CHAPTER 44

VALENTINA IMARA MEADOWS

"What else did they do?" Atlas asked me with a furrowed brow.

"They whipped me when I didn't answer their questions, and sometimes they pulled my hair, punched, or slapped me. Kung anong ginawa nila gano'n din kay Oceanus," I quickly replied.

Oceanus and I had already recovered from what happened to us at the Zevallos mansion. Ilang buwan na rin ang nakalipas simula noong nadukot ako, at ngayon lang kami kinausap ni Atlas tungkol doon. Perhaps he chose to wait until we had fully healed before asking about it.

"Don't worry, Atlas. I couldn't have told them your real name even if I wanted to because I honestly don't know it," pagsisinungaling ko.

Napansin ko ang paglingon ni Oceanus sa akin nang marinig 'yon. Kapansin pansin talaga ang malaking peklat sa mukha niya—a diagonal line starting from his left eyebrow down to his right cheek.

Nagkibit balikat agad ako sa kan'ya dahil alam ko naman kung anong klaseng tingin 'yon.

We were currently in the first-floor basement of Atlas' place, sitting in the cozy living area of the lobby while recounting the events that transpired in the torture chamber. I sat alone on the long, soft sofa while Oceanus was on a single-seater chair, and Atlas was seated on another single-seater across from him. Their seats were positioned at opposite ends of the center table in the living area.

"Are you sure that's all they did to you?" tanong ulit ni Atlas at lumingon pa kay Oceanus para makasigurado na wala na akong ibang tinatago pa kung anong ginawa ng mga tauhan ni Perses sa akin.

"Is there anything she hasn't told me, Oceanus?" Atlas asked him before turning his gaze back to me. "Did they touch you? You know what I mean..."

I quickly shook my head. "No, they didn't do that to me."

"Okay, that's good."

Pinanood ko siyang tumayo sa kinauupuan niya. He dusted off his clothes and walked to the side of the laboratory door, retrieving a white folder resting on a small drawer.

"Thanks for the info, Hexia. Don't worry, this won't happen again. And I'm sorry it took us so long to save you," Atlas said, his back turned as he faced the closed laboratory door.

"It's alright. What matters is that Oceanus and I got out safely. Anyway, what's happened has already happened."

Isang tango lang ang binigay ni Atlas sa akin bago tuluyang pumasok sa loob ng laboratory. Kaya ngayon ay naiwan kaming dalawa ni Oceanus sa living area. We exchanged glances, and I gestured for him to come closer.

"Halika ka nga rito, may sasabihin ako sa 'yo," mahina kong sambit sa kan'ya na para bang may makakarinig sa amin kahit wala namang tao rito bukod sa aming dalawa.

Oceanus furrowed his brows slightly before moving to sit beside me. He looked eager, na para bang hindi mabubuo talaga ang araw niya kung walang napapakinggan na chismis. I shook my head and chuckled under my breath.

When he finally sat next to me, I cleared my throat. "I haven't told you this. You know Helios, right?" I asked.

He nodded slowly. "Yes. He's Perses' right-hand man. Bakit?"

"Natatandaan mo pa ba yung matalik kong kaibigan na matagal ng patay? The one named Rafael that Atlas mentioned when I overheard your conversation? They're the same person. It's not just a coincidence that they share the same name—they're one and the same," I whispered firmly.

"Okay... so what's the connection between Rafael and Helios? And between Rafael and Atlas?" kunot noong tanong ni Oceanus.

I glanced around to ensure no one was nearby. There were CCTV cameras in the lobby, but they didn't record audio, so I wasn't worried about Atlas overhearing us.

"Anak ni Atlas si Rafael!" malakas kong bulong sa kan'ya.

Oceanus stared at me, his face still painted with confusion.

"Huh?" Oceanus asked, baffled. "What does Helios have to do with Rafael being Atlas' son? And how can you be so sure that Rafael is Atlas' son?"

"Parehas sila ng apelyido, Oceanus. Randy David Zevallos and Rafael Zevallos. You saw that picture of Atlas when he was younger in the black folder, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did," Oceanus replied.

"They look exactly alike," I said, pulling out the old phone Rafael gave me on my birthday. I opened the photo album and showed him a picture of Rafael and me together. "heto , oh. Ayan si Rafael, 'yan yung kaibigan ko na namatay. You can't deny it—Rafael is the spitting image of Atlas. They're practically carbon copies."

I saw Oceanus's eyes widen slowly as he took the phone from me. "Shit. Magkamuhka nga," he muttered, disbelief evident in his voice, before glancing back at me. "Okay, now it makes sense why Atlas suddenly disappeared without a word. Nalaman niya siguro na namatay ang anak niya, but what's the connection between Perses' right-hand man and them?"

I swallowed hard and exhaled deeply. "Alam kong maguguluhan ka, pero si Rafael at Helios ay iisang tao lang. Hindi nga lang alam ni Atlas 'yon. As far as Atlas is concerned, Rafael is dead. But the truth is, Rafael survived, changed his identity, and altered his appearance. He became Amadeus Alejandro Zevallos, better known now as Helios. I only found out when I woke up in his room and we talked."

Oceanus's jaw dropped as the realization hit him. His eyes were wide, and it was clear he couldn't believe what I was saying.

"Medyo nakakalito nga, huh," he said, holding his head like he was battling a migraine.

I shook my head and lightly tapped him on the forehead. "Tigilan mo nga ako masyado kang overreacting, but I get it. I was just as shocked as well. Now I have a hunch that one of the reasons Atlas wants to kill Perses is because he knew Rafael was dead."

"Huh? Bakit naman isa 'yon sa mga rason?" Oceanus asked, frowning.

I shrugged. "Atlas only knows now that Rafael is dead, right? When Rafael and I were still close, he lived in their mansion. I only recently got to enter that mansion, despite how long Rafael and I had been friends. For all we know, Atlas wants revenge because of what happened there."

"But Atlas has wanted to take down Perses for a long time. How could that be the reason?"

I rolled my eyes. "Ang sabi ko isa sa mga rason hindi ba? One. One of the reasons."

Oceanus sighed heavily and leaned back against the soft sofa cushions.

"Don't tell me Perses might also have some connection to Atlas," he said, staring at the ceiling.

"What else could it be? Rafael lived in the Zevallos mansion, of course, and Perses was there too. Apo ni Perses si Rafael at anak ni Perses si Atlas. And I think the reason Atlas is so determined to kill Perses is because who wouldn't think about doing something like that if they found out their child died under their father's care?"

Oceanus closed his eyes tightly, digesting everything I had said. "Alright, I understand your story now. But I still can't believe any of this. I barely know anything about Atlas' life, Hexia. All I know is that his wife died. I never even knew if they had a child because it felt too intrusive to ask him about something like that."

I let out a deep breath and leaned back on the soft sofa cushions as well.

"Now that I understand one of the reasons why Atlas is the way he is, I can't wait to find out the real reason why he wants to kill Perses," I said, staring blankly at the ceiling.

I turned to Oceanus when he suddenly spoke.

"I think that's where things will get difficult for you, Hexia," he said.

▄︻デ══━一

"Take care. Don't worry, we've placed a tracker on Oceanus' car. If anything happens to you, mababack-upan ka kaagad namin," Atlas said over the phone.

I scratched my head at his words. I was at the grocery store, picking out ingredients for the dishes I planned to cook this Christmas.

Tapos maya maya bigla na lang tumatawag 'tong si Atlas at 'yan agad ang sinabi niya sa akin.

"Yes, Father," pang aasar ko.

"Father?!" Oceanus practically yelled from the other end of the line, his voice full of laughter.

Napapailing na binaba ko na ang tawag at nagfocus na sa mga ipapamili ko ngayon. Ako na ang nag-volunteer na magluto ngayong Pasko dahil nauumay at pakiramdam ko magkakasakit pa yata kami na puro takeout foods na lang ang inoorder namin.

Wala chef sa warehouse ni Atlas kaya palaging order ang mga pagkain. Sa sobrang daming trabahante ni Atlas hindi rin naman kakayanin ng isang taga luto lang.

Pero dahil espesyal ang araw ngayon, ako na ang bahala sa kakainin naming lahat. Wala namang magagawa si Atlas at Oceanus sa gusto ko at alam kong tutulungan din nila ako sa kusina.

Bumaba ang tingin ko sa cart na tinutulak ko; it was almost full of the items I'd picked out. I carefully checked everything again, counting to ensure I had everything I needed, then headed to the cashier to pay.

A few minutes later, I had paid for everything. Some of the items were placed in a box and loaded onto the large cart. May isang staff pa na gusto akong tulungan, pero kaya ko naman na, kaya pinatigil ko na siya.

"I've got it from here. Thank you."

He froze for a moment, then quickly nodded at my words. "Ay, sige po, Ma'am. Thank you po at ingat pauwi."

I smiled at him and gripped the handle of the cart. "Thank you, too."

I slowly pushed the card toward the parking lot. Naka park sa pinaka dulo nitong parking lot ang kotse ni Oceanus. Medyo malayo talaga.

The cart was slightly heavy, but it was manageable.

Ever since Oceanus and I resumed training, I'd started feeling lighter and stronger. I doubled the intensity of my workouts to quickly regain my stamina, and it seemed to be paying off.

I pulled out the car key and pressed a button, causing Oceanus' car to beep. Dumiretso agad ako sa trunk ng kotse para doon ilagay ang mga box sa loob. At nang matapos ay binalik ko rin ang cart kung saan sila puwedeng iwan.

My brows furrowed as I felt a strange sensation, like someone was following or watching me. A chill ran down my spine. I quickly entered the car, reached for my pocket knife, and prepared to step out, handa na kung anong man ang mangyayari sa akin ngayon.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed mine.

My heart raced twice as fast, startled by the unexpected contact. Instinctively, I gripped the person's hand, twisted it behind his back, and slammed him face-first against Oceanus' car hood. With my free hand holding the pocketknife, I pressed the blade against his neck.

"What are you doing?" I asked coldly, my voice firm and unyielding.

"You got me there, huh?"

Natigilan ako nang marinig ang pamilyar na boses. "Helios..."

He wore a black hoodie and dark blue jeans, the hood covering most of his face. As he stood and faced me, he slowly pulled back the hood, revealing his handsome face.

Parang may sariling utak ang katawan ko; I found myself leaning against his broad chest while my eyes were still closed. His strong arms wrapped tightly around my waist, embracing me as if we hadn't seen each other in years.

And to me, almost a month apart felt like years. Not a single day or night passed without thoughts of him crossing my mind.

I quickly opened my eyes when he held my waist and lifted me, setting me gently on the hood of the car. His face leaned into the curve of my neck, his breath warm against my skin, sending a wave of unfamiliar but undeniable sensations coursing through me.

"I miss you," he whispered. "I miss you so much."

Matamis akong napangiti at mahigpit siyang niyakap. My hand rose and gently stroked his incredibly soft hair. Nothing seemed to have changed. The texture of his hair was still the same as before.

"Me too. I missed you so much," I whispered back to him. "Ilang buwan na rin ang nakalipas simula noong huli nating kita, Helios."

"I know..." he replied. "I've just been so busy, and Perses always has me doing other tasks. But you never left my mind. Even at work, it's always you I think about."

I gasped softly when he lifted me up again. I wrapped my legs around his waist and saw him open the backseat door for us to get in. I lay down on the seat and couldn't move immediately when he attacked my lips with a passionate kiss.

I gladly accepted it and just caressed his cheek as I followed the movement of his lips on mine. It was hot and intense, and I felt the fire between us slowly growing.

Awtomatikong naglilikot agad ang kamay namin sa isa't isa habang magkadikit pa rin ang labi namin dalawa. The hair on my body stood on end whenever he gently bit my lower lip.

I gasped softly when I felt his hand go straight between my thighs as he slipped his hand into my underwear. At doon nagkaroon siya ng pagkakataon na ipasok ang dila sa akin. I didn't have a hard time imitating him because I was following the rhythm of the kiss that he was giving me.

"You're wet," he said seductively to my lips.

I let out heavy breaths, and what was supposed to happen happened. We both moaned each other's names inside the car as we made the most of the time we were together because I didn't know, and neither did he, when we would see each other again.

▄︻デ══━一

"The chaos happening now is connected to Faction Tres," mahina kong sabi kay Helios habang nagmamaneho ng kotse.

I was on my way back to Atlas' warehouse, but I decided to take a detour through Austria City to drop Helios off at one of the malls. I couldn't drop him off directly at their mansion gate, as I didn't want a repeat of what happened before.

"How did you figure that out?" Helios asked, turning his head toward me.

"I heard that Cronus is already aware of the issues with Faction Tres. I'm not sure if you know, but that's where the troublemakers from the Abyss Order end up. It's always chaotic there. Atlas had mentioned to me before that one of Faction Tres' associates was following our warehouse. Atlas is always being targeted by them."

I furrowed my brows as I kept my eyes focused on the road. Nang wala akong marinig na sagot mula kay Helios ay napalingon ako sa kan'ya. Kahit siya ay nakakunot na rin ang noo at ang lalim na ng iniisip.

I pressed the brake when the traffic light turned red. I sighed softly and leaned back in my seat, lost in my thoughts.

"For sure, it's going to cause huge problems if our faction gets involved," I said seriously. "What happened in Sanctuario Seguro is a major warning. I'm sure the one responsible was inside the safe zone. Weapons aren't allowed, so how did one get through? It's really annoying to think—"

I didn't finish my sentence because, at that moment, he suddenly kissed me when I looked at him. I automatically closed my eyes and accepted his kiss. His lips were soft and moved slowly, and I mirrored his movements.

"Calm down, please?" he said gently. His hand lifted to caress my face before he took my hand that was on the steering wheel. "You're drowning yourself in this problem. Who knows, Atlas might already have a solution."

"Hindi ko maiwasan na hindi maging kalmado sa nangyayari sa sitwasyon natin ngayon, Helios. Atlas and I have no escape because I feel like we're both stuck in this mess. And you too," I replied. "I know Perses needs something from Atlas as well. That's why he also sent you to kill me, right? Ang alam lang nila ay ako ang kahinaan ni Atlas dahil sa rumor na kumakalat na asawa niya ako kahit hindi naman totoo. And if they succeed... if they kill me, only then will they go after Atlas."

I noticed his expression darken. Gradually, it softened as he took my hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed the back of my palm.

"There's no one else who's your weakness, Hexia. No one but me. Just me, and no one else. You're mine," he said tenderly while kissing my palm.

He never took his gaze off me, and neither did I. His ash-grey eyes had a glimmer of happiness, as if he were content that we were here together... Just the two of us.

I instinctively pulled my hand away from him, unable to stop myself from shaking my head at what he said.

"Alam mo... ikaw lang talaga gumagawa ng dahilan para magselos ka," natatawa kong sabi sa kan'ya. "Atlas is more like my father, you know. So why do you think like that?"

"Why? It happens, right? An older person marrying someone much younger."

"Tama ka naman pero hindi naman 'yon mangyayari sa akin. You know there's someone I like, and that person is you..."

He didn't respond and kept his gaze on the road, his face serious. A mischievous smile appeared on my lips when I saw his ears turn red.

"Oh, bakit ka natahimik d'yan, huh?" I teased.

"Just drive," he quickly responded.

I shook my head, sensing the restraint in his voice, as if he were holding back his happiness. It took a few minutes before I finally reached a mall here in Austria City.

The car was parked on the side, and I watched Helios silently adjust himself before unbuckling his seatbelt.

"You're really going home now?" I said sadly, looking at him. "Kailan ulit tayo magkikita?"

I saw him freeze in his movements. He leaned over, kissed my lips, and as his lips left mine, I felt tears well up in my eyes. As soon as he pulled away, naramdaman ko agad ang pagtulo ng aking luha sa pisngi. He pressed our foreheads together and kissed me quickly on the lips again.

"Don't worry. Everything will be okay once this problem is over," he said softly, trying to ease my mind. "I'll text you later. I'll help you if you want. Sabihin mo lang sa akin kung anong gusto mong malaman."

Hindi ko pa rin talaga maiwasan na hindi maging malungkot, and even though he was trying to comfort me, it still hurt. It felt like the day wasn't enough for us to make the most of our time together.

"Okay, I love you," nanginginig ang boses ko ng haplusin ang pisngi niya habang nakatitig sa mala abo niyang mga mata.

"I love you too, baby. I have to go now. Be safe on your way home, okay?"

I nodded several times and kissed him deeply and passionately. He was the one to pull away from the kiss before stepping out of the car. I sighed heavily and tried to calm myself before starting the car to head back to Atlas' warehouse.

Sa kung anong nangyayari sa amin lahat ngayon, kailangan kong makausap si Atlas at sabihin sa kan'ya ang mga nalalaman ko. I know that it would be a huge help for his plan to take down Perses. And if Helios helped me, that would be even better because it would make everything easier.

We need to find out who's behind all these problems and their reason why they want us to be dead. Malakas na rin naman ang kutob namin na isa na roon si Perses. Because I know only Atlas can put an end to this.

I turned the steering wheel and quickly but carefully drove the car.

I heard a notification sound from my phone, a message from our organization. Mabilis kong kinuha ang cellphone ko at binasa ang nakalagay roon. My brow furrowed as I looked at it for a moment before returning my attention to the road.

You're invited to the El Orden Del Abismo Anniversary Party at Sanctuario Seguro, starting at 8:00 PM. We would be delighted to have you join us. See you there!

Please dress elegantly and remember to wear your mask.

Weapons are strictly prohibited.

Big Boss,

Cronus