Risa Pov:
The weight of the coming day pressed down on me like a physical burden.
Tomorrow, the Senate hearing. Tomorrow, Alice would be brought to custody. The evidence was irrefutable, her lies unraveled, her true identity as Guo Hua Ping, a Chinese agent, exposed.
But even as I, the sole chairperson, prepared for the hearing, a strange sense of unease gnawed at me. It wasn't just the weight of the law, but the weight of her fate, the knowledge that she would be taken away, her life forever changed.
The next morning, I woke up in my condo, the city outside my window a blur of muted colors.
"I'm sorry, Alice," I whispered, the words echoing in the quiet room. The image of her, her eyes wide with fear, her carefully constructed facade crumbling, haunted me. I knew I was doing the right thing, but the human cost of justice was a heavy burden to bear.
By 10:00 am, I was at the Senate, the room buzzing with anticipation. I was the only one waiting, the silence before the storm. The hearing began, and I, the lone figure in the spotlight, administered the oath to the participants. Their right hands raised, they swore to speak the truth, their faces a mixture of fear and defiance.
The questions came, sharp and pointed, each one a nail hammered into Alice's carefully constructed facade.
"Ms. Ping, do you know that your business partners are fugitives?"
No, Madam Chair, I only found out when the POGO was raided, and stop calling me Guo Hua Ping I am not her and you have no right to accuse me."
She slammed her hand on the table, her voice a tremor of defiance, her eyes darting nervously around the room.
"Based on the information from the last unattended hearing, what you're saying is false. Here is all the evidence that proves you are Guo Hua Ping."
My voice, usually controlled and measured, rose in intensity, fueled by the weight of the truth.
She shook her head, her eyes wide with a mix of defiance and desperation. She removed her glasses, a gesture of defiance, a desperate attempt to regain control. But the evidence was overwhelming, the truth a heavy weight pressing down on her.
"Madam Chair, Hindi po ako nagsisinungaling" she raised her voice
No, excuse me, I am not asking for your answer, please be quiet for a moment, Ms. Ping." I gave her a stern look, my voice firm and unwavering.
"Madam ch--"
"No EXCUSE ME, CAN YOU PLEASE REFRAIN FROM INTERRUPTING!" I roared, my voice echoing through the room, silencing her.
"sinungaling ka you are Guo Hua Ping."
" Stop lying now that you are here facing the Senate. Do not defend yourself, you have nothing to prove."
She stared at me, her eyes filled with a mix of despair and defiance, a flicker of the cunning intelligence that had once captivated me. I knew then, in that moment, that the game was over.
I requested the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms to take her into custody.
"I will sign the order for her arrest now, no one can stop it. She is a liar she stole I dentity "
The room was a sea of stunned faces, the weight of the moment heavy in the air. Senator Gatchalian, his face grim, suggested Pasay City Jail.
As the handcuffs clicked on her wrists, her eyes met mine, pleading, No, Madam Chair, please... please let me explain."
Her voice, a whisper of desperation, echoed in the room, a final plea for mercy. The media cameras, their lenses focused on her, were ready to record her downfall.
I stood up, my heart heavy, and turned to leave. As I walked towards the exit, a gunshot echoed through the room, the sound shattering the tense silence.
"What was that?"I asked Senator Gatchalian, my voice a whisper lost in the sudden chaos.
The attendees, panicked, fled the room, the media scrambling after them. I turned back, my heart pounding in my chest. The scene before me was a blur of movement, a chaotic tableau of fear and confusion. But my eyes were drawn to one single figure, standing amidst the chaos, a gun still smoking in their hand. The figure was one of the attendees, their face contorted in pain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~hmmm something fishy sen. Ri sino ba nabaril?
