a straight face which made me laugh
louder.
Ah, what a really funny people.
“Are you done now?” The General asked when my voice went a down a little.
Phew. My stomach hurts haha.
“Well, he already calmed down. What are you guys waiting for?! Get him
out of here!!” Aack. My eardrums almost broke when he screamed with his
high-pitched voice. That fucking hurts, man.
“Oh, wait wait wait. You goons are forgetting something.” They looked at
me confusedly as if they really don’t know what I’m talking about.
“C’mon! These handcuffs are killing me!” Right after I said that, Pan Chua
quickly called one of his officers and take this heavy metal off my
hands.
Ah, freedom.
Lawrence greet me with his infamous death glare and put a bullet proof
vest on me. He also handed me a bullet proof helmet to ensure my safe
escape.
We were about to go upstairs when I stopped Lawrence and pulled
something in my pocket.
“MR. PRESIDENT! YOU FORGOT YOUR MICROCHIP IN ME! DON’T BOTHER
THANKING ME! BYE!” His face was filled with anger and was about to run
after me but his general stopped him and nodded at me.
Just looking at his annoyed face makes the risks all worth it. Can’t wait
to see his mugshots in the next five months. He will surely scream with
his loudest voice and highest pitch. Ah, sounds like a music to my ears.
“Hey what was that?” My thoughts fade away when Lawrence pushed me in
the back seat.
“Ah, they tried implanting a microchip in my body but they failed and
decided to mix it in my food. Those fools thought that they can deceive
me but no. I’d rather die than become their dog.” He shook his head in
disbelief.
What’s wrong with what I said? They are indeed fools for thinking that
I’m some kind of shit that they can- oh.
“Now that you realized everything, you’ll stay in your house for TWO
weeks and isolate yourself to make sure that you’ve got no virus in your
body.” He loudly said as if he wanted someone to hear him even if there’s
only two of us. He also showed four fingers instead of two to indicate
the number of weeks that I need to quarantine myself.
He turned his wheels around and made a U-turn which is the direction of
the main HQ. He turned the radio so loud that the people we passed by
stopped and turned their heads to see who the hell is the driver of that
damn loud car.
But it seems like nothing to Lawrence and drive faster until we made it
to the HQ. He whispered something to the guard and suddenly we were in
an underground facility with lots of rooms and less people.
Lawrence leads the way as we walked through the long and dark hallways
of the basement. We were accompanied by a nurse and a doctor. He opened
the door for room 129 and pushed me in. I was about to shout at him but he
shook his head and raised his index finger to his mouth.
After he calmed me down, he went out and instructed the doctor about
something. They were whispering at each other that’s why I can’t perceive
any details about their conversation.
I waited for a few more minutes until they come in and asked me to lay
my body on the hospital bed in the middle of the room. They told me that
they will just get a sample of my blood to see if I’m still virus-free or
not.
But they lied.
They injected me an anesthesia and made me sleep for such a really long
time. And when I woke up, it felt like I’m a new person again. As if there’s
something in me that was taken away. But that is good news because they
found out that Pan Chua actually put something inside me and made me
believe that they didn’t.
Lawrence noticed my odd behavior when he tried to put me in the car.
Turns out that right after I logged out in my secret account, they smoked
the room that made me sleep in an instant. When he saw me lying on the
ground, he quickly called his specialists and inserted the microchip in
me. He woke me up with his loud voice earlier and everything is history.
That’s also the reason why Lawrence kept on talking with such a really
low voice. He’s afraid that they modified it too much that it can actually
hear everything that the microchip holder hears.
How did I know about all of that?
Remember that I hacked their system and copied everything to my account?
Well, it’s accessible now and even if I’m still in this stupid isolation
room because it’ll took 4 weeks for that chip to fully removed from my
system, I can freely use my laptop now and check their security system.
==
“Are you all ready?” My voice can’t hide its excitement when the most
awaited day of my life has come.
Finally, this country will be free once again.
“Yes, Captain!” My co-agents answered as they position themselves and
hold their weapons.
“On the count of five…four…three…two…one! Press enter!”
The moment we pressed the buttons, fireworks filled the sky. Everyone
worked for this. They deserve this.
“Captain Zoi! A warrant of arrest was already made and approved by the
supreme court. They’re now heading to the Malacañang Palace to detain
the suspects.” One of the agents informed me.
“Good. How about The General? How was he?” He stopped and checked his
monitor due to my request.
“He’s all fine Captain. In fact, he’s the one who commanded every policeman
to surround the whole palace. He also put a barricade to all possible exits
that the suspects might use.” I nodded as a response.
Good thing that he finally woken up. He became his puppy for such a long
time and was blinded because of their broken promises. How I wish I can
still protect him but I can’t since there are still lawsuits and
accusations against him that’s too hard to easily escape from.
“Hey. You’ve been doing great, Gared. Hindi ka na bebeboy ng HQ.” Ms.
Shadow approached me and pat me on the head. I gave her a genuine smile
and nodded.
She’s one of the founders of this org together with her friends and
Thanatos. She was focused in underground jobs such as cyber-sex and child
trafficking. She was also deployed in Europe that’s why she’s not always
here. But since today is a special day, everyone was gathered here…except
her. And that’s fine. She has more important things to do that watching
this country gain its fame again.
“Captain, looks like Lawrence already got a hold of them. Philippine army
are now heading to their place to arrest them.” Another officer came
when Ms. Shadow left.
“Okay okay. Make sure everything’s recorded. And make sure that our
members our safe!” I commanded once again. They replied and continue
their work.
This feeling of nervousness makes me vomit. Aria haven’t called me yet
which makes me a lot more anxious. Where in the hell are they? And why
did Pan Chua and the fake president follow them? Argh!
“THEY GOT THEM!” my heart almost jumped out of my chest when everyone
screamed for joy.
I quickly looked at the huge screen and saw how mad they were. Those two
fools tried to get away and even bribed the men who are holding them but
it’s all too late. Everyone got you both figured out.
But my heart isn’t calmed down yet. My two friends, where are they?!
“Captain Zoi! Lawrence and Aria were shot!” Someone reported behind me
which made me turn around.
“Tangina mo!” Just Aria fooling me. Tsk.
“Ouch. Lutong non mars!” she teased me by holding her chest and acting
like it was shot by a real bullet.
“Wala man lang thank you. Hmp! Suplado!” Lawrence even stomped his feet
to show how disappointed he was.
But as if I’ll fall for their tricks. The microchip was long gone from my
system. They can’t fool me anymore.
“Be ready everyone. Go on with the second wave.” After that was said,
sounds from the keyboards filled the room together with numerous calls
from different news and public affairs companies.
Well, we just posted the real number of votes from the last election. We
also posted the real SALN of our beloved public officials as well as their
known scandals. List of druglords and terrorists that were protected by
the administration was also revealed.

“Isn’t it too much?” Aria asked me.

“Did the government showed you empathy when your father died due to the
virus?” She remained silent.

“A good government should prioritize its people because it’s their job.
And if they failed, then maybe it’s because they didn’t do the job
right…or maybe they already steal lots of money.” She laughed at my last
sentence and shook her head.

“Right. Blood sucking parasites.”


CHAPTER NINETEEN
Wow, it’s been a while since our last interaction. Anyway, did you guys
liked my fairytale series twisted edition? Yeah, I know. Most parts aren’t
explained enough and the storyline was kind of lame and cliché. My
apologies if you expected more to me. By the way, this could be my last
post in this blog but don’t worry, I’ll be back. There are some things that
I need to take care of. If you have any questions, recommendations or
messages for me, you can simply hit the message button. It may take you
days, weeks or even months for me to respond but please wait for me. Thank
you everyone for giving me this chance to share you my story ideas. Don’t
forget to drink your water and take a good care of yourselves! Until
next time!
User 0958 commented: I know where you are. KCS.
-Agen
Everyone remained silent after that short story telling. Lawrence and
Aria turned their heads to avoid my gaze but my eyes were already fixed
to the girl who raised the question. She’s just staring into space and
showed no emotion at all. It seems like she didn’t listen to my story at
all.
” Well, after that the whole administration that time was- hey. Why are
you crying?” I handed her a tissue paper when her eyes shed tears. She
turned around but it seems like she can’t stop crying.
Moments later, she wailed like a kid. Why? She shouldn’t be sad. We’re all
safe and so as our country. Instead of tears, we should jump for joy. It’s
the type of story that’ll make you feel proud about what you’ve done.
But her cries don’t sound like that. It feels like she’s mad, sad
and…afraid? I don’t know. I don’t want to take any assumptions. Actually,
I’m tired of taking assumptions. Nothing good happened to me because of
those stupid things that made my heart believe into something that’ll
never happen.
“I-I’m-s-sor-ry.” She said between her sobs. Aria moved closer to her and
tried to calm her but she just can’t stop. Lawrence already stood up to
give her a glass of water while I remained seated on my spot.
“Don’t cry. That happened for such a really long time. Besides, all of us
already moved on and almost forgot everything that happened.” Liar.
Aria’s trying to put lies in Arciel’s head and it irritates me.
“And there were way more gruesome missions than that. We’ll tell those to
you once we went home.” She continued.
That was a fact but the trauma I got from that mission still gives me
goosebumps. My doctors even told me that my brain deleted some of the
most traumatic memories I had when I was detained in that prison. The HQ
even did their part and hid the mission file in a really secure place.
They even asked me if I still want to be part of the org and of course,
my answer was yes and continued my journey there.
“Here, drink some water and calm yourself.” Lawrence came and assisted
Arciel.
Ugh, can’t take this anymore.
“Enough with this, guys. Of course, that mission can’t be removed in my
memories that easily. Every night, before I go to bed, that image of me
in a prison keep on flashing on my head. Those horrifying things that
they did to me keeps on haunting me. But as what was said earlier, they’re
all in the past now. Sadly to say, the one who experience all of it seems
like he doesn’t want to forget things easily. People need time to heal,
y’know.” Arciel suddenly stopped crying and gave me her sweetest smile.
In which made all of us to furrowed our eyebrows. She was just crying
and now…she’s happy?
“I’m sorry for crying so loud. I didn’t mean to shed lots of tears. My eyes
betrayed me. Dang it!” she started as she fixes herself. “Maybe these tears
aren’t sad about what happened about you. Maybe, these tears are just
worried and mad at you for taking such risk that can harm your own life.
You know, as a good friend of yours, I’ll be sick worried about your
safety. That was the president we’re just talking about. He had the power
to kill you anytime and anywhere he wanted. You really are a crazy nerd,
Gaizer Red.”
She then walked closer to me and cupped my face. We were staring at each
other’s eyes for almost a minute until she squeezed my face tighter.
“Ikaw talaga Gaizer Red Cervantes! Ang kulit-kulit mo! Gigigil ako sa’yo!
Hmmf!” Her face almost turned red as she said those words.
My eyes turned to the two adults watching us and trying so hard not to
laugh because of our position. They even took out their phones and clicked
their cameras nonstop. Tsk.
“Don’t you trust me? My skills fit the mission so why not accept it?” Is
it just me or her face really turned into bull that will hurt me anytime?
Geez, she became a scary lady again.
“Of course, I trust your skills! What I don’t trust is your intuition! We
both know how easy you make decisions without even thinking the
consequen-“ Before she even finish her sentence, my body already closed
the gap between us. She wrapped her arms around me and made our bodies
move closer.
We shared a long tight hug until Aria part us away and pointed at
Lawrence who’s staring at us.
“Dadaya nyo naman! Group hug!” He awkwardly said and stuffed the three
of us in his long and muscular arms.
The girls giggled which made me smile a bit.
It was indeed a traumatic event in my life but the ending was not that
bad. Not all people knew who I am and how hard it took me to put those
officials in prison, but atleast these loud trio knows everything.
Anyway, after that dramatic scene, we continue eating our breakfast and
decided to go out and buy souvenirs. Well, they have siblings and
nephews/nieces that’s why they forced me to go with them, to guide them.
Since we’re in Tokyo, the nearest shopping place would be the Ginza
District. They would enjoy buying stuffs here because they’re all
affordable. There are lots of people spending their free time here so we
decided to meet at the first coffee shop we passed by earlier. I’ve got a
feeling that we’ll go our own ways once we enter the district so, that’s
the best idea I can think of to regroup the four of us.
And that thing really happened.
“Saan na si Aria? Teka balikan ko doon sa isang shop. Baka natagalan
mamili ng ref magnets.” We were gonna stop Arciel but she already run
her way to that store.
*sigh*
This is a really bad idea. Should’ve just listed everything they want and
buy all of them in one go.
“Hayaan mon a yung dalawang yon. Malaki na sila. Ituro mo na lang sa’kin
yung antique stores dito. May buraot kasi na tawag nang tawag sa’kin.
Nagpapabili nang kung ano-ano kala mo may padala.” Hmm, seems like he
finally got himself a ‘distraction’. Why do I have a feeling that this
buraot he’s been talking about was the ALE 2020 Top 1?
But meh, he’ll share his lovelife soon. Besides, this guy already adapted
Arciel’s naïve personality especially when he focused himself to
something or someone. And I bet this buraot he’s been talking about was
just trying to get his attention. Ah, I’m excited to their reaction once
they realized their feelings for each other.
“Bro! Take a look at this teacup! Do you think she’ll like it? Or maybe
this set of cutleries? Oh wait-“ Argh, he’s all hyped up. Maybe it’s better
if I leave him alone.
Now that we all parted, where should I go first? My stomach’s still full
from the full course breakfast we had earlier. My father already bought
Mom everything she wants here in Japan. Oh, maybe I should buy something
for everyone? It doesn’t need to be all fancy, just something they can
appreciate.
Oh, maybe some customized chopsticks? As far as I can remember, there’s a
store here around the district which do those kinds of chopsticks.
“Please write all their names here.” The store clerk handed me a paper
and pen and even gave me a seat.
It’s a good thing that that store I’m looking for haven’t closed yet and
still running their business here. We used to have our personalized items
in this store since my mother loves organizing things. She doesn’t want
mixing up our things that’s why she always goes here.
Oh wait, the names.
It took me ten minutes to write down every family member and org agent
that I know. Even the store clerk was shocked when she saw all the names
they have to customized. He forced, I think, a smile before turning his
back at me and handed the names to the maker. She sighed and took a quick
look at me. She positioned herself and started painting the chopsticks.
“Excuse me, do you mind if I leave for a while? Don’t worry, I’ll come back
later. There’s just something I need to do. And oh, this is my payment.” He
nodded and asked me to wait for my receipt. He also instructed me to show
it when I came back to receive the things I bought.
After that, my feet lead me to the middle of this district where lots of
people are having so much fun. Some kids even greeted me as asked if I
could play with them but I politely refuse every time.
I walked to the corner where I can see everyone who passes to this part
because for sure, one of my friends would wander around here.
And it happened! What the hell is wrong with me? Am I a psychic? Lol.
I was about to greet her when suddenly, a familiar face pulled her arm
and forcefully face her to him. She was trying to get out but his grip
looks so strong that she even stomped her feet just to show how she doesn’t
want to see him.
He’s trying to say something to her but she keeps on brushing him off.
My feet’s all prepared to walk towards there location until a tear escaped
from her face. He gently loosens his grip and watched her fall on her
knees. She cried in front of him…not even thinking how much people can
see them.
He slowly reached for her hands and pulled her up to wrapped her in his
arms. He’s trying to comfort her and stop her from crying. He’s saying
something to her that made her lift her head and look at his eyes. Maybe
to see if he’s actually telling the truth.
He nodded and smiled at her. After that, he let her go. I thought that
he’ll walk away and leave her there but no, his hands run through her
arms and reached her hands. He holds her tightly and walked out of the
shopping district.
Should I follow them?
Or
Should I leave them alone?
==
Maybe she’s right, I decide too quickly. And that trait of mine may harm
me.
“Thank you, sir! Come again!” They both said and handed me a large bag of
customized chopsticks. I just gave them a small smile and walked away
from that store.
Fuck.
Why didn’t I follow those two? What if he’ll do something to her again?
What if he’s just trying to win her heart again? He’ll just break his
promises like he did before.

Wait, why is he even here? Is he following her? What the- is he a stalker

now?

*vibrates*

Oh shoot, someone already texted me. Maybe Lawrence and Aria are already
in the meeting place. I should tell them everything I saw before it’s too
late.

Arciel Glyndd Tan

Hi Red! Please tell the others not to wait for me. May emergency lang e.
Ingat kayo pauwi!

CHAPTER TWENTY
Hello guys! It’s been a while since my last post. I’m sorry about that. Anyway, if
you have any questions about me or anything, feel free to drop it in the comments
section. That’s all, keep safe you guys. -Agen
User 0958 commented: I saw you listening to Josh Daniel lately. I’ll bring
you flowers right now. KCS.
She’s old enough to retire besides, she’s planning to pursue her career as
a freelance entrepreneur. It’s her life. She can do whatever she wants.
“Anyway, this farewell party isn’t just for me. It’s a double party for me
and Gaizer! Your resignation was already approved right?” After she said
that, everyone looked at my direction with shocked faces.
“Wait, is that true? Kelan alis mo? Bakit ka aalis?” The workmate I can’t
remember asked. My eyes were in the verge of rolling when I realized I
can’t show any attitudes to them right now. So instead, I gave them an
awkward laugh while scratching my nape.

“Supposedly today but the HR moved it tomorrow since they forgot to send
It’s been two months since our last mission with the whole team. All we’re
me the approval later. So yeah. Today’s my last day. As for the reasons,
getting these past few weeks are one-time job that can be done by one
let’s just say, a new path opened for me.” I tried to keep my answers vague
person. Besides, we still have our own lives and works. But I already sent
and short to confuse them a little that’ll stop them from asking for more.
a resignation letter to the HR since the martial arts school requires me
to work full time. That guy, Thanatos, he never really gives me any break.
“Oh, I see.” That’s the only reply I got and the topic immediately shift
back to Mrs. Sanchez.
“Hey, we’re having a farewell party to Mrs. Sanchez later. Wanna come?”
someone suddenly poked me. I looked at him and gave him an innocent look.
See? That’s how it supposed to be. I’m that background character in a game
I’ve been working here for almost two years but I still can’t remember
or any fictional things. I’m that villager who doesn’t do anything to
his name. He’s just next to my cubicle and been talking to me every single
help develop that main lead’s character. This is how I work to make myself
day but my mind can’t seem to recognize his name. Weird.
as average like everyone else. To avoid suspiciousness from and to hide
my real identity. And maybe because this is how I actually want my life
“Oh c’mon! Lagi ka nan gang tumatanggi kapag lunch out. Just this once
to be.
dood. Sasama lahat kasi libre naman ni Mrs. Sanchez e. Sama ka ha. Bahala
ka, sasama kita.” Psh. He’s almost like Lawrence but way more annoying.
In the other universe, maybe, my life is as plain as this one. Maybe I’m
not a secret agent. And maybe in another life… I never met her.
Before I even complain, he turned his back at me and continue doing his
work. Fine. I’ll go since this will also be the first and last time I’ll
“Woah! Kevin you’re here. Is that your girlfriend?” My mind went back to
join them.
reality when someone familiar came in and greeted Mrs. Sanchez.
==
“Oh, no Tita. Maybe soon hahaha.” Hee answered and roamed his eyes around
the table. Then he stopped at me and gave me a “friendly” smile, which I
“Wow! You own this pub Mrs. Sanchez?! Should’ve known it before para
didn’t like.
naka-discount- joke lang!” One of my workmates received a death glare
from our soon-to-be former senior research and development president.
“Anyway, we’ll eat over there. It seems like you guys are having a party.
See you later, Tita!” After he excused himself, my women workmates asked
Mrs. Sanchez about him.
“Him? He’s Kevin Chase Silvestre. You guys didn’t know him? He’s a famous
young entrepreneur in London. Too bad it seems like he already got
himself a girl. And balita ko, he impregnated one of the Tan sisters about
5 years ago so, sorry guys.” It felt like my whole body felt numb that I
can’t even move my fingers.
He’s here.
And the ‘girlfriend’ he mentioned earlier is…
“Arciel? Is it Arciel Glyndd Tan?! Oh my god! I’m a huge fan of her!” Oh
god. Please don’t be real.
In just a minute, most of my workmates flocked over their table and asked
for Arciel’s autograph and pictures.
They’re sitting across to us which gives me a perfect view to see her
panicked over her fans. Kevin looks like he’s having so much fun while
watching her get fluttered by their kind words.
Oh wait- is it just me or he actually turned his back a little and gave
me an evil smirk?! What the hell is wrong with him?
A few minutes later, Arciel noticed me and suddenly screamed out my name.
I lowered my head to avoid making eye contact with her since she’s with
someone way more famous than me. Besides, lots of people are here and
half of them are her so-called-fans.
In short, I’m embarrassed.
“Hey, I’m calling you.” A pair of red heels suddenly appeared on the floor
I’m staring at which made me lift my head. oh god.
“Why? Do you need something?” I asked casually even though I can already
feel eyes on us and death glare from Kevin.
“Nothing. I haven’t seen you in a while. I’m kind of scared you got mad at
me because of what happened in your hometown.” Oh god. Oh god.
Lupa, lamunin moa ko.
“Nope. Not at all. Just got busy at work. Arciel, it seems like you’re on a
date. Go on, he’s waiting for you.” I calmly warned her. but she just gave
me a smirk and looked at Kevin.
Whatever she’s thinking, please don’t do it. I worked so hard to keep this
average profile!
“Oh, Kevin? Nah, we’re just having dinner. Anyway, Cindy keep on asking
me ‘When will Daddy Gared visit me? Please tell him to visit me, Mommy!
I wanna play with him already!’ so if you have spare time, feel free to
visit the villa, okay?” That’s it. I’m done. She’s just teasing me in front
of my work- former workmates. Ugh.
“You can just send me a message. Go on, Kevin is waiting for you.” She
pouted and stomped her feet while going back to their table.
And once again, all eyes are all over me. But I still need to keep my cool.
If not, well, Arciel’s watching me and observing what I will do next. She
really makes my life turn upside down. *sigh*
A glass of cold water can help me think. I guess.
“Well…” One of them said and looked at me while I’m drinking. I raised
my eyebrow and furrowed it a little to show confusedness.
“What was that? You guys know each other?! How? When? And who is
Cindy?!” They asked continuously that our table the center of attraction.
Geez, this is all because of her. Psh.
“She’s my childhood bestfriend. We’ve known each other since we were 5
years old, I think? And Cindy is a kid in their household who calls me
daddy.” Woah, the last sentence was kind of weird. But meh, everything
has been said.
After my statement, I looked at her direction and she just shrugged her
shoulders. Ugh, she’s just teasing me!
Good thing I won’t see these guys anymore. They will just ask me more
about my personal life which I didn’t want to share to anyone except to
my really few friends.
“Wow, I never thought you’re related to famous people. Do you also know
the prettiest doctor in BGC? What was her name again? Al-Ar…” These
guys didn’t know how to stop the conversation, huh.
“Aria Lein Morales. John Lawrence De Asis. They’re all my childhood
bestfriends.” Their eyes widened as I state my two crazy friends’ names.
They may look respectable in pictures and in public but they were more
savage than you can imagine. They didn’t know since they never
experienced living with these guys.
“Wait- does that mean you are the- oh my god!” My face went confused
when the guy next to my cubicle covered his mouth as if he’s really
shocked.
“Hey, ano yon? Ito naming si Jake pa-suspense pa.” Who is this girl again?
Janna? Jacky? Oh wait- Jasmine! Yeah, she’s Jasmine, I almost forgot.
“You guys didn’t know? His name is Gaizer Red Cervantes. He’s a
CERVANTES! Meaning he’s the only heir to one of the biggest electronic
company in the world! Plus, he topped the Chemical Engineering licensure
exam. Guys, c’mon!” Good thing one of these people blurted out his name.
Now I know that he’s Jake. Anyway, he keeps on telling everything about
my personal life. I guess, some Japanese sites are still keeping my
personal information. Tsk, just when I thought my profile was already
on the average line.
“Oh wait. Is he also the one who also graduate comp sci at the age of 18?!
And with latin awards?! Woah woah woah. How many secrets do you have
here, Mr. Cevantes?” Mrs. Sanchez jokingly said that made the atmosphere
kind of light.
They shifted their back to our workplace and discussed about their love
stories. Some of them are almost drunk and keep on blabbering words.
“Hey, Gaizer. We’ve been working next to each other but you haven’t spoken
to me before. I just realized that you got a really nice deep voice. And
you’re masculine enough. Are you working out?” Jake talked to me but he’s
looking at the chair next to me that was already empty since some of us
already went home.
“Yeah.” Even if he’s annoying, he’s a good guy. I think I’ll miss him…just
a little.
“Good. Keep your body fit!” he even raised his arms and showed his toned
arms. I can’t say muscles since he’s kind of skinny.
Anyway, it’s getting late. I think I’ll head home too.
“Mrs. Sanchez, here’s my share to this farewell party. Please accept it as
my thank you gift to everything you’ve taught to me. I’ll head home now
before I get myself drunk like these guys.” She chuckled and accepted the
money I’m handing her.
“If only you didn’t resign, you’re the one who will take my position.
Anyway, goodluck to your new path. Hope to see you again.” We exchanged
smiles before I went out to the pub.
Good thing I went home quickly because my mind went all dizzy when I sat
on the sofa. It wasn’t a normal alcohol. It was rice wine for pete’s sake!
Ah…tomorrow will be a new day…huh.
 CHAPTER TWENTY-
ONE
She hopped as she made her way to her grandmother’s house. She held onto
her little basket the whole time for she’s afraid that someone will take
it away from her. While crossing a hill, she met a wolf who seemed
interested in the basket that she’s holding. She quickly hid it behind her
back and walked quickly. Just when she thought she’s far enough to
runaway from the wolf, he jumped right in front of her and sniffed her
basket.

“Good morning little warriors! Welcome to Thanatos’ Martial Arts School.

Here, you’ll learn various techniques and self-defense…”

*sigh

How long would Thanatos talk? His words are really boring. Plus, the kids
are already fired up. They all want to start training already.