REGOR sat regally upon his throne within the Alpha Mouhiere Empire, his mind heavy with dark thoughts.
He ruled as the undisputed King of his organization, a syndicate feared and respected as veterans in the underworld. Their empire thrived on various illegal enterprises: the distribution of prohibited drugs, human trafficking, and the despicable trade of women and children. These were merely the surface of the vast, shadowed operations under his command.
He remembered the day he was betrayed by the person he loved and trusted the most. None other than Amore. He thought he had Amore wrapped around his finger forever, but he was wrong; she had become his greatest rival.
He was also furious at her because she had dared to help his half-brother, Liam.
He wanted them dead because he wanted to seize all the inheritance they had received from their late parents. Regor had grown up cruel and greedy, just like his real father, who was also a notorious Drug Lord back in his days.
"Go after them! Don't stop searching for those two. Bring Amore to me alive, but if necessary, just kill Liam. Is that clear?"
"Goddammit! How could you do this to me, Amore? You will pay. I will find you no matter where you hide, even in the deepest pits of hell! I thought you were the only person I could trust. I was so wrong. Why?" Regor shouted furiously. How ironic that he was the one blaming her when he was the evil one.
Regor threw everything he could get his hands on. He was consumed by rage. His eyes seemed to burn with fire, and his nostrils flared in anger.
He only stopped when Scarlett entered, bringing news for him.
"Excuse me, Boss. We found something that belonged to Amore. This is her cellphone, we picked it up near her house. There isn't much evidence here except her pictures, and there are no registered numbers we can trace. The SIM card and memory card are already missing," his subordinate reported.
They saw his jaw clench tightly. His dark brown eyes burst with anger. He was handsome, truly, but he looked like a demon.
"Damn it! How could there be nothing? Fine, search for other people we can interrogate. Look for Amore's doctor friend, Dindo Ruiz. He might know something. He is our only remaining lead. Find him and bring him here in front of me. Understood?"
"Yes, Boss! I will update you immediately once I find him. I'll go ahead now," she said, taking her leave.
But before Scarlett could step out, he spoke again.
"Scarlett, do everything you can and prove to me that you are loyal as my assistant. I don't want traitors by my side. I won't hesitate to kill you! Don't you dare follow in Amore's footsteps!" Was this a warning or a threat?
"Yes, Sir."
Scarlett finally left. She used to be Amore's right-hand woman. She was loyal to her boss then, but whose side would she take now, especially since Amore was wanted by Regor? Her job was vital to her; it was the only thing supporting her mother.
As soon as she got in her car, she immediately took out her phone and made a call.
"Hello. Yes, gather everyone at the hideout now. I have something important to say. Call everyone. Okay, I'm on my way."
Scarlett drove fast. Arriving at one of her houses, she quickly changed clothes and rode a matte black motorcycle. This was the vehicle she used for secret missions. Whenever she went to the Alpha Mouhiere Empire, she dressed formally and rode a blue motorcycle.
After thirty minutes, she arrived at the designated hideout.
She put on her mask. Her members were already gathered. She never revealed her true identity or face to her subordinates.
Everyone hid behind their masks and code names. Only Sapphire had access to the true identities of the members.
They called themselves Omare Corps. It was an organization of women trained to become skilled fighters, capable of defending themselves and their families. They were trained in martial arts and combat. They were women willing to risk their lives to protect the oppressed and abused women. Girl power!
She entered, and everyone bowed respectfully to her. She was considered their right hand and second-in-command when Sapphire was away. Sapphire was the supreme leader. She used the name Jasmine within the group.
"Everyone, take your seats. I am here to inform you that we have a new mission."
"What is it, Jasmine?" Astra asked.
"This mission is to protect Doctor Dindo Ruiz. His life is in danger. If you can convince him to come here, bring him. It is no longer safe for him to roam around freely. I will assign ten of you to guard him. Ten skilled women, I know you are all good, so do not disappoint me. Another ten will be assigned to monitor Regor Marcial's movements. You know who he is, right?"
"Why, Ma'am? What did Dindo Ruiz do to Regor?" one member asked curiously.
"He did nothing wrong, but Regor wants to capture him and has bad intentions. Stop asking questions and just do as I command," she explained firmly.
"Yes, Jasmine. We will do our very best."
"Good! We must do everything. Sapphire is not here yet and it seems she will be gone for a while. So for now, we will handle the missions."
"Where is she anyway? Why didn't she tell us she was leaving?"
She sighed. Even Scarlett didn't know when Sapphire would return; they had no communication.
"I don't know either. She must have gone somewhere important," she said, and the members nodded in understanding.
Even without their leader, they were capable of running and protecting their organization.
"Alright, you may go. We need to warn or secure Dindo as soon as possible. Make the best plan possible. Take care!"
"Yes, Jasmine!" they answered in unison.
The ten women immediately acted on her orders. She gave them Dindo's picture and address. It was better to act fast. She had already planned it: Plan A was to warn the man, Plan B was to abduct him and bring him to the hideout for safety.
Afterward, she went to another one of her houses. She owned several properties. This specific house was known to Regor.
She changed into different attire and was about to ride her blue motorcycle when someone spoke.
"How is the task I gave you, Scarlett? Is everything going well?" Regor asked, appearing out of nowhere.
"Ha? B-Boss Regor, it's you. H-How did you get inside my house?" she stammered. She was shocked. She never expected Regor to track her down or find a way inside.
He just shrugged his shoulders and laughed. It sounded like a villain's laugh, eerie and cold.
"Me? Of course, I have my ways. I just came to check if you are doing what I asked."
"I'm doing my best, don't worry, Boss."
"Just make sure you are on my side. Because the moment I find out you are still siding with Amore, I will kill you. Do you understand? I am giving you one week to bring Dindo to me," Regor said, gripping her face tightly.
"Yes. I would never betray you. You can count on me. I will bring him to you."
"You better. Because if not, you know what happens."
"I know, don't worry. You can trust me. I will send him to you as you wish."
"Alright. Remember your words. Make sure you stay on my side, or else I will kill you, b*tch!"
Scarlett smirked inwardly, almost rolling her eyes in extreme irritation. He had so many men, why did he have to order her around? Maybe he was just testing her loyalty, that was all.
"I'll go, I've said what I needed to."
Regor finally left. She slammed the door hard behind him.
"You are so annoying, Regor! You can't manipulate me. You've been saying that before but nothing happened. I will never side with you even if you kill me. You do nothing but evil. When will you just die? I don't care about you. Rot in hell!" she shouted. Regor couldn't hear her anymore as she heard his car drive away.
Scarlett was fuming mad.
She took Amore's old phone and turned it on. She saw pictures of them together. Aside from those photos, nothing else was saved. Everything else was on the memory card, but even then, there was no evidence to be found there. She took her own phone and texted Amore's old number. Since Amore still had the SIM card, she was hoping she would receive it.
She sighed deeply, looking at her phone. Tears fell as she looked at Amore's old phone again. She missed her so much; in her whole life, Amore was her only true friend. Amore was also the reason she had everything she had now.
"I hope you reply soon, Amore. I miss you, my friend. You can count on me, I will be your eyes and ears against Regor. He will pay for what he did to you and to all the innocent people he killed mercilessly," she whispered. She clenched her fists as tears streamed down.
She wiped her tears and took another phone—this one was used solely to call her mother in Cebu. She kept it that way to keep her mother safe. Her mother lived there, and Scarlett only came to Manila to work and build a life.
She called her mother. Just hearing her voice gave her peace. Her job was dangerous, so she needed to keep her mother far away from it. She was the only important person left in her life, so she protected her at all costs.
"Hello, Nay (Mom), how are you there?" she greeted warmly.
"I'm doing fine. I'm healthy. I had my check-up on schedule. Daughter, I love you so much. Thank you," her mother said emotionally.
"I love you too, Nay."
"You are so kind. I am so lucky to have you as my child. Child, when will you come home here to Cebu? I really miss you so much," her mother said, her voice full of love and longing.
"Nay, maybe next time. I'm busy with work right now. I have a lot of things to do and finish."
"Is that so?"
"Thank you also, Nay, for being the parent God gave to me. You know if Dad were alive, he would be happy too. Don't worry, I will find the right time to come home. Okay Nay, I'll call again tomorrow. Take care there. Bye."
"Okay. You take care too. Bye, anak."
Despite everything, she felt a little lighter.
Suddenly, her other phone—the one used for Omare Corps—rang.
"Hello? Oh, what's going on? How did the mission go?" she asked immediately.
"We were forced to execute Plan B, Ma'am. He didn't believe us and thought we were working with Regor. So here he is, fast asleep. We are guarding him well, Jasmine. Don't worry, he is fine and unharmed."
"Good. Alright, I will go there tomorrow. Great job, you got to him before Regor's men did. Bye!"
She ended the call and headed to her room. She was exhausted from the day's events. She lay on her bed but couldn't fall asleep yet. She just thought of alibis in case Regor questioned her again.
"Argh! So annoying! Why did I get stuck in such a complicated situation? Amore, please come back. I need you right now." She punched her pillow in frustration. "So annoying, so annoying... How can I kill you quickly, Regor?" she muttered like a madwoman, furiously scrunching her pillow.