PROLOGUE

"THIBAULT! S'il vous plaît. Je t'en supplie. Arrêt," (Please. I beg of you. Stop,) mangiyak-ngiyak na bigkas ng kaniyang ina.

Nakatitig lang ang limang taong gulang na Valentin sa tapat ng bahagyang nakaawang na pinto ng kwarto ng mga magulang niya. Ilang beses siyang nakarinig ng paghampas, pagkasampal, at pagkabasag ng kung ano pa man sa loob.

Hindi niya malaman kung papasok ba siya o hindi, kaya lang ay naalala niya naman ang sabi sa kaniya ng kaniyang ama na huwag basta-bastang makikigulo sa usapan nilang mag-asawa.

Umalingawngaw naman ang boses ng ama sa kwarto ng mga ito at mula sa kinatatayuan ni Valentin ay dama niya ang bahagyang pagyanig ng pwesto niya. "Comment oses-tu me désobéir, Carmen‽ Je te l'ai dit plusieurs fois, tu n'as pas le droit de quitter le manoir!" (How dare you disobey me, Carmen‽ I told you many times, you have no right to leave the mansion!)

"I don't want this hell, Thibault! T'es un diable—" Muling nakarinig ng tunog ng pagsampal si Valentin mula sa loob.

As a little kid, he didn't know what those were — how dangerous those sounds were. It should have been traumatic for him, especially if he saw the scene inside the master's bedroom, but he felt nothing — no worry at all.

Hindi na rin naman kasi bago sa kaniya ang mga naririnig at nangyayari, and everytime he asks his mother about it, she just smiles at him and keeps quiet. As for his father, he explains to him that he only loves his mother and that's him expressing that.

Kaya naman kalmado lang si Valentin at pangiti-ngiti pa habang nakatingin sa pinto. He knew that his father was just showing how much he loves his mother, making her cry with tears of joy.

"No, Thibault!"

"Carmen! You come back here!" sigaw ng ama ni Valentin.

Bigla namang bumukas ang pinto ng kwarto saka natigilan ang ina ni Valentin nang makita siya. Her mother's hair was all over the place, her cheeks were damped with tears, and her face... there were purplish stains.

"Maman..."

Agad na hinawakan ng kaniyang ina ang braso niya saka hinila hanggang sa makababa sila sa unang palapag ng mansyon. Mahigpit ang pagkakakapit ni Carmen sa anak niya pero imbis na masaktan at magreklamo ay nakangiti lang sa kaniya si Valentin. Alam kasi ng bata na mahal siya ng kaniyang ina kaya siya nito sinasaktan.

"Maman, où allons-nous?" (Mama, where are we going?) Valentin asked when they finally reached the main door of the mansion.

His mother then looked at him, cupped his face, and smiled. "Valentin, on quitte la France, d'accord? Nous irons ailleurs." (Valentin, we're leaving France, okay? We will go elsewhere.)

Bago pa makapagtanong muli si Valentin ay umalingawngaw ang boses ng ama niya. "Carmen ! Où emmènes-tu mon fils?" (Carmen! Where are you taking my son?)

Nanatiling nakatitig si Valentin sa mga magulang niya na nag-uusap na ngayon sa harapan niya. Pareho pa ito ngayong mahigpit na nakahawak sa tig-isang braso niya. "Laisse partir mon fils, Thibault!" (Let my son go, Thibault!)

"No! Restez ici tous les deux!" (You two stay here!) Mas lalo pa ngayong humigpit ang pagkakahawak ng ama niya sa kaniya. Ang tanging naiisip lang ni Valentin noong mga panahon na iyon ay mahal na mahal siya ng mga magulang niya.

Nang ilipat ni Valentin ang tingin sa kaniyang ina ay nakita niya itong nananahimik habang nakatitig na sa kaniya. After a little more times of pulling him from his father's grip, his mother finally spoke in a soft voice, "Je t'aime mon fils. Je vais te récupérer." (I love you my son. I will get you back.) After saying those words, his mother left and never came back.

VALENTIN suddenly woke up, catching his breath. It has already been twenty years since then and that day still haunts him in his sleep. Valentin could never forget his mother's face two decades ago, and the emotion he felt ever since that day.

He knew his mother loved him but he did not know the reason why she left him and never ever came back like she said she would. And as years went on, he finally knew the reason behind his mother's disappearance. It was because she did not love him enough. That and because his mother left them for another man.

His father explained it all to him when he was seven. His mother ran away with another man and created a new life, a new family, completely forgetting him and his father who loved her with all of their hearts.

Since then, Valentin hated her mother, and growing up with his father, he knew the purposes of women — to pleasure men, to provide them with entertainment, and to bear an heir to their fortune, power, and name.

After a few more seconds of staring at nothingness, Valentin finally decided to leave his bed. Currently, in his birthday suit like how he used to for years, Valentin slightly opened his curtains to look at the breathtaking view of Nantes, France.

It was already six in the morning and Valentin finally decided to take a shower and proceed to have his breakfast inside his office.

He did not even throw a second glance at the naked woman sleeping on his bed, but he did leave her some cash on the bedside table and told his butler to get her off his mansion pronto.

Valentin kept his face blank as he listened to his male secretary listing everything he had to do for the day. Apparently, he had a meeting with the investors because of the incident that happened yesterday, causing a minor problem with the mining sites in French Guiana.

"As for the evening schedule—"

"I still have an evening schedule?" Valentine asked in a thick accent. He really thought his evening would be as clear as the sky.

His secretary nodded. "Your father requests your presence for the grand masked ball of Versailles at the Château de Versailles, Monsieur."

Valentin had to stop himself from letting out a tired sigh. "And my suit?"

"All ready, Monsieur."

He gave his secretary a short nod before completely dismissing him, leaving him alone in his office. Valentin could never say no to his father. He owes him a lot. The man made him the person he is today, a powerful and ruthless one.

Ever since he was seven, his father trained him for this day. He made him go under a lot of pressure and near-death experiences to make sure that he would be an unbeatable boss of his time, and Valentin had no plans to disappoint his dear father.

Tonight, he will show them who's the real boss.

Tonight... He will drill his name into those people's skulls.

Thomas Valentin Devereaux.

H | Z

Hadzi: This isn't my first time writing a mafia-themed story, but mas focused ata ito sa actions and such compared to Dangerous Kisser. Plus 'di hamak na mas malala ang ganap sa story na ito, at least that's what my imagination tells me pfft.

Basta ayun, I just hope you'll like this too... and... feel free to hate my main character/s. Mwah. Thanks!