Submitted to the Devil

Finale: Answers

Serenity Cheng Valencio's Point of View

"Don't worry, Serenity, pupunta-punta kami dito Zai. She misses you, you know? She kept asking me how you've been but I always told her you were busy. Nagtatampo kasi ako noong umalis ka sa kompanya ko kaya akala kong ayaw mo na kami."

Hindi ko alam kung matatawa o ano dito kay Sir Dave--Kuya Dave pala. Mag-iisang linggo na niyang sinasabing nagtatampo siya sa'kin. Sa loob rin ng isang linggong iyon, sila ni Zai ang kasama ko. Zai is a sweet lady and very smart, too. Sa loob ng isang linggo, naliwanagan ako sa totoo kong pamilya.

The Cheng family does not only holds various big companies in China. They are also the largest underground family that holds the most illegal business anyone could imagine. Rich is not even a word to describe a family like that.

My own parents belong to the direct families that would inherit most likely everything the surname holds. Pero hindi sila ang next in line, Kuya Dave and Zai's family holds that position. The families themselves are tangled in a messiest of family trees but it turned out I am their aunt. Tita nila ako pero sabi ni Kuya Dave, family roles are not that important and I can treat them as my own siblings for that matter. That's why I call Kuya Dave kuya.

Everything went down to killing every descendant to the wealth when the man of the clan dies in an unknown cause. Hindi rin daw alam nila Kuya Dave kung paano sila nabuhay, basta ang alam lang nila, may babaeng kumupkop sa kanila. The way I survived everything was not as simple as that and the only one who can answer my questions is Thanatos Vascilicy.

The man who owns the mansion before me.

How am I holding on to my sanity after knowing all of this in a week? Barely. This is madness and if it weren't to my medicines and my psychiatrist, I may had lost it.

"Call me when you need me, okay? Never hesitate to call me."

Kahit na nahihiya ako, yumakap ako sa kanya. I felt Kuya Dave smile and hugged me back tighter.

Just then, a woman welcomes me and said Thanatos Vascilicy is waiting for me at the garden.

Kinakabahan akong nagpaalam at kumayaw paalis kay Kuya Dave.

I can feel myself being swallowed by my anxieties and being calm at the same time. Whatever things are in my medicine, it's working.

"Master, Miss Serenity is here."

Doon ko na nakita ang lalaking ngayon ay prenteng nakaupo kaharap ang lamesang nakahaing kape at mga kung ano-anong cake.

Ngumiti siya at hindi ko man lang napansin na wala na pala 'yung babaeng nasa harapan ko lang kanina.

"It's nice to see you again, Serenity."

Alanganin akong ngumiti at tinanggap ang imbetansyon niyang umupo sa katapat niyang upuan.

"Forgive me for serving too many sweets, I do have a mild addiction to them and I'm not really sure what you wanted. Help yourself first."

Hindi ko alam pero kusang kong inabot itong slice ng chocolate cake at sumimsim ng kape. I was wrong, it wasn't coffee. It smelled like coffee but tasted so much like chocolate.

I heard him chuckle. "Addicition. I never liked coffee but why not have something that smelled like it but is still chocolate."

I started eating with him and if it's really a normal day? I would find this the weirdest and mlst awkward thing I did. But this isn't any normal day.

"You're stalling."

I smiled. "You noticed."

Kinakabahan ako pero kalmado pa rin ako. Parang walang connect pero alam kong kinakabahan ako, hindi ko nga lang nararamdaman. Kalma man ako, alam na alam kong gumagawa na naman ako ng paraan na kahit paano, mapatagal ko ang lahat bago niya masabi ang mga dapat kong malaman.