Jane finally got home looking really moody and in no mood to talk to anyone, but she panicked when she heard everyone going around the compound in search of something and calling out one name over and over again - Karen!
'Oh shit! I was supposed to be watching her.' Jane cried inwardly. 'I won't be spared if anything happens to her.'
"There you are!" Lauren almost shouted when she saw Jane. "Please tell me you went out with your sister and she is just outside the gate, about entering." She said with a little hope, but it was crushed when Jane couldn't open her mouth, talk more of saying words.
"Say something you.." Lauren stopped midway when she saw Jane's bruised lip. "What happened to you? Were you engaged in a fight? Where did you go?" She asked with concern and worry as she slightly touched Jane's lip.
Jane hissed a little from the pain. She totally forgot about her wounded lip. "Uh… I-I slipped and fell… there." She said it in a way that it was obvious she was lying and she really felt like slapping herself hard on the face.
"Where did you go? And was it that important that you left Karen all by herself? Even if it was important, you could have at least told someone else to watch her." Lauren's worried expression went back an angry one.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking and…" Jane was cut off by her grandma.
"Oh shut your lying mouth, you brat! Just hope that Karen's okay or you would be grounded for life!" Mrs Wilson spat out words in anger.
Jane knew this was no joke at all and that she could actually be grounded for a long time, but maybe not for life. She subconsciously bit her lower lip from guilt and was jolted back by the pain she got from biting her injured lip.
"I asked Jon to put up a cctv yesterday after finding out about Karen sneaking out with Stan. He would be here at any moment and we can see what happened." Said Lauren.
"What is the security officer for exactly? Where is he?" Mrs Wilson looked around for him.
"He is on his off, remember? He went to see his sick grandmother and I didn't see the need to find a replacement." Lauren replied.
Mrs Wilson shook her head. "And look where that got us." She criticized.
Jon came to them with the video from earlier that day. "I've gotten the footage from this morning." He said and played the video from when Jane was leaving the house.
They saw Jane with her hood over her head leaving the house like some robot and as if they had planned it, Mrs Wilson and Lauren both looked up at Jane at the same time, glaring at her.
Shortly after Jane had left the house, Karen followed. "That's my baby." Lauren subconsciously muttered when she saw Karen.
Karen was looking behind, probably looking to see if anyone was outside. She wasn't watching where she was going and fell, hitting her head on the wall. "Karen!!" Mrs Wilson and her daughter-in-law both exclaimed.
Karen winced in pain, but she shockingly started laughing like she had just heard the most funny joke ever.
Lauren and Mrs Wilson looked at each other with a knowing look in their eyes. "Oh no, this is bad! Karen hit her head and started laughing." Lauren suddenly became restless.
"Do you think it might have triggered her condition? And that's what made her act crazy?" Asked Mrs Wilson, she was also starting to panic.
"My daughter's not crazy." Retorted Lauren.
"I didn't say she was… but I think hitting her head might have made her made her brain go wonky." Mrs Wilson defended herself.
"She's not a robot!" Lauren argued.
"Living things go wonky too, not only machines.." Mrs Wilson wanted to argue further, but was interrupted by Jane.
"Guys! Stop this meaningless bickering already, we need to find her… What if she isn't with Stan this time around, and is just roaming the streets." Jane couldn't hide the worry in her voice.
"Kai!" Lauren called out, and Kai immediately ran to her. "Get the car ready. We are going in search of my daughter."
Kai quickly ran to the garage and picked the nearest car to him.
Lauren and her mother got into the car, and Jane too wanted to get in, but was stopped by her mother. "Stay back here! You are grounded. Kai, start the car." She sternly said.
Jon helped in opening the gates, and Kai drove out.
Jane couldn't calm her troubled heart that was thudding crazily against her chest and her eyes got a little teary. "Please be okay, Karen." She muttered under her breath.
Once they were on the road, Lauren dialed the number of the commissioner of police her late husband was friends with.
"Hello commissioner!" Lauren's voice sounded a bit pitched.
"Hello." Came the reply from the other side.
"I'm calling to report a case of a missing person... my daughter." She explained.
"How long has she been missing?" He asked.
Lauren was starting to get impatient. "I don't know. Maybe two hours." She answered.
"I'm sorry, but we can't declare a person missing until 24 hours." His reply was a bit harsh.
Lauren frowned. "It's me, Mrs Wilson!" She shouted and the next thing she heard from over the phone was the shattering sound of glass.
"Oh my God! Please forgive me. I really had no idea it was you, I lost your contact info. Who's missing? Is it Jane?" He asked worriedly.
Lauren's anger dissipated a little bit. "It's Karen and you know her condition. It's important that we find her in time." Her voice was a bit shaky.
"I see why this is urgent. Where are you now? I'll send some officers that are close to your location over to you." He said.
"Not far from the house, we are in a neighboring street looking around or her." She replied.
"Okay, keep looking, some officers will join you soon." He assured her.
….
After licking the yoghurt off her face, Stan sat back down on his seat. "Is it just me? Or does the yoghurt taste better when it's on your face?" He said it in a seductive way, obviously not expecting an answer to his question as it was theoretical, but then...
Karen nodded. "Yes."
Stan didn't read any meaning to it and continued with his seduction. "This air conditioner isn't cooling me at all." He complained and began working on his shirt buttons.
"Oh my God, Ian. Did you see that? The boss just kissed Karen." Kevin asked as he shook Ian excitedly.
"Hey, you made me spill my food on… wait, what did you say?" His head whipped at the direction Stan and Karen were sitting. "Did they really kiss?" He asked. He too was excited at the thought that the kiss already happened.
Stan undid his buttons, revealing his chest and almost half of his abs with his eyes not moving away from Karen's face.
"What is he doing now? We are in a restaurant for Christ's sake." Ian was amused by Stan's lack of shame.
Stan didn't get the reaction he was expecting from Karen. He was expecting her to blush hard and probably gape at his awesome body but instead, she laughed at him and before he knew it, she had dipped her hands in the half eaten yoghurt.
She stood up and bent over the table just like he had done earlier, stretched her hands to smear his face with the yoghurt and his chest was not spared either.
He wasn't expecting this at all and it surprised him, but what was more surprising to him was that he wasn't even mad at her.
Back then when Karen still had her memories, she and Stan couldn't stand each other. It actually started when they were little children and Stan remembered it like it was just the day before.
Stan was only eight years old back then while Hendrick and Karen were seven.
The great Mr Wilson came over to visit Mr Rodriguez who was the father to both Stan and Hendrick. Mr Wilson had come along with his precious daughter, Karen but Stan had no idea about this as he was busy bullying little Hendrick at the backyard and Hendrick was shedding tears.
"Leave him alone." Little Karen who was taken a stroll around the house had shouted and pushed Stan away from Hendrick. She then helped Hendrick to get on his feet.
"Who are you?!" Stan angrily asked her.
"I'm a girl who hates bullies and defends the weak." She replied to him, feeling really proud of herself, then she faced Hendrick. "My name is Karen. What's your name?" She asked with a cute smile.
Hendrick wiped his teary face and smiled back, "My name is Hendrick."
"Why are you letting your twin brother beat you up?" She asked and glared at Stan.
Stan laughed as if he had heard a joke. "This idiot is not my brother, talk more of being my twin." Stan still didn't stop laughing mockingly at Hendrick.
Karen was lost for words. "But… you guys look so alike, even your eyes are the same in color."
"He is my father's bastard and then looks don't matter. I still have my doubts about him being my father's son. He and his poor mother are just after my dad's money." He said it like he was a hundred percent sure.
Hendrick started crying again and Karen hit him slightly on his shoulder. "Tears is a sign of weakness and you should never show it to your enemies." Karen spoke with wisdom then she smiled at him. "My dad brought sweets and chocolates. Wanna have some?"
Hendrick nodded and Karen pulled him along with her into the house and ever since then, Karen and Hendrick became best friends and always fought against Stan together.