CHAPTER 5: SHADOWS OF THE PAST

Vivienne's heart pounded as she gripped the steering wheel. Hindi siya makapaniwala sa narinig mula kay Jace.

"Omega...? Jace, anong pinagsasabi mo?" She tried to keep her voice steady, pero ramdam ang kaba sa bawat salita niya.

"Vie... may atraso ako sa kanila." Jace's voice was weak, guilty. "Hindi ko na kinaya... I tried, but I lost everything. Nasa ICU ako dahil sa kanila. At ang masama, hindi pa tapos ang lahat."

Vivienne's grip tightened. "How much this time, Jace?"

Tahimik.

"Jace, how much?!"

She heard him swallow hard before whispering, "Five billion."

Nanlambot ang buong katawan niya. Hindi siya agad nakapagsalita, tila binuhusan ng malamig na tubig. "Five billion pesos?! Jace, anong ginawa mo?!"

Vivienne’s hands trembled as she clutched the steering wheel, her mind still clouded by alcohol and the weight of Jace’s words.

“Five billion pesos.”

It echoed in her head like a death sentence.

Her brother was in the ICU because of another massive debt, one she didn’t even know existed dahil sa kaadikan niya sumugal. For all the years she spent fixing his mistakes, she thought he had learned his lesson at iniwasan na ang dapat iwasan. But no. Jace had done it again.

She gritted her teeth, pushing the accelerator harder as she weaved through Manila’s traffic.

Putangina naman, Jace! Five billion? Was he out of his mind?

A few minutes later, she screeched into the hospital’s parking lot. Hindi na siya nag-abalang ayusin ang suot niyang dress—too revealing, too inappropriate for this place lalo na may mga taong pumapasok at lumalabas—but she didn’t care. She sprinted towards the ICU.

The cold air inside sent chills down her spine. She swallowed the lump in her throat before pushing the door open.

There he was.

Jace, lying on the hospital bed, his face bruised and battered, connected to machines that beeped in a steady rhythm. Hindi na alam ni Vivienne ang gagawin o mararamdaman dahil napapagod na siya at the same time.

Her chest tightened.

His eyes fluttered open when he heard her footsteps. "Ate…"

Vivienne crossed her arms, her stance sharp as knives. "Tangina, Jace. Anong ginawa mo?"

Jace looked away, shame crawling on his face. "Ate, I didn’t mean to—"

"P*****g ina, ‘di mo na naman sinasadya? Paano? Five billion pesos na utang?! Ano ‘to, trip mo lang?" Her voice rose, anger seething from her every word.

Jace groaned, shifting uncomfortably in his bed. "Ate, I had no choice. I thought… I thought I could win it back."

Vivienne’s nails dug into her palm. "Gambling again? Talaga ba, Jace?! Ilang beses na kita sinabihan!"

Jace coughed, his face twisted in regret. "I didn’t know they’d come after me this fast at sinabi ko naman na ibabalik ko agad... Ate, they’re dangerous. Omega."

Her breath hitched.

Omega.

She heard of them before dahil sikat sila na grupo. A syndicate—no, a nightmare disguised as businessmen. People who didn’t just kill, but made their victims wish for death dahil lang sa inutang na pera.

Jace grabbed her wrist, weak but desperate. "Ate, hindi ko na alam ang gagawin ko. They took everything. The money’s gone. And now… they’re coming for me at natatakot ako sa buhay ko."

Vivienne exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down her face. "Putangina talaga, Jace… Just—stay here. Don’t let anyone in, okay? Kahit sino. I’ll figure this out."

She turned to leave, heart pounding. She didn’t know how she was going to fix this, but one thing was for sure—she couldn’t let Jace die for his stupidity.

Her heels clicked against the concrete as she stepped into the parking lot, her mind racing for solutions.

Maybe I could call someone, pull some strings—

A hand suddenly grabbed her arm.

Her breath hitched as she was yanked back with force. A rough, unfamiliar voice whispered in her ear at halos manindig ang balahibo niya sa katawan, "Miss Levison, your brother’s debt is worth five billion pesos. If he can’t pay, we’ll take something else in return."

Vivienne twisted in his grip, trying to break free, but another man appeared from behind at saka hinawakan rin siya, clamping a hand over her mouth. Her scream died against his palm.

"Shhh," the man sneered, his breath reeking of alcohol. "Alam mo, hindi mo lang alam kung anong halaga mo sa'min. You’re worth more than five billion, babe. A lifetime experience with someone like you? I think that’s a fair trade."

Cold terror shot through her veins.

No.

She thrashed against them, kicking, clawing, anything—but the world tilted as they shoved her towards a black van, alam na niya ang ending nito, kamatayan. One of them pulled out a small vial and a piece of cloth—chloroform.

No, no, no!

Vivienne fought harder, elbowing one of them in the ribs, making him curse, but before she could even step back—

Gunshots.

Loud, deafening.

Her body froze as she heard a voice—low, calm, but deadly.

"Drop her. Now."

The grip on her loosened as her captors hesitated.

Vivienne turned her head slightly—and there he was.

Dominic.

"Dominic…" she whispered, shocked.

The leader of the men sneered. "Stay out of this, Mr. Sterling. This doesn’t concern you."

Dominic’s gaze didn’t waver. "That’s where you’re wrong. She’s mine."

The words sent a jolt through her system. Not because of the possessiveness, but because of how calm he sounded—like this was just another business deal.

"Mister—" the man started, but before he could finish, Dominic took a step forward and pulled the trigger.

A warning shot.

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Dominic’s voice was chilling, his patience razor-thin.

The men hesitated, then finally, they let her go.

Vivienne stumbled back, her legs shaking, but before she could even regain her balance, Dominic’s coat was suddenly draped over her shoulders.

"Get in the car," he ordered, his tone as indifferent as ever.

She wanted to argue, wanted to snap at him, but she was exhausted. Shaken.

Without another word, she slid into his car, hugging his coat tightly around her. It smelled like him—clean, crisp, and dangerously intoxicating.

She stared out the window, trying to process everything. Her hands wouldn’t stop trembling.

"Stop that," Dominic muttered.

She blinked. "What?"

"Shaking. It’s annoying."

Vivienne clenched her fists. "Tangina, Dominic, I almost got kidnapped! Excuse me for having nerves!"

He sighed, like she was nothing more than a slight inconvenience. "You were reckless. Dressed like that, drinking, dancing with strangers—what were you thinking?"

She whipped her head toward him. "Oh, so this is my fault now? Baka gusto mong sabihing dapat nagpapasalamat pa ako sa’yo?"

He didn’t answer. He just kept driving, his grip on the wheel firm.

Silence settled again.

Vivienne wanted to stay angry, wanted to throw more accusations at him—but her body betrayed her. The warmth of the coat, the steady hum of the car, the exhaustion creeping in from the alcohol and the night’s chaos—

Her eyelids grew heavy.

But, she realized something.

"Dominic, bakit kilala ka nila?"