Maddy Salvatierra has spent years perfecting the art of deception, living a double life as a skilled thief while maintaining the façade of a normal resident in the Philippines. But when she falls into the hands of the Ryuketsu clan, a powerful mafia group in Tokyo, she finds herself trapped in their dangerous world, forced to prove her worth through missions that test her skills—and her limits. With Seiji and Tetsu as her reluctant backup, the mission isn’t just about stealing—it’s about survival and finding a way out. But the deeper she gets, the more entangled she becomes in the Ryuketsu’s web, especially with Ryu, the enigmatic leader whose motives was to make use of the thief for revenge. As tensions rise and trust becomes a dangerous game, Maddy must decide: is escape truly an option, or is she already in too deep?
View MoreTumahimik ang paligid. Parang bawat sulok ng control room ay biglang napuno ng tanong na 'yon. Tahimik si Tetsu, si Seiji, si Sato—lahat sila. Even Ren was just standing there, waiting for my answer. Not as someone who knew me, but as someone who wanted to understand me.Napalunok ako. My throat was dry. "I'm someone trying to survive," sagot ko, mahina pero diretso. "That's all I've ever been."Hindi kumibo si Ren. He didn't ask more questions. Hindi siya nagpakita ng alinlangan o duda—pero hindi rin siya nagpakita ng kumpiyansa. He just took a deep breath, straightened up, then turned to Tetsu."Tetsu," malamig niyang utos, "call Ryu. Tell him to get his ass here. Now."Nagkatinginan kami lahat. Tetsu blinked, startled for a second, then nodded at the weight in Ren's voice. "Hai."Kinuha niya agad ang earpiece at lumabas ng silid para tawagan si Ryu. Naiwan kaming lahat sa katahimikan, but it wasn't awkward—it was tense. Ren didn't even look at me anymore. He just sat down, elbows o
Habang busy si Seiji at Ren sa pagche-check ng mga updates sa control panel, napansin ko namang tila may ibang pinaglilibangan ang tatlo—si Tetsu, Sato, at Yuta—sa monitor sa gilid."Wait, wait, wait," tawanan ni Tetsu habang pinipindot ang keyboard. "Sino 'tong Lilith? Damn, ang fierce ng aura niya oh!"Yes. We're at the control room and these jerks' lurking on my profile, searching up my friends on their tracking system. "Tingin?" hirit ni Yuta habang sinisilip din ang screen, obviously amused. "She looks like she'd kill you with that eyes."Napatawa ako habang umiinom ng tubig. "Mabait yan, h'wag lang kayo huminga sa harapan niya."Sabay-sabay silang natawa, then Sato clicked the next profile that popped up—Ravika's."Sugoii! Sya yung hinostage ko noong kinuha namin si Madelaine!" biglang tanong ni Sato, eyes wide. "Ang chix niya talaga."Binatukan ko naman sya. "Proud ka naman!""Tignan mo 'yung aura, pare," dagdag ni Tetsu. "Parang hindi mo alam kung iinom kayo ng kape o bibigya
Ryu and I entered the car, the silence hanging between us like a thick fog. His hands gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles taut, his eyes fixed straight ahead. The engine hummed beneath us, but the world outside felt distant, muffled by the stillness inside the car.I couldn't stand the quiet anymore."Ryu..." I began, my voice soft at first, unsure of how to break through whatever was going on in his mind. "Can you say a word? Your silence is suffocating."His grip on the wheel tightened even more, but he didn't speak at first. The seconds dragged on, stretching into what felt like eternity. I wanted to ask him a thousand things, wanted to know what was going through his mind, but I kept quiet, waiting for him to say something.Finally, after what seemed like forever, he sighed, his shoulders relaxing just slightly."I'm just worried why they're after you again," he muttered, his voice low. "Yet, as much as I wanted to take you home, I still can't."I frowned. "What do you mean y
Location: Ryuketsu Outpost, Shinagawa, TokyoMalamig ang hangin sa paligid, pero mas malamig 'yung tingin ni Ryu habang nakatitig sa bakanteng outpost building sa harap namin. Mula sa sasakyan, tanaw na tanaw namin ang sirang gate at mga nagkalat na gamit."Too quiet," I whispered, habang inaayos ang gloves ko. "Sigurado ka bang hindi pa sila umalis?""Not sure," sagot niya habang binubuksan ang glove compartment. Kinuha niya 'yung baril—isa lang—tapos tinapunan ako ng tingin."Wala akong baril?" tanong ko, nakataas ang kilay."Take these," he said, handing me a talon dagger. I remember Ren giving me a knife on my first mission with them. Ba't ganito binibigay nila sa'kin? "You're more dangerous without a gun."I rolled my eyes. "Flirting in the middle of a mission? Lakas mo.""Not flirting. I just don't want you killing people for us," he said habang binuksan ang pinto. "Let's go."——We're now inside the building. The hallway was dim. May amoy ng sunog na wire at basang kahoy. Mukha
Nagmulat ako ng mata dahil sa liwanag na pumasok sa siwang ng kurtina.Napasinghap ako ng mahina—hindi dahil sa sakit ng ulo, kundi dahil naramdaman ko pa rin 'yung bigat sa dibdib ko mula kagabi. Hindi ko alam kung hangover ba 'to o... 'yung klase ng hilo na galing sa mga bagay na hindi ko masabi.Umupo ako sa gilid ng kama.Nandoon pa rin 'yung basong may tubig sa side table. Malamig na siya. At 'yung maliit na bimpo, nakatupi nang maayos.Si Ren.Dahan-dahan akong tumayo. Nag-ayos ng sarili. Walang ingay. Walang kahit anong salita sa kwarto kundi 'yung mahinang kaluskos ng hangin sa labas ng bintana.Paglabas ko ng kwarto, tahimik ang buong hallway. Walang ingay, walang tao. Parang lahat ay tulog pa, lasing pa, o sadyang tahimik lang ang mundo ngayon.Habang pababa ako ng hagdan, naamoy ko na agad 'yung kape. May nagising na.Pagdating ko sa kusina, nandoon si Ren. Nakasuot ng loose shirt, medyo messy pa 'yung buhok. May hawak na mug."Morning," he greeted, casual, parang walang na
Tahimik lang ako habang ininom 'yung juice na ginawa ng boys kanina. Katatapos lang namin mananghalian. Medyo pawis pa rin 'yung palad ko sa dami ng tawa at sigawan kanina sa laro. Nasa living room pa rin sila Ren, Ryu, Yuta, Tetsu, Seiji, at Sato—nag-uusap, nagtatawanan, parang wala na ulit problema sa mundo.Pero dito sa dining table, iba ang atmosphere.Nasa tapat ko si Miori. Maayos siyang nakaupo, hawak ang tasa ng tsaa. Tahimik din siya. Matagal na katahimikan bago siya nagsalita."The boys said you were a good partner," she said softly, almost smiling. "Parang... matagal ka nang kasama ng mga 'yan."Hindi ko agad alam ang isasagot. Kasi totoo naman, lately, parang naging parte na ako ng gulo nila... pero hindi ko alam kung parte ba talaga ako ng mundo nila."Masaya sila kasama," sagot ko, pilit ang ngiti. "Kahit puro ingay at asaran."Napatingin ako sa living room. Tawa pa rin ng tawa si Seiji, parang may bagong kalokohan na naman. Si Ren, nakasandal sa couch, relaxed. Si Ryu..
I woke up to the stillness of the mansion. I wasn't used to it. Usually, the sound of the boys running around or doing their thing filled the space, but today was different. Ryu wasn't here, and everyone had the day off. No missions. No plans. Just... time."Good morning." I jumped a bit out of surprise when I saw Ren in the hallway. "Sorry, I indeed had a meeting and it was rough. Hindi ako nakauwi agad.""Silly. It's okay." I answered with a smile."Woah, looks like you woke up in the good side of the bed." Sabi niya saka sabay kaming naglakad pababa ng hagdan. "Ayoko magmukmok. Nakakapangit."Ren chuckled lightly at my remark, his voice easy and relaxed. "Tama. I'd rather see you smiling than sulking." He gave me a sideways glance, his usual mischievous smile tugging at the corners of his lips.I rolled my eyes. "Don't flatter me, Ren. Baka masapak kita."He raised an eyebrow, but didn't press further. "Okay, okay. I'll behave."We reached the living room, and I was surprised to s
Tahimik lang kami nung lumabas ng café, pero hindi yung tipong awkward. More like... chill. Ren walked beside me, hands in his pockets, parang wala lang—parang hindi kami parte ng gulo, parang hindi ako prisoner ng clan nila.We turned into a quieter street, lined with small shops and trees swaying gently in the wind. I glanced at him. He looked too relaxed for someone who should be watching me like a hawk. But maybe that's what made him different."Alam mo," sabi niya habang tumitingin sa paligid, "I forgot how nice it is to just walk without thinking about who's trying to kill us next."Napatingin ako sa kanya, sabay irap. "Wow. So romantic."Ren smirked. "Ganon talaga pag trauma bonding."Napailing ako. "Ang weird mo talaga.""Pero effective, 'di ba?" he said, giving me a sidelong glance. "Kanina parang gusto mo nang maglayas. Ngayon, nakatawa ka na."I didn't answer right away. Totoo naman. I hated to admit it, pero kahit papaano, he had this way of pulling me out of my head—kahit
The moment we landed, the atmosphere shifted. We weren't headed to the Ryuketsu clan's usual base or even the mansion. We were going straight to Ryu's home—where Miori had been confined for so long. It felt like everything about this place was wrapped in tension, memories, and silent waiting.I watched as Ryu led the way up the grand staircase, his gaze never leaving the door to Miori's room. Everyone else quietly followed, but I stayed behind, leaning against the railing for a moment. I couldn't bring myself to join them just yet. Not when I was feeling like this.Baliw na yata ako. Hindi ba dapat ako masaya dahil pwede na ako umalis at bumalik sa pamilya ko dahil okay naman na yung pinaghihiganti nila? Ba't ako tumatamlay? "Madelaine? Am I right?" A soft voice interrupted my thoughts. One of the maids had noticed I wasn't with the group and had quietly come to check on me. "I'm Rei. I'm the family's trusted servant." Her warm smile was genuine, but it made me feel even more like a
The harness cut into my hips as I dangled twenty feet above the polished marble floor of the gallery. The beam of my headlamp bounced across the dimly lit room, casting eerie shadows on the walls. I took a deep breath as I scanned the whole place and finally saw the target. A priceless painting stolen from its rightful owner. Tonight, you are coming home."How are we doing, Maddy?" Miles' voice crackled in my ear, calm and confident as ever. He was my eyes and ears from the van parked two blocks away, monitoring the security feeds we had hacked into earlier."All clear so far," I whispered back, being careful not to make a sound that might echo through the hall. I adjusted my grip on the thin, reinforced cable suspending me in the air. Can't wait to go home and be in my PJ's. Slowly, I descended, inching closer to the canvas. My pulse quickened. The painting-"Cry"-hung in its glass case, untouched by time but tainted by the dirty hands that had stolen it. The case was protected by a...
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