COLD KNIGHT

Prologue

5AM. And the dawn was about to break the dark of the sky.

Matapos ang meeting ng SUIT kasama si EverRose sa opisina ni Director Makatuwid tungkol sa Dominus Mortem ay tumuloy na ang pito sa parking area ng ahensya, makaraang magpaalaman ay nagkanya-kanyang punta na sa mga pag-aaring sasakyan ang lahat.

Armand went inside his SUV but didn't start it yet, he was currently in the state of his deepest thoughts.

It has been an unexpected night indeed, who would have thought that that mafia group has the guts to snatch Luca Ardizonne's corpse inside the agency? Breached all their security systems and left them a note suggesting vengeance? Hmm… 

His thoughts could go on and on but were disrupted seeing Illya and EverRose in his peripheral vision, the two were talking next to their vehicle. A smile immediately hovered over his lips looking at them all lovey-dovey with each other. The couple has that quiet kind of intimacy, not the "in your face" kind, definitely not PDA but it screamed affection and strong magnetism. One look and you could tell that you’re looking at a couple for sure even without them touching each other and all. They have that healthy balance, the Yin & Yang vibe. A kind of love that was so rare, he had only known and seen a few have it. Illya and EverRose had it. How lucky. 

He still couldn’t believe it though that his notorious womanizer of a friend had gone totally nuts over a woman. The fact that he was head over heels in love with EverRose was making him amused and amazed at the same time. It has already been a week since Illya and EverRose's engagement. He for one has witnessed that special occasion. 

He saw how Illya looked at EverRose with love and adoration in his eyes all the time, they looked so good together he actually rooted for their relationship from the beginning. But then, that very moment he realized himself too, kahit ikatanda pa siguro niya, hinding-hindi niya makikita ang sarili na titingin ng ganoon sa isang babae.

It was never his dream to get married, much more to be in a relationship so committed and where love was the core foundation. At ano ang dahilan niya? Walang malalim na dahilan naman, naisip lang niyang isang malaking sagabal ang babae sa trabaho niya. Dagdag alalahanin sa tuwing susuong siya sa isang mapanganib na misyon, isama pang mataas ang tsansang maisapanganib din niya ang buhay niyon lalo at hindi naman maiiwasan ang mga lihim na kaaway sa trabahong mayroon sila.

Anyway, may isang bagay naman siyang mahal at iyon ay ang trabaho niya. As you already know, he was one of the elite agents of SUIT under the supervision of Arturo S. Makatuwid, the director of the National Bureau of Investigation.

Like the rest of his teammates, he was glad and proud enough to be selected for SUIT. It was a unit that doesn't work by the book, they have the most freedom to go on every mission without any dictation. It has always been their own approach and rules from the get go, kumbaga kung saan mas sila mas komportable doon sila. You can say that their team was in a high ranking position. Hindi madaling makapasok sa SUIT, one has to have the stamina, the strength, the knowledge, and of course the intelligence to go on even in the toughest of missions. Yep, one has to have the entire package. And now that their team was complete with Reyes taking up the last position, it would prolly take a decade for another opening. Their group was a tight knit one. 

Sa edad niyang treinta y uno ay marami na siyang napatunayan sa kanyang trabaho, sisiw naman kasi para sa kanya ang lahat. The adventure, the action, the investigation, and the life risking elements of his job had just the right amount of thrill to make his boring life worth living… So, that concludes it. He doesn't need a woman to make him a whole being, he can fill up his own cup, make it full on his own. After all, he was Armand Zantua. The indespensable Armand Zantua.