“This is the headquarters of the Red Cartel. The members would train here, have conferences, and plan their missions for execution in specific deadlines,” Karlo elucidated with his tone being careful as we watched the door at the end of the hallway. “You will be frequenting in visiting the headquarters now, Minerva. This will be your second home.”

I looked up to him who was beside me and furrowed my eyebrows, slowly shaking my head. “Up until now, I still think you speak gibberish.”

Karlo’s expression softened. “You will think otherwise once we go inside,” he said and offered his hand in front of me. “Shall we?”

My eyes averted to his hand. Sighing, I accepted his hand and let myself be guided while walking through the silent, eerie hallway. Red Cartel. The placard was shoveling my senses. It was as if trying to connect inside my brain.

Karlo let go of me when he clicked the buttons of the numbers beside the door. It needed a password to enter, of course. After that, he placed his palm on the sensor as I saw its green light scanner. The door reacted, unlocking itself. Karlo glanced at me, held my hand, and pushed the metal door.

The lights from inside almost blinded me, but when my eyesight adjusted for a while, my lips parted slowly in amusement and curiosity as I ventured my gaze. It was not a simple, small room. It was a hella big and wide place. We were on the second floor, meaning below us, there were people training martial arts, others were passing by while talking, and some looked above to where we were. I don’t know how to describe the place, but what I know is that it was a lot bigger than our mansion. There were a lot of doors shut on one, two, three, and four floors, and I have no idea what floors they are for.

Red. Black. White. Gold. Those were the colors I always saw from the paintings, walls, ceilings, doors, floors - every corner of the headquarters. There were a lot of people, as if it were a mall, but I felt so intimidated because of how they were physically fighting below us, and how they looked as if they were brave soldiers, but in black and red. It was not a grand headquarters. It looked like a training headquarters but felt so grand, royal, and bloody dangerous. These people I see… are not ordinary. I know that.

“Mr. Rodriguez, welcome back to the headquarters…”

We regarded a woman who approached us from the second floor as I was watching the whole place. She was wearing combat clothes and shoes, and her forehead was a little bit sweaty. Her hair was in a tight ponytail. She was holding two knives in each of her hands. Her chest was heaving up and down. She must have been training a while ago and saw us.

“Glaidel,” Karlo muttered and turned to the woman.

When I looked at Carlo, he came from shifting his weight as if he was just watching me until interrupted by the company. He cleared his throat. I was just by the railing as I watched their interaction. The woman named Glaidel bowed his head, like it were a respectful regard to the man beside me.

“It’s been two weeks since you visited. You must be busy with your organization,” the woman said.

“Yes. I had to monitor them so they would tighten their security. Minerva had a lot of social parties weeks ago, and I can’t leave her alone,” Karlo explained, subtly blaming me.

What the hell?

I was about to react when he turned to me, urging the woman to also look at me. I frowned and tried stopping myself from rolling my eyes.

“Minerva, this is Gaidel Rosa. She is one of the in-charge with the weaponry here in Red Cartel, making her a high-positioned member,” Karlo started to introduce the woman in front of us.

“Hello, my lady. Nice meeting you,” Gaidel said monotonously and also slightly bowed her head as a respectful regard.

“Hi…” I said and smiled that didn’t reach my eyes.

“Gaidel, Minerva is… the daughter of Dranreb Santiago and Erich Santiago,” Karlo stated as if it were a revelation. “She is Minerva Santiago-Rodriguez. My wife.”

“Bloody…” Gaidel muttered as her eyes widened at my presence, unlike a while ago when she was monotone. “My lady, I apologize for not recognizing you immediately. It’s been decades since I saw you. You were just a kid when I babysat you!”

My face was already disoriented in blunt confusion. I laughed feigningly and caressed my nape.

“I don’t…. even know what to say…” I said awkwardly.

“The assassins must be notified by you being here, because this is an important matter!” Gaidel said dramatically and was about to turn her back on us.

Karlo stopped her, though, “Gaidel, halt,” he commanded. “Everyone should not know about Minerva.”

“But, sir-“

“We must talk in the conference room. Not here.”

Gaidel Rosa did not try to protest anymore when Karlo was authoritative. Instead, she nodded and made way in front of us.

“Then this way, sir, my lady…” she said.

My goodness. Are we some kind of royalty that she has to bow and act like a slave?

Karlo led the way. I followed while still looking around the huge headquarters of their headquarters. Gaidel was the one behind me, but when we reached a certain door on the third floor after walking up a staircase, Gaidel preceded me and opened the door herself. Karlo made way for me, so I arched my eyebrow.

The whole conference room had red painted walls. There was a projector at the corner of the room, a laptop on the big conference table, and numerous swivel chairs. It was air-conditioned. There was a whiteboard on the left side of the table, containing pictures of people, written information, and connecting red lines. I could not recognize any of them.

“Sit here…”

Karlo pulled out one of the chairs in front of me. Clearing my throat, I sat. He sat in the capital chair as if he were born to sit there. Gaidel, on the other hand, sat in front opposite to me.

“I want my wife to train here in the headquarters,” Karlo said to Gaidel. “She never… knew about the Red Cartel, Gaidel. Not any of the members; not any of our enemies; nothing.”

“But why?” Gaidel asked, glancing at me as if I knew why. “Did Mr. Santiago not tell you about anything, my lady? It can’t be right, since you are destined to rule the Red Cartel. No one is the rightful heir, except you.”

“Look, Gaidel,” I said and raised my hand in front of her face even though she was far away from me. “Will you stop calling me ‘my lady’? It sounds so ancient royal, and second of all - cringe! And I only knew about this headquarters that was led by my parents last morning, and this is all so shocking to me.”

“My wife is right,” Karlo agreed, so Gaidel looked at him. “Her parents kept it a secret from her. I think it was Mrs. Santiago who convinced Mr. Santiago because they want Minerva to live a good, comfortable, and normal life. So they didn’t show her to you, so enemies would not know about her.”

“But without the heiress, the organization falls, sir,” Gaidel concluded firmly.

“That is why they betrothed her to me,” Karlo retorted. “They wanted me to take charge, so I could keep her safe… until she was attacked by enemies from another organization. Her life was at stake if I did not interfere instantly.”

“It only means that the enemies knew about the heiress, and they feel threatened by her legacy.” Gaidel inhaled sharply and regarded me with her warning gaze. “My lady, if you were faced by the enemies, there is no doubt that they know you as the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Santiago. They will chase you and hunt you down until they kill you.”

Her words sent shivers down my spine, and my head felt so light. I could not accept it. The memory of me being pointed a gun at by my own friend way back in college flashed behind my mind. It sounded so absurd - everything I am seeing and hearing now - and it does not sound like me if I am the heiress of this stupid organization.

I don’t get why my parents are dead. I don’t get this organization they built. And I don’t get why they kept this a secret from me, despite their reasoning that they just want me to live a normal life… and now what? I’m getting killed either way?

“But why don’t we introduce her to the members, sir?” Gaidel asked Karlo.

“Because she has to train very hard here in the organization. If they know her identity, they will take it easy on her. Worse, she’ll keep being a brat,” Karlo said.

“What the-!” I was about to exclaim angrily and smack the shit out of Karlo.

“If so, then shall we start training her?” Gaidel asked.