Meanwhile back home, a young Aneni-Anesu woke up in the middle of the night after a series of tossing and turning due to several nightmares from scary horror movies she had watched with her beloved father. Clearly she was still traumatized, enough to get out of her room and search for something to occupy her mind, if not free it from those traumatic memories and nightmares she was having.
Getting off the bed she stepped on the cold which had been sleeping on the floor before walking to the window to look at the moon- a habit which she had - watching the moon whenever she struggled with being haunted by bad dreams.
Yet as she stood by the window, sounds could be heard coming from the very next room, making curiosity hold her hand and accompany her out her bedroom and into the passage - only for the sounds to get loud enough to leave her imagining her parents dancing in the middle of the night, until she walked down the passage before standing behind their bedroom door where she heard her mother and father arguing...
"And if you ever comment on my gambling again or my late return from work this wipe will teach you another lesson , do you hear me woman?" Those enraged words became louder as she pushed the door open, only for a violent picture to jump into her eyes as she saw her father holding a meter-long hose pipe whilst his other hand held her elbow as he prepared to curse her beautiful skin with another strike, despite her nudity. Only for both their eyes to jump towards her in realization of what they had just done- possibly broken her innocence by exposing her to the dark side of marriage.
Yet as he heart broke to the sight of it all she couldn't understand why her mother just smiled, and still came to hug her before asking her to go to her room despite all the bruises which she had on her body, telling her: "Don't worry about it, we are doing what we call Role Play, you'll understand when you grow up."
Words which were followed by a wink before she escorted her back to bed, where she felt tears flowing down her face as she wondered how her brother was doing and how he were handling the situation secretly and silently back in his room - also making her ask herself if Anathii had actually known all along about such horrific incidents which occurred in their parents' room especially whenever their father returned home drunk.
Back to the present, It was then when Aneni-Anesu woke up and found herself still in that room, her blurry gaze looking over to an empty bed of Kimm Jayde Maxworth whom she soon pinpointed seated on the floor with folded legs just by the window, as she typed some things away into the middle of the night - she was a journalist after all and Aneni-Anesu too had heard Vulisanii telling his friends about getting Kimm's desire to write an exposing piece on Dee Monique - the same lady who had ordered her to be kept in that room.
As she looked at Kimm, she wondered if she was still the same person she had met back at the house a few days ago - before she had gotten caught up in a world of crime, candles and conspiracies.
"Right on time girl, please go wash your face... Dee Monique and Mr Rosebank wants to see you urgently," Her voice was distant and he gaze remained glued to her laptop as she said so, in a night gown which candidly matched the nearby transparent curtains which held the moonlight comfortably by the window.
Tempted to rush out the room and make an escape, she slid her butt across the bed before slowly wearing her slippers and dawdling toward the door only to see her shadow quickly replaced by Kimm JM without any form of notice. Thoughts of escaping too also replaced by the remembrance of the relevance of that day - and how she was close to missing it, besides missing her mother dearly.
Such mild-minded contents hovered amongst the fields of her brain-scapes even as she soon stood in the mirror, admiring her semi-slender physique and facial cuteness before washing away the sorrows hidden behind her facial expression, remainders of her nightmares still hidden in her memories - as faint nostalgia of her full family stung her very cheeks and left them smudged with sad blushes due to the flashbacks of her father's drunk returns and drunk dials which her mother constantly had to deal with.
The same father which had always stressed the importance of education despite the fact that he himself admired his gambling addiction, before disappearing without worrying about who would pay for their school.
Yet deep down she couldn't afford to hate him, she deeply missed him, enough to ponder on his favorite fatherly phrases towards her, whilst wondering of whenever her forever-plump lips would once again grace her father's lips and spark an infectious smile which would leave her heart bubbling with enough joy to erase his saddening absence from her life.
Plus, something else that made sense was the bribe which he had given her after she had come home early from school and found him walking out and even hugging a lady she had not seen in the areas before, only for him to buy her a chocolate and justify the highly affectionate hug by telling her that the lady was her future teacher.
Aneni-Anesu was no longer small and the more memories which resurfaced the more she came to realize that her father was nothing near the perfect husband he'd portrayed during her kindergarten days. Not forgetting that the lady she had seen him hugging had the same color lipstick which actually matched the similar smudges which she now remembered to have been on her father's cheeks that day as they walked away from the house.
Somehow, she suddenly felt dumb that moment. Especially upon remembering of how they had actually dined from her mother's favorite restaurant that night, alongside several snacks which he soon bought them for dessert that night. Her smiling mother fully unaware of the cheater's cover up -possibly grateful to The Lord for cleansing him from his gambling demons - the same ones which may have possibly sponsored that romantic night.
Dumb enough, as she began realizing, she had been the only one to fail to decipher when he would win or lose. Wins which would come stuck in his bright smile whilst his losses came tattooed in his angry grin. Nor had she even dreamt or imagined that 10 months from that lovely family night he would just vanish without a trace, leaving a message from Gummy Bear himself. The same grizzly Gangstar whom she'd just recently watched getting shot; also whose nephew she had now learnt to love, though currently hated due to him losing her to the devious Dee Monique.
"Whatever you do, be kind and warm up to Mr Rosebank, he is very short-tempered and kind of spoilt man with Scottish roots," kimm JM's whisper stilled her heart as she listened whilst trying to calm down enough to think of her next step. "He just doesn't know how to take things lightly," Kimm then laughed lightly as they walked out into the dark passage - straight towards the office where the new evil couple could be heard joking and laughing around.
"Walk inside my dear, we have some business to talk about," Mr Rosebank jumped up and walked towards her whilst depicting some kind of celebratory dance, "I finally see why my old friend and his nephew were going mad over you... but luckily for you I saved you just in time." The closer he came the more their eyes held, and the stronger his hair's ginger color seemed to link with that of his eyes', thin and sharp irises.
"Don't you mean when I rescued her, you only came minutes afterwards..., remember?" Dee Monique finally said before sitting on the desk which had several leather back packs which she was sentimentally patting, obviously because there were valuables inside. Maybe even more valuable than the room itself as several plaques decorated the purple walls which seemed to have several paintings of Mr Rosebank and some rare articles written about his company, Journalism Without Borders.
"And as an award-winning journalist please stop lying about heroic deeds which you clearly didn't commit." Dee Monique finally lifted her gaze from the backpacks.
"Monique my love, you know very well how rude it is to interrupt someone during introductions." He said looking at her with a sarcastic smile before turning his chubby belly back to Aneni-Anesu, "It's a pleasure to meet you my dear and I think you and I will be very good business partners." Rosebank laughed a bit, alone at that.
"Feeling's mutual, we have tons of unfinished business, besides, my father taught me the importance of settling debts, especially to those who save you from dangerous situations." A-A's improvision agreed kindly and returned the chubby business man's smile.
"I love this girl, she is fun to be around and she knows how cheer people up," Rosebank laughed and offered his hand to her, possibly to dance to the opera music which was playing in the background. "I will try my best to treat you better than the Mukwevho's ever could, and on that note would you want to go out with us for breakfast?"
"Quite frankly I have plans for her, Darwin was supposed to be here by now but it seems my former partner is giving him several troubles." Dee Monique seemed to smile before winking at Aneni-Anesu whose hand was now clasped with Rosebank who seemed to be showing her the contents out of the window. "Hence I say it's best for her to return to her room before any feelings are developed between the two of you."
"I say she should stay a bit longer, she seems to have lot of potential both for me and my organizations," Rosebank rotated around her and left a cologne-fused scent of wine encircling her just before one of his butterflies - as he liked to call his female agents - brought a knock to the door and contemplated entering. "Darwin can find someone else to impose a blackmail against his daughter's new bride."
"Babes, please don't try me right now," her beautiful facial expression turned sour and she clucked her tongue before turning to Kimm to take her away, leaving Rosebank laughing before shooting a wink her way as he let go of her hand just as his beautiful butterfly agent took out something from her own pocket. "And as for you Kimm, I hope you've sent my old partner that certain message." Monique finally laughed loud as A-A and Kimm JM walked away from that room just before they heard the lavish door shut, in a lamentable manner.
"Won't you please just take me home, my brother's wedding is only hours away," Aneni-Anesu gave off a relentless smile which held no grudge at all, hoping for Kimm to seize the opportunity, but to no avail. Kimm just held a serious face, one which seemed to be tightly shutting out all possible emotions, whilst possibly oppressing the possible knowledge of A-A's brother Anathii - who also happened to be the second most important factor of Zanele's wedding.
"Really sorry but the world doesn't revolve around you dear, all these butterflies of his would slice us into pieces if we even try," she drew a deep breath and continued whispering, fully aware of the walls around her, "plus Dee Monique and I have a certain string of obligations which we both have to meet before she and I part ways."
"Chill out Kimm I'm just playing with you, plus look at the bright side, you're still around," she opened a small pack of sweets which she had found on Rosebank's vase near the window, "since you know very well that one way Dee Monique's partnerships usually end is in gunshots if not death itself." Those words left the pair fully remembering the gunshot which had left Gummy Bear toppling off the roof.
"Will you please stop talking about her, you know very much that I have this situation under control," Kimm took Aneni's hand in hers and slowly eased her fingers between hers. "Don't think that I'm trying to bend the truth, but also promise me to take care of this heart-shaped hard drive." Handing over the little heart, Kimm hugged Aneni-Anesu dearly. "About 70% of the dirty files on Dee Monique, Gummy Bear and Mr Rosebank are in there - the 30% I'll give you separately..."
Aneni-Anesu felt the surrounding walls cast a regretful look above her, even as Kimm's acts seemed to be aimed at the last shot of redemption, the innocent look in her eyes reminding her of that which Vulisanii had once cast into hers, especially whilst telling him of how her father had borrowed money from Gummy Bear - who was later forced to forcefully collect it so that he could collect all his monetary assets and move to Cape Town - since the Limpopo Police Department had begun hunting Gummy Bear for all that he had, Vulisani his dear nephew included.
Hugging Kimm once more she felt exactly as she had felt in that moment when Vulisanii had embraced her warmly and tightly, whilst opening up on how his uncle had also planned on marrying her mother in settlement of that teenage-old debt - seeing that Gummy Bear had long set his eyes on her.
"Promise me you won't lose that drive, one of us will have to publish those contents seeing that both the cops, judges, journalists and even the government are rotten and obviously can't be trusted - they are the criminals' guardians." Kimm had laughed with teary eyes.
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Hours later, around 10 that morning, Anathii woke up to the sound of the banging door before getting out of bed and sneaking towards it, before sneaking behind and following Zanele to the chambers near the garage where he soon found her questioning the two crooks from the previous day, wondering if there were any possibility of him finding a captured Neliswa too amongst those trespassing culprits responsible for Mandla Mandalay's head injury.
"Ma'am I've already told you why I'm here, we were sent by a certain lady, a certain journalist," one of the guys coughed and continued speaking despite his swollen face, "she sent us here to warn you to change the location of your wedding - some forces are ready cause havoc at your wedding venue."
"I think I haven't made myself clear yet..." she slapped him twice and felt his swollen cheek bleeding, the coward one of the two clearly too chicken to talk. "Who sent you to hit my father with that golf ball, and why did you even dare?"
"Honestly we threw the golf ball, we were just trying to get your attention, screaming your name didn't help," he paused in search of breath, his hands still tied behind the chair. "It was just after we'd snuck in, after failing to get the security guard's permission when we tried to dodge the security guards' eyes that we thought of a dumb-smart idea to grab hold of your attention," one of the two culprits finally paused and shamefully looked down in search of breath, leaving the realization in Anathii's mind that left him picturing his father-in-law being hit with the golf ball next.
"Wow, I'll be exempted from all this, regardless of the fact that I have to call my sister too, she hasn't been picking up," Anathii turned around and walked out of the storeroom without looking back at his nearly wedded wife, sentimentally half-caught by the two crook's tale...
"Wait, before you go there's something you need to know," the quiet of the two crooks finally said out loud, convincingly, "Your sister is currently with the lady which sent us, just thought I should let you know." He gritted his teeth in realization of the fact that he had forgotten to mention the most important piece of the puzzle.
"How fishy? How could you possibly know his sister and her boyfriend," Zanele folded her arms and took a good look at the two suspects in front of her whilst furrowing her eyebrows to condemn him from spilling further beans, "given the fact that you two claim to be just meer messengers in all of this BS which you've clearly caused and brought.
"All I know is that her boyfriend is a rich kid with a dark past, who was also involved in a family battle royale frenzy a few days ago," he turned to look at his partner in crime who didn't seem to happy about how much he had just spilt in front of their captors. "A frenzy which somehow turned out bad for him and his girl - which is your sister."
"You're bluffing, I know her girlfr... I mean boyfriend well. Met him a couple of times." Anathii just couldn't keep his anger exempted from his expression any longer, "but since you claim to have all the answers then tell me where I can find this woman who sent you. Tell me!" He then drew his phone out of his pocket and prepared to call her - he wanted her at the wedding.
"Baby boy wait, he is right, their story pans out. I've been meaning to tell you this but I just didn't know how," She hushed for the two crooks to not let out another word before walking out after gesturing for two of her subordinates to look after the two crooks, just as she caught up to Anathii, who was now walking out of the shaddy garage and into the sunlight. "She is safe though, that's all you need to know and you'll definitely see her after the wedding - I will personally make sure of that, with the help of Detective Divvy Jaars and those two crooks."
"And yet you were willing to leave me in the dark! I can't believe how untrustworthy and conniving you can be Zanele - we are getting married for Christ's sake." Anathii walked further away, ready call the detective himself if not Genna Gumede to send a chauffer to come pick him up. "I'm leaving, I don't need this, I'm through with all your grassy lawn of lies, I've walked on it for were too long."
"No you aren't, It's too late for you to drop me Anathii - I've invested were too much into this. I've invested were too many feelings into you." With a tone sadder than before, she jumped in front of him and grabbed his eyes with a gaze whose daring soul was about to erupt.
"You've lied to me were too much Zanele and I don't think my mother would even want me to marry into a web of lies - such a black widow would eat me alive - on the same web we built together." He held her hands as the sun hovered above the both of them, and left its warmth dancing on their skins, but the coldness of her lies almost brought out the goosebumps on his heart's skin. Her cunning eyes and loganberry lips tempting his loathsome feelings to stay grounded.
"Don't trip, but know that your mother was one of the first ones to find out of your sister's disappearance. She ordered us not to tell and stress you - she knew how heartbroken you would be." Her voice gradually regained its pitch and tone and arguably left questionable hints of remorse lurking within it.
The silence in between them making way for the two bound crooks' loud whispers to sneak out the garage: "I know that his uncle owned a fishy panel-beaters which brought in a lot of money though servicing and modifying some fancy cars." His words seemed to fall on deaf ears as the distant look in her eyes widened as though there was a cerebral snowfall happening in the landscapes of her mind. Zanele was clearly left irritated by the crooks' persistence to spill the beans.
"As much as I would like to get into detail, I would just like to remind you that I felt a little spark ever since our gaze first met - and that spark has grown exponentially ever since then Anathii."
Her eyes were wild with a desperate fear as she let go of his hand before running her thumb across his cheek. "Hence may we proceed with this argument later and just proceed with the wedding, before I'm forced to blackmail you - using your own sister," she smiled dubiously - a smile which Anathii himself could no longer block from triggering his soft spot. Despite the crude and evil point which she had just made.
"In terms of Zingisile, I last saw him walking away with a certain maid - one deemed capable of both charming and killing her targets -and made even convince them to elope with her aside from that." Anathii laughed, alone, as she just looked at him with eyes that hungered for the truth. Without forgetting how that maid, Caith's bipolar-like bestie, had very lurid secrets in addition to her luminously lull personality.
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Meanwhile back at the Mukwevho compound, as guards in blue overalls roamed around the yard, ready for any form of attack from Dee Monique, Vulisanii Mukwevho sat on the patio with Darren, preparing for war, guns and wine in hand. His life now fully depicting the one his uncle had set out for him...
Several newly hijacked cars parked in the garage where Gummy Bear had usually hid his most favored cars - the same garage which Vulisanii now had the chance to fully utilize since his uncle's valuable's had been taken somewhere posh and sacred... Leaving Vulisanii fully able to use the whole house and armed goons to his advantage whilst keeping the his uncle's clients satisfied as well as the family business' supply chain intact. Especially since he very much had to make up for the failed hijack which he'd once authorized. That same mistake which he now knew could have credited his hands with A-A's brother's blood.
"Bro, today we will stand to test the strength of time as well as those capabilities which your uncle had trained you to have," Darren said and laughed, "plus now you'll be fully able to focus seeing that there are no women involved in this massive gig." He reached for the bottle of his favorate energy drink brand once again.
"Darren calm down on the mixtures of whiskey and energy drinks will you, this gig won't be easy at all - Dee Monique won't be an easy as an American pie and will definitely use her vigilante connections and authority to her control." He then nodded in dissapointment to the fact that his uncle had been the same one who had exposed the contents of the gig to his then girlfriend, Dee Monique.
"The very same Dee Monique who messed up your love life hey," Darren was close to laughing, "I also bet that it's the same Dee Monique who has sent her former partner to come and Interrogate us."
"Oh snap, he is actually here, he better not be here to snoop around regarding these recently stolen Jaguars," Vulisanii stood up and ordered several of his guards to open the gate and let him in, fully noticing how lonely he had come. "Come with Darren, we got to hear whatever he has to say." The two then made their way to the stairs before walking out of the house and eventually walking towards Detective Divvy Jaars' blue car.
Vulisanii quickly realized that the detective had brought a warrant with him, and in fear of being searched quickly took out his phone and showed Divvy Jaars the last message which he had gotten from Kimm Jayde-Maxworth...
A picture which depicted Aneni-Anesu's location. He was making sure not to show him the very last one, which had clearer details - since he didn't want the detective to get there before him. Vulisanii himself wanted to look Dee Monique in the eye and intercept her forgiveness before leaving a bullet right on her nose bridge.
"You know exactly what I'm here for and you know exactly what you and your guys did in the early hours of the morning," Divvy Jaars laughed and looked at his newly appointed intern for a partner, a young lady whose nametag exposed her to be a Nicolah.
"Slow down tiger, don't be forward, I'm trying to save you time here by showing you exactly where you can find Aneni-Anesu as well as the partner whom you were so quick to replace. The surrounding goons laughed, but both detectives, the experienced and the intern, seemed not bothered by those remarks.
"But I guess it's true what I've heard regarding you and your girl, seems Dee Monique too ruined that for you, seeing that you aren't even willing to go and rescue her, as though you're scared that you uncle's fate might fall upon you too." Divvy jaars and his little intern seemingly had the last laugh. "Now tell your boys to get out our way, we have some searching to do."
"Hahaha! You just wait and watch," Darren finally said, "We will get to her, obviously before you... and be careful not to follow any of us because we will definitely mislead you."
"Oh we will see about that, you really make a good partner for him Darren - seeing that the women in this family are full of betrayal - but be careful because I might just tell Yonella of your new relationship the next time she pulls by the station to report you for abuse." He laughed and turned around after giving a goofy look to the goons surrounding him and his car. Leaving Vulisanii close to punching him, but touching Detective Divvy Jaars would bring more problems than solutions and he definitely held onto his faintly lull composure.