Sweet Downfall (8 page)

Now, he might do some time, indeed.

Angie, where are you? Don’t forget me.

Jaq’s wait was over.
Two separate complaints were formally filed against him. The charges of illegal possession of firearm and possession of prohibited substance came from two government agencies.

The third complaint was filed by Angie.

Abduction and rape.

That left him in a state of absolute shock.

He couldn’t comprehend it. It didn’t make any sense. No sense at all.

Angie won’t do this to him. He was sure Manolo Yulo had something to do with it! He had to talk to her! God, this can’t be happening!

He asked his lawyer to contact Kit.

“Bro, I need to talk to Angie. Can you arrange it?”

“You know that’s impossible, Jaq. After everything that happened, you think her father and brothers will let her out of their sight?”

His shoulders sagged. “I’m being charged with rape, Kit.”

“Maaan…Did you…you didn’t…?”

He expelled a breath. “Yes, I did. It wasn’t rape though. He’s my girlfriend, man.”

“Aw, shit…”

“Okay, Kit, thanks for all the help. Really appreciate it, man.”

“Anytime, bro. Whatever you need, just tell Glenn, okay? We’re just here, man. We’re behind you.”

“Yeah, thanks. Bye.”

When he finally read Angie’s affidavit of testimony,
Jaq refused to believe it.

She cannot do this to him. Not his Angie. She cannot just tell these lies about him, about them so conveniently. They loved each other. He loved her. She loved him. She had told him so many times. They had vowed to be together for always as husband and wife.

But she put her signature on the dotted line.

The woman he loved was accusing him of rape, betraying him in the most painful way. And without a doubt, with all the other evidence that would corroborate her claim, he knew, he will be found absolutely guilty.

He was given ten days to file a counter-affidavit.

He stared at Angie’s testimony. The words blurred and his eyes swam with tears. There was a dead weight in his chest it hurt to breathe.

“Jaq?” he heard Glenn say. The lawyer’s voice seemed to come from a distance, yet he was just sitting opposite him on the table. “Are you alright?”

He inhaled deeply, hating the emotions threatening to break him. “Yeah…please, give me a minute, attorney.”

Glenn nodded in understanding and stayed quiet for a few minutes while Jaq struggled to make semblance of what just happened.

Finally, he spoke. “Okay, tell me my position here, attorney.”

Glenn went straight to the heart of the matter. “You’re facing four possible charges and they will be tried separately. Illegal possession of firearm is bailable. Possession of prohibited drugs is bailable. The others, abduction and rape are not bailable, meaning it is the court’s discretion whether you are granted bail or not and with the evidence presented against you, I can say, the court will not rule in your favor. However I see it, you will stay here as the case progresses.”

He nodded, barely understanding Glenn’s explanation. His thoughts were muddled and his heart was in pieces. But he heard the last sentence clearly. He will rot in jail for as long as he was on trial.

“With the first two charges, we can do little to deny them, Jaq. You were busted with those solid evidence in your possession. I will advise you to just admit the offenses so you’ll have a lesser sentence. I don’t know how in hell Senator Marcus Benedicto’s hand gun came into your possession but I know there’s a logical explanation to that and I will hear it from you soon.”

Again, he just nodded.

“What we’d need to really focus on are the rape and abduction charges. These are grave criminal offenses, Jaq and you could go to jail for life if found guilty. This is the process. We have to submit a counter-affidavit as soon as possible. The fiscal will review your affidavit and Angie’s and he will judge if the charges against you have sufficient merit to proceed to trial. That’s why your written testimony is very important. We will counter Angie’s allegations in detail. Read her testimony very carefully, repeatedly so that you will know how to refute her claims in a manner that is believable, enough for the fiscal to junk the charges for lack of merit. Don’t worry, I will assist you every step of the way in drafting this. Just be eloquent in your expression. Clarity and order of your thoughts and recollection are very important.”

He looked his lawyer straight in the eye. “What are the chances of me walking away from the rape charge?”

“That will depend on your testimony and Angie’s. This is a difficult case, Jaq. But I will do everything I can to help you.”

That was almost a conviction but he tried to show his appreciation of this person who was his main lifeline right now. He had no choice but to trust him completely. “Thank you so much, attorney. I will read this again. Tomorrow, I’d be ready to write down my affidavit.”

The lawyer gave him a sad, sympathetic look. “Are you okay here? They’re not harassing you or anything?”

He shook his head. So far, he had been left alone by his cell mates. He couldn’t say the same when he got transferred to a bigger cell some place else. He inwardly shuddered at the thought. “I’m okay. Thank you.”

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Glenn left.

He no longer went over Angie’s testimony again.

He cannot bear to read her ugly lies the second time.

Debra stood in the middle of the vast room,
her insides quivering in fear. Everything she saw spoke of power. It was the last place she wanted to be in.

After that single phone call to Ruben, Jaq never made contact again. Together with Ruben and Celica and some of their relatives, they looked for Jaq in all the possible places he could be but they didn’t find him. They’d learned from Dario that Jaq had indeed stayed for a couple of days at their rest house with a beautiful young woman Jaq had claimed to be his girlfriend, confirming her worst fear– Jaq had fallen in love with Manolo’s daughter.

Of all the young women in the world...! God!

Jaq was missing for more than a week now. She went to the police with Ruben and Celica to report Jaq’s disappearance but until now, he had not been located. She was so afraid something bad had happened to her son. She couldn’t go on asking the people who knew Jaq one by one. She went straight to the person she knew who can give her answers.

A door opened.

Manolo Yulo came out.

They stared at each other.

The huge room seemed too small now to contain all the painful memories between them. Two decades shrunk into this very moment.

“What are you doing here?” Manolo spoke, his voice cold. Very cold.

“Manolo,” she uttered his name softly. She had not said it aloud in so long. “Manolo…my son. Where is my son?”

He didn’t answer and continued staring at her with stoic calm.

She took a step toward him. “Manolo, I beg you, whatever my son did, please forgive him. He’s a good boy–”

“He abducted my daughter,” he said softly but his voice was full of quiet menace.

She shook her head. “No, Jaq would never do such a thing. Manolo, please!”

“He raped her.”

She blanched. “No! Jaq would never... I raised him well...”

He expelled a scoffing laugh. “Yes, you indeed raised him. I expected no less from a whore’s son. He will rot in jail, I swear, Debra.”

He turned around.

She grabbed his arm. “Manolo, please I’m begging you! He’s so young, only twenty-three! Can we talk about this? Compromise? Please!”

He wrenched his arm from her grasp.

“Manolo, please, don’t hurt my son. Can’t you see, the children eloped! Jaq did not kidnap your daughter. They were having a relationship! Jaq loves her, I am sure! He will take care of her, marry her–”

“You think I’d let your son taint my blood, you bitch? I’ll kill him before that happens! Get out!”

She stared at the man she had once loved with all her heart, tears running down her face. “Manolo…do you really hate me this much? All these years, you still haven’t forgiven me?”

His eyes became shuttered. He didn’t answer.

“This is not about the children, is it? This is about us. You want me to pay for the past and you’re making me pay through my son.”

He finally smiled. A smile so diabolical it chilled her to the bone. “I’ll call you when the verdict is out. You will be the one to accompany him to the state penitentiary. Don’t get smart with me and go to the police. I own them. If you go to the media, your son will land some place else and it’s not a prison cell.” He pointed to her face. “That is not a threat, Debra.”

Manolo left the room, closing the door behind him with sinister finality.

Jaq had written his counter-affidavit despite
the utter revulsion he felt as Glenn discussed every paragraph of Angie’s testimony with clinical, rational detachment. But God, he could not be rational about it. He could not get past Angie’s betrayal.

Everything she’d written repulsed him.

Every word mocked the love he thought they felt for each other.

Her testimony was flawless. Who would not believe the words of a society princess with the most sterling of reputations, who belonged in an illustrious and wealthy clan, and whose father’s influence and power stretched all the way to the presidential palace?

The weight of his words was only as good as the love he felt for her. To Angie and that unyielding court, that amounted to nothing.

With incriminating evidence found in his car to support her claim– a stolen gun and a few grams of crack, he was done for.

Her testimony came with an even more solid evidence. She had been medically checked for sexual abuse and there were lacerations found in her private parts. She was a virgin and however gently he had taken her, she had bled. They had made love several times. Of course she would look ravaged down there. Never mind that she was all too willing the whole time.

Angie had concocted an elaborate tale about him abducting her at gunpoint when she refused to go with him. She recounted how she was so afraid he would kill her and so she let him have his way with her. She denied any existence of a romantic relationship with him.

That was plain rape, abusing an innocent woman without regard for her feelings.

The work of a savage animal.

She ripped his character to unrecognizable pieces.

In his heart he knew, he was doomed.

God, Angie! Why? I loved you! Why?!

PRESENT

Chapter One

“ANGELINA YULO
is truly a belle of substance. She is a super ‘IT’ girl. At twenty-six, she has everything a young woman of her stature should have: Elegance and style that always land her on the top ten list of the most well-dressed socialites; the classic beauty that has captivated the heart of one of the most eligible bachelors in the country, her fiancé, media mogul Jordan Lavega; smarts and wit that have turned her into a marketing powerhouse for her family’s hotel empire, and a charitable heart that makes the Yulo clan truly an enduring pillar of philanthropy in this country.”

Angie closed the magazine and stared at her face. She was on the latest cover of the Tatler, following her much-publicized engagement to Jordan, showing off her stunning 10-carat diamond engagement ring. When Jordan slipped it on her finger, the beauty of the stone mesmerized her more than his grand proposal.

She bit the inside of her cheek at her traitorous thought.

Don’t invite bad vibes,
she inwardly scolded herself.

She shifted position, crossed her legs and tried to relax in the plush backseat of her chauffeured Mercedes Benz sedan. She was on her way to work and the morning rush hour traffic was terrible as, usual.

She channeled her mind to happy thoughts. She got engaged two months ago. They had yet to pick a date for the wedding but Jordan said it would be within the year.

Her fiancé was a prize catch. From the top of his impeccable haircut to the tip of his expensive Italian shoes, he was simply perfection, always polite, a true gentleman, a successful businessman and most of all, a person she tremendously admired and trusted.