Lahat ng Kabanata ng Bound by His Promise: Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 70

RHEA’S POVMay linya pala na kapag tinawid mo, hindi ka na babalik sa dati.Hindi mo na kayang maging inosente.Hindi mo na kayang umasa lang.At ngayong gabi, ramdam ko—tinawid na nila ang linya na ‘yon.Nakatayo ako sa gitna ng living room ng safehouse, hawak ang tablet na ibinigay ni Jake. Isang pangalan ang paulit-ulit na bumabalik sa screen. Legal counsel. The one who smiled politely. The one who said he was “on our side.”“Since when?” tanong ko, hindi ko namamalayan na nanginginig na ang boses ko.“Sixteen months ago,” sagot ni Jake.“Right after your first major campaign win.”Napapikit ako.So habang iniisip kong unti-unti kong binubuo ang sarili ko—may someone pala na tahimik na binabaklas lahat.Lucas was quiet. Too quiet.At mas natatakot ako kapag ganon siya.LUCAS’ POVI didn’t raise my voice.I didn’t slam anything.

RHEA’S POVMay mga bitak na hindi mo agad nakikita—hanggang bigla na lang may bumigay.Balik kami sa city, pero hindi bumalik ang katahimikan. Parang may nakausling tensyon sa pagitan naming tatlo na ayaw magpanggap na wala.Lucas drives.Jake watches the mirrors.Ako? Nakatingin sa sarili kong kamay—steady, pero ramdam ko ang panginginig sa ilalim.“Marielle won’t stop,” sabi ko, breaking the silence.“She never does.”Lucas didn’t answer right away. When he did, mababa at kontrolado ang boses.“Then we stop her.”Jake snorted softly.“That’s not a plan. That’s a promise.”I looked at them.“Then make it a plan.”LUCAS’ POVShe was right.Promises get people killed.Plans win wars.Back at the office, I pulled everyone into lockdown protocol. Not panic—precision. Legal teams, comms, finance. We sealed doors that never should’ve been open

RHEA’S POVThey didn’t even wait an hour.Paglabas pa lang namin ng building, nagsimulang umingay ang mundo—phones buzzing, alerts flashing, names I haven’t heard in years suddenly resurfacing like ghosts demanding attention.“Three accounts frozen,” sabi ni Jake habang naglalakad kami papunta sa sasakyan.“Two shell companies raided. And someone leaked a partial file.”Lucas clenched his jaw.“She’s testing response time.”I stared straight ahead.Hindi ito galit.Hindi rin panic.Ito yung moment na tinatawag ng mga strategist na point of no return.“Open season,” bulong ko.LUCAS’ POVI’ve survived wars like this before.Market crashes. Political pressure. Backroom betrayals.Pero this time—iba.Because she wasn’t attacking me directly.She was circling Rhea.“Move assets to the secondary net,” utos ko sa phone.

RHEA’S POVHindi tumatama agad ang bala kapag sanay ka nang nasasaktan.Pero ramdam mo kung saan ito papunta.Tatlong oras matapos bumagsak ang Lucerne mirror, nagsimula ang domino effect—hindi sa amin…kundi sa mga taong malapit sa amin.“Rhea,” mahinang tawag ni Lucas habang hawak ang tablet, “she’s not defending anymore.”I looked up.“She’s attacking.”Isang headline ang bumungad:FORMER MARKETING EXECUTIVE LINKED TO INTERNATIONAL DATA MANIPULATIONName ko.Mukha ko.Old photo.Pre-Echoheart.Pre-everything.Tumahimik ang paligid.Jake was the first to speak.“She went public.”I swallowed.“She always does when cornered.”LUCAS’ POVThis wasn’t sloppy.This was surgical.Marielle didn’t just leak information—she curated a narrative.Every article painted Rhea as a w

JAKE’S POVAng mga utang, parang dugo.Kahit gaano mo kalayo takbuhan, babalik at babalik sa’yo.Tatlong oras akong nasa underground server room—isang lugar na amoy metal, kuryente, at mga lihim na hindi dapat nabubuhay. Dito ako bumabalik kapag ayaw kong maalala kung sino ako sa ibabaw ng mundo.“Mia Santos,” bulong ko habang nagta-type.“Who wanted you silenced?”Hindi execution ang order.That was clear.Intimidation.A warning shot wrapped in mercy.Which meant…may personal stake.I traced the payment trail.Dummy corporations.Charities.Shell accounts.Standard Consortium play.Until—My fingers froze.Isang pangalan ang lumitaw.Hindi kumpanya.Hindi alias.Isang tao.“Putangina…”I leaned back, heart pounding.Because this wasn’t Marielle’s name.This was someone