A/N: Prepare for this one.
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"Aimer, c'est savoir dire je t'aime sans parler."
-
She's back.
When he walked inside the LSA building for the first time as the new Chairman of the company, meeting her was the last thing he had expected.
Their eyes met.
For a few seconds, he felt it again, the flutter. He finally saw the same doll eyes that he used to adore so much.
He knew exactly it was her. He can't be wrong or even confuse this time.
His heart immediately knows.
His steps slowed down.
For a moment, he felt the yearning surge through him. It almost pushed him to take big strides and feel her again, in his arms. With the same scent of vanilla and strawberry, he wanted to feel that same comfort of being close to her again. How her body perfectly mold against him, he remembered too.
She was his world.
And reality then sunk in.
Was.
It was all a lie.
She only toyed with him, with his feelings. After what he told her, after she witness his heart break once, she still decided to make him fall.
And fck, he fell hard.
Harder than his first.
He fell greatly.
And now he suffers from the pain of the truth greatly too.
His great love was all a lie.
It felt like something struck him through his chest as soon as he walked past her. And as though it was an automatic response, memories came crashing onto him like a wild wave.
Everything.
Both good and bad.
It did not help when he heard his name on her lips. It was wanting, soft and delicate. Just as he remembered. But also, now unfamiliar.
Jungkook-ssi.
She did not dare call him the way she used to. It felt like two strangers meeting for the first time.
Hearts were now estranged.
And his was stone-hard and guarded. Just numb from all the pain it felt in the past weeks.
"You came all this way for that?"
He wanted to scoff, scolding himself internally when he thought she would at least acknowledge her sin against him. But she didn't. She was only here for her father. For their family company.
Damn her. She was so cold for that.
But then...
"I am so sorry."
Sorry? Really?
His jaw clenched and unclenched. He knew that was it. She was now pertaining to the lies she fed him as he wanted.
But fck. He did not know the pain will intensify even more upon hearing the crack in her voice.
He doubted it. He doubted if it was sincere or not. He doubted if it was only an obligation, a lie to get it over with. He doubted it.
He doubted everything that was leaving her lips now. Even a simple sorry.
He can't help it.
She had so many chances to come clean with him but she did not. She finished it and left him hanging. Which means she really did intend to deceive him and everything was just for show.
She trapped him in a bubble of false hope.
He could've lashed out at her then and there. He could've made her feel all the pain he was feeling. He could've made her feel really sorry and small. He could've.
But he did not.
He wanted to hate her so much.
Instead, he spared her and made her leave, never to step foot back in LSA.
He did not know what to feel after. He was lost. Even when he was already inside his new office in the LSA building.
His secretary was already there waiting for him, ready to tell him the agenda for the day.
"Not now, Miss Lee. Please get out. I need a moment alone," he told his secretary.
When he was indeed left alone, he sat down on the couch, elbow dropping on his knees, and palms meeting the back of his neck.
God, why now? Of all times, he had to meet her again?
"Jungkook," Namjoon entered the office, a few minutes later, seeing him in that state.
He straightens up.
"Did you call the security and told them what I told you to do?" Jungkook's voice has no emotion laced in it.
"I did. But she left on her own," Namjoon informed him. Jungkook did not move, his eyes just aimlessly trained on the coffee table in front of him.
He knew his Hyung was starting to analyze him now. He knew he can tell that the meeting with her affected him.
He was not ready but fate already made it happen.
"You banned her because you did not want your father to see her, don't you?" Namjoon stated just like he feared, sitting down on the opposite couch. He can really read him that easily.
He hated that sometimes.
"He might meddle if he sees her coming here. As I said, I will be the one to take care of that one," Jungkook uttered, still unmoving in his position.
Again, he knew Namjoon can see right through him once more.
As much as he doesn't want to admit it, deep down in his heart, that was not just his reason. And Namjoon knows it too.
The love was still there. It was still there. Jungkook admitted to himself as soon as their eyes met back there.
And it was so unfair.
How can he still be in love when it was so easy for her to forget about all of it and leave it behind?
Jungkook fell in love hard and he fell in love greatly, indeed.
And now he just looked lost.
"Namjoon Hyung, I want to be alone for now. Can we talk later?" Jungkook finally met his gaze.
Please. He needed it badly. He needed to clear his mind.
"Of course. Your father is gonna be here later this afternoon. I'll just be with Taehyung down the lobby. If you need anything, call me," Namjoon stood up.
The younger nodded.
But just when he thought he would get the space he needed to sort out his emotions at the moment, another thing came in and jumbled it all further.
"Jungkook!" The door blasted open, revealing an out-of-breath Taehyung. Panic was written all over his face. That confused them both.
"Hyung?"
"T-They took her!" Taehyung yelled.
"Who?" Namjoon asked, now eyebrows furrowed.
"Lalisa Manoban! She was taken! Fck! She was kidnapped just now!" Taehyung revealed, frustrated.
No.
Jungkook froze like a statue, hardly processing what Taehyung just told him. And when he did, a few seconds later, he gradually paled.
It felt like the oxygen he had was suddenly punched out of him.
She was taken.
Abducted. Kidnapped.
Fck.
"Are you serious, Hyung? Because it's not funny," Jungkook uttered out, eyes darkening as he now neared the older by the door, hands balled up into fists.
"I'm not Jungkook! I was there!" Taehyung almost yelled hysterically. "I wish I was able to prevent it but fck, I was too late!!"
Damn it. It was true.
"Where was she taken?" Jungkook asked, now walking to his table to get his phone and make calls.
"Just outside LSA," Taehyung answered before putting a phone and car keys on the table. "Her white Porsche is still parked in the area where she was taken. She dropped these things."
"Did you see who took her?"
"No, they had masks on. But I took note of the vehicle plate number."
"Write it down now," He uttered before he dialed his secretary's phone number.
"Mr. Jeo-"
"Jieun, call the security room and have them check the CCTVs installed around the entrance of LSA. No questions ask, do it right now. That's an order," Jungkook commanded in the call, not even letting his secretary finish her sentence. "Report to me immediately if they find anything related to Mr. Manoban's daughter."
"I have called my team in, Jungkook. They will be here in a few," Namjoon informed him, just getting off his phone too.
But Jungkook was not having it.
"Hyung, have them check every entrance and exit of Seoul now! I'm not gonna let those bastards get away with this," Jungkook almost exploded. "Fck. It's my fault. This is my fault, damn it."
He made her leave but he did not expect this to happen.
"Hey, no one knows something like this would happen," Taehyung calmed him.
"Taehyung tells the truth, Jungkook. I'll call my men again," Namjoon nodded and took out his phone again to do what Jungkook demanded. "I'll go to the security room. I'll be back in a few minutes when some of my team also arrives here."
Lalisa's phone began to ring, the screen lighting up.
Both Jungkook and Taehyung looked down on it.
Jimin Oppa calling...
~*~
"She said a couple of hours," Chaeyoung uttered, rhythmically tapping her feet. "Where is she?"
"Maybe she went to visit Jisoo and Jin Hyung," Jimin told her before taking a bite of the banana he had in his hand.
"I've texted Jisoo Eonnie, Chim. She's not there," Chaeyoung groaned. "One of us should've gone with her, you know? What if something bad happens? Please call her. I'm getting anxious here for some reason, especially since Mara's not found yet. She might not be safe to go out there alone too."
"Alright. Alright. Okay, I'll call her now," Jimin sat up straight, took his phone out of his pocket, and dialed Lisa's number.
Chaeyoung gestured for him to put it on speaker. They waited patiently for the girl to pick up.
The call pushed through on the third ring.
"Hello? Lisa?" Chaeyoung said as she scooted closer to Jimin, the phone currently on his hold.
"Hey, where are you, Lis? You okay?" Jimin also spoke on the phone.
"Mr. Park,"
The two looked at each other when a voice that was clearly not Lisa spoke through the phone.
"Who's this? This is my friend's phone, why is she not the one to answer?" Jimin questioned the unfamiliar voice.
"This is Kim Taehyung. I know your friend. You may want to come to LSA now. Something happened to Miss Manoban," the deep voice replied.
"LSA? What? What happened to her?" Jimin asked again but the call already ended. He stared at his phone in bewilderment.
"The fck?!"
The two did not wait for a second longer and were already dashing out the door. They took Chaeyoung's car and drove off to LSA.
They arrived half an hour later at the LSA skyscraper.
"Hey, that's my car," Jimin pointed out as he closed the door to the driver's seat, securing Chae's keys in his pocket. Chaeyoung followed suit.
They both walked towards the Porsche, puzzled as to why there were officers around the area.
They have a bad feeling about this.
"Excuse me, officer," Jimin interrupted. "What happened here?"
"A case of kidnapping happened not too long ago."
Wait, what?
"Shit," the word escaped Chae's lips before she could even realize it. "We have to go to LSA now, Jimin. Quick!"
They ran up the stairs to LSA, immediately inquiring the lobby about Kim Taehyung.
However, Secretary Lee was just in time to get out of the elevator and usher them to follow her up to Jungkook's new office.
"Sir, they are here," Miss Lee announced.
"Mr. Jeon," Park Jimin formally acknowledged him, as they have not seen each other in months. Though he's confused as to why he's here at LSA, the news of transfer is still not imparted to him and Chae.
"Mr. Park," Jungkook gave the same formal nod to him.
"Kim Taehyung," Chaeyoung walked forward to the said man in impatience. This may be their first official meeting, but she already knew who he was. This guy was the man her best friend had a small crush on. "Where is Lisa? Why do you have her phone?!"
"Miss Manoban was abducted."
"What?!!!"
"How the hell did that happen?! Who took her?!" Chaeyoung panicked, turning to Jimin and the male was quick to go to her, already knowing she's gonna break down in worry.
"We already alerted our men to find her quickly," Jungkook stated and Chaeyoung turned to him.
"Wait... you met her already?" Chaeyoung paused, lips tightly sealed as she weigh the look on Jungkook's face. "You know who she is?"
Jungkook did not answer her directly. He only looked away from her, lips now in a thin line and brows formed slightly together.
That confirmed it for Chae though. And she gasped.
"I'm going to the security room," Jungkook stated, standing up from his seat. It did not escape Chae and Jimin's gaze how Jungkook looked at their friend's phone, probably contemplating whether he will leave this here or take it.
A random notification pushed through, Lisa's phone screen lit up again because of it.
Jungkook's gaze did not leave the phone. His eyebrows furrowed together more intensely as he stared at the screen. Chaeyoung remembered something.
The wallpaper.
She remembered it was a picture of Lisa's left hand, adorned only with a pretty diamond ring on her ring finger. She questioned Lisa about it once when she saw it, as she was confused because it does not look like a fashion ring at all.
It looked like an engagement ring. Or even a wedding ring perhaps.
But Lisa did not answer her directly. Her best friend just said it was a very important jewelry piece that she treasures.
"Her watch is connected to her phone. You can possibly check her location through that, right?" Chaeyoung blurted out after a while of silence. Her words quickly caused Jungkook to look away from the phone screen now.
"Right. That could work," Jungkook nodded. "Do you know the passcode?"
"Her birthday?" Jimin suggested. "032798."
Jungkook took it upon himself to type in the passcode, but only earned a failed attempt.
"No."
"Her restaurant's anniversary date. 080818."
"It's not."
"Ugh. What could it be?" Chaeyoung uttered in frustration.
Jungkook decided to add his birthdate, 090197, but again another wrong passcode. He then realized she must not know his birthdate.
Of course, she would not know. Why would she?
Stop it Jungkook. This is not the time.
"062721," Chae suddenly blurted. "I'm sure it's that."
Jungkook pressed the numbers in, which surprised him when the phone got unlocked.
"It's unlocked," he told them and Chaeyoung breathed in relief.
"Woah, what was that all about?" Jimin asked her.
Chaeyoung smiled sadly at her boyfriend before her brown eyes landed back on Jungkook.
"It was the day she first met Jungkook-ssi, Jimin," she said it loud and clear for Jungkook to hear.
And just as she wanted, he heard it.
~*~
(Trigger warning: voilence)
Eyes slowly opened.
Blurry.
It took Lisa a few seconds before her vision cleared up and she was awake.
Unfamiliar.
That was the first thing that registered in her mind when she took in her surroundings. She was in a room. An empty cold room with her in the middle.
Where is she?
She looked down at herself, seeing her feet were bound and tied up against the chair she was sitting on. Her hands were also tied up behind her.
"I see you're awake," a voice from behind her spoke suddenly.
She snapped her head to the side, hearing the person's footsteps come close and around her.
"Mother," Lisa uttered in a low voice.
Honestly, she was not as surprised as she expected herself to be.
Knowing that her sister was also taken, she knew that there could also be an attempt to take her as well.
She was right. And here she was.
"Where are we? Where did you take me to?!" Lisa demanded answers.
"Oh we're in Busan, dear," Olivia chuckled, turning around to walk towards the table against the wall. Lisa inhaled sharply when she saw her mother place a gun on the table. The woman turned to face her again, a sinister smile now playing on her lips.
"I'll place this here just so I don't touch it accidentally if you manage to piss me off. That'll be way too soon, don't you agree?"
The woman then cackled a little more hysterical than needed.
Lisa gulped her nervousness down, intently trying to observe the woman in front of her.
She does not look like her mother. Her usual neat french twist was nowhere to be found. Only an unruly hair tied together in a loose ponytail. Her face was bare and the black bags under her eyes were very much visible. Her signature red lips were also absent, just chapped frowning lips.
"Where is my sister?" Lisa asked carefully and more calmly this time, as she had to be cautious with the gun just right there waiting to be used. And she did not want to trigger it.
"Samarah?" Olivia raised an eyebrow. "I do not know."
Wait. What?
"What do you mean you do not know?" Lisa faltered. "You're not the one to take her?"
The woman only grinned evilly. "What do you mean by that? Is Mara missing? Well dear, as much as I want her here too for what she did, I have no part in whatever happened to her."
What?
No. That can't be.
"Then who took her? Where is she?" Lisa was lost then. If her mother was not the one to take her sister, then who could it be then?
Olivia scoffed before crossing the distance between them. Lisa hissed a little when the woman held her jaw tightly. She can feel the woman's sharp nails almost breaking into her skin. "Enough of that. You're here for a reason. I warned you both not to cross me. Now here we are."
"We did everything you wanted," Lisa breathed, struggling in her own mother's hold. "And that? I did not regret it. What you did to LSA was wrong. It was papa's hard work that you threw away. And people died, mother. It was a disaster you caused. Y-You have to pay for it."
"No," Olivia seethed. "You ruined it. But I'm not done yet. That will not stop me just yet."
Lisa winced when she felt a little pain in her cheeks, probably her mother's nails breaking through her skin and now drawing blood.
Olivia harshly let go and turned her back on her.
"Please," Lisa pleaded, breathing heavily. Tears now began to stream down her cheeks at the thought of her sister again. "If you're lying to me about Mara, please don't. Please mother, I nee-"
"I told you I don't know! I would've gladly taken her too if I know where she is!"
"No n-no no," Lisa cried silently, staring at the woman in pure disbelief and disgust. "I do not believe you. Stop lying. Why are you doing this?"
She can't see anyone else taking Mara. The Jeons couldn't possibly do it, could they?
Or Jungkook?
"Believe it or not, I'm telling you the truth. But it does not matter to me. She's no longer important anyway. She's nothing but another mere tool I needed in my plans."
Lisa paused, not at all believing what she just heard left the woman's mouth. How could she spout such things?! What the hell?!
And there it was again. The root of all of this.
Plans.
Fcking. Plans.
Endless fucking plans that do not fucking make sense anymore to Lisa and she definitely fucking has had enough hearing of!!!
This was just enough to enrage the girl. How could Olivia just say that so carelessly?! As if Mara was indeed like a fucking object that was just so easy to discard just like that?!
Well, she was capable of abducting Lisa, but Mara... Lisa would at least think the woman would have cared more for her sister as she was with them for a long time and her sister did not do anything as grave as she did.
How wrong she was.
The sinister smile was back on the woman's lips upon seeing the pure anger firing up in Lisa's eyes.
"You're not in your right mind anymore. I can't even recognize you. You have become a monster," Lisa snarled, causing the smile to drop again from Olivia. She watched as the woman's gaze once again changed, almost equaling the rage Lisa was feeling.
"Say that again. I dare you."
"You are a monster."
As quickly as she repeated it, Lisa's face was turned to the side, her left cheek stinging from the harsh slap the woman gave her.
"No. You are the monster," Olivia uttered in contempt. "You will pay for everything you did! And I will not stop until I'm satisfied."
Lisa slowly brought her gaze back up to the woman, not minding the still stinging pain on her cheek.
"Tell me," Lisa spoke, almost out of breath. "Why do I have to pay? What did I do to you to cause such suffering to me?"
Because it does not make sense anymore. What she's saying does not make sense.
"Is this still about what happened sixteen years ago?" Lisa pressed. And when the woman looked more scornful, as if she had hit a nerve, Lisa couldn't believe it.
"Oh God, it still is?" Lisa said in disbelief. "Still my brother's death. It's still that..."
"Do not call her your brother when you have caused his demise."
"And there you go again. Blaming me for something that I did not intentionally do!"
"Do not clean your hands on this!" Olivia snapped. "You know it's your fault!"
"Then tell me, this is the root of you doing all of this?" Lisa countered angrily. "What you did to LSA. What you did to the Jeons. What you did to Mara. If it's that and you're blaming me still, why are these people... these innocent people who had nothing to do with me and the incident... why did you do all of that to them?"
"Why not only me?" Lisa breathed, getting tired and just confused because she cannot see how everything goes back to the incident she was said to have caused. How are the Jeons connected to the incident? How is Mara connected to it when she herself knew she was not there? And ruining LSA's reputation?
"Why?"
"I have no obligation to explain my reasons to you."
"But I'm asking for it in order to see wha-"
"I do not need you to see or understand," Olivia cut her off angrily. "Everything I did and people I included, I have a reason to. As for you? I wanted you to suffer. I want you to pay for his death."
Cruel. Until now, she wouldn't move on. She made her do all of those things in the past months for nothing. She was not satisfied still. And now, she wanted her to pay for her brother's death?
"You want me dead too?" Lisa whispered. "I pay his death with my life. Is that what you want?"
"Do you think that's what he would've wanted?" Lisa asked her, another lone tear escaping her eyes. But she kept her gaze hard and challenging. "No. My brother wouldn't want this."
"Stop right there," Olivia commanded, as she began to shake in anger.
But Lisa did not stop. The woman has to hear this once and for all.
Lisa was done being treated like this. She has already managed to forgive herself after months and years. That was indeed enough now.
"He wouldn't want you doing this to me and my sister. Any of what you did, he will never be proud of it. You are not avenging his death or anything, you're now trampling on it."
"I said stop."
"You're just feeding your anger now, mother."
"Stop! Shut up!" Olivia screamed, ears covered as Lisa's words began to haunt her mind. Her hand scrambled to have the gun in her hand and point it at Lisa.
That's when Lisa finally stopped, breathing heavily.
"I said shut up!" The scorned woman fumed. "You have no right to use my own son against me! No right!!"
"I'm your daughter too," Lisa lamented. "Mara is your daughter too. And yet, right now, you act as if we are your enemy."
"As if... we are not your children."
"That's because you are not!!" Olivia raged in hysterics, arm with the gun raising, shooting a bullet to the roof then and there in anger.
That surprised Lisa. Both the provoked shooting and the words that left the woman's mouth.
It was a moment of tense silence after.
"What did you say?" Lisa sputtered, eyes widened at that.
Olivia turned around, dropping the gun on the table harshly. She tried to gain control of the situation, to calm herself down.
This was not the way she planned things to go. But she can't back down now.
"Mother, can you repeat what you just said?" Lisa's voice was loud but cracked.
"You," Olivia began in a much calmer voice, but still dripping with indifference. She turned around to face Lisa with a cold and unwavering gaze. "Are not my blood. Nor your father's."
No.
"You're lying," Lisa shook her head slowly, not wanting to believe that.
What the hell is this?!
"I'm not. Why do you think it's so easy for me to use you and your twin? You are not and will never be my daughter," Olivia said it like venom.
Shit.
"Please stop lying for the sake of hurting me," Lisa begged. "Please I-"
"My husband found you in an orphanage as newborns. My son, our only son, wanted siblings and unfortunately, I couldn't bear more children. That's when my husband decided to adopt," Olivia sneered. "I was very much against it. I did not want any strangers to join our family but of course, I couldn't do anything. My son wanted it and so in the end, I gave in."
"And now I regret it so badly. I shouldn't have," Olivia seethed. "Little did my son know that the siblings he wanted to adopt into the family so badly would then be the cause of his own demise!"
"Now you know why I'm so angry at you? You took my son and only child away from me!!" Olivia raged in anger, tears now spilling in her own eyes, and slapped Lisa once more.
"If my own child is gone then I will not let his sole inheritance to be passed down to mere strangers! You do not deserve LSA when you're not a Manoban yourself!" The woman added.
Lisa was frozen even with all of that said. Even when she was hit once again in anger by the woman she called her mother.
But she couldn't feel the pain.
Her mind was stuck in that sentence.
She and her sister were not of true Manoban blood.
They were adopted into the family because of their brother.
"And what angers me more is that my husband chose to love you as his own, chose to save you, a stranger's child, and defy my wishes to throw you away our own son's death. To make you pay for it! I do not regret what I did to LSA, to him. It's for my son too!"
"So why should I pity you? Or Mara? Why should I regret what I did to you? When you are nothing related to me and my family?"
Fck.
This is hard to process for Lisa.
She's not a Manoban?
-
"To love is to know how to say I love you without speaking."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Just as I told you in our IG Q/A three days ago, I never ran out of secrets hehe.
You will be more enlightened in future chapters. I admit I made things still a bit unclear here.
But yes, I'm telling you here now, the twins are not Manobans.
Do not forget to comment and vote!
To be continued.
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