Chapter Twenty-Four: Unfolding Cards

HAPONG DUMEPENDE ang mga kamay ni Janice sa mga tuhod niya. The effort she is exerting to keep her breathing in check and to prevent her eyes from swelling is proved to be gradually failing as the sound of every drip from Alexander's IV reigns the room's walls.

"Are you sure?" she asked, yet she knew better than to ask for confirmation.

I looked at my palms, not being relieved or less tensed even after spouting my conclusion. "I am also betting that Lady Edeline, my mother-in-law, was led by the same toxins to her first death."

"Alam ba ni Sky 'yan?"

"No," I bit my lower lip. "I haven't checked yet. I couldn't find the courage to do so. It can't be called lying or hiding if it is not a fact."

She sighed knowingly. "It would break his heart that in addition to her mother's sickness, a poison amplified her condition which cemented his eventual separation from her."

I bobbed my head in response.

And it would break my heart, too, to see him being dismantled all over again only for him to pick every scattered piece of him alone stubbornly.

"I do not believe that my husband was outnumbered easily."

A frown formed on my forehead. "Anyone could be outnumbered, especially with poison."

Janice scoffed unkindly. "Not my Alexander."

Napatingala ako't sinundan ng mga mata ko ang pagtayo niya mula sa upuan hanggang sa pag-upo nito sa gilid ng kama ng asawa niya. "You're betting your everything on your husband, I'm betting my everything with mine," she said as she gently fixes even the tiniest wrinkle on his hospital gown.

My jaw stiffened. Looking at the angle she's going for would slightly redirect the narration of the situation. "Bakit naman ipapahamak ni Don Alexander ang sarili niya?"

"To lure the suspect."

"That is too much for luring, don't you think?"

"I agree," she calmly affirmed, then she turned to my direction. "But... I read what you have gathered with Renneisme and Maria Dereena. My husband is also just betting his everything on us. Everything one can do is an exaggeration except when their enemy is doing the same."

Janice rose from her seat, her chin was held higher than before she learned the truth. Her eyes were sharper than the tips of a hardened snowflake amid a winter storm. Her body propped to a posture perhaps even nobility would be ashamed not to commend. And with the way she controlled the heaving of her chest as if her will was a whip and it an animal to be tamed, I saw how snow could be the most beautiful yet harshest of all. This was not the timid and unsociable Janessa whom we first met at the Academy. This is another descendant of the infamous Mhorfell Children. This was the matriarch of the Dela Vega-Cromello household.

And the only respectable answer to a show of power is unleashing your own.

"Kung ganoon, kilala niya ang taong nasa likod ng atake," kuryos kong turan. I tilted my head challengingly. "He understood he could not catch this person alone, or he should not be the one to catch him, so he orchestrated a time and event to prompt those who can follow the suspect."

"Matapos ang nangyari sa Onyx Council, puro biyak ang relasyon sa Norte. It is the most vulnerable time to every family and the most ideal time to attack for those who are greedy and selfish," aniya at pinagdikit ang mga kamay sa kaniyang harapan.

"Hindi ba't mas magkakagulo kapag nakalabas ang balitang naatake ang isang lider ng mafia? Bakit hindi na lang siya nagsabi?" hindi ko mapalagay na bulalas. I sighed frustratingly and ran both my hands over my hair. "Anong mayroon sa salarin na 'to na hindi magawang kayan-kayanin ni Don Alexander?"

She narrowed her eyes while in deep thought. "Perhaps, that is the answer."

"Huh?"

"The culprit has something that could shatter Alexander. Not just him, but also Alexandra Dela Vega. They're both pillars of northern mafia alliances. One crack, everything breaks," she replied with a shrug.

"And do not speak as if communication is simply the answer to everything. It'd be quite naïve to say so. It's easier said than done. Dahil kung ganoon lang din kadali ang mundo, lahat sana masaya. Edi sana walang kasinungalingan sa diksyonaryo," dagdag nito nang may lantad na bahid ng pagkairita.

I knew it was not the time to have our philosophical views and beliefs clash, so I chose not to argue. After all, it would be hypocritical of me to do so when I, myself, have secrets of my own. Secrets that I must keep as folded cards under my sleeves, so they may manifest their greatest efficiency at a time they were needed most. 

Nang bumuntong-hininga ako ay tinalikuran ako nito't naglakad papalapit sa malaking cabinet sa hindi kalayuan. Hindi kinubli ni Janice sa akin na ang tinungo niya roon ay ang itim na safe box.

Habang isa-isang nagpipindot ng numero'y, hindi niya hinayaang matuldukan ang diskusyon. "You know, my father has admitted many times to Alexandra Dela Vega that he's jealous of her achievements. The intimacy between Alexandra and Clyde Vantress is also obvious back then. The Devroid Twins confessed their hesitance sa pagtulong sa Escape. They were transparent with each other, as well. But how did it end?"

A strong beep signaled the unlocking of the box.

"Tragedy. For them and for us," Janice finished begrudgingly, her back still against me.

Nang muli niya kong harapin, she extended a neat pile of papers to me. "The culprit's intentions were personal. His aim is to tear us from the inside. Ang gulo na nasa labas, they're distraction. Alexandra fled and Alexander's in coma. He will come for her first dahil lahat ng atensyon natin ay nasa asawa ko. I trust my mother-in-law will give him a run for his money. So, for now, ang aasikasuhin natin ay ang labas," she explained and then jerked the paper again to urge me to take it.

In short, she wants to take things one step at a time. Mitigate the risks and damages before the culprit can unveil God-know-what secret that could ruin our families. As such, kinuha ko ang papeles nang 'di pinuputol ang paligsahan namin ng titig. Nang kalauna'y nahulog ang mga mata ko sa titulo na nakalimbag sa papel, dito ako halos mapaatras.

"This..." I mumbled almost breathlessly. "Did Alexander---"

"He's infertile, Fiacre," she cut me off. "At hindi ako masusurpresa kung ang parehong lason na nakapaglakbay sa kung saan-saang inumin o plato ng mga mahuhusay at kilalang tao ay nakarating din sa asawa ko noong wala pa siyang kamuwang-muwang."

Lumunok si Janice at napapikit nang halos biyak ang boses na niyang nautal ang huling salita.

We had our suspicions, but we opted not to voice it out. The fact that no one dared to question it outside our circle is proof enough that their marriage commanded enough respect and authority within the organizations. Nevertheless, hearing it from her had my heart sunk. Having experienced the joy of being a mother, I could not imagine the sorrow of someone who wanted to be but could not.

"Regardless if that poison is the reason or not, I will not leave him. Adopting could be a problem. We tried other methods, but nothing." Muling bumukas ang mga mata niya. At bagama't walang luhang nagbanta sa kabila ng pagbanggit sa masakit na katotohanan, the matriarch's eyes glistened with a thousand reflections of moments that she wished they could have if they had a child.

The nerve-wrecking waiting for two red lines. The excitement to go to her husband's office to break the good news. Spending every possible time to think of names befitting an heir. Scurrying the department store's every shelf for the best bib, socks, bonnet, and crib. A moment when she could just lie down in their bed while he leaned against her belly, waiting for even the most subtle signs of response from the life breathing underneath.

As harrowing as it is, she pulled the veil down once again, keeping her own pain to herself for the sake of the bigger picture and the future.

"Contact your husband and tell him to return immediately. Have him bring not just Sean Kyle Vantress but also the rightful successor to the Dela Vega Mafia--- Alexel Cromello."

Walang iniwang pagdududa ang ma-awtoridad na utos nito. At the same time, there was neither animosity nor regret in her gaze, hands, and posture, implying that what must be done must be done.

"I will, ma'am." I bowed my head in respect and acknowledgment of their decision. I guess, in the end, the blood in Alex's veins will always inevitably bring him back to where he's supposed to be. "I'll handle the elders should there be opposition."

Tumango ito bilang pagsang-ayon.

"That's all, for now. May kailangan ka pang asikasuhin kaagad paglabas mo rito," ani nito na ikinataas ng kilay ko.

"You'll know when you leave the room. You may go, Mrs. Sanchez."

"Yes, ma'am."

It baffled me what she meant, for all I know nothing awaited me in the corridor other than the dull ivory-white tiles and the non-existence of presence. Alas, one should not count their eggs before they hatch. The small thud the door made from closing behind my back was far softer than the frantic beats of my heart when I found myself confronting my own decision not to be transparent with my own friends.

Geez, Janice. You can't say to my face that you knew she was here? 

Umalis siya sa pagkakasandal sa pader at humakbang patungo sa 'kin, her helmet hanging on her right hand.

"Hindi mo yata nasabi sa 'min ang mga nasabi mo sa loob ng kuwartong 'yan, Lei?" Maria Dereena Santos smirked mockingly. "Sobrang na-late ba ko no'ng isang araw at 'di ko narinig 'yan o dapat tanungin ko si Rennei kung alam niya ang mga 'yon?"

Batid ko na hindi 'yon ingkwira kundi banta. Ngunit mas binigyang diin niya ang kapahamakang buhat ng banta nang ipasilay ni Dereen sa 'kin ang bahagyang kislap sa mata niya na siyang nagpapahiwatig na ginamit niya ang Escape para matunton ako at para malaman ang mga hakbang ko.

"Let's not play mind games. That's not us," I told her, ignoring the chills my spine felt.

Enhanced strength and agility are not the only gifts she received from Escape. Although no one noticed for so long due to our coordinated efforts to leave ourselves an ace card or two, it is useless if the situation pits us against one another.

"I played it because you did it first, Lei," tugon nito at pumamewang. "Ano sa tingin mo ang ginagawa mo?"

You see... May rason kung bakit nalaman kaagad ni Dereen ang lihim ng asawa niya. Kung paanong siya ang unang inatake ng Konseho nang unti-unti nang nakakaabot sa liwanag ang misteryo. Kung bakit nananahimik muna siya bago magsalita, nakikinig at nagmamasid bago maghatol ng sintensya. Kung bakit siya ang isa sa mga unang nagtiwala sa motibo ni Axel sa una pa lang. Kung bakit kahit kaila'y hindi niya lubusang hinusgahan si Spade sa pagpapalaki sa mga anak nila ni Alex.

While Renneisme can determine probabilities and imagine numerous possible events, Dereena can see through people's minds and actions. Well, that is if she dared to.

Gumagana lamang ang abilidad na 'to sa isang kondisyon.

Bawat paggamit, may memorya siyang napapawi.