I was biting the inside of my cheeks while waiting for Mr. R to answer the call. Rick and Belle are currently debating against each other regarding my decision. Of course, Belle is on my side, probably because she's a woman too. Binuksan ko nalang ang pinto sa balcony at lumabas para mapag-isa.

"Clara, I was so shocked when I saw your name calling. That's why it took me so long to answer," Mr. R dramatically said.

Matapos ang ilang segundong katahimikan ay binasag ko ito. "I'm planning to... resign, Mr. R."

"Huh?! W-wait, Clara. You said you're going to resign? Tell me what's the problem," Nauutal niyang ani.

Ramdam ko ang nagbabadyang mga luha pero pilit ko iyong pinipigilan. Kung tutuusin ay nais ko naman talagang manatili sa Dark Room Agency, subalit mas nananaig sa akin ang pagtuunan ng pansin ang aking sarili. Bukod pa doon ay matanda na rin ang aking ina. Sobra akong nag-aalala lalo na't wala ako lagi sa kanyang tabi.

Bahagya kong nilayo ang telepono sa akin nung humikbi ako. "I m-miss my mom, Mr. R. I can't bear to see her suffering with my... twin brother's death without me on her side anymore."

"Shhh..." He whispered, "Wag kang umiyak, Clara. I understand where you're coming from. I'm sorry if I reacted that way. You're one of my great agents, and I just... d-don't want to lose you."
 

Humagikgik naman ako. "Stop being so cheesy, Mr. R. I know I still have an upcoming mission, so I'll resign after I accomplish it."
 

"That's still the same, Clara. You're still going to leave after this mission," Mariin niyang wika.

"I said after I accomplish it, Mr. R. Wag po kayong mag-alala. Hindi naman po ako aalis hangga't hindi pa tapos ang aking misyon."

He cleared his throat. "As you should, Clara. To be honest, I also can't tell if you can accomplish this puzzling mission that I'll be assigning to you."

Hawak ko ang aking sentido habang pinagmamasdan ang mga litrato ng iba't-ibang dalagita sa laptop ni Rick. Wari ko'y kaedaran ko ang lahat ng mga ito at hindi maikukubli na napakaganda nilang lahat. Hindi pa man sinasabi ni Mr. R ang misyon ay dama ko na agad ang tensyon.

Humugot nang malalim na hininga si Belle. "These girls look like they came from different countries. I see Whites, Africans, and Latinas," then she pointed at the girl at the center. "I think I saw this girl in the news a few minutes ago..."

"There she is!" Tiim bagang na sigaw ni Rick matapos niyang buksan ang telebisyon. "Anastasia Bernardi, a 25-year old fashion model from Spain. Her death became the talk of the whole nation because it was devastating as hell. Imagine falling from the tallest building in that country without knowing who pushed her and how she got there in the first place."

I clasped my hand tensely when her dead body flashed on the screen. It's kind of blurry, but it's better that way since my heart won't take it if I finally saw her real state after the incident.

Napalingon kami pabalik nang magsalita si Mr. R. "September, your next mission is to serve justice for Anastasia's death."

Kaagad namang umalma si Belle. "Teka lang po, Mr. R. I think this matter should be handled by the police and skillful detectives. We have no doubt about Clara's capability, but what I'm concerned about most is her safety."

Mr. R nodded nonchalantly, "Me too. You all know how much I value everyone in Dark Room Agency, and believe me if I say that I don't really want to engage ourselves in this case, but what can I do? The prime suspect I have in my mind... is a dexterous Mafia."
 

"I'm sorry, can someone tell me what a Mafia is?" Bulong ko sa kawalan.

Pilit akong ngumiti nang makita kong umiling si Mr. R. "Someone in control of a criminal organization is known as a Mafia Boss. They have a reputation for being merciless and willing to take lives in order to gain power and profit from the illicit operations in which their organization is involved."

Para akong binuhusan nang malamig na tubig matapos ko iyong marinig. The chills immediately spread throughout my body. I may be rash, but I still have a fear of dying. If I didn't have someone like my mother waiting for me, I wouldn't be feeling this way. I'm just thinking about her before, during, and after my every accomplished mission.

She's the only one I have.

"What makes you think that the Mafia was involved in her death, Mr. R? And how about these girls on the screen? Are they all d-dead as well?" My eyes landed on Belle when she threw her questions.

Muling nagpadala ng panibagong file si Mr. R na kaagad namang binuksan ni Rick. Makikitang ang lahat ng mga babae sa bawat larawan ay nakasuot ng pulang kwintas. Lahat ay pawang nakangiti sa litrato nang kuhanan sila nito.

"The necklace that these women are wearing is a magnificent work of art by a well-known designer. I've confirmed that the bloodied red necklace was only created in a limited quantity of 20, and that all 20 were sold in an auction to a single customer." Mr. R stated categorically.

I gritted my teeth, "At sa tingin mo po'y ang Mafia ang bumili no'n sa dami ng dumalo sa auction?"

Mabilis na nagtipa si Rick sa kanyang laptop. Nakatutok kami ni Belle habang patuloy siyang nag-i-imbestiga sa nasabing auction ngunit walang lumabas na resulta. Patago itong ginawa at siguradong mga maimpluwensyang tao  ang dumalo sa naturang auction.

"Roscoe Villamor is the name of the Mafia that I'm suspecting in this case. None of the women on the file that I sent were discovered dead. They just... simply vanished with no trace." Sambit ni Mr. R.

I bit the inside of my bottom lip, trying to absorb the information. "I'm sure they're not dead yet. That damn Mafia must have hidden them somewhere."

Rick brushed his hair up with his fingers. "Sana nga'y hindi pa sila kinuha ng langit kahit mga mukha silang anghel."

"Anghel?" Belle scoffed, "Eh, kung ihagis kaya kita sa langit para mauna ka na sa kanila?!"

Rick chuckled, then stare at Belle. "Hindi mo na ako kailangang ihagis sa langit para makakita ng tunay na anghel. Bakit pa ako pupunta ng langit, kung isang tingin mo lang para na akong nililipad sa kilig?"

Pinigilan ko ang aking pagtawa nung abutan ni Belle si Rick ng piso. Agad naman iyong kinuha ni Rick habang taimtim na nakatingin kay Belle. Para silang nag-uusap gamit ang kanilang mga mata.

"P-para saan yung piso?" Rick asked nervously.

Belle shrugged her shoulders. "Sabi mo lilipad ka 'di ba? Iyan piso, bumili ka na rin ng abnoy na willing makipag-usap sa 'yo."

Mr. R growled. "Eh, kung paliparin ko kaya kayong dalawa? Hindi nalang kayo magkatuluyan para tapos na!"

Umakto si Belle na nandidiri habang si Rick ay nanatiling blanko ang ekspresyon. Humahikgik naman ako sa bandang gilid ngunit natigil iyon nang sabihin ni Mr. R ang aking tunay na misyon.

"Clara, you are heading to Barcelona, Spain, to seek for a position as Roscoe's associate; you must meet his requirements and get acceptance into their organization in order to carry out our plan."

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-Terrolicious