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49. Cold Cases

Penulis: Jiceryl
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-04-16 13:18:03

The rain came in sheets that afternoon, turning the dirt roads of Sta. Lucia into rivers of reddish-brown sludge. Eli Mendoza parked his beat-up motorbike beside the police outpost, water dripping from the brim of his cap. He shook off the rain, wiped his boots on the mat, and stepped on that same squeaky floorboard. Almost immediately, the familiar sour scent of instant coffee and old paperwork greeted his nose.

In a town like this, things didn’t move unless you shoved them. And he had been a tired police officer for too long.

He took a seat at his desk, which was a thin wooden table marked by cigarette burns and ink stains. His battered leather notebook was already open. Its pages were lined with observations, dates, and names that kept circling back to one: Dorothea Gatchalian.

It had been four years, but the woman was still nowhere to be found. He still remembered that day. He could picture the way she sat there in the station, perfectly composed and not struck with grief for her
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  • His Hired Lover   68. Family Dinner  

    SOFIA’s POV I felt numb. That was the only thing I could feel as I looked at the Alcaraz family, one by one.Don Felix, with his silver hair combed back, and the calmness in his demeanor that felt alluring and unnerving at the same time. Demitre, his cold eyes locked on the empty plate, refused to look at me without scorn. His wife, Rita, was drinking and smiling at me with quivering lips. Then there was Sasha, with her kind eyes and full attention to her husband, Ben. Her fingers brushed crumbs from her husband’s cuff. Seated between them was their child, who had held my hand earlier upon my arrival. And beside me, Rios. He was saying nothing, but had been stroking my nape as if to make me feel relaxed amidst the tension.The chandelier overhead scattered gold across the long table. Everything here screamed of wealth. I had been told that we would be having roasted duck, drizzled in fig sauce, and melted into sweetness against the bitterness of arugula. They would also be

  • His Hired Lover   67. Sofia’s Return  

    It was raining hard when Rios arrived at Rockwell Drive. Walking toward the building soaked his white polo shirt and had magically erased his drunkenness. It had been two weeks since he last heard from his wife, and while the first week was his way of understanding the situation, all he felt now was anger. Why had she not contacted him yet?He barely heard the receptionist's greeting as he climbed into the elevator. He wasn't planning to sleep in Sofia's unit, but he realized he missed her terribly.The unit greeted him with darkness, except for the sliver of warm light spilling from under Sofia’s bedroom door. Rios stood in the threshold, blinking against the glow. Maybe the whiskey was playing tricks on him. But there she stood barefoot on the polished floor, her silk robe clinging softly to her slender frame, as her head tilted toward the vanity mirror. With slow, practiced strokes, she dabbed moisturizer onto her cheeks, then along her jawline. Her eyes met his in the mirror. "Rio

  • His Hired Lover   66. The Authorities

    They were waiting inside the car. From the driver’s seat, SPO2 Elias Mendoza patiently held the steering wheel as Captain Andrea Villanueva sat beside him, casually sipping her Starbucks coffee. The engine was off, and the windows were partially down, letting the cold morning air inside. Outside, beyond the windshield, a modest two-story house sat quietly in this secluded neighborhood. “I commend that woman’s cunning ability to manipulate an Alcaraz. She didn’t go straight to the house Rios had bought for her. She went straight here. I wonder what she is planning.” “Hmm,” Andrea grunted. “Never underestimate women, Sergeant. You don’t know what we’re capable of.” “Don’t tell me you’ve developed a liking to that criminal?” Eli huffed. Andrea stared at him, making the man feel a little uncomfortable. She was suddenly too close.“Criminals are criminals, Sergeant. But I admit, this girl—Dorothea Gatchalian—has come a long way. We’ve

  • His Hired Lover   65. Barrio Fiesta  

    The pounding of drums and the high-pitched trumpets signaled the affair that morning. For a moment, Mina Sotto observed the surroundings and felt disoriented. Two days ago, she and Sofia landed at the airport and separated as she was going to Sta. Lucia, Southern Leyte. A quiet coastal town that had been slowly wrapping itself in festive colors. “Find my step-sister, but do not tell her where I am. I have been sending money to her, but she doesn’t know where the money came from.” “W-why would you send her money in secret? Didn’t you want to see her anymore?” Sofia hesitated. “I have my reasons. J-just go and see how she’s doing. “Okay,” Mina replied with a sigh. “What’s the plan?” Mina trudged the narrow street below and blended with the excited crowd. People lined the sidewalks, and eager vendors waved here and there selling ice candy and kakanin. Upon looking up, Mina saw the fluttering and colorful banderitas, li

  • His Hired Lover   64. Spiral

    (Trigger Warning: BDSM)Rios hadn’t slept in three days. He had been staying at his parents’ house, enjoying every little argument he had with his father. He soaked in the misery, especially in those moments when his father couldn’t even defend himself from his own son’s insults. It was Rios’s own way of villainizing the situation.The maids avoided his eyes as he prowled the halls like a rabid animal. Even Sasha didn’t escape his clenched teeth, bloodshot eyes, and that unexplainable rage radiating from him like he was a madman. When one of the maids had dropped a tray near the dining room, Rios cursed long and hard. "Get out! All of you!" he roared, kicking the broken porcelain. "Useless, every one of you!"“For God’s sake, Rios! You don’t just come here and bark at everyone’s head! This isn’t your house anymore.”It was her mother. Even she, who used to know how to control her son, could not ease the heavy feeling Rios had been dealing with for days.“I understand that you miss you

  • His Hired Lover   63. Escape

    SOFIA’s POVI didn’t wait for Rios after the flight. I went straight to my bedroom and hurled some clothes into the suitcase.I felt so mad inside, but I wasn’t going to say that in front of his face. I already told him I called Mina and the two of us were going somewhere. My clothes looked wrinkled and uneven, but I didn’t care. My passport sat open on the desk beside my phone. One word blinked at me from the itinerary email: Spain. I had to breathe. I had to remind myself to continue existing outside of him.The door swung open hard. Then Rios's voice cracked through the silence like glass. "You're going where?"I didn’t turn. "Spain."He stepped in, closing the door with a thud. "Now? After everything that just happened? We just came back from the Tribunal."I zipped the suitcase halfway. "Exactly because of everything that just happened.""Sofia, you can’t do this. You're still legally bound to me. And the contract—""Yes, I know," I snapped. "And I am not running away, okay? But y

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