Sabik’s sweaty face, breathing hard. He looks at Lilia.

Lilia: “Bakit mo ako sinugal?” (Why did you gamble with me?) Sabik: “Kasi ang tanging bagay na mas malakas sa sabik... ay ang pag-ibig na handang masaktan.” (Because the only thing stronger than hunger... is love willing to be hurt.) He kisses her. It’s not romantic. It’s desperate, messy, masa — the kind of kiss that ends with her slapping him, then pulling him back.

He breaks the ropes (because George Estregan always breaks the ropes). A brawl erupts. Punches are slow but felt . A bottle breaks. A chair splinters. In the chaos, Sabik takes a knife to the shoulder — he grunts, pulls it out, and stabs Don Victor in the thigh.

Enter (mid-40s, chiseled jaw, a scar over his left eyebrow, wearing a wrinkled barong with the top two buttons undone). George Estregan moves through the crowd like a shark in murky water. Every woman he passes shudders. Every man looks away.

“Sa pelikulang ito, oo. Sa totoong buhay... nagsisimula pa lang.” (In this movie, yes. In real life... it’s only beginning.)