CHAPTER 50

Scott

"What? Do you have my sister? How did you know her?" Kris asked, surprised, not only him but all of us. How did she know when I didn't know about it? 

"Later, your sister will tell you everything. I asked someone to bring her here. For now, I want to talk to this woman."  She faced Jessica, who was looking at Rick's lifeless body on the ground in fear.

"Why do you look so scared now? The last time I remember, you were this bitch who wanted to steal my man when you had two toys beside you. Don't you have enough? See what happened to your toys? One is dead now, and Carl has five days to live."

"Lady Boss," Bryan said nervously, scared for his friend's safety. He was the one who was very close to Carl.

"Don't worry. Carl will live if he makes the right decision.  I'm giving him a chance because I know that this woman manipulated him. His life is up to him. I'm giving him the last chance to choose where his loyalty is." Bryan and the other took a shaky breath but didn't utter a word.

"Jessica, do you want to tell us a story? Maybe about your boss?"

"You'll get nothing from me." Jessica quickly snarled. 

"Are you sure?" Lara calmly said.

"You will get nothing from me bitch," Jessica screamed. 

"You don't want to live then." She said and pulled a needle from her bracelet. 

"What are you doing?" Jessica nervously asked.

"Kill you, of course. I don't give a chance to my enemy. Why would I waste my time if I didn't get anything from you." Lara calmly said beside me. Jessica took a step back this time.

"Carl will kill you once you kill me." She said, but her voice was now a bit shaky. Her snarly and confident self suddenly deflated, seeing the needle in Lara's hand.

"He will kill me? I don't care." She tsk! "He could try to kill me then. I don't mind, but we are unsure if he will succeed. The one whom I'm sure to die here now is you. ." She said, toying with the needle in her hand.

"You chose the wrong enemy, Jessica. If you just admired Scott far away and never did things to harm me, I wouldn't have touched you because I'm sure Scott wouldn't cheat on me. I'm just sad that you used Carl for selfish reasons. You used him, leading him on, making him believe that you love him too, but you are mocking him behind him. A very cowardly way of fighting your enemy  by using someone else." 

I watch and don't interrupt her. I'm mad at Carl for being stupid, but I was furious with Jessica.  How could she do all this? When we started with whatever relationship we had back then, I clearly told her that we were playing around with no string attached, but this woman had gone too far and even used my men to get rid of my wife.

Lara stood up and went near her. She struggled with James and Mark's hold, but she was weaker than them, and all her struggles were useless.

"Even if I die now. He will come and kill you, as well as Scott.  I am the only one who stopped him before, but if you kill me, no one will stop him anymore." Jessica said, smiling.

"The he that you are talking about is your father?  Don't worry. I will kill him too, as well as your younger sister, who was also obsessed with Scott." Jessica's face paled this time. "I will kill them all like how your father killed my parents," Lara said and pierced the needle on her nape.  Jessica's eyes widened, looking at her in fear. Her body started to shake, and like Rick, blood slowly came out from her ear, eyes, nose, and mouth. James and Mark let her go, and her body slowly fell to the floor, lifeless.

"Let me go. I said let me go!!! We heard someone screaming, and the next thing we saw was Adam's body sprawled on the ground in front of us, groaning in pain.

"Lara, why I'm the one you asked to bring that violent woman here." Adam cussed, standing up and dusting himself. Cherry appeared at the door fuming in anger.

"Boss, you are the one who ordered that man to get me? Why always force me? You can ask me." Cherry complained. 

"I told you that Lara was the one who asked me to bring you here, but you didn't believe me," Adam said, glaring at her.

"You.. but was cut off when Kris called her name.

"Cherry???? Cherry!!!! Kris cried and quickly ran to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. 

"Kris? You are alive." Cherry cried as well, hugging his brother tightly. Is Cherry Kris's sister?  I thought, looking at Lara, who looked back at me smiling, then nodded her head, answering my unspoken question.

"I thought you were dead. I thought those people killed you that day." Cherry cried. 

"How did you escape from those people?" Kris asked with tears streaming down his face.

"I escaped a few days after they took me.  There's one of the kidnappers who helps me to escape, and after that, Lara's father saw me on the street almost dying because I got sick. I've been roaming the streets for a month searching for you. I thought you died, Kris. Lara's father picked me up on the street and took me home. And since that day, I have lived with them." Cherry said, not telling them who Lara's father was. Kris suddenly kneeled in front of her, repeatedly bowing his head.

"Kris!" Lara gasped and quickly pulled him up. " You don't have to kneel in front of me. It wasn't me who helped her, but my father."

"But you are the one who brought her back to me. Thank you so much, Lady boss. Cherry is the only family I have." Kris said with tears rolling down his face.

"You are welcome. I accidentally found out about you spying on Scott by following Carl and hearing about your sister. So I asked someone to look and investigate her." 

"I'll promise, I'll serve you and boss Scott until my last breath," Kris said.

"And I will too," Cherry said.

"I am enough. It's so risky being a part of a mafia Cherry. Your life is always in danger." Kris said, wiping his tears. "I have my own house here. You can stay there. You are safer here in the compound.

"I couldn't stay with you because I have a job to do,"  Cherry told him. We watch as the siblings exchange words with each other, and I'm anticipating what would be Kris's reaction when he finds out that his sister's work is no different than his.

"You don't need to work. I can provide for you. Boss paid me more than enough for both of us. You can go to school without worries.

"I can't leave my job. I trained hard for this." Cherry said.

"Continue your talk outside here, and you guys, sorry, but you will stay here for twenty-four hours. I let you out tomorrow," Lara told the others.

"We are fine, Lady boss, but please don't let us starve here," Trey said. "Hello Cheche, we are happy that you are alive."

"They are here too?" Cherry grinned and moved closer to the cell, and the boys quickly hugged her one by one. "Why are you inside there?"

"We helped the enemy," Bryan answered, his head hanging down.

"What? Why did you do that?"

"We only help your Brother."

"Your kidnapper called a few months ago. They asked your brother to do things for them, and in return, they let you go," Sam said. 

"And you believe they are still holding me without any proof?" Cherry asked, annoyed.

"I can't gamble on your safety. I thought you were already dead, but when those people called me, I never doubted them. I get my hope back that you are alive, and I will do everything to get you back. Kris murmured. 

"Even by backstabbing the person who took you under his wing?" Cherry said. Kris lowers his head. Guilt washed on his face.

"Aron asked some of our men to clean this mess," I said and stood up. "Let's continue talking in my office.

I walked ahead of them, and Lara quickly ran beside me, holding my hand. I'm a bit mad with her for hiding all of these things from me. And I'm sure there is more she wasn't telling me.  I could feel her eyes on me, but I fixed my eyes ahead of us. 

When we arrived at my office, I settled on my seat behind my desk. Lara stood beside me, biting her lower lips.  I know she knows I am mad, but I keep silent and wait for the others to settle down.

"Lock the door," I told Aron when he stepped inside. 

"Kris! He quickly stood, and I went to him and landed a punch on his stomach. He doubled backward, holding his stomach and head hanging down. I punched him again, and when I tried to hit him for the third time, Lara held my hand, stopping me.

I glared at her and yanked my hand away from her hold. "I trusted you, Kris. I trusted your group. It never crossed my mind that you would betray me.  I'm so disappointed with you. Why not ask for help from me? Why choose to betray me?" I screamed.

"I know I can't redeem myself just by saying sorry, Boss. Whatever punishment you see fit for me, I'll accept it. I didn't ask for help from you because I know you already have a lot of things on your plate, especially lady boss who is joining the initiation. I want all your focus on her.

"While you are planning to kill her?" I screamed. 

"The men I sent to do the job were replaced. Those men are not the men I sent in. I only sent five, and I believe Lady Boss could trounce them because they are just part of a small gangster on the street. I want to show whoever orders me that I am following him. I don't plan to kill lady boss," Kris explained.

"If those men are not your men, where are the men you sent?" I asked.

"They were all killed." I settled back on my seat, and Lara stood beside me again. Now I get why she stood beside me instead of sitting on the couch so that she could stop me when I got violent.

"I'm so sorry, boss. I owe my life to you, and if you want to kill me after this, I'll accept it without remorse." Kris whispered.

"When that man calls you again, let me listen to your conversation."

"Okay, boss."

"Lara, I think you have so many things you wanted to tell me, or you wanted to become my boss instead, because it seems like you are the one controlling my men, knowing you have planted a spy on me. I thought I already knew you, but I guess I'm wrong."

"I'm sorry."

"I don't need your apology. Tell me. Tell me everything." I snarled.