Chapter 10

Lorcan’s Pov

WHILE I was busy cleaning my 45-caliber revolver, the door opened, and Laszlo, Raphael, Desmond, and Colt came in. We were on the third floor of my house, which is where our meeting room is.

Maingay na umupo si Colt sa mahabang leather na sofa na kulay brown saka binuka ang dalawang braso. I put the gun on my table in front of me, cleaned my hands, and joined them.

Inside our meeting room, there's my table and swivel chair. In front of my table, there's a glass table, and beside it, there are two long leather sofas. I sat on my single chair and looked at them.

"Any news?" tanong ko sa kanila saka nag-de kwautro. I rested my arms on the arm rest.

"Bad or good? Which one do you want to hear first?" Colt answered flatly.

"Suit yourself. It really doesn't matter which one you want to hear first."

"Okay, sabihin mo na ang good news, Raphael." Nginuso ni Colt si Raphael na nasa kabilang sofa.

Raphael sighed before his head turned in my direction. He always wore that cold stare of his.

"The shipping of guns in Europe went well, and Romano wants to meet you. He likes guns so much," ani Raphael. Romano is the boss in Europe, the Mafia Boss. I have been courting Romano for a long time because of his significant influence in Europe, and I am planning on expanding my businesses there. With Romano's help, I can easily do that.

"I already expected that, Rap. Those guns are extraordinary, and he cannot find those kinds of weapons on earth except from us." Yes, aside from our respective businesses, we also manufacture guns, bombs, and other deadly weapons. And yes, we do sell those weapons.

"The bad news is what?" I asked instead.

Desmond leaned on the sofa before pinching the bridge of his nose. "In Abu Dhabi, my company was attacked. I lost 8,000,000 UAE dirham."

"Is that your problem? Is that all the bad news?" Laszlo asked Colt lazily.

Desmond glared at Laszlo and Laszlo ran his fingers through his long ash hair. "I don't really care if my company was attacked. I don't care about the money I've lost. But my people—my employees, Las, I lost almost one hundred employees in the attack."

"It was the attack by Khalid Mafia Org," Colt injected.

I gritted my teeth as that small mafia organization tried to get on my nerves. When they ambushed my ships in the middle of the sea, I let them. Noong pinasabog nila ang tatlong warehouse ko hinayaan ko sila kasi wala namang namatay sa tauhan ko. But now, I cannot let it pass, as many innocent people have died. I may kill people without a blink of an eye, but not innocent ones. I know the pain of losing someone you love.

Desmond turned to ask me, "You don't know about this, Lorcan?"

I raised my eyebrows. Of course, I know all of this. I'm just testing them to see if they'll tell me the truth or not. In the world that I'm in, you cannot trust anyone. You can only count on yourself. Even though they've been my friends since time immemorial, they can still betray me.

I am the Mafia Boss in Asia, and many people out there, including my friends, want my position. That's why I cannot blame them if they betray me. Desmond is the boss in West Asia, Laszlo in North Asia, Raphael in East Asia, and Colt in South Asia, while I am the Boss in Asia, and they are my underbosses.

"Hindi sinabi ni Alfonso sa'yo?" Raphael added.

Even if Alfonso, my confidante and adviser, didn't tell me, I still know because I have men everywhere. They're just like shadows, hiding in the dark.

"We'll go to Abu Dhabi and finish that d*mn Khalid," I answered instead.

I saw how they nodded their heads, agreeing with what I've said. Khalid Mafia was really a pain in the ass. They are just a small Mafia organization that tried to conquer Abu Dhabi, the whole UAE to be exact. Dapat tinapos ko na sila noon.

"When are we going to fly?" Raphael asked in a hurry.

"Right now," was my reply.

"I knew this would happen, so I already readied the private plane. The pilot is only waiting for us." This is why I like Colt; he always plans ahead.

"Ready your men, Desmond, and I guess we can finish them with only a few men. I only want one alive, the rest kill them. Am I clear?"

"Da," they answered me in unison, speaking Russian.

Sabay na kaming lumabas galing sa meeting room na nasa third floor ng bahay. When we were on the second floor of the hallway, I saw Jhera holding and dragging Perkin somewhere. I looked at them intently.

Suddenly, someone nudged me, and I looked to see who it was. There, I saw Colt smiling at me like an idiot. His smile sent chills down my nerves.

What the hell is wrong with this man?

I saw Laszlo, Desmond, and Raphael at the back of us, discussing something about our plan.

My eyes went back to Colt, who was still grinning at me.

"What's with that fucking look, Colt? Do you want me to grab your eyeballs?"

His stare was making me suddenly pissed.

"Hindi ka ba magpapaalam kay Clayton." Then he pouted his lips, pointing to Perkin, who is now walking in the spacious living room of my house.

I stared at him coldly before descending to the ground floor. "Who is he for me to bid goodbye to?" I can sense Colt's presence at my back. "Don't you ever mention his name in front of me, Colt. I don't like it."

He coughed. "Sorry."

Clayton's Pov

Kanina pa ako nakatingin sa inakyatang hagdanan ng mga kaibigan ni Lorcan patungo sa third floor. Masasabi kong matagal na ako rito pero kahit kailan ay hindi pa ako napadpad d'yan. Gusto kong malaman kung ano ang nasa ikatlong palapag. At kung bakit hindi ito pinapaakyatan ng ibang tao. Maliban kay Alfonso at mga kaibigan ni Lorcan. Wala na akong ibang nakita na umakyat doon.

Pumunta ako sa kwarto ko upang magbihis kakarating lang kasi namin ni Colt pero seryoso ang mukha nilang apat habang binabaybay ang hagdanan. Ang Colt na nakausap ko sa sasakyan kanina at nung una naming pagkikita ay ibang-iba. Alam ko na may tinatago talaga sila at sana naman ay 'di iyon illegal o nakakasama. Sana naman ay hindi sila mga druglords. O mga serial killers.

In-arrange ko iyong dala kong damit galing sa Lattea tsaka ilang saglit pa ay nakaramdam ako ng pagkulo sa tyan ko. Lumabas ako pero napatigil na naman ako nang napatingin sa daan patungong third floor. May kung ano talaga kasi sa akin na parang gusto kong pumunta doon.

Dahan-dahan ay humakbang ako patungo sa hagdanan ng third floor lumilingon pa ako kung may nakatingin ba pero wala naman kaya dumiretso ako.

Nang ihahakbang ko na sana ang isang paa ko sa unang baitang nang may humila sa akin.

"Clayton! Anong ginagawa mo?!" Pasigaw na bulong sa akin ni Jhera.

Binitawan ni Jhera ang braso ko saka maayos akong humarap sa kanya na nakakunot ang noo.

"Curious lang ako, Jhera. Tsaka, ano bang nasa palapag na 'yan at bawal akong umakyat d'yan."

Lumapit siya sa akin.

"Clayton, hindi lang naman ikaw ang bawal umakyat d'yan pati ako at ang ibang tao rito ay bawal d'yan." sabi sa akin ni Jhera.

"E, si Alfonso bakit pwede siyang umakyat d'yan?" segunda kong tanong. Matagal na talaga akong naghihinala kung ano ba talaga ang meron sa third-floor ng bahay nato.

"Clayton, hindi mo naiintindihan. Si Alfonso ang kanang kamay ni Young Master, kaya natural lang 'yon. Tsaka, kaano-ano ka ba ni Young Master? Ang nakakapasok lang d'yan ay ang taong malapit sa kanya, mga taong pinagkakatiwalaan niya."

Pakiramdam ko ay kusang tumigil sa pag-function ang utak ko dahil sa sinabi ni Jhera. Oo nga naman sino ba naman ako sa bahay na 'to? Ano ba ako sa buhay ni Lorcan? E, isang hamak na binayaran lang niya naman ako para sa libog niya sa katawan.

Alam ko naman na no'ng una pa lang ay kinklaro na sa akin ni Lorcan kung ano kami pero bakit may kirot? Bakit may sakit? Bakit masasaktan akong isipin na wala akong halaga sa buhay ni Lorcan? Unang tapak ko pa lang dito alam ko na kung ano ako rito pero ngayon, bakit naghahanap na ako nang iba? Bakit ganito? Bakit naguguluhan na ako?

Am I falling for Lorcan? Am I falling for that heartless monster na ang alam lang ay ilabas ang libog niya sa akin?

Naramdaman kong uminit ang ilalim ng mga mata ko. Nagbabadya nang tumulo ang mga luha ko. Pero bago pa man iyon mangyari ay mabilis na akong kinaladkad ni Jhera palayo sa hagdanan.

"J-jhera. Bakit mo ako hinihila?" Takang usal ko nang pababa kaming dalawa sa sala. Hila niya pa rin ako.

"Tang*na mo naman, Clayton! Hindi mo ba narinig na palabas na sila Young Master!"

Nanlaki ang mata ko. Ganun na pala ako kalutang ng 'di ko man lang narinig iyon? Gusto kong kunin ang braso ko na hawak-hawak ngayon ni Jhera at pumunta na lang sa silid ko saka magmukmok. Nawala ang gutom ko bigla.

This is not me anymore. Hindi naman ako ganito noon. 'Noon.. no'ng hindi mo pa kilala si Lorcan.' Bulong sa isip ko.

Hindi ko inaasahan ito. Bakit ako nakakaramdam ng ganito? Mali ito! Hindi ito pwede. Kaya nga gusto ni Lorcan na sa lalaki maglabas ng libog niya para less commitment at walang rants. Paano ito ngayon? Ano itong nararamdaman ko?

Sa pagkalutang ko ay nakarating kami sa kusina ni Jhera. Nakita ko ang seryosong mukha ni Esmeralda na nakapako sa akin. Napayuko ako sa kinauupuan kong highchair.

"Clayton!"

"Oh!" sambit ko sa gulat nang tampalin ni Jhera ang balikat ko.

"Ay!!! Kanina pa ako talak nang talak dito tapos, ikaw, hindi ka pala nakikinig sa akin!" Napalunok akong tumingin kay Jhera na naka kunot noo. "'Di bali na nga pero . . . ayos ka lang ba?"
Umiling ako ng isang beses bago tumango pagkuwan. Nakita kong bumuntonghininga si Jhera sa naging akto ko. May sasabihin pa sana si Jhera nang may magsalita sa likod namin.

"Esmeralda." Narinig ko ang malamig na boses ni Lorcan sa likod ko.

Tumingin ako kay Esmeralda na mabilis na iniwan ang ginagawa at nilapitan ang amo.

"Yes, young master."

Wala sa oras akong napaayos ng upo at malalim na huminga, trying to calm myself.

"I'll be gone for days, and I'll be bringing Alfonso with me so you take care of my home." rinig kong bilin ni Lorcan.

Hindi naman ako umaasa na magpapaalam sa akin si Lorcan. Pero, bakit umaasa ako na sa pagkakataon na 'to ay magpapaalam siya sa akin?

"Opo, young master." Sagot ni Esmeralda.

Hanggang sa naramdaman ko na wala na ang presensya ni Lorcan sa likod ko. Bumalik na si Esmeralda sa ginagawa niya.

"Akyat muna ako sa taas." Usal ko bago tumayo at tumakbo palabas ng kusina.