The evening drew its eyes at the end of the day. Crystal was feeling much more energized after days of unstable stuff happening. She slept through the day and recovered from all the pain she had everywhere.
She walked outside the balcony and crossed her arms around her chest. She stood there looking at the scenic colourful garden below. Suddenly her mind drifted to the thoughts of home and the night before she left. She was playing the conversation she eavesdropped outside her mother's room in her mind.
What kind of inheritance can it be?
She must be pissed… Who must be pissed?
What plan? My father had just the house and we never belonged to any Elites. What was my mother talking about?
My mother said the last conversation she had with my father was about me getting married to Max.
The relationship between Max and my mom puzzles me. He calls her mom and she dotes on him like a mother. Mother, Son inheritance, money? Sugar Mommy?
Crystal slapped her hand.
No, no that's my mother we are talking about, that can not be the case, besides they are way too civil. Let's just keep thinking. Let's see…
She hates me because I left. She loves Shasha, and she loves Chloe too, but Chloe dumped Daniel, Shit I forgot to ask for the dating details from Daniel.
The thought of Daniel made her a little sad. He was alone at the place surrounded by the incorrigible family they were born and brought up in.
Mom was never the same, she was a sweet, kind, homely religious lady. I have never seen my mom get this angry at anyone, let alone me. Maybe I did, do some serious damage.
Ughh… Crystal.
#
Daniel left the bunker as Chloe and Max entered from the main entrance. He fixed the paper in his pocket and eyed them, expecting them to say something.
"Did you guys find her?" Daniel asked, nonchalantly.
Max shook his head in denial. "Did she call or something?" Max asked, concerned. As if on cue, Rebecca's car honked and everyone turned their heads to see as she entered.
"She wasn't your father's company, her own company headquarters, or anywhere else. Totally lost, vanished from the face of this earth, that …" Rebecca read the room as she said, "... illicit illogical daughter of mine."
"Mom, now that she isn't around, please stop name-calling her…" Daniel tried to argue, but she shut him down with a glare and a hard slam of the fridge door.
"Okay let's all just calm down. We should sit here and talk." Max suggested helping Rebecca on the couch.
Rebecca was breathing faster than usual.
"Hey, Aunty relax, we will find her," Max told Rebecca, rubbing her back.
"Let's just recap what happened last night." Max started talking, "We had dinner and a little spirited conversation there."
Daniel nodded and muttered, "little spirited."
"We all left with me and Crystal being the last ones to go." Max said and Chloe shifted a little uncomfortably which didn't go unnoticed by Daniel.
"Around two pm at night, she knocked at my door and entered inside. We had a little chat and we figured out how things would be." Max told everyone.
"So you two were together?" Chloe asked in an accusatory tone and Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"Yes and then I dropped her in her room after a little chat," he said.
"A Chat?" Chloe said, almost shouting, "What was the chat about?..." She looked around at suddenly changing expressions and corrected herself, "I mean did she tell you to leave or she be going somewhere?"
"No actually quite the opposite, she told me how adorable our babies would be," Max added.
"...babies?" Chloe asked, her pupils dilating.
"So she wasn't planning on leaving, what if she was abducted…?" Daniel asked, feigning concern.
"I mean, she wasn't planning on leaving, her room window is open, she has a new linen on her bed, and she clearly has used the bathroom. She didn't take her stuff even if she was leaving… What if that is the case?" Daniel asked.
Looking at the concern in Max's eyes, Chloe frowned, gritting her teeth.
"I am not sure, I mean she did the same thing last time. You see her utilities are gone, there is no sign of foreign entry in the room or something to prove your hypothesis." Chloe said.
"Hmm… besides who'd benefit from her going the most? No one, given she just joined NIF, absolutely no way she has enemies there where she hasn't been to a single day. Max was the only person she loved and no other love rival. So I don't see a point." Daniel nodded.
Max suddenly looked away in the distance trying to resist the urge to look at Chloe, who on the other hand started sweating.
"Let's go and report it to the police," Max suggested in a low voice.
"What?" shouted both Chloe and Daniel at the same time.
#
In a completely different world, miles away from New York, near Miami, Florida. A woman was rubbing alcohol on the wounds of a man. Changing the dressing and giving him a sponge bath. She looked at his wounds, circling them on the outside.
The man lay in the bed, the lower half of his body covered in white linen and the upper half in ointments.
Who'd have thought, I of all people would meet you this way? Would be protecting you. How does it feel to be here dear husband?
She chuckled softly and then grabbed his jaw. You are still as pretty as ever. I wonder how beautiful our life would have been.
The man's body glowed in the setting sunlight. The woman dragged her index finger along the edge of his face and giggled.
I loved you so much, but still, you have to hurt me. She dug her fingernails in his arms, his blood veins reddened. You were still married to me when you cheated on me, YOU!
Her cellphone rang and she picked it up.
"Silvia, where are you? What were thinking? Are you stupid? Have you lost it completely?" A man barked at Silvia in full-blown anger.
"Tell him, he looks cute when angry." She chuckled, sinisterly.
"You understand it is so precarious? Why would you go back to New York?" he shouted.
"Calm down Alexander," Silvia said, annoyed for being scolded.
"The boss is mad, and I think he is right, What if Edward would have killed you?" he shouted.
"No sweat about it." She replied.
"You understand he has been search-" Before Alexander could complete Silvia spoke.
"Edward is dead." Silvia smiled. Trailing along the chest of the man before him with her fingertips, leaving a scratch mark on his nails.
"You did not-" Alexander was as shocked as panic.
"Okay Bye!" Silvia disconnected.
#
Crystal sat with her hands in her hair, eyes in her notebook, trying to dot every possible end to a certain conclusion.
So the file is important but what do I understand out of this, here we have-
"Aau—--" Crystal screamed.
"Aau—" screamed Elmore.
"Aaauuu—" screamed the nurse entering the room with soup for Crystal that crashed the floor.
"Good Lord Elfy, you scared me."
"You scared me," Elmore said with a pouty face and accusatory tone.
"You BOTH scared me —-" the nurse scolded them.
"What was that about?" an old cleaning lady walking in with a mop.
"Oh I am sorry, you have to do this because of us. Do you want some help? I think I should help." Crystal told the young lady who arrived.
Elmore observed the interaction and tilted her head. "I beg your parldon, Aunt Nerissa, I caused you poblem beyond my age." Elmore looked at Crystal who was looking at her with wide eyes open. Then she turned, "Aunt Nerissa, as much much I want to help you, my fingers and hands are tiny, and you big. I will help you in future, Okay?" She smiled and made hearts with her hands and pointed it, towards them
Everyone in the room looked between Elmore and Nerissa, who was holding a mop and was about to clean.
"I don't know what you did, I don't know how you did, but that," She pointed at Elmore and continued, "... that was mighty impressive."
The other helping staff and everyone in the room laughed as Elmore marched towards Crystal's bed and extended her hands upwards.
"Now pick me up."