2 Until I Find Mark Wang

20th APRIL 2022… 7:30 AM.

~Wang Family Residence~

Mark groaned as the sun peered through the floor-length window and shone directly into his squinting eyes.

Placing a hand on his forehead he stirred uncomfortably in his sleep while crumpling the lemon-green sheets under him.

After what took like forever, he tried to sit up but felt a dull ache in his head. Suddenly it sent some memories from the previous night flooding back in full swing.

"F*ck!" he cursed under his breath, a frown contouring his face.

"Finally awake?" Eric folded the sports magazine in his hands and put it away. "You really took your time," he said as he strode to the bedside with a glass of water and a pill in his hand.

He had been sitting on the couch placed in one corner of the room while waiting for his brother to wake.

Hearing another voice in the room, Mark was a little startled, but when he saw it was Eric, he felt relieved. "Where am I?" he inquired without bothering to look around his surroundings.

"Your bedroom in the old manor. Are you still drunk?" Eric asked playfully as he passed the items in his hands to him.

"Does this even work?" Mark said before swallowing the pill without any form of hesitation.

When he was done, Eric took the empty glass from him. He glanced inquisitively at his brother, grinning as he asked, "What happened to your last night? When I found you, you were completely out of it." Pointing at the bed, he added, "I had a hard time moving you from the car to your bedroom."

As soon as that question reached Mark's ears, his demeanour changed and his gaze darkened.

"How did you find me?"

"I found you knocked out at the rear end of the room while the party was still in full swing. Didn't you go to sit there because you were drunk?" Eric probed.

Eric was aware of how his brother always needed some peace and quiet when he was fed up with the things going on around him. However, with Mark's current reaction, Eric was doubtful that was the case this time.

"I can't remember exactly how I got there. The last thing I remember was running into a woman in the elevator after managing to escape the other one that drugged me." Mark's heart raced.

The more he talked about what happened to him last night, the more he remembered.

"What! You were drugged? By whom exactly? Who dares to do that to you?" Learning that his brother was almost taken advantage of by a woman from the party last night, Eric was dumbfounded.

Hearing those series of questions, Mark swept the duvet away from his body and got off the bed.

"I am going to find out myself." His menacing tone resounded in the room just before he walked away in his pyjamas.

Eric stood by the bedside and watched his brother walk away while still in deep confusion.

Just like Mark, he was equally furious.

"I can understand why many women are always swarming up to you like bees, but to be taken advantage of by one of them, this is simply taking things too far," he muttered to himself as his brows furrowed.

He was not going to let that woman off.

***

Around the same time in a one-bedroom apartment located on an affordable street in City H, Elena was sleeping peacefully in her bed. She cradled a pillow to her chest.

The sun beaming through her blinds caused her to stir for a few seconds before her long black lashes fluttered open.

Raising a brow, she briefly glanced around her headboard area before slowly sitting up on her bed to take a proper look around the untidy room.

Seeing the different luggage and boxes littered on the floor, a deep sigh escaped her lips. "I almost forgot…" She trailed off as her fingers weaved through her bird-nest dark brown long hair.

She seemed to have only remembered that she had just moved back to the capital city yesterday and she was yet to unpack.

If it hadn't been for her wanting to catch up at that party to look for someone, she would have taken her time to put her things in order. Now, she was waking up to a huge mess.

Elena was still trying to orientate herself when the ringing volume of her phone went off.

Instantly, she lifted her head as her eyes began to search around in search of the origin of the sound. Finally, her eyes landed on her green purse which she had abandoned on the floor last night.

Elena reluctantly crawled out of her warm bed, adjusting the straps of her pink singlet as she did so. Bending down, she picked up her green purse, combing a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

She took out her phone with a tired look on her face, but as soon as she saw the red heart emoji on her phone screen, the purse dropped from her hand as her fingers scrambled to swipe to the green icon. Her face was instantly wiped clean of exhaustion.

"Hello, Mum. Good morning," she greeted, trying to make her voice sound alive.

"Elena dear, how are you?" Marie asked with a sigh of relief. "I'm fine Mum, how about you?" Elena's heart relaxed after hearing her mother's calm tone.

Her mother was the only close family she had left since losing her father in an unforgettable incident a few years ago.

"Did you get to the city safely? I was worried since I didn't get your call as promised. Is everything all right?"

"Yes, Mum. I'm sorry I forgot to call. I had to attend an event last minute and by the time I got to my new apartment, it was already late. I didn't want to disturb your sleep," Elena explained as she walked to the foot of her bed to sit.

"That's fine. You will be resuming work tomorrow, right?" Marie asked, seeking confirmation.

"Yes, Ma," Elena confirmed as her eyes glistened with tears. "Good girl, stay safe and good luck with your new job," Marie said to her.

Warmth bloomed in Elena's chest from just hearing her mother's voice.

She missed her so much and wished that she didn't have to leave her all alone back home, but she just had to in order to find a way for them to survive.

"Mum, I promise, I will bring you over to City H soon," she vowed while concealing the remaining half of her statement in her heart. 'Just wait till I find Mark Wang.'

Elena couldn't let her mother continue to suffer and be alone in another city. Hence, she planned to get entangled with the youngest big shot in the capital city.

Unbeknownst to her, she had met him the previous night and had even knocked him out.