The Zodiac Sister - Gemini (The Pretty Genius)

Gemini's POV It’s been ten days since I last set foot in the Zodiac Mansion. Every waking hour since then had been consumed by finalizing the design of a new model for Tesra — one of the companies I built from the ground up. People love to call me “The Prettiest Genius and Youngest Billionaire in the World.” They always put pretty first — as if that’s the achievement. But they forget what came before the title. Hindi ito dahil sa swerte. Hindi rin dahil sa pangalan ng pamilya ko. I was discovered early. At five years old, my mind worked in ways adults struggled to understand. By the time I turned sixteen, graduate na ako ng Astronautical Engineering at Automotive Engineering — habang ang karamihan ng ka-age ko, nasa high school pa rin, trying to figure things out. I never went to middle school or high school. I was too advanced for that. Never ko rin na-experience maging “typical teenager.” Yung kilig moments, prom night, first heartbreak — hindi ‘yon naging parte ng mundo ko. Falling in love at a young age? That was never my thing. I had no time for daydreams. While others were writing love letters, I was writing code. By the time I was twenty, I had already finished four degrees — including Cyber Engineering and a Bachelor of Laws. And by twenty-five, I stood among the wealthiest individuals in the world — Not because of my father's name or legacy... But because I refused to be ordinary. Every empire I’ve built was carved from blueprints, burned into late nights, and written in code no one else could decipher. I didn’t climb a ladder — I built my own. After a week of non-stop work, tuluyan na rin akong kinain ng pagod. I fell asleep at my desk — hindi ko na namalayan. Tahimik ang buong room, hanggang sa biglang tumunog ang ringtone ng phone ko. Napabalikwas ako. Pagtingin ko sa screen — si Mommy. Dali-dali ko itong sinagot, kahit groggy pa boses ko. “Hello, Mom...” “Hi, my Pretty Genius... I’ve been calling you several times. It’s an emergency!” Ramdam ko agad ang panginginig ng boses niya — puno ng takot, puno ng panic. “What happened, Mom?” Bigla akong tumayo. “Your dad!” Naputol ang salita niya ng hikbi. Tumusok sa dibdib ko. “What happened to Dad?!” Mabilis ang t***k ng puso ko. May malamig na takot na gumapang sa tiyan ko. “We need you here, Gemini. Your dad was shot… his life is in danger. Please, come home, darling!” Parang tumigil ang mundo sa paligid ko. Tumitig lang ako sa harap, walang imik ng ilang segundo — pero hindi ako puwedeng matulala. Hindi ngayon. Kailangan nila ako. Kailangan ako ni Mommy. Lalo na ngayon. Agad kong tinawagan si Finlo. "Prepare my private plane. We leave in one hour. Alert Talon — tell him to bring his ten best men. Call Blair — she’ll be flying with the rest of the team on a separate plane. Tell her to pack clothing for one month. I think our plan for next month is about to change. And coordinate with local security immediately.” "Copy that, Miss Gem." Sagot ni Finlo, at binaba ko na ang tawag. Each word came out sharp — no wasted emotion. Precision over panic. Habang kumikilos ako, ramdam ko ang bigat ng lahat. Lahat ng achievements, lahat ng yaman — none of it mattered kung hindi ko mailigtas ang taong unang naniwala sa ‘kin. Without another word, Gemini grabbed her laptop and briefcase, her mind racing faster than her heartbeat. She didn’t pause to think, didn’t allow fear to paralyze her. Every step she took was calculated, purposeful. The private plane had to be ready, and every second counted. Please... stay strong, Daddy. I’m on my way. Gabi na nang dumating sila sa airport, dala ang kanyang mga tauhan. Sinalubong siya ng kanyang dalawang kapatid, sina Aries at Capri. “Ate!” sigaw ng dalawa, sabay takbo papunta sa kanya, luha sa kanilang mga mata. “Aries! Capri!” Mahigpit niyang niyakap ang dalawa, pinipigil ang sarili na mapaiyak din. “Ssssh… please don’t cry. Dad will be fine soon,” mahina ngunit matatag na wika ni Gemini, habang hinanap ang isa pang kapatid. “Where is Aqua?” tanong niya sa kanila. “She’s with Mom,” sagot nila. “I want to go to the hospital directly and check.” Ang boses niya ay may bahid ng pangamba, ngunit puno ng determinasyon. “But, Ate, Mom told us to let you go home. Bukas ka na raw pupunta sa hospital,” paliwanag ni Aries, pilit pinipigilan ang sariling emosyon. Napalingon si Gemini sa likod ng kanyang kapatid, at doon niya nakita ang isang lalaki na hindi niya kilala. “By the way, Ate, ito nga pala si Kuya Cassian, anak ng isa sa mga kaibigan ni Daddy.” “Sino sa kanila? Si Ninong Gino o si Geller?” tanong niya, may kaunting pag-aalinlangan sa tinig. “I’m the son of Gino Durand,” sagot ni Cassian, at iniabot ang kamay niya kay Gemini. “Nice to meet you, Cassian. Thank you for picking me up.” Dahan-dahan niyang inabot ang kanyang kamay, habang si Cassian ay nakatitig sa kanyang maamong mukha, tila humahabol sa bawat emosyon na bumabalot dito. “No worries. Anything for your family,” sagot niya, at sabay silang bumitaw sa isa’t isa. Tahimik ang paligid, hanggang sa nagsalita si Capri. “By the way, Ate, all of your people will be staying at one of the mansion’s headquarters. Everything has already been arranged by Maxwell.” Tumango si Gemini. Yeah, kilala niya si Maxwell — son of her Uncle Mossimo. He inherited his position from his father. He is now the new Right Hand of Daddy Zeus. A steady presence, a constant she could rely on — even when the world around them seemed to crumble. Huminga siya ng malalim, damang-dama ang bigat at pagod sa bawat himaymay ng kanyang katawan. “That’s a relief… Come on, let’s go. I want to rest — I already feel exhausted.” Sa bawat hakbang papalayo sa airport, ramdam ni Gemini ang tensyon na bumabalot sa buong gabi. Ngunit kasabay nito, ang determinasyon na protektahan ang kanyang pamilya sa anumang paraan. As they made their way toward the Sullivan mansion, Gemini was in awe of what she saw. She never expected her hometown to be this beautiful. Since the day she was born, Gemini had not set foot in the Philippines. Her talents had kept her in the U.S., where she grew up and pursued her education. Her parents visited her often, of course, thanks to their wealth, which allowed them the freedom to travel back and forth between the two countries. Apat silang magkakapatid, at siya ang panganay. Sumunod si Aries, Capri, at Aqua. Si Aries ay 23, si Capri naman ay 21, at si Aqua ay 15. Siya lang ang nakatira sa ibang bansa, ngunit malapit sa kanya ang kanyang tatlong kapatid. Araw-araw niya silang nakakausap, lalo na ang kanyang mga magulang. Kahit gaano siya ka-busy, naglalaan siya ng panahon para sa pamilya. Ito ang ipinagmamalaki niya — ang pagmamahal niya sa pamilya. Kaya’t laking gulat niya sa nangyari sa kanyang ama. Tinanong niya ang sarili kung bakit nabaril ang kanyang ama — at sino ang may gawa nito. Sa pagkakaalam niya, mabait ang ama niya at wala itong kaaway, lalo na sa negosyo. Kahit gaano sila kayaman, wala silang kalaban. Maayos ang estado ng kanyang mga magulang — mayaman na sila kahit wala siya. Ang kanyang ama ay namamayagpag sa mundo ng negosyo. Gusto niyang alamin kung sino ang nasa likod ng pamamaril. Kaya nagpasya siyang manatili muna sa Pilipinas — hangga’t hindi nahuhuli ang salarin. Ilang minuto pa lang, nakarating na sila sa kanilang mansion. Sinalubong sila ng mga tauhan ng pamilya at ng dalawang kaibigan ng kanyang ama — sina Gino Durand at Geller Hayes. Nakilala na niya ang mga ito noong bumibisita ang kanyang mga magulang sa U.S. — mga ninong niya. Naroon din ang mga asawa nila — sina Alexia at Rana — pati na ang ibang mga tao na ngayon lang niya nakita. Napayakap si Gemini sa kanyang Ninong Gino. Ang luha niya’y walang tigil sa pagbagsak sa dibdib ng kanyang ninong. Mahigpit siyang niyakap ni Gino, para bang sinasabi ng bisig niya na, “Hindi ka nag-iisa.” Pagkatapos, niyakap din niya si Ninong Geller, at sinundan ng kanyang mga Ninang — sina Alexa at Rana — na nagbigay ng init at aliw sa pusong nanginginig sa takot at lungkot. “Ninong… who did this? Who shot my dad?” she asked, her voice shaking — the fear she had tried so long to contain now escaping in ragged breaths. “As of now, baby, we still haven’t caught the culprit. The investigation is ongoing,” Ninong Geller replied, his words heavy, each syllable seeming to swallow the air around them. “Don’t worry, baby. We will do everything we can to catch the person who did this to your dad,” added Ninong Gino, his tone unwavering — every word a silent promise of protection. “Come inside first. You need to rest and have some dinner. We know you’re exhausted from the trip, and your mom told us you haven’t slept for how many days because of the new car model you’ve been working on. I don’t want you to fall ill,” said Ninang Alexa, her hand resting gently on Gemini’s shoulder, conveying care without needing words. At Sabay sabay na kaming pumasok sa loob.