Clash Of Crowns I: Shadows Of Love And Sacrifices.

XVII || New Enemy?

Please note: This story may contain errors and grammatical mistakes. Your understanding and patience are appreciated as this is a work in progress.

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MAXINE'S POV

After school, I was already exhausted. The day had been long and tense, and the weight of everything that happened between Aiesha and me, the fight in the cafeteria, and the awkwardness in the class had drained me.

Gusto ko na lang mag kulong sa kwarto at mag pahinga sa dami ng nangyayari.

Kakapasok ko pa lang sa kwarto ko boses na agad ni Dad ang narinig ko mula sa intercom na kumokonekta sa living room at sa kwarto ko.

"Maxine," my father’s voice rang out, sharp and authoritative. "Come in here. We’re leaving."

I sighed, slipping off my shoes again before heading down. He was sitting on our sofa, as usual, looking through documents that probably had to do with the family business or worse, the organization.

"Where are we going?" tanong ko dito.

"There’s a meeting tonight. It’s time you start learning more about what we do," he replied, not even bothering to look up at me. "Get in the car. We leave in five."

I hide my frustration. I had no choice in the matter, of course. Being a Lazzaro meant being dragged into the mess of our family’s dealings, whether I liked it or not. And tonight, it seemed, was one of those nights where I was expected to act like the heir to a powerful organization.

Kinuha ko yung bag ko at sinundan siya papunta sa sasakyan na nag hihintay samin, tahimik lang kami sa sasakyan at walang gustong mag salita.

My father wasn’t the type for small talk, and I wasn’t in the mood to fill the silence with meaningless words. Instead, I stared out the window, my mind wandering back to Aiesha.

I didn’t understand what was happening between us, but it was impossible to ignore. She was constantly in my thoughts, even though I knew it was dangerous to let my guard down around her.

We arrived at a large, secluded dome on the outskirts of the city, one of the many properties our family owned, but this one was used for more private gatherings.

As we walked inside, I immediately recognized the atmosphere. It was filled with men in suits, all of them important figures in the organization.

Some were older, seasoned veterans who had been in this game for years. Others were younger, like me, the next generation being groomed to take over.

At lahat sila ay kilala ko na sa pangalan hanggang sa itsura nila, malaking tulong dito ang pag iimbestiga namin nila cole.

But what caught me off guard was the sight of my friends Cole, Skye, and Gian already there, standing near their fathers. They looked as clueless as I was.

"Maxine," Cole mouthed to me as I approached. She raised an eyebrow, clearly as confused about this meeting as I was. "What’s going on?

I shook my head slightly. "No idea. My dad didn’t tell me anything."

We exchanged a glance, knowing that whatever was about to happen wasn’t going to be something we could easily walk away from.

This wasn’t just another training session or a casual dinner. It felt more serious than that.

The room quieted as the head of the organization, my father, stepped forward. He didn’t waste time with pleasantries, going straight to the point, as always.

"We’re facing a new threat," he began, his voice commanding the attention of everyone in the room. "There’s a new organization that’s surfaced recently. We don’t know much about them yet, but they’ve been making moves that concern us. They’ve been interfering with our operations, and we need to know who they are and what they want."

Ramdam ko ang pag bigat ng hangin dito sa loob na para bang lahat sila ay hindi gusto ang mga narinig sa pag labas nang bagong organization.

"And that’s where you come in" he continued, turning his gaze to me and the others. "It’s time for you to start learning the ropes. You’re the future of this organization, and you need to start preparing for what’s to come."

"Your task," my father said, his eyes narrowing, "is to find out everything you can about this new organization. We need information—names, locations, and connections. Anything that will give us an advantage. You’ll report back to us directly."

Cole shifted uncomfortably beside me. I could tell she wasn’t any more thrilled about this than I was. Skye and Gian exchanged uneasy glances.

We had known this day would come eventually, but none of us had expected it to happen so soon.

"You know what’s at stake. Don’t disappoint me."

Yumuko na lang kami bilang sagot dito, we don't have a choice, mula nang pinanganak kami eto na yung purpose namin sa pamilya.

As the meeting continued, I could feel the weight of everything settling on my shoulders.

When the meeting finally ended, my friends and I gathered near the exit, our fathers still talking amongst themselves.

"What the hell are we supposed to do now?" Skye muttered under her breath, running a hand through her hair.

"We don’t even know where to start," Gian added, her voice filled with frustration.

Cole crossed her arms, her expression serious. "We start with what we know. We’ve already been looking into our own families’ secrets. This new organization might be connected to that somehow."

I nodded in agreement. "We need to be careful. If our fathers find out that we’ve been investigating on our own, it could make things worse."

"Maxine’s right," Skye said, "We need to play this smart. Let them think we’re just following orders, but we’ll keep digging into the truth on our own."

Nang makaalis kami sa lugar na yon, tsaka lang nawala ang bigat sa pakiramdam ko, somehow alam kong darating rin ang araw na ako ang kikilos para ma protektahan ang pamilya ko sa kahit sino mang na gusto mag pabagsak samin.

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