VALERIA SERRANO: Forbidden Temptation [L.O.D.O S#2]

DISCLAIMER: ⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️ This novel contains mature and disturbing themes, including viol*nce, ab*se, cr*me, tra*ma, and morally complex situations. Some scenes may be intense or triggering for certain readers. All characters, events, and organizations depicted in this story are purely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons or events is coincidental. This work does not aim to glorify or justify ab*se, viol*nce, or crim*nal behavior. These elements are portrayed solely for storytelling purposes and to explore the consequences, trauma, and emotional depth of the characters. Reader discretion is advised. ~~~~~~ PROLOGUE Reiji Erickson Veynar's POV Madilim at tahimik ang mahabang hallway na aming dinadaanan at ang tanging maririnig lang ay ang kaluskos ng mga dahon sa ilalim ng aming mga bota at ang mahinang ugong ng hangin na tila ba nagbabadya ng panganib na sasalubong sa amin. “Move forward,” mahinahon kong utos sa team ko, habang mahigpit kong hawak ang b*ril. Limang tao kami sa misyon. Ako ang namumuno ng grupo at ako rin ang pumili ng mga kasama ko. Ayon sa impormasyon, dito raw matatagpuan ang isa sa mga hideout ng L’ Ordine Delle Ombre, ang grupong matagal na naming sinusundan. Isang organisasyong halos hindi maabot ng batas dahil lagi silang nakakalusot. Habang papalapit kami sa lumang gusali sa gitna ng kagubatan, mas lalo kong naramdaman ang bigat ng paligid. Ang bawat hakbang ay parang may kaakibat na banta, nagsasabi na hindi na dapat kami tumuloy. Pero hindi ako puwedeng umatras dahil utos ito mula sa itaas. Pagpasok namin sa loob, agad akong sinalubong ng amoy ng lumang kahoy, kalawang, at usok ng sigarilyo. Napahinto ako. Dahil may kung ano akong kakaibang nararamdaman sa lugar na ‘to. “Captain?” tanong ni Mendez, isa sa mga kasama ko. Ang tinig niya ang humila sa akin pabalik sa reyalidad. Umiling lang ako. “None. Just keep your eyes open and be alert,” utos ko. Tahimik kaming naglakad, mabagal at maingat, habang ang mga b*ril ay nakatutok sa bawat direksyong posibleng lumitaw ang kalaban. Sobrang dilim…. tanging ilaw lang ng flashlight ang nagbibigay-liwanag sa aming dinaraanan. Hanggang sa biglang may narinig kaming mga yabag sa likuran. Agad akong lumingon. Tinutok ko ang b*ril, gano’n din ang mga tauhan ko. Ilang minuto kaming naghintay… pero walang lumitaw. “Clear,” bulong ni Navarro. Pero bago pa ako makapagsalita, isang sigaw ang biglang umalingawngaw. “Capta—!” Mabilis akong tumakbo sa pinagmulan ng sigaw, pero napaatras ako nang sumalubong ang sunod-sunod na putok ng b*ril mula sa dilim. “HOLD YOUR FIRE!” sigaw ko, pero huli na. Paglingon ko sa kinaroroonan ng mga tao ko, nakita kong nakahandusay na ang dalawa sa maruming sahig, dug*an at wala nang buhay. “D*mn it!” Tinakpan ko ang bibig ko, pilit pinipigilang kumawala ang galit. Kailangang manatiling kalmado dahil may dalawa pa akong kailangang iligtas at protektahan na mga kasama. Maya-maya pa’y may gumalaw sa dilim. Lumingon ako, at natanaw ko ang isang anino. Pinaputukan ko iyon, pero agad itong tumakbo. Mabilis. Masyadong mabilis para sa isang tao. Hindi ako tumigil. Hinabol ko ito sa masikip na daan, habang hawak nang mahigpit ang b*ril. Hanggang sa naabutan ko siya at doon ako biglang natigilan. Isang babae ang nakatayo sa gitna, nakatalikod sa akin. Mahaba, maitim ang buhok, nakatabing sa kanyang balikat. Sa kaliwang kamay niya, may hawak siyang kutsilyo at may mga bakas pa ng d*go roon at pumapatak sa maruming sahig. Sumilip ang liwanag ng buwan mula sa sirang bintana at tumama iyon sa kanyang balat. Sa sandaling iyon, parang tumigil ang oras. Pamilyar ang hugis ng kanyang katawan. At mas lalo akong nabahala nang biglang bumilis ang t***k ng puso ko, para akong kinakabahan sa hindi ko alam na dahilan. “DROP YOUR WEAPON!” mariin kong utos. Ngunit hindi siya gumalaw. Bagkus ay unti-unti siyang lumingon paharap sa akin. At nang tuluyang tumambad ang kanyang buong mukha, napasinghap ako at dahan-dahang gumuho ang aking mundo. “Valeria…” mahina kong sambit, hindi makapaniwala sa aking nakikita. For a long moment, I couldn’t move. The woman standing before me wasn’t the same Valeria I once knew. There was something different, not just in her eyes, but in the air itself. It felt heavier, colder… like the silence before a storm. The faint light from the cracked window brushed against her face, revealing shadows that didn’t belong to her before. Her gaze was sharp, unblinking and cut straight through me. The way she looked at me… it wasn’t Valeria. Her eyes were cold, precise, and void of any mercy. The stillness in her expression was almost inhuman. Even the way she breathed had changed. It becomes controlled, measured, like she was assessing a target. For a second, I almost believed she didn’t remember me. Or worse… she did, and it didn’t matter to her. “Valeria…” I called her name again, my voice trembling despite the weight of the gun in my hands. She froze… not because of hesitation, but because she wanted me to stop. Slowly, she turned her head, just enough for me to see the glint of warning in her eyes. “Stop calling me that name,” she said coldly, her tone sharp enough to slice through the air between us. “If you still want to leave this place alive, there’s only one thing you must do,” Nanatili sa ere ang sinabi niyang iyon, hindi agad pumroseso sa utak ko kung kaya nanatili akong nakatitig sa kanya. “What… what are you talking about?” I asked, trying to take a careful step forward. Her lips curved not into the smile I used to know, but into something cruel, detached. “Either you shoot me…” she whispered, tilting her head slightly, her gaze never leaving mine. “Or I’ll be the one to shoot you.” My chest tightened. My mind screamed to pull the trigg*r, to do what needed to be done, but my heart wouldn’t move. Not against Valeria. “Valeria, what happened to y—-” I didn’t even finish my sentence. Two deafening shots exploded through the silence. Naramdaman kong tumama ang bala sa kaliwang balikat ko at muli iyong sinundan nang panibagong bala na tumama rin sa parehong direksyon. The impact sent me staggering backward, pain burning through my body like fire. I gasped as I clutched my bleeding arm, my gun falling to the ground. While she stood there, unshaken and I saw no guilt and regret in her eyes. But only that chilling calmness that told me the woman I once knew was long gone. Her eyes lingered on me, watching me struggle. And then… she smiled. “I told you, didn’t I?” she murmured, her voice low and controlled, each word dripping with quiet finality. And without another glance, she turned her back on me… Ngunit, bago siya tuloyang lumisan ay muli niya akong nilingon nang bahagya…. “You should remain focused on the mission, Captain. You were sent to k*ll, yet you let that softness of yours decide for you. And because of that, your colleagues lose their lives…” she said. After that her figure disappears into the shadows, leaving me standing there, bleeding and broken. There was something off about her…her expression, her stance, her very soul. Like I was staring at someone who wore her face… but it's not her. The woman who haunted my nights. Turns out to be my Enemy... TO BE CONTINUED…