#LOVE_OVER_BLOOD
© Sir Zach
EPISODE 28
“She’s been like that since this morning.” Lisa told Caleb. She decided to call him since he might have an idea as to why her best friend is acting weird since she came at her apartment.
“Didn’t she talk to you about anything?” Caleb asked.
“No, not at all. She came to my apartment early this morning but she didn’t talk to me either. She was just sitting near the window while curling to her feet all day. I can’t even get to her. seems like she’s in another dimension.” Lisa was perplexed.
Caleb walked toward Aisha. He is observing her.
“Hey Aisha, did you had a fight with Ethan again?” he asked but Aisha didn’t answer.
“Hey Aisha…!” Caleb was already swaying in front of her but Aisha didn’t even blink an eye.
“ha-ha! Spare me Caleb. You’re such an eye soar! I’ll just go and prepare some lunch.” Lisa was laughing at him.
“I’ll go with you. She’ll be alright.” Caleb answered then he followed Lisa to the kitchen
Aisha heave a heavy sigh.
“What on earth did I ever do to deserve a fate like this? I thought I had a good life until now. Am I being punished because I agreed to live my sister’s life? Ahhh!” her thoughts are in disarray.
“But how come he was my Ethan all along? What a small world! Does he still remember me? Erika? Our promise? Did he even try to find me?” her gaze was still from a far.
“Should I tell him the truth? That I am Erika, his childhood friend?”
“But what’s the difference if he discover that I am his childhood friend. Does it matter? And also, he is already married, married to my twin sister and he loved her very much.” Aisha started to tear up.
Caleb and Lisa are in the kitchen. They were arguing earlier as to what to cook. Caleb was too picky when it comes to his diet. They are totally opposite with Lisa that’s why she let him cook instead.
Lisa unconsciously stare at Caleb while he was preparing the foodstuffs but Caleb was able to catch her, he sm-irks.
“I know I am good-looking, but don’t you drool on me.” He grins.
“What an arrogant fella!” she scoffs at him, “I am just looking at the food!”
“Just admit that you like me Lisa, don’t try so ha-rd to convince yourself.” Caleb was taunting her.
“I really don’t know where you get your confidence young man?” she answered back. Caleb was slicing some onion but he paused. He looked at her.
“So can you explain what’s with O-U-R ki-ss the other night?” He sneered.
“…” she was speechless for some seconds..
“T-That’s, that’s just. That’s not intentional! I was just taunting you!” her voice was cracking. Caleb laughed.
“Lisa, just tell the truth and the truth will set you free!” he was still laughing.
“It’s not what you think——–”
“But the truth might be more painful so why bother to tell the truth?” Lisa was about to explain herself but a familiar voice cut her off.
“Aisha!” Lisa exclaims. Aisha walked towards the dining table., pulled out a chair then sit beside Lisa.
“But what if the truth hurts even more? What if the truth open the prison doors itself? What if it will cage you instead” she heaves a heavy sigh. Lisa and Caleb looked at her with confusion. But somehow, Lisa was overjoyed when Aisha in. she doesn’t have to explain herself to Caleb. However, Caleb seems to un-derstand where she’s coming from.
“But how will you know the result if you didn’t even try telling the truth? Lies will always give birth to another lies.” Caleb answered.
“But does it really matters? To know the truth? What if keeping it is the only option to avoid more confusion? Isn’t it better that way?” Aisha uttered
“Is it really the only option? What if telling the truth will set the prisoner free instead?”
“But what if somebody will be imprison in exchange of the prisoner’s freedom?” Aisha bit her li-p.
“But what if the truth is the only key to everyone’s freedom? Don’t you think keeping it to yourself makes you a little bit selfish?” Caleb insisted.
“But I don’t think it’s necessary.” Aisha embr@ce her knees once again then she bowed her head to hide her gloomy face.
“Aisha, care to tell us what’s happening?” Lisa requested. Aisha sighed. Caleb went back to his dish.
“Remember my childhood friend that I was telling you before?” Aisha uttered
“The one you’re supposed to find?” Lisa replied.
“Yes!” Aisha exclaimed.
“What about him? do you know where he is right now?”
“Yes.” Aisha looked dejected.
“Aren’t you supposed to be happy? Why are you so down?” Lisa was confounded.
“Yeah. I should be happy right? Ha-ha.” Aisha fake a laugh. “it was actually Ethan all along!” she let out a cracking laugh, after a while she sobbed. Caleb was finalizing his recipe when he heard her. he paused as well as Lisa. They just can’t believe it. How on earth did that happen? But should it be a good news though?
“Should I tell him that I am Erika?” she forged a laugh, suddenly she realized something. she tried to recall what Ethan told her that night.
“Wait, he has my br@celet. Did he think Stacy is Erika in the first place!?” she grasps while her eyes wide-ned in realization.
_________
Ethan woke up late but he didn’t see Stacy beside her. Their butler said that she went out early in the morning after she came back from her morning jogging. Where could she be on her day-off? Ethan asked himself.
Ethan just finished with his shower when he received a call from Shawn, the head of his security men.
“We are able to get some information from the men, Sir.” Shawn reported.
“Okay good. I’m coming.” Ethan answered before he disconnected the call.
He also asked Mr. Tanner to bring Eli at the ancestral mansion before he left the house. Ethan together with Larry drove to one of their retreat house where their men usually stays and trains. Their retreat house seems ordinary but when you go un-derground, it looks like a military base.
Mr. Shawn meets Ethan and Larry at the entrance gate then they went directly to the un-derground where some men are being kept and tortured. There were three men tied in a chair. One would feel pity for them at first glance since they are covered with sweat and blood. Larry wanted to throw up but he tried to maintain his composure.
Ethan dismissed the people inside the cell then he sat opposite the prisoner.
“Tell me, who are you?” Ethan asked the weak man in front of him.
“Who I am is not important. I am bounty hunter.” Ethan was shocked. Bounty hunter? Do they only work in the un-derground world? But why are they doing here? Ethan has a lot of questions.
“Does that mean that these men with you are also bounty hunters?” Ethan inquired.
As far as he remembered, they got these people when they followed Stacy. These people attacked her before.
That night, he was about to fetch Stacy but he received a call that she won’t be able to go home with him. Ethan was about to go home when he saw Stacy got out from the building and she was acting weird so he asked Larry to follow her. He saw her went inside a pet shop then came out holding something. it’s getting weirder so they kept following her. They saw the cab stopped in a corner so to avoid being seen, the black SUV that Ethan used was parked in a distance.
He observed Stacy at first.
Why is she wearing a mask? He was confused. He was watching her closely. Then he was surprised when Stacy knocked those two men before running towards a certain apartment. What is she doing? He thought.
He ordered Larry to bring out his gun hidden carefully inside the car then call for back up silently.
He can’t see Stacy anymore so he got off the car and tried to approached the two bodies lying on the ground. He felt their pulses, good thing they’re not dead! Then he heard some clatters at one of the apartment rooms. He was about to follow Stacy inside but he saw the apartment room at the 3rd floor lit up. He can see a shadow of a girl? No it’s a woman! and four men? She was cornered!
Stacy!
Ethan was alarmed when he saw Stacy jump out the window. Damn! He wanted to approach and help her so bad but he halted. He can’t afford to be seen!
Baanggggg! He shoots the guy on the window who was about to pull the trigger. Then he tried to shoot the others but they already ducked. When he saw that Stacy already runoff, He called his men to seized those armed guys. They brou-ght them at their retreat house for interrogation.
Does Stacy usually do these kinds of stuffs? He doesn’t really know. He’s not sure either. But he nee-ds to find out why. He shifts his gaze to the bounty hunters.
“Why are you here? What do you nee-d from Stacy?” Ethan continued..
“Stacy?” The guy questioned. “Who is she?” he crea-sed a brow.
“Don’t tell me you do not know the woman you’re about to kill that night?” Ethan was losing his patience.
“Ohhh! Aisha! I didn’t know she has a lot of personal. No wonder we had a ha-rd time catching her.” the man laughed.
“What do you nee-d from her?” Ethan’s voice was filled with anger.
“Why do I have to tell you? I thought you knew her? you should have known the reason.” The man was testing him.
Ethan grabbed him in the collar. “Don’t try my patience bastard! Cause I can kill you if I wanted to!” he threatened him before he let go of him
“Once again let me ask you, what do you nee-d from her?!” he punched the desk.
“Even if you kill me, it doesn’t change the fact that Aisha is the most precious target of all time in the un-derworld. Her life has the highest bounty. So even if you kill me, there are more bounty hunters coming after her!” The guy laughed crazily.
“Why?! why her?!” Ethan was aggravated.
“Don’t you know that she is a Mafia Heiress?” the hunter answered. Ethan was stunned. He just can’t believe what he heard. Ethan knew that she’s different but he never knew these things about her.
“What did you say? Can you tell me more?” Ethan probed.
________
Aisha decided to tell Ethan the truth about her identity sooner or later. But first she nee-ds to secure their safety. It would be after the annual symposium for the company. Maybe she still has time to fix everything as well as meet her twin sister. She decided to forget her feelings toward Ethan for her sister’s sake. She will just set things in motion before she leaves the City for good. She’s done thinking. She’s done planning. She’s done crying and sympathizing with her fate. This time, she’ll make everything right. She then decided to accept her fate as the mafia heiress in the North. Yes, that was her fate all along.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 29