Tides of Betrayal (Casa del Pueblo Series #1)

Kabanata thirty

Kabanata thirty

The room was cold, but my palms were sweating. My heart pounded louder than the studio's low hum of background noise... the shuffle of papers, the murmured conversations of my fellow anchors, the soft beeping of equipment. It all blended into a haze. I could barely hear the director's voice through my earpiece, counting down the seconds. Three... two...

Habang nakatitig ako sa teleprompter, parang nagiging magulo ang mga salita, tila bumabaluktot at nawawala ang kanilang mga kahulugan. Umakyat sa lalamunan ko ang kaba. This was my story. My mother. My loss. Paano ko ihahayag sa buong mundo ang trahedya, na parang isa lang itong karaniwang balita?

Napakawala ako ng mahinang buntong-hininga, pilit pinapakalma ang sarili. Mahigpit kong hinawakan ang gilid ng mesa. I wasn't ready. Not for this. Not to tell the world that she was gone.

The red light blinked on. We were live.

Pinilit kong tumingin sa camera. Halos hindi ko na rin makilala ang sarili ko nang tingnan ko ang reflection ko sa harapan... an elegant news anchor in her sharp, dark green blazer, her long brown hair swept neatly behind her shoulders. I was supposed to be composed, professional. I was supposed to be her... Kendall Gavrielle Steele, the face of the news. But I felt like I was breaking apart beneath the weight of the moment.

Ang boses ng direktor sa earpiece ko ay nag-uudyok na magsimula na, pero nanginginig ang mga labi ko. Hindi lang ito basta ulat. Ito ang sandaling sasabihin ko sa buong mundo ang tungkol sa bala na kumitil sa buhay niya sa loob ng mismong mansyon namin. Ang karahasang bumago sa lahat... ang sugat na kahit ngayon, pitong taon na ang lumipas, ay sariwa pa rin.

Nilunok ko ang sakit, nararamdaman ang hapdi ng mga luhang hindi ko kayang ilabas. My mother... my beautiful, strong, untouchable mother.

I blinked again, forcing the tears back. Not now, Elle. Hold it together.

Taking one last breath, I finally spoke, medyo mahina ang boses ko nung una. "Good evening, this is Kendall Gavrielle Steele..." panimula ko, my voice steady, though I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff, moments away from collapsing.

Sa sandaling binanggit ko ang mga salitang iyon, parang may tumusok sa dibdib ko. Lahat ng alaala ng gabing iyon ay biglang bumalik... the gunshots, the screams, the blood on the marble floors of the mansion. "A fatal shooting occurred inside the residence of one of Manila's most prominent families. The victim, Caroline Steele, was shot and killed inside their mansion. According to early reports, the intended target was Taliban Gregory Steele, but Caroline Steele became the tragic casualty."

I could almost feel the cold air of the mansion's grand hall again... the silence before the chaos, the echoes of footsteps, the sirens that followed too late. The house had felt so suffocating that night, like it had swallowed us all whole. But the words came out sharper than I intended. I pressed on, refusing to let the rising tide of emotion break through. Kinuyom ko ang mga kamay ko sa ilalim ng mesa, hidden from view, but my face remained calm, professional. Detached, like any other anchor delivering any other story.

"The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear, and the investigation has yet to find the individuals responsible. The Steele family has since called for continued justice, with renewed efforts being made to uncover the truth behind the crime."

Nakatingin ako sa camera, at the thousands of unseen eyes watching me from behind their screens, and wondered if they could tell. Kung nakikita rin nila ang sakit na nakatago sa mga salita ko, the weight of my grief that I had buried under professionalism.

"Tonight, we remember Caroline Steele and the loss that still reverberates throughout the city." my voice was barely above a whisper as I finished the segment, but it held firm. "Her legacy and the questions surrounding her death remain at the forefront of the ongoing investigation."