Clash Of Crowns I: Shadows Of Love And Sacrifices.

XXI || Connection?

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

I sat at the large oak table in our headquarters. Andito rin sila cole at nasa harap namin ang napaka raming papeles.

Eto yung mga kinuha namin sa hideout nung bagong organization na pinapa imbestigahan ni dad.

“Alright, let’s see what we’ve got,” Skye said as she flipped open the first folder. Agad niyang pinasadahan ng tingin yung papel na hawak niya, at rumehistro sa mukha niya ang pag ka lito.

Cole leaned over her shoulder, reading along. “It looks like financial records,” she muttered. “Nothing too interesting at first glance.”

Gian, who was seated next to me, tapped her fingers on the table impatiently. “We didn’t risk our necks just to get some boring paperwork. There has to be something in here.”

I agreed with her. There was no way this organization, which had come out of nowhere and started causing problems in the underworld, was simply a front for legitimate businesses.

I knew there was something deeper hiding in these pages.

I reached for one of the documents, my fingers brushing against a list of names. Hindi pamilyar ang mga pangalan don pero may isang pangalan ang naka pukaw nang pansin ko.

“Alvarez,” malakas na basa ko dito agad naman nag tinginan sakin yung iba.

“What?” Cole asked, sitting up straighter. “Alvarez? As in Aiesha’s family?”

I nodded. “Yeah, but it’s not a direct connection. Look at this,” I handed the paper to Skye. “It says they’re one of the investors in one of this organization’s smaller businesses.”

“So, they’re involved with them financially, but it doesn’t seem like anything major.” saad ni skye habang binabasa parin yung nasa papel.

“But why would the Alvarez family be investing in anything connected to a NEW organization? Take note guys bago pa lang” Gian asked, leaning closer. “Doesn’t make sense. They usually stay away from shady stuff like this.”

I nodded, my gut telling me that something wasn’t adding up.

The Alvarez name being mentioned in connection with this organization was suspicious, even if it wasn’t a direct link.

Aiesha’s family had a reputation for being powerful, yes, but they also prided themselves on being aboveboard when it came to business. This just didn’t fit.

“I don’t like it,” I said, shaking my head. “This could be nothing, but it could also be something. We need to dig deeper into this. If they’re involved even as investors we need to know how far it goes.”

Sumandal naman si skye sa upuan niya  at nag crossarms pa habang seryoso na tumingin sakin “You think Aiesha knows anything about this?”

“I don’t think she does,” I admitted after a moment. “If she did, she wouldn’t be here at Elite Academy, clueless about what’s going on. But that doesn’t mean we can ignore this. I’m going to talk to her. Maybe she knows something she doesn’t even realize is important.”

Gian raised an eyebrow at me, a small smirk playing on her lips. “Usap nga lang ba talaga?”

I rolled my eyes, ignoring the teasing tone in her voice. “Yes, that’s all. This isn’t about whatever… tension there is between us. This is about figuring out what’s going on and keeping our families safe.”

Cole snorted, clearly amused by the whole situation. “Sure, Max. Whatever you say.”

Sinamaan ko naman siya ng tingin, ganyan sila mang asar sakin lalo na pag nababanggit si aiesha, simula nang bumalik kami nung palitan ni aiesha yung bandage ng sugat ko, hindi na nila ko tinigilan.

“We’ll focus on the Alvarez connection for now,” putol ko sa pang aasar nila, para mabalik sa seryosong usapan.

“Kailangan din natin kilalanin lahat ng investors nila hindi lang ang mga alvarez” turan ko sa kanila.

Skye nodded in agreement. “I’ll take the financial side of things. I’ll track down any leads that might point us to more information about their business dealings.”

“I’ll keep an eye on the Alvarez organization,” Gian added, leaning back in her chair. “If anything suspicious comes up on their end, we’ll know.”

Cole sighed, flipping through another stack of papers. “Pag aaralan kong mabuti toh, titignan ko pa kung may connection pa ang mga alvarez sa ibang mga investors nang bagong organization”

I nodded, my mind already racing with possibilities. “Good. We need to move fast on this. The longer we wait, the more time this organization has to solidify its power at mas maganda rin kung malalaman natin kung sino ang leader nila”

And to do that kailangan kong maka usap si aiesha, I will be needing her help kung sa kaling tama ang kutob ko.

“I’ll talk to Aiesha,” I said, standing up from the table. “The rest of you keep digging. Let me know if you find anything else.”

Tumango naman sila, kaya umalis nako. Alam kong mabigat para saming lahat yung nga nangyayari at kung ano man ang malalaman namin tungkol sa mga sikreto nang pamilya namin sisiguraduhin kong handa na kami...

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