Belonged to the Mafia 18+

039: Cliché

039: Cliché

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Ilang araw makalipas ang King's Ball nagpasya si Judy na sumama kay Caine papunta sa America kung nasaan si Logan. Wala namang problema kay Nicholaus dahil may karapatan siyang magdesisyon para sa sarili niya. Samantala, tahimik lang si Valence ngunit hindi umaalis sa tabi niya. Hanggang sa ibang bansa nakadikit lang ang binata sa kaniya.

Sakay ng private jet ng Magnus, umuusbong ang kaba sa dibdib niya. Hanggang ngayon hindi pa din niya mapagtanto kung ano'ng unang gagawin niya kapag nagkaharap na silang mag-ama. Ama na nanamantala sa kahinaan ng kaniyang ina. Masusuklam ba siya o matutuwa?

Sa lalim ng iniisip hindi na niya namalayan ang pagkagat niya sa kaniyang kuko. Kinuha ni Valence ang kamay niya. Napalingon siya dito mula sa kinauupuan niya. Nakatayo ito sa harap niya't nakatingin pababa. "Mapupudpod pati mga daliri mo kapag ipinagpatuloy iyan."

Nagpilit siya ng ngiti. "Natatakot ako."

Naupo ito sa tabi niya, hindi binibitiwan ang kaniyang kamay. "Naniniwala akong walang pahamak na darating sa'yo pagdating mo doon."

"Paano ka nakakasigirado?"

"Abramo, Hiroshi, and even your father, are all obsessed with your mother. They did what they think was right to bind her to one of them. And now that you're here, you're a trophy for getting to the great Crisanta." Humigpit ang hawak nito sa kaniya. "Pero hindi naman ganoon kasama ang Magnus Head."

Alam naman ni Judy ang sitwasyon. Hindi na nito kailangang i-sugarcoat sa huli ang punto nitong ipaalam sa kaniya na bunga siya ng pride ng isang taong nilukob ng kasakiman. Wala ding katakataka kung alam nito ang kwento ng ina niya. "Gusto ko lang makita, mismo ng dalawang mata ko, kung sino ang tunay kong tatay. Wala akong inaasahan na kung ano."

Ilang minutong katahimikan ang dumaan bago muling basagin ng binata. "Kasama mo ako."

Matabang ang ngiting sumulay sa mga labi ng dalaga. "Hmm. Napapaisip ako, bakit ang dali mong pumayag sa hinihingi kong pabor? I actually think you'd withdrew the verbal agreeement of our engagement sooner or later."

"...In honesty, I thought you're an illegitimate child of the President. If I could get my hands to you, I could have power to bring my own father down."

Walang katinag-tinag na bumuntong-hininga siya. Wala namang nakakagulat sa ipinagtapat nito. "Well, I want to you use you for finding my family. I guess we're even." Pero sa isang malalim na bahagi ng puso niya, may kirot na kaakibat ang katotohanan. She didn't dare ask about his last sentence either since it seems too much of a mafia thing. Hanggang kaya, hindi siya magkikialam sa personal na buhay ng iba.

"I changed my mind."

"What?" natungo dito ang tingin niya.

Tila malayo naman ang minamasdan nito. "I used to think you're a tool I can control. But when I heard you were abducted, and I saw those fucking bastards holding you with their filthy hands, I snap. Their death is the their only atonement."

"You're getting my hopes up."

"You better. I already told you, you're mine."

"I'm not yours. Nor anybody's. Soon you'll find a woman better than me." She mean it. Hoping for the impossible relationship brings little joy though.

"I will make you look at me. Run and I'll hunt you onto the ends of the world." The willful look on Valence's face is seriously over the top. For a moment there she believed she doesn't need to defy her fate in the mafia.

"Cliché." She chuckled. She squeezed his hand. "I haven't thank you for saving my life."

"Calling my name that night was enough. After all we--"

"Wuah!" Her face turn red. She knows what he'll mean to say. "Can you not?"

"Can what?"

"Make me remember that we--ugh--nevermind!"

He closed the gap between them. He took her chin to prevent her from turning away. A flicker of playfulness spark in his eyes. "La mia Colomba, we did it a lot since then. Recall how much you yearn for my body..."

She could only feel embarrassed to his whimsical nonsense. It's not like she even forgot what they've shared so far even for a second!

"...which reminds me. You haven't verbally reply to my affection. Even if I know how much our bodies agree more to be one, I still yet to hear it from your lips." His eyes went to her mouth, brushing his thumb against the lower part.

"Ahem!" Caine interrupted them once again since the locker room incident.

"Caine?!" agad siyang dumistansya kay Valence. Isipin lang na kapatid pa niya ang nakakahuli sa kanila sa hindi kanais-nais na mga pagkakataon, nakakahiya!

"Valence, at least keep your hands to yourself when I'm here." He deliberately sat between them.

"Tch, (¬_¬)..." Kung hindi lang sa presensya ni Judy, sinapak na nito ang kaibigan.

"You should rest, Judy. There's a separate room for you to sleep while we're airborne."

"Thank you," Judy reply sweetly.

Caine gave her a peck on the side of her head. She was surprised, and so was Valence who tamed himself from smashing his friend's face on the table in front of them. "Run along now. I've got something to discuss with my old friend, haha."

She nodded and hurried to the lounge. There, the attendants help her get to her leisure destination.

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