Meters away, the brilliant and flashing golden lights coming from the mighty Reise attracts everything with curious eyes as if a flame drawing moths. The pristine white and gold cruise elegantly floats by the port of Puerto Princesa, waiting for its boarders who were dressed in expensive suits and equally expensive gowns. Cars lined up infront of us and drops their passengers one by one.

The company who owns this marvelous cruise ship celebrates the 25th year of its foundation. In return, they wanted to take their beloved guests into a sweet sail under the gleaming night sky on the waves of Puerto Princesa.

This can easily steal the second spot in my list of places to unwind only that I am not really here to do such.

Pinagbuksan ako ng pinto ng sasakyan nang huminto ito. I gave my sweetest smile to the gentleman who offered his hand to me, took his hand, and went out of the vehicle.

An off shoulder red evening gown is definitely not the best attire to fight off the cold breeze coming from the sea, especially after I felt the chill. But I sure did the right thing on styling my hair in a low bun and just letting some loose curls dance along with the wind.

"Good evening, Ma'am. May I see your invitation, please?" The stern looking man near the platform said.

Aside from him, there were also four men situated by the entrance. All of which are wearing earpieces and are surely armed with a gun or two and maybe a knife also.

Without missing a beat, I gave the invitation to the man. Nagtagal ang tingin niya sa akin bago bumaling sa tinanggap. As if a scanner, he meticulously eyed the stamped seal. Pagkatapos ay binuksan niya iyon para basahin pero hindi pa man nakalalayo sa unang linya ay mabilis siyang bumaling sa akin.

Now, his stern facade wavers as he hurriedly removes the velvet rope that kept me from boarding the ship.

"I-I'm sorry for holding you off, Miss Perellio. I-It's my fault that I didn't recognize you due to the lights. Please, let me escort you inside the ship." Bahagyang 'di mapakaling saad niya.

"Oh, no need to do that! It's fine, really. You must be tired. Please, take a break if you can. It will be a long night." I smiled at the flustered man and head to the entrance.

Halos gano'n din ang naging reaksyon ng apat na bodyguard. Only that they didn't attempt to get near me and even tried to step away as if the platform was not wide enough for me to walk through.

A lady by the entrance asked me to follow her. We sashayed through the carpeted deck before we turned on a hallway with a wide double door at the end. The men situated outside opened both of the doors for me. I thanked all of them before I stepped inside.

I blinked once.

"I'm in."

"Finally! Took you so long." A small sound came from the pearl earring on my left ear.

The ballroom is spacious and almost covered the whole deck. The interior of this cruise doesn't disappoint either. White and gold complements each other as seen in the artistic design of the wall. The gold leaves and vines trailing up the pillars are worth noting. And the marble stairway in the middle of this room is very eye catching. Still, I'm not here for a sightseeing.

I kept my gaze straight but my senses alert as I walk along the carpeted floor and passed around people.

"Not my fault. That man was disgustingly just like you." I stopped talking when a waiter offered me a glass of champagne. "Thank you." He smiled and went off.

"What? Like me?"

A classical song revibrates in the room. Sa sobrang lawak at dami ng tao ay hindi ko makita kung saan iyon nanggagaling. But base from the way it's being played, it sure is an orchestra situated on the far left corner of this floor. I turned my gaze to the crystal chandelier dangling from the ceiling.

Oh. That's pretty.

"Fucking talkative."

Sinuyod ko ang paligid. Elites immersed themselves into conversations that are all probably about their businesses, rumors, designer things, and their current hobby that's something between golf or travelling abroad. Their voices are muffled, save from occasional small laughter here and there.

"Bitch." Sabi ni Blaze. "Anyway, as we've predicted, the ship's heavily guarded in and out."

I played with my champagne flute. From where I'm standing, I can see eleven men placed in equal distance from each other. Nakatago nang tama lang sa mga haligi para hindi mabigyang pansin ng mga bisita. Aside from them, I've noticed seven of the waiters acts too emotionless for that job. Pero hindi naman nakapagtataka na may ilang undercover sa mga okasyong gaya nito.

I mean, look at me.

"Oh my! Is that you, Lorienne?" A lady wearing a black gown gracefully move towards me with a sweet smile. Her hair is styled in an elegant braid. Niyakap niya ako nang makalapit. "Glad to see you, my dear!"

"It's been a while, Madame Opelia." I smiled at the lady when she widrew her hug.

"A while? It's been ages since I saw you, dear! I almost didn't recognize you!" She tenderly stroke my arms as she looked at me from head to toe. "My! You've grown into a gorgeous lady."

"She's overdoing it." Natatawang saad ni Blaze.

I can't help but agree.

I saw three more lady heading towards our direction, all with equally curious eyes. Dalawa sa kanila ang nauunang maglakad. Natawag marahil ang kanilang atensyon nang humiwalay ang ginang mula sa kanila.

"Lorienne Perellio?" Kyuryosong tanong agad ng isa sa kanila. Ngumiti siya sa akin bago naglahad ng kamay. "Oh, wow! I'm a big fan of your father's works!"

Nakipagkamay ako sa kaniya. "Thank you, Madame." The other ladies also held their hands to me.

"I've never seen you together with your father in events before. Most of the time, it's him with either one of your sisters." Nagtatakang tanong ng isa sa kanila.

"That's because I was staying abroad for my studies, Madame. I just got my degree and now I'm back here for good." Paliwanag ko.

"How is he?" May tono ng pag-aalala at simpatyang tanong galing sa isa. This is the lady who walked slower than the other ladies a while ago. She's wearing a beige gown with the same colored shawl draped on her shoulders.

"My father's doing good! Still in the process of recovering but he's doing very well." sagot ko sa ginang.

"I pray for his fast recovery." Mahinang saad niya. Her sharp brown eyes shows warmth and softness. "And you and your sisters too!" She sincerely added. A faint blush showed on her fair cheeks.

Minatahan ko siya. She looks like she's in her late thirties but still very gorgeous and classy. Even her aura and movements says so. That warm smile cannot be a fake or forced one. This lady...

Agad ko rin siyang nginitian. "We surely will. Thank you, Madame.." I trailed off.

She blinked. "Oh! Miru Sawaki."

I smiled more. "Thank you, Madame Sawaki."

I like this lady.

"I assume you also took architecture?" Singit na tanong ng pangalawang ginang.

Bumaling ako sa kaniya. "Yes, I did."

One of them smiled sweetly at me. Her eyes twinkling with interest and a little of something I don't like. "I don't know much about architecture but my son does. He's here somewhere. Maybe the two of you can talk about it."

I just smiled at the lady who's trying to pair me up with her son. "That would be lovely, Madame."

Her eyes shone more. "Oh, call me Tita Ally."

I smiled at her. Thing is, Tita Ally, I didn't really took architecture nor did I went abroad to study. Wala rin akong ni katiting na interes na makipagusap sa anak mo. And also, you are fucking wasting my time by standing here and talking to all of you.

"Tick tock." Came a sing song voice from my pearl earring.

Pinigilan kong mapairap. I averted my gaze from these ladies. The people around us kept on talking. Halos walang nagbago sa pwesto ng mga bodyguards. Only that there are two suspicious waiters looming near us.

Naagaw ng pansin ko ang dalawang pigura na palabas sa pinto. I blinked once when I recognized the giggling girl. Her silver colored dress attracts the eyes of those people she passed by. Nakaipon ang itim na buhok sa kanang balikat kaya't kitang kita ang maganda at namumula nitong mukha. You can tell that her walk's a bit wobbly but not enough to justify the tight wrap of her arm to the man she's walking with.

Nakalabas na sila ng pinto bago ko pa napagmasdang mabuti ang lalaki. Ilang pulgada ang tangkad nito mula sa babae na umabot lang hanggang balikat niya. Itim na itim ang buhok na nakaayos ng pormal. Malapad at matipuno ang pangangatawan. His dark suit clung to his body just enough to show his taut physique.

That built should've been common to men but then I narrowed my eyes when I felt that his was different and yet, familiar. Even his fluid movements was as if something I've seen before.

I mentally shake my head to gather my thoughts. He's not what I came here for. But it seems that, as he appear to be the date of my target, he would be a problem if he gets in my way. I should do something about that.

Muli akong bumaling sa mga ginang. "Please, excuse me. I think I saw someone familiar. I'll just go and greet them."

Madame Opelia held my arm gently. "Oh! Sure, dear. Go ahead and enjoy the  night."

Nginitian ko silang lahat pero nagtagal nang kaunti ang tingin ko sa ikatlo. Madame Miru smiled back at me that made her eyes shrink a little more. I politely nod my head a little to her before going out of the circle.

"I've deployed RT20. They will be on standby at 22:40. A guard will be moving towards the rail 23:00 sharp. You must execute the plan before 22:50. More than that then you are on your own, sweetie." Blaze explained. "Also, that lady is 'the Miru Sawaki', you dumb fuck! Her jewelries are superb! I love her! You are fucking wearing one of her bracelets this season and you dare to-"

I had to minimize the volume when Blaze started to fangirl. She might continue for a while and I hope that somebody knock her back to conciousness before I do.

Nang makalabas ay muli akong sinalubong ng lamig ng hangin. Hindi kasing liwanag ng lugar na ito ang sa loob. That gives the part of this deck a serene and calm aura that some of the passengers might enjoy as they watch the waves or the stars above. Add to that the small garden designed to make this area more peaceful. But then, it might be due to the cold breeze or the ongoing party inside that there's not a single person in sight.

I did a second look around before looking back and eyeing the spiral staircases on each side of the the ballroom's entrance. Both are heading towards the next upper deck which holds some of the cabins that this cruise offers. Aside from that, no more pathway is available for someone to pass through.

Blaze is still blabbering on mic that it's starting to hurt my left ear. Dumagdag pa na nagsimula nang magsalita ang host ng event na ito para ipakilala ang CEO. That marks the countdown till I execute the plan.

Umakyat ako sa sumunod na palapag. Two large pools greets me infront of the grand doorway to the cabins. May mga lounger at linya ng mga halaman na nakapaligid sa parehong pool. The lights in the pool helps to illuminate the area along with the dangling lights scattered above. A wide walkway is in the middle leading to the cabin's doorway.

Tinahak ko ang daan sa gitna. But before entering the doorway, I spilled half of my champagne to the plant situated on one dark spot near the pool. I tapped my cheeks twice and removed my right earring.

The security on this first cabins' deck, although tight, isn't as heavy as the entrance and the next deck of cabins', which are for VVIP guests. Then said, the rotation of guards here goes every ten minutes. Which leaves me plenty of time to execute the plan.

The walls and hallway are covered with red velvet linings. Kada-apat na pinto ay may panibagong likuan na magdidirekta sa sampung panibagong kwarto. Everything looks classy and fancy, nothing less as expected from a well-known cruise line.

A flight of stairs leads to the VVIP cabins. Pero bago makapasok ay kailangan mong kumpirmahin ang iyong pangalan sa front desk.

The receptionist welcomed me with a warm smile. Nag-iisa lang siya sa front desk. "Ms. Perellio, how may I help you?"

I narrowed my eyes. What a surprise. They now know my name.

"Hi! I'd like to be shown to my cabin, please." I politely answered.

"Gladly! Can I please see your ID card?"

Inabot ko sa kaniya ang isang itim na card. She took it with her gloved hand and tapped it on the screen infront of her. A small beep resound from the computer before she carefully returned it to me.

"Your's is Cabin 12A, Miss Perellio. Please follow me." She then lead the way.

Nang sumunod ay tahimik kong pinagmasdan ang paligid. The difference on the VIP and the VVIP deck is easy to spot. Isa na ro'n ang layo ng bawat cabin sa isa't isa. Sa layo ay marahil nasa tatlumpu lang ang kwarto rito. That's how spacious each cabin is.

Inilahad sa akin ng babae ang aking cabin. "Here we are, Miss Perellio. Please don't hesitate to ring us if you find trouble in your cabin or if you need anything else." Saad niya.

Bumukas bigla ang pinto sa katapat kong kwarto. A man wearing similar suit as the receptionist immersed out of it. Tahimik niyang sinarado ang pinto pagkaraan. Nang mapansin kami ay agad siyang humarap. He then bowed a bit when his eyes landed on mine.

"Good evening, Ma'am!" Bati niya.

I greet him back and eyed him carefully. The room he went out is Iona Borrez's - my target's cabin.

"We shall go, Miss Perellio." Bahagya ring yumuko sa akin ang babaeng receptionist bago umalis kasabay ang lalaki.

Bago pa sila makalayo ay muli ko silang tinawag. "I think I lost my earring in the ballroom. Is there a way that I can find it?" Malumanay kong saad.

"Oh! I'll arrange a group to find it, Miss Perellio. Can you please describe it?"

"Yes. It's just a plain white pearl earring."

Umalis sila pagkaraan. I tapped my ID card on the lock. Bago pumasok sa aking kwarto ay pasimple kong binagsak ang aking hikaw sa ibaba ng halamang paso sa tabi ng pinto.

I closed the door and carefully watched the room. Malawak at kung tutuusi'y parang isang buong pad na ito ng hotel. Kumpleto sa gamit. May bukod na pinto para sa kwarto at isang counter ang naghahati sa sala at panooran. Satisfied that nothing is wrong, I head straight to open my only luggage.

Sa ilalim ng mga damit ay ang aking laptop. Kinuha ko yon at pumwesto ako sa lamesa. I set aside the glass of champagne before I typed the code quickly and connect it to the pearl earring I left outside. Itim ang lumantad sa screen. I manipulated the cursor and the screen slowly moved to show Iona Borrez's door.

Tumingin ako sa orasan. 22:20.

I lean back on the chair. There's still plenty of time remaining. Spending five minutes of it waiting won't do this mission any harm.

One glance and I knew that the guy who went out of Iona Borrez's cabin is not the same guy she went out of the ballroom. That means that he's still inside her cabin. Sigurado ako na naroon pa rin ang lalaki sa loob at tinutulungan ang dalaga. Lasing ito at paniguradong mangangailan ng tulong. She must've been so drunk that she needed two men to assist her back to her room.

Pero.. pwede rin naman na may ibang bagay nang ginagawa ang dalawang iyon sa loob. In that case, five minutes of waiting won't be enough!

I cursed when five minutes have passed and no one went out of the room. Mas lalong tumindi ang hula kong may ginagawa nga sila sa loob. Mas lalong lang akong napamura.

Involving civilians was never an issue for me but the client specifically mentioned that there must be no other casualties in this mission. We should've predicted this outcome from the very beginning. This small error might cost us this mission.

Nang lumipas ang panibagong limang minuto at wala ni anong galaw sa pintong iyon ay mas lalong uminit ang ulo ko. I started to play with some thoughts and probabilities.

Gaano pa katagal bago sila matapos? Another five minutes? Pero pagkatapos no'n ay aalis nga ba agad ito?

Or.. could it be that he's not even there in the first place?

I moved the cursor and the pearl earring rolled towards the door. The moment it slipped passed under the small opening of the door, it will automatically start it's ten minute countdown before detonating.

Nilaro ko ang aking labi. I'll place my bet on the possibility that Iona Borrez is alone in that cabin. If it happens that I involved a civilian, I'll just explain this to the client. I just wish that the man she's with isn't someone that signifact in the society.

But who am I kidding? If he was able to enter this deck then he must be a VVIP too.

Fuck it. This is my last mission anyway. What else can they do to me?

I rolled the pearl under the door. Iniisip ang ilang minutong palugit, mabilis kong sinuyod ang paligid at nang napansing walang tao, diniretsyo ko agad ito sa kwarto.

Not minding the horror that I might see, I still got shocked when almost a perfect silence welcomed me. Bukas ang ilaw at walang damit na nakakalat, 'di gaya ng inaasahan ko. Mula sa malayo, kita ko ang isang hugis taong nakatalukbong ng makapal na kumot.

Judging from the built of the man she's with, this couldn't be his. The figure is slender and small. It definitely belong to Iona Borrez. Isang mabilis na sulyap sa pinto ng banyo at napansin kong nakaawang ito at patay ang ilaw.

Malutong akong nagmura saka padarang na sinarado ang laptop. She was alone all this time! Fuck!

"Hey, babe! You need to go now. RT20 will be meeting you at the rendezvous point exactly nine minutes and three seconds from now." Muling kausap sa akin ni Blaze. Ni hindi ko na napansin kung kailan pa siya tumigil sa walang kwenta niyang lintanya. "Focus on your next move. We'll be monitoring Miss Borrez from here."

Kinalma ko ang sarili at binigyang atensyon ang pag-alis. I broke the laptop in two before stuffing it back under my luggage. Normal ang kilos pati ang lakad nang lumabas ako sa aking kwarto.

Blaze sighed in the other line. "This isn't climatic enough to be your farewell mission." Mas lalo kong hininaan ang volume dahil alam kong may kasunod na naman iyon.

I took my time walking along the carpeted floor. Dahil do'n, naabutan ko sa malayo ang pagbukas at paglabas ng isang lalaki mula sa kwarto. I almost stilled when even from afar and judging from his built, alam kong ito ang kasamang lalaki ni Iona Borrez kanina.

And he's here five doors away from Miss Borrez's room!

Naglakad siya una sa akin kaya't mas napagmasdan ko ang kanyang likod. He's still wearing his black suit and pants partnered with black leather shoes. Hindi mapagkakaila ang tikas maging ang pagiging matipuno ng katawan nito kahit na nakatalikod. It was far but I was able to get a glimpse of his sharp jaw.

A vague memory flashed in my mind and I almost shivered at the chills it brought. Iyon lang ang nakita ko ngunit mas tumindi ang aking pakiramdam na parang kilalang kilala ko ang lalaking ito. There's just something that's keeping me from confirming his identity.

It's been a long time since I last felt this. At ngayon ko pa ulit naramdaman dahil lang sa lalaking ito.

Once again, I am scared.

I kept my eyes straight eventhough he went to the front desk. Tahimik na lang akong napamura nang bigla akong tinawag ng receptionist. Napahinto ako sa paglalakad.

"Miss Perellio," she called.

Humarap ako sa kaniya nang hindi binibigyang pansin ang lalaki. But then the hairs on the back of my head stood when I felt that his eyes bore in my direction, specifically on my face. It was intense that I almost stepped back.

"Yes?" Anong kailangan mo? Bilisan mo nang makaalis na ako rito!

"We found your earring. It was with Madame Opelia Hilario." She then showed me a white pearl earring placed on a small tray. Nakalimutan ko na ang bagay na iyan!

Kinalma ko ang sarili nang lumapit ako sa front desk. Kung hindi napigilan ay malamang nanginig na ang kamay ko nang abutin ko ang hikaw dahil sa dilim ng tingin sa akin ng katabing lalaki. He was staring at me darkly as if I wronged him real bad.

"Thank you." I briefly said my gratitude before I walked away. Pero kahit na nakatalikod ay ramdam ko ang titig ng lalaking iyon sa akin.

I think I've gone crazy. The toll of years worth fighting and killing must've been kicking in. Ni hindi ko na pansin ang paligid ko dahil hanggang ngayon ay nanunuot pa rin sa aking likod ang matalim na titig na iyon.

Ngunit nang makalabas at muling batiin ng hangin ay napahinto ako sa paglalakad. I tilt my head to the row of plants near the pool and noticed something different. I blankly looked at the dead plant in the middle of that row.

That was where I poured half of my champagne.

"Blaze," I called as I start to walk again. This time, having much sharper senses and grip of myself. "Somebody fucking know I'm here from the start."

"Fuck!" Blaze voice echoed. Rinig ko rin na tila nagkakagulo sa kabilang linya. "You still have four minutes. RT20's almost there! Buy some tim-"

Tinanggal ko na ang hikaw pati ang contact lenses na suot habang naglalakad. I slowed my movements even more to not catch any attention as I walk towards the rendezvous point. When I reached the railing, I casually let got of both the earrings and lenses down the raging water. RT20 is still nowhere in sight.

Dahil sa nangyayari ay hindi ko na napansing nakalayo na kami sa daungan. It's good to say that we are meters away from dry land. May kalakasan ang mga alon ng madalim na karagatan. Pero hindi napigilan no'n ang paglaot ng isang yate sa malayo.

That's definitely not RT20.

I grimly stared at that yatch. Parang normal na lang lumalayag ito sa gitna ng dagat. Parang normal lang na sumasabay ito sa paglayag nitong cruise ship. At parang normal lang din na rito nakaharap sa pwesto ko ang yate na ito.

In my world, there's no such thing as normal.

Tahimik akong napamura nang may naramdamang presenya sa aking likod.

"Flameral," a deep voice called my name. Malapit. Napakalapit niya lang sa akin.

Naestatwa ako. Natigilan dahil sa gulat at takot nang makilala ang boses sa likod at nang mapansin ang isang kislap galing sa yate mula sa malayo. A glint that only a sniper's scope can do.

Segundo.

Segundo lang ang inabot para humarap ako sa likod. Isang sulyap sa matipunong dibdib ng kaharap bago tiningala ang kaniyang mukha.

I have long buried his face deep in my memories. Ibinaon ko kasama ng masasakit na alaalang sinubukan kong kalimutan. Sa mabilis na pasada'y alam ko agad na maraming nagbago sa kaniya. He was insanely handsome and dark then. His eyes, although cold and deeply black, never failed to express his feelings.

But now, it was as if I am staring at the personification of an endless dark abyss.

Natakot ako sa ekspresyong pinapakita niya. Suddenly, I am not in this life and death situation. It was as if am not the twenty four years old Flameral I am now. Sa isang iglap, tila bumalik ako sa edad labing siyam kong katauhan.

The Flameral who was fooled easily. The Flameral who stupidly did not follow what was planned. And the Flameral who was madly in love with him.

Napaatras ako at tumama ang likod ko sa rehas. Dahil do'n, nakita ko ang isang anino ng tao sa likod. Tumigil ang puso ko nang makitang may dala itong baril at nakatutok sa gawi namin.

Isang yakap.

Hindi mula sa akin kundi mula sa kaniya. Biglaan iyon at mahigpit. It reflected anger, need, longing and something dark and intense.

When I felt that the air around us changed, I didn't think twice before hugging him back and pulling ourselves off of the railing.

Two gunshots were all I heared before we plummeted down the deep waters. A blink later, I knew I am not the first one who collided with it. The sea was freezing and the waves became merciless. I don't know how I was able to pull his massive body along with me in the waters. There's just one thing that stayed in my mind before darkness took me in.

Reamo's strong embrace never wavered.

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I'm sending lots of hugs and kisses from the other side of the screen. Wow! It's been ages since I've updated Flame. I'm sorry. But please enjoy this update!

I wish that 2020 will be good to everyone!