Semua Bab Secret Vow of the Ruthless Billionaire: Bab 11 - Bab 20

“Some women return for closure. Others come back to finish what they started.”MANILA – BUENAVISTA ESTATE, 2:38 AMHindi makatulog si China.Hindi dahil sa gising pa ang mundo, kundi dahil ang puso niya ay war zone. Gabriel lay asleep beside her, his breath steady, arm draped protectively across her. Pero kahit yakap niya ito, tila may pagitan pa rin silang dalawa.She slipped out of bed, walked barefoot to Gabriel’s office, and sat in front of his locked drawer.Naalala niya ang sinabi ni Alejandria kanina:“Your empire was built on blood. His father’s sins are yours now.”Hindi siya marunong mag-hack, pero may pakiramdam siya. Tumayo siya at tinapik ang painting sa wall.A click.The safe behind it blinked.She typed Gabriel’s mother’s birthday—0628.Access granted.Sa loob ay isang maliit na folder. Label: “Project Serpent”Gabriel's phone buzzed.It was Zyrus.> “Boss… we have a bigger problem than Alejandria. Her last name isn’t Villareal.”Gabriel sat up instantly. “What?”> “I

“China!" Gabriel's voice echoed through the penthouse like a bullet through glass. His knuckles bled from punching the marble wall—again. His chest heaved, muscles trembling as he stared at the message scrawled across the mirror in deep red: “You should’ve kept her hidden.” China's wedding ring lay on the vanity, smeared in blood. Hindi niya alam kung sa kanya ba ‘yon, o kay China.. “Track the cameras. Get me footage. Inside. Outside. Every fucking angle!” he barked into his earpiece as he spoke to Damien, pacing back and forth. His security team scrambled. It had only been four hours since he left her sleeping on the couch. Four hours. And now she was gone. Downstairs, the building was in chaos. Security footage was missing. Every USB drive had been wiped, and the hard drives—physically destroyed. “May mole tayo,” said Michael, Gabriel’s younger half-brother, who had just flown in from Singapore the moment he heard. “Someone on the inside helped them.” Gabriel didn’t answer.

Tagaytay Safehouse, 1:28 A.M. China stared at the rain hitting the window, her arms wrapped around her knees. Gabriel had fallen asleep on the couch across the room, still in his blood-stained tactical gear, as if refusing to rest unless she did first. Pero kahit gusto niyang makatulog, the thoughts wouldn’t stop. Veron's voice still echoed in her mind. > “Do you really know who he is?” And the memory flashes… a woman in a red dress, screaming Gabriel's name before the sound of a gunshot. Who was she? At ang mas masakit—bakit si Gabriel mismo ang bumaril sa babae? China pressed a trembling hand against her chest. Pilit na kinakalma ang sarili sa mga bumabagabag sa kanya. "I love him... but who did I marry?" Earlier that day. After their narrow escape, Gabriel brought her straight to the only place no one dared to go looking for him—his late father’s abandoned estate in Tagaytay, nestled within thick fog and wild trees. Dito siya tumira during his exile years. No guards. No

Ang pulang tela ng Crimson Ball ay tila dugong bumalot sa bawat sulok ng silid—elegante, misteryoso, at nakakatakot. Nakasuot si China ng isang itim na gown na may mga pulang lace sa laylayan—parang senyales ng isang babaeng sinasakripisyo sa altar ng mga lihim. Sa ilalim ng maskarang pilit niyang isinusuot, nanginginig ang kanyang labi. “Breathe, China,” bulong ni Gabriel habang nakatayo sa tabi niya, ang kanyang mga mata ay alerto, pero ang kamay ay mahigpit na hawak ang kanya. “We’re just blending in. Nothing more.” Pero pareho nilang alam na kasinungalingan iyon. Dahil ngayong gabi, hindi lang sila makikihalubilo—makakaharap nila ang mga kaluluwang bumuo ng mundo ng kadiliman na sinubukan nilang iwan. FLASH. Isang spotlight ang biglang umilaw sa gitna ng silid. Isang lalaking naka-maskara ang naglakad sa entablado. “Ladies and gentlemen,” aniya, “welcome to the Crimson Ball… where every mask hides a sin.” Nagpalakpakan ang mga bisita—mga negosyanteng bihasa sa kasinungaling

Nakatago ang liwanag ng araw sa makapal na kurtina ng safehouse sa Tagaytay highlands. Ang tanawin, maganda. Ang paligid, tahimik. Pero sa bawat kibot ng hangin, may banta ng panganib. China sat by the window, her hand resting on her slightly swelling belly. "Anim na linggo na," bulong niya. Hindi pa man siya nagpapa-check up ulit, alam na ng katawan niya—nagbabago ito. Napahawak siya sa pendant na iniwan sa kanya ni Gabriel. Walang cellphone. Walang koneksyon sa labas. Ilang araw na rin mula noong huli silang nag-usap. Hindi pwedeng ipakita na buhay siya. Hindi pa. Sa ilalim ng compound, isang silid ang puno ng monitors. Infrared. Drone feeds. Hidden cameras. Gabriel stood in front of it, staring at a black screen with a blinking red light. “They’ve found the trail,” sabi ng tech expert na si Knox, dating Black Ops, ngayon ay loyal sa kanya. “They?” Gabriel's voice was colder than ice. “Unknown unit. Military grade tech, but the pattern doesn’t match local intel agencies. Mukh