A/N: Official na magsisimula ang story na ito pagkatapos ng Dagger Series #8: Uncovered <3

CHAPTER ONE: DOOM

SORCHA'S POV

I'm not the kind of person who easily gets nervous. In fact, I can't remember the last time that I had that kind of feeling. It's not because I'm so confident that nothing can rattle me. Masyado lang talaga akong abala sa sarili kong mundo na madalas kong hindi mapansin ang mundo sa labas niyon.

But right now, I'm nervous. No sane person wouldn't be nervous if they were sitting in front of seven giant men looking at them. And last time I checked, I'm sane. The majority of them are also the broodiest men I've ever met in my life, plus they're my boss.

Let's rip it off like a band-aid. "Am I fired?"

Nagpakawala ng malalim na hininga si Thorn Dawson. The look on his face reminds me of when his wife comes to visit. It's fun when she does since she and Trace always bicker and they're funny. But since it's Thorn who's always stopping them, he always has this look that seems to indicate that his patience is about to reach its limit.

"You probably know that you're one of the company's most valuable assets."

I blinked. "Yes."

Trace Dawson coughed, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. Thorn gave him a look, and then he continued, "You've contributed a lot to the company even during the time that you were just starting, and you're the youngest in your department."

I started here at Dagger Private Security and Investigation Agency when I graduated. I didn't really expect that I would get accepted, what with them being one of the best investigation companies in the country. Even though I graduated Summa Cum Laude, in the real world, experience is still the most important thing. But they gave me a chance, and I've been working here ever since.

I know that I'm lucky to be here. There are some that have a great job and work around great co-workers and employers, but the work is not that financially rewarding. There are some that have great co-workers, employers, and wages, but they hate the job. But there's also situations where the job and the salary are great but the environment is not good. In summary, you can't have it all.

But here, I have it all. The pay is amazing, my employers and colleagues are great to work with, and I love the job.

So getting fired would really suck.

"You're the best at what you do, you don't complain if we need you to work overtime, and sometimes you even voluntarily come here during the weekends even if you don't need to."

The things he's saying are all good things, and yet I could hear a "but". There's definitely a but.

Thorn held my eyes. "We received a complaint about you."

The way I could hear the "but" earlier, I could also hear the "again" in his words right now. Hindi naman kasi ito ang unang beses na may natanggap ako na complain. Ito nga lang ng unang beses na malaman ko iyon habang kaharap ko silang lahat.

"Do you remember Mr. Alanes?" Sa pagkakataon na ito ay ang pangalawa sa nakatatandang mga Dawson na si Gun ang nagsalita.

"I do. He's the politician who came here because he believed that his mistress was getting too obsessed with him to the point of stalking and threatening him."

It turns out that it was his own wife's doing. Gusto ng babae na magkahiwalay ang asawa niya at ang other woman kaya gumawa siya ng paraan para mawalan ng gana at matakot ang asawa niya sa kabit niyon.

If you ask me, I'll annul the asshole and take half of what he owns instead of staying with him. But to each their own.

"He's claiming that you have been rude to him," Axel Dawson informed me.

Kumunot ang noo ko. "No, I didn't."

Nagbaba ng tingin ang lalaki sa laptop niya. "So you didn't call him an asshole?"

"Say it? No."

Trace chuckled. "But you thought about it?" Bumuka ang mga labi ko pero itinikom ko lang ulit iyon. He grinned. "Don't worry, we know he's an ass. There's no hiding that."

"Trace," Pierce Dawson said with a warning. Ngumuso ang mas nakababatang Dawson habang napailing naman si Pierce. "He is an asshole, but he's a client. We can't choose our clients. Of course, with the exemption of them the ones breaking the law." Hinilot niya ang sentido niya. "He's a cheat, and he's married. That is punishable by law. But unless his wife gets our service against him, we really can't do anything about it. Mr. Alanes is still a client, and we need to treat him as one."

I get that. I haven't and will never question that. That's the thing about professionalism. Even if he's an unfaithful jerk, Dagger can't turn him away for the fact that his life is being threatened and he feels unsafe. Kahit pa na deserve niya.

"I understand that. But I wasn't being malicious or judgemental when I talked to him. He went to me to thank me since I helped with his case, and he told me that he owed me one since he could have been murdered. He asked me how I knew that it was his wife and not his mistress. I gave him an honest answer."

"I'm curious," may kinang sa mga mata na sabi ni Domino Dawson. "What exactly did you say to him?

I thought about it for a second before I answered, "I said that it's because, statistically speaking, it is more likely that the spouse will kill their partner, especially if that person was cheating. I said that the mistresses usually don't bother. They know the kind of person they're involved with, and they don't have much expectation."

Trace guffawed and looked at his brothers. "She's not wrong."

"If they can't handle the truth, that's their problem," Coal agreed with a shrug.

Thorn gave them a look, his eyes telling them that they were not helping. When he turned to me, he let out a sigh. "We understand where you are coming from, but it's important that we're careful when dealing with our clients, and that includes the things we say to them."

I'm really getting fired.

As if he could read my mind, he spoke again, "You're not getting fired."

"A salary deduction?" I scanned their faces. "Because I understand if that's the case."

Si Gun ang sumagot sa tanong ko. "No. But we decided that you need to undergo interpersonal skills training." Hindi niya pinakawalan ang mga mata ko. He's a giant, and he's the most intimidating and broodiest out of the Dawsons, but I held my ground even though I'm starting to feel the tension wrapping around me. Which is another first for me. "This is not the first time this happened. You're blatantly honest, and that's part of your personality. There's nothing wrong with that. But we need to be different when we're in front of our clients."

"Take it from Kuya Gun," sabi ni Trace na nginitian ako na para bang pinapayapa niya ang kalooban ko. "He always looks like he wants to beat someone up, but he never does. Kahit na may mga kliyente tayo na deserve iyon."

They seem to be selling hard the idea of me training for my interpersonal skills as if they're worried that I will take it differently or feel offended. Pero wala naman akong nararamdaman na ganoon. I know what kind of person I am, and my family has warned me again and again about it.

The Dawsons are not telling me to change my personality. They're not making me feel like there's something wrong with me. All they want is for me to understand how to treat Dagger's clients. And also, as my superiors, they can't really just let me get away with everything. It's not a good example for the others.

I don't deal with clients directly. I know that, and they know it as well. I work in the Forensic department. Hindi ko kailangan makisalamuha lagi sa mga kliyente at hindi rin nila ako kailangang makita lagi. May mga pagkakataon nga lang na hindi naiiwasan iyon katulad ng kapag kailangan ko na kumuha ng sample mula mismo sa kanila, direkta nila akong pinapatawag, o katulad ni Mr. Alanes na pinuntahan ako mismo.

"I'll do it. What do I have to do?"

They shared a look, surprised by my easy compliance. "You will be shadowed for ninety days by someone that we want you to mentor regarding the ins and outs of your daily job," Thorn explained. "We will send you the complete details tomorrow."

3 months? It's a hassle, but it's better than being fired. At saka ang inaasahan ko ay ilalagay nila ako sa reception para salubungin ang mga kliyente o kailangan kong mag-duty sa client service department. I just need to handle one person. A student. That's easier.

"Is it a new employee po? An intern?"

"No," Pierce answered this time. "We received a formal request to allow an actor to learn from our forensic department under the condition that all necessary confidentiality agreements, which include an NDA, are signed."

All the confidence I felt moments ago that this would be easy came to a full stop. I can feel a familiar throbbing in my temple. Hindi ako nagkakaroon ng migraine pero iisa lang ang taong nakakapagparamdam sa akin ng sintomas niyon.

No. Maraming artista sa Pilipinas. Hindi lang siya ang nag-iisa.

"Si Caleb Riley po ba?" The research department is good at their job. So good that they seem to know everything. Caleb Riley is a close friend of Pierce's wife, Belaya. Kaya madalas siyang mapag-usapan ng mga empleyado ng Dagger at siyang dahilan din kung bakit pamilyar ako sa kaniya. "I heard that he's preparing for a new project."

Bumakas ang pagkagulat sa mukha ni Trace. "You like him?"

"Uhh... I guess?" I'm lying. But if I'm going to think about the alternative, the other person that came to mind, then I'm ready to profess my love to Caleb Riley if that's what it takes.

"Unfortunately hindi siya."

"Si Sam Lorenzo po?" banggit ko sa isa pang aktor na kasamahan ng asawa ni Pierce.

"Hindi rin."

Dread is starting to creep its way through me. Maraming artista sa Pilipinas. Maraming artista sa Pilipinas. Maraming artista sa—

I should have known—no. I did know. The moment they said that my shadow was an actor, I knew. I just wanted to deny it, but there's no escaping the fact that fate has a sense of humor, and I'm the unlucky recipient of her prank.

Thorn's words only sealed the deal. It was done. I am doomed. "It's Darien Zeon Henderson."

BASTA KO NA lang hinagis ang bag na dala ko sa sofa bago nahahapong sumalampak ako ng upo roon. I leaned back with my eyes closed, trying not to think about the imminent future.

"Kung mababalik ko lang ang nakaraan, magpapakabait na ako."

Even saying that, though, I don't think anything will change. Ako kasi iyong klase ng tao na kapag tinanong mo ay ibibigay ko sa'yo ang sagot na hinihingi mo. I find it unnecessary to sugarcoat things in situations where the truth is important.

I'm not saying that I didn't do anything wrong. I don't think that I did, but for other people, it's different. Kung naghahanap sila ng taong sasagot at aalagaan pa rin ang nararamdaman nila habang ibinibigay sa kanila ang katotohanan, they should talk to Kuya Nevan instead of talking to me.

My twin brother is my opposite. He likes people, and he finds them interesting. On the other hand, I am not good at interacting with other people.

If a person asks if a red shirt looks better on him than the blue one, but I think that the blue shirt looks better, I'll tell him straight what I think. Kuya Nevan, however, would tell him that the red shirt looks nice, but in his opinion, his features would look better with the blue one.

Malakas na napabuntong-hininga ako nang marinig ko ang pag-ring ng cellphone ko. I didn't want to answer, but there are only three people who will call me during this hour. Kapag hindi ko sila sinagot ay hindi na ako magtataka kung bigla na lang silang pupunta rito sa bahay. O papuntahin nila ang kapatid ko tutal ay magkatabi lang ang mga bahay namin.

With a groan, I grab my phone that is inside my bag without looking at it. Nananatiling nakasandal ang ulo sa sofa na inangat ko ang kamay ko at nakita ko na ang ina ko ang tumatawag.

"Ma—"

"I want to file for an annulment."

Ang iba siguro mag-pa-panic sa naging bungad niya. But I just rolled my eyes. "You said that a month ago, Ma."

"This time it's for real."

"Every month gusto niyong maghiwalay mula bata pa kami ni Kuya. Konting lambing lang sa'yo ni Papa sigurado akong bati na naman kayo."

She gasped. "Sorcha Byrne! That's not true!"

It is true. At this point, wala na sa amin ng kapatid ko ang naniniwala sa kanila. It's their thing. Magtatampuhan tapos magbabati rin.

It's not like they fight because of the big things. Kung ano-ano lang talaga ang pinag-aawayan nila. The last big fight they had was before my brother and I were born. Siyang rason kung bakit magkaiba ang apelido namin ni kuya.

Ang sabi nila sa amin, may natanggap kasi na-offer si Papa sa abroad. He accepted it, but he didn't tell my mother because he knew that she would never agree.

My mother loves this country, even if she wasn't born here. Parehas sila ni Papa na half-Filipino at half-Irish. Dito nakatira talaga si Papa sa Pilipinas pero si Mama ay pinanganak sa Ireland at doon siya nakatira bago siya mag-high school. She loved this country so much that even when her parents returned to Ireland, she chose to stay here.

Alam ni Papa iyon. They were newly married, but he knows that Aoife Byrne is a strong willed woman who never backs away from what she loves and what she believes in. Sa isip niya raw noon, kung hindi niya nga nakumbinsi si Mama na kuhanin ang apelido niya ay duda siya kung makukumbinsi niya si Mama na sumama sa kaniya.

The thing is, even if she loves this country, she loves my father, Declan Devlin, more. Kaya sobrang nagalit siya no'ng nalaman niya ang ginawa ni Papa. Naghiwalay sila at iyon na ang huling beses na nakita ni Papa si Mama. She left and didn't say where she was going.

Papa went to the US, but he didn't stay long. He went back to the Philippines to look for her. When he did find her, he got the surprise of a lifetime. The surprise being me and my brother.

Kahit na galit siya kay Papa ay Devlin pa rin ang ibinigay niya na apelido kay Kuya Nevan. Pero dahil galit pa rin siya ay apelido niya ang ibinigay niya sa akin.

We have a weird and loud family, even though it's just the four of us. The dynamics of my parents' relationship are not something that most people will understand. Some might judge them since bata pa lang kami ay saksi na kami sa mga trip nila sa buhay ni Papa. But even if they annoy each other a lot, Kuya Nevan and I also witness how much they love each other. They never say hurtful words out of anger, or anything that has an enduring impact.

Para lang talaga silang mga teenager na laging nag-aasaran tapos magsusuyuan din naman.

"What did he do this time?" I asked.

"He attempted to cook for me. I went home early since he said that he had a surprise for me for our anniversary. Nang makarating ako sa bahay wala siya. I didn't see any surprise. I also didn't see any attempt to cook. What I saw was an attempted murder! Of my cookwares! My three-hundred dollar cookware!"

What was he thinking? He knew better than to cook. "Nasaan po si Papa ngayon?"

"He's probably on Mars to hide from me!"

Inalis ko sandali ang phone ko mula sa tenga ko. I put it on loudspeaker so that I could still hear her while I'm typing a text to my brother.

"He has a personal vendetta with my cookware. He knows I love it so much that I paid a lot just to have it shipped from here. He didn't agree with me buying it since he said it's too expensive just for something to cook on." She let out an angry huff. "As if he knows anything about cooking!"

"I don't think sinadiya ni Papa na sirain iyan, Ma. Alam mo naman po si Papa, hopeless sa kusina."

"But—"

"If it's intentional just because he hates it, he wouldn't buy the ultimate cookware pro set for you. You know? The six-hundred dollar set."

She gasped, but this time it was for a completely different reason. Sorry, Pa. I'm just trying to help you.

"Don't tell him that I told you. Anniversary gift niya po 'yon." My phone pinged, and I clicked on the notification. Mabilis na binasa ko ang chat na ipinadala sa akin ng kapatid ko. "Bumibili lang daw ng pagkain si Papa. He's at your favorite restaurant."

Ilang sandali na hindi siya umimik. When she finally did, her tone sounded lighter. "Ang sweet ng Papa mo 'no?" tanong niya at humagikhik pa.

Pinaikot ko ang mga mata ko. I'm not even surprised. "I have to go, Ma. Have fun with Papa. I need to tend to my babies. Happy anniversary po sa inyo."

"Pinagpapalit mo na naman ako sa mga alaga mo."

"It's not that. I just know that the moment we end this call, you're going to look for his gift."

Her bell-like laughter filled the air. I said my goodbyes again, and this time she did the same as well while giving me kissy sounds and telling me multiple times that she loves me.

Nanatili lang ako sa kinapupuwestuhan ko kahit natapos na ang tawag. I let myself enjoy the peace for a moment, but when the name and face of a certain someone kept popping into my brain, I decided to stand up.

Nilapitan ko ang isang parte ng bahay at humugot ako ng malalim na hininga. "Let's not think about ugly things and let's focus on beautiful things. Right?"

Of course, the plant in front of me didn't answer. I like it that way. Everything is quiet and peaceful.

Inabot ko ang water mist bottle na naiwan ko sa tabi ng paso niyon at tumayo ako para lagyan iyon ng bagong tubig. Bumalik ako sa kinaroroonan ng Snake plant ko at sinimulan kong diligan iyon.

Nang matapos ako ay nilapitan ko naman ang Dracaena ko. "I don't want to think about the future. Baka nga wala na akong future. Maybe I will get hit by a truck on my way to work." I chuckled to myself, enjoying my morbid humor that not many can understand. "Pero hindi pala pwede. Sino na lang ang mag-aalaga sa inyo kapag wala na ako?" I turned to the Jade plant next to it. "My parents are too busy with their love life, and my brother will kill you once he touches you."

Dumiretso ako ng tayo at diniligan ko ang iba pang mga paso na nagkalat sa bahay. They're all Snake, Dracaena, and Jade plants. Dumami lang sila dahil na-harvest ko ang plant pups na nagmula sa tatlong orihinal ko na mga halaman. I kept them all since it's easy to take care of them. Hindi naman kasi nila kailangang diligan araw-araw. Pwedeng weekly or every two to three weeks.

Nang matapos sa ginagawa ay ibinaba ko sa kusina ang mist spray at pagkatapos ay tumuloy ako sa likod ng bahay kung saan naroon ang iba ko pang mga halaman. I have plants, flowers, and there's also a section for vegetables and herbs.

I opened the lights, and I let out a smile that I rarely show to anyone curve on my lips. "Hello, babies."

They said that there's no better time than the present. So for now, I'm staying in the present. I'm not going to think about the looming catastrophe, even though it's just right around the corner.

A catastrophe named Darien Zeon "Daze" Henderson.

_________________________________End of Chapter 1.