One week passed
Sarah walked into the opulent bungalow of Daisy and Daniel, her face betraying no emotion. The security guards outside the gate immediately recognized her and opened the gate, allowing her to pass through.
As she entered, she walked with a sense of purpose, her eyes filled with a hint of pain and darkness. It was a look that those close to her would have been able to discern, the true weight of her emotions hidden beneath a veneer of stoicness. She was carrying a few shopping bags in her hands, along with some food bags.
She quickly entered the bungalow building, and as she stepped into the entrance hall, Daisy appeared in front of her. Daisy's eyes immediately fell upon Sarah, and a glimmer of surprise appeared in her gaze.
Sarah reciprocated the look, a faint smile crossing her lips. However, there was no joy or warmth in her smile, only a hollow expression.
Daisy quickly stepped forward, arms outstretched to embrace Sarah, a warm smile on her face. "Sarah! It's been long since I've seen you. Where have you been all this time?"
Daisy's words were spoken with genuine excitement, and in that moment, it was impossible not to notice her slightly protruding stomach, a subtle reminder of her pregnancy.
Sarah moved forward to meet Daisy, setting her bags down as she wrapped her arms around Daisy in a hug. The two women stood embraced for a moment, Daisy holding onto Sarah a little longer, savouring the reunion. As they finally pulled away, Daisy couldn't help but comment on Sarah's appearance, her smile tinged with a hint of concern.
"You look tired," Daisy said, narrowing her gaze slightly. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes, everything is alright." Sarah responded with a small smile, trying to mask any underlying exhaustion or distress.
Despite her reassurance, Daisy's eyes remained fixed on Sarah, her concern still evident.
Sarah picked up the bags from the ground and said, "I went shopping for your baby. Let's take a look and see how they are."
She placed the bags on the nearby table and took a seat in the chair, Daisy following suit and taking the chair next to hers.
Daisy chuckled slightly, adding, "You seem to have done your shopping a bit too soon. There's still a long time left before the baby arrives."
However, Sarah tried to keep her composure, avoiding Daisy's scrutinising gaze.
"Oh, I just wanted to get a head start," Sarah replied, forcing a casual tone. "Can never be too prepared, right?"
Daisy nodded, her expression still a little contemplative. She was observant enough to notice Sarah's forced smile and the slight falter in her composure.
"You know, it's great that you've gotten a head start," Daisy said, her voice laced with a hint of concern, "but you really do look tired. Is everything truly alright?"
Sarah waved away Daisy's worries, insisting, "There's no need to worry, everything's fine." With a slight shift in topic, she turned her attention to the shopping bags, pulling out baby clothes and holding them up. "Let's have a look. What do you think of these?"
Despite her reassurance Daisy looked at her face but quickly started admiring the clothes, her face lit up with happiness. Both women continued to go through the items, making comments and remarks.
While Daisy looked genuinely happy, Sarah's smile seemed forced, as if hiding a deeper truth beneath the surface. Daisy, acutely observant as ever, couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right with her friend.
After going through the shopping bags and admiring the baby clothes, Sarah turned her attention to the food bags. She pulled them out and said, "I also brought some treats to celebrate my happiness. These are healthy and perfect for a little snack."
Daisy protested, "Sarah, you really didn't have to do this. I have everything I need."
Sarah dismissed Daisy's protests and replied, "But they're my treat, so you have to accept them." She pulled out two fruit drink bottles and handed one to Daisy. "Now drink it in front of me."
As Daisy took the bottle, Sarah's eyes remained fixated on her, as if the drink held some significant importance. Sarah uncapped her own bottle and took a sip, her gaze still fixed on Daisy.
As Daisy unscrewed the lid of her bottle, she spoke in a tight-lipped smile, "Alright, if that's what you want." She took a swig of the drink, meeting Sarah's gaze as she swallowed.
Sarah, who was sipping her own drink, clenched her free hand, her fingers curling into a tight fist. She watched Daisy, her eyes filled with an unreadable mix of emotions.
Daisy continued sipping her drink when suddenly, Sarah's phone rang. She reached out, grabbed her phone from the table, and checked it. Then, turning to Daisy, she said, "Umm, Daisy, I have to go. I need to be somewhere urgently, and they're calling me from there." Holding up her phone as proof, Sarah said.
While hearing her Daisy placed the bottle on the table and smilingly looked at Sarah, saying, "It's Okay, We'll meet again soon, though. And thank you for everything you brought."
Sarah's gaze lingered on Daisy, a look of contemplativeness in her eyes. Then, quite abruptly, she pulled Daisy into a tight hug.
For a moment, there was a sense of something unspoken passing between them, as if the hug held a deeper meaning.
As Sarah held Daisy in a tight embrace, her voice dropped to a soft, solemn tone, laced with depth and sincerity. "I'm really going to miss you so much, Daisy. More than words can express. But don't worry, I will come to you soon."
Daisy, taken aback briefly, soon relaxed in Sarah's arms and smiled. "You better come back soon," she said, returning the hug.
As soon as Daisy returned the hug, Sarah, her phone in hand, pulled away quickly without meeting Daisy's gaze one last time. She walked away, leaving the room and Daisy behind.
Daisy was staring in the doorway for several moments, her gaze lingering on the spot where Sarah had just vanished. A smile tugged at her lips, but it was tinged with a note of concern.
After a deep breath, she turned her attention to the baby clothes left on the table, but her world suddenly spun into a blur. Dizzy, Daisy reached for her head, her body suddenly gripped by a wave of disorientated confusion. The room seemed to swim in and out of focus, disorienting her even further.
Daisy, a hint of fear in her eyes, tried to regain her composure, but the world still danced around her in a hazy, indistinct whirlwind.
She, managing to stand from the chair, began to take steps towards her bedroom upstairs. However, as she did, she collided with someone, her vision still fuzzy and disoriented. Her heart sank as she tried to focus on the figures in front of her.
Four men, armed with guns, stood only a few feet away, their faces indiscernible through the haze of her vision. Confusion gripped her soul, but the dizziness left her unable to react. She was trapped in her own blurred reality.
She clutched her head, frustration coursed through her veins as she tried to shake off the dizziness, knowing she was in grave danger, but her body, weakened and disoriented, seemed unresponsive.
As she struggled, she heard the sound of the four men's voices.
One mocked her, boastfully stating, "They say she's exceedingly powerful, hence why boss had to use Sarah to make her consume such a potent sedative hypnotic drug."
The other men chimed in with mocking laughter.
The second man piped up with a sinister command, "We've been instructed to empty our entire gun into her."
Daisy listened, her head still swimming with dizziness, barely able to understand, yet a hint of shock and betrayal coursed through her veins at the realisation that Sarah had drugged her.
The third man chimed in, taunting, "This will be our first time shooting a pregnant woman."
The others chuckled darkly, the threat clear. At the words, Daisy, though struggling to stay focused, tried to punch one of them with whatever strength was left in her.
And she succeeded.
Her fist connected with one of them flesh with a powerful blow quick enough to make the man crash backward, blood dripping from his nose. Before they could react, another blow landed directly on the second man, leaving him feeling a little dizzy. Then a double flying kick thrown straight on the other two men, knocking them to the floor.
Daisy's lightning attack had such an impact, that they couldn't shake off the feeling of disbelief and fear at her power, how she managed to strike them precisely with her hazy vision and current weakened strength.
Just then, one of them's voices came, urgent and panicked, "We have to kill her, now!"
Before Daisy, her world still dizzy, vision blur, could do or think further, those four men, frantic, shot all the bullets from their guns simultaneously in Daisy's stomach, the sound of the shooting could not be heard at all because all those four had silencers attached to their guns.
As the bullets continued firing on Daisy, a deep gasp immediately came out of her mouth and she went straight and fell on the floor on her back. Her clothes got covered with her own blood which was coming out rapidly and falling on the floor as well. She felt a sudden sharp pain.
At that moment, thoughts of her unborn child flooded her mind, the unborn baby in her womb now facing danger from the bullets. The pain and the fear for her child was extremely high even though she was on the verge of death. Her eyes were still open facing the ceiling, her vision was still blurry, she was still conscious, but her condition was extremely horrible.
***
Jae, his heart racing with unease, parked his car and surveyed the scene outside the Daniel and Daisys' residence. The sight of the guards lying motionless on the ground sent a chill down his spine. He grabbed his gun, his mind instantly alert.
As he stepped out of the car, he warily approached the gate, his uneasiness growing with each step. As he made his way towards the house, his fear intensified further as he found servants and guards lying motionless near the entrance as well.
As he entered the bungalow building, his heart filled with dread, and as soon as he reached the entrance hall, he was met with a horrifying sight: Daisy's bloodied body lying on the floor.
The shock crashed over him, the time instantly froze for him, he felt his entire world thrown into shattering silence.
As his gaze fell upon the four men nearby, guns in hand, he immediately understood the situation. Without a moment's hesitation, he aimed his gun with fierce determination and shot the men in the heads with precise and deadly accuracy. The sound of gunfire echoed through the air. All four men fell to the floor immediately, their lives extinguished in an instant.
As the adrenaline and anger consumed Jae, he moved towards the bodies of the four men he had just shot, he didn't stop, but instead pounced on one of the men, his rage fueling his actions. With a furious yell, he started punching non stop on that man's motionless face, his punches' effect was so much that the sounds of breaking bones were audible.
His mind was in disarray, his vision narrowed, his focus on the man's face dwindling as his mind drowned in a sea of anger, pain, shock and grief. It felt like he was trapped in a nightmare, desperate to escape.
He continued punching, as if on autopilot, unable to form a single thought. Each punch landed with an intensity, but even to himself, Jae felt detached from the actions, like he was watching himself from afar.
His knuckles ached and his muscles screamed for him to stop, but his mind overpowered his body, keeping him locked in a trance-like state, his thoughts consumed by nothing but the pain and fury that coursed through him.
But then, a soft, pained cry cut through the chaos.
"Jay!"
The sound of Daisy's voice pierced the air, weak and faint, pleading for his attention.
She called his name again, her voice filled with anguish. "Jay Martin!"
The words reached his ears, and suddenly he froze, the punches halted. The sound of her voice shattered the haze he was in, bringing him back to reality. He paused, his breathing heavy, as he slowly registered Daisy's voice, his mind reeling from the shock and realisation of Daisy's still being alive.
The shock of what situation he was in and the pain in her voice rendered him immobile, unable to move or even look in her direction.
Daisy's voice, strained and filled with anguish, cut through the air once again. "I--I can't believe I'm going to die," she managed to say, her eyes brimming with tears.
Her voice quivered with a mixture of acceptance and grief. "I thought I was going to become a mother, but I guess… everything is ending... and I'm on my way to–"
Daisy's voice trailed off as she choked on her words, the weight of the realisation hitting her hard. "I'm on my way to...your Gale... and my brother."
The words hung in the air, filling the room with a heavy silence. Sitting there, Jae was listening to her, his mind and body still unable to move, as if frozen in time. The stillness was only broken by Daisy's laboured breaths and soft sobs.
Her voice quivered as she spoke once again, her words choked. "I didn't think I would die like this," she gasped out, her words interrupted by sobs. "It hurts so much. It's...unimaginable."
Daisy's face contorted in pain, tears streaming down her cheeks as she fought to speak through the agony. But then, a bitter smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she continued, her voice filled with a mix of affection and regret.
"Jay Martin, remember... you're my brother... and I'm…i'm your elder sister."
With her final words, Daisy's voice fell silent, the room filling with an eerie stillness. It was as if all the strength had left her body, her resistance giving way to acceptance. Slowly, her eyelids fluttered closed, her body surrendering to the inevitable. Her face, worn and tear-streaked, seemed to relax as she embraced the end, resigning herself to her fate.
Jae remained sitting there on that man's body. The silence was broken only by the sound of his own laboured breaths. Daisy was no more, her life extinguished in a moment of tragedy. And Jae's heart was heavy with grief, his mind still grasping at the cruel reality of what had just transpired.
Suddenly, Daniel appeared in the doorway, his face twisted in shock as he laid eyes on Daisy's horrifying lifeless body.
"D-Daisy!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief. But Jae remained frozen, unmoving, as if time had stopped for him.
Daniel approached Daisy's body, his steps shaky and uncertain. His legs trembled as he walked, his mind consumed by shock and grief.
As he neared, he sank to his knees, the weight of the scene too much to bear. He looked at Daisy's face, her eyes closed and her features still, the finality of her death beginning to sink in. His hands shook as he reached out, as if to touch her, but he stopped short, his mind struggling to accept the reality before him.
The room seemed to shrink around them, the realisation of the loss hitting them with brutal force. The vibrant energy that had defined Daisy's presence was now extinguished, leaving only emptiness in its wake.
Just then Jae stood up slowly, his eyes red and vacant, he slowly approached Daisy's lifeless body.
Daniel remained on his knees, his eyes fixed on his wife's face, the shock and grief overwhelming him to the point where he could not cry.
Jae knelt down and gently picked up Daisy's body, standing up, holding her in his arms. His expression was filled with a deep pain, his eyes unfocused and distant.
Not looking directly at Daniel, Jae spoke, his voice heavy with deep pain. "Promising to protect someone is just a myth."
As Jae spoke, he clutched Daisy's body close to his chest and started walking towards the doorway.
Hearing his words, Daniel clenched his fist, his mind brimming with a maelstrom of emotions, remembering the very promise he had made to Jae to protect Daisy on their wedding day years ago.
Guilt, regret, loss, pain, shock, disbelief, and grief all swirled together in a potent mix that left him paralyzed. He sat there, unable to move, his eyes fixated on the spot where Daisy's body once lay. The weight of the situation weighed heavily on him, drowning out all other thoughts and leaving him trapped in a state of numb despair.
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Jae was sitting on the sofa alone in a room inside his private casino, his legs sprawled out on the sofa. The room was dimly lit, with a faint, shadowy glow from the single source of light. Jae's appearance was dishevelled, his hair unkempt and his eyes bloodshot, evidence of his recent turmoil. He had been drinking alcohol, a half-empty bottle sitting on the table in front of him. With an empty stare, he seemed lost in thought, his mind drowning in a fog of alcohol and contemplation.
The silence of the room was only broken by the occasional sound of Jae's deep breaths and the occasional clink of the ice cubes in his glass as he swirled his drink. His expression was vacant, his eyes fixed on some unseen point in the distance as he sipped from the glass.
Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted the quiet of the room. Jae, his expression unchanging, called out in a deep voice, "Come!"
The door opened, and Jackson stepped into the room, his expression filled with a mixture of pain and despair. He closed the door behind him and walked towards the sofa where Jae sat, surrounded by the shadows and the dim light of the room. Jae, still drinking from his glass, his eyes unfocused at a distance.
Looking at his face Jackson spoke, his words cutting through the silence. "We found out who killed Leo," Jackson began, his voice laced with a mix of anger and exhaustion. He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "And who was involved in Daisy's death."
Jackson's words hung in the air. Jae's expression finally changed, his gaze fixing intently on Jackson, desperate for the information he sought.
Jackson paused for a moment, a hint of hesitation on his face, before continuing.
"Sarah killed Leo," he revealed, his voice low and hesitant. "And it was Sarah who made Daisy consume drugs."
Jackson's revelation hit Jae like a ton of bricks, sending his emotions into overdrive. With a roar, he hurled the glass in his hand across the room, shattering it against the wall. Then, fueled by anger and disbelief, he stood up and started throwing everything on the table, any object within his reach.
"HOW COULD SHE DO THAT?! HOW COULD SHE HAVE THE AUDACITY?!" Jae shouted in a mixture of rage and pain, his voice filling the room.
The sound of breaking items mingled with the shouting, creating chaos in the small room.
Jackson remained in his place, his eyes fixed on Jae, watching as the storm of emotions played out before him. There was a deep sadness in his gaze, as if the situation pained him deeply. He stood there powerless, waiting for Jae to calm down.
Jae's mind suddenly flickered with realisation, a memory from the moment when he found Leo injured resurfacing in his thoughts. He stood there, frozen, as he remembered Jia holding something in her hand, shock etched on her face.
Jae stood frozen in thought for a few more moments before he turned to Jackson, determination in his gaze and an authoritative tone in his voice. "No matter when or where, no matter the situation, if you see Sarah, kill her immediately. That's my order. Make sure everyone knows," he commanded, his voice filled with a cold, resolute anger.
Jackson listened intently to Jae's orders, nodding in acknowledgement. Without a word, he turned towards the door and walked out of the room, leaving Jae alone once more.
The door closed behind him, and the room was once again shrouded in silence, save for the occasional sound of Jae's shallow breaths.
His mind wandered to Jia, the sight of her holding something and her expression of shock replaying in his head. Jae's hands clenched into fists, the anger and disbelief evident on his face as he muttered to himself in frustration.
"You knew, Jia. You knew."
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It was late night, and Jia was pacing back and forth in her room, an air of uneasiness surrounding her. She kept calling Jae's number, but every time, no one picked up. With each failed attempt, her anxiety grew, her movement becoming more frenzied.
Unable to reach Jae, Jia remembered Jackson and quickly dialled his number before holding the phone against her ear, anxiously waiting for him to pick up. There was no need for Jia to wait long, as Jackson picked up the call almost immediately.
Jia quickly stopped pacing around and a sense of slight relief washed over her as she spoke directly into the phone, her voice laced with concern.
"Hello, hello Jackson, I've been trying to call Jae for quite a long time now, but he's not picking up my call. Ever since Leo and Daisy's deaths, his condition hasn't been good. Is he with you? Is everything alright?"
Jackson's voice came through the phone, flat and devoid of any emotion. He replied, "Everything's fine, and we've also found out who killed Leo and who was involved in Daisy's death."
Jia froze upon hearing this information, her grip on the phone tightening. A few seconds of silence passed before she spoke up, her voice tinged with hesitation and concern.
"W-who is it?"
Jackson's response came instantly, firm and resolute. "Sarah…..and Jae has given a strict order that anyone who sees her should kill her on the spot without a second's hesitation."
Shock registered on Jia's face, her eyes widening at the news, filling her with a sense of dread.
Jackson spoke again, "And Jae should reach you soon." With that, he disconnected the call, leaving Jia standing there.
She held the phone against her ear, her face still showing shock and apprehension, her mind reeling with what she had just learned.
She removed the phone from her ear and ran her fingers through her hair, her expression filled with a mix of desperation, concern, and determination.
She muttered to herself, her lips trembling with emotion as she spoke. "No, I won't let this happen. They can't kill Sarah, I won't let it happen."
She hurriedly turned towards the door, only to find Jae standing there, his eyes bloodshot and his expression eerily calm. For a second, she was taken aback, watching as he began to walk towards her.
Jae looked directly into Jia's eyes, his tone calm but with an underlying hint of danger. "You knew that Sarah was the one who killed Leo?"
He continued to advance towards her, his steps slow and deliberate, forcing her to back away in fear.
Jia, backing away and looking anxiously at Jae's angry eyes, blurted out. "Please don't kill Sarah."
Hearing her words, Jae suddenly raised his voice in anger, "DID YOU KNOW OR NOT?"
His sudden outburst made Jia flinch, and she instinctively closed her eyes and responded hastily."Y-yes."
Hearing her answer, Jae suddenly grabbed Jia's neck and pulled her closer, their faces just inches apart. Jia's hands reflexively landed on his chest, and she could feel his anger-filled gaze on her.
"Why didn't you tell me, then?" he demanded, his voice laced with a mixture of anger and confusion.
Jia looked at him, her eyes pleading and filled with fear, but she remained silent. Jae repeated his question, his voice rising in intensity.
"Answer me!"
But Jia still remained silent, unable to find the words.
Her silence only fueled Jae's anger, and he said firmly, "Forget that she ever existed."
He let go of her neck and began walking in the opposite direction, but before he could get far, Jia spoke up in a loud, desperate voice,
"You can't do this. I won't let you lay a finger on her as long as I'm alive."
Jia's words made Jae whirl around, his voice raised in anger. "SHE KILLED LEO AND DAISY, WHY ARE YOU DEFENDING HER? SHE'S A CRIMINAL."
Jia stood there, in disbelief at Jae's outburst.
Just then Jia spoke defiantly, her voice filled with emotion. "You're a criminal too, yet I am with you, yet I still support you," she continued, her eyes welling up with tears as her voice trembled. "And why am I defending Sarah? It's because she came into my life when I was totally lonely, she was there for me when I needed her the most. She's the kind of person who can bring out the best even in evil. She would never, ever hurt anyone unless something happened to her."
Tears streamed down Jia's face as she spoke, her sobs filling the air, and Jae stood there, his anger slowly mixed with disbelief.
Jae spoke up firmly, "So what? Can she bring Leo and Daisy back to life?"
Jia tried to explain, pleading in a tearful voice, "And killing her won't bring them back either."
Hearing her words, Jae closed his eyes, struggling to control his anger. He responded firmly, "I don't care what her reason was, but I know for whom she must have done it. So it would be better if you don't talk to me about this again because my decision won't change."
With that, Jae moved towards the door, signalling the end of the conversation.
But Jia didn't stop. She pleaded desperately, her eyes filled with tears, as she followed him, her voice loud and urgent. "Jae, wait!"
She continued chasing after him, her footsteps quickening as she tried to catch up to him, pleading. "Please, don't kill her. Listen to me, please. Try to understand. She mustn't have done this willingly."
Jae continued walking, refusing to listen. Jia continued to follow him, her footsteps echoing in the empty hallway.
"Please Jae, listen to me. Jae stop."
Jia quickly darted in front of Jae, blocking his path, and stood there defiantly, looking at him with tear filled pleading eyes.
Then the next thing she did left furious Jae taken aback.
She fell to her knees in front of him, gripping his legs tightly, her voice filled with an intensity of emotion. "Please Jae, I beg you not to hurt her. I don't want to lose Sarah. Please understand my pain. Jae, there's no one else who can understand the pain of losing a friend better than you."
The sound of Jia's sobs echoed through the empty hallway as she knelt at Jae's feet, her grip on his legs desperate and firm.
"Please, Jae, listen to me. I can't bear the thought of losing her. Please, understand."
Hearing her words, Jae clenched his fist, struggling to control his emotions and pain. He then reached down to grab Jia's hands, pulling them away from his legs and setting them free.
Without saying a word, he turned to walk away, leaving Jia there, sitting on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.
Her hands on the floor, tears streaming down her face in helpless agony.
***
On the other side, Jae stood in the dimly lit room, seething with anger and pain as he repeatedly pounded his fist against the wall. With each punch, the paint on the wall chipped and cracked, revealing the raw plaster beneath.
As he continued to punch the wall, he seethed, frustration and pain coursing through him.
"Yes. Yes. Nobody can understand the pain of losing a friend better than me," he muttered through clenched teeth. "But she killed Leo and Daisy, and I can't forgive her for that."
He continued to relentlessly pound his fist against the wall, the sound of his knuckles connecting with the plaster echoing through the empty room. With each strike, the wall crumbled further as if mirroring the emotional turmoil he was experiencing.
Jae's frustration and anger continued to mount with each blow, his knuckles started bleeding from the repeated impact. The wall slowly gave way, the once-smooth plaster now battered and damaged from the relentless assault.
He pushed himself harder, as if trying to channel his pain into the physical act of destruction in front of him.
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