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1541 Words
ZANDRO was holding a paper with Thati's last message.
By the time you read this, certainly, I am no longer in your mansion. I am grateful for the kindness you have shown me but I had to pretend and lie to save my life and my Mom. I confess my sins, and I ask for forgiveness and, if you can't, I understand.
I was too desperate to live, fighting the battle of life. I have finished my agenda at your house, with the help of her. She is a good person, so no matter what happens, I hope you will still trust her. She will be your best asset. She is just lost at this time, so please, do help her... help her get on the right path.
Don't look for me anymore, I'm in a good place. I owe you my life, so thank you very much. I hope someday you find the real Agatha.
~ Bella
Many questions ran through his mind. The message she left was not so clear and kinda tricky that he could not understand what she meant.
As the door opened, Salem stood out "She's missing !."
"Yeah I know, I read her letter-" he said.
"Not Thati!, Your Sandra is missing!" Salem said. Zandro immediately dropped the paper and immediately left Thati's room and went to Ara's room.
When he entered the room, Ara was not there, "Where the f*ck did she go?! Her wound has not healed yet!"
"I think something is going on" ani Salem.
Zandro nodded and looked at Salem. "Let Zyl know what's going on, we need to find them."
"Yes, My Lord" Salem replied.
He was walking down the mansion with Salem when the front door suddenly opened. Their eyes widened and they quickly ran to the door.
Ara entered the mansion in a bad condition. Just the first step, Ara lost consciousness due to lost blood.
"Ara?!" Salem shouted, then immediately called Than, the doctor of their team.
"What the f*ck happened to you!" Zandro exclaimed, then immediately carried Ara and was taken inside the clinic.
Zandro and Salem were restless while waiting outside the mansion clinic. "Ara has so many secrets, I don't know what to think" Salem uttered.
While Zandro was suddenly silent and deep in thought, "Is Ara what Bella is referring to ?-" Zandro sighed because he still couldn't figure out what was happening. "What the f*ck is really going on?!."
Zyl suddenly came and couldn't paint his face. "We have to talk!"
"Why?-" sabat naman ni Salem.
"Alex Kang is dead" tipid na sagot ni Zyl.
"What!!" bulalas ni Salem.
"I received something from Agercia, and it was a big mess- you have to watch this."
Zandro didn't feel good about Zyl's news, so they immediately went to the conference room. While Salem was left behind and still waiting outside the clinic.
When they entered the conference room, Zyl immediately gave him the message from the Agercia. He sighed when he read the message, then ordered Zyl to play the tape.
"This is a copy of CCTV footage from Alex Kang's mansion. The only problem is that it has no audio at may naburang parte. I think someone deleted it and whoever he or she is, they took Alex Kang's body."
Zandro stood up when he saw Ara and Bella in the video. "What the f*ck is this?!"
"This will explain what happened to your Sandra," Zyl said.
He frowned when he saw Ara lift his shirt and Alex Kang pulled back. He wondered what the reason was that he could only see her back on the video. "Pause it!."
Zyl paused the video and, just like Zandro, he was also wondering.
"Look at him. He seemed scared of what he saw. What could that be?" Zandro uttered.
"I also don't know, but why did Ara keep it a secret from us? Based on the video, Thati was in trouble and Ara is helping her-"
"She's not Thati", Zandro cuts to what else Zyl has to say. "She leaves a letter, and she admits that she is a traitor who follows the orders of the syndicate to save her mother's life. Her real name is Bella."
Zyl sighed and looked at his friend. "I'm starting to like her and trust her, but from what I can see, she's scarier than I thought. I don't think the effect of her illness is good, one day she will be hurt by her anger." Zyl commented and was worried about Ara.
Zandro didn't answer because he felt the same way. He wants to help Ara, but how will he do that if Sandra is secretive about him and she doesn't fully trust him?
After they watched the video, he was already forming an explanation of what was happening. The only thing missing was Ara's reasons. "Just hide it and don't let anyone know."
"What will you do?" Zyl asked.
"I'll just clean up the mess that Ara made. She didn't know that the other team was handling Alex Kang's case so she was not at fault, she just did the right thing." Zandro replied "When Ara wakes up, call me right away. "
"Yes, sure."
ARA is in the shower. She was stunned while rubbing the soap on her body to get rid of the dried blood. Her eyes widened and began to panic as the red water was coming out of the shower, and it looked like blood. Her hand trembled as she watched the sticky red liquid that came out of the shower. "Ahhhh!!! Ahhhh!!" she shouted and was terrified of what she had seen. She rubs her body hard to get rid of the blood that sticks to her skin. "Ahh!! G-get out of my b-body!!."
"Ara?!!" Zandro shouted and tried to wake up his Sandra. "You're having a nightmare!."
Ara sighed deeply as she opened her eyes. She seemed to be running out of air and having difficulty breathing.
Zandro sat next to Ara, then hugged her tightly and caressed her back. "I'm here, calm down-" he whispered.
Ara slowly wrapped her hand in Zandro's body while still gasping for breath. She felt a little pain in her wound because the anesthesia she had been injected with was slowly disappearing.
"I'm s-cared" she muttered as she began to cry. That was the first time Ara had told the truth without hesitation and in front of the first Archon, the man she should consider her enemy, but her heart cried out differently.
"I'm just here next to you, don't be afraid to tell me how you truly feel," Zandro said while still rubbing Ara's back.
"It's so bad, I can't breathe" Ara stuttered and then hugged Zandro even tighter. "I'm broken— b-but I don't need to be fixed— all I want is for my suffering to end. I just need the pain to be gone... But I'm f*ck up! I'm afraid that maybe one day, I'll never recognize myself. Because I feel, anger and hatred are slowly changing me."
Ara was breathing heavily while Zandro still didn't let go of her. Zandro felt sorry for Ara, but he was also scared at the same time. What he feels for her is no longer normal, how he cares for her, how he looks at Sandra is not a thing like just a friend.
Even if he doesn't want to admit it to himself, his heart and body are making movements that are not in harmony with what his mind is saying. Just like now, he could not control himself and just keep up with the flow of his emotions.
"I always failed them—" Ara's voice was shaking and she was still crying because of the extreme pain she was feeling. There are two kinds of death. One died physically and the other died while alive. And the second is what Ara feels, slowly killing her heart, which makes her miserable and that is the most painful death.
"I c-can't sleep at night, I feel like something is wrong at night, it gets even colder and makes me miserable... I thought I was numb, I thought I would feel no pain, but every time I see someone hurt and affected, I feel like I'm being stabbed in the heart as I see them crying and begging for their life."
Zandro broke away from the hug, then touched both of Ara's cheeks. "The time will come when you will not cry anymore," he said, then wiped Ara's wet cheek. "From the ashes of the pain of the past shall rise the empire of the happiness in the future—" he uttered then stared intently into Ara's eyes "Look at me tonight as Alexandro and not Zandro, not the Archon but as me the ordinary me. Look me in the eyes and tell me if you trust me, and I promise you, I will not leave your side no matter what."
Ara's eyes were stuck on Zandro's passionate look. "I trust you, but don't trust me—"
Ara couldn't continue what she was going to say when Zandro suddenly kissed her. She closed her eyes and willingly responded to his kiss.
- Writer
