Under the Skin of a Platinum

Two

Chapter 2 : Entrance

I didn't even dare to look at his face because I know how he enjoys this kind of thing. I looked at Jameson, the one who is talking in front explaining my living space in that asshole's house. I looked at the files on my desk only to see the pictures of Mr. Cortez. Mukha mang anghel ang mukha niya pero sa likod nito ay isang hayop na demonyo.

People can't be trusted this days. Kung sino pa yung mukhang anghel yun pa yung walang hiya. The way how I see this case is great opportunity to lessen the evil in this world but ironically the one who is going to "help" us is also bad. Looking back when I stayed in other countries I saw how f****d up the justice system of some of them. Ang malala pa dun ay may inosenteng tao ang namamatay o nahahatulan ng panahon sa kulungan. I'm so sick of this s**t at yun ang isa sa mga rason kung bakit ako nandito. I left my career to help more people.

"Miss Mancini, do you have anything to add or request so that you will have a good stay there?" Jameson asked. Hindi ito makatingin ng maayos sa akin dahil binibigyan ko siya ng matalim na titig.

"Kahit mag pa request pa ako ng kahit anong maganda, kahit sabihin ko pa na ilagay si Leonardo DiCaprio diyan hindi pa rin magiging maganda at hindi gaganda ang araw ko pag nakikita ko ang mukha niya!" singhal ko sa kanilang lahat sabay turo kay Alessandro. I saw confusion on their eyes habang si Winter naman ay pinipigilan ang pagtawa niya. People in that room can't understand tagalog nor speak tagalog.

"I can't understand you," Jameson said pero kaagad rin ito napayuko nung nagsalita si Alessandro.

"Don't point your finger on me baby, you might lose all of them," banta niya sakin sa mahinahong tono pero hindi mawala ang intensidad ng mukha niya.

"If you call me baby one more time I will cut off your tongue, Jerk!" sigaw ko sabay kuha ng files at lumabas sa kwarto na iyon.

Pagnanatili ako sa lugar na iyon maloloka lang ako sa kanya. Hindi ko pa narasan to sa ibang tao. I'm always the calm and collected but that asshole is getting in my nerves. When I reached the hallway, I stopped to look at the paintings to calm myself. Mabuti naman at kaagad akong kumalma. Mukhang pinaghandaan talaga nila ang bahay nato. I looked at the painting closely at nakita ko ang maliit na camera na nakatago sa mata ng babae. I smirked and wondered what happened to the trespassers. Iniisip ko palang ay alam kong malala na ang pinagdaanan nila. 

Mostly people who accidentally discover the hideouts, headquarters or any information about this place are being injected with an Amnesiatic fluid. Those fluids are very rare and only the doctors and scientists in our organization have it. Pero alam kong hindi lang yan ang ginagawa ng Scrouges.  The scrouges are the people who tortures the trespassers. Kung sa gobyerno may corrupt hindi rin ito mawawala sa amin but people here are less bad. I mean it wouldn't make any difference since mali pa rin yun pero it’s manageable and easy to catch.

Napatigil ako sa pag-iisip ng maramdaman ko na parang may nakatingin sa akin. Bumaling ako sa likod ko at nakitang naka tayo doon si Alessandro. His hands are on his pockets and he's looking directly at me with confusion. I rolled my eyes and walked away. Tutal ayaw ko rin naman siyang kausapin mas mabuti na lang na lumayo ako sa kanya para hindi ako mabuysit araw-araw. Hindi pa ako nakakalayo ay may humatak nasa kamay ko. My reflexes was fast the last thing I knew Alessandro is already on the floor screaming in pain. Kaagad ko siyang binitawan. I hate being touch without permission kaya ko yun nagawa. 

"Damn woman! your strong,"sabi niya habang hinihilot ang palapulsuhan niya. I ignored what he said and immediately went to him to check if I fractured or broke his bones. 

Napahinga ako ng malalim ng nakitang hindi naman. Masama ko siyang tinignan at wala ng bakas ng sakit sa mukha niya. Tumayo na ako para mag ayos at yun rin ang ginawa niya. Bago ko siya tinalikuran ay sinabihan ko siya.

"Don't touch me again. I hate being touched," sabi ko at umalis na.

Doon ko siya hinintay sa lobby ng bahay nato. Hindi naman natagalan dahil dumating na siya at kaagad nahanda ang chopper niya. Wala akong imik buong biyahe ginaya ko ang atensyon ko sa view sa harapan ko. The vast green forest of Mollet del Vallès, Gallecs is amazing. After a few minutes the forest was instantly replaced by vast land full of crops, hills and few houses. People are walking in the middle of scorching heat of the sun. This place seemed to be a quiet and peaceful. Jealousy crippled inside because I know I wouldn't achieve that kind of life.  I can't even imagine myself bearing a child or getting married. Kung ganitong buhay ang ibibigay ko sa mga anak ko mas mabuti na lang na wag na. I don't want them to suffer the same path that I have to go through. Mahirap na at sa sitwasyon ngayon hindi talaga pwede. 

I quietly watched the small people doing their jobs and minding their own business. It looks so simple and easy to achieve pero bakit ang hirap?

Bakit hindi ko magawa?

I can make my own journey and life but I chose this life. It was partly my fault, I have choices but I chose the latter. Ikaw naman kasi ang nagdedesisyon sa buhay mo. There is no such thing as "wala kang choice". May choice ka pero ang pipiliin mo yung bagay na alam mo hindi makakasama sa paningin mo. Takot tayo sa consequences kaya mas gusto natin maging playing safe. Okay naman yun pero minsan kailangan natin ng challenge. We need to take the risk enable for us to learn. The best teacher is pain, we won't learn if we can't feel excruciating pain. 

"What's in your mind?" doon lang ako napukaw sa realidad nung nagsalita ang katabi ko.

"Wala kana don," sabi ko sa kanya. He can't speak tagalog or any filipino languages kaya kahit insultuhin ko pa siya hindi niya malalaman pero hindi naman ako ganyan. 

"You should learn how to speak Italian or spanish language. It will be easy for you to communicate with others," giit niya.

Hinarap ko siya at tinignan sa mata. My mood is calm at nawawalan na ako ng gana na makipag-away sa kanya.

"FYI, Parlo italiano e spagnolo, I can speak Italian and spanish language. Así que a la mierda !, so f*ck off! " mahinahong sabi ko bago siya tinalikuran.

The chopper slowly descended to a vast green land,  pagbaba ko ay may sumalubong na golf cart sa amin para ihatid kami sa bahay niya. We are currently in Gallecs Barcelona, Spain. Bukas pa ang lipad namin papunta sa Italy kaya dito muna kami. Hindi na ako aarte dahil ako lang naman ang makikitira. Habang papalapit na kami sa malapalasyo niyang bahay nakikita ko ang mga tauhan at maid niya na nakatayo sa main door ng bahay niya. 

Napailing na lang ako. He is not a royalty thou but I think he came from a nobel family. Nang makababa kami ay kaagad na kinuha ng lalaki ang bag ko, hindi na ako umangal at nagpasalamat na lang. This place is huge that's why they offered a tour in this place. I'm really tired kaya umayaw na ako. Isang araw lang naman ako rito. Ginaya nila ako papasok sa kwarto ko and as soon as the door closed nahiga na ako. I removed my shoes and my sweatshirt. Amoy dugo pa rin ako kaya napagdesisyunan kong maligo. 

I didn't have any problem with this place since everything is already set. The bathrobe, soap, etc. Matapos kong maligo ay inayos ko na ang sarili ko. I opened my laptop and messaged my team for help. Ang iba sa kanila ay wala na sa organisasyon dahil may sariling pamilya na. Kaya yung mga kinausap ko yung mga active. Matapos kong gawin yun ay naghanda na ako para matulog. The meeting will start tomorrow kaya dapat may lakas  ako para doon. I'll be handling new people kaya kailangan ng mas mahabang pasensya. 

I woke up 4 in the morning to ready myself. Hindi rin maganda ang pakiramdam ko dahil hindi maganda ang tulog ko. Umahon na ako para maghilamos. I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and to wash my face. Nagpalit na rin ako at lumabas na ng kwarto. 

People inside this house are already awake. As I walk to the hallway of this house everyone is greeting me. I declined the tour yesterday, that's why I don't know where the hell I am. Ayaw ko naman magtanong dahil mukhang busy ang lahat ng tao. This house is huge and the problem is the design of the hallways looks identical. Nakarating ako sa hardin sa labas. Napaka tahimik dito kaya naganahan akong manatili. The garden looks modern yet enchanted.

Napabaling ako sa isang halaman doon and I immediately recognized a chameleon hiding. Sometimes I wish I was one of them because people don't hate them if they start pretending and hiding behind those wonderful colors. Throughout my life a lot of people hated me for being this dull b***h. They hated how I act without knowing that it's not me. Sometimes I heard them saying how hungry I am for power. I bluntly laugh thinking about those things. I can't please everyone and I'm not born to do that. 

Napatigil ako sa pag-iisip ng maramdaman ko na may tao sa likod ko. I rolled my eyes as soon as  Diptyque L'OMBRE DANS L'EAU perfume lingered in my nose.

"What do you want?" I asked, still looking at the chameleon in front of me. Hindi ko narinig ang yabag ng mga paa niya pero ramdam ko ang presensya niya. Like what said before he is too powerful. Kahit saang lupalop pa ata siya itatapon alam kong kilala at kinatatakutan siya. And besides he didn't even dare to hide his presences. He always wanted to be recognize.

"We are going to Italy in less than an hour. You haven't eaten anything since yesterday, I think it's better to eat first before going, so let's go?" patanong na sabi niya bumaling ako sa kanya habang pinipigilan ang ngiti sa labi ko.

"Ano?" I asked trying to hide the smile in my lips. I pressed my lip to stop myself from laughing. Napakamot siya ng ulo niya habang sinasabi iyon. Ngayon ko lang nakita ang side niyang ganito.

"Seriously, I don't understand you. Let's just eat and then go," sabi niya at tinalikuran ako. Napa-iling na lang ako at kaagad na sumunod sa kanya. Habang naglalakad hindi ko napigilan ang sarili kong magtanong.

"Was that your first time asking someone to eat with you?" I asked. Kaagad siya napatigil sa paglalakad at humarap saakin. I also stopped walking at nagbigay ng distansya sa gitna namin.  Or maybe other people are always the one asking you.

"No," agap nasagot niya sa tanong ko.

A wicked smile escaped my lips.

"Really?" putting the most irritating tone that I could pull off. Napa-iling na lang siya at pilit na tinatago ang pagka-inis. I chuckled a little at naunang maglakad dahil nakikita ko na hindi parin siya gumagalaw. Napatigil rin ako nung nakarating ako sa crossing na hallways. Hindi ko alam kung saan ako pupunta dahil hindi ako taga rito. 

"This way," anang ng boses sa likod ko. Sumunod naman ako sa kanya at hindi na nagsalita dahil baka masapak niya ako. Nakarating kami sa dining room at kaagad akong napahanga sa haba ng lamesa. It has 22 chairs in total. Napabaling ako sa lamesa at nakitang dalawa lang ang pinggan. I don't know if I would feel sad for him. He has a lot of money but he has no acquaintance. Umupo na ako at walang imik na kumain. The food there is delightful. Wala akong tiwala sa kanya o kahit kanino man kaya kakaunti lang ang kinain ko. Inamoy ko muna ito  mukhang wala namang lason to. Pagkatapos nun ay kaagad na ako naghanda para sa flight. The same thing happened we rode his chopper to the airport. Tahimik buong biyahe pero hindi ko maiwasang mangamba. I won't let my guard down.

"You should rest, Yaeko," sabi ni Alessandro sa harapan ko. Bumaling ako sa kanya at tinaasan siya ng kilay. He's cleaning his two pistol in front of me while drinking whiskey. I opened my mouth to argue with him but I stopped myself. What's the point?

Hindi na ako umimik pa at hiniling ang ulo ko sa upuan. Hindi ko namalayan na nakatulog na ako. Nagising lang ako ng narinig kong magsalita ang piloto. Pagbukas ko ng mga mata ko kaagad kong nakita ang kumot. Kumunot ang noo ko dahil wala naman akong naalala na humingi ako ng kumot sa mga tao dito. Bumaling ako sa kanya at tinaasan siya ng kilay pero wala rin akong nakuhang reaction sa kanya. I stretched my arms and yawned. Nung makababa na ang eroplano ay kaagad na akong tumayo at kinuha ang bag ko para bumaba. Like usual tahimik ang biyahe nung dumating kami sa bahay niya kaagad kami sinalubong ng 4 na pamilyar na mga lalaki.

"How is the life of the queen?" salubong kaagad ni Atticus sa akin. I rolled my eyes and immediately gave him a hug.

Kaagad ako humarap kina Niccolas, at ang kambal na sina Castor at Cronus. 

"This is just sad, kung hindi pa kami sinabihan ni Atticus hindi mo pa talaga kami inimbitahan dito. Even Thomas got mad kasi hindi daw siya invited," Cronus said with a grin in his face. 

"I feel so left out, napakasama mo," madramang sabi ni Castor habang hinahawakan ang dibdib niya at naga-aktong nasasaktan.

"I didn't want you to be involved because you have a family already," sabi ko sa kanila pero mukhang hindi sila bibili sa sinabi ko.

"Siya lang naman ang may pamilya ha. Bat nadamay kaming single?" reklamo ni Cronus sabay turo kay Niccolas. 

Niccolas smirked.

Napa-iling na lang ako at bumaling kay Atticus. Atticus is one of the best intel in the org. Siya rin ang kasama ko noong field agent pa ako. Intel are the one who is responsible for finding the information through computer or tech. Sumasali sila sa mga mission pero hindi sila sumama sa field mismo. Si Niccolas naman ay isang spade. Spade is the term used to distinguish field agents. Cronus is a heart while his twin brother, Castor is a Diamond. 

Impero de Mancini is somehow based on Playing Cards. Heart is the term used for the medical team, Diamond for the cleaning team, and clubs for the intel team. One team with 9 jacks is formed and they’re called the lucky nine. Lucky nine consists of 3 spade jacks, 2 heart jacks, 2 club jacks, and 2 diamond jacks. We were one of the best before but as time passed they started to retire and leave. Pero kahit yun ang nangyari ay may communication pa rin kami. 

Napatigil kaming lahat ng may tumikhim sa likod namin.

"Reserve the reunion for next year, We have things to finish," he said coldly and then left. Nung naka-alis na siya ay napatingin kami sa isa't-isa. 

"Grabi ang bait naman pala," may sarkastikong sabi ni Castor.

Napa-iling na lang ako at pumasok  na, sumunod naman sila. This time hindi na ako nawala dahil my maid na nag guide sa amin papunta sa isang kwarto. When the door opened 4 more guys showed up. Kilala ko ng silang lahat at alam kong kilala narin ako nila.  Umupo na kaagad kami at nagsimula na ang meeting.

Zeus Sontroli, the retired head of the FBI agency. This man is a god in computers. Kung sinabi kong magaling si Atticus mas magaling ang kupal nato. The org tried to scout him but he declined yun pala dito mapupunta sa lalaking to. 

Eon Ferrer used to be a part of the org but left for an unknown reason. He just disappeared like a bubble after working as the head of the Research team in Madrid.

Tolfy Queen is the smartest person in this room. I can't even describe how smart he is. He's known to be the modern calculator.

Randolf McCarthy, the playboy. Sa kanya nakatutok ang atensyon ko. He's the ex of Inna and used to be one of the Spade in Inna's team. Hinding-hindi ko makakalimutan ang pagpapaiyak nito kay Inna. 

The four of them introduced themselves. Pero ang mga mata ko ay naka pako kay Randolf. Kung hindi lang nagsalita si Tolfy ay baka napatay ko na ang gagong to. 

"Yaeko," simpleng sagot ko sa kanila at umupo na ayaw ko rin naman ma badtrip dahil sa lalaking to. Matapos nun, ay nakipag kilala rin sila sa mga kateam ko.

"Cortez is a respected man in Italy and France. Everywhere he goes the amount of security that he brings is getting larger. We are going to have a hard time killing him since everyone is watching him. He has snipers, a chopper and drone following him. He has five bodyguards following him and 20 others being distributed in a 5km radius," Zeus started as he showed us videos of Mr Cortez getting out of his car. 

Tama nga siya, lahat ata ng tao ay nakatingin sa kanya. Hindi lang ata dahil sa pera niya pero dahil rin sa mukha niya. He's not that handsome pero may appeal siya. Women in that video looks like there going to kill anyone just to have him. Yun ang isa naming problema dahil kahit saan ata siya pumunta nakasunod ang mga babaeng ito sa kanya.

I asked this a million of times pero hindi ko parin ma comprehend ang mga sagot nakukuha ko.

Why do some women do that?

They deserve someone who would actually help them and take care of them. Hindi yung lalaki na s*x lang ang habol sa kanila. I get it its their life pero alam ba nila nanganganib ang mga buhay nila?

"It would be easy for us to hack his system if we are part of that system," saad ko. Kaagad sila napabaling saakin. 

"What do you mean by that?" Alessandro asked. Halata sa mukha niya na hindi niya gusto ang susunod na sasabihin ko. Naghari ang katahimikan sa loob ng kwarto. Alessandro looks pissed. Nababasa niya ata ang laman ng isip ko.

"I need to go there and earn their trust," I said and ignored the cold stare that Alessandro was giving me.