Herrera Series 6: Falling for Ms. Dangerous

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"ARE you happy now that you ruin my life!" Lio growled to his father. Alam niyang narinig nito ang pagwawala ni Nathalie sa labas. "Now that the woman I loved turned her back on me."

"It should be." Walang emosyong anito. "You and Beatrice are bound to marry. What can you ask for? She has everythin---"

"Everything that you want!" He cut him off. "And because of that, you don't care of whatever I feel. You don't care of I get hurt in the process of getting what you want!"

"I never care of anything or anyone!" Anito na nakapagpasakit sa damdamin niya. Dapat noon palang alam na niya kung ano siya sa kanyang ama. Iyon marahil ang dahilan kung bakit mas pinili nalang ng kanyang tunay na ina na ipa-kidnap siya noon.

"You should never come back!" Iyon ang unang sinabi ng kanyang ina nang una siya nitong makita. Hindi man iyon ang inaasahan niya pero isa iyong paalala para sa kanya. Hindi man nito nagampanan ng husto ang papel bilang ina, pero alam niyang mahal siya nito. "You should live your life the way you used to be. Away from here."

Hindi na niya iyon mababawi pa, ngayon na hawak siya nito sa leeg. Hindi niya magawang kumilos ng naayon sa gusto niya dahil hawak ng ama niya ang pamilyang kumupkop sa kanya. At kung alam lang niya na ganito ang mangyayari, hindi na sana niya ito hinayaang kupkupin ang pamilya niya.

It's too late

Way too late.

"Yeah." How he wished he would change his father for the better and to be a good father. Like the man who raised him. Pero wala na siyang magagawa kung iyon ang paniniwala nito sa buhay. "You only care for money and wealth and being on top. You were afraid that someone might get ahead of you. That's why you are controlling even if it means hurting the ones in your family."

"You are no family to me."

"I know." It made his heart sunk. "I am just a toy to you. A toy that someday you will throw when you don't need me anymore. Do you think money and wealth will follow you to death? Do you think you will bring him to hell? They will stay here above while you rot under. You don't know what the real treasure means. You don't know what is more important than money. Money are just there, you can find them everywhere. But family, once you loss them you will never bring them back."

Gusto niyang itanim iyon sa isip ng kanyang ama. Pero sadyang kinain na ito ng kagustuhang mas umangat pa sa buhay. Hindi niya ito kayang tulungan kung ito mismo ay hindi kayang tulungan ang sarili. Bilang anak, sinusunod na lamang niya ang kagustuhan nito, pero pagod na siya.

He sighed. "While you stay here, I hire someone to get my family out of the manor."

Nanlaki ang mga mata nito sa gulat. Nagtatagis na ang bagang sa galit pero nilakasan niya ang kanyang loob. Hindi na siya nito mahahawakan pa sa leeg.

"When I saw you here with Beatrice I thought this was the end of me. But I came to realize that it will gave me time to sneaked my family out of that hell." Saad niya. Tinignan niya ang kanyang cellphone nang bigla itong mag-ring. It was Zeus. Nakahinga siya ng maluwag. "You are no longer my dectator." Tatalikod na sana siya nang bigla itong tumayo mula sa kinauupuan.

"You cannot do this to me! I am your father!"

"For once I thought you were. But you never." Iniwan niya itong nagtatagis ang bagang. Lumabas siya sa penthouse niya. Napahinto nang makita si Beatrice sa harap ng pinto at namumula ang mga mata.

"I can't.." She said in whisper. "Edmond, I love you."

"I am sorry. My heart is belong to someone else." Hahakbang na sana siya pero pinigilan siya nito.