It was nine in the morning when Marzia arrived at Ian's place, and it was Barbara who welcomed her in. As the old woman guided her inside the mansion, Marzia's awe at the massive space still prevailed. She can't help but be amazed by the neo-classical theme with the mixed modern architecture of the interior. It's as if every nook and cranny of the place was thoroughly thought out.
Barbara then directed her to the second floor of the manor, where the rooms were to be found. Marzia still remembered where Chan's room was and slightly wondered, at the back of her mind, where Ian's room might be. As she continued to peek around the open rooms, her eyes snooped inside the biggest one in the corner and pondered whether it was Ian's room.
Not that she was interested in knowing, she was just curious to know if his room was near Chan's. After a few minutes of wandering around, they reached Chan's room. Marzia, however, is oblivious and looking around as though she's searching for something.
"My uncle is not here," Chan suddenly appeared in front of Marzia.
Marzia jolted in surprise. Her cheeks turned scarlet red as she awkwardly ironed her rumpled clothes with her hands and fumbled her words, "H—Hey, Chan. How are you? Are you ready to study with me?"
Chan harrumphed, dropping his crossed arms onto his chest. "Are you that stupid to ask me that question? It's the weekend and I should be playing instead of studying! You're just here to see my uncle!" He grumbled and stomped his feet, walking back to his room.
Marzia was about to answer him when she realized that even if she tried to explain herself to the child, he wouldn't understand her. Besides, how dare that kid assume that? She didn't want to see Ian, and she definitely didn't want him!
Nonetheless, the woman couldn't help but defend herself against the maid. "I'm sorry about Chan. I think he still hates me despite my efforts. And just to clarify, I'm not here for Ian—I'm here for Chan!"
Barbara chuckled softly for a moment and politely smiled as though it was nothing. "I understand. Please call me if you need something." She approached the intercom, which was situated against the blue-painted walls of Chan's room. "If something happens, just press the button."
Marzia's eyes flickered as she examined the device. "Oh, I didn't know there was an intercom. Damn, rich people..."
"Indeed. Chan causes a lot of problems, so if anything happens, this intercom can be of use," Barbara explained.
Marzia nodded. "Oh, alright! Thank you so much!" She pressed her lips to form a casual smile and said, "I will call you if I need anything."
"I will be downstairs in the kitchen then." The old woman closed the door, leaving Marzia with Chan in the room full of scattered toys and clothes.
Marzia approached the kid who was lying on his bed and said, "How about we clean this room first, Chan? You know that if your room is dirty, you can get sick and you won't be able to play outside anymore, right? Would you like that to happen?"
Chan dropped his toy car and shifted his gaze toward Marzia. His grumpy expression was still the same, but his tight lips loosened. "Okay, fine."
Marzia smiled at him, picked up some of his clothes on the floor, and offered them to him. "Here, dear, help me out."
The two of them cleaned his room first and then rested for a while before they began studying. After an hour, Marzia persuaded Chan to review with her and carefully supported the kid by giving him quick exercises first. Little by little, her hard work paid off when she noticed he was listening to her. She then realized that Chan was not that obtuse and that he had the potential to be a diligent kid. He was a quick learner and was so bright that he could comprehend the topic without her having to repeat the lesson.
When afternoon came, the tutoring lessons were done. Luckily, it was a success. Marzia had never felt this accomplished and satisfied before, and she felt so proud of herself for doing something more significant in her life other than pleasing rich people. However, Chan's lukewarm attitude remained the same. Still, that was already enough for her. Just like they said, baby steps...
Going back, upon clutching her things, much to Marzia's dismay, Ian hadn't arrived yet. Although she couldn't admit that she felt rather gloomy, Marzia was oddly disappointed that she didn't see him.
With that, she bid goodbye to Chan and Barbara after having an afternoon snack with them.
By the time she got out of the residences, she strolled outside the exclusive subdivision, looking sideways both on the road and off the road. All of a sudden, she heard her phone ring.
'Who's this?' Marzia asked herself as she fished her mobile phone out of the pocket of her jeans.
She looked at the screen and noticed that it was an unknown number. Pressing the answer button, Marzia accepted the call. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Marzia Delta... Finally, you've answered." A deep, mysterious voice resonated on her phone's speaker.
Marzia didn't know how to respond, as the voice was unfamiliar to her, but she figured that being fierce was the way to go. "Who the hell are you and how did you get my number?" The woman chewed her lower lip, roaming her eyes down the empty street, wary that the mysterious person was just lurking behind her.
He sounded calm, yet haunting. To make matters worse, his words were so chilling and terrifying that her body felt the icy breeze of the wind blasting against her back. "I have your mother, Mary," he replied meaningfully.
Marzia's heart leaped in transgression, raising its thump to the point that she could almost feel it ringing in her ears. Despite this, she was forced to keep herself calm so as not to give her mother's kidnapper any hint of her weakness. If there were things she had learned whilst living with the Dickins, it was that you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket and keep all your doors open.
This mysterious caller had her mother. If her deductive reasoning was right, he might be the person Mary owed.
"Don't do anything to my mom." Her jaw tightened, clasping her fingers into a tight fist.
He chuckled on the phone. "Give me what I want, darling, and your mother will be unscathed from us."
"Where the hell are you?"
"Fifth Avenue, Wentworth Street. The building is beside the market. Don't forget to bring the money with you. "
Gaping, Marzia was about to tell him she didn't have the money with her, but the call ended already. She had not received her salary from the school or her side job as Chan's tutor. Regardless of that, she was determined to head to the location, hoping she could talk things over with them and convince the kidnapper she would pay him once she got the money.
She just hoped and prayed that they would understand her and would be lenient towards her mom. Mumbling the words of prayer as she bowed her head, her tears streamed down in worry and fear that the man might have done something to her mom. Just then, a car stopped beside her.
Crunching her eyebrows, Marzia's eyes squirmed as she looked at the black car. 'Is this him? The man who called me? Shit! How did he find me?' she thought, worried and shaking in fear. However, she was mistaken.
The windows of the black car rolled down to reveal Ian's face. His hair was perfectly combed into the scruff of his neck, and his suit was seamless and perfect. He stared at her with bewilderment while leaning his forearm on the car's window sill.
"Are you heading home, Marzia? Wait! Are you crying?" he asked.
Marzia bit the inside of her cheeks. Her hands were trembling, and her body started to feel cold sweats. "I'm not crying." She looked away after saying that and added, "And yeah... I suppose I need to go home."
"Liar. You're shaking," Ian answered, his eyebrows rising.
"Whatever. Anyway, it's good to see you! I'll be going now," she hastily replied. Looking at her watch, she noticed that time ticked incredibly fast. She had to get to the place right away to save her mother, and she had no spare time to have a conversation with the talkative Ian.
Thence, she was about to dash out when, all of a sudden, she felt the man's tight grip. She paused and shifted on her back only to see Ian's hand on her arm.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Harrison, but I don't have time right now. I need to go—"
"Where are you going? Romeo and I will drop you off at the place," Ian offered. He didn't need to know the context of Marzia's trouble because he could see the stress on her face.
Marzia sighed as she was a little hesitant to accept his offer. However, she realized that she didn't have time to let her pride take over and would need his help to track down the place in a jiffy anyway.
With this, she asked him, "Just the building beside the market at Wentworth Street."
Ian looked at Romeo, who was already standing near them. "Do you know where that is?"
"There's only one market here, and it's not in the main district," Romeo informed them.
"Can we get there fast?" Ian questioned.
Romeo looked at the clock installed in the car and replied. "Yes. It will be a few minutes away from here, but it's not that far. I can just Fast and Furious this bitch!"
Ian nodded. He averted his gaze from him and back to Marzia. "Get inside. We'll give you a lift."