Mark seemed lost in thoughts as he intentionally started to avoid Jake's sharp gaze. Something about his eyes seemed very familiar.
"Does he know Benjamin? Or is he Benjamin?"
Then Jake started towards him, his chest swirling as he moved, and Mark realized what it was about him that was strange: He made no sound at all as he walked, not the slightest footstep. He would almost have wondered if he were a ghost-but no, he thought as Jake halted in front of him, there was a strange, sweet familiar smell about him, like the incense and spray Benjamin always applied.
Terror rose and broke over Mark like a wave, but it wasn't fear of Jake who seemed like Benjamin, his lost brother, it was the emptiness in his eyes and the past rushing back into Marks thought again. Mark could look into Jake's eyes and through them he could see only darkness.
"Do you remember? Step brother?," Jake said, "when I told you I'd avenge what you and Gibson did to me? Gibson spiked my drink and let me rape an innocent girl who he drugged? - eventually she died and I was sent to prison to suffer! Because you didn't testify!" Anger infuriated Jake's burning eyes like hell.
Mark took two steps backwards as he watched Jake closely. It can't be him! Could it be him?
"I left the prison many years ago, and that year I started working as a security guard at Diana's oil company, where I met Diana and despite being an ex-convict she agreed to marry me" Jake continued, "I had to betray her and make her file for a divorce so that I can get financial resources to be able to finance my plans to avenge what you and Gibson did to me!" Jake sounded emotional and pissed this time around.
"And here we're... I'll make you pay! You betrayal!"
"And yea, of course, I got into a fire accident where my face got burnt and I had to change my face and my identity.... I'm Benjamin Bernard!" Jake roared into life. There was pain in his voice, the memory of an old grief.
Diana was stunned, threwed into a discombobulated state. She had learnt why Jake betrayed her but does not make Jake any less than Diana know him. She saw the seizure of anger that momentarily twisted Mark's features; then it was gone, and his face was smooth. "I was threatened not to testify... He said he'd kill me!," Mark said. "i came to look for you in prison to make attornment for my sins but you were gone....." Mark added, he need not be a genius to discern that it was truly Benjamin.
"That is a lie !" Jake roared with sudden savagery and fiercely, his gold eyes blazing.
"That's enough." Mark's tone was almost languid, but there was fierceness in it, a hungry threat of violence. He suddenly remembered the dream he had, he had seen Joyce in a dream and it awakened what transpired, the dream indicated a sense of revenue and now Mark finally understood the dream.
"We have a beef! You were about raping Diana if not I had come in early and why did you have to kidnap her kids? Afraid you might loose the case the legal way?" Mark scoffed, then swept her gaze all over Diana . She had managed to get under the duvets to cover her nakedness but her face was still flushed with embarrassment. Richarlison on the other hand had forcefully arranged his dislocated arm and now healing from the pains.
"Is this how you gonna celebrate our reunion? Brother? And also no need You're not gonna live to see Diana lose the case," Jake said and the next second a fury of thunderous footsteps started to be heard and the next moment it got intensified. Seems some men were coming... Mark didn't come with his men, he only came with Richarlison and on the other hand Jake's men had been neutralized but they however managed to escape leaving the three little Rugrats behind.
The room was spacious. A moment later the door of the room was flung open and seven men barged into the room with weapons in their hands. Jake smirked when he saw them. The man in the lead appeared savage and radiated a faint aura, behind him was Stab and with a mere glance one could tell that both of them were martial artists. Stab had confronted Jake already in the past and his G-5 beat them off, and now they're alliance.
At the sight of the people who abruptly barged into the room, shock swept all over Diana who Richarlison was already managing to lose with his hands still in a peculiar angle. He had endured worse pain than that while he was still at the mercenaries. In a trice, Marks expression turned chilly. He knew the men were there for him and obviously working for and with Jake as they threw him a jacket.
Jake then walked over to the men and Stab whipped out a half-foot long machete from his waist belt and stood before Jake.
Expression dawned on Mark at once. Only him and Richarlison came for this rescue mission and they can't possibly be a match for this men, but Mark still was not bothered. He stood there as Richarlison and Diana stood behind him, Diana wrapped herself with the duvet and Richarlison then stepping before Mark so as to protect him despite his arms dislocated. It was his duty afterall.
"Why did you suddenly barge in with so many men,? Peter?" Mark chided loudly. It turned out the men were all sent by the triad imperials of Sterling city. They had sent Mark invitation which he ignored. The person on the lead was peter, and obviously his assistant was Stab.
Could it be that they had some how managed to discover that he was not with the silver ring? Mark thought.
From the moment the men barged in, Mark already realized they were there for him and he was not with the silver ring with which he can use to control the men, without the ring he has no power over this men. He clenched his fist tightly ready for anything.
"See you in hell brother!" Jake gestured at Mark and then left, now left with Mark, Richarlison and Diana who in a way was shivering and also the seven men who barged into the room all holding battle axe and half-foot long machetes.
Sheer menace radiated off Richarlison and his bones popped audibly, snorting he dropped into a fighting stance. He had sworn on Mark's father's head to protect his son with all his life.
"I laud your guts!" Steven said to Richarlison.
"Don't you have courtesy for the president general?" Mark barked, his expression turned chilly. He thought he could escape if he threatened the men he was with the silver ring, but then again, he was not wearing the ring!
'Hahahahah!....." Peter laughed out loudly and then said, "Don't you think we know already? Stop the pretence... We can hurt you now! As far as you don't have the ring!" His eyes glinted coldly, seemingly long since prepared to go as far as eliminating the president general.
"The ring? Could it be the silver ring with initials carved on it they're talking about?" Diana thought to herself, "was this ring so precious?"