Fuck.
God damn fucking bastard.
God damn fucking fuckery of mother fucking bastards.
It's the Devil in the flesh!
God damn Satan revealed itself since it knows that it no longer has a hold on me.
The Grinch promised to look after my family.
Louie and the kids, they are all safe now.
The Devil cant use them to threaten me anymore.
Yet here he is, letting his presence be known.
Reminding me that he's still got a tight hold on me.
That I could never really escape his grasp.
So, is he changing his target to Aahmes now?!
God damn it!
That bastard is the root of all this goddamn mess!
Fuck.
Of all the people who died in the Tanay incident, why is it that only he survived?
Damn it! I never should have sent Aahmes to that meeting alone!
We should have both stayed away.
In fact, we never should have left Batangas!
We should have just stayed there indefinitely `till all the news about the Club A incident had quieted down.
Damn it all to hell!
Good thing I used cash to pay for the beachfront property's down payment. There won't be much paper trail for them to follow. We can hide there in case we need to run.
But still...
Fuck!
"Eric, are you sure you're okay?"
My habibi came out of the bathroom and saw me pacing our bedroom. He pulled me over to our bed and sat beside me, his usual stoic face showing a hint of concern.
"I told you, you don't need to worry too much about that person. You know well that he can't do anything to us."
"I know, mahal, but... I still can't help but worry... I've told you before how that bastard has been threatening me and my family... He's the master of all the bastards in this country!"
"I know, but that is over now. He has nothing more to hold against you. You have nothing more to loose."
"Nothing... but you..."
I held Aahmes tightly in my arms. My anxiety slightly lessened as I felt his steady heartbeat against my chest.
"I know exactly why he suddenly showed up," I told him. "It's because he knows that I can run away from him now! What other reason is there for him to come to Universal Laboratories?"
"General de–"
"Don't say that name!" I stopped him. "You know what they say, when you speak of the devil!"
"Well, he can't just magically appear in our bedroom, now, can he?"
I look at Aahmes and couldn't believe that he can still crack jokes at a time like this!
"He wanted to inquire about the SGT kits," he told me. "He said he plans to gather unwanted omegas from shelters and orphanages and build a special military school to train them."
"Fuck... so he's planning to create an omega army?! Come to think of it, that would be possible with the number of unwanted omegas in the world... I wouldn't put it past him to create a private army of omegas that would obey his every command!"
"Maybe. He said though, that he plans to train omegas and teach them how to defend themselves. He plans to turn them into upstanding members of society."
"Defend? What does he think omegas are? Feeble weaklings who have no means to become upstanding members of society on their own?! I bet he's just making an excuse to collect omegas in hopes that he could catch a DOME along the way!"
"Actually, I think his cause is quite noble," Habibi said thoughtfully. "It is true that a lot of omegas end up in the system, and due to the small funding in government run facilities, these omegas are inadequately trained and usually end up as low income earners, or worst, get exploited in the sex industry."
"Ugh... you just don't know who that Demon is!" I moaned helplessly. "That bastard never does anything due to 'goodwill'. He always has something else in mind that would benefit him most!"
"I already know from your stories just how much of a bastard he is," agreed Aahmes, "but frankly, there is no longer a reason for you to fear him. All he can do now, is intimidate you. Which he seems to be doing a good job of."
I stared at Aahmes with my jaw hanging and had to take a deep breath to compose myself.
"You have a valid point here..." I sighed. "He obviously showed up to scare me... and he almost won there..."
"That is why we must show him that we are not afraid of him," Aahmes added with a nod.
He's right.
I shouldn't let the devil mess with me.
I mean, what more can he do to me now? The bomb inside my head had been defused, Louie's family is now safe, and it's not like he can intimidate a prince from the United Arab Countries of the Middle East.
"But I still don't like it. It doesn't feel right to sell him our SGT kits," I told Aahmes later as we both lay on our bed.
"Then, don't sell it to him," he answered back. "Frankly, using the SGT kits on orphans is quite unethical. Fosters are not supposed to choose a child. They should welcome the one given to them by the state. That is why it is usually not allowed for prospective fosters to view the children in an orphanage."
"Is that so?" I asked him. "You mean, they can't just point at one and say 'I choose you'?" I joked.
"Yes. By doing so, all the children would have a chance to be adopted, not just the favorable ones. This is also the reason why it is even forbidden to take photos of children inside orphanages."
"What if the fosters don't like what they get?"
"The orphanage usually asks the would be parents about their basic preferences, like age, primary gender, color and race. Uncovering the secondary gender of a child and using this as a preference for foster parents would be too biased. It would only lead to further discrimination which we already have so much of."
"That's it! We can use that argument to oppose the devil's plan to buy our SGT kits. I can just say that I won't sell the kits for ethical reason!" I finally found myself grinning.
"Exactly," said Aahmes. "In fact, I suggest we let your brother-in-law know about his plans. Invite Louie to our meeting on Monday, tell Mr. Derejedo about it as well."
"My Habibi really is the smartest!" I kissed Aahmes on the forehead. "This is why I love you so much!"
The next day, I had a video conference with Louie and Florence regarding the issue.
'Hmm... sounds like as interesting case...' Rence said thoughtfully. 'Count me in, what time should we meet at the Universal Laboratories building?'
"Habibi, what time was that meeting again?" I asked Aahmes beside me.
"Eight AM sharp."
'Huh. I'm sure my old man would be very interested in this case,' said Rence with a grin.`That Gen. De Leon is well known for being a sexist misogynist. He's againsteveryone and everything that he thinks can go up against alphas. I remember he was the first to go against omegas joining the military before. In fact, it's a mystery why he suddenly had a change of heart.'
'Exactly, I can't help but think that he plans to create an army of brainwashed omegas,' Louie said with a frown. 'Or perhaps, he thinks of omegas as disposable soldiers?' his frown deepened.
"Oi, you didn't hear that from me, okay?" I piped in.
'Just wait for us tomorrow," said Rence. "We'll be there before 8.'
I couldn't help but feel anxious when Monday came.
It's been about six years since I last saw the devil. He even tried to kill be back then, if not for the Spider backing me up.
I mean, he literally aimed a .45 caliber to my head.
I simply closed my eyes then, my body trembling, as I thought that perhaps it wouldn't be so bad, as long as I get to see Kuya Jonas even for a little bit, before I end up burning in hell.
That's how terrified I am of that bastard.
That's why I kept my word and lived low and quiet and out of his goddamn sight. I didn't even do it for my sake, but for Louie and the kids. And now we're about to have a fucking reunion...
If Louie only knew who this person truly is and what he's capable of doing, I bet he'd be scared shitless, too. I mean, the big shots and politicians he's been going against are nothing compared to this devil.
This one isn't afraid of anything, not even the law.
He is the law.
That's what makes him so fucking dangerous.
"Eric, are you finished?"
Aahmes knocked on the bathroom door. I was taken aback as I stare at the shaved face on the mirror.
I had to see Kuya to give me strengthen for this fight.
"Yeah, I'm coming."
I open the bathroom door and find him leaning on the door frame. He smiled as he saw me.
"I love it when you shave, you look so much more handsome." He kissed my cheek and gave me a quick hug. "I've placed your suit on the bed, hurry up and get dressed while I take my bath."
He chose a black suit for me to wear. Next to it is his usual white suit. I dressed up and combed my shoulder length hair, put on some socks and my wristwatch. I was fixing my tie when Aahmes came out of the bath.
"Your tie is crooked," he approached me. "Are you still nervous?"
"W-who you calling nervous? I'm ready to face the devil!"
He nodded at me and took off his robe to dress himself.
I actually feel like dragging him back to bed and pulling the sheets over us.
"Are you sure you are okay?"
I didn't even notice my hand reaching out to grab his sleeve.
"Never better!" I quickly let go.
Aahmes touched for my cheeks and looked me straight in the eyes. I couldn't help but look away.
"Eric, there's nothing to be afraid of." He reassured me.
"I know," I mumbled back.
He pulled me closer with a sigh and held my tightly for a while, melting my anxiety away.
"I cooked your favorite longsilog for breakfast," he told me after a while. "Go head and have some coffee while you wait for me."