Chapter 2: Cronies in the Foes

As the eye of the heavens leisurely bid goodbye, my eyes automatically gave up, and my face suddenly slammed to the desk, making me be awakened again. I internally cursed myself when I saw other students sending deadly glares in my direction.

Maybe, hiding in the library isn’t actually a good idea. That stupid Perez announced in the class earlier that I fucking solve his test, and now our block mates have been asking and pestering how I the fuck did I do it.

Like, what the fuck. I didn’t solve anything, he just decided I will join him!

“Hindi ka ba mag-aaral?” Nag-angat ako ng tingin dahil sa tila inis na boses sa aking harapan. Inirapan ako nito at umismid pa, “You’re bothered face is disturbing me. Would you mind leaving?” I made face to her before leaving my place.

Mabuti na lang din dahil umalis ako sa library, nag-ring cellphone ko’t ang demonyong dahilan kung bakit nagtatago ako ngayon ang tumatawag.

“What do you want, Perez?”

“Do you mind looking at your back, Dela Vega?”

Hindi na ako nagtakha pa nang makita ko siya sa likuran ko ngunit bago pa ako makatakbo paalis sa aking puwesto ay nahablot na agad niya ang aking braso. At dahil madilim na ay hindi ganoon karami ang tao sa hallway na aming tinahak, ang iba naman ay walang pakielam sa amin at abala sa pag-aaral.

“Hoy, Perez—”

He suddenly hushed me when we stopped from walking, “So, how was your day?”

“It was hell…” I glared. He suddenly snickered as he opened the door of an empty room in front, “And it all thanks to you, moron.”

Nang mabuksan niya ang pinto ay agad siyang pumasok dahilan upang sumunod ako sa kanila, sandamakmak na law books ang bumungad sa amin na nagpangiwi naman sa akin.

“Atty. Salvatore reserved this room for our group study,” Asher mumbled.

I roamed my sight around and saw different variants of law books on the shelves. There was also a cozy reading area at the corner and a small food pantry on the other side of it. And as I make my way towards the chair, he gave me a baffled look.

“What?” I asked.

“Are you sleepy or something?”

“I’m tired…” I yawned. And when I sat at the chair, he did the same thing and sat across to mine.

“Hindi ka na guguluhin ng ibang mga estudyante.” Bigla na lamang siyang kumuha ng isang babasahin sa kanyang bag saka tumutok do’n dahilan upang maiwan akong nakatitig sa kanya, “Three students already solved the riddle.”

“Who?”

Inabot niya sa akin ang isang folder kung saan nakalagay ang pangalan ng tatlong estudyante na nakapasa sa fucking test n’ya. At agad naman akong napangiti nang makita ko ang pangalan ni Ethan do’n.

“Talagang ngumiti ka kaagad nang makita mo ang pangalan d’yan ni Herrera, huh?”

Hindi ko na pinansin pa ang pagpaparinig ni Asher at binasa ang profile ng mga estudyanteng napili niya. I’m not actually thrilled by the thought that I’m doing this for my father’s sake, that’s why I’m always imprinting in my mind that I’m doing this for my grades.

“So… what’s the impossible riddle of yours?” I asked.

He suddenly shrugged and pouted at the bottom of the folder, “It’s not that impossible.”

What are the next three letters in this combination? OTTFFSS

Wala sa sarili akong natawa at muling tiningnan ang tatlong nakapasa sa kanyang munting pakulom, “Anong mahirap sa tanong mo? E, N, T lang naman ang sagot.”

Nilapag n’ya bigla ang librong binabasa n’ya saka pinagmasdan ako, mata sa mata, “Because most of the students here are always thinking outside the box, they are so submerged to the thought that my test is difficult… so, they have somehow forgotten to use their common sense.”

“I like the way you think…” I commented, and when I saw him smirking I immediately crooked, “I mean, it is really plausible na kahit anong talino ng tao may oras talaga na mas madadaig sila ng inferior sa kanila.”

Asher suddenly smirked at me and slid another folder in front of me, “You might as well look at that.”

I curiously opened the contents of the folder and looked through the context written on it, “Are these for real?” Ilang beses pa akong napakurap habang binabasa ang mga nakasulat sa papel, “Saan galing ‘to?”

“Research,” sagot n’ya.

Ayon sa nakasulat, hindi sinambit ni Mrs. Enrile lahat ng mahahalagang detalye ukol sa kaso n’ya at maaaring maging dahilan ito upang mabaliktad at matalo ang partido namin. Nakasaad dito ang pangalan ng may-ari ng property na malimit puntahan ni Mrs. Enrile, may mga litrato na kuha sa CCTV footage na nagpapatunay na siya nga ang taong ‘yon.

Kung gagamitin namin na panlaban ang Stalking kay Mr. Enrile sa pamamagitan ng Prenuptial Agreement ay mababato kami ng Trespassing dahil pagmamay-ari ni Mr. Enrile ang property na iyon bago pa sila makasal.

“What should we do, then?” I asked.

Pinagtaasan naman niya ako’t pang-asar na ngumisi, “Find who’s really at fault? Mr. Salvatore told me that if Mrs. Enrile is framing her husband… he will resign as her attorney.”

“But…”

“But, what?”

“What about my father? I thought that—”

“Walang magagawa si Senator Dela Vega kung may kasalanan talaga si Mrs. Enrile,” seryosong sambit nito saka dahan-dahan na kinuha sa aking kamay ang folder, “Unless, he will use his power to manipulate things. And that is just—”

“Unlawful…”

“Precisely,” he mumbled. I looked at him intently, and I clearly know that we didn’t go here to act chummy with each other. I know that he has a different agenda.

And before I could open my mouth to ask him about the issue tonight, the door busted open revealing the three students who passed his so-called impossible riddle. A different radiance of wave made me goosebumps, they looked like powerful people entering a fucking court. How I wished that I could send the same vibes as them.

“So?” Asher remarked. They sat one by one, making the entire table be finally fully occupied, “How are the assignments I gave you?”

Ethan cleared his throat and pulled a laptop from his bag. Saglit n’yang kinalikot iyon bago tuluyan na iharap sa amin, “When you told me about Mrs. Enrile acting suspicious about trespassing Mr. Enrile’s property… I collected the footage from this year, and even scanned from the past years.”

“What’s the catch then?”

“Here.” Ethan suddenly played footage and pointed the time for us to remember, after that he played numbers of footage and all of them seems the same, “She always enters at exactly 10:00 A.M, and leave at 2:00 P.M.”

“May iba pa bang footage where she was caught in?”

Ethan immediately shook his head, “Wala na. Most of the footage inside the building is deleted for some reason.”

Isa-isa silang umupo habang abala si Asher na tinitigan ang nakatigil na footage. It seems like our team isn’t heated on my Mr. Enrile, but to Mrs. Enrile. Nang dahan-dahan na nag-angat ng tingin si Asher ay agad niyang binigyan nang makahulugan na tingin ang katabi kong babae.

“Tori? Friends and acquaintances?”

Saglit na binasa ni Tori ang kanyang pang-ibabang labi bago niya nilabas ang isang folder, puro screenshots ang laman no’n. Nang halos lahat kami ay dumungaw para makita ‘yon ay mabilis niya ako binigyan ng isang makahulugan na tingin.

“May tatlong tao na palaging laman ng call log niya samantalang ang message box n’ya ay completely wiped out,” pagpapaliwanag ni Tori.

Palihim n’ya akong sinulyapan na tila ba sinisiyasat kung ano ang magiging reaksyon ko. At nang lingunin ko siya’y bigla na lamang siyang napangiwi.

“What?”

Mas lalo siyang napangiwi dahil sa pagtitig ko sa kanya, “That is your damn father. Aren’t you gonna react like a goddamn daughter?”

“Why?”

“Because your father is involved to a suspected liar—”

I let out a soft laugh, “And his businesses don’t concern me, Victoria.”

We were suddenly interrupted by a mixture of a laugh and a cough. We all looked at him languidly, but it seems he was caught up between his laughter that he somehow failed to notice our stares.

“Van,” Ethan called.

Tori’s lazy eyes slowly turned into a choleric one while watching our colleague, “Manahimik ka na, Santiago!”

“I—I’m sorry! Dela Vega just made—”

“Shut the fuck up, Sullivan.” Van immediately shut his mouth after hearing Asher’s remarks.

And once again, dead air began to fill the corners of the room. It was awkward, but not enough for us to break the silence unless it was Asher who will speak.

“Now that you’re done laughing, Sullivan—”

Van twitched, “Dude, stop with the full name shit. Magseseryoso na… just freaking dropped that stupid name as if we weren’t friends.”

“Just give us the details about your research, moron.”

Tila nag-iba ang ihip ng hangin dahil ang malawak na ngiti ni Van ay dahan-dahan na naging seryoso, “So… I looked in their past, Mr. and Mrs. Enrile were both friends before they got married. They belong in the same circle of friends along with Senator Dela Vega, Police Lieutenant General Fuentes, and Engineer Ortega.”

“You mean… the three people in Mrs. Enrile’s call logs?” I asked.

“Exactly.” Van confirmed, “They’ve been friends since they are in high school. So, the main question is why are they turning their back against Mr. Enrile now?”

Dahan-dahan kong inalis ang paningin ko sa kanya at sumilay kay Asher, “What are you planning, Perez?”

“Why don’t you use your wits, Dela Vega?” He smirked.

“Then… are we going to hit two birds with one stone?”

Asher smiled and somehow leaned to me, “No. We are going to hit five birds with one stone.”

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