“What did he say, Inang Maya?”
“It’s Alydia, Liz. He knows she’s here. Where’s Alydia now?”
“The public market. Shiela’s text message just arrived, Inang.”
“Send her a text message, Liz. Tell them to return here as soon as possible. I am
trying to think of a plan so Mr. Apostol would stop meddling with his daughter’s life and,
of course, with our lives, too. I don’t want to ask help from the local Suyonon government
here. They’re all under Exilium Rex’s payroll. And if we go to the Philippine delegation
with this problem sans any proof, they would as easily rebuke us again just as they did
before. But,” the Suyonon matriarch pauses for awhile. “There is one alternative we
haven’t tried yet.”
“What is it, Inang? And how do we go about it?”
“We’re going to ask for some badly-neede
