Book 2 : Chapter 51

The manager gestured with his hand to let me follow him to the elevator. Once we were there, he took me to the seventh floor. He waited until I stepped out before he came up by my side. Then he led me to a room at the end corner of the floor. It had mechanical locks that seemed difficult to break in, but the manager keyed in the codes with deft fingers. In less than a minute, the door opened, and he led me inside.

My eyes caught the huge screen right away, displaying multiple windows that showed different areas of the hotel. The manager then ran his fingers on the keys, and the lobby where the president and his men were dining, zoomed in.

"Did you hear something from them that scares you?" he asked, turning his head to look at me.

I just held his gaze, but I did not nod nor shake my head.

"Is this the reason?" he asked again, and after some clicks, a window opened to an area by the outskirts of the forest.

My eyes flew wide when I saw battalions of men encompassing the whole perimeter of the forest. All of them were wearing shields, perhaps, because the Bronca bugs tend to bite at a person's sclera.

"Do you also know about Patrick?" I asked after a loud gasp.

"Of course. It's all over the news. He even successfully deceived the scientists by growing different virus species for every batch of the Bronca bugs he released. That is the reason why the researchers are confused. Their first analysis on the first batch showed a highly infectious type of virus growing inside their bodies. But during the testing for the second batch, they identified another species. And so with the third."

He paused and looked at me, searching for my reaction. Then, getting none from me, he continued.

"Each batch of Bronca bugs they got as samples has different types of virus in them. And each new virus is becoming more virulent than the previous. And now, they are suspecting that Mr. Patrick is still keeping his lethal species somewhere in the forest."

"It's not the communicable character of the virus that is lethal, but the venom. Those killer batches he released were just intended to deceive the researchers. This way, Patrick's objective to ignite anger from the people, if not the whole world against President Abella, is best served," I said as my thoughts then went back to the time where I almost died due to a Bronca bug bite.

"I understand now. However, the president was able to get away from the accusation that he was the one releasing them. Remember those anonymous videos released to the public that the virus came out from his lapel flower?"

"Of course, but I wonder who makes an ally with Patrick and made it appear on the president's lapel flower?"

He smiled mischievously, placing a finger on top of his nose. "Just between us, it's someone named Eric. His make-believe girlfriend is a friend to the president's stylist."

I gasped in great surprise as to how Eric did measures to defend the Grey's legacy against President Abella. I just wondered how long would Hazel remain blind to Philip's loyalty to the Greys. Just when I opened my mouth to ask another question, the manager zoomed an area in the forest.

"Wait, is that Patrick's hideout?" I exclaimed loudly as the familiar scene floated on the screen.

I then noticed those barrels of Bronca bugs that served as their habitats. Those multiple baskets in different sizes still hanged on the branches of the trees. The mattresses with black, tarry paste still laid there, and I could see those creeping bugs squirming in their sticky pool. The hair on my skin crawled at the thought of those insects, so I ended up rubbing my upper arms with my hands.

"Yes! the manager answered without turning to look at me. He opened another window, and there I saw Sean with Patrick and his wife, entertaining a soldier in camouflage.

"Is he the one you said as my husband?" I asked, pointing at Sean's image.

"He is Mr. Sean Grey, right?"

"I saw him once at the restaurant. He was with a woman named Mia. Everyone in the neighborhood says she's Mr. Sean's fiancée."

My airways suddenly constricted, that my breathing became shallow. I tried to inhale through my nose and let the air slowly pass out through my mouth. Even the act of swallowing my saliva seemed difficult that I choked on it. It only meant that Sean didn't come here last night to take me to my room. And perhaps, it was Mr. Ian, indeed, acting like a gentleman to mislead people.

On the other hand, it hurt to know that Sean had finally proposed Mia in my absence. Perhaps, he wanted to forget Calla and me, making Mia a substitute to help him heal faster. Or perhaps, he finally saw Mia's value for having been there for him and his mom.

I continued taking air through my nose and let it out through my mouth. It worked well as of the moment in suppressing the floodgates behind my eyes from bursting open. When I couldn't almost hold it anymore, the manager's voice disrupted my train of thought.

"Look, ma'am," he said, changing the scene into the area where the military troops were. "New troops are coming."

I furrowed my brows as I watched another battalion coming to the area.

"Why are there too many of them?"

"To secure the area while Patrick hasn't given his statement yet. The news was all one-sided, and the authority wants to hear from his side, either to confirm or deny the reports."

"What is the latest negotiation on his end?" I asked, wondering what kept him from confirming the truth of the president's wickedness.

"He demanded to see Mr. Grey alive."

I felt like crying after hearing his short explanation. I appreciated Patrick's loyalty to Sean, even if I knew very well that he was ready to die along with this vengeance. To have suffered and betrayed under the hands of someone who was once his most trusted friend was indeed excruciating.

Suddenly, my heartbeats raced in loud thuds against my ears as a thought occurred in my mind. The president wouldn't let this happen. And as what I heard from their conversation, one of his men would drop a bomb!

Just then, the loud whirring sound of the helicopters roared in my ears. The manager quickly shifted the window to the sky, taking close views of the helicopters.

"Thanks, heavens," the manager exclaimed.

I tugged on his arms, my eyes widening in fear and confusion.

"Those are from the UN troops," he replied, pointing to the logos of the airbuses.

"I don't understand," I answered honestly.

"If it were the president's planes, I would be expecting them to drop bombs to shut Patrick's mouth forever."

My knees suddenly trembled, as well as my hands. I grabbed a chair at the side before I looked back at the screen. The manager then switched back the window to Sean and Patrick's location. While all of them were looking up, the soldier then pulled out his pistol, and in lightning-fast movement, he shot the barrel of Bronca bug. My eyes grew large as I watched the bugs flew out, forming a great flock before they swarmed on Sean, Patrick, and his wife.

My heart skipped beats for a moment as I watched the bugs covered their bodies. And before I could draw in a deep breath, the soldier shot another barrel. In agile moves, he then crawled out of the place. A loud explosion then followed, turning the entire scene to black.