Chapter I

The Delgado Cousins

ANTHONY 

"Ant, someone is here to see you."

"Who?"

"It's your grandfather,"

Bumaling ako kay Mika. Nakatingin lang naman siya sa akin ng seryoso rin...

Then I went out of the dark room where I was in. I couldn't even open the windows or the curtains to let some sunlight in. Since that happened...

I just didn't want to see light anymore...

As if I had lost my light and hope at that time... that same time...

Hinarap ko ang taong naghahanap sa akin. And he was introduced to me as Don Antonio Delgado. He was said to be someone rich and powerful, that even the Zachmann family had paid respect to him and they let him in here to talk to me.

"Anthony... is your name, am I right, hijo?" He asked me.

I was just looking at him. At tinatantya ko rin muna siya...

I couldn't just trust anyone, even when I was told that he was my grandpa...

Pero bahagya lang din akong tumango nang tanungin niya ako tungkol sa pangalan ko.

Tumango rin siya sa'kin bahagya at may tipid na ngiti ang gumuhit sa kaniyang manipis na labi. "It was my son who gave you that name. And he even named you after him..."

He talked calmly. But I can also sense some kind of dangers... As if when things doesn't go this old man's way then it would mean trouble even for me... tsk. What an annoying feeling...

Kailan ba ako natakot sa kahit na ano o sino? I could even end the life of anyone, when I was ordered to as an assassin...

And what did he just said? He told me about my father...

Noong bata pa ako ay nakilala at nakasama rin namin siya ni Mama. Although he frequently went away, and I was only told by my mother that my father had to go and work for us... But then later on I found out that aside from working he also had to go back to his legitimate family...

Bata pa ako noong nalaman din namin ni Mama na namatay daw siya sa isang aksidente... At kailangan din muna naming magpakalayulayo noon ni Mama...

"Why are you here?" I asked the old man.

Tumingin naman siya sa mga mata ko at nagkatinginan kaming dalawa.

"I'm here to get you, and to take you with me, hijo." He said.

Bahagya naman kumunot ang noo ko sa kaniya. What? Why...

I smirked. "Sorry, Sir, but I'm not some child anymore..." I said.

Nanatili pa rin ang tingin niya sa akin na mukhang hindi rin siya patitinag. I feel like no matter what, mas lamang pa rin sa akin ang mga nalalaman at napagdaanan na niya...

And it's not just because he was older, tsk.

Why do I even feel like I was having some kind of a stupid goosebumps just by looking back at his pair of dark eyes...

But then his dark orbs also just kind of brightened a little bit, when the sides of his lips curved up as well and into a small smile...

Bahagya rin siyang tumango, like he's agreeing to what I just said. "You're right. And I don't intend to force you... but then I'm hoping that you'd take pity on this old man, for I just want to be with my grandson..." He smiled at me kindly?

I had real goosebumps this time.

I sighed.

And for me to have pity on him? I looked at him who looked rather expensive with all the luxurious suit and wristwatch he's wearing. He doesn't look pitiful to me at all.

"If you're thinking about the Zachmanns, don't be, coz that's already been taken cared of." aniya pa.

I looked at him in the eyes again.

Nakatingin lang kami sa isa't isa... Hanggang sa napapayag niya na rin akong sumama sa kaniya...

At first, I was only curious... Curious of why he even looked for me and why does he want me now...

After all, no one from my father's family really went to us after my father was gone and even after my mother died from being sick, too...

"From now on, you're Anthony Wayne Delgado, Antonio Delgado's—my grandson." Don Antonio smiled at me.

He may be old now, but apparently he's a business tycoon and a prodigy...

"You may rest first for now. Ipapatawag na lang kita mamaya para sa dinner at kapag nandito na rin sa bahay ang iba mo pang mga pinsan."

Oh. I have other cousins as well...

"By the way, this is my secretary, Millicent Yvonne Hernaez."

I turned to the lady who was just with us all this time. Pero tahimik lang siyang kasama namin. Iyon pala ay secretary naman pala siya ni lolo...

Bahagya na lang akong tumango sa kaniya. And she also did the same, formally...

Nakatingin pa ako sa kaniya. Pero bumaling na rin siya kay lolo nang kausapin din siya nito. And then he asked her to show me to my bedroom in this mansion.

"This way, Sir," pormal niya lang din na tinuro sa akin ang magiging kwarto ko rito sa bahay.

I couldn't help but to notice that she was a bit uptight on our first meeting...

"Is there anything else, Sir? If there's none that you need for now, then I may take my leave,"

Napatango na lang naman ako sa pagiging masyadong pormal niyang babae...

Pagkatapos ay lumabas na rin siya ng kwarto at nawala na sa harapan ko...

MILLIE

"Lolo!" Damian Axel Delgado, the youngest grandson of Don Antonio Delgado came running to the old man the moment he saw him like what a younger boy would do to his grandfather.

While Don Antonio just chuckled and welcomed his grandson in his arms like he was still a little boy. "Damian, how have you been, hijo?"

"Very well, lolo." He grinned.

Napangiti rin si Don Antonio sa apo. "Hmm. I heard that you're seeing a girl, was her name Kalixta, am I right?"

"Uh-huh. She's Kali." ani Damian na may malaking ngiti sa mga labi niya.

He's actually already in his mid twenties. But Don Antonio still treat him like a young boy, just like the first time when the Don met him in the past...

"Very well. Is she treating you nicely?"

Damian nodded right away. "Yes. She's very nice to me." Ngumiti muli siya sa kaniyang lolo.

At napangiti rin muli si Don Antonio na bahagya pang tumangutango sa kaniyang apo.

Pagkatapos ay dumating na rin ang isa pang apo ni Don Antonio, siya naman ang panganay sa tatlong magpipinsan. And his name's Kaden Theodore Delgado...

"Lolo,"

Bumaling si Don Antonio sa mga bagong dating. "Kaden, Ayla,"

Magandang ngumiti si Ma'am Ayla kay Don Antonio...

Maria Ayla del Valle-Delgado, she's the only daughter of a business magnate. At kaibigan din ni Don Antonio ang kaniyang Papa.

Pagkatapos ay bumaling na rin sa akin si Don Antonio. And I stayed alert, too. "He's here, Don Antonio,"

I opened another door for Anthony Wayne Delgado...

"Everyone, Kaden, Damian, I'd like you to meet your cousin, Anthony Wayne Delgado." Don Antonio introduced another of his grandson to his other two grandsons on this family dinner meeting.

"Oh. Another one," Damian just smiled nonchalantly.

Habang seryoso namang dumako rin ang tingin ni Sir Kaden sa kaniyang pinsan, and his serious gaze had reminded me of how a real uptight man he was...

At tahimik lang naman sa tabi niya si Ma'am Ayla, his wife.

The Delgados had dinner together that evening in the Delgado mansion. At parang normal na lang din na nagkakilala na ang tatlong magpipinsan...

And after that I was called to Don Antonio's office study. "Sir,"

"Millicent, I'd like to ask you something,"

"Anything, Sir." I promptly answered.

I was actually an orphan. And Don Antonio and his late wife only adopted me when Donya Maria Delgado was still alive...

Donya Maria had done many charitable deeds with the Delgado family's wealth when she was still living. And she used to visit the orphanage where I used to live, then she asked Don Antonio to take me with them. And that's when I ended up being raised by Donya Maria with Don Antonio and now I've also become the Don's trusted secretary. At wala akong balak na sirain ang tiwala sa akin ng pamilya Delgado.

Malaki ang utang na loob ko sa mga Delgado at lalo na kay Donya Maria, who was nothing but kind to me.

At kahit ano pa siguro ang hingin sa aking pabor ni Don Antonio ay gagawin ko.

He sighed a bit. "It's about Anthony..." Tumingin siya sa akin pagkatapos.

"You know, he had a rough past..." he said.

Nanatili ang atensyon ko sa kaniya at nakinig akong mabuti sa bawat salitang binabanggit sa akin ni Don Antonio tungkol sa kaniyang apo na si Anthony...

At habang nakukwento siya, ay nanlaki naman ang mga mata ko sa nalaman tungkol sa nakaraan ni Anthony...

I only knew that he was an assassin for a certain family, and that his mother had passed away early, too. Just like Don Antonio's eldest son, Anthony's father who also passed just earlier than his other two younger brothers who were Sir Kaden and Damian's fathers...

"There was a woman that he probably loved, but unfortunately she died... and that was after she was sexually assaulted, and by the men that Anthony ended up killing every one of them..." Don Antonio told me.

Umawang naman ang labi ko sa nalaman. Anthony probably didn't tell his grandfather about this himself. But Don Antonio had done digging about his grandchildren's past...

"What would you like me to do, Sir?" I asked and I was also already preparing myself. Dahil hindi rin ako pwedeng tumanggi kahit ano pa man iyon at malaki nga ang utang na loob ko sa mga Delgado. So I was just willing to do anything for their family...

Don Antonio looked at me. "I want you to stay by Anthony's side, and do everything that you can so he'd forget about his traumatic past..." And then he sighed again.

And looking at Don Antonio, I knew that it wasn't easy for him, too...

Hindi na rin naging madali sa kaniya nang una niyang mahanap at makita rin noon ang isa niyang apo na si Damian. That guy also had a traumatizing past when he was only a child...

And I know that Don Antonio had already blamed himself countless of times dahil napabayaan ang kaniyang mga apo at hindi niya agad sila hinanap...

Alam ko na nagsisisi rin siya. And he's only human, too. And we humans can commit mistakes...

I nodded my head in response. "I will do the very best I can, Sir." I said.

Tumingin sa akin si Don Antonio at bahagya siyang ngumiti sa akin. "Thank you, Millicent. You have done many things for this family. If there's anything that I can do for you please just tell me, hija."

Unti-unti na lang din akong tumango sa sinabi niya sa akin...

At alam ko na kung bakit sa akin iniaasa ni Don Antonio itong tungkol sa kaniyang apo na si Anthony. And it's because he wanted someone that he trusts to look after his newly found grandson...

At malaking bagay sa akin ang tiwala na binigay nila sa akin ni Donya Maria.

[Author's Note: Hello, readers! You can now read till Chapter XII or Chapter 12 of this story it's available exclusively in Patreon or my Facebook VIP group! To join VIP, kindly message me directly on my Facebook account Rej Martinez or Facebook page Rej Martinez's Stories. Membership fee is 150 pesos for 1 month of membership in the private group for my VIP readers. And you can pay the membership fee with GCash. Thank you so much for your support!]