"I also expect Cyron's anger towards me, Thaliana. Who would be happy to find out that his brother, someone he trust, helped the woman he's supposed to marry, only to be deceived?"
"Cyron was hurt so bad, Thaliana. Like you, I will also accept his anger towards me—"
"B-But you're not at fault; I'm the one at fault for why Rozzean got angry at you. The first time you found out that I'm Thaliana, you immediately warned me, but I was the stubborn one. I-I'm sorry, even your family's relationship got messed up because of me."
Luther raised his hand, smiled at me, and gently touched the top of my head.
"I decided to help you; it was my own decision, not because you told me. Do you think it's easy to make someone like me follow orders, Thaliana?"
"L-Luther..."
"I can handle his anger, Thaliana, don't worry about me. Focus on how you can regain Cyron's trust now. You cannot expect your father to choose him again as your fiance if he's this angry, Thaliana. For the second time, because of Cyron's anger towards you for deceiving him, he might turn his back on you. George Dela Vezca might do something drastic."
I nodded slowly in response to Luther's words.
He's right. But I will still talk to Daddy. I will confess to everyone what I did. That I was the one who made Rozzean back out. Daddy will surely be furious with me, but I need to face the consequences of my actions.
Many of them got involved.
"And... Thaliana, about your cousin that you mentioned. Maki, right? You told me at your flower shop that your cousin helped you to get home."
I looked up at Luther when he mentioned that.
"Why? Yes, Maki is my cousin. He's the one who helped me that night. Actually, in the morning, he went to Rozzean's house to tell me about the situation, and my family thought something bad happened to me."
I noticed Luther sighing several times.
"I just heard that he was in the hospital."
"W-What?!"
Maki?! What happened to him? The last message I received from him was when I was asking about Rozzean. I haven't talked to him since then. What happened to Maki?
My question was answered when I heard a call from Griz, my second sibling.
"Hello?"
"Where are you? You haven't arrived home yet. I called the guardhouse of your village, Tangi. They haven't seen your car entering."
I left my car at the restaurant earlier.
"Why, Griz? I'm in Tagaytay. I'm with Luther. We're on our way back."
"Luther? Oh... Luther Valleje, your fiance. I just called to check where you are. It's almost 11:00 pm, Tangi. You know there's a threat to Grand's life, right? Anyone in our family, especially you, could be at risk, especially being outside at this hour."
Luther briefly looked at me. He stopped his car at a convenience store, got out, and went inside.
"I'm fine, brother, we're just in Tagaytay because there's..."
I remembered Rozzean. I took a deep breath and continued talking.
"We just talked to an important person. I'm on my way back. Luther will take me home."
"Okay. Tangi, keep safe. Also, have you heard about what happened to Maki?"
That's what I want to know! Our conversation was cut off when Luther received a call!
"W-What? What happened to Maki, brother?"
"He was beaten; Tyra found Maki unconscious and badly beaten in his own house. He was rushed to the hospital immediately. When he regained consciousness, we asked who did it, but Maki just said it was his fault."
Tyra, one of our cousins, discovered him. She lives next door to Maki. What the hell...
"Tyra slapped him hard, not considering that he already had wounds. We all know that Maki is a womanizer, right? Maybe someone beat him up because of a woman. Perhaps the girl he took out has a connection to someone."
Oh God... I feel awful about this.
"I-I will visit him tomorrow, brother."
"Okay, maybe we will too, but it seems like he's trying to get out of the hospital because he's been there for two days already. He just doesn't want to leave because there's a nurse he likes, according to Tyra. He will never change. He'll probably remain a womanizer until he dies."
T-Two days? Sht.
After bidding goodbye to my brother, Luther entered the car. He was holding a paper bag, and he handed it to me. When I looked inside, there were bottled water and chocolates.
"To make you feel better. Drink plenty of water, too. You've been crying since we were at the restaurant."
He's kind... I really feel guilty that he got involved in my mess.
But, wait, about Maki!
"W-What happened to Maki? My brother told me that he was beaten. Maki doesn't want to say who did it to get revenge... but I have someone in mind, Luther. D-Don't tell me..."
Luther sighed and held my face.
"If your cousin went to Cyron's house, my brother probably saw him on the CCTV."
I gasped. It didn't cross my mind that Rozzean might go to Maki!
"And because you were missing, Cyron will doubt the last person who went to his house before you disappeared. Maki was the last one to visit his house, right?"
"Surely the guards mentioned it. Cyron might have thought that Maki was the reason you went missing, so he beat up your cousin."
"O-Oh... God..." I covered my mouth upon hearing what Luther said.
"It's a good thing that your cousin didn't file a case, Thaliana. Maki would have a strong case against Cyron if he sued him because my brother was the one who went to his house just to beat him up."
Luther started his car again, and I took out my cellphone. My hands were trembling as I called Maki. It was a video call so I could see his face.
I can't wait to see him tomorrow, so I am calling him now. I am worried. It's my fault that this happened to him!
"When you visit tomorrow and see Maki, please tell him thank you for not filing a case against Cyron."
What Luther said sounded like he's not serious about it. I looked at my cellphone. After a few rings, my cousin answered the video call. When I saw him, I covered my mouth again.
"Hey, Thaliana, I guess what happened to me reached you already. Who told you?" he asked and laughed.
How could he still laugh?! He was really beaten to a pulp!