Chapter 23

ANYA POINT OF VIEW

I left that night without saying goodbye. Why bother saying goodbye anyway? Someone there leaves without even a word. Good thing there was still a last trip on the ride going to Estrella Village. I didn't know why my feet brought me here. Maybe because I've gotten too close to Lolo, I think this is my only home.

I lay down on the bed, and even without aircon, the bed felt cool. I couldn't sleep no matter what I did. I just sat up and messed with my hair.

I've been changing positions while lying down for a while now, but I still can't sleep. This situation is really frustrating. What happened earlier just won't leave my mind. Why did that person get mad at me? Why am I thinking about him now? I shouldn't care about him, erase! I let out a deep breath in annoyance. They won't even look for me even if I'm not there. What I said wasn't even that bad.

The next day, I woke up early because my sleep was so light. So I decided to clean up the house like I used to do when Lolo was still alive. I checked my phone, but there were no messages or texts. Of course, there's no signal here, so how would I even receive a text?

I went downstairs to fetch water to also water the plants here. While I was at the water pump, just like before, there were a few people there. They seemed surprised to see me, but thankfully, they didn't say anything. Because if they did, I would have really argued with them. I only fetched two buckets of water, just enough for watering the plants.

It was already six when I finished cleaning the entire surroundings. I went upstairs to rest. I checked my phone, and there was one text message. I was excited to see if maybe the person who fought with me last night was apologizing. But my smile faded when I saw it wasn't him. It was Adrian who sent the message. His text was recent, and it was surprising that it came through even without signal. Maybe there was a brief signal, but it was lost again, and that's why his message came through.

I took a bath first because there was still water stored in the drum inside the bathroom. I didn't want to leave without taking a bath, especially since I've been wearing these clothes since yesterday. Thankfully, some of my things were still here. After taking a bath, I got dressed and left the house.

When I reached the waiting area, I immediately texted Adrian about my location so he could pick me up. I didn't want to walk anymore; it's still a long way before reaching the town proper. I waited for him to arrive, and thankfully, I didn't have to wait that long. His vehicle stopped right in front of me. It was like slow motion when he got out of the car. He was wearing sunglasses, and you'd think he was the main character in a movie.

"Hey, Anya!" he said before removing his shades. "Were you spacing out there?" he asked before smiling. I just smiled back at him before opening the car door and sitting in the front seat. Adrian has changed a lot; I haven't seen him in a long time. His body is much broader now. The last time I saw him, he was really skinny. But we were just kids back then. Years have passed, so Adrian must be buff now, probably from working out at the gym.

"Have you seen Tessa? And why did you only come back to the Philippines now?" I asked him.

He started the engine before driving and clearing his throat before answering. "I was super busy there, the higher-ups had a lot of tasks for me, so I didn't have time to come home. About your question regarding Tessa, she didn't know I'm already here." I wondered why Sabrina didn't know.

"Why didn't you tell her you're already here? She's probably very upset with you, and you're not even telling her." He just smiled.

"I know, but she's not part of my mission. I'll be leaving again after this, so it's better if she's just mad at me."

"Whatever" I replied, getting annoyed. "Why did you show up for me?"

"Because my mission is to protect you." I was taken aback by his answer.

"Why do you need to protect me when I can handle my mission just fine? And it's not even that difficult."

"Really?" He looked at me for a moment, as if he didn't believe my answer.

"Yes." I replied with a smile.

"If that's the case, do you have any information to share for next week?" My smile faded with his question. Because the truth is, I didn't gather any information about Christian. Plus, he's really elusive, and I even fought with him last night.

No, It wasn't me who fought with him, he was the one who got mad at me. Natasha's to blame for all of this.

"See?" Adrian said with a laugh. I didn't respond to him because he was right. Adrian and I didn't talk for a few minutes before I thought to ask him where we were headed.

"I'm getting a bit hungry, so let's stop by a nearby restaurant. But first, I need to gas up." We stopped at the nearest gas station. We were far from the town of Santo Niño, and it seemed like we were heading to the next town.

*********

In the distance, a pair of eyes was watching Anya and Adrian. Quickly, he grabbed his camera and took a photo of the two. Afterward, he picked up his cellphone and made a call.

"Madam, should I continue following them?" he asked his caller.

"Of course," was the response.

"But madam, before anything else, you need to send me the half payment." Natasha let out an irritated sigh on the other end of the line.

"Fine, how much?"

"Just 50,000, madam."

"What? It's not like what you're doing is that difficult, and yet you're asking for such a large amount?" Natasha complained on the other end of the line.

"Are you going to send it or not? They're about to leave, and it would be a waste of my time if you don't send it, madam!" His tone was sarcastic.

"Fine, I'll send the full payment. Just make sure you do your job properly!"

Natasha quickly ended the call and went to her mobile banking app to send the payment. After she sent her contact sent her the photos taken of Adrian and Anya at the gas station. Natasha smiled when she saw the photos. She forwarded one of Adrian's photos to one of her contacts and typed a message.

"Hi ninong (godfather), can I ask for a favor? Can you find out who this guy is?" After sending the message, she turned off her phone.

And then she had just left the hospital due to the scratches she got on her leg and arm.