Malediction

No Regrets

I wasn't ready to let go of Andrea's warm soft skin that morning. "You need to wake up, James..." She whispered softly, her breath making me feel positively dizzy with my overwhelming love for her. "Five more minutes." I muttered and held her waist tighter, closer to me. She cupped my face with one of her hands and caressed my face. "You're going to be late." This was her attempt to wake me up but I just want to be lazy with her in bed that day. Melting myself in her touch was the best sensation I ever had. It was addictive to me. The one thing I look forward to every day is this, us both in bed cuddled together and to drown my senses in her being. I just want to give up the case for a day's rest, with Andrea just like this.

But the kid from the hacienda flashed in my memories. He needs to be released from that plantation, along with other children. I need to find that stalker that nows where we are, and I could do all that if I finish this investigation first. I kissed Andrea's messy bed hair and slowly let go of her arms that wrapped around me. I need to finish this, for the kids, for Andrea and my peace of mind.

But it really bothers me, how can I endure another day of setting a blind eye to those people? Amanda's pretentiousness stressed the hell out of me that I couldn't bear to look at her lying face anymore. She was using two men to take care of her lavish life and with her expenditures, they weren't even rich enough to cover everything she buys, even when they were combined. What sort of influence does Amanda's family give to them that they were ready to take this kind of risk?

"With Amanda's social connection and family relations, it's a sure win to have her by her side. It's a solid 40 percent for the candidate when the Madrigals, Amanda's family, are in support of them." Sandra told me in a hushed voice later that day. It was already afternoon but her jolly attitude towards me didn't fail.

" So she really has the right to play with them, doesn't she?" I whispered back as we followed Amanda with a distance of three meters away from her as she requested. "Definitely." Sandra replied. "With how she interacts with them, I guess she'll end up with Mr. Gonzales." She added. " What makes you so sure?" I asked in retrospect. I thought she was willing to fix the marriage. Sandra only giggled as she gazed at me. "We're going to his place right now." She took my arm and led me closer to Amanda. My eyes widened in shock. "Oh, what an amazing woman." I mumbled under my breath. God, she was out of this world.

Luckily, I wasn't able to meet Jerry or any of his guards from Masfino as I went to their secret place. Amanda just went straight to their room without telling us anything. She looked at me with a meaningful gaze. She didn't have to hide it from me, I met her in love with another man, rather than her husband. She probably thought of me as a perfect guard for her, somebody that can keep her dirty secrets.

But she forgot her 'loyal' assistant, Sandra, who in turn just placed a working audio recorder the size of a flat coin in her new Louboutin shoes Jerry gifted to her the day before. She was a gifted spy, that naive-looking city girl.

So we sat and waited by the car. "Aren't you the one who told Elo about this?" I asked, now that we had some time to waste. "Yes and with no regrets." She replied, getting a good spot to lay herself with on the back of the car. "Why would you rattle her out if she was your boss?" I continued to ask her. "James, she isn't my actual boss in the first place." She said, shifting her weight at the backseat. "I was to be the assistant of Governor Elo for a great resume but she was too jealous, so here we are." She said and slumped her head on three neck pillows stacked together. She let out an audible sigh of relief.

"Amanda… I can't wait anymore."Jerry's voice suddenly filled the car. I was surprised at first but after remembering that Sandra had it set up early on, I calmed down. I have to stop being so jumpy. "He's winning the tally. I need more supporters from you." He continued through the speakers. I nudged Sandra to wake and she did.

"I did all that I could without exposing what we have Jerry. You have to make your image better." Amanda said. "Then let's just finish him off." Jerry told her without skipping a heart beat. "Eliminating the competitor is easier than this. And it's the most sure way I'll get the title." We waited for Amanda's reply from our position but there was silence. Then Andrea said in a weak strong heart piercing voice, "Are you out of your mind?! If he's found dead then it'll all point to you!" Her exhale became a hiss.

Sandra and I looked into each other's eyes in disbelief. "Are we really supposed to hear this?" Sandra said in confusion. I didn't answer but only looked back to the speaker. We knew it was possible that they would think of killing somebody as a plan, but executing it was out of the question. Can they pull off such a stunt with the most protected person in the whole province? I began to worry about Governor Elo, he was in danger.

"I'm sorry. That wasn't smart of me. Please don't be upset." Jerry said in an apologetic tone. There was no response but rustles of some sort. "Her clothes rustled like that this early morning." Sandra said and turned the audio recorder off remotely . "I don't want to hear her moan later on." She said in disgust. I was unable to intervene but I let it go. Jerry's goal to become governor in any way possible made me believe that ambitions are really dangerous, deadly even.

---------------

After bringing home an exhausted cheater to her home, I came back to the office before closing hours to see if Pen or Edward needed me. "Good afternoon Sirs, do you need any of my assistance today?" I said but I was itching to tell them the governor was endangered. But it was wise to keep it on low right now, questions would be asked to us and with my state of mind, I wasn't prepared.

Pen glanced at me once and pointed to Luis. "He needs your help on delivering prints to the accounting department downstairs. He's wounded today." I turned to where Pen pointed, to Luis' untouchable spot in the corner of the administrator's office. Luis sat on his office chair, silently typing away some hard copy files that were needed to be encoded. He was still on a dark hoodie and a face mask like he always did. But where was the wound located that he can't deliver stacks of paper that Sandra can easily lift without assistance?

He turned to me as a delayed response after hearing his name. He looked pretty normal as before, except for an arm rest that was slinging by his shoulder. His hand and wrist were wrapped in a cast. His eyes smiled to me. I smiled back as courtesy but I was feeling different about him. I was uneasy, a similar feeling that I had a few days ago. It was my initial feeling when Andrea had her phone bombarded with messages.

Was it safe to assume that Luis may be the stalker I've been looking for?

From his seat, he stood up to show me the papers that were needed to be delivered down stairs.They were plenty of them and he really needed my help to transfer them to a little trolley he had outside. I looked at him, checking his height. He was shorter than me but only by a few inches. Luis was slender too. But don't all IT people look like this when they're young? I wondered.

He knelt to pick up some of the stacks that were stored on the bottom shelf, he groaned from pain as if his hand wasn't the only one painful that time. "I'll do it."I I offered. I crouched too, and took the papers myself. I felt a tingling sensation at the back of my neck as we were closer. I controlled myself not to express the very emotions I was having.

He didn't notice. I drove the trolley with him by my side to the elevator. My eyes can't help but stare at his cast, thinking it was such a coincidence that it was also his left hand that was injured. "You were fine a few days ago, what happened?" I asked to break the awkward silence. We entered the elevator and srood side by side. "True, I fell from a ladder I thought was sturdy while I was putting some new bulbs in my bedroom. It couldn't handle my weight so it swayed by itself and I crashed on the floor," He said and scratched his head in embarrassment from his misfortune. "My hand fell first, then my body. This was inevitable." He said to me slowly raising his casted hand. He wasn't cut, the bones of his wrist and hand were broken.

I tried to calm down. It wasn't him.

His hoodie gradually slipped from his head, showing a scar by the temple. It was large, and it didn't look like an accident. I glanced over it multiple times. It was a new scar as the discoloration from his scar had a pinkish hue to it.

"A bar fight." He said out of nowhere and smiled. "It was a good time a month back." He added. "I'm sorry, I really didn't expect you to go into bar fights. You're always so quiet." I said as an apology for staring at it multiple times.

"I was. But I really want to speak up now. It's been years since I freely spoke to people, or demanded anything." He told me. "All my pain is with no regrets."