𝙲𝙻𝙸𝙲𝙺𝚂 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙷𝙴𝙰𝚁𝚃𝚂 | 𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙿𝙻𝙴𝚃𝙴𝙳 ✓

chapter 34

Isabella’s POV

The morning light filtered through the thin curtains, casting soft golden rays across the room. I sat at my desk, fingers hovering above the keyboard, but my mind was far away. Ang dami kong iniisip—lahat ng mga natuklasan namin ni Alexander ay bumabalik-balik sa akin, para bang mga alon na sumasalpok sa isang tahimik na dalampasigan.

“Kailangan na nating tapusin ito,” I whispered to myself, finally typing out the last few lines of my message to the private investigator. Ilang araw na lang, and we will confront everything—lahat ng sikreto, lahat ng mga taong nasangkot, lahat ng mga sugat na matagal nang hindi nagpapagaling.

Nasa kalagitnaan ako ng pag-iisip nang biglang bumukas ang pinto. I turned to see Alexander standing there, his expression a mix of exhaustion and determination. His eyes met mine, and for a moment, both of us were silent. Ang dami na naming pinagdaanan, but this was it. The culmination of everything.

"Isa, dumating na ang mga resulta," he said softly as he walked toward me, holding a manila envelope that looked far too small to hold the weight of everything we had gone through.

I swallowed hard. "What does it say?"

Alexander opened the envelope carefully and pulled out the papers inside. He scanned the documents, his brows furrowing deeper with each word he read.

“Rica’s suspicions were right,” he said, his voice tight with restrained emotion. “May mga taong nasa likod ng lahat ng ito, and it’s worse than we thought.”

A cold shiver ran down my spine. I knew it. This wasn’t just about old family grudges or long-forgotten secrets. This was something bigger, darker, and far more dangerous than I had anticipated.

“We have to confront them,” I said firmly. “No more hiding, no more waiting.”

Alexander nodded. “I already spoke with Rica. She’s ready. We all are.”

I took a deep breath, gathering my strength. Sa totoo lang, natatakot ako. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang mangyayari pagkatapos ng lahat ng ito. But I knew one thing for certain: this had to end.

*****

Alexander’s POV

I couldn’t shake the unease in my chest. Lahat ng pinag-aralan namin, lahat ng natutunan namin tungkol sa mga taong ito, led us to one conclusion: these people wouldn’t stop until they got what they wanted. Pero hindi na kami papayag na hayaan silang magpatuloy.

I turned to Isabella, her face etched with determination. “Are you ready?” I asked.

She nodded, her gaze steely. “Let’s finish this.”

Together, we left the house and made our way to the location we had been investigating for months—a mansion on the outskirts of town that had long been abandoned but held the secrets we were after. Rica was already there, waiting for us. Her eyes met mine, and I could tell that she was just as determined as we were.

“Let’s go,” she said, her voice steady.

As we entered the mansion, the air felt thick with tension. Parang humihinga kami sa gitna ng bagyo. The halls were dark and dusty, a stark contrast to the elegance that must have once filled this place. But the elegance had long faded, leaving only shadows behind.

We made our way to the room at the end of the corridor—isang malaking silid na tila puno ng mga alaala ng nakaraan. And there, standing in the center of the room, were the people we had been chasing for so long. There was no need for introductions. We all knew who we were.

The leader of the group, a tall man with piercing eyes, stepped forward. “I’ve been expecting you,” he said, his voice cold.

I clenched my fists, my body tensing with anger. “It’s over,” I said firmly. “You can’t hide anymore.”