• HER MISSION •

AEICKEL

KEEPING my cool while sparring must be one of my greatest strengths dahil itong ka-sparring ko, mukhang kanina pang napipikon sa akin.

“Mahina ka talaga, Scorpio. Scorpio pa naman ang code name mo pero hindi mo man lang matalo si Night,” dinig kong pang-aasar ni Tungsten kay Khalil, one of the elite agents of Phyrric.

“You shut up. Sa cloning ka lang naman magaling,” pikon na buwelta nito kay Tungsten.

“Enough, Tungsten,” awat ko sa isa dahil mukhang hindi siya magpapatalo at patuloy na mang-aasar. Bumaling ako kay Scorpio na mukhang susugod na at umiling ako rito nang sunod-sunod. “Let’s end this here. Kailangan kong pumunta sa training room. Ipinatatawag ako ni Lola Cassandra,” deretsong paalala ko at wala itong nagawa kundi ang tumango na lang sa akin.
Hinubad ko ang suot kong sparring gears saka ako nagpunas ng pawis at tumuloy na agad sa training room ng Phyrric.

Pagpasok na pagpasok ko pa lamang sa loob ay sumalubong sa akin ang tatlong balisong na mukha ko ang puntirya na agad ko rin namang naiwasan. At the dark side of the room, I saw Lola Cassandra looking at me with her cold eyes.

“Good reflexes. Akala ko, nakalimutan mo nang umiwas,” sarkastiko niyang wika sa akin. This was how the high and mighty Cassandra Ysabelle Freezell trained her grandchild—me.

“I already defended myself to you. I was shot because I was trying to save the kid from hurting,” sabi ko sa kaniya sa malamig na tono. Wala akong ipinakikitang kahit na anong emosyon.

She was mad because I was shot on my left arm the other day on a mission. I was saving a kid from a hold-upper when the man’s accomplice suddenly popped out of nowhere and shot me from my blind spot. Daplis lang naman dahil gumana agad ang agent instinct ko, pero hindi iyon nagustuhan ni Lola. She got mad and told me that she would train me in a more aggressive way. And maybe...those flying knives were her definition of ‘more aggressive way’.

Kinuha ko ang mga balisong na inihagis niya sa akin saka ako lumapit at iniabot ang mga iyon sa kaniya.

“I’m deploying you in a long-term mission. I have here two different missions, and you get to choose what do you like to take,” aniya nang kunin sa akin inaabot kong mga balisong.

“Spill.”

“The first one is a high-profile government official. You have to keep him safe and...shoot his head afterwards. He asked for our protection and I agreed despite knowing that he’s a drug dealer and a protector. Protect him for now, know all his transactions, then kill him,” she instructed, and that was an evil mission but a very satisfying one.

“How about the other one?” I asked.
“He’s a band vocalist working as a company CEO. His life is at high risk. Someone wants to kill him. His father asked for our service to protect his son.”

I grinned. I knew what my grandmother was thinking. She wouldn’t accept this kind of deal, not unless there was an interesting deal involved.

“What’s the catch here?”

“Let’s presume that the ‘someone’ who wants to get him killed is...his own blood. Let’s say one of his parents.”

“You think it’s his father?”

She menacingly grinned and raised her brow. “It’s for you to find out.”

Hindi ko naiwasan ang mas mapangisi pa sa narinig ko. I felt the excitement rushing through my veins. “I’ll pick the second one.”
“Good. I talked to his secretary to file for an immediate resignation and you’ll replace his position as the new executive assistant. Don’t worry, I already settled things just so you could join the company without any suspicion.”

When she said ‘talked’, she already settled things between them in her ‘own special way’.
 
   

JACEN smiled at me as he brought his things with him. “Aalis na ’ko. Ikaw na ang bahala sa kaniya, Mr. Lou. Pagtiisan mo na lang ang init ng ulo,” he said, and I only nodded. Kaka-hire ko lang noong nakaraang linggo at ngayon ay papalitan ko na ito sa puwesto.
“Ingat,” matipid na sagot ko at ngumiti naman ito sa akin bago tuluyang lumabas ng opisina.

Inayos ko ang mga papel na naibilin nito sa akin. I acted as if I was really clueless about these things when I was really not. I was running Phyrric on behalf of Lola Cassandra, and I was very familiar with this paper work.

Nigel Iñigo Ricafort was hard to deal with. He was aloof. And the hardest part was that I wasn’t someone who loves to give comforting and soothing words just to get closer to someone. I ought to distance my own world from everyone. In short...we’re almost alike, and we’ll never be compatible to make things work.

I had never forgotten about him. Tama nga ang hinala ko, muli kaming magkikita . . . at sa ganitong sitwasyon pa.

Biglang umilaw ang office intercom, senyales na tumatawag siya sa akin. “Yes, sir?” I asked as I answered the call using a low tone voice.

“Come here in my office immediately,” utos niya sa akin at hindi na ako sumagot pa. Ibinaba ko ang tawag at agarang tumungo sa opisina niya.

Pagpasok ko ay bumungad sa akin ang amoy lalaking pabango. I also use this kind of perfume, not for my disguise, but for my own preference.

I stared at him while he was typing at his computer. “What can I do for you, sir?” I asked, trying to catch his attention away from his computer.

“Call Attorney Antonio, Aeickel. I’ll make him pay for what he did,” utos niya.
Imbes na sumagot ay sinubukan kong inspeksyonin ang mukha niya. Blangko lamang ito pero ramdam kong may malaking galit na kasalukuyang nakakubli sa mga mata niya. He was a business tycoon despite being a band vocalist kaya parang ang hirap paniwalaan ng inilalabas niyang klase ng ugali. He was supposed to be a socialite, not an anti-social one. He was distant, based on my observation.

Tumango lamang ako at akmang tatalikod na sa kaniya nang makita kong umarko ang kilay niya. “What’s with your eyes?” tanong niya sa akin na bahagyang umalarma ng pagkatao ko.

My twin sister was his ex-girlfriend, and our eyes were so much alike. Hindi ko maitatago ang bagay na ito kahit na ano pa ang gawin kong pagpapanggap. These eyes were the eyes of a Freezell. Yes, they already broke up probably a year ago. And from what I could see, he was still not over Leickel. He was like a man stuck with his past.

“I don’t see anything wrong with my eyes, sir,” deretso kong sagot sa kaniya.
Akala ko ay hahayaan na niya akong makaalis ngunit mali ako. Tumayo siya mula sa kinauupuan at naglakad patungo sa akin. “Don’t fool me using those eyes while looking directly to mine. Your eyes were set to tell truth... not lies. Tell me, Aeickel Van Lou...who are you?”

I was stunned for a second. I didn’t expect him to say those words. Hindi niya ako kilala para maglabas siya ng ganooong mga salita na magpapailang sa nararamdaman ko.

I stared at him blankly. I needed to act normal. I needed to act as if I wasn’t aware of anything. “I am who you think I am, sir. I need a job and you need a secretary. I am here for work and not for anything else,” I replied coldly and he just shrugged his shoulders.

“Fine, you may leave. Don’t forget to call Mr. Antonio,” aniya na parang wala siyang ginawa, saka ako tinalikuran at bumalik muli sa kinauupuan niya kanina.

Matagal ko naman nang naiisip na maaari niyang maipagkumpara ang mga mata namin ni Lei. Idagdag pa na noong unang beses na dapat magkikita sila ni Leickel, ako ang naroon...ako ang una niyang nakita, ang unang nakilala...mga mata namin ang unang nagtagpo. Matalino si Nigel kaya’t hindi na ako magtataka sa mga mapapansin niya pa sa mga susunod na araw.

Tumungo na ako sa opisina ko at tatawagan sana si Attorney Antonio na mukhang may atraso sa kaniya nang maisip kong tawagan na muna si Flame. I needed more information about this situation para malaman ko kung sa paanong paraan ko siya mapoprotektahan kung sakaling magkaroon ng problema.

Kinuha ko ang telepono ko para makausap muna si Flame tungkol sa abogadong iyon.

“O?” aniya mula sa kabilang linya na sinundan pa niya ng paghikab.

“Do you have any information about Bradley Antonio? He pissed my boss. And from what I had observed, Nigel is up to something dangerous,” paliwanag ko sa kaniya.

Narinig ko mula sa kabilang linya ang ilang pagtipa, marahil ay sa laptop niya. Mabilis kumilos si Flame. Ito ang gusto ko sa kaniya kahit noon pa. Madalas na natatapos nang maaga ang mga misyon dahil sa agap niyang kumilos.

“Nag-aalala ka ba sa amo mo? Aeickel, ex siya ng kapatid mo at misyon mo siya—”

“Stop with the nagging, Eulyssis,” putol ko sa kaniya. “I’m doing this out of my curiosity. Don’t be stupid. Hindi lahat ng kilos, kailangang may rason at dahilan.”
Narinig ko siyang nagbuntonghininga mula sa kabilang linya bago siya nagsalita ulit. “I’m sorry. I got carried away. It was the first time I saw you this serious towards a certain mission.”

“I have always been this serious in all my missions, Flame. Buhay ang nakasalalay sa mga kamay ko,” sagot kong muli sa kaniya.

“Again, I’m sorry, Night. Hindi na mauulit—”

“I need the info now.”

“Bradley Antonio, twenty-eight, an attorney specializing in land acquisition. He has various cases involving physical injuries towards the opposing party. He once assaulted a client for not giving him a share of the land they agreed on in a deal, and that client was Nigel’s former employee, Ayesa Santos. He tried involving Nigel and this man’s business ventures in the said issue to take his revenge. Bradley Antonio is a dumbass and a total fucker.”

Matapos ang mga narinig ko ay agaran ko nang pinatay ang tawag. I reached for my other phone and dialed Antonio’s number. No one messes with any of my clients. Hangga’t sa akin nakaatang ang misyon, hindi sila maaaring mapahamak.

“Who’s this?” asked the man from the other line.

Napangisi ako nang matipid. Tunog kagalang-galang ang boses pero demonyo.
“You don’t know who you are messing with, Antonio. Stop your dirty tactics before you lose everything you worked for,” banta ko ngunit tinawanan lamang ako nito na tila ba sanay na sanay na ito sa mga ganoong uri ng pagbabanta.

“At sino ka para isipin mong matatakot ako? Diyos ka ba—”

“No, I’m not God, but I could be the devil who will let you experience hell,” putol ko sa kaniya at sandaling natahimik ang kabilang linya. “If you’re thinking of locating me while we’re still talking, think twice. Bago mo pa ako makilala, baka patay ka na,” dagdag ko saka agarang pinatay ang tawag.

Pabalik na sana ako sa upuan ko nang bigla na lamang akong makarinig ng isang baritonong tinig. “Sino’ng pinagbabantaan mo?”

Nigel.

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