Aurora's Gambit: Defying Destiny

Chapter 22

Invitation

Aurora's POV

Tahimik ang biyahe pabalik sa tinutuluyan ko dito sa Spuador. The engine's hum barely masked the weight of my thoughts. Outside, the city lights of Spuador flickered in the darkness, a stark contrast to the storm brewing inside my mind. 

Losing the Helios Core was a financial setback, hindi dahil sa perang nawala, kundi dahil sa kung ano ang maaaring maging halaga nito para sa kinabukasan ng Rasmon. It could have been another source of wealth, a technological advantage that would have solidified my country's economic dominance. 

I already had the vast resources of Valyrium at my disposal, a fortune that could sustain Rasmon for generations. But still, it would have been ideal to add the Helios Core to my arsenal, ensuring another powerful stream of revenue and influence. 

Pero kailanman, hindi pera ang tunay na isyu. Mayaman naman ang Rasmon at pwedeng pwede nitong tapatan ang magagawa ng Helios Core. Ang hindi ko lang matatanggap ay ang matalo sa isang kalabang hindi ko kilala, lalo na at malinaw pa sa sikat ng araw na sinadya ng taong iyon na humarang sa landas ko. 

My fingers tapped lightly against the armrest, a habit I had when calculating my next move.

I had lost the Helios Core.

The mere thought sent a wave of irritation down my spine. Hindi lang iyon isang pagkatalo. It was a calculated strike, one designed not just to win the relic, but to test me.

Tahimik akong pinagmasdan ni Philip mula sa tapat ko, hindi mabasa ang ekspresyon sa kanyang mukha.

Sa huli, siya na ang bumasag sa katahimikan. 

"Are you upset?" he finally asked.

I let out a slow breath, my gaze fixed on the passing city lights outside the window. "Should I be?"

"You don't like losing."

I turned to him, lips curling into a smirk. "I don't lose, Philip. This was just the first round."

Tumango siya, tila inasahan na ang sagot ko. "Still, it's the first time in a long while someone has challenged you like this. It was deliberate. He knew exactly what he was doing."

He wasn't just bidding to win. He was forcing me into a corner. The way he raised the stakes, the way he controlled the pacing... He wasn't reacting. He was orchestrating. That thought alone sent irritation crawling under my skin.

Hindi lang basta mayaman ang lalaking iyon. He was calculated, controlled, and unshaken. 

Ang isang normal na bidder ay magdadalawang-isip, maaaring mag-atubili, bago magbigay ng ganoong kataas na halaga.

Pero siya? Dinoble niya ang mga bid ko na parang naglalaro lang. 

And worse? He won.

I clenched my jaw, forcing my thoughts to stay rational. No point brooding. I need answers.

"We need to find out who he is," I said. "Track his transactions, his network, anything that can tell us where he came from."

Philip was already pulling out his tablet. "I'll have our best informants work on it. Our spies in Spuador are already running background checks, but there's something strange about his funds."

"Strange how?"

"They're untraceable. His transactions were routed through multiple offshore accounts, but the origin is clear—"

"Staiburg?" I cut him off.

"That is correct," he answered.

In the original novel, Staiburg was nothing more than a footnote, a distant land barely relevant to the main events. It was only mentioned in passing, a country that existed beyond the protagonist's concerns. It was brought up once when a merchant spoke of a failed trade attempt, describing it as a land impossible to penetrate.