Bumalik si Jenica sa mansiyon ng mga Desmana at agad na hinanap si Bryce. She believed that she had cleaned the mess Lynet created for her. At bonus pa na nakakuha siya ng ebidensya laban kay Bree mula sa kinopya niyang mga impormasyon sa phone nito.
She already checked the file containing Bree's inbox history and surely, she got a handful of evidence against her. Kailangan lang niyang ibigay kay Bryce ang mga ebidensya para matapos na ang pangako niya sa lalaki.
"What is it?" kunot-noong tanong ni Bryce. May binabasa ito sa phone at ni hindi man lang ito nag-angat ng tingin sa kaniya.
Nilagay ni Jenica ang phone sa mesa nito at seryosong tumingin sa abalang lalaki. "I got evidence against the Mondragon. You can do your plans now."
Doon lang nag-angat ng tingin si Bryce. "Really?"
...
Bree Mondragon was invited by the Prosecutor office. Naipasa na ni Bryce sa korte ang mga ebidensya laban kay Bree at pormal na i
"Antonete is striving in liquior and food industry," sabi ni Jenica at ini-skip ang slide sa next page. "If we want to defeat this small branch, Desmana need to offer something that can sweep the market and catch Antonete off-guard."Humalumbaba si Daisy habang lumalim ang tingin ni Bryce sa presentation. Kasalukuyan silang nasa conference room ng Desmana Group main building.Alam niyang nakikilala siya ni Daisy pero hindi ito nagkusang lumapit sa kaniya bilang isang Agent, pero pinakilala nito ang sarili bilang childhood sweetheart ni Bryce na lumipad sa States at kababalik lang ng bansa. Alam ni Jenica na nagpunta sa Laguna si Daisy dahil inatasan ito ni Agent Z. That man set his eyes in Laguna because of the clues regarding poisonous needles and Antonete's branch. Just like what she had known before Agent Z snatched her side mission, all the clues about the mastermind of the poisonous needles are pointing from the South to the North where the capital is. Kaya may hinuha na siya n
Caroline Esteban is Jenica's bestfriend since highschool. Noong kapwa pa nag-aaral ay tinagurian na silang 'opposite duo' sa eskwelahan. Si Carol na isang 'kwela' habang siya naman ay isang 'silent' type. Noong naaksidente dahil sa car accident ang mga magulang ni Jenica, si Carol na ang naging sandigan niya para lang magpatuloy sa buhay. Kasa-kasama niya ang babae hanggang magtapos sila ng kolehiyo at makahanap ng trabaho. At noong inakusahan siya ng fraud ng kompanyang pinagtatrabahuan noon at binayaran ang malaking halaga na hindi naman siya ang nagnakaw, nagbiro si Carol sa kaniya. "Beh, maghanap ka na lang ng mayamang matanda, 'yong matitigok na para 'pag natuluyan, eh sa 'yo mapupunta ang mana," payo ni Carol sa kaniya at langong humagikgik. Ewan kung anong pumasok sa kokote ni Jenica sa gabing 'yon at sinuyod niya ang buong bar para maghanap ng mayamang target. "Hello, Sir! Baka want niyo ng asawa? Willing to apply ako!" natatawang biro ni Jenica sa VIP room na pinasukan n
The Antonete branch was caught off-guard by the sudden move of Desmana in the stagnant market. Dahil nalinis na ang mga Mondragon sa kompanya, kaya nawalan ng 'spy' ang Antonete sa loob kaya hindi agad nakagawa ng hakbang ang mga ito upang sumagot sa kabilang panig. Sa mga panahong 'yon ay hindi tinigilan ni Daisy ang pag-atake sa stock market ng kompanya ng Antonete pushing the family in the corner. And Jenica knew why Agent Z instructed Daisy to do so. Gustong pilitin ni Agent Z ang mga Antonete na kontakin ang pinagkakatiwalaan nitong grupo. Knowing that Yvette Antonete has unclear relationship with the one behind the poisonous needles, Agent Z wants to know who is the backer of the said woman. Jenica knows that with Agent Z around, she just need to relax and enjoy the show. Pero bigla na lang siyang pinatawag ng matriarch ng Desmana. Seryoso ang mukha nito. At nang nilibot ni Jenica ang tingin ay napansin niyang nandito lahat ng Desmana maliban kay Bryce. Tumaas ang kilay niya
Bumaling si Jenica sa matanda at ngumiti. "It's none of your business, Old Madam."Sukat noon ay malalaki ang hakbang na lumabas ng mansiyon si Jenica. Gamit ang family token ay inutusan niya ang family driver na ihatid siya sa isang sikat na clubhouse. Habang nasa loob ng kotse ay kagat-labi niyang pinakilos ang internal force niya para pigilan ang pagkalat ng lason sa loob ng katawan. She sent a message to her assistant to notify Agent Z of the clubhouse's location. Pikit-matang pinakalma ni Jenica ang malakas na tibok ng puso niya. Hindi nagtagal ay huminto ang kotse sa clubhouse at agad siyang umibis ng sasakyan. Dumiretso siya sa VIP room na pina-book niya kanina saka pumwesto sa sofa. Hindi siya naghintay nang matagal kay Agent Z. Nang pumasok ang lalaki sa VIP room at makita siyang kasimputla ng bangkay ay mabilis itong humakbang tungo sa likod ng sofa. He inserted his inner force through her back para tulungan siyang i-seal ang lason. "Who used those damned needles?" tan
With a token in hand, Jenica walked out of the huge mansion with a small smile hanging on her lips. She's happy to have that token that can mobilize hundreds of men under the Mafia Don. It was an unexpected gain.Saka ngayon lang na-realize ni Jenica na kaya hinayaan ni Agent Z na mahanap siya ng Mafia Don ay dahil nalaman nito ang pakay ng lalaki sa kaniya. Pumara siya ng taxi at bumiyahe tungo sa Desmana Group. Kailangan niyang makausap si Bryce at malaman kung anong plano ni Agent Z. Pero pagdating niya sa main building ng kompanya ay nakita niyang pinagkakaguluhan ng mga reporter si Bryce. "Mr. Desmana, totoo ba na may nangyaring poisoning sa isa sa mga tauhan niyo?""Totoo ba na kusang pinatay ang member ng Board of Director ng isa sa mga Desmana?""Anong masasabi mo sa pagsampa ng kaso ni Grey Mondragon sa buong Desmana Group?" Tumayo sa harap ni Bryce ang isa sa mga bodyguard nito para harangin ang mga reporter na gustong makalapit sa President. "Everyone, we'll held a pres
Pumantig ang tainga ni Jenica sa narinig pero hindi nagbago ang ekspresyon niya sa mukha. May munting ngiti pa rin sa gilid ng mga labi niya pero nakakuyom ang kamao niyang nakatago sa ilalim ng mesa. "What Jenica Laurel? You must be mistaken," tanggi niya. Mas lalo lang lumawak ang ngiti sa mga labi ni Bree. "Don't deny it. I've gone high and low to pull off your mask and I won." Bree licked her lips and smiled wickedly at her. "I know your real name is Jenica Laurel, an orphan and a loser who worked in the corporate and disgraced herself having stolen money from your boss."A glint flashed across Jenica's eyes. How did Bree Mondragon know about her true name? Did someone tipped her off? Biglang pumasok sa isipan ni Jenica ang lalaki sa harap ng Police Station na grabe kung makatitig sa kaniya na para bang kilala siya nito. Was her gut feeling true? That the man knew her from the start and told Bree about it?Pero hindi niya kilala ang lalaki! "So, what else did you find about m
Bumiyahe siya tungo sa capital nang hindi nagpapaalam kay Bryce Desmana. She believe Daisy will take care of that man. For now, she has more pressing things to do. "Agent Z was involved in a car accident while doing his mission. The HQ wants you to go after Agent Z," sabi ng assistant niya. Jenica frowned. "No one was nearby to help that man?""It's the problem. Agent Z disconnected all of his tracking devices so our people can't find him. The last signal Agent sent was last night, by the shore of Manila Bay. A few hours after that, our people sent a distress signal to the HQ when they discovered Agent Z's wrecked car in the local news. It is said that there was no one inside the car when the accident happened."Kinagat ni Jenica ang ibabang labi. Hindi niya lubos maisip na tatakas si Agent Z sa ilalim ng mga mata ng HQ. But she applaud that man's confidence and sly tactic to deceive the organization. But what was his reason for doing so?"Alright. I'll go find him," aniya."You ca
Isang mansiyon sa gitna ng gubat ang binigay na address ni Agent Z. It's two miles away from the busiest business district in the capital. May isang katulong sa mansion na siyang nagbukas ng pinto sa kanila. Pinaghain sila ng makakain ng katulong na siyang nilantakan ni Carol nang walang pasubali. Awkward namang tumingin ang tauhan sa kaniya. Humihingi ito ng permisong kumain. Her lips twitched and rolled her eyes. Ngumiti ang tauhan at umabot na rin ng pagkain sa center table. Nilibot ni Jenica ang tingin sa loob ng mansion. Pansin niya ang ilang devices na nagpi-prevent ng signal transmission sa loob ng mansion. Tumaas ang kilay ni Jenica. Ilang oras silang naghintay bago nagising nang tuluyan si Agent Z. Nang makita nito si Carol ay umasim ang mukha ng lalaki. "You're still here," matabang nitong sambit bago naupo sa sofa sa tapat ni Jenica. Umirap si Carol. "May gana ka pang magsungit, ha? Ikaw ang dahilan kung ba't naipit ako sa gulo!"Tinaas ni Agent Z ang kamay at lumapit
"This is the heiress of Guam?" biglang tanong ng lalaking kanina pa masama ang tingin sa kaniya. "I didn't expect her to be so young and incapable" dagdag nito. Bumaling ang tingin ni Jenica sa nagsalita at ngumiti nang malapad dito. "I just arrived in the company and might need the guidance of the senior," sabia niya.The old man snorted. "If you can't handle this big empire, then you should not come back!""Why?" Pumaling sa kaliwa ang ulo niya at ngumiti nang malapad sa lalaki. "The senior didn't ask help from anyone?"Nagkatinginan ang mga tao sa loob. If the man said no, then it means he shoot himself on the foot. If he would say yes, then he is declaring that he never experienced being a newbie and it would make him a liar. In the end, he didn't say anything and just snorted.Lumawak ang ngiti sa mga labi ni Jenica at muling nilibot ang tingin sa loob ng conference room. As an agent, she's not easily intimidated by the scornful faces of everyone present. In fact, it made her
She had a dream. A girl of five was wearing a pink dress while smiling brightly at the woman who was sitting beside the round table. The woman had a pair of almond eyes and a sweet smile was hanging at her lips. Suddenly, a tall man walked towards them and lifted her up while laughing happily. That warm picture of a family of three was replaced with a bloody scene. The woman was lying in a pool of blood while the man was telling her something with a pained expression on his face. Just like the woman, the man was bathed in blood.She could not read his lips nor hear what the man was telling but she could feel the child's fear. The girl cried and ran away from that room. The scene changed into a huge mansion being eaten in fire. The girl was standing in front of the mansion and a man with the same face as her Uncle Marc approached the little girl. Jenica slowly opened her eyes. She noticed her tear-stained cheeks and she frowned. Her heart was heavy and she knew it's because of that d
"Aren't you too calm for someone who's reputation went downhill in one night?" tanong ni Jared nang lumapit ito sa kaniya. Tumingin siya sa lalaki. She smirked and twirled the wine glass she's holding. "So you're able to walk around with the HQ's men, huh?" tanong niya saka tumingin sa mga spies at agents na lihim na nakikihalubilo sa mga bisita. Afterall, it's a big party of the elites at hindi palalagpasin ng HQ ang pagkakataon na makipagkonekta sa naglalakihang angkan sa bansa. What made her frown was the fact that her workmates didn't realize that Jared's around. He's really able to fool a lot of agents from the HQ."I told you." Ngumiti nang pagkalaki-laki si Jared. "No one will be able to find me unless I let them."She rolled her eyes at him and looked around again. Nakita niya si Alex na may kausap sa hindi kalayuan. Lumapit siya sa lalaki at tumayo sa gilid nito. Nang mapansin siya ni Alex ay nagpaalam na ito sa kausap. Bago pa man humakbang palayo ang kausap ni Alex ay tum
Alex smiled and said, "Yes, grandma."Nanlaki ang mga mata ng matanda at nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin nito kay Jenica at kay Alex. Disbelief was clearly written on the old woman's face. Natahimik ito nang ilang minuto, at maya-maya pa ay bumuntong-hinga."Alright. If that's really the case, what else could I do?" Taimtim na tiningnan nang matanda si Alex. "I know you don't like that Antonete lass and I won't make things hard on you and your wife, but you need clean the mess you made, understood?"Tumango si Alex at nagpasalamat sa matanda. The old matriarch then turned her hawk-like gaze on Jenica. Tiningnan siya nito mula ulo hanggang paa. "You don't seem like a country bumpkin to me so I suppose you have someone backing you up young lady. From what clan are you? Alex didn't tell me anything about your origin so I expect honest words coming out from that sinful lips of yours," sabi nito sa kaniya. The corner of lips twitched. Mukhang hindi talaga maganda ang gising ng matanda dahil
When Jenica saw the man, she froze. Is she seeing things? Bakit niya nakikita ang Tito Marc niya? Nawalan ng kulay ang mukha ni Jenica.More than 40 years ago, the old man from Guam clan adopted a boy who lost his parents from the big fire that killed more than a thousand lives. The boy is said to have possessed great resemblance to the old man that prompted him to adopt the child. And according to the DNA result, the boy was the old man's illegitimate grandson that made the whole Guam clan scorn him. The old matriarch of the Guam disliked the boy and made things difficult for him. For years, the boy endured everything until an accident occured in the Guam family. A big fire engulfed a huge mansion in one night and killed all members of the Guam family except for the only survivors, Marc Cenizo the adopted grandson, and Jenica's favored father. Starting from that day, the Guam family hid behind the spotlight for years and the masses slowly forget the powerful family who shook the en
It was not the first time that Jenica saw Alex and Jared talking to each other. Pero ngayon lang niya napagtanto na sa harap ni Alex, bahag ang buntot ni Jared. It looked like Alex held the upperhand against the HQ's number one enemy. Naningkit ang mga mata ni Jenica. Matapos ang pag-uusap ng dalawa ay ngiting lumapit si Jared sa kaniya. "It must be fate that we came to know each other --""We're not done yet," sabi niya. "We still have business to settle."Nag-isip saglit si Jared, pagkuwa'y ngumiti na naman nang abot sa tainga. "It is about those poisonous needles?""I'm not talking about that," aniya at sa isang iglap ay sinapak ang mukha ni Jared. "Oww!" hiyaw nito at hinawakan ang nasaktang mukha. Masama itong tumingin sa kaniya. "Do you still wanna fight?!" galit nitong sambit. "Alex and I agreed that my forces will stop fighting you. Or do you think that my temper will let you trample my face?" dagdag pa nito. Nag-igting ang bagang ni Jenica. "You owe me a child."Jared w
It was a one night's mistake. Nagising si Jenica sa kama ni Alex and she didn't know what to think while looking at her husband's sleeping face. For all those years living with the 'dying' him, Jenica was in good hands. Actually, Alex treated her well except on circumstances that'll involve his family.Jenica knew that his family was a bunch of greedy dogs whose after their master's crumbs, and it was the reason why Alex had to marry her in order to secure his wealth against those bunch of dogs. Kaya sa ilang taong pananatili niya sa poder nito ay hindi naman talaga siya minaltrato ng asawa niya. Sadyang may pagkakataon, lalo na kapag bumibisita ang matriarch sa mansion, na kinukulong siya ni Alex sa loob ng kuwarto nilang mag-asawa para itago siya sa mata ng mga Fuego. And except for that foolish Robert na nakahuli sa kaniya minsan, walang sinuman sa mga Fuego ang nakakaalam na may asawa na si Alex. The Matriarch was worried that Alex will die without leaving an offspring, kaya ila
"Am I obliged to answer your question?" tanong ni Jenica. Umasim ang mukha ni Gia at akmang itataas ang kamay para sana sampalin siya pero umiwas si Jenica at humakbang palayo. Narinig pa niya ang nagtitimping impit na sigaw ni Gia sa likod pero hindi na niya pinansin ang babae. She didn't know why the two of them always cross paths. Parang itinadhana talagang mag-away sila sa public places. Gia should be thankful na wala siyang time para makipag-away dahil hindi talaga siya magpapatalo sa rambolan. But she'll admit. There's something off about Gia's presence that she needs to find our sooner. Hindi kalaunan ay narating niya ang likod ng hospital. Isa iyong malawak na bakanteng lote at walang katao-tao, but Jenica knew better. The place was full of discarded medical equipments and knee-length wild grasses were growing around them. Hindi kalayuan ay may abandonadong subdivision na ayon sa mga tagaroon na pinamahayan na umano ng masasamang elemento. Hindi naman naniniwala si Jenica
She heard footsteps coming down from the stairs and Jenica squinted her eyes and crossed her arms against her chest. It seemed like her husband was a good friend with her enemy? Or maybe not?Nakita niya nalang kasi na kinaladkad ng mga security guards si Jared palabas nang sumenyas si Alex. "Who is that guy?" tanong niya, glancing at him and studying his expression.Tumayo si Alex sa gilid niya at sabay nilang tinanaw ang nagdadabog na lalaki sa tapat ng main door. "A nuisance," kunot-noong sagot ni Alex sabay tingin sa gawi niya. "What would you like to eat?" "Chicken," sagot niya. Iginiya siya ni Alex sa kusina and Jenica stole a glance at the main door, where she saw Jared standing there. The man grinned when their eyes met and Jenica smirked in response. Tumaas naman ang kilay ni Jared pero kalaunan ay gumanti ng ngiti. Jenica smiled in secret and followed Alex onto the kitchen. Pero hindi pa roon nagtatapos ang pagdaupang-palad nila ni Jared. Kinabukasan ay nakita niya ang