NIGHT [GXG] (BOOK 2)

Chapter 7

It's been three days since I was locked up in this room. I've been pacing the room, my mind racing, my heart heavy with worry.

Alam kong nag-aalala na ang pamilya ko. My phone was confiscated the moment I was brought here, and I haven't had any contact with the outside world.

The thought of their worried faces, their disappointment, their fear for me, was a crushing weight on my soul. I was a failure, a disappointment, a burden.

That woman, Hades Zephyr, bagay niya ang pangalan niyang Hades. She abducted me and locked me up in her lair. Ginawa ba naman akong Persephone niya.

She gave me the kiss of death. She's woven her web of power and control around me, and I'm trapped in her game.

I'm an Antonov tapos na-kidnap lang ako, a mere pawn in Zephyr’s twisted game. And what had I done? Nothing. Hindi ko ata bagay ang pangalan kong Valor. I’d been paralyzed by fear, consumed by the overwhelming power of my captor. Hinayaan kong manipulahin niya lang ako, she planned to turn me into a weapon against my own family.

The words I’d spat at her, "Lalaban ako, duh!" echoed in my mind, mocking my pathetic attempt at defiance. I’d been so quick to claim my strength, but in the face of real danger, I’d crumbled. Kinain ko lang yung sinabi ko, but of course, I'll try to fight.

I had to find a way to break free. Not just for myself, but for my family. I had to prove that I was worthy of the name Antonov, that I wasn’t just a fragile, broken doll in Zephyr’s game.

Biglang bumukas yung pinto, it was Zephyr. Pumasok siyang may dalang pagkain, I was sitting on the bed.

Pinanood ko lang siyang ipatong yung tray sa table na katabi ng kama. Umupo siya sa tabi at hinawi ang buhok ko, tinapik ko ang kamay niya pero nagalit siya sa ginawa ko. Naramdaman ko ang higpit na paghawak niya sa braso, nanlilisik ang mga mata niya.

"Don't fucking do that again," she fused.

I glared at her, hindi ko alam na pumapatak na pala ang mga luha ko. "Pagsisihan mo ito," I whispered.

"Oh, I won't regret anything, dolce amore," she smirked at me.

"Why are you even doing this to me?" I asked in a low voice.

"Do you want me to tell you a story?" She asked and nodded, "Listen here, dolce amore. Your family, The Antonov, had massacred my family. That was during the reign of the former Boss, Vanity Antonov. Alam mo bang ako lang ang naiwan sa pamilyang pinatay ng pamilya mo?" She laughed bitterly.

I lowered my head, my stomach churning. My family killed hers. So umabot sa ganun, a massacre? But what was the reason?

"Hmm... it looks like you're oblivious of your family's darkness." She continued as she observed me, "I think Vodka kept you away as well from her dirty job, she doesn't involve her princess... which is more thrilling and exciting. Their weakest member of the family is now in the hands of their major enemy." She laughed out loud.

"I'm not weak!" Sigaw ko sa kanya.

She smirked, a cruel glint in her eyes. "I'm sure that this will provoke Vodka. I'm ready to start a war against The Antonov."

I felt a surge of anger, not just at Zephyr, but at my own family, at their secrets, at their darkness. I had been kept in the dark, shielded from the truth, and now I was paying the price.

"You're wrong," I said with defiance, "I'm not weak. I'm going to fight back. And I'm going to make you pay for what you've done."

I knew it was a foolish statement, a desperate attempt to regain some semblance of control. But it was all I had.

I had to find a way to escape. I had to find a way to warn my family.  I had to find a way to stop this war before it destroyed everything. Dapat BDO tayo para we find ways. Corny.

"Oh, dolce amore..." I felt her hand caressing my cheek softly, her touch both comforting and chilling. "No one can protect you, not even your family, but me. Ako lang ang makakaprotekta sayo against the darkness of your family, you should thank me since I'm saving you from them."

Her words were laced with a dangerous sweetness. She was playing the savior, the protector, but I knew she was just another predator, another threat. She's playing mind games upon me.

"Tell me the reason behind the massacre," I said with a low volume of voice. My gaze locked on hers. I had to know the truth, the whole truth, no matter how ugly it was.

"Well... The Antonov is envious and greedy, gusto nila ang title namin as the Apex Predator. So they killed all of my family since they knew that we are a threat from their putanginang reputation. Nadamay pa ang inosente sa pamilya ko na hindi kasali sa Mafia."  She said it matter-of-factly, her voice devoid of any emotion, as if talking about a mundane event.

The anger that had been simmering inside me boiled over. My family, The Antonov, had killed innocent people, and she was using that as justification for her own revenge.

"You're playing the victim," I said, my voice filled with disgust. "You're using their actions to justify your own. You're no better than them."

She laughed, a cold, mocking sound. "Oh, baby girl, you're so naive. It's not about being better or worse. It's about survival. It's about power. And I'm going to have both." She stood up, her eyes glittering with a dangerous light. "You're going to be my weapon, my queen of shadows. And together, we're going to bring the Antonovs down."

I felt a wave of fear wash over me. There was no room for innocence in this world, no room for morality.  It was a game of power, and she was playing to win.

And I was caught in the middle.

But I wouldn't be a pawn, a tool.

I would fight back.

And I would make sure that Hades Zephyr Primo will pay for her it, her cruelty and her ruthlessness.

"You can't ever use me against my family," I said with determination, my voice shaking slightly but firm. "Magpapatayan talaga tayo, Zephyr."

My words felt heavy, a challenge thrown at a predator who had already cornered her prey.

She grinned at me, her eyes gleaming with a dangerous amusement. "Don't start what you can't finish, dolce amore. You're facing the wrong enemy. Also, did you know that you're the only one I can permit to call me by my second name? Cause I would kill any person who will speak the first syllable of my second name. Though it sounds so good coming from you,"

Well, I don't like mentioning her first name, which reflects her dark side. I prefer her second name since it means a gentle breeze that contradicts her personality.

Her words were a reminder of my current situation. I was trapped, powerless, facing a woman who had already proven her ruthlessness. Pero syempre, hindi ako papaapi.

"I'm not afraid of you, Zephyr," I said, trying to sound confident, though my heart pounded in my chest. "And I'm not afraid of my family.  I know them better than you ever will."

She laughed, a mocking sound that echoed through the room. "Shh... dolce amore. You think you can fight against both of us? You're just a pawn in a game you don't understand."

She stepped closer, her presence a suffocating weight. "I'm not asking you to fight against your family, dolce amore. I'm asking you to fight with me. We can be stronger together. We can bring down The Antonov and reshape this world in our image."

Her words were a siren's song, tempting me with power, revenge, a chance to rewrite the rules of the game. But I knew that it was a dangerous game, a game that could cost me everything.

"I'm not playing your game, Zephyr, I'm going to find a way out of this. And I'm going to make sure that you pay for what you've done."

I knew my words were empty threats, but they were all I had. This was my family's legacy, and I wouldn't let it be destroyed.

I wouldn't let Zephyr win.

No matter the cost.