CHAPTER 37

VALENTINA IMARA MEADOWS

Nang makapasok kaming dalawa sa loob ng helicopter ay nanatili lang akong tahimik. Atlas and I switched places; siya na ngayon ang nakaupo sa kinauupuan ko kanina. At nasa harapan na namin ngayon ang mga naging premyo niya kanina, iba pa ito sa mga nakuha ko.

"The helicopter's ready to fly, Atlas. Okay na ba kayo d'yan?" dinig kong tanong ng lalake sa suot naming headphones.

"We're ready," Atlas quickly replied.

Bumaba ang tingin ko sa opisina ng pinsan ni Atlas dahil may lumabas doon. As usual, it was Helios. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and brown shorts with black slides on his feet. Ang suot niyang dog tag na necklace ay kumukinang sa tuwing natatamaan 'yon ng ilaw. Just then, a man appeared beside him, making my eyes widen.

Kung hindi ako nagkakamali—it was Sir Caddel! I recognized him as the husband of my best friend, Ei. Kahit naman na limang taon na ang nakalilipas, kilalang kilala ko pa rin ang mukha niya. At alam kong siya 'yon.

Bahagyang kumunot ang noo ko ng umangat ang tingin ni Helios dito sa helicopter, at pakiramdam ko pa na parang hinahanap niya ako. Nang magtap ang tingin naming dalawa ay napalunok na lang ako at imbis na umiwas ay parang tinitigan ko pa talaga siya.

I didn't look away. He was the one who looked away first, walking with Sir Caddel toward a small pier to board a modest yacht to leave the island.

Napabuntong hininga na lang ako at sumandal sa kinauupuan ko. I gently massaged my thigh, still feeling a slight trembling in it. I closed my eyes, almost wanting to slap myself as I once again remembered what had happened with Helios—something that shouldn't have happened.

"Are you okay, Hexia?" I heard Atlas ask as I kept my eyes closed.

I nodded. "Yes. I'll just take a nap. Inaantok na ako," sagot ko habang nanatiling nakapikit lang.

"Okay."

▄︻デ══━一

Namumungay na ang mga mata ko at papikit pikit na rin habang pinagmamasdan si Atlas at Oceanus na ilagay sa isang malaking icebox ang mga napanalunan niya. He also had fresh human organs that he could sell on the black market besides the money.

I was the one who sent the email to Ismael about the shipment of these organs. They would be included with the new drug shipment to Mexico to make it less of a hassle. Ang kaso, may mga nauna na at nakahanda ng crates na ipapadala na lang sa kanila.

"Tapos na ba kayo?" tanong ko at napahikab.

They both nodded at my question. I stood up and went over to Atlas' open laptop to update Ismael through his email. My eyelids felt heavy as I typed on the keyboard. Wala man lang akong maayos na tulog dahil pagkarating na pagkarating namin rito ay inasikaso na agad namin 'to lahat.

"I've already sent an email to Ismael saying the drugs and your shipment of fresh organs are ready. They'll be shipped by morning, right?" I asked Atlas while facing the laptop.

"Yes. They'll be on the ship before afternoon," Atlas replied.

"Did Ismael mention to you that he's looking for a bodyguard for his niece?" Oceanus suddenly asked.

I closed the laptop and turned to them because of what Oceanus said.

"Huh? Bakit naman?" I asked.

Oceanus glanced at me and shrugged. "I don't know. He didn't tell me the reason. He just asked if I knew anyone who could be a bodyguard for his niece."

"He hasn't mentioned that to me yet," Atlas replied.

Nagkatinginan kaming dalawa ni Oceanus dahil doon. I had only met Ismael once, at his niece's birthday party in Mexico. I'd noticed that he and Atlas were quite close, kaya nakakapanibago rin na bakit walang alam si Atlas tungkol doon. We'd assumed Atlas would already know, since he and Ismael were almost inseparable when they were together, probably discussing business matters.

I stood up and yawned. I went over to them and gently patted their shoulders.

"Wala naman ng ibang gagawin, hindi ba?" I asked them. "Is it okay if I head out now? I'm really sleepy."

Tinalikuran ko na sila at naglakad na patungo sa bukas na elevator. But, Before fully entering, I glanced back at where Atlas and Oceanus were standing.

"I don't know what's going on with Ismael right now, Atlas, but it might be best if you talk to him now. Medyo nakakapanibago lang na bakit hindi niya 'yon binaggit sa 'yo.  I know you two are close, so who knows—he might be hiding a problem within your drug cartel, and there's a chance it could affect you."

Tipid ko lang silang ningitian at pumasok na. It went down right away, and I headed straight to my room to take a shower and rest on my soft bed.

▄︻デ══━一

"We're going to Sanctuario Seguro."

Napalingon ako kay Atlas ng marinig ang sinabi niya. Oceanus and I were in Atlas' office, both busy with our tasks. Nakatayo ako sa harapan ng puting drawer at may hawak hawak na mga papeles.

"Sanctuario what?" kunot noo kong tanong sa kan'ya.

"Sanctuario Seguro," Oceanus repeated. He's sitting in a Sydney chair while holding a mug and sipping his coffee.

"Parang ngayon ko lang narinig 'yan," sagot ko sa kan'ya habang abala pa rin sa sarili sa ginagawa kong pagtitingin sa mga papeles. "Ano bang meron doon? Is there a birthday or something?"

"No, there will just be meetings held there for all the factions of El Orden Del Abismo. Every member of our organization will be attending, even Cronus."

Bumilis ang tibok ng puso ko ng marinig 'yon. Every member of El Orden Del Abismo would be at this Sanctuario Seguro. Ibig sabihin nandoon din si Helios? Napalunok na lang ako at pilit na tinatago ang kabang naramdaman. I

I didn't know why I was feeling this way—was it because I'd seen Helios?

Agad kong kinalimutan ang bagay na 'yon. Dapat hindi 'yon ang iniisip ko.

What I needed to think about was how I could kill Helios, dahil 'yon lang naman ang gusto ni Atlas na gawin ko simula noong una pa.

"Sanctuario Seguro is a luxury sanctuary, Hexia. It's a safe zone for El Orden Del Abismo. The sanctuary we're going to is our organization's safe zone in the Philippines. We have a lot of safe zones in different countries. Nag kakalat lang 'yan silang lahat sa iba't ibang lugar ng bansa," Atlas explained.

I put down the folders on top of the drawer and looked at him. Nakapatay na ang laptop sa harapan niya at nakatingin na siya sa akin. Samantala si Oceanus ay tipid lang akong ningitian at binaba ang hawak na mug.

"It's not just for meetings. Some high-ranking members of our organization go there to relax, vacation, party, and so on. But right now, it's the place where the entire organization needs to meet."

Napatango na lang ako. "Should we prepare our outfits for that? Mukhang sa pangalan pa lang ng safe zone ay kailangan maayos ang magiging suot natin, eh. It would be really embarrassing if we didn't dress up for it," I replied, walking towards them. I sat on an empty chair opposite Oceanus.

"It will be three days from now. So we can still buy something to wear there."

I just nodded and leaned back on the chair. May event na naman kaming kailangan puntahan... napabuntong hininga na lang ako at nagpahinga kahit saglit man lang. I had been standing and walking around the laboratory all day, monitoring the drug production, at ngayon pa lang ako makakapagpahinga.

"You two handle things here. I'll check something upstairs," Atlas said.

He didn't wait for our response and simply left his office. Nagkatinginan na lang tuloy kaming dalawa ni Oceanus dahil doon.

"What's up there?" I asked him.

Nagkibit balikat lang siya. We looked at each other for a few seconds before he spoke.

"I forgot to tell you, Hexia, there are rules when entering the safe zone."

I furrowed my brow. Huh? May gano'n pa pala silang nalalaman? Why couldn't we just go in without following any rules

"Kailangan pa pala ng rules? Can't we just go in there?"

Umiling siya. May kinuha itong papel sa tabi niya at binigay sa akin.

"The Sanctuario Seguro is a safe zone. Cronus created the rules for every safe zone in other countries to ensure the security of our members in the organization. Just by the term 'safe zone,' you know that everything that's forbidden cannot be done inside the Sanctuario Seguro."

I simply nodded and looked down at the paper in my hand.

SANCTUARIO SEGURO RULES:

• Must wear your personal mask
• No weapons allowed inside the safe zone
• No illegal business
• No killing
• Don't wear off your mask

"Personal mask..." bulong ko sa sarili. "Is this the same mask I wore at Hyperion's birthday?"

"Maybe? Mukhang customized naman siya. You'll use that when we enter the safe zone. Atlas always wears his, so he's already well-known within our safe zone."

Before I could fully look down at the paper I was holding, I stared at Oceanus for a few seconds because his voice sounded hoarse. Kunot noo ko siyang pinagmamasdan habang sumisimsim siya sa kan'yang kape bago ako mulit tingnan.

"Why?" he asked, frowning.

"Okay ka lang ba?" I asked him. "Your voice sounds hoarse."

"It's my tonsils," he replied briefly. "I think I ate too much chocolate last night before I went to sleep."

I just shook my head. "Tapos hindi ka man lang uminom ng tubig?"

He grinned. "Yeah, as usual."

"Alam mo ang tanga mo, eh 'no?"

"You are," he replied quickly. "You ask so many questions."

Inirapan ko na lang siya at tinaas ang gitnang daliri. He just laughed, and I could hear his voice getting weaker and weaker due to his hoarseness.

Tumayo na ako at nagtungo sa desk ni Atlas. I picked up the stack of white folders on Atlas' desk. Ibabalik ko na lahat ng mga 'to sa mga kinalalagyan nila para hindi na masyadong makalat sa opisina niya.

As I was quietly stacking the folders in a drawer, something caught my attention. Isa 'yong black na folder, and it was the only one that was different from the other folders in this drawer. I sighed. There always seemed to be misplaced folders here.

May mga ibang folder kasi na parang nalitaw na lang bigla-bigla sa hindi nila lagayan, kaya paminsan-minsan ay naghahalo na talaga ang mga ibang papeles ni Atlas.

"Oceanus, saan nilagay ni Atlas yung ibang itim na folders niya? Did he move them to an office downstairs?" I asked him as I picked up the black folder.

"Yeah, I think so. He was moving some important folders the other day."

"Ah, gano'n ba?" I replied softly. "There's one more black folder here. Sa tingin mo dalhin ko na lang 'to sa baba? I'm going to get something from the room anyway. Atlas is still upstairs, right?"

Umangat ang tingin niya sa akin at nag kibit balikat. "Ikaw bahala. You know more about his folders than I do."

I chuckled. "Okay."

Muling bumaba ang tingin ko sa hawak kong folder. Pinunasan ko pa 'yon dahil medyo maalikabok pa. Something was urging me to open it, even though I knew what kind of things were inside Atlas' folders.

Kung hindi naman 'yon tungkol sa information ng mga trabahante niya, it was about his past transactions in other countries involving drugs. Meron din mga kontrata sa mga nagtatrabaho sa kan'ya at iba pang mga bagay na related sa trabaho namin dito.

"What's with that black folder anyway?" Oceanus suddenly interrupted.

Saka ko lang narinig ang sinabi ni Oceanus ng mabuksan ko ang itim na folder. Pakiramdam ko ay bumagal ang ikot ng mundo ko ng makita ang isang colored picture sa bandang gilid ng taas ng papel.

"I also forgot to mention that you shouldn't touch Atlas' black folders, Hexia. I think you can just bring them to his second office downstairs. Just leave it on his desk so he can hide it by himself."

"A-ano 'to..." nauutal kong sambit.

"Huh? What is what? What is that—shit!"

The open black folder suddenly slipped from my hand. When I turned to Oceanus behind me, nanlalaki ang mga mata niya habang nagtaas baba ang dibdib nito. I didn't know if it was from anger or nervousness.

"I told you not to touch the black folder, Hexia!" he shouted at me.

Nangunot ang noo ko ng marinig na tinaasan niya ako ng boses. Hindi ko alam... pakiramdam ko parang may sariling utak ang mga kamay ko. I grabbed his collar and raised my hand to punch him. He took a step back from my action, and my blood began to boil.

"Siraulo ka ba?" singhal ko. "I was just asking a simple question, you idiot! I didn't know I couldn't open that damn black folder because you only told me now that it wasn't allowed!"

"Atlas will be mad if he sees on CCTV that you opened it!" he shouted back at me.

"Sinadya ko ba 'yon!? Malamang hindi!" bulyaw ko. "Kung alam ko kung anong laman no'n, e'di hindi ako magtatanong sa 'yo! You're good at other things, but your brain isn't working right now, Oceanus. Napaka tanga mo!"

I quickly grabbed the black folder and added it to the white folders to take them to Atlas' second office downstairs. Isang matalim na tingin ang binigay ko kay Oceanus bago lumabas sa opisina ni Atlas.

Ramdam na ramdam ko pa rin ang panginginig ng kamay ko at katawan dahil sa galit at gulat. My heart was pounding as I remembered what I saw. I wasn't imagining things. The photo looked exactly like my close friend Rafael. Para silang pinagbiyak na bunga, pero ang pangalan lang ang naiiba.

If my calculations were correct, he was the father of my close friend—Rafael, pero kung gano'n, e'di sino yung magulang ni Rafael na kinalakihan niya?

Ngayon na rin nasagot ang matagal kong kasagutan kung bakit parang pamilyar si Atlas noong una ko siyang nakilala. He was familiar to me because he looks like Rafael. I placed my hand on my chest as a confirmation.

A thought began to form in my mind about who that person was and who owned the name I had seen earlier.

Randy David Zevallos.

That was the real name of Atlas Collazo.

▄︻デ══━一

Ang byahe namin papuntang Sanctuario Seguro ay halos tumagal ng two hours. Nalaman ko na lang din 'yon dahil kay Atlas kung kailan papunta na kami roon. Nakalocate ang safe zone sa isang private property.

As soon as we passed through an archway, I could see the large building of the sanctuary. It was on the side of the building, and it was bustling with life due to the number of lights.

We drove a short distance along a driveway before reaching the sanctuary itself. We stopped briefly when a man signaled from the side to stop the car.

May baril siyang nakasabit sa kan'yang balikat; he was wearing a black polo shirt and slacks. Three of his companions appeared and did the same.

"Wear your mask," utos ni Atlas sa akin.

"Okay."

I was the only one who wasn't wearing a mask yet because I didn't want to ruin my makeup right away. Silang dalawa ni Oceanus ay nakasuot na ng mask. Himala nga rin at hindi na rin ang dadaldal 'tong si Oceanus sa buong byahe. I think his tonsils were sore again. He loves sweets.

"Are you done?" Atlas asked when he looked at me.

"Yes."

As soon as I said that, a man with a gun knocked several times on the driver's side window. Atlas pressed a button, and the window automatically went down. He spoke to the man.

"Faction Uno," Atlas said briefly to the man.

The man with the gun nodded and took a small tablet from one of his companions when he approached him.

"Hyperion's underboss?" the man asked.

"Yes. Atlas Collazo."

Tumango ang lalaki at may pinindot pa sa hawak niyang tablet.

"Hexia and Oceanus."

The man glanced at us to check on Oceanus and me. Oceanus, on the other hand, just ignored him and seemed to be dozing off in his seat. Simula ng magkaroon kami ng sagutan ay hindi na kami nagpansinan pa. Even Atlas noticed it, and I was making excuses so he wouldn't keep asking me what happened.

"You're all good to go. Head straight inside and just give the car keys to the valet attendant so they can park your car right away. Welcome to Sanctuario Seguro and enjoy your stay."

Atlas simply raised his hand and pressed something on the side, umangat na ang bintana sa driver seat. We entered the premises. On the sidewalk they were people walking towards the entrance of the luxury sanctuary.

We drove through a large circular driveway, and when we reached the entrance, I couldn't hide my amazement. It was a large manor, a luxury sanctuary they called a safe zone. Lumabas na kami sa kotse at may ang assist agad sa amin na lalaki, ito na ang valet attendant. He smiled when he saw us and greeted us.

"Good evening and welcome to Sanctuario Seguro. Please proceed to the log-in entrance to enter the safe zone. Enjoy your stay," the man greeted with a smile.

"Thank you," Atlas replied.

"I'll log us in at the entrance," Oceanus suddenly said and walked ahead towards the entrance.

"Okay," I added.

I looked down at my elegant, shimmering gold and dark red strapless corset long gown with a slit. I also adjusted my dark red gloves that reached my elbow when they suddenly slipped down. At dahil hindi kami puwedeng magdala ng armas iniwan ko na lang Saf, siya na sana anga magiging hairpin ko buhok kung gagawin kong bun 'yon.

"Let's go. Link your arm with mine," biglang sabi ni Atlas.

Napabuntong hininga na lang ako. Heto na naman siya... pretending to be a couple. I don't know why he's doing this, and I still don't know the reason.

Oceanus came back to tell us to come inside. As usual, I saw various people wearing masks. I walked proudly until we finally entered the innermost part.

It was noticeable how other people looked at us and their whispers that I could still hear. They even whispered if they noticed.

"It's confirmed that she's Atlas' wife."

"What a waste; I thought Atlas would be single for a long time."

"Isn't her name Hexia?"

Atlas' expression remained unchanged as he listened while we went straight to the hall. Maraming mga nagkalat na mga guest sa paligid, and it was overwhelming because there were so many people. Thankfully, even though there were so many people, malamig pa rin dahil sa malakas na aircon.

Oceanus was quietly following behind us. When I looked back, I saw him move his head as if telling me to mind my own business. I rolled my eyes and looked away.

"Asshole," irita kong bulong sa sarili.

There were two doors open to a hall where all the guests were. The inside was very spacious once we entered; sa gitna no'n ay may malaking fountain. On each side were rows of food with different cuisines, so there were many choices.

"Atlas! Good thing you're here. There's an emergency in the meeting hall; we need you there," a man greeted us, holding an old-fashioned glass of whiskey.

"Is Cronus already inside?" tanong ni Atlas.

The man nodded. "Of course! Let's go? It's just an emergency meeting regarding what happened to the other factions."

I just watched them quietly and didn't say anything. Nang mapatingin ang lalaki sa akin at tipid ko lang siyang ningitian.

"Mrs. Collazo, nice to meet you. It's true what they say, Atlas' wife is beautiful," the man said, smiling.

He took my hand and was about to kiss the back of my hand when someone bumped into his shoulder.

"Sorry," a man said briefly, who bumped into him.

Isang salita lang 'yon pero pakiramdam ko bumagal yata saglit ang nasa paligid ko nang marinig ang boses niya. I could tell from his voice that he was in a hurry, as if he were chasing something.

I knew very well who that voice belonged to; it was Helios. I couldn't look at him or turn around because I didn't want to. I felt like whatever was running through my mind would win again if I followed it... especially my heart.

"It's okay," said the man whom Helios bumped into before turning to us.

I laughed softly, although I wanted to roll my eyes. "I'm wearing a mask; how can you tell I'm beautiful?" I joked. "But thank you anyway."

"You're welcome, Mrs. Collazo. We'll go ahead with your husband," he said goodbye. He also looked at Oceanus, who was standing behind us. "You too, Oceanus, you need to come to the meeting hall. Just follow Atlas and me."

I unlinked my arm from Atlas' and stepped aside while watching them leave.

I immediately turned around when I felt someone tap me. It was Oceanus; he smiled at me slightly and spoke.

"I'm sorry if I shouted at you. I know it was my fault, Hexia. I was just surprised because you opened the black folder, and I know it was also my fault because I told you too late that you shouldn't open it."

I nodded and crossed my arms. "I know... and, uhm... sorry for punching you. Don't worry, I won't spread what I found out. I won't tell anyone that you also know Atlas' real name and you're pretending you don't."

Napangiwi siya at napakamot na lang sa ulo. "Sorry again. Atlas will get mad if he finds out..."

"Yeah, yeah. Just get out of my sight and go straight to the meeting hall; they might be looking for you. Dito muna ako at balak kong mag libot muna."

Oceanus sighed. "Okay. I'm so sorry again, Hexia. I hope we're friends again."

Kamuntikan na akong masamid sa sarili kong laway sa huli niyang sinabi. I was trying to hold back my laughter and not laugh in front of him.

"Ano ka bata?" natatawa kong tanong. "It's okay now because you apologized. I was just waiting for you to apologize because it was your fault."

Mukhang doon na siyang nakahinga ng maluwag. He quickly gave me a friendly kiss on the cheek and patted my back several times before finally leaving my side. I just

I sighed and felt bored again because they were both gone. Sila Atlas at Oceanus lang ang pinaka close ko at kilala rito, at ngayong wala na muna sila ay alam kong kailangan kong libangin ang sarili ko rito habang hinihintay sila.

I just stood on the side and watched other people talking to their companions.

Napabuntong hininga na lang ako at nilibot ang paningin sa kabuuhan ng lugar. Besides the large fountain in the middle, there were three large chandeliers on the ceiling, and the design of their ceiling was beautiful. It looked like a 3D sun was attached to the ceiling, and there were also clouds with the same design as the sun, which was also 3D and gold. The ambiance was also nice and relaxing because of the soft music from some people on the side.

May mga waiters din na naglilibot-libot habang may hawak na cocktail sa bar tray na hawak nila. A man stopped in front of me; he was smiling while also wearing a black mask.

"Cosmopolitan, Mrs. Collazo?"

Hindi ko maiwasan na mapangiwi dahil doon. Bakit parang kilalang kilala nila pa rin ako kahit na may suot na akong mask?

I just smiled at the man and accepted the cocktail he offered.

"Thank you."

I took a sip of the drink and enjoyed watching the people there. I stood there for a few minutes until a woman passed by me, mukhang palabas na ng hall. Her perfume was familiar... wala sa sarili na sinundan ko siya ng tingin hanggang sa makalabas siya. She was met by a man wearing a black three-piece suit and also wearing a black mask.

I walked carefully and stepped aside to follow her. Paminsan-minsan naman ay kunwari nagtitingin-tingin ako sa mga nakadisplay na painting para hindi nila mahalata na sinusundan ko sila sa tuwing tumitigil sila sa paglalakad.

"Caddel, dapat hindi na tayo pumunta pa rito. You know I was forced to join this organization; you joined because I had no choice."

"You know I took the blame that you were supposed to take, my love. We'll end up here no matter what you do. Please, don't tell them my real name here. May code name tayo rito hindi ba?"

My ears perked up when I finally heard the woman's voice. My tears automatically welled up, and I tried to hold them back.

"Ei..." I said to myself tearfully.

Para akong mabibingi sa bilis ng tibok ng puso ko. We both worked for this organization. This must be the problem Ei didn't want to tell me about in the past five years. Gusto ko siyang lapitan... kausapin. I want to hug her really tight since we haven't seen each other for so long.

Kahit na may mask siyang suot alam kong siya 'yon at hindi ako nagkakamali dahil sa boses niya.

I quickly finished my cocktail and carried the empty glass. I saw how the hall filled up with other people, and I decided to wander around. I reached the east wing of this luxury manor sanctuary.

Maraming mga bakanteng kuwarto na puwede kang pumasok at magpahinga. I kept looking for a room to enter until I decided to turn a doorknob in front of me to hide there while Atlas and Oceanus were still away when suddenly someone grabbed my waist.

Mahina akong napatili dahil doon. That someone who just grabbed my waist just threw me over their shoulder like a sack of rice and brought me into a vacant room right across from the room I was about to enter.

"Let me go, Helios!" I shouted when I recognized who did it.

SHANGPU