(Who would have his mother kidnapped? Well, yeah, he has an enemy now. Who else if not Jake?
Normally, Mark had sense that something was wrong and now it increased when he reached the apartment door. It was unlocked, hanging slightly open, spilling a wedge-shaped shaft of light onto the landing. With a feeling of increasing panic he pushed the door open. Behind him was Richarlison.
Inside the apartment the lights were on, all the lamps, everything turned up to full brightness. And immediately Richarlison dropped into his survival instincts.
Mark's mother's keys and pink handbag were on the small wrought-iron shelf by the door, where she always left them. "Mom?" Mark called out. "Mom, your son is home."
Oftentimes, since Flora returned, Mark had found himself there a number of times.
'So, his father's wife is still alive?' Richarlison realized.
There was no reply to Mark's calling. He went into the living room. Both windows were open, yards of gauzy white curtains blowing in the breeze like restless ghosts. Only when the wind dropped and the curtains settled did Mark see that the cushions had been ripped from the sofa and scattered around the room. Some were torn lengthwise, cotton innards spilling onto the floor. The bookshelves had been tipped over, their contents scattered.
Most terrifying were the paintings. Every single one had been cut from its frame and ripped into strips, which were scattered across the floor. It must have been done with a knife-canvas was almost impossible to tear with your bare hands. The empty frames looked like bones picked clean. Mark felt something rising up in his chest. "Mom!" he shrieked. "Where are you? Mom?
Richarlison on the other hand was busy checking the gardens and also calling out Flora's name to see if she responds. Although, they have been reported to that Flora is missing, Mark still instructed they come to confirm for themselves.
Heart pumping, Mark raced into the kitchen. It was empty, the cabinet doors open, a smashed bottle of Tabasco sauce spilling peppery red liquid onto the linoleum. What if robbers had come, what if his mother had put up a fight-?
What kind of robbers didn't take a wallet with them, or the TV, the DVD player, or the expensive laptops?
He then went to her mother's bedroom, but didn't find any living soul. Obvious, she is really missing.... Jake has touched the lion's tail!
"Sir!!!!!" Richarlison rushed into the bedroom Mark was panting, "The black axe mafias'are on their way here.... They'd kill you on sight! Your only immunity against them is the silver ring or you at the military base!"
"I know!" Mark responded...
"We have to go..." With that said, they left hurriedly and when the black axe mafia arrived, they found nobody but their Intel told them they were going to be here, except there is a mole amidst them who would have informed him we were coming...
********
Just as Mark reached the military base his phone chirped with a message. A video specifically - sent to him by Stoic@gmail. com. He picked up his phone and played the video and he remembered it was the video the bloody civilians brought as evidence to buttress their claim that Diana was the one who sent them. Watching the video now, Mark could deduce the editing in it and clearly he could tell the lady on the video was not Diana. Stoic did a wonderful job by analysing it. "Smart of him!", Mark thought.
Stoic was finally able to break the programming done by Felix, the IT guy of the G-5, Jake's private military guard. He had reprogrammed Stoic's laptop in such a way that each time Stoic's tries to access the file , his system gets automatically turned off.
"So, it's been really Hannah all this while....?" It was hard to believe... But now he can't even punish Hannah because she is pregnant. -Fake pregnancy-
'I need to go meet her so we can head to the hospital!" Mark murmured thoughtfully. "I can't believe she is really carrying my child"
Just then Richarlison interrupted, "I think I know who might have taken your mum away-"
"Jake ---" the both of them said in unison.
"Right then... check the places Hannah have been to lately using the tracker inserted in her, she probably must have sneaked out to meet with Jake, if she is indeed working with him and somehow someway we could have a lead in finding Jake's whereabouts-" Mark opined, Richarlison didn't objected, he just picked up his laptop and began to navigate it.
"High chances that little girl, Clara is Hannah's daughter for Jake... But Hannah had continually denied it!. But why in god's name is Hannah his betrothed? Is it just a coincidence or a well strategic plan? Ok, if she is my betrothed and has the Mark of the overlapping circle... Why does Diana have same Mark on her thighs also?", Thought continually kept flooding Mark. Yet, to discern what was happening....
Meanwhile, Jake and his crew the G-5 had relocated to their deepest hideout. A small island in the middle of a vast body of water. Jake had it reconstructed to be inhabitable, secretly and no one didn't even know the island still existed. In the house built on it, at the visitors apartment, Jake his G-5, the god of War of Mega Island - Sterling City Sworn Enemy - and the triad imperials of Delta city were seated having a discussion.
Jake's plan was to overthrow Mark and become the new president general but he can't without the silver ring! And now he already has the support of literally everyone. Mark's mum, Flora is held captive and could be a possible resource to be used to exchange for the silver ring, if Hannah fails to bring it.
Diana on the other hand upon knowing her request has been granted had started to get her luggages ready. She would be out for a week. She texted Nurse Felicity she would be paying her a visit, but didn't get a response back from her like usual and that was weird.
"Could she be the one ? No, No, No I refuse to believe it. She can't have done it, she is the nicest person I have known... If not for her - I'd not have been here! But why do my instincts keeps on telling she is the one?" Diana thought as she packed her luggages. She has a full battalion under her control now, peradventure Felicity is the one, she won't want to release it and with the strength of the battalion she will take back the silver ring!
All the while, Her Three Little Miracles had feed her with all the informations they had gathered.
"One, Jake is not their father! The DNA paternity test he has is legit but he didn't use our strands of hair. He used Clara's hair. Her hair was taken too that day too and she is his daughter!" The kids explained. Diana found it quite doubtful as Mark had told her he secretly carried out a DNA paternity test on the kids and they're not his.....-
"Two, the next court day is about two weeks from now ..."
Diana in turn downloaded and transferred the informations she had gathered to Clancy, her lawyer - Mark's ex finance/ the lady he left at the alter -
But now, Clancy had been approached by Jake Bernard already....