Leap OF Fate

Chapter 88

Serene stared slack-jawed at the television. A breaking news interrupted her daily dose of morning

show. She could not believe what she just heard. Crystal jumped off from the rooftop of her apartment

and plunged to her death. Her fingers gripped the remote.

She had been in constant communication with Crystal for the past two weeks. She knew the feeling of

being alone amid a storm. It’s a dark, scary and lonely place to be. She did not wish for anybody she

knew to find themselves in such a situation.

Serene touched her left wrist subconsciously. Four years ago, when she just gave birth to the twins,

she suffered from postpartum depression. All the sadness, loneliness, and stress she felt were

magnified. She never felt so helpless, sad and lonely in her life. The darkness in her ate the spark of

life her children brought. That place felt so depressing she wanted to just end her life to escape from it.

Thankfully, Al paid her a visit and saw her in a pool of blood. His timing was perfect, and the

paramedics saved her.

So, when Crystal’s scandal broke out, her first instinct was to reach out and pull her out of that black

hole. She talked to her whenever she could and engaged with her as much as possible. But then, she

did not know how huge the wave Crystal battled every day. She sighed and gave her a silent prayer.

Her suicide eventually toppled over her scandal. It’s funny how when the media who just days ago

painted her as the dirtiest person in the world now mourn for her. They say the industry lost a shining

star on the rise. The same people who threw rocks at her now lay roses for her. How flippant people

could get.

The days following Crystal’s death had been quiet. Mary had just flown to Paris with Pierre Ingram to

become his apprentice. Dylan followed her shortly after. As for Justin, she had heard nothing from him.

However, she could not let her guard down. She and the twins continued to stay in the hotel. She did

business for Ellis Inc remotely. Al and her father attended to those that required physical attendance.

As for her galleries, Viv was more than capable of handling them and just reported to her the financials

and any pressing concerns.

The twins meanwhile enjoyed the hotel’s facilities to the max. They swam in the pool in the morning

and played in the indoor amusement park on weekends. Everything ran smoothly like it did before.

She had just put the brush down when her twins’ nannies ran up to her, looking like they were at their

wits’ ends.

“Ms. Shen…” Aunt Lee called, her face devoid of blood.

“What’s going on, Aunt Lee?” She asked, confused.

“The twins, they’re gone!” she screamed.

Serene’s heart kicked in her chest upon hearing what the older lady said, but she tried to remain calm.

“Aunt Lee, what did you mean gone?”

“Ms. Shen, we were in the garden playing hide and seek. But we have been searching for them for a

long time and we could not find them,” Aunt Jane explained when Aunt Lee looked like she could no

longer talk.

Shen’s brows furrowed. Her twins could be playful. Perhaps they just found a really suitable spot to

hide.

“Take me to that garden,” she ordered.

The two Aunties led her to the hotel’s garden. It’s spacious, with lots of shrubs and decorative bushes.

She looked at all the places her kids could fit into — under a bench, a large potted plant, topiaries,

decorative rock boulders, the fountain. They have toppled over the area but did not find the twins.

Cold sweat ran down her back as she waited in the security room for them to check on the surveillance

camera.

She felt an invisible hand slowly grip her heart as she watched the footage. The twins hid from one of

the rock bounders. They sniggered as they watched the two older ladies look for them among the

plants and bushes. Then from behind them came two men who looked like security personnels. They

wore black button-down shirts and slacks. They had no masks but wore dark sunglasses.

Her hands automatically covered her mouth to suppress her scream when the two covered each of her ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

children’s faces with a handkerchief. She saw how their bodies limped and lost consciousness. The two

men carried each one of her twins on their shoulders and walked away calmly without raising anyone’s

suspicion, then they vanished in a blind spot.

She played and replayed the video and each time she watched it, her heart kicked her ribs. In perhaps

the 10th replay, she noticed that at the corner of the men’s collar was a tiny logo. Zooming into it, her

pale face went livid. The knuckles on her which held the mouse turned white as her grip tightened. The

security team gave her a copy of the video when she said that she would not inflict harm on the hotel.

Serene couldn’t be angrier about being stuck in traffic. She pummeled the horn to urge the cars in front

of her to move. The angry stares and the middle fingers they gave her did not bother her at all. As soon

as she parked her car in front of Rain International, she stormed right in, not bothering with the calls of

the people behind her when she punched in the code to Justin’s exclusive elevator. Thankfully, the

codes had not changed at all.

The surprise written on his receptionist’s face was for the books when she saw her come out of Justin’s

private elevator. Serene did not bother so much as nod to her as a greeting, nor knocking at his door.

She just stormed right in and angrily slammed it behind her soon as she got in.

It took her just a few steps to be in front of him. She craned her neck to look at him. “You bastard, give

me back my children!” she screamed at him and did not bother how she looked at all.

“Excuse me?” he asked, browsed furrowed with confusion. She looked like she’s ready to murder

somebody. Her nose flared, her flushed cheeks puffed, and her chest heaved with her every breath.

“Don’t you fucking excuse me, Justin Rain!” she spat at him. “I know you took my children.”

“What the heck are you talking about?” he sounded irritated. He did not like her tone at all.

“You still have the nerve to act innocent.” She harshly threw the thumb drive to Justin, hitting him in the

nose. He dumbly looked at the device for a second before he switched on his computer to see what’s

eating her.

Only when the video began playing on his monitor did Serene realize that apart from Justin, there were

four other people in the room — Nick, Elaina, Chester and Bryan. All five heads focused on Justin’s

screen. She saw the horror in their faces as the video progressed.

When the video finished, her eyes challenged him, “Now, tell me those were not your people.”

Justin’s jaws clenched. Now he understood how she arrived at the conclusion he had something to do

with the twins’ disappearance. The abductors had a tiny Rain International insignia on the corner of

their collars. It’s easy to miss, but she spotted it.