“Mr. Sanchez?” Viola staggered backward, her breath almost choking.“It’s been you all along?” She placed both hands on her chest, the shock taking her aback.Diego’s expression was stoic, his feet moving majestically toward Mandy.“Do you have it?” He asked in an impatient tone, giving the lady a stern look.“Relax, Mr. Sanchez. Why are you in a hurry?” Mandy replied, holding onto her smirk.She showed the old man the key, but when he tried to grab it, she pulled b at once.Diego understood what the look on his face meant.He quietly slid his hand into his jacket and took out a brown envelope.Whatever was inside made Mandy smile the moment she looked, then a satisfactory nod followed.“It was nice doing business with you, Mr. Sanchez…” She said, handing the key over to him.“Wait…” Diego said quietly, taking a cautious look at the key.“I need to be sure that this is the right key…” He scanned the key for a while, turning and rolling it without taking his eyes off it.“That’s the ri

Aside from the old man in front of her, the only thing standing between her and the door was just a two-meter space.“I…” She stuttered, then dragged her son closer to her, looking behind for a few seconds.“Stay close to Mummy, okay?”The little boy nodded, peeking at Diego from behind his mother.“You already have what you came for, Mr. Sanchez. Please, let us go. I beg you…” She pleaded, staring at the old man with caution.She was wary of even the blinks of his eyes, watching his every move closely.“I will not tell Mr. Regal that it was you. In fact, I will never see him again. I will leave this city and never return…”“Nonsesne!” Diego growled inwardly, the anger still boiling inside him.“It’s already too late to make such fake promises. Brian is already here. He will find out what I am, all thanks to you…”“No!” Viola shook her head, drifting an inch backward while she struggled for breath.“He won’t…” She cleared her throat, yet the cringe was still intact.“We… We can just t

“Are you okay?” Brian asked in a soft voice, staring at the lady in the face.He could see the panic in her eyes, and her puffing chest was adding more flavor to her apprehension.“Is that your son?” Brian asked an obvious question, just to ease the tension.Viola nodded, then she stammered. “Ye…” She swallowed hard, her eyes almost crawling from their sockets.“Yes, he is. His name is Melvin…”“Well, hello, Melvin…” Brian took a step forward, waving at the little boy with a smile.“Are you okay?” He asked, holding onto his beam.The little boy moved behind his mother for safety, but the urge to observe Brian was still intact.He had been traumatized enough, and the only thing he could hold onto, except his mother, was his instincts for safety.“He is just scared, Mr. Regal…” Viola explained, her voice slippery from the start.“It’s okay…” Brian nodded, his smile slowly fading out. “I understand…” He added, taking a deep breath.Then he turned to Mandy, and that seemed to be the start

As much as Brian wanted to pretend as though those words from the lady didn’t touch him, he couldn’t ignore the sensation that crept into his chest.Even though his countenance was still the same, his heart was already melted.Things almost went beyond his control when he saw the tears in the boy’s eyes.“I still need to know who you work for…” He said, clearing his throat while he turned to face Mandy.She gulped silently, shifting to her sister, who had already been besieged with fear.Viola battled the panic inside her, her entire body shaking from within.“Tell me who you work for, and I could consider letting you go…” Brian stated, a slight assurance in his smile.“You don’t…” He continued, already giving the stern warning with his eyes.“Then I am not sure what’s going to happen to you…” He turned to Viola, then concluded in a calm tone.“Your sister is looking at spending the rest of her life in prison. I am going to make sure of that…”Viola’s eyes were almost exploding inside

Diego remained inside the car, his eyes locked on the building right in front of him.Even though he had already turned off the engine, he still couldn’t take his hands off the steering wheel.The hammering inside his chest didn’t have any plans to cease; his throat dried up, causing him to gulp noisily.“You have to end this, Diego. You have to…” He whispered, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.Then he looked up, staring at his reflection on the rearview mirror.The uncertainty was still crawling inside him, churning inside his belly.But the thoughts of the repercussions of his actions seemed to be stronger than whatever he was feeling at that moment.He damned every consequence, ignoring the severe warning inside his mind.The moment the old man stepped out of the vehicle, he adjusted his jacket, then he took a careful look at himself.There was still no satisfaction, yet he deemed himself fit to move forward.His eyes scoured widely, his feet staggering through the first t