144. Nowhere To Escape

"This is the longest I have been detained and I can't say I am happy, but seeing that I am cooperating, I'd expect you to keep to our agreement and not further process anymore cases fledged against me and my family."

"My team has updated me your lawyers are doing a great job to fight back. Were you behind the attack on one of my informants?"

"You betrayed me." Looking at the man sitted beside Elric's mother, Mora's father formed a murderous look. "You were never to bring him here."

"You'd be surprised how much passion your devoted husband has put into lessening your sentence. He is willing to testify on your behalf no matter what."

Mora's father squeezed onto his cuffed wrist until he was able to calm down and a curve of a smile formed on Elric's mother's lips having realized her nemesis showed a slight weakness. She had been waiting for this opportunity for the longest time, having seen it only once when she'd surprised him with his husband's first appearance.

"It feels shitty to be dominated doesn't it?"

"Stop provoking him." Mora's father's husband cautioned.

"How you still choose him over the lives of many people still baffles me." The man fidgeted at the statement, his gaze still on his partner which Elric's mother followed. They seem to have communicated silently however, she didn't have proof but the way Mora's father's face suddenly relaxed made her feel uneasy.

She tapped the table twice with her fingernails to break their eye contact. "Stop twisting your brain thinking of ways to get out of this. This may be the last time you see me. Your lawyers have assured my team you're willing to cooperate to the very end. Still, there is matters concerning your daughter. Her fourteen days of detention are up and a promise is a promise."

"I have nothing else to speak of about her. She is on her own."

"You've attested to have trained her too to cope and have normal human interaction..."

"Enough." Mora's father said. "I will not speak of my daughter from here henceforth without my lawyers present . I only agreed to meet you privately regarding my case alone. Additionally, your team as you claim are the ones fighting your battles as puppets therefore, I refuse to cooperate unless it concerns me and no one else."

Elric's mother ignored and pressed on. "A life sentence fits her well however, seeing that the influence you hold extends to the courtroom, a lot of people seem afraid of you but I will not flinch an inch. At this juncture, you should be begging me to stop listening to the numerous number of people rising against you including your dear parents and siblings who want nothing to do with you."

"What do you want? I already promised I wouldn't lay a hand on any member of your family, including your pregnant son and his newly wed."

'I see what you are doing, covering a direct threat with simple words.' "You said you knew her moral compass?"

"..."

"In a few minutes, she will be sitting beside you."

"What?" Mora's father exclaimed. "This was not part of our agreement! Mora is very volatile now!"

Elric's mother nodded, pleased to see the look of fear in the eyes of the man sitting in front of her. "That is indeed true. Are you two afraid of her by any chance?"

"Are you recording this conversation?" Mora's father asked to which Elric's mother chuckled in response.

"I promised your lover here to only do anything but record you unless it benefits the case against your dear daughter. He seems to dislike her quite a lot. Our discussion at the moment doesn't fit the bill but, the moment Mora walks in with the escorts, everything will be documented so as your last chance, or a word of advice, you know how to tip off Mora like an on and off switch, do it. We need as much evidence against her as possible. What I have now is not enough."

"You've deduced me to one of your puppets. I won't play this game. Mark my words, do not make an enemy of me." Looking at his husband, Mora's father asked, "Did she promise you Hajin?"

"I've met him already and we spoke at length. You have put him through a lot and to think all this time you said it was your wife's and Mora's doing..."

"I did it to protect you!"

"Everyone needs protecting from you!"

Unable to reason with his partner, Mora's father's face turned to face his enemy. "I hear your son is pregnant with twins."

"You'll have to do better than that to scare me."

"Hajin and I are going to leave." The man cut in. "If you bring more harm to anyone, Hajin and I will leave. We will both disappear and I'll not speak up for you anymore."

Mora's father's face grew sinister. He appeared to be struggling with what to say then opted to remain quiet instead.

"You two do certainly have a weird toxic relationship. How could you have been stupid all these years to have thought your partner was getting professional assistance to help him cope with his desires?"

Just then, the door opened and Mora walked in uncuffed with two police officers behind her. She froze at the sight of her father, then laughed. "Just moments ago, I was laughing at you but look at how the tables have turned."

"Mora, take a seat." Elric's mother said.

"Is this an intervention? Even your lover is here." Mora said then looking at Elric's mother, she broadened her smile. "You set this trap for me?"

"Let's stop pretending. I know you knew from the very start I was suspicious of you. You brought evidence pinned to only your father so I could expose his dirty deeds. My question is why nothing directly ties you."

"Is that why I'm here on the day I'm supposed to be released? I was thinking I was on my way out but lo! No matter. I refuse to speak without my lawyer."

"I know about Yeon and what you did tp him."

Mora flinched and kept mum but then, Mora's father's partner disrupted the interrogation and shouted, "You did outrageous things to my son Hajin! You will rot in hell for all your atrocities!"

"Get him out of here!" Elric's mother ordered one of Mora's escort to take the man out immediately, regretting to have brought him in but upon seeing how Mora's father seemed uneasy at how his partner was being dragged out, she didn't regret her decision to have used him to corner him.

"No!" The man fought back, struggling to free himself. "She has to pay for what she did! I want to be here!"

The room remained silent after the door shut, leaving Mora, her father, Elric's mother and two police escorts, each of them armed.

"Mora, make it easy and cooperate just like your father."

"You detained me illegally claiming I was suicidal and a threat to those around me..."

"Stop with the act. You know it don't you? Something is wrong with you. Your father agrees and so do I. I suggest you drop the act. You are not deceiving anyone. The more you put up with your act the more I feel bad for you."

"I raised you better than this." Mora's father said. "The sight of you appalls me..."

Elric's mother cut in. "It is true I don't have much against you. I however have found something that caught my attention. The apartment you've kept hidden..."

Mora's face suddenly became grim, her body language giving her away and Elric's mother smiled. "Would you like me to continue?"

"Did you wait fourteen days to tell me this?"

"You should both learn to make peace with those you've offended. Like the daughter of the woman you've registered the apartment under."

"Why do you keep acting like your useless mother" Mora's father asked. "Do you need to be monitored..."

"Need I remind you this conversation is being recorded?" Elric's mother warned.

"You killed her!" Mora's father ignored, banging his cuffed wrists on the table. "I didn't' raise you to do this!"

"You weren't bringing me anymore pets. What was I to do? And point of correction, I didn't kill anyone. She offered herself willIngly and we signed an agreement." Turning to look at Elric's mother, Mora added. "You can't detain me for that. I'm merely Yeon's fan or did the laws change? We already discussed this!

'I knew this was going to be a miss. She is not saying what I want her to say.' Elric's mother thought quietly but decided to throw in another bait. "Yeon was drugged by you and the bandaid you had on when you were brought in fourteen days ago had traces of a drug, perhaps you were in contact with opium, the same that were found in Yeon's blood test and your hidden hideout which I'm sure you must have been rushing to when you were caught fleeing. It was more than a coincident to find traces similar to the drugging incident that left Yeon attacked not to mention, also found in your brother's blood stream as well as Yeon's attackers. Every single thing in your hideout was taken to forensics and do you know what was concluded? You guessed it! That very same drug." Elric's mother crossed her hands on the table. "You know exactly what I'm talking about." 'Say it! That should provoke you enough to tremble that someone touched your trophies.'

Surprisingly, Mora remained calm. "Yeon and I went for drinks. If you check, we have met a couple of times and if he has a drug addiction problem, I wouldn't know. I was in contact with him that afternoon and evening when he came to my home."

"You have an apartment full of Yeon's pictures on all the walls! You kept a tab on Yeon for years, even after he met his fated! You know we know who Yeon is to you."

Mora looked down briefly then back at Elric's mother. "Whatever you found in the apartment could have been planted by the owner of that house. How would I know? Besides, Yeon will speak on my behalf. I didn't do anything to him. In fact, I tended to him well whenever we met."

"How did you get the cut on your hand?" Elric's mother asked. "Yeon had a cut on his finger too. What about your brother? You may not be directly linked but you pulled every string there is. You were careful that's for sure, however, Locard's principle led us straight to your hidden gems. Everyone leaves a trace somewhere."

"Your threats serve no purpose. Most people know the violent nature of my father and of course I'd have a place for me to escape for peace of mind once in a while. Being raised in a violent home isn't easy. Moreover, Mijin can attest to me liking Yeon much longer even before he got marked."

"You orchastrated his attack."

"You have no proof."

"Your father was never there when Mijin was assaulted either."

"You have no proof."

"You almost mutilated your brother among other people, performed acts of animal cruelty, manipulated the police and other people of law, bribed, attempted murder, kept parts of your victims as trophies... "

"You have no proof I was behind any of these things!"

Elric's mother sighed. She knew Mora was right and hated it. "Unfortunately not enough to deem you a threat. You played me well and I can't use the evidence I have against you without appearing incompetent and fraudulent. Perhaps I should stab myself just to see the reaction on your face. I wonder how you'd react to the sight of my blood."

"You've slandered me multiple times while I've been of assistance to you, invited me to your home and that of Yeon whom you claim I attacked. What of Mijin and her family whom I've met and dined with multiple times? From my point of view, you're the bad guy here. Accusing my father and using me to get evidence against him. Just so you know, Yeon was a hero to many and the support group, despite being disbanded had its benefits and many will attest to the change it brought to our school and the awareness it created on victims of forceful marking."

"Why did you want Mijin to keep the pregnancy?" Elric's mother's question took Mora off guard. "You fetishized dissecting that infant didn't you?"

"Stop manipulating me."

"Did I strike a nerve?"

"Enough." Mora's father spoke. "I've had enough of this interrogation. She is a lost case. I am willing to write a statement claiming she has been mentally challenged from birth..."

"Father, what are you doing?" 'You must never bow down to an opponent, you taught me this!"

"It's over. You tasted your moral compass didn't you?"

Mora face flustered in response.

"Find a way to take me to my house. Only then will I reveal what will keep her detained for long."

"Father!"

"There is a secret room used to train her in. Only she and I have access to it."

"No!" Mora moved swiftly like a skilled hunter and jabbed the back of her father's neck using her fingernails. She was too quick that her movement surprised the escort behind her, who instantly responded by restraining her hands, cuffing her from the back and quickly dragged out of the room.

"That was...unexpected." Mora's father said softly, his hands holding onto his neck to stop the bleeding.

One of the guards called for backup, Mora's father seeming calm, as if he weren't in any pain. He began sweating and Elric's mother wondered why the help requested was taking so long to arrive.

"I hope she didn't mess with the recording wire under the table. She has good situational awareness and must have done that to distract everyone, anticipating all your reactions..."

"Stop talking and focus on putting pressure..."

"Listen to me!" Mora's father bellowed. "I warned her never to keep trophies of her victims and I see she did exactly that. She was never to harm her moral compass. The moment that happened, she can't be tamed." Letting out a low laugh, he said, "You wanted me to provoke her. I just did so I hope you'll keep your word and stop intimidating my lawyers.

I've had enough of you."