Engaged in Disguise

Chapter Eighteen

HINDI na nag-aksaya ng panahon si Luna. Agad siyang nagpatawag ng isang emergency meeting sa Hart Estate. Sa gitna ng gabi, nagtipon sina Don Felix, Atty. Suarez, at Elijah Sullivan—ang tanging Sullivan na alam nilang maaasahan sa laban na ito.

​Inilapag ni Luna ang folder mula kay Daniella sa gitna ng mesa. "We have a problem. A big one."

​Tahimik na binuksan ni Don Felix ang folder. Habang ini-scan niya ang mga dokumento, unti-unting nag-dilim ang kanyang mukha. "Money laundering schemes. Shell companies. Corporate sabotage plans," bulong niya sa matinding galit. "Lahat naka-target sa Hart Industries. Scheduled to execute one week after the wedding."

​"Don Ricardo is planning to destroy us," giit ni Luna. "The marriage is just a distraction. The real goal is complete takeover. After the wedding, he'll trigger this plan. Stock manipulation. Fake bankruptcy. Then he'll buy Hart Industries for nothing."

​Sinuri ni Atty. Suarez ang mga papeles. "This is sophisticated. Very organized. May timeline. May contingencies. He's been planning this for months."

​Bumigat ang atmospera sa silid. Kung kakanselahin nila ang kasal, mabe-breach ang kontrata at agad silang lalamunin ng mga legal na penalty. Kung itutuloy naman, nakahanda ang bitag para ubusin sila.

"What do we do?" tanong ni Luna. "Do we cancel the wedding? Expose him now?"

"If we cancel, we breach the contract," sabi ni Atty. Suarez. "Hart Industries will face immediate legal action. Penalties. Don Ricardo wins either way."

"Then we're trapped," sabi ni Luna. Frustrated.

​"Not necessarily," sabi ni Elijah, na kanina pa tahimik na nakikinig. "There's another option. We play along. We proceed with the wedding. But we prepare a counter-attack. We use Don Ricardo's own plan against him." Lahat tumingin sa kanya.

"How?" tanong ni Don Felix.

"Jace," sagot ni Elijah. "My brother has evidence against our father. Eight months of investigation. Money laundering. Bribery. Everything. We combine that evidence with this—" tinuro ang folder "—and we have enough to file criminal charges. To freeze his assets. To remove him completely from Sullivan Corporation and from any position of power."

"But we need Jace's cooperation," sabi ni Atty. Suarez. "Does he know about this meeting?"

"No," sagot ni Elijah. "But I can convince him. He's been looking for a way to stop our father for years. This is his chance."

"When do we tell him?" tanong ni Luna.

"Tonight," sagot ni Elijah. "I'll go to him now. Show him this evidence. Convince him to work with us. By tomorrow morning, we'll have a plan."

Tumango si Don Felix. "Do it. But be careful. If Don Ricardo finds out we're plotting against him—"

"He won't," sabi ni Elijah. Confident. "I know how to be discreet."

Naiwan sina Luna, Don Felix, at Atty. Suarez.

"Iha," sabi ni Don Felix. "Are you ready for this? If we proceed with the plan, the wedding will push through. You'll marry Jace. But everything around it will be warfare. Corporate battles. Legal fights. Media exposure. It won't be easy."

"I know, Lolo," sagot ni Luna. "But we don't have a choice. If we fight now, we lose Hart Industries. If we fight after the wedding, we have leverage. We have position. We can protect ourselves."

"And Jace?" tanong ni Don Felix. "Where does he stand in all of this? Kakampi ba siya o kalaban?"

"I don't know," sagot ni Luna. Honest. "But I hope—I pray—na kakampi. Na he'll choose to work with us. Na he'll choose what's right."

---

Eleven PM.

Elijah went to Jace's penthouse. Private building. High security. But as Jace's brother, he has access.

Umakyat siya. Kumatok sa pinto.

Binuksan ni Jace at gulat sa biglang pagbisita ng kapatid niya. "Elijah? Anong ginagawa mo dito? It's late."

"We need to talk," seryosong wika ni Elijah. "Emergency. Let me in."

Pumasok sila saka umupo sa living room.

"What's going on?" tanong ni Jace.

Inilapag ni Elijah ang folder. "This. Read it. All of it."

Binuksan ni Jace. Nag-scan. One page. Two pages. Five pages. Ang mukha niya nag-transition from confusion to shock to anger.

"This is—this can't be—" bulong niya.

"It's real," sabi ni Elijah. "Dad’s master plan. Destroy Hart Industries after the wedding. Complete takeover. Luna and her family lose everything."

"Saan mo nakuha ito?" tanong ni Jace.

"From Daniella Montero," sagot ni Elijah. "She investigated. She wanted to expose our father. She gave this to Luna this afternoon."

"Luna knows?" tanong ni Jace.

"Yes," sagot ni Elijah. "And she called an emergency meeting. With Don Felix. With their lawyer. With me. We need to strategize. And Jace—we need you."

Tumayo si Jace naglakad siya pabalik balik sa harap ni Elijah animo’y nag-iisip at hindi mapakali.

"Our father," bulong niya. "I knew he was bad. But this—this is pure evil. Planned destruction. Calculated cruelty."

"I know," sabi ni Elijah. "But we can stop him. You have evidence against him. Luna has this evidence. Combined, we have enough to destroy him. Legally. Permanently."

"But the wedding—" simula ni Jace.

"Will proceed," sabi ni Elijah. "We have to. Contractually. Legally. But after the wedding, we strike. We file criminal charges. We freeze his assets. We remove him from power. We save both families."

Tumingin si Jace sa kapatid niya. "And Luna? Where does she stand in this?"

"She wants to work with you," sagot ni Elijah. "As allies. As partners. She's willing to fight. To risk everything. To save both families."

"She lied to me," sabi ni Jace may poot parin sa boses. "She deceived me. How can I trust her?"

"Because she loves you," sagot ni Elijah. Simple. "I've seen it, Jace. The way she looks at you. The way she fights for you. The way she went to Lighthouse yesterday—not to manipulate, but because she genuinely cares. That's real. You know it is."

Tumahimik si Jace. Conflict written all over his face.

"I'm scared," admit niya. Vulnerable. "Scared to trust again. Scared to open up. Scared to believe."

"I know," sabi ni Elijah. Lumapit. Hinawakan ang balikat ng kapatid. "But Jace, you can't let fear control you. You can't let Dad's cruelty turn you into him—cold, closed-off, alone. Luna made mistakes. But she's trying. She's fighting. Are you brave enough to fight with her?"

Nag-isip si Jace. Long pause.

Then—

"Okay," sagot niya. "Okay. I'll work with her. I'll combine my evidence with hers. We'll take down Dad. Together."

Ngumiti si Elijah. Relief. "Good. Tomorrow morning. Ten AM. Hart Estate. Meeting. Don't be late."

Tumango si Jace. "I won't."

---

Sa loob ng Hart Estate study room muling nag-kita-kita sina Don Felix, Luna, Atty. Suarez, Jace, at Elijah.

May awkward eye contact between Jace and Luna. But no hostility. Just acknowledgment.

"Thank you for coming, Jace," sabi ni Don Felix. "I know this isn't easy. But we appreciate your cooperation."

Tumango si Jace. "I want to stop my father. Whatever it takes."

"Good," sabi ni Atty. Suarez. "Let's begin. Jace, show us your evidence."

Nag-bukas si Jace ng laptop. May dalang USB drive saka niya binuksan ang files.

Documents. Spreadsheets. Bank records. Scanned contracts. Photos. Eight months of investigation.

"This is everything I've gathered," sabi ni Jace. "Money laundering through offshore accounts. Bribery of government officials. Illegal land acquisitions in Mindanao. Corporate espionage. Everything."

Nag-combine si Atty. Suarez ng evidence ni Jace with evidence from Daniella. Cross-referenced. Organized. Built a comprehensive case.

"This is solid," sabi niya after an hour. "Criminal charges. Securities fraud. Tax evasion. Bribery. Money laundering. We have enough to put Don Ricardo in prison for twenty years minimum."

"When do we file?" tanong ni Jace.

"After the wedding," sagot ni Atty. Suarez. "If we file before, Don Ricardo will retaliate. He'll destroy both companies out of spite. But if we wait until after—when the merger is legally completed, when the contracts are fulfilled—we can file without triggering the penalty clauses. We'll be protected."

"So we get married," sabi ni Luna. Looking at Jace. "We fulfill the contract. Then we destroy him."

"Yes," sabi ni Atty. Suarez.

Seryosong tinapunan nang tingin ni Jace si Luna. "Are you sure about this? Once we file, it's war. Media circus. Legal battles. Your family will be dragged into it. My family will be destroyed. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready. If it means stopping your father. If it means protecting innocent people. If it means doing what's right—I'm ready."

"Okay," sabi niya. "Then we do this. Together."

"Together," ulit ni Luna.

"One more thing," sabi ni Don Felix. "The wedding. We need to make it convincing. Don Ricardo is watching. If he suspects we're plotting, he'll strike early. So you two—" tinuro sina Jace at Luna "—need to act like a real couple. In love. Happy. Convincing."

"That's—that's going to be difficult," sabi ni Jace. Awkward.

"It doesn't have to be," sabi ni Elijah. Smirking. "You two already have chemistry. Just stop fighting it."

Nag-blush sina Luna at Jace. Both looking away.

"We'll try," sabi ni Luna.

"We'll do our best," dagdag ni Jace.

"Good," sabi ni Don Felix. Standing. "Then it's settled. The wedding proceeds this Saturday. After the ceremony, we give it one day—Sunday to rest. Then Monday, we file charges. We strike. We end Don Ricardo's reign of terror."

Tumango ang lahat bilang pagsang-ayon.

Matapos ang pulong, hiningi ni Jace ang pagkakataong makausap si Luna nang solo sa garden. Sa ilalim ng sikat ng araw, tila natunaw ang lahat ng pader sa pagitan nila.

​"I want to apologize," simula ni Jace. "For being cold. For shutting you out. I was hurt. But you—you were trying to protect your family. Just like I'm trying to protect mine. We were on the same side all along. I was just too blind to see it."

​Umagos ang luha ni Luna. "Jace, I'm the one who should apologize. I lied. I deceived you—"

​"And I'm willing to rebuild it," putol ni Jace habang dahan-dahang hinahawakan ang mukha ni Luna. "Luna, I've been thinking... what we had, even if it started with lies, became real. The feelings. The connection. The love. That was real. Wasn't it?"

​"Yes," hikbi ni Luna. "It was real. It is real. I love you, Jace. I never stopped."

​"I love you too," pag-amin ni Jace. "I tried to stop. I tried to hate you. But I can't. Because you're—you're everything I didn't know I needed. Everything I was afraid to want."

​Sa gitna ng hardin, muli silang nagkasundo sa pamamagitan ng isang matamis at madamdaming halik. Wala na ang kontrata, wala na ang transaksyon. Sa pagkakataong ito, totoo na ang lahat.

​"So," sabi ni Jace habang nakangiti. "Saturday. We get married."

​"For real this time," sagot ni Luna. "Not just business. Real."

​"Real," ulit ni Jace.

​Magkahawak-kamay silang bumalik sa loob. Alam nilang sa Lunes ay sasabak sila sa isang madugong digmaan laban kay Don Ricardo, pero sa pagkakataong ito, hindi na sila mag-isa. Sila ay magkatuwang—bilang mag-asawa, bilang magkakampi, at bilang dalawang taong natutong magmahal sa gitna ng mga lihim at kasinungalingan.