Chapter 35- Truths

Lanie's POV:

"Why are you doing this?" Scared, but I managed to ask him.

I saw him smile at my question. He walked closer and stopped at a sufficient distance. He seemed to think while playing with the gun in his hand. 

"Why?" He smiled again at my question. "Let's say, it's because of a revenge. I'm just taking what they owe me!"

I got confused, not getting what he wanted to say.

Yvan shook his head. "For sure, you still remember about my story I told you back then. The death of my whole family. To make the story short, the Aronzagas were the first to reach out to us. They also came from I don't know what reason." He looked at Yshmael. "Maybe because they are guilty? Because they were responsible for the burning of our house and the death of my family!"

"Liar!" Yshmael hissed. "You're father is a traitor, Yvan. Dad forgave him but he was addicted to gambling and buried in debt in our family's opposing party. You never knew what your parents are!" 

"Shut up!" I screamed when gunshots rang out from Yvan's gun. "If your family had not abandoned my parents, they would not have been harmed! They would not have been the tools of your family's enemy. The Revilla's, they burned my family alive! Just to show your family what they can do!"

Although I do not fully understand, I think I know the cause of Yvan's anger toward the Aronzagas. But if that's how I understand it, that's not enough reason to retaliate. It's not right to do these things just because of his tragic past.

"Your parents, they are the reason why I was left alone. If only they gave my father a chance." Yvan's eyes are full of anger.

"Your anger has eaten you Yvan. You can't even use your mind properly." Yshmael answered calmly. He's still furious, but I saw a glimpse of pity in his eyes, for his older brother, his almost brother. 

"Shut your fucking mouth, Yshmael! What do you think, that because your parents dressed and made me as one of you, I will forget everything?" Yvan is no longer sane. "Oh, my dear brother, you're a fool to believe that!"

"I'm not, Yvan. You are!" Yshmael answered, mocking him. "Do you think I have no knowledge of what you are doing and planning? No," he said sarcastically, emphasizing the last word. "I know everything. From your plan to your connection from the syndicates in the dark net. Including your contacts and businesses with black market. I know everything. That's why your plan to ambush my parents did not happen. Because I'm always ahead of you. I pretended they had a conference in Malaysia, but the truth is, I manipulated them to leave the country that's why your plan on them will fail."

I saw how shocked Yvan is. He stared at Yshmael. 

"You became Aronzaga, but your name is not enough for the people to trust you. They will stay loyal to a true Aronzaga blood, and that's not you!" Yshmael added, mocking, belittling Yvan.

Yvan Mortem let his anger control him. Before I could guess what he was going to do, he aimed his gun at Yshmael and fired without hesitation. 

Yshmael immediately fell to the floor, his right shoulder bled. 

"No!" I cried. But before I could help Yshmael, a big hand pulled my hair.

It just took seconds before I was lifted by the mad Yvan. 

I can no longer fight because of the pain in my scalp. Before I could get away, he pushed me. Yshmael caught me immediately before I finally stumble at the floor. 

"You two are perfect for each other! A proud heir and an inquisitive woman!"

I tried to ignore Yvan's wrath and put my hands on Yshmael's wound to somehow stop the bleeding. 

"And you!" Sir Yvan's voice echoed again throughout the place. I even felt him point his gun at me again. Yshmael quickly wrapped his arm around me. He shielded me from his brother's gun.

"You're one nosy girl, Maelanie. At first, I thought you're just a headache because you suddenly had an access to one of our group's private videos. I thought maybe it was just because of your curiousity that you got in there. But hell, you're too nosy to ignore! You knew too much and still wandering and digging for everything! And I want you dead! " 

I closed my eyes when I hear his declaration. And even though Yshmael covered both my ears I could still hear clearly what he was saying.

"But it's a good thing I don't kill you right away. Because of you, the two most important people I need in my operation spontaneously approached me. I didn't know that you were the only one I needed to get close to the people I wanted. I want them to be in my group." This time he was smiling. And it creeps me out.

Some armed men approached us. I was even more shocked when I saw the two men they were carrying. There are some scratches and wounds on the face. There is also some blood on their clothes and bodies.

"Page... Sage." I weep at the sight of the two. 

Page and my brother both smiled. They are telling me that they are okay even though they are obviously not.

Sage's eyes were almost closed but his eyes were still focused on me. Page's wrist was covered with blood, and it also does not look good.

I cried and if Yshmael didn't hugged me, I almost ran to the two of them, I don't care if Yvan or anyone else shoot me. 

"You beast!" I shouted when Yvan ordered his men to make Page and Sage kneel down before him.

"How funny..." Yvan resumed his litany. "I never think that your brother was connected to the loss of the flash drive that contains our private video. He's the one who stole that." 

Confused, I looked at my brother. It can't be.

"I didn't know that he's with Wilemna Salazar that day... Coincidence, right?" He said while smiling. He faced my brother, "Too bad, Wilemna's nowhere to be found."

Kuya smirked. He even spat in front of Yvan. "How sure are you, fake Aronzaga?" 

I could clearly see the anger that engulfed  Yvan and my whole body almost went cold when he pointed his gun at my brother's head. 

"No! Please, no!" I cried.

"Let's not be each other's headache, I will still need you, Master Recoon or should I call you Maser?" 

I felt deaf to what I heard. Maser? Master Recoon? I know I heard it right. 

"What? W-What did you say?"

Yvan turned to me. "Oh, how pitiful. You have no idea who your brother and friend are." He shook his head.

"Let me explain everything. My group has also been looking for these two people with big and well-known names in hacking in the underworld, Maelanie. And even in Deep Web and the darkest part of the net they are known, they can enter any sites and can find anything. That reason alone is enough to get my interest with them. But they are geniuses, they are elusive that's why no one can find them. But not now, because I found them both. Thanks to you." He paused, waiting for my reaction.

I do not know how to understand and accept everything he said. 

He resumed, "Well, are you familiar with the codenames, Eros, Invader, and Maser?" 

I saw Page flinched. He tilted his head slightly. And Yshmael's grip on me tightened. My brother closed his eyes.

I looked at Yvan again. I am not a newbie to Deep Web so I'm familiar with the two names he mentioned. Especially the best known in the world of Dark Net. 

Eros is a new hacker in Dark Net. He's a newbie but he immediately made a name for himself. Other than that I know nothing, I also have not been able to enter the world of the Deep Web for a long time.

Maser... He is not just a mysterious hacker but a genius one. He's a legend. He can track everyone, everything, anything without him, tracking by others.

And Invader... He is the same as Maser. He's just more playful because he comes out more in games related to hacking. But no one can track him down. As if everything about him was a trap.

"My brother is Eros. You're brother here, Sage Inocencio is no other than Master Recoon or Maser. And your friend, Primo Seo, he's Invader." Yvan unfolds the mysterious truths about my brother and Page's.

I almost closed my eyes. That's why I feel like I already know Master Recoon. And all those times I admitted Page was a good hacker, I didn't even think of that possibility.

"Now..." Yvan pointed his gun on my head.

Yshmael tried to protect me but one of his brother's men held him.

I can see the rage in my brother and Page's eyes. 

"Because of the reunion of these hackers on Dark Net today... You can do nothing but follow my wishes. If not, this beautiful head will... Boom!" Yvan said in exaggeration. He seemed very happy. 

I was too stunned. And the only reaction I gave to Yvan was hatred.

Yvan just raised an eyebrow at me. But that did not last long because suddenly, a body threw in front of him and before he could move, a black and long leg hit his head. He landed on a pile of logs and was hit by the logs the rolled down. He was stucked under the pile of the logs.

This formerly quiet part of the building has been replaced by chaos and noise. I never saw Sage again, when my eyes looked for them they were already fighting with Yvan's men. Leo Lee and their companions came out immediately to help.

"Rona!" From a distance I found the owner of that voice. It's Yshmael, "Get Lanie out of here!" He shouted before firing at the man who was about to hit the back of my brother who was busy fighting.

"Faster, Rona!" Page shouted in addition.

It was so chaotic and I can't find any of my companions.

Someone grabbed my wrist. I immediately flinched and tried to run away. 

"Lanie! It's me!" Rona said, she was the one who grabbed me and pulled me again. 

She's wearing an all black attire. Even her booths are black. And he was the owner of the leg that put Yvan to sleep.

We both ran away from there. She handed me a gun, a black revolver while she was holding a shot gun. The enemies blocking us immediately fled because of the weapon she was holding. 

The shotgun she was holding quickly ran out of bullet. There was another big man blocking our path today.

Annoyed, Rona grabbed the end of the shot gun and quickly hit it on the man's head. She's not satisfied yet and rode the man on the head. She hugged her thighs to the man's neck, squeezing it before slamming the man to the floor, like in those wrestling scenes. 

The man was even strangled before he completely lost consciousness.

Or maybe even a breath. 

"You're... g-good." I just said.

Rona winked at me. "Perks of being a martial art's student."

My eyes widened when I saw an attacker behind her. Without thinking, I immediately pointed my gun at the opponent and fired. The man immediately lay on the floor while his right chest was bleeding.

"Whoa!" Rona smiled widely. 

I winced. It's a self defense, I just said to myself. 

"Ah!" I was stunned when someone shot the gun I was holding. 

Rona quickly pulled me secretly into the piles of cement and steel.

"Oh, that witch." Rona cursed.

"It's R-Rhosean..." I chilled as I recognized who had shot us.

I looked at her in amazement. 

She smiled sadly. "She's Yvan Mortem's sister, Lanie. And she's the one who planned your abduction." 

We heard a rattle of if anything was approaching. So I lost time to be emotional with what I found out.

"Go!" Rona chases me away. "We need to separate. You go first." 

"No. I'll stay with you," I insisted. 

She smiled at me. "I can't let them get you again. Page and Master can't do anything when Yvan's men uses you. I'll promise, this witch won't kill me. My beauty won't be a waste!" She was still joking.

I weighed in on what she said. And even if I don't want to accept it, she is right. 

"Be careful." I said before crawling away. 

I saw a dark hallway. And before I could go straight there I turned to Rona's direction. Her attention was already on who's coming and she was holding an iron rod she had got somewhere.

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