VODKA [GXG, INTERSEX] (BOOK 1)

Chapter 22

VANITY

"Anong ginagawa mo dito?" The current CEO of the Morningstar Publishing Company asked me, she was surprised to see me here.

A few years ago, I tried reaching out to her again when she was back here in the Philippines. Her memories were back, but she didn't want us to get back.

She's still as beautiful as the day we separated, her features as sharp and striking as I remembered. "Well, good morning to you too, Selene. I'm here to make a proposal." I said straightforwardly, my voice calm and collected, my eyes fixed on hers.

Her eyebrows raised at me, "And what is it about?"

"I want your niece to marry my daughter." I stated. I knew this was a bold proposition, a risky move, but I was desperate. I had seen the darkness consuming my daughter, the shadows that threatened to engulf her.

She stayed silent, "Nababaliw ka na ba, Vanity?" she finally said, her voice louder this time, her anger simmering beneath the surface.

"Sayo? Well noon." I chuckled, a light, airy sound, intended to diffuse the tension. "But I'm serious about this. I want Dawn Aurora Bituin for my daughter, she's the only one who can help her."

"Help for what?"

"To keep my daughter sane," I said seriously. I said seriously, my voice filled with a desperate plea. "She's losing herself, Selene.  She's being consumed by darkness. And Dawn... Dawn is the only one who can pull her back from the edge."

"My niece will not marry anyone unless she wanted to. Hello, nasa modern world tayo, I can't stick with that traditional arranged marriage. If your daughter is sick, then ipunta mo siya sa rehabilitation center. Hindi Therapist ang pamangkin ko." She said firmly with a mix of irritation and defiance.

She was a woman of her time, a woman who believed in personal freedom and individual choice. Hmm... and she wouldn't stand for this archaic notion of arranged marriage. Damn.

"Your other niece, Dusk Twilight Bituin, has triggered my daughter to be back in that situation. She does that and then runs away again? First, pinakulong niya ang anak ko. Second, ginamit pa niya ang kakambal niya para paglaruan ang anak ko. And lastly, tinago pa niya talaga mula sa amin ang apo ko." Mahabang litanya ko.

Her eyes widened, her jaw dropping in shock. "Anong apo mo? Anak mo ang nakabuntis sa pamangkin ko noon?" She asked, her voice filled with disbelief.

So... she had been out of the loop, oblivious to the drama that had unfolded behind her back.

"Yes, Dusk's daughter is my grandchild. I have many ways, many connections, my eyes are open. Nakalimutan mo na atang isa akong Antonov." I said with my usual convincing voice.

"Sigurado akong may reasons ang pamangkin ko kung bakit niya ginawa iyon, hindi masamang tao ang pamangkin ko."

"Hindi rin masamang tao ang anak ko," I gritted my teeth.

Tumawa siya ng mapakla, a sound that echoed the bitterness that had settled in her heart. "Nakakasiguarado ka ba sa sinasabi mo?" she asked, her tone laced with skepticism.

"My daughter was a victim! She was abducted and was abused over and over again. You don't know how much it hurts as a parent seeing your little child undergo with the cruelty of some fucked up people!" The image of my daughter, broken and vulnerable, haunted me. The memory of her suffering fueled my rage, my desire for justice.

"It's your fault as well! Kung hindi mo tinuloy ang crime syndicate ng pamilya mo, hindi sana mangyayari yun. You know the risks of being a reputable Mafia, and now you're facing its consequences." She stated. "That's why I'm glad na hindi tayo nagkatuluyan. Your family is dangerous, and here you are tinutuloy pa. You could have done better, Vanity."

My jaws were clenched, she had crossed a line. She's very different from the old Selene that I had greatly loved.

Back then, she was the light to my dark world. I didn't have a good relationship with my parents, especially to my father, who's also an intersex. Her definition of discipline is pain, she beats me physically until I learned to love the pain. Not for being a masochist, but what I mean is that I've learned to endure and escape the pain.

When Selene came into my life, she pulled me from the darkness. She reshaped my perception of life, and especially love.

But I think, that Selene is now gone.

I stood up calmly, "It was nice talking with you, Selene. I have to go." Seryoso akong nakatitig sa kanya before I left her office.

My driver who's waiting for me bowed before he opened the door for me. Bago ako pumasok, napatingin ako sa itaas, there I saw her looking down at me through the window.

Pumasok na ako at sinabihan ang driver na dumiretso sa Mansion. My mind was still racing at our previous talk. Sinasabi ko na nga bang mahirap siyang kausapin, but my stubbornness had conquered.

Nakarating na kami, sinalubong ako ng asawa ko. Nagtataka siyang nakatingin sa akin, "Saan ka ba nanggaling? Bakit parang nabagsakan ka ng mabibigat na problema?"

She kissed me on my cheeks and clings to my arm, "I just talked with some of our business partners, I didn't like the outcome of our talk."

"Hmm..."

I knew Ekaterina didn't buy what I said, but she didn't question me further. That's what I like about her, she waits for me to open up.  She understood my need for space, my need to grieve in my own way. She was patient, understanding, and loving. She was the rock I clung to in the storm, the anchor that kept me grounded.

She stayed by my side ever since I was grieving because of love. She knew that I can't love her the way I love Selene, but she loved me unconditionally nonetheless.

"Where is Vodka?"

"Tumakas na naman yang anak mo." She shook her head.

Well, Selene is right. This is my fault.

Vodka was abducted when she was just a little girl, I went mad seeking all of my enemies. Ako na mismo ang naghanap sa anak ko, since my men can't even do their jobs properly.

When I found her, I couldn't fathom seeing her in that state. She's bloody, full of bruises, and was unconscious. Natakot ako na mamamatay siya, I can't handle that.

I went frenzy, pinagpapatay ko silang lahat. Wala akong iniwang buhay kahit isa, pagbabayaran nilang lahat ang ginawa nila sa anak ko.

As she grew up, the impact on her is devilish. She killed a few people, I was observing her. I know everything she's doing. I decided na ipa-rehab siya, it kinda helped her but it didn't heal her fully. There were still tendencies of her aggression and violence, and I can't do anything about that anymore. It was already instilled in her.

Until she met Dusk. Yes, I knew about that as well. Siya ang nagpakalma sa kanya, I didn't expect that she would betray my daughter by putting her in jail. Eto naman kasing si Vodka, hindi malinis ang trabaho sa pagpatay. I didn't bail her out immediately, I want her to learn her lesson.

I've been watching Dusk behind the shadows, she even worked with a tech-savvy kid named Linux, just to investigate our family. Mali-mali pa ang binibigay nitong information sa kanya, she made us look bad.

The rumors spreading about my family are not true, na pumapatay daw kami ng jinojowa ng mga anak namin because we hate outsiders? Oh come on, sino nagsabi niyan at magbugbugan na lang kami.

My family has dark secrets, of course, but we wouldn't do something like that. Bakit ko naman ipapapatay ang minamahal ng mga anak ko. Tutulungan ko pa nga para magkatuluyan sila, like what I'm doing right now with Vodka.

Vodka just needs love.

It just saddens me that I can't meet her satisfaction when it comes to love, she became distant from me. I saw how she loved those two women, although she thought na iisa lang ang taong minahal niya. She loved Dusk, but she loved Dawn more. Without her knowing, but I can see that.

That's why Dawn is the only answer, for my daughter's suffering.