Chapter Quattro
785 Words
Ramdam ang biglang pagbagsak ng temperature sa loob ng cafeteria. Hindi ito ang lamig ng winter sa labas ng Russia; ito ang lamig ng namumuong patayan.
Ace and Killian stood up in sync, their chairs screeching against the floor like a battle cry.
Across the table, the six guards also stood, their bodies tense and ready to spring. Maxim, the giant, was already looming over me, but I didn't care. All my focus was on Ken’s wrist.
"Bitaw," ulit ko, and I felt the bones in his wrist groan under my grip.
Ken didn't flinch. Instead, he chuckled, a sound that made my skin crawl. "Galit na ang munting tigre. Tell me, Cassian, do you really think you can protect her? You're a Kuznetsov. Ang pamilya mo ang dahilan kung bakit siya kailangang protektahan sa simula pa lang. You are the danger she’s hiding from."
"Cassi, Ken, tama na!" Himari’s voice trembled.
I felt her hand hover near my arm, and the 'wild' side of me—the one that wanted to snap Ken's arm off—shrank back instantly.
I let go of him, pushing his hand away with enough force to make him stumble a step. "Umalis ka na rito bago ko pa makalimutang nasa loob tayo ng university," banta ko. Tangina kase neto.
Ken adjusted his sleeve, his smirk never fading. "Enjoy your lunch, Himari. I’ll see you at seven. Don't be late. Alam mo kung gaano ka-strict si Papochka."
He glanced at me one last time, a look of pure triumph in his eyes, before turning his back and walking away.
"Gago talaga 'yon," Vel muttered, sitting back down and aggressively biting his burger. "Boss, gusto mo bang i-flat namin 'yung gulong ng sasakyan niya?"
"Huwag na," I said, my voice still tight. Tumingin ako kay Himari.
She was looking at her plate, her fingers shaking slightly. My heart sank. "Himari... are you okay?" I asked, concerned.
"I'm fine," she whispered, but I knew better. She looked up at me, her eyes clouded with worry. "Cassi, please... 'wag mo na siyang patulan. Ken is... he's different now. He's been Papochka’s right hand for years. He has power."
"I don't care about his power," I countered, leaning in. "I only care about you. Ano 'yung sinasabi niyang reunion dinner?"
Himari sighed, a heavy, tired sound. "It's a dinner with all the high-ranking families in the district. Papochka wants to announce my return — and my 'engagement' to Ken."
Napatigil ang mundo ko. Ang sushi na nginunguya ko, biglang naging parang abo sa lasa. "Engagement?" Tangina, ano daw? Engagement? Sa putanginang Setagaya na 'yun? Uhulol, over my dead f*****g body.
"It's just an arrangement, Cassi! Hindi pa ako pumapayag—" She said, tangina.
"But you can't say no, can you?" singit ni Yuki, his voice bitter. "That’s the life we live, Himari-sama. You're a flower that belongs in a cage of gold. And he," turo niya sa akin, "is a wolf trying to break into that cage."
"Yuki, shut up," Himari snapped, showing a flash of the fire she used to have.
Tumingin siya sa akin, and for a second, I saw the little girl in the alcove, holding a bruised flower.
"Cassi, please. Just stay safe. Let me handle this."
"Handle this? By marrying that prick?" I stood up, my appetite completely gone. "Ace, Killian, Vel. Let's go."
"Wait, Cassi! Where are you going?" tawag ni Himari.
I paused, looking back at her.
Her Sunlight was the only thing keeping me from completely losing it. "I have a dinner to attend," I said darkly. "Ace, make sure we’re invited. I don't care if we have to crash it."
"Copy, Boss," Ace grinned, his eyes glinting behind his glasses.
Tumingin ako sa lavender scrunchie sa pulsuhan ko.
"Himari, sabi ko sa 'yo, 'di ba? Akin ka na ulit. And I don't share what's mine. Especially not with a snake like Ken."
I walked out of the cafeteria without looking back, but I could feel her gaze on me—half-terrified, half-hopeful.
As we reached the parking lot, I turned to Killian.
"I-ready mo lahat. Guns, tech, security. If Stepan or Ken tries anything tonight, I want this city to know that the 'weak kid' they remember is long dead."
"What's the plan, Boss?" Vel asked, his barya finally still in his hand.
I looked at the grey Russian sky, feeling the cold finally seeping in, but this time, it felt like fuel.
"Tonight, we’re not just attending a dinner," I said, my voice cold as the Siberian wind. "We’re going to show them why they should be afraid of the name Kuznetsov. And I’m taking my Sunlight back, once and for all."
- Writer
