Play The King: Act Two

CHAPTER XXVIII: Insurance Policy (Reynard)

Napakamot siya ng pisngi at umiwas ng tingin. "B-Baka tine-threaten siya sa ibang paraan?"

My eyes narrowed further at him. He knew more than what he was letting on. Let me dig deeper.

"Everyone has secrets. That's a fact. I'm a hundred percent sure you have at least one, too." I crossed my arms and sat on the edge of the table. "Maybe you don't know a secret or two about Alaric because you two aren't that close. Maybe those scumbags in the USC are good at sniffing out secrets, and that's how they found a way to blackmail him—"

"Imposible 'yan!" He cut my words short. Whoa! Why so angry? "Kung may sekreto man si 'Ric, isa ako sa mga unang makakaalam n'on! Gano'n kami kadikit! Remember when I told you that we were classmates in senior high?"

"How about Alaric? Do you think he's capable of blackmail?" I changed the subject, like a car making a sudden U-turn drift in the highway.

He swallowed hard while staring at me. He didn't have to say a word anymore. His silence spoke for him.

"'Ric will do everything to get what he wants," he answered after beats of awkward silence. I waited for more, but he didn't elaborate any further.

"I take that as a yes." I smirked at him before checking the time on my phone. "Anyway, 'tapos na ang duty natin. You still have basketball practice while I have a yummy burger waiting for me. Good luck on your practice."

"Ingat."

I grabbed my bag and exited the room before him. Michelangelo and I had gotten close over the weeks, thanks to the mess that Castiel created. Ang dali at ang sarap mag-bonding kapag may parehong tao o bagay kayong pinagti-trip-an. A so-called common enemy could be a common ground for two total strangers to bond together. Could we become friends? Not sure. Ayaw kong magkaroon ng personal attachment sa sources ko dahil baka maimpluwensiyahan ang judgment ko.

Right now, Michelangelo was nothing but an onion... or a cabbage. I was peeling each layer delicately to get to the core. Was I any closer to it? I couldn't tell at the moment. But I was making some progress, no matter how big or small. It might take more time though. But as long as I was taking one step at a time, I could loosen his tongue soon.

Instead of going to the editorial office, I decided to grab a bite in the food hub. Sakto, may five hundred pesos ako. Meron din akong ka-meet dito kaya I might as well hit two birds with one stone. I bought a burger and a soda from a food stand before looking for a table. Makiki-share sana ako sa isang MedTech student na mag-isa sa table, pero umiling siya sa 'kin. Mabuti't may bakanteng mesa sa likod niya kaya ro'n ako umupo.

"We could have met somewhere more discreet," I said after taking a big bite off my cheeseburger. I hadn't had lunch that's why I was starving. "Why choose a public place?"

"As long as we're not sharing the same table, it's going to be okay," Valeria Encarnacion replied. Yup, it's her again. Noon, magkaharap kami. Ngayon, magkatalikod na. This reminded me of my supposedly secret meeting with Fabienne a few weeks ago. Magkatalikod din kami no'n.

This was the second time we had met since the restaurant meeting. It had been a week since she told me about Oplan First Lady. It's a tell-all exposé. Oh, boy! She told me every juicy detail—mas juicy pa sa burger na kinakain ko—that could make any investigative journalist salivate. Kapag lumabas 'yon, siguradong katapusan na ng USC. The scheme was mainly Castiel's idea, but the whole council consented to deceive the student body in order to win reelection. Priam couldn't claim innocence this time since he was fully aware of it. Sadly, Fabienne would also get dragged into this mess.

All this time, Valeria had been carrying a silver bullet that could put an end to the werewolf that was the USC. But she couldn't bring herself to load it in a gun and fire it.