Semua Bab THE MAFIA'S PRISONER: Bab 41 - Bab 50

Nasa kalagitnaan na kami ng flight pabalik ng Pilipinas. Sa wakas, pagkatapos ng lahat ng kaguluhan, uuwi na rin kami—hindi buo, hindi lubos na masaya, pero buhay.Tahimik sa loob ng private plane. Sina Commander at Yeraz ay parehong nasa bandang unahan, resting under supervision. Ravika and Peter were seated by the window, both asleep. Si Miles naman ay abala sa laptop niya sa tabi ko. Si Lilith, Wallace at Wilson naman ay naglalakad papunta sa mini kitchen ng plane, siguro gutom na naman."Maddy?" si Miles, "you okay?""Yeah." Maikling sagot ko. I smiled a little, pero hindi umabot sa mata. "Just thinking.""About him?"Napatingin ako sa kanya, pero hindi na ako sumagot. He already knew."I get it," he added. "But hey... we're going home. That means a fresh start."Napalingon ako sa bintana. Madilim pa rin sa labas. Para kaming lumilipad sa pagitan ng kung anong nangyari at kung anong susunod.Home. After everything... uuwi rin kami.——Nag-land na ang eroplano makalipas ang ilang

The morning light seeped through the cracks of the blinds, but I barely noticed it. My mind was already too occupied with the task at hand. The house was eerily quiet, but there was no time to relax. Everyone was busy.I checked the motion sensors in the hallway, making sure they were properly calibrated. "All set here," I muttered to myself, my fingers working quickly. I couldn't let my guard down—not after everything that had happened. After the whole world now knowing who we were. We weren't just a group of thieves anymore. We were a target.As I moved down the hallway, I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. I hadn't realized just how much everything had changed until now. The world knew our faces, and while people praised our work, it meant nothing but trouble for us.I stepped outside, taking a moment to breathe in the crisp morning air. The house was still, the yard empty and serene, but I knew better than to let the silence fool me. The calm before the storm, I thought

Tumigil siya sandali bago tuluyang umupo sa tapat ng stage, kasama sina Ren, Sato, Seiji, Tetsu, at Yuta. Parang sinadya 'yon—'yung dahan-dahang pagpasok, 'yung pagkakatingin. Maybe it was nothing. Or maybe... it was something.Naramdaman kong sumikip ang dibdib ko. Hindi ko alam kung dahil ba sa kaba, sa hiya, o dahil sa bigat ng mga mata niyang tumama sa'kin kanina. Parang lahat ng ingay sa paligid—yung mahihinang kuwentuhan, ang clink ng wine glasses, ang background jazz—lahat 'yon, nawala saglit. Tahimik. Pero ang puso ko, ingay na ingay."Hoy," bulong ni Ravika sa gilid ko, siniko ako ng marahan. "Okay ka lang? Humihinga ka pa ba?"Napakagat ako sa loob ng pisngi ko at napangiti ng pilit. "Hindi... okay lang."Pero kahit sinong tumingin sa akin ngayon, makikita—hindi ako okay.Si Ryu. He was really here.And I wasn't ready."Good evening, everyone."Nagsimula nang magsalita ang host sa stage, introducing the alliance, their efforts, and the honored guests. The usual opening spiel

Maliwanag na ang sikat ng araw nang magising ako. Hindi ako sanay ng ganito katagal matulog, pero siguro dahil na rin sa pagod kagabi. Pagmulat ng mata ko, nakatingin lang ako sa kisame, pilit inaalala lahat ng nangyari—ang party, ang tawanan, ang kiss sa pisngi ni Ryu habang nag-oohhh ang lahat.Napangiti ako nang wala sa oras.[1 New Message – Unknown ]"Outside. Got coffee. Come down.""What the—"Sya ba ‘to?Napakunot noo ako pero hindi na ako nagreklamo. Nagmadali akong mag-ayos, nagsuot ng simpleng sweatshirt at shorts, hinilot konti ang buhok, then tumakbo pababa.Paglabas ko ng front door, andun nga siya. Naka-black hoodie, may hawak na dalawang cup ng coffee. Nakaupo sa hood ng sasakyan niya, relaxed, parang hindi mafia boss. Parang… boyfriend.“Wow,” sabi ko habang lumalapit, “Morning surprise?”“Not a surprise if I texted,” sagot niya, inabot sa’kin ang isang cup. “Pero good morning.”“Good morning,” ngumiti ako. Napakunot noo ako sandali. “Wait—how did you get my number?”

The dinner went smoothly, and I couldn't deny that the food was amazing. We all enjoyed ourselves, but after the meal, it was time to rest before the big operation. Everyone scattered to their respective rooms, and I decided to retreat to mine for a bit of peace before everything went down.I sat down on the edge of my bed, trying to calm my nerves. Why was I nervous? I've done this a thousand times before. This wasn't anything new to me.As I tried to shake off the unease, a knock on my door broke my train of thought."Ryu?" I said, almost surprised."Paano mo nalaman kwarto ko?" I asked as I opened the door to find him standing there."Your friends told me," he said, a smirk on his face. "Don't worry, di ako nakita ng kapatid mo."I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "You're unbelievable." I stepped aside to let him in. "What brings you here?"He walked towards me and sat down next to me on the bed, his presence almost immediately putting me on edge—though not in a bad way. "Just check