Chapter 2

Revenge

Hindi na ako nagtagal sa hotel. Una kong iniwan si Teo. He has some businesses to tend to and I have mine. I have a weird feeling leaving.

Hindi siguro ako sanay. I let out a sigh as I arrived in La Libertad. Our private jet was a bit late but I’m able to arrive here early. I will miss Cebu and its hustle. Or I just miss something else.

“Saan tayo, ma’am?” tanong sa’kin ng aking driver.

He opened the door of the car for me as I went inside. I rested my back and just felt the tiring flight I had.

“Sa Manor.”

Hindi mawala sa isip ko ang tinext ni Gracy. She has some lead. Finally, after two years. Pero… baka katulad na naman ito sa mga ilang pagkakataon na akala ko na makakamit na namin ang hustisya. I’ve grown tired of hoping. Sana lang iba ito.

Pagkadating namin sa Manor, tahimik ang paligid. It’s almost sunrise pero hindi man lang ako nakaramdam ng antok. This isn’t the first time. May mga pagkakataon na ganito. But eventually it wouldn’t lead us to anything.

I rushed to my office where I saw Gracy waiting for me. She’s busy with her laptop at kahit napansin na niya ako, doon parin nakatutok. I feel different. My heart is racing and I can hear it loudly.

“Ano?”

She paused for a moment and looked at me with tears in her eyes. She nodded slowly as she breathed in heavily.

“We got a solid lead, Zell.”

I sighed in so much relief. Pakiramdam ko may tinik na natanggal sa puso ko. I pursed my lips as she went to me and hug me.

“Tell me more, please.”

Gracy has been my friend since we were in kindergarten. Maaga siyang nawalan ng magulang kaya tumayo si Mom and Dad bilang magulang niya. She’s like a sister already. Kaya noong namatay si Daddy, the pain we went through was the same.

“I don’t want our hopes high, okay? We have a name and a fucking clear face of the killer but he’s hard to find. Here…”

She guided me to her laptop and showed me a picture of a man. Mukhang sa CCTV galing. My eyes narrowed seeing the unfamiliar face of the man. May pangalan kami at mukha niya kaya hindi kami mahirapan na hanapin siya. We can easily find him.

Nagpatuloy si Gracy. “I recovered a dumped CCTV footage. This is what I saw. The exact scene when Tito died. It was hard to recover but good thing I cracked it. This is a big piece of evidence, Zell.”

“We’ll just have to track that man,” tumatango ako.

Tumikhim siya at may pinakita ulit sa akin.

“I used some strings and found out his name.”

My heart felt the thunder as the rain poured. Napatingin ako sa bintana. Umuulan. Mas lalo lang akong kinalibutan.

“And?”

“Clark Montano. He’s a Russian spy and an assassin. My guess is he assassinated Tito. And there’s more… I tracked his work two years ago. I found out that a powerful clan hired him. The Valleros hired him and a week later, Tito died.”

Hindi ako makapagsalita. The Valleros. I’ve heard about them. Powerful. Influential. Tycoons. Ruthless. They’re the tyrants in the business world. They’re the definition of old money. No one goes above them. Kaso, I only heard of them through magazines and rumors dahil sa States na ako nag-aral at grumaduate.

“And do you know who dumped the CCTV footage?” she smirked.

From her smirk, alam ko na kung sino.

“The Valleros,” I said in a whisper.

She nodded and continued.

“Remember two years ago when your family business was competing with the Vallero Corporation? They’re known for going for the dirt to dispatch people they don’t like. I think it was the same with Tito. They didn’t want their hands dirty so they hired Clark Montano.”

There’s too much information coming in that I’m still processing it. Ngayon lang na may ganito karaming impormasyon sa pagkamatay ni Daddy. I swallowed hard.

“They’re too powerful for us,” wika ko.

Even if we show this evidence to the court, mahirap. They’re too powerful. The government and law are on their palms. They’re the marksmen and we’re just pawns. Kumulo ang dugo ko sa naisip. Do they think they can just play whoever they want to? Umigting ang panga ko.

Napatango si Gracy sa sinabi ko.

“If they can play dirty, I can do that too.”

Tumalikod ako kay Gracy at tumungo sa isang desk. I immediately opened one drawer and looked for a specific file. I just felt my body do its work. I’m seeing red and all I can think of is revenge. I have never felt so much anger in my heart. Today is different.

Nang makita ko na ang isang brown envelope, agad ko itong binuksan. My eyes gazed upon the surname on it.

Vallero.

I smirked. I showed Gracy the letter. I let her read it. Dumaan ang ilang minuto bago siya humarap sa akin. My mind is already plotting my plans.

“An arranged marriage?”

“I guess I’m getting married, Gracy.”

“Do you think this is too suspicious? Baka they just want you down and this is the bait.”

May point si Gracy. But it has already been the talk of the town. The Valleros are looking for suitable women to marry the heirs. My family is also powerful. Kung iisipin, we’re just one step below the Valleros. So, if they want me, I’ll get to them.

“They’re looking for ladies from powerful families they can use to their benefit. And I’ll just use them too but to their disadvantage.”

“You’re not doing what I’m thinking right?”

I chuckled.

“I’ll be in the lion’s den but I’ll have to put the lion to eternal sleep.”

“That’s dangerous, Zell. The Valleros, they’re cunning and can kill you when you’re not of use. You must think rationally.”

I sighed and looked Gracy straight in the eyes.

“If I can’t get justice, then I’ll have my revenge.”