Chapter 2

CALEB:

MABILIS akong nagmaneho ng Ferrari ko pauwi ng condo. It's already 11 o'clock in the evening. The moment I stepped inside my penthouse in BGC, silence welcomed me.

No guards. No servants. No family. Just me. Dahil sa profession namin ng daddy, walang katulong o guard ang nakapaligid sa amin. Tanging ang mga kasamahan lang namin sa organization ang nakakasalamuha namin. Dahil bawal kaming makipaglapit sa sinoman. Maaari kasing gamitin iyon ng mga kalaban against us.

The city lights beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows illuminated the dark interior of the apartment. Millions of people were living their lives outside, unaware that one of the world's deadliest assassins had just walked through the door. Sa paningin ng mga tao, para lang kaming ordinaryo katulad nila. Wala silang kaalam-alam. . . kung gaano kami kadelekadong nilalang.

I loosened my tie and tossed my coat onto the couch. My body felt heavy. Not from physical injuries. But from exhaustion. For two straight nights, I hadn't slept properly. Idagdag pang nasa hospital pa rin ang daddy.

Ang daming tumatakbo sa isipan ko. Our last mission. My father's condition. The impossible task waiting for me. Napahilot ako sa sentido na pumikit at ini-relax na muna ang sarili. Damn. Sumasakit na ang ulo ko sa dami ng isipin.

Nang medyo makapagpahinga na ako, I headed toward the bathroom. Sanay naman akong mag-isa. Dahil kahit si daddy ay hindi ko kasama sa condo. Magkaiba kami ng tirahan. Para din iyon sa kapakanan naming dalawa. Hindi na namin hahayaang maulit ang nakaraan kaya nagpasya kami na hindi tutuloy sa iisang bubong.

A few minutes later, I sank into the warm bathtub. The heat immediately relaxed my tense muscles. I leaned my head back against the marble surface and closed my eyes. Huminga akong malalim na napangiti.

For the first time all day, I allowed myself to breathe. But the peace didn't last. My mind drifted back to the same problem.

Queen M.

The mysterious Mafia Queen. The woman feared by every major crime syndicate in the world. The woman I had agreed to kill. Napailing ako na naiisip na naman ang huling mission ko.

"How the hell am I supposed to find someone who doesn't even exist on paper?" I murmured.

No real name. No photograph. No fingerprints. No known relatives. Nothing. She was a ghost. A legend. A shadow hiding behind an empire. Napahilot ako sa batok ko. The mission was practically suicide. Yet I had accepted it without hesitation.

Because it was my only chance. The only chance for my father and me to finally walk away from the blood-soaked world we had lived in for years. Malungkot ang naging kwento ng pamilya namin. Kaya siguro naging ice hearted na kami ng daddy.

My father was all I had left. My mother was gone. My younger sister was gone. Both of them had been murdered over a decade ago. I could still remember that night. One of my father's enemies had attacked our home while he was away on a mission.

Ang sigawan namin sa bahay, pagpapasaklolo, ang iyakan namin ng nakababatang kapatid ko habang magkayakap kami. Kung paano namin nakitang pinagsasaksak ang mommy. Magkahawak kamay kaming tumakbo ng kapatid ko palabas ng villa. Pero hinabol nila kami. At bago pa kami makatalon sa bangin, nakuha nila ang kapatid ko kaya ako lang ang nakatakas.

Nang magising ako, nasa hospital na ako. May benda sa ulo at katabi ang daddy na mugto ang mga mata. Nalaman ko sa kanya. . . na dalawang buwan na pala akong comatose at wala na si mommy at kapatid ko. That night changed me forever. That night was the reason I joined the organization.

The reason I trained until my hands bled. The reason I learned how to kill without hesitation. And ten years later. . . I became one of it's leaders. Not because of my father name. Not because of favoritism. But because I earned it. Dugo at pawis ang pinuhunan ko para maabot ang ranggo ko ngayon.

Speed. Intelligence. Combat ability. Strategy. I excelled in every field. Eventually, I became the commander of Omega Vesper. The organization's final weapon. The unit sent when failure was not an option. Ang simpleng binata noon. . . kabilang na sa mga top assassin ng bansa.

I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling.

If money was the issue, my father and I could have retired years ago. The missions alone had earned us billions. We could buy islands. Private jets. Luxury mansions. Anything we wanted. Yet we lived quietly. Low-profile. Invisible. Because wealth meant nothing if people discovered who we really were.

The world's most dangerous assassins didn't survive by attracting attention.

A long sigh escaped my lips. Everything I had done. Every person I had killed. Every sacrifice I had made. It had all been for one goal. Our freedom. Gusto ko na lamang makalaya sa mga panahong ito. Magpahinga sa lahat at walang nakapatong na mabigat na responsibilidad sa balikat ko. Mamuhay ng normal katulad ng mga ordinaryong tao. Libutin ang mundo. . . at bumuo ng pamilya.

Ito na lamang ang pagkakataong meron ako. A chance to finally pursue the woman who had occupied my heart for years. A woman I had never forgotten.

Madison Madrigal.

Isa sa mga heredera ng pamilya Madrigal. Ang pamilyang kabilang sa top richest family in the country. My first love.

The girl who unknowingly carried my heart ever since I was young. Ang nag-iisang nagmamay-ari ng puso ko noon pa man. Kaya naman ni minsan. . . hindi ako nakipag-fling sa iba. Dahil para sa akin ay nakatali na ang puso ko. . . kay Madison.

A small smile appeared on my lips as memories resurfaced.

I was fourteen when I first met her. She was only eight. Palabas na ako ng school ko nang makita siyang dinukot ng mga armadong lalake.

I still remembered hearing her cries that day. The fear in her voice. The terror in her eyes. Dinala nila ito malapit lang sa secret hideout ng daddy. Walang pag-aalinlangan na tinulungan ko si Madison.

But there were too many of them. So I contacted my father. And within minutes. . . the entire area became a battlefield. The kidnappers never stood a chance. Wala silang kalaban-laban kay daddy kahit mag-isa lang itong sumugod.

That was how we saved Madison. Unfortunately, escaping the syndicate wasn't the end of our problems. A storm struck while we were transporting her home. The yacht suffered severe damage. And the three of us ended up stranded on a small island for several days.

Those days remained some of the most peaceful moments of my life. Kahit seryoso kami at tahimik ni daddy sa mga panahong iyon. . . Madison was the exact opposite.

She talked nonstop. Asked endless questions. And somehow managed to smile even in difficult situations. She followed me everywhere. She helped catch fish. Collected fruits. Gathered firewood. And despite being a rich little princess. . . she never once complained. Not even when sleeping on the sand. Not even when eating roasted fish every day.

Instead, she treated the entire experience like an adventure. Like we were characters in one of her favorite fairy tales. Kahit hindi niya kami kilala ng daddy, ang giliw pa rin niya sa amin. Minsan, nahuhuli ko ang daddy na napapangiti sa kakulitan ni Madison. Kahit siya lang ang madalas na nagsasalita sa aming tatlo, wala itong kapaguran. Ang ingay at napakamasayahing bata. Tumatawa ito, napapahagikhik at nangungulit sa amin ng daddy.

"Caleb! Look! I caught one!" sigaw nito na ipinagmamalaki ang nahuli niyang isda.

Lihim akong napangiti. Wala kaming ibang makakain kaya kailangan naming mangisda at kumuha ng iba pang pwedeng makain sa gubat.

"Caleb! Is this fruit edible?" tanong ulit nito habang kumukuha ng mga wild berries at ako naman ay kumukuha ng mga buko.

"Caleb! When I grow up, I'll become brave like you!" muling sigaw pa nito kahit hindi ko siya sinasagot.

A genuine smile spread across my face. She had been adorable. Stubborn. Fearless. Bright enough to make people forget their worries. Lumipas ang tatlong araw na pamamalagi namin sa isla dumating din ang team ng daddy to rescue us. Inihatid namin si Madison sa kanyang pamilya dahil alam naman nito kung saan siya nakatira at kung sino ang mga magulang niya.

Her father had offered us a large reward. But we refused. My father never accepted money for saving innocent people. As we prepared to leave, Madison suddenly grabbed my hand.

Naluluha ito na nakatingala sa akin. "Will I ever see you again?"

I still remembered the promise that changed everything.

"When you grow up, I'll come find you." Saad ko na hinaplos siya sa ulo.

Her eyes immediately lit up. "Really?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Then what happens after that?" she asked.

"Then I'll marry you."

Madison had immediately turned toward her father. "Daddy! Did you hear that?"

Her father had laughed. "I heard it, sweetheart."

Then he looked at me and said. . . "If my daughter agrees when that day comes, you have my blessing, hijo."

The little girl had nodded with a bright smile on her lips. "I agree!"

*****

Napahilot ako sa sentido na mapait na napangiti. Years had passed since then. She was no longer the little girl from the island. Kabilang na siya ngayon sa mga kilalang heredera at hinahangaan ng lahat.

Beautiful. Successful. Untouchable. And I. . . I was an assassin. A man covered in blood. A man who didn't deserve someone like her. Which was why I needed to finish this mission. Because if I survived. . . If I finally earned my freedom. I would keep my promise. Sa oras na mapagtagumpayan ko ang huling mission ko. . . hindi na ako isang assassin. Isa na akong ordinaryong tao. Kapag dumating ang araw na iyon, hindi na ako magsasayang ng sandali.

I would find Madison Madrigal and fulfill my promise to her. Sana lang. . . sana lang ay magtagumpay akong mapatay. . . si Queen M.