Cedie's eyes sparkled while admiring the farm. It was their last day in J Province. They had already searched the entire town, and even the Fuentebella affiliates had helped, but they hadn't found Isaac. When Mikhail tried to call him again, Isaac finally answered and informed him that he had returned to J City two days ago.
"Let's take pictures with these vegetables!" Cedie exclaimed, and they took pictures together.
Mikhail sighed; they didn't come here for vacation, but he had no choice but to let them visit some places before leaving since he had dragged them here to join him.
Tristan picked some fruits from the basket the farmers were selling to them.
"These were freshly picked earlier. I can assure you that all of them are good quality," the farmer said.
"They look delicious and cheaper than the city's supermarket," Troy remarked, and they bought lots of vegetables and fruits.
Kurtis noticed Raon watching the other side of the farm; it's a rice field.
"There's a house in the middle of the farm," Raon said. He couldn't explain why, but that house really caught his attention.
"It's normal for farmers to build houses in the middle so they can always watch the crops," Shin explained.
"The house was bought a year ago, but now no one is living there again. There's a woman living there with her baby and nanny. She gave birth a few months ago. She looks so beautiful but rarely leaves the house," said the farmer.
"I think her husband works outside the town since he doesn't stay longer here. He always leaves the house and returns after a few days," the second farmer added.
"But they are no longer living here now; I saw them that night hurriedly leaving the house. No one knows where they are now," said the third farmer.
Mikhail and his group only listened to their story.
"I feel bad for the roses that surrounded their house; it was so beautiful, but now no one will take care of them," said the wife of one of the farmers.
"What's the name of that woman again?" farmer 1 asked.
"Hmm... I think I heard it before, but I forgot it," said farmer 2.
"I think it's Kaye... I once heard the nanny call her Miss Kaye when I passed by their house," mentioned the farmer's wife.
Tristan dropped the vegetable, and all of them looked at the farmers.
"Can you please repeat her name again?" Mikhail asked with a serious expression.
"Kaye. That's what I know since she only stayed in their house," replied the farmer's wife.
Tristan covered his mouth. "K-Kaye?" he stammered.
"But Kaye is..." Troy couldn't finish his sentence.
Kaye was already dead. Maybe they just have the same name?
Warren showed the picture of Isaac to the farmers.
"This man... Does he look like her husband?" he asked.
"Kaye was dead, what are you thinking?" Shin said.
"I just want to make sure!" Warren said.
The farmers looked at the picture. "Oh! Yes! He really looks like him," said farmer 1.
The other farmers nodded.
They couldn't believe this. If Isaac was really visiting here and the woman's name was Kaye, then Kaye was alive? But how? The police found her corpse near the bridge floating.
After asking for more information from the farmers, they decided to visit the house. It wasn't locked; it seemed like they had really left in a hurry. They entered inside and scanned the whole house. There wasn't much on display in the living room, the kitchen was clean, but there was food left inside the fridge.
"Guys, look what I found." Benjamin showed some baby clothes and toys.
Kurtis took them and examined them. Kaye was pregnant; if she's really alive, then these items belonged to her child.
"And I also found this." Benjamin showed a picture.
Tears fell from their eyes when they saw it – a picture of Kaye with her child. Now Raon understood why that house had caught his attention. Kaye was really alive.
Ivan, who had been silent since they came to the province, burst into tears. Troy fell to the floor in disbelief. Mikhail stared at the picture in his hand. So, Isaac was keeping her in this place? He had the nerve to hide their wife from them!
"Let's return to the city!" Mikhail said.
They hurriedly left the house and returned to the van.
.
.
....
Isaac lay on his bed inside his room when Mikhail forcefully opened the door. Surprised, Isaac immediately got up.
"What the fuck? Don't you know how to knock?" Isaac said angrily.
Mikhail quickly grabbed his collar, glaring at him, clearly showing his anger.
"How dare you hide Kaye from us! Tell me where she is right now before I can't control my anger and kill you!" Mikhail said.
"What the hell are you saying? Kaye was already dead. Why are you asking me about her? Are you drunk?" Isaac retorted.
"Stop pretending! I already know everything. You hid her in J Province and lived in the middle of a farm! Now I understand why you keep leaving the mansion; you are secretly meeting her! Now, where is she?!" Mikhail shouted.
Isaac gritted his teeth. How the hell did they find out?
He pushed Mikhail and glared at him. "I don't know what you're talking about. If Kaye was really alive, then who the hell was the woman they found in the river? Tss."
Mikhail scoffed. "Ha! You're still denying it even though we already have evidence?" He threw an envelope at Isaac, containing the real autopsy and DNA results, confirming it was a different person and had been dead for a long time. "I was amazed at how you successfully made us believe it was really her. Where the hell did you get the money and power to bribe the officers?"
Isaac stared at the results, then smirked. How amazing; his brother really could do everything with his power. He sat on the bed and looked at Mikhail with a smirk. "So what if she's really alive?"
Mikhail's punch landed hard on Isaac's face. "Just tell me where she is!"
Isaac winced and held his lip, wiping the blood with his finger and staring at it. With defiance in his eyes, he looked back at Mikhail.
"What if I don't want to?" Isaac challenged.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Mikhail grabbed his collar again, boiling with anger and gritting his teeth.
"What if Kaye doesn't really want to see you?" Isaac added, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips.
"There's no way she will do that!" Mikhail retorted.
"Hahaha!" Isaac laughed. "Kaye was the one who begged me to hide her from all of you. She said she doesn't want to meet you guys anymore."
"Liar!" Mikhail's fist met Isaac's face again.
But Isaac continued to laugh, a mirthless sound echoing in the room. "Haha, even if you kill me, Kaye will not meet you guys. She already decided; she wants to live in a far place, far from you."
"You're only saying that because you want her to yourself! Kaye will never say that!" Mikhail accused.
"There's nothing I can do if you don't want to believe me. But I will never let you meet her, over my dead body!" Isaac declared defiantly.
Mikhail continued to rain punches on Isaac. The commotion alarmed their guards, prompting them to intervene and put an end to the brawl.
Their grandpa entered the room, disbelief etched on his face. Mikhail and Isaac had never fought each other in the past.
"What is going on here?" their grandpa demanded, his anger evident.
"Tsk," Mikhail averted his gaze, a mix of rage and frustration on his face.
Isaac stood up, adjusting his shirt.
"Since when did you two become like this? You're fighting as if you want to kill each other!" their grandpa scolded, disappointment etched on his face.
The two brothers lowered their heads, fully aware they couldn't talk back. Despite being their grandpa, he was also the formidable Boss of the Fuentebella Family, and he wouldn't hesitate to punish them.
The grandpa sighed, watching the two turn silent. "I heard from Kira," he glanced at Mikhail, "Mikhail, I already knew about the woman you've been dating for a year. She's the reason you stayed in this city. I heard she's dead, but new information reached my ear that she's still alive," he then shifted his gaze to Isaac. "And it's not hidden from me that Isaac was also seeing that woman. Now I'm curious about that woman, turning you two into like this and fighting to death."
"It's Mikhail's fault, grandpa! I'm seeing that woman first, but he stole her from me!" Isaac defended.
"Shut the hell up! We both know she's my girlfriend! I met her first before you, so stop making up stories!" Mikhail snapped, his anger still simmering.
"Both of you, quiet!" their grandpa shouted, his authoritative voice silencing the room.
The two brothers gulped, realizing the gravity of their actions.
Their grandpa turned around. "I want to meet that woman. Bring her to me before I'm the one to look for her," he ordered, his tone leaving no room for disobedience, then he left the room.
Mikhail clenched his fists, his glare burning into Isaac. "This is all your fault!" he accused before storming out of the room.
Isaac sighed and threw himself on the bed, frustration evident in the way he punched the mattress. Placing the back of his hand on his forehead, he closed his eyes. Damn it! Now, things had become more complicated.
.
.
When Mikhail returned to their house, he shared the details of what had happened.
"Seriously? That selfish bastard doesn't really know his place," Haru remarked.
"But there's another problem. The Boss wants to see Kaye, and if she finds out about it, Kaye will surely run away again," Kurtis added.
"I will try to pursue her," Raon said, glancing at Mikhail. "Did your men track her already?" he inquired.
"I'm still waiting for their report. Tsk. This would be easier if that bastard would cooperate with us," Mikhail replied.
Tristan sighed. "Is there anything we need to do to make Kaye meet us? We aren't mad at her; I hope she will understand and not be scared."
Mikhail turned his attention to Warren. "By the way, any lead about Maximilian?" he asked.
The others also looked at Warren, waiting for his response. Despite a year of searching, Maximilian remained hard to find.
"Still negative. We've searched 20 cities, but there's still no lead about him," Warren replied.
"Try the nearby provinces. Troy was found in CN Province. Why don't you check that place?" Mikhail suggested.
"Alright, I'll do that," Warren agreed.
Mikhail stood up. "Anyone here who was close to Izekiel in the past?"
They exchanged glances. Troy awkwardly raised his hand. "I... I sometimes spoke with him in the Palace when Kaye wanted to deliver a message for him."
"Do you think you can try to pursue him and get information about Kaye?" Mikhail asked.
Troy rubbed the back of his neck. "I... I will try. He's a bit scary, but if it's for Kaye... maybe I can?"
"Good. Then I'm leaving now; I'll return to the Fuentebella mansion to talk with Grandpa," Mikhail said.
They all nodded.
.
.
....
At CN Province...
Kaye kept staring at her phone; two days had passed, and Isaac still hadn't called her. She was now worried, but she couldn't bring herself to call him, afraid that someone other than Isaac might answer.
"I hope nothing bad happens to him," she whispered.
Isaac had mentioned in their last call that he had found a place for them. However, since he wasn't contacting her now, they were still staying in the hotel. Kaye glanced at her sleeping son, then went out of her room to find his nanny. She saw her in the kitchen, cooking.
"Nanny," she called. "I'll go out for a while to buy diapers for Eros. We only have two left, and I need to buy more now."
"Don't bother; I will buy it for you after cooking," the nanny said.
"It's okay; I can go on my own. I'll only go to the store and return immediately," she replied. "Please watch over Eros."
The nanny nodded, and Kaye left the hotel, searching for a nearby store. Eventually, she found a convenience store. After locating the diapers, she quickly paid for them and left the store.
.
.
....
Kyle was in a convenience store, choosing a drink to buy when he noticed a familiar woman paying at the counter. His eyes widened when he saw her face.
"K-Kaye?" he whispered.
The woman had already left, and he tried to chase her, but the door alarmed because he was holding a beer that hadn't been paid for.
The cashier approached him. "Sir, you have to pay first before leaving."
"I'm sorry," Kyle said, glancing outside, but the woman was no longer there.
He went to the counter to pay. He couldn't be mistaken; that woman really looked like Kaye... Aria...
Kyle Sarmiento, a lawyer residing in CN Province, had parents who had been dead for a long time. He had been a lawyer for five years. But Kyle harbored a secret – inside his body was not truly Kyle; it was Maximilian da Firenze of Firenzan country.
It had been more than a year since Maximilian came into this world, but there was still no lead about Kaye and the others. For now, he lived as Kyle, working in a famous law firm in the province. However, he decided to quit his job. He discovered that Kyle was a complete asshole, accepting bribes from clients, especially government officials, politicians, and wealthy individuals. Not only the original Kyle but the entire law firm, including those working there and the senior partner, were all taking bribes to win trials. Maximilian could no longer tolerate it. Despite many clients attempting to bribe him, he refused. He was no longer the Kyle they knew, and he would never accept bribes from them. Due to his new personality, people in his workplace began to avoid and despise him, especially the senior partner, who got angry after he refused to help a politician who committed a serious crime.
Why would he help bad people?
Kyle walked around near the convenience store, hoping to see the woman who resembled Kaye again. However, after an hour, she was nowhere to be found. He decided to return to his workplace. Upon arrival, he opened his drawer and picked up his resignation letter. He went to their senior partner's office and placed the letter on his table.
Their senior partner raised an eyebrow. "What's this?" he asked.
"A resignation letter, sir," Kyle answered.
Their senior laughed. "Haha! You're resigning? You know what will happen to you if you resign, right? No other firm will hire you because of your background, taking bribes from your clients."
"I don't care if no one hires me. I will leave this place and find a new job that will suit me," Kyle responded.
"Pft..." their senior scoffed. "New job, huh... a change of heart? Change of life? Whatever you do, you can't run from your past, Kyle. You will be forever known as the asshole and greedy lawyer who will do everything to win trials for your sinner clients and ignore those poor victims' cries while begging you to do what's really right. Hahahhaa!"
Kyle clenched his fists. "Say whatever you want to say, sir. But you can't stop me. Please respect my decision." He bowed and then walked toward the door.
"HOW DARE YOU TO LOOK DOWN ON ME AND THIS PLACE! I PROMISE, MR. SARMIENTO, NO ONE WILL HIRE YOU WHATEVER JOB YOU APPLY FOR! YOU WILL LIVE MISERABLE WITHOUT THE MONEY OF YOUR CLIENTS!" his senior shouted as Kyle walked out of his office.
His coworkers all had their eyes on him. When he looked at them, they avoided gazes and began to gossip, talking about him again. He went to his table and began to pack his things. After packing, he finally left the building without looking back.
.
.
....
Isaac was driving his car; he had just passed their mansion's gate when Troy suddenly appeared in front of his car. Isaac quickly stopped the car and rolled down the window.
"What the hell! Are you out of your mind? Do you wanna die?" Isaac shouted at him.
Troy approached him, trying to hide his trembling. "I... I came to... T-Talk to you... I... was hoping you would spare me... s-some... time." He couldn't look at him straight.
Isaac's brows furrowed. "Damn! Did my brother order you to come here and beg me?" he said, clearly irritated.
"N-No!! He didn't ask me!" Troy said. "I-It's because of Kaye..." He lowered his head again. "I just want to know how she is..."
Isaac raised an eyebrow. "Why? Don't tell me you like her too? You know your place, right?"
"I know that," Troy sighed. "But I just want to make sure that she's doing well. I was so worried. When she disappeared, our family began to slowly fall apart. I don't want the family that Kaye built to break and separate. Kaye will be sad if she finds out about it."
"Kaye doesn't care. She doesn't need you anymore. Please forget about her and live your own life now," Isaac said as he started the engine.
"W-Wait! Please listen to me first! P-Please tell me where she is! I badly want to see her!" Troy begged, but the car started to move. "Please! I'm begging you!" he chased the car, but it was too fast and already left.
Troy sat down on the road and cried.