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DS8Uncovered #LuMa #BearCouple #DaggerSeries

CHAPTER 32: REALIZE

LUNA'S POV

"They would have been proud."

I pulled my eyes away from Magnus and his mother, who were walking along the beach. After we finished the worst lunch I ever had, except for the fact that Lucienne was right that the food was great, Magnus and I were ready to leave the island when his mother stopped us.

"That I disrespected not only someone older than me but also my husband's mother?"

With a small smile on his lips, Kuya Thorn shook his head. "You didn't disrespect her. You told her the truth—that might be harsh, but still the truth. You also stood up for your husband so that he wouldn't have to because you know that despite their relationship, she's still his mother." Umupo siya tabi ko at tinanaw niya rin ang mag-ina. "I just hope that this day helped them in some way. But the problem with people..."

Napabuntong-hininga ako. I understand what he meant to say. "I know. I'm sure Magnus is aware too. She might be in her best behavior now, but we don't know how long that will last. If she doesn't make an effort, nothing will happen."

"How about your husband?"

"Ang alam ko dati nagpapadala siya ng message sa ina niya from time to time. She never responded, though. Unless she needs something. And it's not just after Magnus' father died. She might not be as absent as before, but she wasn't exactly a present mother in Magnus' life even back then."

It's not really a favorite topic of Magnus, but sometimes he'll say things that help me see the big picture of the nature of his relationship with his mother.

"No matter what the outcome, it doesn't matter." Kuya Thorn stood up, and he lightly tapped my forehead with the newspaper he was holding. "He has a new family now."

I hope that it stays that way even when I'm no longer here. "Ayie! So tanggap na tanggap mo na si Magnus niyan Kuya kahit na dati mo siyang karibal sa puso ni Lucienne?"

Muli niyang pinalo sa noo ko ang diyaryo pero sa pagkakataon na ito ay mas malakas na iyon. Inagaw ko sa kaniya iyon para wala na siyang maipanghampas sa akin. "He wasn't my competition. He was never in the game in the first place." My eyes widened in disbelief before I burst out laughing. Tatawa-tawang napailing lang siya. "Hahanapin ko muna ang asawa ko. Gusto niya raw magpa-autograph sa chef. Baka pinapasakit na no'n ang ulo ng mga tao sa kusina."

Nangingiting sinundan ko na lang siya ng tingin. Kahit hindi kasama ang mga bulilit ngayon ay parang hindi siya nawawalan ng babantayan. Sabagay, mas madali pang sawayin sina Cookie at IC kesa sa nanay nila.

I glance in Magnus' direction, and it looks like they're still busy talking. I could go to the private villa that was assigned for me and Magnus, but I'd rather be close when he needs me. Mamaya kasi ay pasamain ng nanay niya ang mood niya ng tuluyan. Mabuti ng nasa malapit ako tutal ay portable clown naman ang role ko for today.

Binuksan ko na lang ang diyaryo para naman may mapagkaabalahan ako. I scanned the pages, and I couldn't help but shake my head when I saw that most of the news was about heinous crimes. There's left and right murders, countless missing people, rising numbers of missing people that have been found, but only what little is left of them, just enough to identify them, then there's the sexual offenses, assault cases, and so much more.

Dagger is just one of the many that are trying to protect the people. Bukod sa judicial branch ay maraming pribadong ahensya na ang focus ay ang pagbibigay ng serbisyo na makakatulong na mapanatili ang kaligtasan ng mga tao. It is why it's disheartening to see that no matter how many people try to do good things and keep people safe, things like this are still happening.

Imagine what would happen if people just gave up. If people who want to do good stop doing it, how much worse will the world turn out to be?

"Sino na namang uminis sa'yo?"

Sa pagkakataon na 'to ay si Kuya Gun naman ang umupo sa tabi ko. Nakapako ang mga mata niya sa phone niya kahit kausap niya ako.

"Ang mundo," simpleng sagot ko.

"Ah. Akala ko nanay lang ng asawa mo."

"Pwede rin kitang isama, Kuya. May space pa."

He looks at me through narrowed eyes, but I just grin. Pinagbibigyan man ako lahat ng kapatid ko pero kay Kuya Gun ako pinaka-spoiled. Kahit naman kasi masungit siya ay hindi niya naman natitiis kapag may hinihiling ako sa kaniya.

Bahagya akong umusog para mapalapit ako sa kaniya at sinilip ko ang ginagawa niya. Napataas ang kilay ko nang makita kong nasa isang luxury e-commerce site siya at tumitingin ng bag para sa babae.

"Iba na ba ang taste mo ngayon, Kuya, at naghahanap ka ng shoulder bag?"

Hindi tumitingin sa akin na inabot niya ang mahaba kong buhok at hinila niya iyon ng bahagya dahilan para tatawa-tawang mapaaray ako.

He narrowed his eyes at me before he shook his head and turned back to his phone. "Narinig ko sila ni Belaya na nag-uusap kanina. Something that Belaya bought last month and Lia liked it."

"Oh, that one."

He turned to me, his eyes shining. "You know what it is?"

I gave him a "duh" expression. Inabot ko ang phone niya at ini-scroll up ko iyon. When I found what I was looking for, I tapped the screen. "There. Gucci Horsebit 1955. Lia likes the beige leather one."

"Thanks," he said through a grin.

"I like the red one."

He blinks slowly. "Bakit kasali ka?"

"Kasi love mo ako?"

"May asawa ka na. Ask Magnus to buy one for you."

Pinalungkot ko ang mukha ko. "Dati lagi mo akong binibilan kapag gusto ko. Pero siyempre sino na lang ba ako? Hindi na ako ang only girl sa buhay mo. Hindi na ako importante."

Parang gusto niya akong tirisin sa paraan ng pagkakatingin niya sa akin. With a shake of his head, he turned his attention back to his phone. Napangisi ako nang makita kong nilagay niya sa cart ang kulay pula na bag na sinasabi ko. Wagi na naman ang bunso! Woopie doo!

"Don't mind what that witch said," he said strangely after awhile.

"Hmm?"

"Iyong sinabi ng nanay ng asawa mo."

"Marami iyon. Alin doon?" biro ko sa kaniya. Nang aabutin niya ulit ang buhok ko ay natatawang umiwas ako sa kaniya. "I really don't give a damn about anything that she said. I just don't like the way she treats Magnus."

"Good." Ibinaba niya ang phone niya at nilingon niya ako. "It doesn't matter if you're sixty. You're still going to be our little sister by then, so we'll take care of you."

He will never know how his words kill me. I love him so much, but I hate how I feel like something is burning inside of me. Because what he said feels like a dream. Not even a possibility. Just a dream.

Locking my heart inside a box, I let it cry silently while its replica took its place, one that mastered how to pretend in front of those it loves.

"Mga anak niyo na ang mag-aalaga sa akin no'n kasi mga nirarayuma na kayo."

Dinutdot niya ang noo ko. "Ungrateful little brat."

Nakangising inangat ko ang mga paa ko mula sa buhanginan at niyakap ko ang mga tuhod ko bago ako tumanaw sa dagat na nasa harapan ko. "Pero paano pala kapag hindi ako umabot ng sixty 'no?"

"Bakit hindi? Sixty is not that old." Nagpakawala siya ng malalim na hininga. "Is this about your stalker? Ngayon ka pa ba mawawalan ng tiwala sa amin? You're going to be fine. No one's going to hurt you. You're going to outlive us all."

I'm already hurting, Kuya. "Ayoko nga. Ako pa ang mag-aalaga sa inyo. Biruin niyo pitong wheelchair ang itutulak ko?"

Napasigaw ako nang sa isang iglap ay nakulong ako sa braso niya. He put me in a headlock the way he'd done it countless times with some of my brothers when they were younger. Growing up, I wasn't excluded from how rough they could be with each other. Natuto nga lang silang huwag akong isali sa mga trip nila dahil patago akong gumanti at lagi akong nagsusumbong sa mga magulang namin. Lalo na kay Papa.

"Kuya! Aray!"

I know he's planning to dig his knuckles in my head, but before he could do so, I felt his hold on me loosen. A grin spread on my lips, and I immediately jumped to hide behind Magnus, who's now standing in front of us.

Nilingon ko si Kuya Gun at inilabas ko ang dila ko bilang pang-aasar.

He crossed his arms. "I'm going to cancel that red bag from my order."

"Kuya ang gwapo mo today." Nang umangat lang ang kilay niya ay nag-beautiful eyes ako sa kaniya. "Kaya nga kahit nagpapa-cute ang poging maître d' sa restaurant ngayon kay Lia alam kong wala lang sa kaniya kasi hindi siya makakahanap ng kasing pogi mo kahit pumunta siya sa ibang planeta—"

Hindi ko na nagawang tapusin ang sasabihin ko dahil nakatayo na siya at malalaki ang mga hakbang na tinungo ang kinaroroonan ng asawa niya.

Snickering, I turn back to look at Magnus, whom I realize was already looking at me. "Nabudol ko si Kuya na ibili ako ng bag," pagpapaliwanag ko.

"What bag?"

"Something from Gucci."

"Bakit hindi mo sinabi sa akin?"

"Bakit? Bibilan mo ako?" tanong ko pabalik.

Nilabas niya ang cellphone niya. "What bag is it?"

Inagaw ko sa kaniya ang cellphone niya at kinipkip ko iyon sa katawan ko nang akmang babawiin niya iyon. "Minsan talaga hindi ka ma-joke 'no? You don't need to buy me a bag. Mahal 'yon. Like thousands of pesoses."

"May pambayad ako."

"Huwag mo ng bawasan ang kayamanan natin, hubby bear," biro ko sa kaniya. "Ang sa iba na lang ang bawasan natin. Bilyonaryo ang asawa no'n ni kuya."

He regarded me with a look for a moment. After a while, he just shook his head with a small smile playing on his lips. "You're born to be a businesswoman."

"I know, right?"

GUSTO KO ng itumba ang coffee table sa sobrang inis nang makita ko na sa hindi mabilang na pagkakataon ay natalo na naman ako. Kung may mga taong laging may winning streak ako naman ay parang losing streak lang ang kinikilala ng kapalaran ko.

"Malapit na akong mawalan ng cash," angal ni Lucienne. "Pwede bang GCash?"

Parang pinagbagsakan ng langit at lupa si Kuya Trace na sumandal siya sa asawa niya. "Ayoko na ng larong 'to. Hindi ba pwedeng mag-bingo na lang tayo?"

Kasalukuyan naming pinagkakasya ang sarili namin paikot sa coffee table ng private villa namin ni Magnus. Bigla na lang kasi silang nagsulputan na may dalang mga inumin at pagkain.

Si Lucienne ang nag-aya na maglaro pero dahil baraha lang naman ang meron ay Texas Hold'em, a variant of poker, ang napili nilang laruin. The women wanted to play except for Ember and Tiara, who just wanted to watch kaya ang mga asawa nila ang naglaro para sa kanila. Kuya Gun joined as well, which brought the players to eight.

Since hindi naman ako marunong ay hindi na sana ako sasali pero napilit nila ako. Para maging sampu ang players ay sumali na rin si Magnus.

Which was the biggest mistake.

Bawat round ay siya lang ang nananalo. Dahil nag-decide sila na maglagay ng pera para raw hindi boring ay lahat iyon ngayon ay patong-patong na sa harapan ni Magnus. What if tumambay kami sa casino? Feeling ko talaga ang laki ng maiuuwi namin.

"Di ba dapat kapag suwerte sa pag-ibig, malakas sa sugal?" Nagdududang tinignan ni Kuya Trace si Magnus. "Ibig bang sabihin niyan minalas ka kay Luna?"

Well... he sort of did.

"I don't believe in that." Binalasa ni Magnus ang baraha. "I'm just naturally good at everything."

Napatawa ako lalo na ng malukot ang mukha ni Kuya Trace. His eyes shift from Magnus to me. "Alam niyo, bagay kayo 'no? Parehas kayong mahangin."

"Kung mahangin kami, nasa electric fan level pa lang kami. Ikaw, ipo-ipo level," pang-aasar ko.

He bared his teeth at me like a wolf about to bite, while I raised my hands and showed him my long nails.

"Iba na lang ang gawin natin," pag-iignora sa amin ni Lucienne na obvious naman na gusto pang maglaro.

"Ano? Lalakihan natin ang taya?" tanong ni Belaya.

"Like a house or a car?" Lia also inquired.

Nagtaas ng kamay si Ember. "Or a piece of land?"

Lucienne blinked slowly at them. "Grabe. Halata talaga kung sino ang rich kids sa atin."

Laughter filled the air at her comment. Pero totoo naman din kasi ang sinabi niya. Lia inherited a huge amount of money, Belaya's family is old money, at si Ember naman ay literal na haciendera.

"I meant, let's change the game. Let's play truth or dare."

"Asus. Iyan naman talaga ang gusto mong laruin kasi marami kang nasasagap na tsismis," napapalatak na sabi ni Kuya Trace.

"Dapat mag-aaya ako ng bonfire kaso bawal naman dito. Ang corny." Nilabas ng babae ang cellphone niya at napatawa kami nang makita namin na picture 'yon ng bonfire. "Imaginary na bonfire na lang para bagay ang truth or dare."

Kumuha ng maliit na bote si Kuya Trace habang ang iba naman ay nilinis ang lamesa. I laughed when I saw Lia and Mireia bring out a box of cookies and marshmallows. Mukhang desidido silang gumawa talaga ng imaginary bonfire party.

Pumalakpak si Lucienne para kunin ang atensyon namin. Tinuro niya ang mga kanina ay audience lang namin. "Sasali tayong lahat."

Hindi naman sila nagreklamo dahil sa totoo lang ay bihira naman talaga ang taong makakatanggi kay Lucienne. Pinalibutan namin ang coffee table at Hindi nagtagal ay nagsimula na kami. Lucienne was the first to spin the bottle. Huminto ang nguso niyon sa direksyon ni Kuya Pierce.

"Truth or dare?" tanong ni Lush.

Kuya Pierce answered without hesitation. "Truth."

Sandaling nag-isip si Lush at pagkaraan ay muli siyang nagsalita, "Be honest. May mga pagkakataon ba na natatakot ka sa ilang miyembro ng pamilya nila Belaya? Kung oo, bakit?"

While looking at her husband, Belaya angled her head to the side. She seems curious as well.

"Sometimes," Kuya Pierce answered. "In our line of work, having a sense when it comes to danger is important. I've met some of my wife's family members that I could feel were capable of being dangerous. Which isn't so bad since I know they're all good people. But I know for a fact that if someone tries to mess with them, that person will have a glimpse of the gates of hell."

Belaya giggled. "It's okay. You love me too much, so they won't give you a tour of the gates of hell."

Kuya Pierce leaned down, and my other brothers and I let out a groan when he gave his wife a peck. Pagkaraan ay pinaikot ni Kuya Pierce ang bote at huminto iyon kay Circe. "Truth or Dare?"

Circe grinned. "Dare."

When Circe came into his life, Kuya Coal really found the perfect match. Sa lahat sa aming magkakapatid ay si Kuya Coal ang bihirang mag-truth dahil wala naman siyang kinakatakutan na gawin.

Napapakamot sa pisngi na tumingin sa amin si Kuya Pierce. "I can't think of anything."

Nagtaas ng kamay si Mireia. "Take off a piece of your clothing without showing us what it is and give it to Coal."

Nalukot ang ilong ni Belaya at nilingon niya ang babae. "Napakahubadera mo talaga."

"What? Circe's all bundled up since her pregnant self is telling her that it's too cold, even if it's not that cold. She's even wearing socks."

Ngingiti-ngiting tumayo si Circe at pumasok sa bathroom. Hindi naman siya nagtagal doon at nang lumabas siya ay lumapit siya kay Kuya Coal at may patagong inabot sa lalaki. I saw my brother take a peek at it under the table, but he showed no reaction, except that he leaned down towards his wife and whispered something in her ear that made her face instantly red.

Nakailang ikot pa ang bote. It stopped at Kuya Thorn, and he chose dare. He was asked to call someone he has feelings for aside from Lucienne, and he called his kids, who are staying over at Damian's house.

Ember chose the truth, and we asked her to list the things she loves about Kuya Trace. Kung hindi pa namin siya pinigilan ay baka hindi siya natapos. After that, it was Kuya Domino's turn who chose dare which ended with him giving Tiara a lap dance that could rival Magic Mike's men, which she clearly enjoyed while me and my brothers wanted to vomit. And then there was Mirea, who chose the truth, which made her admit what she and Kuya Axel were doing in the control room last weekend, which I would rather not hear again. When it was Kuya Coal's turn, he chose dare, and he was dared to show us what Circe gave him. When Circe gave him the go signal, Kuya Coal, who was as protective as the others toward their wives, gave us less than an inch of a glimpse, but the black lace was enough of an answer for us.

Then here comes the now. Tumapat ang bote kay Magnus, at truth ang pinili niya.

Pumapalakpak na sabi ni Lucienne at nilingon si Mireia. "Anong question mo sa kaniya? Pagkakataon na natin 'to kaya galingan mo."

Mireia clasped her hands together. "I have one." Her eyes flickered at me, then it returned to Magnus. "When did you realize that you're in love with Luna? Specific dapat."

Pakiramdam ko ay nanigas ako sa kinauupuan ko. It's something that we haven't really talked about.

Kinakabahang nilingon ko siya. He's looking at the table with a small smile on his lips. Patay na. Wala ata talaga siyang maisip. Hindi ko naman siya masisisi. He's been put on the spot, and it's hard to think of what to say since he's not really in love with me and everything about us is just one giant sham.

Bumuka ang mga labi ko para tulungan siya pero bago ko pa magawa iyon ay nagsalita na siya. "It was when I finally realized how real her feelings for me were. I always thought that she would get over it, and it was nothing really serious. Pinagbabantaan niya ako na magseselos siya kapag may ibang babaeng dumating sa buhay ko at may mga pagkakataon na sumusulpot siya kapag may plano ako kasama ang isa sa mga iyon. To me, it feels like just a challenge for her."

"Specific dapat," singit ni Lucienne.

"Lush—"

Magnus reached for my hand, and he continued, cutting me off. Nilingon niya ako at umangat ang sulok ng mga labi niya. "It was that day in the hospital when you were buying Ulap. You asked me who I was visiting, and when you heard that it was a woman, you got really jealous, so much so that you demanded that I don't go see her anymore. Then you said that there's nothing that will make you give up on me." He gently tapped the tip of my nose. "That's when I knew that I was in love with you."

____________________________End of Chapter 32.