*An hour ago*
Jason was driving through the city, looking for any traces of Alya. He had stopped at Lucas’ penthouse but he was not there. Jason’s heart was speeding up as anxiety engulfed him. How did they even end up in such a situation?
His phone rang. It was David.
“Any signs of Alya?” Jason demanded.
“No sir,” David replied. “Unfortunately, the CCTV footage from this morning was deleted by someone. We’ve confiscated the guard and he has no idea who might have done it. Only a staff member can enter the security room!”
Jason cursed out loud but he did not have time to deal with this. He must find Alya
The online news portals had exploded with the news of Lucas’ dating life. Everyone was wondering who the mysterious girl was and the fanclubs were trying to track her down. The news of Lucas Hwang’s dating life spread like wildfire and his manager was having a hard day coping up with the outpour of angry calls from the fans.“GET THIS NEWS OFF THE PORTALS!” Sam shouted at his subordinates. The man looked on the verge of tears as he tried his best to deal with the media. Numerous reporters have lined up outside, demanding for an answer. Sam tried to reach Lucas many times but the guy was unavailable.“Where the f*ck is he?” Sam bemoaned. “This mess is only gonna get bigger…”He was at their agency’s office which had
Alya was in her ward, watching a show on her cell phone. Butler Yang had sent a duffel bag containing all her necessary items. Alina wanted to come but Jason told her that Alya would be discharged the next morning so there was no need for the kid to come.She was laughing at the comedy sitcom when there was a knock on the door. It was Adrian.“How are you feeling now?” Adrian asked her with a smile.“Much better!” Alya exclaimed. “I wanna go home!”“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait till tomorrow morning,” Adrian said. “Now, I’ll need to do some quick check up.”Taking her wrist, he
Alina was observing the maids as they packed up the mermaid’s suitcase. That morning, Yang received a shocking order from Jason.“Move all of Alya’s belongings to my bedroom,” Jason had ordered. “Now.”Yang was shocked and Alina was equally shocked when the news was broken to her. Her uncle was moving the mermaid to his bedroom? Why?This is suspicious, the little girl thought. She tried to ask the maids but they were clueless. Yang, on the other hand, was a little amused because the old man was hiding his smile. He was glad that Jason took such a step. The butler was confident that Alya was slowly making space in Jason’s heart and their fake engagement might turn into a real one soon.
“AGHHHHHHH!”Jenna’s cries echoed throughout the penthouse, scaring everyone in the vicinity. She threw another vase against the wall, smashing it to pieces which joined the broken glass pile on the floor. Picking up a bat, she hit all the furniture in her room, breaking them like a lunatic.Her beautiful face was marred with a manic fury. The mascara was melting from her eyes, staining her teary cheeks with a black shade. Her hair was a mess and she clawed at her arm, desperate to unleash her anger.Camelia had just entered the house only to hear the loud smashing of objects, startling her.“What’s going on?” she demanded from one of the servants.
Jason was driving towards a lake which was situated near a park in the outskirts of the city. Alya was curious to know more about the date but he was keeping it a surprise for her. So she turned to observe the night lights of the city.Various shades of colors reflected in her eyes as they passed by the tall buildings and crowded streets. She leaned against the window, ogling at the scene outside. Her heart was fluttering to see the colorful shops and busy streets, itching to go out.Jason noticed her restlessness and sighed.“What do you want to do?” he asked. “Spill it out.”“Umm...can we walk on the street for a while?” Alya asked, feeling sheepish. “Only for a few minute
Jason stopped the car in front of a park around the lake. They got out of the car and walked towards the entrance where a ticket counter was providing entry passes into the park. There was some kind of event going on in there and the tickets were sold to couples only for the night. Jason bought a couple of tickets for them.“What’s going on?” Alya asked, curious about the people who had gathered there. Most of the people seemed to be couples and each pair were carrying a small lantern with a butterfly design on it.“It’s called the Night of the Butterflies,” Jason explained. He was also carrying a lantern in his hands.“Night of the Butterflies?” Alya asked. They were strolling through the mystical park, surrounded by a g
He swooped in to kiss her, taking her by surprise. Alya’s eyes widened when Jason slowly puckered his lips against hers. His musky scent was hypnotizing her and after the initial surprise, she closed her eyes to follow his movements and kissed him back.Their soft lips caressed each other and a strange heat was rising within them. Jason was now devouring her, his kiss turning more urgent. Alya felt his tongue tasting her, making her open her mouth to mesh their tongues together in a passionate frenzy. Her hands were clutching his hair, holding him close while their mouths were busy exploring each other.The lantern filled sky was beginning to fade but they did not notice. Jason had hoisted Alya on his lap without breaking the kiss. She gasped for breath and moaned when he slightly bit her lower lip, grazing the soft
When Jason and Alya returned home, they found Alina sleeping on the couch. The television was still turned on so the child must have fallen asleep while watching cartoons. “Why didn’t Yang tuck her in bed yet?” Jason frowned. But Alya patted the girl’s head and kissed her forehead. “I think it’s because she looks very peaceful in her sleep,” she said, pointing at how happy Alina looked whilst sleeping. It had been almost two months since Alina came to live with Jason and she had slowly gotten used to her new life. Jason could not help but notice that Alina seemed to be more cheerful and lively lately, which was a huge improvement over the quiet and moody girl who had arrived months ago. “I’ll take her upstairs,” he said.
*Three Years Later*Jason was pacing back and forth outside the operation theater. His heart was anxious but thankfully, it was not in pain like the other times. However, it was extremely cold thanks to what was going on inside.“Relax uncle!”He looked around to see a spunky eleven year old girl with long, curly hair and the same blue eyes as him. Alina had a growth spurt over the past three years. She was now almost reaching his shoulder.“Aunt Alya will be fine!” she told him. “If you get too anxious, she’ll only panic.”“I can’t help it!” he scowled. “And kids shouldn’t be here! Why aren’t you at school?”
The sun was shining brightly in the sky. Its lights fell on the series of tombstones in the graveyard. Colorful flowers were blooming all around the family which was standing next to a pair of graves with a shared tombstone. Despite the nice weather, the family was solemn as they paid their respects. The tombstone had a writing on it:“Here lies Sheila and Charles Wang. Loving parents and good people. Date 19XX to 20XX”Max dabbed his eyes, lamenting the loss of his granddaughter and her husband. Cain and Jason told him that they died in a car crash and also revealed that Alina is Sheila’s daughter who was being taken care of by her uncle and his fiance. Jason and Cain stood on his sides with their lovers. Alina was kneeling in front of her parents’ graves, silently crying.“I miss you
Alina woke up in the hospital. She was heavily sedated; Jenna’s beating had caused her arm to be fractured.“Alya...sis…” she mumbled.“I’m here.”The girl’s eyes flung open and she was delighted to see that Alya was there with her.“You’re here…” she whispered, reaching out for Alya. Alya smiled and took her hand.“I am. You should rest.”“How long have I been here?”“Almost two weeks,” Alya said. “You were badly hurt by Jenna.”“But...Aunt Jenna
Jason and Cain sped towards the factory. Cain was on the phone with his men, giving them instructions.“My men just informed me that Heath Seo was spotted outside that factory we’re heading to,” Cain told him. “How did you know he’d be there?”“I just do,” Jason muttered. Cain was suspicious but he did not ask anything else. He had filled in Jason about what happened at the Tang mansion that morning and even though Jason was tense, he was also worried about Maxwell.“Looks like grandfather took this well,” he muttered.“Well, he never really liked my mother in the first place so he wasn’t too sad seeing her leave,” Cain remarked. They were now about to leave the main city but the factory was st
Jason pulled up in front of a restaurant when he suddenly felt the familiar sensation in his heart.“Agh!” he winced when his chest became cold. He was gasping for breath and closed his eyes to lay his head on the steering wheel.“What the hell?” he muttered. “Why is that sensation happening again?”He touched his heart and it was colder than the earlier attacks. Jason was sure that it was a warning sign and that Alya was in immense danger. Flashes of her running through the rain were popping in his head.“Why is she outside?” he whispered. He was so engrossed in his pain that he did not notice a familiar Maybach pulling up behind his car. There was a knock on his window and to his surprise, it was Cain.
*Few Hours Ago*Monty arrived at the place where Jenna called him. It was a narrow alley located within an industrial area where several factories were meshed together. The buildings were in a series of rows, put side by side. A small dockyard was situated at the end of the place where a few ships were anchored.The workers had gone home for the day because the sun was setting. The gloomy clouds hovered in the sky, indicating that it was going to rain that night. Monty looked around for Jenna and finally spotted her standing a few meters away. He slowly walked towards her.“You called for me?” he asked.Jenna was wearing a pair of large sunglasses and she took them off to examine him.“Did you fi
Malorie quietly followed Cain to the patio and waited for him to talk. He was quiet for a while before turning to face her.“You should have told me about this,” he began. “That my mom was threatening you. We could have worked something out.”“I wanted to find our child first,” she replied in a small tone. “If I had told you, she might have gotten alerted and killed Billy. I couldn’t take the risk.”Cain stared at her for a while before sighing. “We’re both idiots,” he muttered. “We talk about being on our own but in the end, we let my parents manipulate us…”Malorie was staring at her fingers, unable to understand what to do. So many things had happened and it was going too fast.
Dahlia was hosting her regular afternoon tea with the socialites at her home. As a tradition, she hosted these gatherings every week with the elite class women so that she could increase her network and influence. Despite the setback with the wedding, she was now more determined to match Cain up with someone even more influential than Jenna.“Mrs. Wang, I hear that your daughter Catherine is coming back to town!” Dahlia was saying. They were sitting in the living room, sipping tea and having cakes. Butler Austin put the trays of food in front of them and stood aside.“She is,” Mrs. Wang replied. “For a business deal.”“I hear that she is now a very renowned interior decorator,” Dahlia remarked. “Maybe we should have her over for dinner sometime next week? I&rsquo
Malroie was watching the news, filled with dread. Over the past week, there was nothing other than James Park’s sudden death which had caused the business world to go into a frenzy. The stocks of his company fell and it was acquired by the notorious research firm owner, Heath Seo. Jenna took over the business and the Tang’s were in great debt. If there was no additional investment, the Tang’s were going to be ruined.The reporters were crowding outside Cain’s office. They hounded him as soon as he was out.“Mr. Cain, what’s your next strategy to pull this business together?” the reporters demande.d “Can you save the company?”“Is it true that your wedding to Jenna Park has been called off?”“Can you