Protecting Aces

He sat quietly in the swivel chair while one hand played the red soft stress ball. He leaned back in his seat while waiting patiently for someone he hadn't talked to in a long time since after the Silver Game five years ago.

He rolled his eyes around his office. The place was spacious. The things he put in the office from the drawer, bookshelf, leather couches, glass centered table, paintings, cactus plant pot, computer sets, glass desk, air-conditioned environment, and his vintage cartridge were all expensive.

His gaze shifted to the door opening. He adjusted his eating, straightening his broad back. A woman with long straight hair like the color of the night entered. His deep dark blue eyes went to the woman"s outfit, a fitted purple tee shirt, high waist tattered black jeans, five inches black boots heels, and she's holding the black denim jacket on her arm.

"Am I too late, Windfall?" she asked him as she sat in the chair opposite him.

A broadened smile set on his face. "Not that long, Demise. And? Why does it bring you here?"

"I have something to ask of you," she said as the aura of her face changed. Gone is the bright smile and happy eyes settled on her face. Now he confirmed it's not as simple as what her expression look.

"What?" He seriously laid both arms on the desk, playing his chin with his hand.

He stared intently into her striking violet eyes. A natural inborn by her. Her red lips turn into a smirk. One of his eyebrows rose at what she did.

"I have something important to do. I'll leave my position being a leader for a year or so."

He could not believe what she had stated. What was it that made her leave for a few years?

"What! Are you serious of it, Demise?" His two eyebrows furrowed.

"Very serious, Windfall. About that thing, I'm going to beg you," she said while crossing her leg.

He leaned back in his seat, picked up the stress ball he had placed next to the desk near his phone. He was playing that. He could barely contain the surprise Demise had given him. He sighed. Demise had been silent before when he was silent for a while.

"Okay," he said at last. That was the only word Demise was waiting for from him.

"I owe you with this, Windfall." A big smile curved, seeing her pearly white and even teeth.

"You know it, tell me ..." He looked at her directly to her beautiful face.

"I'm giving the position to her, you know her, right?" He nodded. He knew who the woman was she talking about.

"I also told them that I was leaving because of a mission given to me by the emperor. I know I shouldn't be lying to them, but that would be the best reason they would believe. Windfall, could you watch over her? I don't want anything terrible to happen to her, especially since she has something they are looking for. Swear it to me?" Only now did he see her solemn face again.

What can he do? An exasperated breath leaves his mouth. "I swear it."

"Thanks, Windfall. You're the best brother I could lean on," she gently tapped his hands placed on his desk.

"No worry, Demise," he said, forcing a smile. "Before you leave, tell me, what's the true reason why you're leaving?"

Demise took a deep breath, and her pale eyes looked out the window. That"s heavy, and he knows-the reason why was too heavy to be told.

"I'll clean the mess I did five years ago, Windfall. I don't want the past ruining the future ahead. I don't want them hurt..."

He was stunned by the tears running down her face. Now he knows what she means!

Venice threw the Swiss knife she was holding at the target board. That landed in the middle of the round dot color. She took another swiss knife at the table near her where the three more swiss knives were placed. As before that hit the middle of another target board One meter away from each panel, she followed the three more that hit the middle of the three target boards that were left, which was ten meters away from where she was standing.

"Very impressive, eh!" Venice immediately turned to the woman speaking behind her, and she didn"t expect her to be here right away.

The woman was folding her arms, and a smile was plastered on her face. "Why are you here, Airiz?" Venice asked her as she stepped closer to the edge of the table.

Airiz came over and stopped next to Venice. It seems Airiz was not in the mood. "I should be asking why are you here? You suddenly missed your class earlier? Problem?" Airiz's eyes were set on the target boards.

Airiz Encinas is two inches taller than Venice, her long red hair wavy, her nose long and thin curved with a lovely sculpture including her dark red eyebrows. She has an oval face, thin red lips, and porcelain white skin: a slim body figure and two piercing dark red eyes.

Venice sat down at the table and took the phone out of her crisp jeans pocket. "There's a reason why I was absent, Airiz. Because of this," she said and showed Airiz the picture.

She was staring at what Venice showed her. Her eyebrows furrowed. The question cannot be removed from those faces she had. "Who's that?" Airiz's questioning eyes stared at Venice, confused about who and what"s the picture for.

"Have you heard about the name, Tri-Avo? Aces?" at what Venice said, shock registered on Airiz's face. Airiz knew him very well because that group was well-known, especially Aces.

"Yes, don't tell me this guy is Aces?" Airiz said in her tone of disbelieve.

She looked again at the picture of a man smiling with a man with his back turned. He looked at the man's outfit, a dark coat and tie, buzz cut, athletic lean body type, broad shoulder with his deep raven dark eyes, long nose, tan skin, and a head-turner face. How can you imagine that the man in the picture is one of Osetra Underworld"s wanted lists? The same criminals chased criminals. The last thought shook Venice.

"Real name, Ivan Dutch Demonie," Venice casually added.

"Don't tell me; this is our new request?" Airiz waved at Venice, and there was an unexpected expression.

Venice gave Airiz her wicked smile. "You got it, but-"

"Uhuh! Why did you accept this request? Ven, we don't accept requests to the Osetra Underworld? You know why..." Airiz widens her eyes at Venice, and her face turns serious, and she will not accept the request if it is related to that organization. It"s no way! That's Airiz. So she understood Airiz.

Venice stood up from the seat with her serious face when she met Airiz's gaze. That stares she used to Venice when she's annoyed.

"The Emerald Empress gave us this request. She was the reason why I missed class. We talked about the request she gave. She wants us to get Ivan before the Osetra Underworld's Assasin get and kill him after," Venice explanation. She was not taking her eyes off Airiz.

Venice doesn"t want to accept the empress"s request if she does not pray to her. It doesn"t seem like, please talk about what she did to her because she gave Venice something she can"t refuse. It's between life and death how she hated that empress much. Why influential people do what they want to do, go them to hell! She secretly clenched her palms and sighed then smiled at Airiz.

Venice knows they would understand it...

Airiz averted her eyes from Venice knowing she didn"t want to see the anger in her eyes. Angry at what they do to them. What they think of the Rogues Society to them? One of the hired servants to do the things they want! Venice have long been obsessed with them and she know that they were only used by the organization that includes their group called Rose Sisters.

What else can they do? If that wasVenice'se decision, Airiz could do nothing more. If Porphyra was here, she would do the same.

"Okay," Airiz said helplessly, looking at Venice.

Venice put the phone back in her jeans pocket and adjusted the crunchy in her dark blue hair over shoulder length. "Come on, and we'll talk to Audrei about the new request."

Venice walked out the door of the training gym first. The gym is spacious and all the training equipment is there. She saw in the large mirror on the right side of the gym Airiz with her poker face following her, hearing Airiz frustrated sigh and she could not hide from Venice her dislike for the request they received. And again Venice clenched her fist of the reason why she can't say no.

'Just say yes to it, Flavus if you don't want Erythrose brother in danger not unless if you want it,' and a devilish grin came out in the empress face.

"WHAT ?! Why did you do this to us, Ven? Why did you betray us. Why?" dramatically Audrei-Audrei Janelle Daziel said to Venice who was sitting with two feet resting on the centered table while chewing bubble gum in her mouth.

Venice can feel Audrei"s disgust at what she found out. Well, they can't do anything else, Venice have accepted it.

Airiz gave a loud smack on Audrei's head. Airiz hates Audrei"s drama. Whether it can be called Audrie being overreacting or is it just her being dramatic. So often they quarrel which Venice resent of how they immature, which little things are too big with the two.

"Why did you do that to me, Airiz. Do you want a fight from me? You thought it does not hurt, what if I do it toyou?" Audrei annoyance to Airiz.

Airiz just stared at her and threw a white folder at Audrei when she sat on the other couch in front of Venice.

"What is this?" Audrei asked Airiz and Venice. Her forehead furrowed.

"Why not open it and you'll know what it is?"Airiz lazily remarked, like Audrie, she was also holding a white folder.

They were in the basement of the Sisters Secret Club that they owned. Lots of people upstairs. Drinking, dancing, unwinding and getting drunk. A club only for those rich one or those person who can afford luxurious club like that. Because their customers were rich, their club earns a lot.

Audrei moved quickly to sit next to Airiz. Then she opened the white folder and glanced at the picture of a man before moving to another page.

"Ivan Dutch Demonie one of the well-known bachelor businessman in the Philippines. The youngest and the most prominent one in the term of business succession. He own the Herlix Empire Company who export and import poultry meat, pineapples and canned goods worldwide. He also had other business in some part of the world one of this business hit his big name is the Isla Conora beach resort not including the Conora hotels and Condominium," Audrei read aloud without taking her eyes off the page.

Venice leaned back in the seat. Tired, she want to sleep straight now and she looked at the folder she was also holding. There was written information about Aces or Ivan.

He was the first son of Gregory Demonie one of the well-known pioneer in the name of oncologist. The son of the actress Hera Marie Demonie. Having two siblings, Ishara Demonie and Besmo Demonie.

Name: Ivan Dutch Demonie

Age: 26 years old

Height: 5'8

Graduated: Xavier University

Course: Engineer

Status: Single

Other background

One of the Tri-Avo the highly dangerous gangster in Osetra Underworld. He uses the name Aces. Good in guns and swords. One of the best hacker in Osetra.

"This is all the information you got?" Audrei turned to Airiz when everything was read.

"Tsss, you should be the one doing my part if that's easy? You can't easily get the information you want through computers or hacking a system only. You know how smartass the Osetra people were; they put all the confidential somewhere can't be reached by technology. They're doing the other way, put in a file or chips and kept it secret, blah blah," Airiz explained in a tone of annoyance.

"You're right. Just wait. Ven, tell me why you accepted the request? Maybe the Empress did something to you? Don't lie," Audrei said in Venice's direction; she looked at her carefully.

Venice sighed.

"We should understand that we're still part of the Rogues Society ... We can't say no to them, especially that we are under the eighth emperor." Venice removed the placement of her feet on the center table and sat properly. She stared into Audrei's eyes, and Audrie raised an eyebrow and sighed. She can't fight Venice with a look; she can't win over her.

"But ... Even." Audrei's worried face at Venice. "We don't care what's going on in the Rogues Society and the Osetra Underworld. We're not part of it anymore," she reasoned.

Audrei was fitting that they were no longer involved in the problem of the two organizations. They will not interfere because if they do that, they might get caught up in their quarrel. For sure, group life will be in great danger.

"You're right, Drei, but since that was the Emerald Empress's order, saying no is not in the option." Even if Venice refuses if one of her friends or the family of one of them is harmed, she has no other way to accept that.

"What can we do," Audrie"s bitter statement. "Let's start the request; what are we waiting for?" Her words after a few seconds of silence.

Airiz just looked at Venice with her head shook.

"Let"s start creating the plan on getting Ivan, also known as Aces," Venice agreed.

"Wait? Did Emerald say why we need to get Ivan? So how important is Ivan to Emperor?" Critical looked at what Audrei gave Venice.

"The Empress just told us to take Ivan. That's just it-the end of the conversation. Before I forgot, the emperor gave us half of Ivan's head money as payment in our bank account. Half the price ..." A broad smile curved in Venice's lips. They will still be paid for what they do, so it"s not that bad either.

"Oh great! I thought we're doing it freely," Airiz exclaimed happily. Money for her was the only thing that was worth having.

"Maybe I can go on vacation to Isla Conora?" Audrei's laughter made Venice smile. It has long been on her five bucket lists to get to Isla Conora.

"If that's so, Drei," Airiz smirked at Audrei, which caused a frown on her face.

"You really kill joy," Audrei said with her tongue out at Airiz.

"Immature. Someone's immature here. How unbelievable," Airiz said, pailing.

Before the two could quarrel, Venice suppressed the commotion. They can do nothing if she let the immaturity of these two.

"That's enough. Let's start creating a plan now, and times are a thief ..." Venice said, taking the iPad to the central table of the living room.

The inside of the basement rumbled because of the suggestions of each of them, what are the plan and how. They were in the middle of deciding what plan we could make when Venice's phone rang. She took it out of her jeans pocket and frowned to find out who was calling. The Emerald Empress. Airiz and Audrei looked at her. Maybe the two were wondering who was calling her at this time.

"Who's that?" Audrei's unbearable question was to know who was calling and what the caller needed.

"No other than the one who gives this request," Venice smirked with eyebrows arched upward.

"You'll answer the call, or you'll let her bitchiness trouble us?" Airiz words and she returned to what she was doing on his laptop. They were all annoyed by the woman.

"Okay," Venice wasn't happy with what she was doing.

Venice answered the woman's call, and she couldn't even say hello hearing the angry and authoritative voice on the other line.

One of Airiz's eyebrows rose when she heard the Empress's loud voice on Venice's phone. She sneered at Venice and smiled.

I know this lady is a shit! Venice shouts in her mind. She just let the woman on the other line carry on and listened carefully to what she was saying about what the emperor wanted them to do.

What do they think? Will they do what they want their group to do? Shut up, and remember we had free will! Venice wanted to yell to the person she was talking to, and she was about to speak, but the woman on the other line was gone. Wow! That's great! The bitch gives us her bitchiness. Annoying! She gritted in her thought.

"How great you ended the call, bitch ..." Venice angrily threw away the phone she had just bought a week ago. It hit the ruined wall as it fell to the floor. When she gets annoyed, she can't control herself.

I'm sorry, I'm just a person who got mad, she said in her mind.

Venice didn't have to say what she and the woman talked about because Airiz and Audrie had been listening to the conversation before. If it can be called that there is a conversation on her part.

"I think it's better for you, Ven, to buy a disposable phone than the original. It's a pity seeing the broken thing," Audrei suggested.

"I don't think so if Zel will consider your proposal," joked Airiz.

"Hahahaha, give me five because it's so funny," Audrei said sarcastically.

"Thank you," Airiz sneered.

Audrei took a deep breath because she was affected by Airiz's teasing. "Whatever, let"s go back to where we left off," she changed the topic.

"I'll get some drinking water for a while; I feel my burning head," Venice said goodbye to the two while heading to the kitchen.

The kitchen was on the right door, just a few steps away, and she had reached the kitchen, and opened the refrigerator, took a cold plastic bottled water, opened it, and drank. She could feel the cold water in her throat, which gave her a refreshing mind.

Venice handled the bottled water carefully as her eyes were fixed on a picture glued to the refrigerator, and sadness gradually engulfed her. There are four women in the photo smiling happily while hugging each other. Her eyes diverted at the woman next to her in the picture.

I still believe you are still alive, Athena. You promised me you'll be back and I'll wait for that day.