WET THE SERIES 2: CAR (SPG)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:

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KINABUKASAN

Maaga akong nagising, mas maaga kaysa sa karaniwan. Sinalubong ako ng malamig na simoy ng hangin, at kahit medyo pagod pa, alam kong hindi ko sasayangin ang araw na ‘to.

Pagkatapos kong maghanda, dinala ko agad ang laptop ko at sinet up ang surveillance. Bago pa man makarating sa Ayala Road, naka-access na ako sa mga CCTV feed.

“Ayos, everything’s in place,” bulong ko sa sarili.

Pagdating ko doon, nagsimula ulit akong mag-observe. Kahit nagmamadali na ako, sinigurado kong hindi masyadong halata ang kilos ko. Ayokong makaakit ng unwanted attention.

Lumipas ang ilang oras, bawat tao sa paligid sinisilip ko. Ngunit wala pa ring sign ng hazel-eyed woman. Sa isang banda, napaisip ako kung baka isang pagkakamali lang ‘yon—baka imagination ko lang.

Pero, habang lumilipat ako ng view sa isang specific camera feed, isang pamilyar na flash ng puting tela ang nakita ko.

Tumigil ako sa pag-scroll, nakatutok ang mga mata ko sa screen. Siya nga! May suot siyang parehong white turtleneck, at kaswal lang na naglalakad sa sidewalk, as if nothing out of the ordinary.

Huminga ako ng malalim. "This is it," bulong ko sa sarili, habang dahan-dahang bumaba ng kotse. Pinipigilan kong magmadali para hindi siya matakot o magtaka.

Naglakad ako papalapit sa direksyon niya, sinusubukan pa ring manatiling kalmado. Nakita kong nakatalikod siya sa akin, pero alam kong siya 'yon—ang babaeng may hazel eyes.

Finally, nakuha ko ang lakas ng loob at tinawag siya, “Excuse me…”

Tumigil siya sa paglalakad at bahagyang lumingon, at nang magtama ang mga mata namin, doon ko lang narealize—may familiarity sa mga mata niya. Parang matagal na kaming magkakilala, or maybe it was something deeper.

“Hi,” sabi niya, nakangiti ng bahagya.

"Uhm... Ikaw ba...?" Hindi ko alam paano simulan ang pag-uusap.

“Sorry, do I know you?” tanong niya, pero may pagkalito sa mga mata niya.

Huminga ako ng malalim. “I… I think I might have seen you before.”

Ngumiti siya. “Interesting. Well, my name is Alice Rillera.”

Napahinto ako. Rillera?

My heart skipped a beat.

Alice Rillera...

Rillera...

Kapatid niya 'yung babae na nakita ni Aphrodite kahapon sa gymnasium..

Biglang bumalik sa isip ko ang araw na iyon, ang mga nangyari, at ang kanilang mukha.

I forced myself to speak. “Rillera, huh? So… Khate’s your sister?”

Alice nodded, a slight smile still on her lips. “Yes, she’s my younger sister.” Her tone was casual, but there was something in her eyes—something mysterious, like she was holding back a lot.

"Small world," I said, trying to keep it casual despite the rush of questions in my head. “I met her yesterday, actually.” Pagsisinungaling ko.

Her expression didn’t change much, but I could see a flicker of curiosity in her eyes. “Really? I hope she didn’t cause any trouble.”

I shook my head. “No, no trouble. Just… random encounter.”

There was a pause, a long moment of silence between us. I couldn’t help but feel like she knew something that I didn’t. Something deeper.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Alice," I finally said, hoping to get some answers, but unsure how to proceed.

Alice looked at me, her hazel eyes lingering for a second longer than I expected, and gave me a small nod. “Nice meeting you too. I’ll see you around.”

She turned to leave, and as I watched her walk away, I couldn't help but feel that there was more to her and her sister than meets the eye. Something about them felt… Important. But for now, I knew I needed to dig deeper into their lives—especially Alice’s.

I watched her disappear into the crowd, a sense of determination rising in me. Tomorrow, I’d be back at it, following any trail I could find.

Tomorrow... I'll find out everything about you.

...

...

THE next day, I woke up with one thought on my mind—Alice Rillera. Hindi ko na talaga matanggal sa isip ko yung babae, especially after what I saw yesterday. There was something about her, something important na kailangan ko matutunan. Hindi ko alam kung dahil sa mata niyang kulay hazel o sa calming na aura niya, pero may something na hindi ko maintindihan.

After breakfast, I sat down in front of my laptop, ready to dive into the world of surveillance once again. This time, hindi ko na basta-basta titingin lang. I was looking for anything related to Alice or her sister, Khate.

Hindi ko pa nga natatapos i-search, pero mabilis ko nang nakita si Alice. She was walking down the street, diretso sa isang café malapit lang sa building. I noticed that her steps were purposeful, as if she knew exactly where she was going.

I had to follow her.

I grabbed my bag and left the house, making my way to the café. My heart was racing, my mind focused on the mission ahead. I had to find out more about Alice. Her every move felt important, like it was leading to something bigger.

Pagdating ko sa café, I stood outside muna, observing her. Alice was sitting in a corner, looking out the window while sipping her tea, mag-isa.

I took a deep breath, then pushed the door open, the bell above jingling softly. Pagpasok ko, agad ko siyang nakita. Hindi pa siya nakatingin sakin, so I made my way to the counter, pretending to browse the menu. My heart was pounding. I couldn’t mess this up.

I glanced at her again. Alice was deep in thought, but her posture was so calm, almost like she was waiting for something or someone. I quickly ordered a cappuccino, then sat at a table na malapit lang sa kanya. I pretended to focus on my phone, but the whole time, Alice was in my line of sight.

Hindi ko talaga alam kung anong nangyayari, pero I felt like I was walking into something I wasn’t fully prepared for. There was an air of tension, as if I was about to uncover something huge.

Then, the door opened, and isang lalaki ang pumasok. My breath caught in my throat when I saw him. He was tall, with sharp features, and he had this confident vibe na hindi ko maiwasang mapansin. He was wearing a black jacket, his hair perfectly styled.

He walked straight to Alice’s table, and I watched as she looked up at him, a smile forming on her lips. They exchanged a few words, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying from where I sat.

Something clicked in my head—this guy, I didn’t recognize him, but there was definitely a connection between him and Alice. I didn’t like it. Why did he look so familiar? And what was he doing with her?

I quickly took a photo of him using my phone, making sure hindi niya makita. There was something about him that screamed danger, but I couldn’t figure out why.

I stayed where I was, my mind racing with questions. Was he part of the Rillera family? Or was this some random guy na may ibang connection sa kanila? I didn’t know yet, but I wasn’t about to leave this café without finding out.

I stayed in my seat, watching them. The tension was building, and I knew I was getting closer to the answers I was looking for. I couldn’t leave without knowing more.

Finally, I had to know—who were these people? What did they want? And why did they make me feel like there was more to them than what met the eye?

Soon enough, the pieces of the puzzle would fall into place.

TO BE CONTINUED .....