in exchange

"So what do you think, Lagma? Do you accept my proposal?"

He just watched me from his while leaning on the swivel chair. His face didn't change even a bit when I told him about the proposal.

Finally he stood up, lit a cigarette and went back to his seat in his lavish office in a high-rise building.

"I'll just repeat what you said earlier because I may be deaf. Maybe it's an effect of my few days staying at the construction site."

He inhaled the smoke and puffed it to the side. "You want me to release Trisha in your place. You want to take your sister's place in exchange for her freedom, am I right?"

I smiled at him and folded my arms. "Right. You got it too. So? What do you think? Besides, I really should be your target, right? Not Trisha."

He emitted smoke again, this time on my face. I covered my nose.

"Yup, it's a very good proposal, I must admit. But I can't trade anything for you because I don't have Trisha."

I yawned at his face.

"That's it again? Are you going to deny it again? Mr. Lagma Rey, who do you think I am? Have you forgotten that I should be the one to replace my father's throne in the businesses of Alcantara? It's a pity that I don't have a kingdom to rule over now. Anyway. "

I pulled out the sealed envelope and tore it in front of him.

"Please don't deny that Trisha is not in your care. Here's the evidence." I stood up and one by one laid down the photos of my twin at a resort with Lagma. "Hey, she looks hot in here," I pointed to the picture of Trisha in a bikini. "Oh my, you guys looked good together! Why did I piece it just now?" Smiling, I glanced at Lagma's expressionless face while looking at the photos. "What? You're still going to deny it?"

He pressed the intercom and angrily instructed his secretary. Rowald entered the office in a second.

"What does this mean, Rowald?!" He angrily growled at the man.

Unmoved, Rowald's gaze met Lagma.

"It's high time you return Trisha to her family, Rey. Eight years is enough. She's not really the one you're supposed to take so I wonder why you haven't let her go until now," Rowald said.

I smiled broadly as I took a picture of the two of them smiling at each other.

"Idiot. I can answer that." I stared hard at Lagma while my brows were raised. "He has fallen in love with her. But ..." I paused for a while. "She can't seem to reciprocate the feelings because ..." I shifted my gaze to the two men and smiled innocently. "She loves someone else."

The two fell silent at what I said so I took the opportunity.

"But if you really love her, you'll let her go, Lagma. Take me as her replacement. Of the two of us, I'm more useful to you. Isn't the reason why you thought of kidnapping me is for my blood? I'm an Rh negative and so are you. Given your condition, hemophilia, which means you have to take in blood transfusions, I could be of great use to you. So what are you waiting for? Take me, Lagma. I'm all yours. "

I opened my arms and laughed at them.

Suddenly, the door opened which was followed by footsteps. And then a powerful but familiar voice echoed inside the room.

"Touch even a strand of her hair and I swear you'll never make it out of this room alive, Lagma."

I closed my eyes tightly when I heard Maverick's voice. How could he ruin such a perfect moment for me?

I felt his grip on my arm. "Let's go, Femella."

I pushed his hand away with all my might.

"Don't interfere here, Fuentebella. I'm still not done negotiating with him. Not yet."

"Well I say you are! Come on!"

He touched my hand again but I quickly backed away and looked at him sharply.

"Stop getting involved. You have no right."

Pain and rejection crossed his eyes but I pretended like I never saw them. I returned my focus to Lagma who was sitting down again.

"What's that? What do you say?" I ask here.

"Femella!" Maverick shouted but I ignored him. I paid full attention to Lagma.

"Call. When do you want to change?"

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Tomorrow would be the best time."

Lagma nodded and picked up the cellphone. But before he could call someone, a gunshot rang out in the whole room. The phone was shattered into pieces. My eyes widened as I turned to Maverick whose face was very dark while holding the gun.

"Do that and I'll give the last will and testament of my father to Butch," he dangerously threatened. "Surely you wouldn't want to be on my wrong side, right Lagma?"

He handed the gun to Jex who immediately handed it to a man behind him.

"The exchange will happen tomorrow, Lagma Rey. The will of my father and Femella's sister will be duly exchanged tomorrow."

That was all and he just pulled me out. We even passed Rowald leaning against the wall while staring hard at Jex.

Even though I'm shocked and scared because of what happened, I still noticed the number of men Maverick brought. They were lined up in the hallway like soldiers in an operation. We passed them until we reached the elevator. In the parking lot, there are still a few vans waiting.

I was unable to speak even when he forced me to ride in the back of the car. He didn't drive. Jex is in the front of the driver's seat.

I was reeling from the mishaps of today when the car stopped outside his hotel. Maverick opened the door to my side and held out his palm to me.

I swallowed my fear and accepted his hand. I almost withdrew the hand because of his tight grip. We didn't ride the elevator. He took me to a function room on the first floor of the hotel. After closing the door, he faced me with those fiery eyes again.

"Speak."

Instead of showing my fear, I chose to pretend to be brave. I know this will happen so why should I prolong it.

Waiting for the abomination to happen is more ruthless than the abominable itself.

"Do I still need to explain? You heard all of them. Do I still need to go into detail?" I looked up to him so I could clearly see how his eyes blazed in pain of betrayal.

"After everything Fem? You still can't trust me? If you want your sister back, you could have asked for my help! Why would you go to him of all people?"

"I've already asked you Maverick but you refused to help me."

"Just give me time! It's not easy to do what you're asking. My father's memory and my sanity depend on it. But even before this, I've started investigating. Why can't you wait for another week?"

He faced her with a look of resentment on his face.

"I can't wait for you anymore. I don't want to wait. I'm tired. This is it. Please, see the reason, Maverick," I pleaded.

He turned around and violently ran his hand through her hair.

"I can't for fuck's sake see any reason about you trading yourself! How about me? How about us? Didn't you feel the same way for me, Femella? Didn't you even think of that?"

"You're just saying that because you have a choice. I don't. All my life was dedicated to this." I sobbed. "I'm tired too, Maverick. I can't sleep every night because I always dream of them. Every day, my conscience eats me up because I should be in Trisha's position now. I should be the one without freedom now. I don't seem to have the right to be happy. I shouldn't be happy because someone suffered for me. Do you understand me?"

I turned around and wiped away my tears.

"It's not your fault. It's not your fault. It's all the fault of that fucking Lagma!"

"But we can't do anything, can we? Yes, it's all his fault. He's a criminal, a kidnapper. Yes, that's him and everything. But what can I do? I'm just an ordinary person. I can't do anything other than what I did earlier. "

He grabbed me by the shoulders to make me face him.

"That's why I'm helping you. I'm here for you. My men are already in the field. If Lagma doesn't fulfill the agreement tomorrow, I'll be the one to fight him."

I pushed his hand away from me and walked away. Suddenly I felt so cold.

"In expense of what? Will you give the last will and testament to that fucking killer? That's against the will of your father. The legacy your father worked so hard for will be wasted. You don't want that and certainly, your mother wouldn't want that. You can also marry me then you assume the leadership of the group and then get my sister back. But what will happen then? You will hate me. Because of helping me, you will become the person you hated so much. We'll part ways and then we will both become miserable. I don't want that to happen to the two of us, Maverick. Our memories together are the most precious thing in my entire life. So let me be. "

He smiled bitterly. "How about me? Do you think I'll be happy knowing that I lost the chance of being with you?"

"It's easy for you to forget me. It's not like we've been for years already. Time does heal everything."

"If time heals everything then why are you here? You're here because you're still hurting. That's a fact. Sometimes wounds are too deep, they never heal."

He laughed bitterly and sat on the edge of the table. I averted my eyes so I could not see the pain on his face.

"You don't really trust me that I can do it my way? You do realize I just did right?"

"We're here now so let me tell you about your past. How yours was connected with mine. How that freaking accident you're talking about is the same accident Trisha is involved in."

He stood up and raised a palm to stop me. I bit my lips to prevent a cry from escaping.

"See? You can't really listen to me. How can you question my trust in you if you couldn't give it to me too?"

"Because you lied to me! All along you knew me. You even have the plan of using me. Of course I'll really doubt you."

I cried.

"Then why would you help me?" I ask him in a low voice. "Why would you still put up with me if you know I'm a liar?"

"Because I love you!" he erupted. "I care for you. Even if sometimes I think you're just using me, still I keep on believing about us. I still believe there is still a future for us Femella. So I can't believe what you did today. Why does it seem like it's so easy for you to throw away everything we've been together? Why does it feel like you'll leave me at any instant? Am I the only one who loves the two of us? Tell me. "

I can't contain my feelings anymore so I just let it out through crying. I never thought his confession would become as ugly as this.

"You already know the answer there, Maverick. But I can't let it blur my mission. I c-can't love you."

I heard his violent breathing as if he was just holding back from throwing things. He took a long time before he said something.

"Why?" he asked in a whisper as if he's asking himself rather than asking me.

"You'll know the answer tomorrow."

"I'm insulted at how little you think of what I can do, Femella. You put so little of your faith on someone who is willing to do everything for you."

I didn't answer. I focused my blurred gaze on the marble floor. I did not have the courage to look up.

"How did we get here? We were so happy the last time," he muttered. "I never thought that happiness could be this volatile."

I closed my eyes and let the tears flow first. I didn't open my eyes even though I heard the door open and close.

I lost my strength gradually and like a fading candle, I fell to my knees on the floor. I put my hand over my mouth and let out a cry.

"I'm sorry, Mav. I'm sorry."