CHAPTER 27

I quietly observed the Meadows family as they arrived at Atlas' villa. We were in the dining area having dinner. Our first meeting was already being discussed, as they would now be my family.

"Nice to meet you again, Ms. Hexia," Mr. Meadows greeted me with a smile.

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Meadows," I replied politely.

"You can call him, Papá. I can't wait to see you after your surgery, Mi hija. You can also call me, Mamá. We're already a happy family here. I know you're still uncomfortable, but we're willing to wait for you until you're comfortable with us."

I returned a small smile to the lady and glanced at Atlas, who was quietly eating on my left while Oceanus was on my right. They were both busy with their food, and I didn't know how to prolong our conversation with the Meadows couple.

"T-thank you for understanding, Mrs. Meadows—" I looked at Atlas when he nudged me lightly.

"Call her Mamá. Just do what they want, Hexia," I heard Atlas whisper to me.

I swallowed hard at his words and looked back at the couple in front of us while eating.

"Mamá."

The couple smiled widely and continued eating. When they finished, Oceanus cleaned up our dishes instead of me. Since it was Atlas' order, there was nothing we could do.

We went to the living area and continued the conversation... if there was anything to talk about. Atlas explained the surgical procedure to me and mentioned that he had contacted a skilled doctor from Thailand. According to him, the doctor was already on a plane and would soon be landing at the airport.

I joined the Meadows couple in choosing the changes I wanted to make to my face. They had suggestions, but they didn't force me if I didn't like them.

Days passed, and the day I had been waiting for finally arrived. I was lying on a bed, being wheeled into the operating room. I looked down at the IV drip in my left hand. My fingers trembled nervously, but I tried to ignore it.

"Don't be nervous, I know you can do it. Good luck, Hexia," Oceanus said to comfort me. "Just think, you'll be even more beautiful when you wake up," he joked.

He was the one who accompanied me because Atlas was at an exclusive auction event. I also found out last night from Oceanus that Atlas had another black market he was going to visit.

"Thank you, Oceanus," replied softly.

He stayed outside after I entered the operating room. I sighed and closed my eyes as my nervousness grew.

"I'm going to put you to sleep, Ms. Hexia. Don't worry, you're safe in your doctor's hands. Advance congratulations, Miss."

"Thank you," I replied with a smile.

They did what they needed to do. I kept my eyes fixed on the ceiling of the operating room, inhaling the substance covering my nose to help me fall asleep. The effect was quick, and my eyelids began to feel heavy.

After this, everything will be fine... When I wake up, I will be Valentina Imara Meadows.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

One year later, after the surgery...

I unconsciously looked at the red ring tattoo on my right pinky finger. I got it as a gift to myself for my 25th birthday last month. Since we were all so busy with work, we didn't have time for a big celebration, so I decided to do this instead.

'What if we get matching tattoos on our pinkies? A red ring would look nice, don't you think?'

'That sounds great. How about after we graduate? Is that okay?'

I blinked a few times as the memory of Rafael and me together suddenly popped into my head. It's been 5 years already, and I still miss him so much. Nothing has changed. In fact, it feels like I miss him even more with each passing day.

"Ma'am, we're already at the Meadows house."

I looked up as the driver spoke. I'd just grabbed an Uber because neither Atlas nor Oceanus had their cars at the villa.

"Thank you," I replied gratefully.

I slid a gold ring back onto my pinky finger to cover the red tattoo.

I got out of the car, paid the driver, and walked towards the gate of the house. I adjusted myself before pressing the doorbell. I only come here every other day because I still work for Atlas.

"Oh my! Welcome home again, Valentina! My beautiful daughter."

That's what Mamá greeted me with. She opened the gate and hugged me tightly. Her husband followed, joining the hug.

"Let's go inside. The food will be cold now," Papá invited.

"Let's go," I replied with a smile.

I smiled and took Mamá's hand as we walked inside together.

"How's your day, Valentina?" Mamá asked suddenly.

"It's good," I replied while chewing on the Huevos Rancheros she'd made. "I've been busy because Atlas has a lot of work for me, but it's okay because I like working for him."

'Did you hear that, Atlas? You're even making Hexia work hard.'

I closed my eyes tightly when I heard Oceanus's voice in my earpiece. He's so talkative.

'What do you want me to do? Just let you both have an easy life? You spoiled her, so she's like that now.'

I almost choked on my food when I heard Atlas's reply. I saw Papá quickly get me some water when he saw me choking.

"Are you okay? Drink your water," Papá asked worriedly.

"Yes. Thank you, Papá."

He smiled at me and stroked my hair. He stood up and kissed my forehead before returning to his seat to continue eating.

'Hexia, go to your room. Now.'

I paused mid-bite when I heard Atlas' voice. I couldn't reply because I was in front of my fake family. I stood up and saw the couple looking at me.

"Is there something wrong, Val?" Papá asked.

"I need to go to the bathroom," I excused myself.

Mamá nodded with a smile. "Sure."

I walked around and passed by Papá. As I reached him, I accidentally knocked over his wine glass, spilling it on my shirt. Both Mamá and I gasped.

"I'm sorry, Papá, Mamá," I said nervously. My white shirt was completely soaked. "I'll change my clothes upstairs. After I clean this mess."

"No, Val. Go to your room and change your shirt. I'll clean this," Papá ordered.

I nodded and looked at Mamá. "Thank you."

I hurried to my room, closed and locked the door, and then went to a white drawer to get a black outfit.

"Atlas? I'm in my room now," I said while changing clothes. I put my dirty clothes in the laundry basket and went out.

'Did you bring what I sent you?'  he asked.

"Yes," I replied hastily.

'Good. Oceanus is at the gate with the flowers. Just wait for my signal.'

"On it."

A few minutes later, I crept to the balcony. There he was, Oceanus, disguised as a delivery man. Our eyes met for a brief moment before I retreated back inside. The doorbell rang loudly, shattering the tense silence. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door.

'Now's your chance,' Atlas' command through the earpiece.

"Copy that," I whispered, my heart pounding.

I descended the stairs, my gaze fixed on the couple through the sliding glass door. With a steady hand, I slipped the crushed tablets into their food.

I also poisoned their wine and took a small stick from my pocket to use for stirring. Once I was finished, I went back to my seat and continued eating.

"Is this for us, Val?" Mrs. Meadows asked me with a smile when she and her husband returned.

"Yes, Mamá. I just want to thank you for everything."

"You're so lovely, my dear. Thank you for the flowers, and you don't need to do that. Spending your days here is enough."

They thanked me again before returning to their seats and began eating. I watched them seriously as they finished their food.

I dropped my spoon when I heard a gun cock and felt the tip of it against my temple. When I looked at Ms. Meadows, she was holding a small pistol pointed at me. The happy and sweet smile was gone from her lips, replaced by seriousness.

"Tell us what's Atlas true name, or I'm going to shoot your head," Mr. Meadows said seriously.

Instead of being scared, I just smiled at them while staying still in my seat.

5...

4...

3...

"Any minutes from now you will feel the effects of poison drugs that I put in your foods."

2...

"What are you talking about?" Mrs. Meadows asked confusedly.

1...

I heard them coughing continuously, followed by them vomiting blood onto the dining table. I stood up and just watched them as they continued to vomit blood until their food on the table and the floor were almost covered in their own blood.

"Y-you fucking b-bitch!" Mr. Meadows shouted weakly at me.

He coughed again, and blood dripped from his nose. Meanwhile, his wife, Mrs. Meadows, was already lifeless on the other table. Her eyes were wide open, and there were traces of blood on her mouth and clothes.

"I'll never tell you what's Atlas name, Papá," I answered him tenderly.

"Don't c-call me that, whore!" he coughed again, spraying blood onto my clothes and face. "You'll n-never be my d-daugther. My daughter is a-already dead!"

"Yeah," I nodded and grabbed his hair, pulling it towards my face. "Because you killed her. You and your wife killed your daughter. Am I right?"

Her eyes widened in shock. "No!"

"Aww, don't be such a liar, Papá. I know your dirty little secret. Don't worry, you will meet your daughter after this."

"Bitch! You fucking b-bitch! I'm going to kill you, m-motherfucker!"

I let go of his hair and kicked him in the face. He fell to the floor while coughing. He vomited again in front of me. Why is he taking so long to die? His wife is already dead, why isn't he following?

"Never in my life I fuck a mother, Papá," I drew Saf, the golden two stiletto-type weapon hidden within my clothes, and closed the distance between us. I gathered his hair, pulling his head back. "I'm not a fucker because I'm still a virgin."

He couldn't move right away after what I did. Using Saf, I stabbed and sliced his neck. Warm, fresh blood spurted from the wound, and I released his hair, staring at his lifeless body in front of me.

"Atlas are still in the line? Where's Oceanus?"

'I'm right here! Are you done? I've been chilling out here,' Oceanus replied.

"I'm finished. I need someone to clean this up. It's really pretty..." I scanned the dining area. There was so much blood, especially on the table, that I grimaced. "Messy... There's so much blood."

'Copy that, Hexia. I've sent someone to clean up. You can go outside.'

"Okay."

I turned to Mrs. Meadows and picked up one of the flowers given to them. I took a stem and casually threw it at her chest, doing the same to her husband.

"Rest in peace," I whispered.

When I went outside, I saw Oceanus sitting on a gutter, waiting for me. He stood up and came towards me when he saw me. Because he's so nosy, he peeked at the main door and saw what happened in the dining area.

"Fuck," I heard him whisper, almost disbelieving what he saw. "You did that?"

I nodded. "Yes, why?"

He shook his head. "You're right. It's pretty fucking messy right there."

I shrugged at what he said. In the five years I've been working for Atlas, I've gotten used to things like this. I'm no longer disgusted, it's like nothing to me anymore.

I frowned when I felt him messing with my hair, so I slapped his hand away forcefully.

"My hair!" I snapped.

"You did a great job, Hexia. Nice!"

I just smiled at him and took the helmet from his hand to put it on. I got on his motorcycle and gestured for him to get on so we could go back to Atlas' villa.

"Get on, hurry up."

He paused at my words. "I can drive. Let me drive my bike."

"I can drive this too. Get on before I leave you."

"Maybe you're tired, so let me—"

'Oceanus, just get on the bike for fucks sake.'

I looked away so Oceanus wouldn't see me trying to hold back my laughter.

"This is unfair! You're ganging up on me!" Oceanus yelled. He had no choice but to get on, and I drove us back to the villa.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

I relaxed immediately after completing my mission to kill Mr. and Mrs. Meadows. It was Atlas' idea and plan to kill them after my surgery. Their daughter didn't die because they killed her themselves. I only learned about this from Atlas, especially their secrets and their work for El Orden Del Abismo, but they were in a different faction. Mr. and Mrs. Meadows were in faction Tres, and it turned out that Atlas was also their target to find out his real name.

I didn't know that it was so important to keep your real name a secret in this organization because it's easy to find out all your background once they know it.

"Did you find him?" I asked Oceanus.

Oceanus let out a sigh and leaned back in Atlas' swivel chair, shaking his head. It's been weeks since Atlas just vanished without saying anything to us. Right now, because Oceanus is Atlas' right-hand man, he's now the one taking care of the drug distribution, making him super busy.

"No. This is stressing the hell out of me. I know he's like this since I met him but not like this. This is too much, he's really a mitch," Oceanus said irritably.

"Mitch?"

"Male bitch," he replied curtly.

I chuckled softly and shook my head at what he said. I'm used to him being like that with Atlas, so I'm not surprised by what comes out of his mouth.

"Before he left, I heard that he's talking to someone. He's angry as fuck," he said suddenly, his eyes fixed on the laptop. "That's the first time that I saw him mad like that. After that, in the morning he's gone. I don't know where the hell is he now."

"Maybe someone messed up with the drug deals in another country?" I asked him.

"It's possible, Hexia. But Atlas doesn't get that angry when someone messes up. I swear he was really angry that night. I'm starting to get curious about what made him so mad."

"Curious, or is your nosy side just acting up again?"

"Both, I guess."

I sighed and didn't say anything else. I wandered around Atlas' office until I came across a drawer full of folders. I reached for the bottom one and pulled it out. I randomly grabbed a folder, brushed off the dust, and opened it.

I froze, unable to move. The photo inside chilled me to the bone. I quickly checked the front of the drawer to make sure I had taken the right folder.

Deceased.

The photo had me frozen, but curiosity compelled me to take another look.

Miguel Parajilla

Age: unknown

Status: Deceased

Job: Faction Uno, El Orden Del Abismo

Recruiter: Atlas Collazo

Position: Frontline and associate

My lips and hands trembled as I reread the words over and over. My vision blurred, and I could barely make out the words. I kept rereading it, like a broken record, just to make sure I was seeing things correctly.

I frantically searched for another document, my heart pounding in my chest. I found a contract similar to the one I had signed. I read through it, my mind racing. Atlas had warned me that leaving the organization would require finding a replacement. If I couldn't find one, I would be killed. And now I was supposed to replace my father.

I felt a cold dread settle in my stomach. Tears streamed down my face as I read the final words, a sob escaping my lips.

Replacement: Sarah Dayanghirang.

Cause of death: killed by Atlas.

"Hexia! What happened? Are you okay?" Oceanus asked.

He reached for me, but I was already on my knees, the cold carpet against my skin. The white folder was crushed in my hands as I cried uncontrollably.

"Hexia!" Oceanus's voice was a distant echo.

That's why I hadn't seen him for so long, he's working at Atlas, and I thought he was just busy. But this... This is unbelievable.

They made us believe that my father's death is suicide, but Atlas killed him!

SHANGPU