Cruel
"Arkaine, can you pull some strings for me?" I said in the sweetest voice as soon as I called her.
I could sense her hostile demeanor even if I was not in front of her. She always has that dark, feminine demeanor about her. Kahit noon pa man. We're cousins, but there were times she looked so distant and cold that it was hard to approach her.
Sa totoo lang, mas madali pang lapitan si Ashtraia kaysa kay Arkaine. Pero mas maganda namang kausap si Arkaine kaysa kay Ashtraia. Coz Arkaine is the serious type, unlike Ashtraia, who seems too playful and less interested in everything.
"Just because you're a supermodel now doesn't mean it would work on me, Estiece." May panunuya sa pagbanggit niya sa pangalan ko.
I chuckled a little. "Please?"
"How confidential is that?" she asked, sounding intrigued.
Pumikit ako at sinapo ang ulo habang nakasandal sa sink ng rest room.
"I just want to know the details of why he got jailed," I whispered.
Hindi agad siya nakapagsalita.
"Nabanggit kasi sa akin ni Ashtraia noong mga nakaraang taon..."
"She mentioned it too." There's a distance the way she uttered it.
Dumilat ako at binasa ang labi.
"Can you dig it? He's using Wallace Serrano. It's his father's surname. And Wallace is his second name. Matunog 'yon noong college pa lang ako dahil sa dami ng nagkakagusto sa kanyang babae."
"Why do you want to know it?" sa tanong niya, pakiramdam ko, nakapag-imbistiga na siya bago ko pa ito hingin sa kanya.
I panicked a bit. If she were just in front of me, I'd probably squeeze her.
"I just want to confirm something..."
"Yes, he got jailed. It's related to drugs, which he escaped, and he's one of the most wanted now."
Nanindig ang balahibo ko sa deritso niyang pagbato noon. Mariin akong pumikit.
"We're after the syndicate he's in," she confronted.
Bumigat ang paghinga ko. Alam ko ngayon ang kakayahan niya, ang pamamalakad niya. She's leading the whole group of Lola's hustler private armed group, and they're after the big syndicates.
"Or after him, personally. His head has a bounty," she said in a smooth, nonchalant voice that seems like she's a robot.
She was emotionless, which was what she needed in her work. To feel less emotion toward these criminals. But even if she's not part of it, she's already been like that since I've known her.
Nanginginig ako. My breathing hitched as I couldn't recover so easily.
"U-Until now?" I tried to sound less interested, but I know it was futile.
"Until now. Until he's captured. Until he's in our hands."
Shit. Which means, until now, she hasn't captured him yet?
Kung ganoon, mailap pa sa mailap si Trison. Arkaine has been known as the mastermind of their group because of her tactics. She has captured a lot of big syndicates, and the government relies on their group sometimes or needs to ally with her.
Why is it taking you so long?" I tried to converse in a way she wouldn't doubt when I could already sense she had found out what this call was about.
"The Chief of the military is quite... a headache," she murmured.
