Se connecterJACOB ALDEGUIRE'S POV (Continuation) Dmitri’s question lingered in the air. Slowly, the corner of my mouth lifted. Amused..... I leaned back in my chair, the leather creaking softly beneath my weight as I let the silence stretch between us... deliberate, controlled. My fingers brushed the front of my coat, right where the USB now rested. Right where power lived. Then I spoke. Like a man confessing something harmless. “The same kind as you," kalmadong sambit ko sa kanya. Dmitri didn’t move. But I saw the faint shift in his eyes. My smile deepened slightly. “A man,” I continued, my voice smooth and steady, “who doesn’t stop.” I tilted my head just enough to study him. “To hesitate… is to lose." A pause. “And I don’t lose.. especially not in a game that I started." The jazz music below us filled the silence again, wrapping around my words like silk around a blade. “I’m the kind of man,” I added quietly, “who continues until he finally has the one thing he’
JACOB ALDEGUIRE'S POV The neon lights of the luxurious bar bled across polished marble and crystal surfaces, casting distorted reflections of wealth and sin. Soft jazz music lingered in the air, smooth and deceptive, masking the quiet transactions happening in every shadowed corner. This place wasn’t built for ordinary people. It was built for predators. For men like me. And for men like him. I sat at the farthest edge of the bar’s private upper level, where the lighting was deliberately dim, and the distance from the crowd ensured privacy. From below, we were nothing but silhouettes. Dmitri was sitting on the chair across me. Seryoso ang mukha, walang kahit kaunting bahid ng emosyon doon. At madilim ang aura na nakapaligid sa kanya. Even seated, his presence dominated the space. He was a large man. Broad shoulders. Imposing posture. His sharp features were carved with the kind of harsh precision that came from years of surviving in a world far crueler than most men
(Continuation) JACOB ALDEGUIRE'S POV I just stared at him. Then I laughed. A low, quiet laugh. Not in a mocking way, but genuinely surprised. It slipped out of me before I could stop it. Luis didn’t react. Of course he didn’t. He never reacted to anything unless necessary. I leaned back against my swivel chair, the leather creaking softly beneath my weight as I tilted my head slightly, studying him with newfound amusement. “Troublesome,” I repeated. The word lingered in my mouth. Troublesome. Such a cold way to describe something most men spend their lives chasing. Love. Marriage. Devotion. A family. My fingers tapped once against the armrest. “You’ve been watching me for ten years,” I said calmly. “And that’s your conclusion?” His expression didn’t change. Luis remained still for a long moment, his gaze unwavering as always. Then, almost quietly, he spoke again. “There’s… something else,” he said, carefully choosing each word. “Something
JACOB ALDEGUIRE’S POV Tahimik ang conference room. Tanging ang mahihinang tunog ng pagta-type ni Luis sa tablet niya at ang mahinang ugong ng air conditioning ang maririnig sa loob ng silid. Nakaupo ako sa swivel chair ko sa dulo ng mahabang mesa, bahagyang nakatagilid, habang nakatitig sa kanya. Hindi siya tumitingin sa akin. He's too focus on what he was doing and he's been always like that. Halos sampung taon na siyang nagtatrabaho para sa akin. Ten years of loyalty. Ten years of knowing everything about me... my schedules, my enemies, my habits, my temper, my secrets. And yet… Wala akong alam tungkol sa kanya. I know what kind of man he is. Pero wala akong masyadong alam tungkol sa personal niyang buhay. Hindi ko alam kung may pamilya ba siya. Kung may naghihintay ba sa kanya sa bahay. Kung may asawa ba siya. Kung may taong nag-aalala sa kanya kapag hindi siya umuuwi. Kung may taong mahal niya. Or if he even allowed himself to have one. My fingers
ELOWEN GARCIA'S POV "So how was your work?" biglang tanong ni Xavier, medyo nagulat ako dahil ito ang kauna-unahang beses na nagtanong siya tungkol sa trabaho ko. And at the same time.. I'm also nervous thinking that he might find something.... tungkol sa akin at kay Jacob, but surprisingly he didn't. "O-okay lang naman, medyo naging busy sa department. Pero bukod doon ay maayos naman ang lahat at walang problema," pag-kwento ko, todo ingat at paminsan-minsan ay iniiwas ang tingin dahil ayaw kong matitigan niya ang mga mata ko. Tahimik siyang nanatili pagkatapos kong magsalita. Walang reaksyon. Walang komento. As in wala.... Dahan-dahan kong inangat ang tingin ko sa kanya. At doon ako nakahinga nang bahagya nang makita ko siyang nakatingin lang sa pagkain niya, ngumunguya nang mabagal, parang walang anumang espesyal sa sinabi ko. Hindi niya ako tinitingnan. Hindi niya ako sinusuri. Hindi niya ako hinuhusgahan, ni pagdudahan ang sagot ko ay hindi niya ginawa. Dahil madal
JACOB ALDEGUIRE'S POV The sound of our footsteps echoed against the concrete floor, sharp and unhurried. Every step I took carried the same calm precision I always had...but inside, something darker had already begun to surface. Luis walked half a step behind me, silent, watchful. We reached the steel door at the far end of the corridor. Two security personnel stood on each side. Both straightened immediately. “Sir," bati nila sa akin, at tumango lang ako bilang balik sa kanila. Agad na binuksan ng isa sa kanila ang pintuan, tumuon ang tingin ko doon.. at ilang segundo lang ay natanaw ko na ang mukha ng babae. She was sitting on the metal chair in the center of the room, her hands clenched tightly on her lap. Her posture was stiff, her shoulders tense, her head slightly lowered. But the moment the door opened, she looked up. Our gazes met and as I stared at her, I recognized her face. My eyes darkened almost instantly. I've seen her before, not in this building bu







