TOXIC (Dark Mafia Romance)

Chapter 4 (Mature Content)

Warning: mature content and attempt to self-h*rm

PUNO ng pag-aalala ang tingin ni Natasha Almeda sa lalaki "Alessio–"

"Leave." His word was unbreakable, and it made my heart thump in my throat at how unyielding he was.

He could have been carved from steel as he stood there in the middle of the room–all ice and cruel edges.

Napalipad kay Natasha Almeda ang tingin ko. He wanted Tita Natasha to leave, but surely, the woman wouldn't...

Pero mariing pumikit si Tita Natasha at bumaling sa akin. May paghingi ng tawad sa mga mata niya, at agad napuno ng kaba ang aking dibdib.

Dear Lord, no.

"I have to go for now, Antonia–"

"W-Wait!"

Napatayo ako at napahabol sa babae. My eyes were hazy with tears, and my heart rammed like crazy in my chest as I grasped the woman's arms.

"You can't leave me like this–"

"She can and she will," the monster cut off, and it felt like all the blood in my body drained.

Oh, God, oh, God...

My eyes flew at the monster even as my fingers clasped Tita Natasha's arm tighter. "But–"

"I make the rules here." His voice was merciless, his eyes stony. "You follow it or get people killed. Have you not learned your lesson yet, Principessa?"

The ice in his gray eyes warned me to choose my words carefully, and everything inside me screamed at me to get away from him. He's a psychopath, he was dangerous. He's a monster.

More tears burned my eyes.

You follow it or get people killed. Have you not learned your lesson yet, Principessa?

The memory of Kuya Nato's bloodied body slumping against one of this monster's men jeered at me. Have you not learned your lesson yet?

This man was a monster, this man was evil, but I couldn't silence the little voice in my head taunting me that he was right.

I wanted to deny it, I wanted to ignore it, but Kuya Nato's bloody body wouldn't leave my head. What happened to Kuya Nato could happen to any of my bodyguards, too. What happened this afternoon could happen again because of me. If this monster could so easily ambush me like he did this afternoon, the Mexican mob or whoever else who wanted me dead could do it, too. But next time, someone close to me could really end up dead.

And my mother...

I choked back my sobs.

Time was running out.

I had to decide now.

Nanginginig pa rin, pilit kong binitawan ang braso ni Tita Natasha.

"A-Alright," manipis kong usal, at ramdam ko ang pagbugso ng dugo sa aking mga tainga. Warning alarms blared in my head screeching at me to stop, but I ignored them.

He was a monster, wasn't he? And those people who wanted me dead, they were monsters, too.

I had to decide now.

Pilit akong tumitig kay Natasha Almeda sa kabila ng panginginig ko. "Just answer this one thing before you leave, please."

May pag-aalala at takot na sumulyap ang babae sa binata na para bang humihingi ng pahintulot nito. My own fear clogged my throat as I waited for the man to respond. If he refused even this, what was I supposed to do?