Heartbeat of the Ruthless Criminal (English Version)

Chapter 2

I TURNED my gaze away from the TV screen due to the sudden ringing of the doorbell. Just as I was about to get up from the couch, when our maid, Yaya Poling emerged from the kitchen.

"Oh dear, just stay there. I'll check who's at the door," she kindly offered.

I nodded in agreement and returned my attention to what I was watching. Today is Sunday, and there are no classes. I assumed it might be Amie ringing the doorbell. She mentioned she'd be coming over so we could work on our homework together, but I knew she was mostly eager to see my brothers.

"Kierra sweetheart, did you see my phone?" Renz called out as he descended the stairs, dressed in just a bathrobe with water dripping from his wet hair. It was clear he had just finished taking a shower, yet he was already searching for his phone.

"No, Renz," I replied casually, still focused on the TV.

"Ugh! Where did I put it? It's on silent mode, so calling it won't help."

"Just buy a new one then," I nonchalantly suggested, lying down on the sofa without taking my eyes off the screen.

"I can't do that, sweetheart. That cellphone belongs to my girlfriend, and I'll be in big trouble if it goes missing. Argh!! I even took it from her without her noticing."

I didn't bother responding and let him continue his search for the missing phone.

I just focused on what I was watching. Amie said that this movie is good and very intriguing, so she lent me the DVD tape. And here I am now, watching her movie suggestions. While I didn't know the title, it did seem captivating.

Reaching for the popcorn on the table, I took a bite while still engrossed in the movie. But my hand froze in mid-air as I went to grab more, and my lips parted in shock as I saw the next scene. The man suddenly grabbed the woman's exposed chest, and then...

"What the f*ck!" Renz exclaimed loudly from behind me. In a flash, he crossed the sofa and turned off the TV.

I blinked rapidly, a few pieces of popcorn falling from my hand. My mouth hung open in surprise from the scene I had just witnessed and startled by my brother's sudden appearance.

"What the hell! Where did you learn to watch porn, Kierra!" my brother exclaimed angrily, his eyes intensely fixed on me.

I swallowed, not knowing how to respond.

Shit, Amie! What kind of movie is that?!

I almost wanted to scold Amie if she were here. I had no idea there was a s*x scene in that movie!

"T-That's not porn, Renz. It's a movie," I almost whispered as I sat up from the couch.

Renz laugh sarcastically, but the seriousness remained on his face.

"It's a movie? Are you serious?" he said in disbelief and exhaled sharply before holding his waist and looking back at me. "And when did you learn to watch that kind of movie, huh? You're too innocent to watch that kind of movie, Kierra!" His voice was so loud that it almost deafened me.

I couldn't help but frown and bow my head, clenching my hands. That's how I usually react when my brothers scold me.

"What's going on, Renzo! Why are you yelling at your sister?" Dad's voice rang out as he appeared at the top of the stairs.

I looked up and turned my head to see him.

My face seemed to brighten when I saw dad coming down the stairs. I quickly stood up and went to him.

"Well, dad, I caught Kierra watching porn!" my brother tattled.

Dad's eyes widened, and he looked at me. "Is that true, sweety?"

I shook my head vigorously. "No, dad. I didn't know there was such a scene in that movie!"

Dad let out a sigh and glanced at my brother. "If that's the case, then stop bothering your sister, Renz!" Dad sat on the sofa and reached for the newspapers on the table, opening them to read.

I sat beside dad and grinned at my brother, whose face couldn't hide his annoyance as he continued to glare at me.

Thank goodness Cev and Gello are not home right now. I'm sure they'd all gang up on me for watching that kind of movie without knowing about such a scene.

As the only daughter, I can only say that having overprotective brothers like mine is really tough. Seriously, they can be so annoying at times, especially when all three of them are on their day off and they're here at home; they would always tease me. But of course, I have mom and dad on my side. When Mom and Dad are not around, I just cry out my frustrations, and they only console me when I'm already in tears. It's really frustrating.

Yaya Poling came in carrying a small but neatly wrapped box.

"Sir, someone left this at the gate." She handed the box to dad.

Dad put down the magazine he was holding and took the box from Yaya Poling. I noticed him raise an eyebrow curiously.

There was something written on top of the box.

To: General Carlito Gabriel.

"You didn't see who left this?" Dad asked with surprise, looking at Yaya Poling.

"No, sir. Someone rang the doorbell earlier, but by the time I went out to see who it was,this box was the only thing I found at the gate."

Though Dad was puzzled, he quickly tore off the wrapping of the box. When I looked at Renz, he was already sitting on the other sofa, still staring at me as if murmuring something, which I couldn't hear, but I knew it was about the movie he believed was porn. Tsk.

I shifted my gaze back to Dad, who suddenly cursed repeatedly. He had opened the box, and I couldn't help but furrow my brows when I saw what was inside.

"What kind of prank is that, Dad?" I asked when I saw pictures of myself inside the box. All of them were candid shots, but that wasn't the only concerning thing. Some of the photos had an X drawn over my face, and all of them were stained with fresh blood. I couldn't tell if it was animal blood or human blood, but it was still dripping from the photos.

"Oh my god, honey! What's this? Why are there such pictures of my baby girl?" Mom exclaimed as she came out of the kitchen, carrying a tray with four cups of coffee.

Dad didn't answer, but he tightened his grip on the box, causing it to bend. I couldn't help but notice the sudden change in Dad's mood, from being in a good mood to a bad mood.

"That's a death threat, Dad."

Renz's words made my eyes widen in shock, and Mom covered her mouth in horror.

Dad bowed his head for a moment, massaging his temples before releasing a deep sigh and looking at my brother, Renz.

"Check the CCTV footage at the gate. See who left this," Dad ordered, and Renz quickly nodded before rushing upstairs.

The three of us were left on the sofa. Several seconds of tense silence passed. Dad stood up and walked towards the terrace, carrying his cellphone.

Feeling a mix of fear and confusion, I noticed my Mom embracing me tightly by my side. When she let go, I saw the mistiness in her eyes.

"Mom, why are you crying? I'm still alive, okay? It's just a death threat."

Mom shook her head and gently caressed my face. "I'm just scared, sweetie. Because of your dad's and your brothers' work as police officers, more and more people are becoming angry with them. And now, they're targeting you. I'm scared."

I smiled at Mom. "Don't worry, Mom, I'm sure my brothers and especially Daddy won't allow anything to happen to me. They will protect me no matter what happens. So don't worry about me, Mom. Stop crying, okay?"

Mom briefly frowned at me before wiping the tears on her cheeks and managing a faint smile, while also ruffling my hair. "Just make sure you never stray far from your brothers, don't go out alone, or take a taxi after class. Wait for your Daddy or your brothers to pick you up, understand?"

I simply nodded in response to Mom's instructions.

The afternoon passed, and Amie didn't show up until the evening. She sent me a text saying that she couldn't come to our house because her mom didn't allow her. So, I ended up doing my homework alone.

The next day, Dad himself drove me to school, accompanied by Gello and Cev, all three of them still dressed in their police uniforms.

"Just wait for us inside the university after your class, and don't go outside or take a taxi, okay?" Dad reminded me as he gently ruffled my hair.

"I understand, Dad. Okay, you can go now," I shooed them away. Seriously, almost every passing student was looking at us, or rather, at my two brothers. I couldn't understand why they insisted on escorting me all the way to my classroom.

"Oh, and one more thing, sweetheart. Don't talk to strangers," Cev added.

I felt my cheeks redden at what he said. "I'm not a kid anymore, Cev! Do you really have to tell me that?" I couldn't help but frown.

"Your Brother Cev is right, sweetie," Dad agreed. "Don't talk to strangers, and if someone you don't know approaches you, call us immediately."

I just nodded and didn't complain further. I knew I wouldn't win against their overprotectiveness. It was all because of the death threats we received yesterday, which had only heightened Dad's and my brothers' protective instincts over me.

As I stepped into the classroom, I noticed that Amie hadn't arrived yet. But I didn't anticipate the warm reception from my female classmates, who approached me with beaming smiles and promptly took seats beside me.

"Hi! You must be Kierra Gabriel, right?" said a girl with short hair and bangs, extending her hand with excitement. "I'm Lera Gosten, and I'm a huge fan of Cevastian Gabriel, one of your hot triplet brothers."

While I was curious, I nodded and accepted her handshake. "Nice to meet you," I managed a small smile. "By the way, how did you come to know about my brother?" I couldn't help but ask.

It struck me as odd that they knew about Cev, considering that Renz was usually more popular with girls due to his playboy nature, unlike Cev and Gello, who often wore poker faces… probably because of their jobs as police officers, always looking serious as if they were constantly at war. Could she have mistaken my brothers? Perhaps she meant Renz instead of Cev.

"Of course, he's our ultimate crush. We follow him on IG. We know they're triplets, but we can tell them apart by their faces," Lera replied, giggling and turning to her friends. "Right, girls? Isn't that right?"

Her friends immediately nodded in agreement.

"Your brother's IG posts prove just how handsome they are," added a chubby girl who playfully nudges my arm before giggling excitedly.

"And your brother's abs are so ripped. They're hotter than the models I see in magazines," chimed another girl in front of me.

I could only respond with a restrained smile. I didn't quite know how to handle their enthusiasm, so I simply smiled.

"Can you tell us if your brother has a girlfriend?"

"Can you tell us the names of your brothers, aside from Cevastian?"

"What's the name of your other brother, the one with dimples on both cheeks?" asked one girl, referring to Gello, as he was the only one among them with dimples.

"Can you give us the numbers of your hot triplet brothers?"

I didn't know what to say. I was overwhelmed with questions about my brothers, and to make it worse, they even asked for their numbers.

"Come on, guys! Ease up with the questions," Lera scolded her friends and took her cell phone from her bag before looking back at me. "Okay, Kierra, now tell me Cev's number."

I looked down, cringing inwardly and squeezing my hand. I couldn't just give out my brothers' numbers like that. I knew I'd get scolded by them if I handed their numbers to anyone without asking for their permission. But how could I escape these girls who were so insistent on getting their numbers?Darn it! I will definitely scold Cev for getting me into this trouble. I will report him to Dad and Mom.

"Come on, please, just give it to me, Kierra," Lera insisted, and I reluctantly raised my gaze to her again.

"Yeah, you should share it with us. Don't be selfish," chimed in another girl, giving me a raised eyebrow, but Lera immediately stopped her.

I didn't have much of a choice. With reluctance, I reached into my bag and grabbed my phone. However, just as I was about to hand it over to Lera, the professor entered the classroom, followed by a smiling Amie.

The girls around me hurriedly returned to their seats, with some even leaving the classroom along with Lera. It then dawned on me that they weren't all my classmates. It felt like a breath of fresh air.

Thank goodness the professor arrived just in time.