Amore and Liam had reached a rather remote location, the site of a secret tunnel entrance. No one knew about this place except for her friend, Dr. Dindo.
She immediately went to see someone she knew—her old trusted caretaker.
"Mang Isko? Where are you? Mang Isko?" she called out from outside the house.
The old man hurriedly came out when he heard her voice. "Oh my, you're here, Ma'am? I'm so glad you visited me," he replied.
"I didn't just come to visit. I need your help. Where is the car I asked you to keep safe for me?" she asked directly. She didn't want to beat around the bush.
"I know what you mean. It's at the back of the house. It's in good condition; I always have it lubricated. Let's go around back," he said, leading the way immediately.
"Alright, if possible, Mang Isko, let's hurry up and leave. They might follow us here."
"Who is chasing you, Ma'am? Why?" the old man asked curiously.
"Regor and his men are after us."
"Huh? How? Isn't he your boss?" he asked in shock.
"Yes, he was, but not anymore. I already told you why I stayed under Regor's leadership, didn't I? He has wronged me so many times, and now he has added even more to his sins," she answered with anger in her voice.
"Right, that's true. By the way, who is that handsome man with you?" the old man asked with a teasing grin.
"Ah. Don't ask questions now, Mang Isko. I'll tell you everything the day after tomorrow. Just drive us to the shore. We need to leave right now," she said, sounding a bit irritated.
She wasn't really angry at him for asking questions; she was just in a rush, which was why she answered that way. The old man understood. He was just so chatty, and that was why she ended up being short with him.
"Alright, Ma'am," he answered promptly, then went to get the car from the back. He drove them quickly to their destination.
They arrived at the shore in no time. They looked for someone there—a friend of Mang Isko.
"Karding? Where are you? Amore needs her yacht. Karding, hurry up and open your door," Mang Isko called out to his friend.
"Just a moment," came the reply from inside the house.
He immediately came out to greet them. "Where is my yacht, Mang Karding?" Amore asked right away.
"Oh, it's you, Ma'am. It's near the shore. Don't worry, it's in good condition and has enough fuel. There's extra fuel there too just in case you run out. The inside is clean as well. But why do you need it now? You haven't used it in a long time," he remarked.
"My friend and I have somewhere important to go," Amore replied, pointing to Liam who was standing beside the car.
"Alright. You should go now, Ma'am," said Mang Isko.
"Here. I hope this money is enough. I hope it helps you," Amore said, handing over an envelope containing one hundred thousand pesos each. It wasn't a bribe, but help for the two elderly men.
The two old men accepted it. They couldn't do anything; even if they refused, Amore would insist on giving it to them.
"We are leaving now, Mang Isko, Mang Karding. Take care of yourselves and thank you very much. If you need anything, just call me. Oh, and if anyone asks about us... please don't tell anyone that we were here earlier. Mang Isko, you can explain everything to Mang Karding later. We're going now," she bid them farewell and immediately left with Liam.
"Take care!" the two old men shouted after them. They weren't sure if they heard it, but they saw Amore wave before they sailed away on the yacht.
They had traveled quite a distance. Liam still hadn't spoken a word since earlier. He probably wasn't in the mood to talk, especially since he was still shocked by everything that happened, or maybe he still wasn't feeling well after getting dizzy earlier. Everything was happening so fast—the gunfight, their escape from Regor, followed immediately by their voyage to find a safe place.
They sped across the sea. They reached another island as night was falling. Liam decided to stop sailing and spend the night there. It wasn't safe to travel at night, especially since they were only on a yacht. The waves were getting strong, and it was too dangerous to continue.
He got off and tied the rope to a large tree near the beach. Amore was alerted by their sudden stop.
"What happened to the yacht? Is it broken?"
"Nothing. It's not safe to sail anymore because it's night. We don't know the waters and it's dangerous. We won't die from Regor's bullets, but we might end up drowning instead," he joked in response to her question.
Amore laughed at what he said. "Okay then. Let's rest for now. And tomorrow, once we reach the next town, you can leave."
"Okay. Do you feel hungry?"
"Nope!" she said, but her stomach growled loudly, indicating that she was indeed hungry. She was in denial, and her stomach just betrayed her.
"Just wait a minute. When I come back, I'll have some fish. We need to eat so we have enough strength," he said.
"Okay, fine. I'll just gather some dry wood and make a fire."
"Alright!"
Liam went towards the sea, while Amore gathered dry wood from the nearby forest. She collected plenty and brought them back to the shore. She started a fire; it was a good thing she learned these skills back when she was a Girl Scout. Sometimes, those survival skills really come in handy.
Liam returned shortly, carrying fish. He had caught several nice, big ones.
"Here, I already cleaned them. Ready to be grilled," he said, handing them over to her.
"Sure, I'll do the grilling. Hmm, wait, let me check inside the yacht if there's any salt left. Three months ago, I went sailing and brought salt because I love fishing. Even if we only have salt, that's fine. It's just for grilling, at least we can have some flavor."
"Okay."
Amore quickly found her container of salt. There was still some left, so she hurried back down and sprinkled it on the fish. Even if salt was the only seasoning, it was better than nothing, right? It was all part of survival.
"Wow. Looks great. Here, it's cooked. You eat first. I'll follow. The next batch is almost done," Liam said, handing her the first fish cooked.
"Thanks, Liam. You know, my life is really thrilling. Even though I chose this kind of life, I'm still proud of myself because I've survived situations like this so many times. Before, it was even worse; I had to hide everywhere just to lay low from enemies. I think I have nine lives like a cat," she joked. She didn't realize she was opening up about her life story.
Liam laughed at her last comment. "Really? So why did you join Kuya Regor's group in the first place? You know they can't be trusted, and most of all, they kill people who betray them. He even tried to kill me," he said seriously.
"I have a deep reason. I won't tell you yet. What about you? Why does he want to kill you? What did you do to your brother?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's because of money and power. He probably wants to take everything that our real Dad left for me. I'm just his half-brother. We share the same mother, that's why we have different surnames," he revealed.
"Hmm. He really is evil. Before, I followed his every command. But now... I will take down his connections one by one. Especially since I know all of them and I am aware of all his illegal businesses. He will taste the sweetness of my revenge!" she said with a 'killer smile'. But she still looked cute.
"Oh! So you really are planning revenge? But how? You're alone, right? Let me help you," he offered.
"I'm not alone. I have many connections that he doesn't know about. I also have a team of girl assassins. They work for me secretly; they are my eyes and ears. But they don't know everything about me. I keep it secret so the enemy can't use it against me," she shared.
"Is that so? Wow. Girl power indeed for your team. Sounds exciting!"
"What? What's exciting? Our lives are like soldiers. One foot is already in the grave. One mistake and we're gone forever. The path we walk is dangerous, so tomorrow when we reach the next town, you can leave and hide. You won't be safe if you come with me to Sulu."
"Sorry, I don't know the full story of your revenge, but I just want to help."
"No, don't. I can handle myself. I'm going there to lay low while Regor is still looking for me hotly. I only have one relative there, and I will be safe on their island. They know me by my alias there, so no one will suspect anything. So leave tomorrow. Go to another country; Regor won't stop hunting you. I know how he gets when he's angry."
"Okay. Here, there's still plenty of grilled fish. Eat more. You've told me so much, but until now I still can't believe that my own older brother is capable of doing all these evil things just to get the power, money, and everything he wants, even if it means doing bad things."
"Thanks. That's why you really need to leave. I don't want anyone else getting involved because of my plans."
"Why though, Am? What is your real reason? You know you could just forget about revenge and live a normal life, right?"
"Don't call me Am." She emphasized the name. "Only one person has the right to call me that."
"Who? Your boyfriend?"
"No. I don't have a boyfriend. It was my only friend, Lysander. We grew up together. He was my playmate and my comfort whenever I was hurt. He was my only friend and protector whenever someone bullied me," she said proudly, talking about her old friend.
"Wow, lucky you to have a friend like that. Where is he now anyway?"
"I have no idea. One day, they left for the States, and after that, he never came back. I'm so annoyed at him because he promised he would never leave me, and that when we grew up, he would marry me if I didn't have a boyfriend yet. Isn't that annoying? I actually believed his promise. I'm twenty-five now, but I haven't seen even a shadow of him."
"Sorry. What about me? I can be your friend. If you want to see me, then I will be here 24/7. I'll help you. Even if I'm not Lysander, I can still protect you from your enemies. I promise that. Well... except for one thing, I can't be your husband someday because I'm not the one who promised you that before, I'm not Lysander," Liam joked.
"Hey. Don't joke like that. You're leaving tomorrow. So stop it. You really need to go. I'm used to being alone. I survived 18 years like that, so I'm really fine."
"Okay, have it your way. Don't you have anyone else you can ask about Lysander? Like his parents?"
"No. They never came back to the Philippines, and I heard that 15 years ago, his parents got into an accident. I don't know if he was involved too. But I hope not. Because I'm still hoping that someday he will come back and fulfill his promises to me."
"Oh wow, you women really believe in promises. You know, out of a million promises, only one or two get fulfilled, sometimes even by force. So don't hope for something so uncertain."
"Tss. What do you know? Maybe our paths will cross again."
"Okay. By the way, it's getting really late. Let's go to sleep. It's safe enough to get some rest, even just a little."
"Sure. The fire is almost out and the wind is getting cold. Let's get inside."
They went inside the yacht.
It was beautifully made. Fully equipped. It had a custom bedroom and a mini library.
Amore's father had it custom-built as a gift for her 18th birthday. So she considered it a huge keepsake from her dad.
They both loved sailing, and she used to fall asleep sometimes, so he had a bedroom built so she could rest anytime. She also loved reading novels, so a mini library was added, and sometimes she would fall asleep there too, so a folding bed was installed. That was how much her father loved her when he was still alive.
"Liam, I'm going to sleep in the bedroom. What about you? Where do you want to sleep? You can go over there, I have a mini library with a folding bed. Sleep there because it's cold here by the couch. You might catch a chill."
"No need. I'll just stay here. I'm fine."
"Okay, suit yourself," she said, then went into her room.