Quest For Justice

CHAPTER 1: Your Low-key Lawyer

Maintain a low profile and your enemies wouldn’t know you’re up to something big.

***

Makikita ang dalawang office desk kung saan ang isa ay nakapuwesto sa kaliwang bahagi ng opisina at ang isa naman ay nasa kanang bahagi sa harap ng isang parihabang anim na talampakang bintana, ito ay nakapagbibigay ng natural light that illuminates the whole office. At the center of the office, stood the 3-seater and 2-seater leather sofas, with a round teak root coffee table. It was a comfortable office to work with some monkey businesses.

Isang lalaking naka kunot ang noo at naghihimutok sa galit ang nakatayo sa harap ng desk ni Cassandra at sa tabi nito ay ang kasama nitong lalaki na tahimik lang na nakayuko at hindi katulad nito na sisiga-siga. Sa harap naman ng mga ito ay nakatayo ang isa pang lalaking nasa 5’5” lang ang tangkad at tahimik lang na pinapanood ang lalaking mainitin ang ulo habang nagrereklamo ito sa kung ano.

“Atty. Cassandra Bernardo? Kilala bang abogado ‘yan? Mamaya ipatalo lang tayo sa korte niyan.” diskompyadong saad ng lalaking mainitin ang ulo sa kasamahan nito. Ang kasamahan nito ay napailing lang at walang masabi dahil sa mukha itong nahihiya.

“Makapagsalita tayo, sir, parang wala ako dito, ha.” Cassandra slammed her fists on the table as she rose from her seat, enraged.

“Aba, kliyente ako dito.” Taas-noo ang lalaki. He acted like he was the most powerful person.

“Ha! Akala ko ba hindi ako kilalang abogado? Bakit ka po nandito kung may pambayad ka naman pala doon sa mga kilala at magagaling? Leave and find yourself a high-calibre attorney you want out there, sir.” Pinandilatan ni Cassandra ng mata ang walang modong kliyente sabay turo sa daan palabas.

“OO, nga. Leave! Shoo…shoo…”

“At sino ka naman?” Bumaling ang galit na kliyente sa lalaking naka salamin na mukhang matatakutin.

“Don’t talk down on my personal secretary, mister. That’s my last warning.” Cassandra fumed.

Cassandra had always been that type of a woman who didn’t have that much temper. She was a total psycho. She learned Tae kwon do and Karate. Boxing was her pastime. She could break your bones in just one punch. She was the last airbender, a funny overstatement, wasn’t it?

“Tapang mo, atty., ha? Ano? Porket maganda ka akala mo hindi ka na papatulan ng mga lalaki?” The man reached her favorite flower vase on the desk and dropped it on the floor forcefully.

Nabasag ang vase at nagkalat ang mga bubog, the red roses that she just bought yesterday poorly laid on the floor.

She didn’t even wince at the shocking sound of the vase breaking on the floor. At that very moment the man saw her glaring at him, he knew he f*cked up.

She indicated her lost of temper by tilting her head for a second, as if she was stretching, then jumped over the waist-high table in front of her and gave the man a powerful left punch on the face as soon as she landed to him. That was a blast.

Pumutok ang bibig ng sisiga-sigang lalaki as he almost lsot his balance. He immediately touched his pained lips and saw a little blood on his fingers. It seemed like he couldn’t believe what he just got from her. He underestimated a woman to a girl.

“Isang suntok lang ‘yon, mister. Para makabalik ka sa tamang pag-iisip mo,” she toughly said. Then she flipped her long silky hair that’s curvy on the lower part.

“Pasalamat ka may lakad ako ngayon.” Halatang pinipigilan ng lalaki ang panginginig.

She was incensed by the man’s guts so she lunged at him.

“Sige! Kakasuhan kita,” anito nang inambaan niya ito ng isa pang suntok.

She retreated and managed to keep a straight face for a minute before she let loose with a loud guffaw.

“File a case then. I punched you? Fine. But how about when you threw a glass vase in front of me first at nabubog ang legs ko? It caused me and my assistant fear too. That’s assault, sir! ” She rested a hand on her hip as she raised a brow.

Napatingin ang tatlong lalaking naroon sa dumudugong binti ni Cassandra na ngayon lang nila napansin. Her legs weren’t fully covered because she was wearing a 2-inches above the knee skirt. Namutla naman ang lalaking nasa singkwenta anyos na nang makita kung ano ang nagawa ng pagtapon nito ng babasaging vase sa abogadong mukhang mahirap kalabanin.

“Atty.!” Tony hurriedly went to her. Worried, he knelt down and looked closely at her wounds.

“I’m fine, Ton,” she said, hindi inaalis ang nananaksak na tingin sa lalaki.

Tony stood up at Cassandra’s hand gesture. Cassandra saw Tony’s face suddenly looked violent when he discovered she was hurt.

“Tony!” She tried to steal his attention. When Tony turned to her, he was clearly vexed with the man for harming her. She shook her head to signal Tony not to do anything. Tony took a deep breath and obeyed his boss.

Cassandra turned to the now perplexed client.

“As my supposed-to-be client, I just like to inform you that when you instigated a fight and the other person retaliated in self-defense, you would have a hard time proving that the other party was responsible for your injuries. I can provide that much evidence.”

That served a warning to the man.

Sandaling natigilan ang lalaki bago nito pinutol ang mainit na tinginan nilang dalawa.

“Tara na.” The angry man turned to his comrade at nagmadali ang dalawang lumabas ng opisina.

Tony glared at their backs while they hurriedly went out of the office.

“Sana matauhan na siya! Akala kasi nila lahat ng problema ay nadadaan sa init ng ulo.” Cassandra crossed her arms, took a deep breath and tried to compose herself habang doon pa rin nakatingin sa pinto kung saan tuluyang naglaho ang dalawang lalaki.

“Why did you let them go that easy? You should have reported them to the police. They must pay for your damages. Tingnan mo kung anong ginawa nila. Baka balikan ka pa ng mga ‘yon.” Tony showed his agitation to Cassandra’s decision of letting those violent guys escape.

Cassandra wasn’t like that. But Tony was confused why she just let them slide.

Cassandra turned to him. “He was just having a hard time, Ton! Sinuntok ko lang siya para magising siya sa katotohanan na hindi nadadaan sa pagtatapang-tapangan ang problema. Trust me, if he was really a criminal, he would have thrown the vase to me. He could have punched me back. But he never did,” she calmly said. She sounded like that teenage girl asking for his father's permission to have a sleepover at a friend’s place.

Hindi na kumontra pa si Tony sa sinabi niya at wala na rin naman itong magagawa pa.

“Gamutin muna natin ‘yong sugat mo.” Although Tony didn’t bother to argue anymore, he still sounded dull to her.

“Thanks, Ton!” She smiled. She truly appreciated his assistant’s care.

Tony brought the first-aid kit and assisted her to clean her wounds. Fortunately, hindi naman malalim ang sugat. Pagkatapos ay nilinis na rin niya ang mga nagkalat na bubog.

Tony just always said YES to her. Even though Cassandra had made Tony do jobs that were beyond his job description. Cassandra, having a very short temper and being sarcastic all the time, kahit na palagi silang nag-aaway na dalawa, Tony never disrespected her. There were a lot of things she had done right before his eyes and said that built him wonder and respect toward her. He always trusted her opinion and decisions.

“Anyway, Tony. Did that guy bring the data?” she asked, partly excited after Tony returned the medical kit.

Monkey business.

“Yes, atty.! I’ll get them.” He immediately went to get the files.

Tony disappeared from her sight for a couple of minutes. When he came back, he kindly placed three different folders on her table.

The contents of the folder intrigued her. She straightened where she sat as she flipped the first folder on the stack open, fixing her eyes on it. The passport-sized picture on the profile caught her attention first.

“Verno Guzman. Eldest child. Easy-go-lucky. Lazy. Womanizer. Drunkard. The black-sheep. A photographer freelancer. No stable job. 30 years old.” Tony was watching her. Gustong-gusto nitong masubaybayan ang mga magiging ekspresyon niya sa bawat profile na ipapakilala nito.

She just raised a brow, said, “Handsome.” and shove that folder away and moved on to the next one. Nangasim naman ang mukha ni Tony when she said handsome.

“Jelo Guzman. Youngest. 27 years old. Cheerful. Soccer player. Extrovert,” Tony said.

“And smiling face,” she added as she looked at the picture without any expression.

Napatikhim na si Tony sa mga komento niya. Tony was expecting her to curse every profile but she said handsome and smiling face to describe those two men. Sabog ba siya? He wasn’t expecting those descriptions. He was expecting for something like, hindi naman mukhang matalino, hindi naman gaano ka gwapo, fake ang smile. But she said facts. He knew Cassandra wasn’t the type of woman to spill false opinions but, weren’t these people an exception?

She then went to the last folder.

“Jarred Guzman. Second child. The smartest of three children. Cold. Introvert.”

Nang marinig ni Cassandra ang pangalang Jarred ay nanliit ang mga mata niya na parang pilit na may inaalala. She did not remember much from her childhood memories. Kahit na ang ibang mga ala-ala niya sa mga magulang ay hindi na rin masyadong klaro sa kanya. Ang mga naaalala niya lang ay ‘yong mga magagandang moment at noong araw na kinuha ng mga masasamang tao ang mommy niya at naiwan siyang mag-isa sa bahay ng buong magdamag. But she remembered someone who had the name Jarred. Suddenly, the memories of that Jarred all came very clear in her mind.

“Atty.?” Pinukaw ni Tony ang atensyon niya nang sandaling natigilan siya.

She turned to Tony. “Ton? Haven’t I told you about someone I met at the DSWD children’s center? I can’t forget him. He was my best friend. Si Jarred.” Cassandra felt her spirit lift at the memory of an almost forgotten friend.

Tony indicated the profile. “This Jarred?”

She looked down at the profile of Jarred Guzman and scoffed. This guy had lived a fortunate life. He was never an orphan. The only thing he was unfortunate about was having a criminal father.

“Of course not! Mukhang suplado pero aminin natin,” She paused and tapped her chin with the back of her hand. “in fairness, gwapo.”

Tony paused only to think again, how could an enemy praise his enemy? He wasn’t even aware that while he was lost in thinking, she was observing him.

“I know what you’re thinking, Ton. But I tell you, I don’t really care whatever or whoever they are. All I care is they are Sebastian’s sons.” She smirked as she leaned back in her office chair and pushed it to turn around while her right hand fiddled with invisible things.

Tony Cruz had been working for Cassandra for two years now. She had trusted him and he knew everything about her plans, about her tragedy. She had decided to trust Tony. But she didn’t easily trust other people she never knew personally. Still, she was always observant. No demon wasn’t good in tempting. She had to protect her people.

It had been two years since Cassandra founded a solo law firm, assisted by Tony as her personal assistant. Within those two years, they had managed to remain low profile. Her firm was not well known. She was not well-known as a competitive lawyer to big people. Her firm had been handling only small cases. She had made sure to remain a low-key lawyer for the meantime. Not yet. That was a part of the plan. She would just stay for now as a low-profile lawyer who wasn’t competitive enough while secretly plotting against the target. No big people: Politicians, businessmen, famous celebrities, tycoons, or VIPs, she would accept as her client since she must remain unknown to those types of people. Of course, she was acquainted with some from her past. Those she met when she was still pursuing law and when she was practicing law before she founded the firm. She was amazed that until now, nobody went for her to attempt to kill her. It had been years since her parents' death and CPM had not come after her. Maybe they had thought she was adopted ng kung sino-sinong pamilya lang and just had lived her life peacefully. The more the opponents put their guards down, the more the chances of stabbing them from the back. She would be that kind of foe. She would lure them into her room, and that room would serve as their prison cell. That’s how justice worked.

The reason Cassandra started her solo law firm was that at the firm where she first exercised her license, she was being recognized and wanted her to handle big cases. It would be a problem if she did so, she’d be famous among people. If that happened, Guzman family might hear about her, and worst, the media would start to discover her past and background. She had been hiding her name to avoid the press. For now. She decided to resign and started her own kung saan maliliit na kaso lang ang tinatanggap niya at walang masyadong nakakakilala sa kanya. She started the solo law firm not to focus on small cases but to focus on her personal investigation about CPM company and the Guzman family with the help of Tony and their secret connections.

* * *

Cassandra went home after a long day of just sitting on her office chair, studying three different profiles. Paulit-ulit lang niyang binasa ang mga impormasyong nakasulat but those weren’t enough for her. Most of the information there were opinionated and she never trusted others opinion the way she trusted her own. That’s why another plan just came to her mind.

They didn’t have any clients for two weeks straight now. Lahat siguro ng mga kaso ngayon sa mundo ay mabibigat. It was still her dream to handle high-profile cases someday. To go to court. That, she couldn’t do yet.

“Mom. Dad. I promise. I’ll make each of his offspring suffer. I’m gonna make their lives miserable. I will give justice to your atrocious death. Magbabayad silang lahat.” Her fingers curled into fists as she faced her parents’ funerary urns. When her eyes burned with fury, she felt the muscles in her neck stiffen.

She suddenly felt a warm hand lightly pat her back that gave her comfort.

“I’m sure both of them are so much proud of you, Sweetie. As much as I am proud of you.”

Cassandra leaned on the woman’s shoulders.

“Mom?” Cassandra heard herself sobbed.

“Hmm?” Veronne responded in a gentle voice.

Nag-angat si Cassandra ng tingin sa babaeng tinawag niyang “Mom”.

She smiled at the elegant lady in her 50s. Veronne indeed is such a graceful and sophisticated woman. The wit of this lady made her perfect not to be owned by any man in the world.

“I’m going to ruin all of them, Mom.” Cassandra’s eyes were burning.

Ang galit na nararamdaman niya ay nag-uumapaw and the only thing that could satisfy her would be justice for her parents.

“I’m always on your side.” With those fierce eyes, Veronne consoled her.

After her parents’ death, Cassandra was taken by the Department of Social and Welfare Development as there was no family that would claim the poor child. She was alone. That feeling na walang may gusto sa ‘yo, na parang tinalikuran ka na ng buong mundo. She felt that way. After a couple of weeks of staying there, a very beautiful and sophisticated lady came and claimed she was Cassandra’s aunt. It was proven true. Atty. Steven Bernardo had a sibling he never met, he wasn’t even aware he had one. Atty. Veronne Dimano was an abandoned child, got adopted by Dimano’s family, a family of lawyers. She was a half-sister to Atty. Steven. Nobody knew her existence. She came back to look for her family but she was late to meet her half-brother. She also discovered from her personal sources that she had a niece who was at that time, an orphaned. Ipinahanap siya nito. She’s taken her and raised her like her own daughter. Veronne never got married. She never had the chance to. She’s a very famous lawyer among prominent clients but her relation with Steven Bernardo was not publicized.

* * *

Cassandra was standing in the balcony, watching the night. Veronne joined her.

“A glass of wine?” Veronne was holding two wine glasses and she gave her the other one.

“What’s the plan?” Veronne asked before she brought the wine glass to her red lips.

Cassandra took a deep breath first before she answered.

“Tony and I will be stalking the brothers starting tomorrow,” she said.

Cassandra gazed off at the beautiful sight of the night view. Ang kanang siko niya ay nakatukod sa frameless glass railings habang ang kaliwang kamay naman niya ay nakahawak sa stem ng glass wine.

“And if you get caught?” Veronne raised a brow, waiting for her answer.

“Nobody will get caught, Mom.” Confident, Cassandra sipped on the wine glass she was holding.