Ruthless Beauty

Chapter 20

"You did. You killed her the moment you took her away from her kids. Poor little children. Without their mama, they're just going to shiver up and die thinking that their own mother abandoned them. And it's all because of... you!"

Binalot ng nakakakilabot na halakhak ni Valerie ang buong kusina. Mas tumindi pa ang panginginig ko at ang pamumuo ng mga luha sa mata habang naririndi ako sa boses niya. I wanted it to stop but I just couldn't. All I could do is stare helplessly at her.

"You killed her, Savannah! You killed my sister!"

"Stop! Shut up!"

Ipinikit ko ang mga mata at sinubukang pigilan ang pag-agos ng mga luha. She's just trying to get into your head, Anna. You're stronger than this. She's been trying to get into the heads of everyone for years and you should know better than that. Sick mind games is her forte. She wouldn't be able to fool us for years if she isn't a master of doing so.

I heard her low chuckle when she saw me sobbing silently. "That's right. Go on and cry, little girl. Your mommy is not here to protect you anymore."

Nag-angat ako ng tingin sa kaniya. "It's you... isn't it?"

"Mm-hmm." She casually said. "Anastasia, was it? Such a wonderful woman. In other circumstances, we could've been friends. She would've been someone I look up to." A flash of sadness twinkled in her eyes but it was gone in an instant. She shrugged. "Too bad she happened to be the wife of my next target."

Suminghot ako at nagsimula nang makaramdam ng pagkahilo. I wanted to sit down but my legs are so numb and my brain is still in a mess right now. I can't process everything she's saying to me all at once.

"For your consolation, I didn't mean to kill your grandparents, darling. They just happened to be there on the day that Anastasia died. It would be so fun fooling around with them after your mother is gone but.." she shook her head and took a drag of her cigarette. "You're lucky that puma is still alive."

"What did you do to him?!" galit kong sigaw sa kaniya.

"Nothing... just a little sedative to put him into temporary sleep. I don't like to be disturbed when I'm having a heart-to-heart talk with someone. Bad manners, eh?"

"What do you want, now?" pagod kong tanong. "You've killed my family, stolen a lot of money from us, and even tried to kill me... ano pang gusto mo?"

Lumawak ang ngiti niya sa narinig mula sa akin. Humalumbaba siya at tinitigan ako na may nakakalokong ngiti. "I'm so glad we're finally talking business right now."

"If I give you all my money... will you go away and disappear?"

"That's no fun, Anna." She chuckled again. "I want more than your money."

"What do you... mean?"

"Well, I need a new personality now that my dumb sister is dead. Business goes on, you know? I needed someone to take over her job while we move to another place and find another victim."

Hindi makapaniwala akong nakatitig sa kaniya. Why is she so twisted? Can someone be so cruel like her actually exists?

"Valerie is stupid to fall in love with your father. I already warned her, but she didn't listen to me. Look what happened to her? By now, the staff and nurses would find her dead body inside the room and would declare it as suicide, as that institution always does. Her kids are nowhere to be found, possibly begging for food in the streets. If she had just followed my orders, none of this would've happen. We may have the possibility of getting our happily ever after together. Right, princess?"

At this point, all I could think of is my survival. My eyes discreetly roamed around the kitchen. There are possible weapons I could use to attack her and buy me some time. But grabbing the metal rod of the lamp post or reaching for sharp objects in the cupboard behind her would take too much time. By then, she would've attacked me first. I can't let that happen. Blake and everyone is still sleeping and unaware of her presence. She would, undoutedly, kill each and everyone before she leaves the mansion and take as much money and valuable things as she can. Who knows if she has some backup waiting for her outside the doors? The risks are just too high.

I stared at her face for a long time. The resemblance is uncanny. Both sisters shared the same sharp, angled jaw and cat-slit eyes. They both have plump lips and high cheekbones that most men would go crazy for. The only distinction between the two of them is a short, hairline scar on her lower left cheek that is almost expertly hidden by makeup. I wonder how many times she switched with her sisters and mingled with us? Kinikilabutan na ako nang maisip iyon.

I don't want my hands to get tainted with her blood or anyone else's. But I'm so desperate right now and I know I am running out of time. If I don't do something, all of us are at risk of a grave danger.

"What I'm trying to say, sweetheart, is I need a new name, passport, and personality—all of which yours are very appealing to me. You could either work with me and do everything I say, or we could do this the hard way. I have to lock up my sister in the basement for half a year just so she would listen to me. Being in a prison is not new to her."

"You're sick if you think I'd held you with your evil plans..." I murmured through gritted teeth.

"Are you saying you wouldn't want to negotiate with me?"

"Negotiate with what? Targeting rich, old men and selling my body for money? I would never do that!"

Her eyes darkened in silent anger. "Then I guess we have to do this the hard way..."

I swallowed hard, preparing myself for anything she's going to do with me. My eyes never left her as she smiled creepily until I heard some heavy footsteps.

"Anna...?"

Shit. Shit!

Hindi ko mailipat ang mga mata sa hagdanan sa takot na baka may gawin si Valerie sa ilang segundong kalayaan. And I don't need to turn my head to confirm that it's Blake who's coming down. What is he doing here? Nanigas ako lalo sa kinatatayuan ko.

"What are you doing here, baby?" he asked, crossing the living room to head towards the kitchen.

I shut my eyes tightly and wanted to scream out loud. Not another step, Blake! Go back, please! I pleaded inside of my head that something would stop him from coming to the kitchen. Valerie's amused, watching the two of us with a wicked smile on her face. I'm sure by now she's planning something. She's just waiting for one bad move... just one... and she'll attack.

"Anong nangyari kay Barin? Bakit tulog na tulog 'to?" inosente niyang tanong habang marahang niyuyugyog ang alaga. He glanced up at me and was terrified at the pained expression on my face. "Anna...?"

"Blake—"

It was the moment she was waiting for. The moment I opened my mouth to warn him to go away, she deftly pulled a silencer from her purse and expertly aimed it at my husband. Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger.

"Blake!" I screamed when his body collapsed on the carpeted floor and his blood immediately stained the surface. Tumakbo ako patungo sa kaniya habang kinakapos ang hininga. He's clutching his pierced skin with his eyes shut as his body shook from the recent trauma. I heard her chuckling again. "You monster!" I sobbed as I held Blake firmly in my arms. His left side was shot and God knows if one of his internal organs was punctured by the bullet. The blood wouldn't stop flowing...

"It will be easier for you to work with me if you don't have a husband trailing after you, Anna, don't you think?" she said in a merry tone.

Kinakain na ng takot at pangamba ang isipan ko hanggang sa tuluyan na itong nablangko. The next thing I know, I was filled with rage as I stood and faced her. She cocked a brow at me, waiting for my move as I struggle to breathe and trembled all over. When she teased me again by pointing the gun at Blake's weak body, I grabbed the first thing that caught my eye and from then on, it was all black.

I could hear the shatters of the ceramic breaking into pieces, the scream of one of the housekeepers, the weak whimper of my pet, and even felt the pain of the bullet lodged through my left leg. Even so, before losing in touch of the reality, I made sure that if I'm going down, so is she.

If my hands are going to be tainted with blood for the first time, it better be hers.

That night painted a gruesome history of the mansion that my father once built for my fairy-tale life.

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#HanmariamRBIIChapter20