CHAPTER 37

As we finally got inside the helicopter, ready to fly into the air, I stayed quiet. Atlas and I had switched places, he was now sitting in the seat I used on our way here to Isla de Brawl. In front of us was the prize he mentioned, though I didn't yet know what it contained.

"The helicopter's ready to fly, Atlas. Are you all good back there?" I heard a man ask through my headphones.

"We're ready," Atlas quickly replied.

I kept my gaze fixed on what was Atlas' cousin's main office. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and brown shorts, with slides on his feet. His dog tag necklace glistened each time it caught the light. Just then, a man appeared beside him, making my eyes widen.

I wasn't mistaken—it was Sir Caddel. I recognized him as the husband of my best friend, Ei. Even though five years had passed, my former professor still looked the same, so I could easily recognize his face.

I frowned as I saw Helios glance up at the helicopter we were on, and it felt as if our gazes met. I swallowed, and instead of breaking eye contact, 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.

I sighed, leaning back into my seat. 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. I'm just a little sleepy," I replied, still with my eyes closed.

"Okay."

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

My eyes kept fluttering as I watched Atlas and Oceanus load the items Atlas won from the bet into a large icebox while I sat on a soft sofa. Besides the cash, he also had fresh human organs that he could sell on the black market, so everything was now inside the icebox.

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. Fortunately, the other crates of drugs were already prepared.

"All set?" I asked, yawning a bit from sleepiness.

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. I hadn't slept yet because, as soon as we arrived here at Atlas' warehouse, we immediately took care of packing the organs into the icebox. There was quite a lot.

"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.

"Why?" 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.

Oceanus and I exchanged glances at that. I had only met Ismael once, at his niece's birthday party in Mexico. I'd noticed that he and Atlas were quite close, so it was surprising that Atlas didn't know about it. 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.

"There's nothing else you need to do, right?" I asked them. "Is it okay if I head out now? I'm really sleepy," I said, turning my back on them and heading toward the open elevator.

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. It's a bit odd that he didn't tell you about that. 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."

I gave them both a small smile and entered the elevator. It went down right away, and I headed straight to my room to take a shower and rest on my soft bed.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

"We're going to Sanctuario Seguro."

I turned to Atlas when I heard what he said. Oceanus and I were in Atlas' office, both busy with our tasks. I was standing by a white drawer, holding a stack of papers.

"Sanctuario what?" I asked, frowning.

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

"I think this is the first time I've heard of it," I replied, scanning the papers in my hands.

"What's going on there? 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."

My heart raced at what Atlas said. Every member of El Orden Del Abismo would be at this Sanctuario Seguro. So that means Helios will be there too. I swallowed, trying not to show that I was nervous. I didn't know why I was feeling this way—was it because I'd seen Helios?

I shook off the thought. That shouldn't be my focus. What I needed to think about was how I could kill Helios, as that had been Atlas's order from the beginning.

"Just so you know, Hexia, Sanctuario Seguro is a luxury sanctuary. 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. And if you're wondering if there are similar luxury sanctuary safe zones in other countries, you're right. There are many safe zone sanctuaries spread across different countries, not just here," Atlas explained.

I put down the folders on top of the drawer and looked at him. His laptop was off, and he was looking at me. Oceanus, meanwhile, set his mug down and gave me a slight smile.

"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."

"Really? Should we prepare our outfits for that? I think the place you mentioned, the Sanctuario Seguro, sounds really nice. It would be 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. There was another event to attend. I sighed and rested for a moment. I had been standing and walking around the laboratory all day, monitoring the drug production, and this was the first time I had been able to rest.

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

He didn't wait for our response and simply left his office. Oceanus and I looked at each other after Atlas closed the door.

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

He shrugged. 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," Oceanus said.

I furrowed my brow. There was such a thing? Why couldn't we just go in without following any rules

"Why do we need that?" I asked him,

confused. "Can't we just go in there?"

He shook his head and took a piece of paper from beside him. He handed it to me, and I took it.

"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," he explained.

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..." I murmured to myself. "Is this the same mask I wore at Hyperion's birthday?"

"It seems like it's customized. Maybe that's the mask you'll use when we enter the safe zone. Atlas always wears his, so he's already well-known within our safe zone," he replied.

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. He took another sip of his coffee before looking at me again.

"Why?" he asked, frowning.

"Are you okay?" 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. "And you didn't drink any water, right?"

He sighed and took another sip of his coffee.

"Yeah, as usual."

"What a dummy," I teased him, laughing.

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

I rolled my eyes and raised my middle finger at him. He just laughed, and I could hear his voice getting weaker and weaker due to his hoarseness.

I stood up and picked up the stack of white folders on Atlas' desk. I was going to return them to their proper place so they wouldn't be scattered around his office. As I was quietly stacking the folders in a drawer, something caught my attention.

It was a black 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. There were always new folders appearing that shouldn't be here, so sometimes things got mixed up.

"Oceanus, where did Atlas put his other black folders? 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," he replied quickly.

"I see," I replied softly. "There's one more black folder here. Should I take it downstairs later? I'm going to get something from the room anyway. Atlas is still upstairs, right?"

"You decide. You know more about his folders than I do."

"Okay," I replied, nodding.

I dusted it off a little because it was dusty. Something was urging me to open it, even though I knew what kind of things were inside Atlas' folders. If it wasn't information about his employees, it was about his past transactions in other countries involving drugs. There were also contracts with his employees and other things related to the various kinds of drugs they produced.

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

I slowly opened the black folder and was momentarily stunned by the colored picture on the side.

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

"Wh-what is this?" I stammered.

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

The open black folder suddenly slipped from my hand. When I turned to Oceanus behind me, his eyes were wide with shock, and his chest was heaving. 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.

I furrowed my brow at his raised voice. 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.

"Are you crazy?!" I shouted. "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!" I yelled in his face.

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

"Did I do it on purpose?! Of course not!" I shouted. "If I knew what was inside, I wouldn't have asked you! You're good at other things, but your brain isn't working right now, Oceanus. You're so stupid!" I shouted angrily.

I quickly grabbed the black folder and added it to the white folders to take them to Atlas' second office downstairs. I glared at Oceanus before finally leaving Atlas' office.

My hands and body were trembling with anger and shock. My heart was pounding as I remembered what I saw. I wasn't imagining things. The photo looked exactly like my close friend Rafael. They looked like two peas in a pod. But there was a different name on it.

If my calculations were correct, he was the father of my close friend Rafael, but who were Rafael's recognized parents if this man was his father?

That explains why I felt so familiar with Atlas when I first met him. I recognized him 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.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

The journey to the Sanctuario Seguro took over two hours because I only found out from Atlas just before we got in the car that we were going to 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. He had a gun slung over his shoulder and was wearing a black polo shirt and slacks. Three of his companions appeared and did the same.

"Wear your mask," Atlas ordered me.

"Okay."

I was the only one who wasn't wearing a mask yet because I didn't want to ruin my makeup right away. Both Atlas and Oceanus were already wearing masks. It was a miracle that Oceanus wasn't talking. 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."

The man nodded and pressed something on his tablet again.

"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. Since our brief argument with Oceanus, we haven't spoken. 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, causing the car window to go up. We entered the premises. On the sidewalk 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. We got out of our vehicle and were approached by a man who I think was the 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 strapless elegant, shimmering gold and dark red corset long gown with a slit. Since I couldn't bring weapons, I couldn't tie my hair in a bun because I only used Saf as a hairpin.

I also adjusted my dark red gloves that reached my elbow when they suddenly slipped down.

"Let's go. Link your arm with mine," Atlas suddenly ordered.

I sighed because here we go again, 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. There were many guests scattered around, and it was overwhelming because there were so many people. Thankfully, even though there were so many people, it was still cold because of the strong air conditioning.

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," I whispered to myself.

There were two doors open to a hall where all the guests were. The inside was very spacious once we entered, and there was a large 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?" Atlas asked suddenly.

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. When a man's gaze fell on me, I just smiled slightly.

"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.

It was just one word, but it felt like my world stopped when I heard his voice. I could tell from his voice that he was in a hurry, as if he was 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. 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."

He grimaced at what I said and scratched his head. "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. I'll just stay here and wander around."

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

I almost choked on my own saliva when I heard his last words. I was trying to hold back my laughter and not laugh in front of him.

"What are you, a child?" I asked him jokingly. "It's okay now because you apologized. I was just waiting for you to apologize because it was your fault."

He seemed relieved by what I said. He quickly gave me a friendly kiss on the cheek and patted my back several times before finally leaving my side. I just watched him enter a very large double door at the end of this large hall.

I sighed and felt bored again because they were both gone. Atlas and Oceanus were the only ones I was close to here. I just stood on the side and watched other people talking to their companions.

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 in 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.

There were waiters going around because they didn't stop serving cocktail drinks. A man stopped in front of me, smiling while also wearing a black mask.

"Cosmopolitan, Mrs. Collazo?"

I couldn't help but grimace at what he said. Even though my face was covered, they still knew me. 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, going out of this hall. Her perfume was familiar, I unconsciously followed her with my eyes until she went out. 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. Sometimes I would look at the strange paintings, and I couldn't figure out what they really were whenever they stopped walking.

"Caddel, we shouldn't have come here. 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. We have a code name, don't we?"

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.

I could hear my heart pound loudly. We both worked for this organization. This must be the problem Ei didn't want to tell me about in the past five years. I want to approach her and talk to her. I want to hug her really tight since we haven't seen each other for so long. Even though she's wearing a mask, I know it's her because of her voice.

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, their safe zone.

There were many vacant rooms here that you could enter and rest in. 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 and 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