PROLOGUE
905 Words
Sabi nila, delikado daw ang mga babaeng kagaya ko.
But what they always forget is—we weren’t born this way. We were built.
Sanay na ako matawag ng kung anu-ano. Halimaw. Ahas. Malandi. Puta. As if using your body to manipulate is something to be ashamed of. As if I had a choice.
The truth is… I never had the luxury of innocence.
I was trained for this.
Trained to smile with a loaded gun behind my teeth.
My name is Mai Sakuhachi.
Twenty-six. Half-Japanese, half-Filipina.
Agent for Division Black—an organization that technically doesn’t exist. Secretly funded by governments that deny our existence. Controlled by men who’ll kill you for spelling their names wrong.
Seduction is my specialty.
And I’m damn good at it.
Too good, maybe.
&.&
I woke up that morning in Venice, naked under silk sheets. The scent of last night’s conquest still clung to my skin.
The man beside me? Wala akong idea kung sino siya. Just another name in a file. Another body I used to get what I needed.
I stood up, walked to the mirror, and stared at my reflection.
Same face. Same lips. Same hollow eyes.
But tonight, everything would change.
Tumawag ang HQ.
And they only call when it’s something no one else can do..
| 11:34 PM | Division Black HQ | Underground Base – Italy |
“You’re not going to like this one.”
That was the first thing Cain said the moment I entered the briefing room. Director Cain. My handler. The coldest man I know. Kalbo. Nasa edad na para tawagin na “Sir,” pero hindi pa gano’n katanda para excuse ang sapakin.
He slid a folder across the table.
Plain black. Unmarked. Sealed.
Confidential. Top-level. Dangerous.
“Open it,” he ordered.
I did.
One name was written inside in bold, heavy ink.
LOGAN SCRIVENER
And under it... a photo.
I paused.
Just for a second.
Because he was—
Beautiful.
Not the soft, delicate kind of beautiful. No. His face was sharp. Striking. Painful to look at, but impossible to ignore.
Jawline like it could cut glass. High cheekbones. Thick lashes. Dusky skin that made you want to touch it just to know if it was real.
A face that made you forget to blink.
Feminine sa symmetry, pero 'yung aura niya?
Cold. Dominant. Detached.
He looked like the kind of man who saw the world as his playground—at lahat ng laruan, sirang-sira na.
“Is he gay?” I asked, eyes still fixed on the photo.
“Unconfirmed,” Cain replied. “But all intel suggests he’s never been seen with a woman. Ever.”
I flipped the page.
More photos. More data.
Mugshots of dead men. Classified documents. Bloodied suits. European arms smuggling trails.
Logan Scrivener.
Mafia lord. CEO. Underworld phantom. Ghost king.
And now… my target.
“What do you want me to do?” I asked flatly.
Cain leaned back, his smile colder than steel.
“Simple. Seduce him. Make him fall for you. Get close. Destroy him from the inside.”
I raised a brow. “That’s not simple. You just said he doesn’t sleep with women.”
“That’s why we chose you, Mai,” he said. “You’re not like other women. You know how to make people want what they thought they never would.”
I laughed, dry and amused. “So you want me to confuse his sexuality?”
“No,” he said calmly. “I want you to confuse *him*.”
He pushed another document toward me.
MISSION CODE NAME: SILK TRAP
OBJECTIVE: Get close to Logan Scrivener.
Gain his trust. Locate the vault keys. Ruin his control. Destroy his inner circle.
Deadline: 90 days.
Consequence of failure: Termination.
Nakatitig lang ako sa papel. Ninety days.
Three months to dismantle a man untouched by weakness.
A man who may never have known love.
Or worse—doesn’t believe in it.
“Mai,” Cain said, voice low. “If you pull this off, we won’t just bring him down. We’ll own everything he’s built.”
I closed the folder.
Lit a cigarette.
And smiled.
“Then let’s burn it down… beautifully.”
LATER THAT NIGHT, I'M HERE sat alone in the dark, overlooking the city from the balcony. Half a glass of champagne on the table. One photo in my hand.
Logan’s face stared back at me.
I traced his lips with my finger.
“Logan Scrivener,” I whispered
...
- Writer
