Stella’s voice trembled as she finally spat out the words she had been struggling to say. "Sis... that bitch Lana. She sent a thug to capture ."
Evelyn’s chopsticks clattered against the table with a sharp smack.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Evelyn’s voice shot up so high the decorative koi in the pond probably flinched. "Capture you? As in kidnap? As in drag you into a van and sell your kidney kind of capture?"
Stella nodded frantically.
"Yes! Yes! That exact kind! But soone saved ."
Evelyn leaned forward, eyes wide. "Who?!"
Stella’s cheeks ward into a rosy shade. "Dylan."
Evelyn was surprised to hear that. "D-Dylan? Dylan... My husband’s assistant? That Dylan?"
Stella nodded again. Her ears were pink now. "Yes, that Dylan..."
"Wait." Evelyn took her ocha* glass and drank it before saying, "Start from the beginning. Why were you about to get kidnapped? When did this happen? And how did Dylan suddenly appear like so action hero?"
Stella slumped in her chair as if all the exhaustion she had been carrying returned.
She dragged a long breath in and began recounting the chaotic incident that had left her rattled since the night before.
"Last night, after I dropped off our grandparents, Mom and I returned to the apartnt. Everything was normal. We reached ho safely. But just when I was going to take a shower, soone called . A man."
Evelyn lifted an eyebrow. "A man? In the middle of the night?"
"Yes," Stella gritted her teeth in annoyance. "He said he accidentally hit my car in the parking area."
Evelyn stared at her with an expression that silently scread, "And you believed him?"
Stella slapped her forehead briefly. "I know. I know. It was stupid. I didn’t think twice. I rushed down to check. When I got there, the n waiting looked scary. The gangster kind. They tried to force into their car."
Evelyn’s hands curled into fists, but she held her tongue to let Stella continue.
"It was very late, and no one was around. I parked at the far end, too far from my tower’s main entrance. They cornered , but I escaped and ran toward the park nearby. It was more lively with passing cars and—"
"Wait... Wait..." Evelyn interrupted her, "Why did you run to the park instead of sprinting back to your apartnt like any sane person?"
"Because those bulky n blocked the way to my apartnt tower, obviously!" Stella threw her hands up. "I even scread, but no one heard."
"Ah. I get it." Evelyn nodded.
Stella pushed her bangs aside and muttered, "Well, sis, even though I am not as skilled as you, I have basic martial arts training. I tried to fight. But... Of course, I failed spectacularly. One of them grabbed . I was sure I was done for. But then Dylan showed up. Like a miracle."
She paused, cheeks reddening again.
"He beat them. Those three grown, thug looking n. Then, he pulled to run with him and got safely back to my apartnt."
A small, relieved smile tugged at Stella’s lips as she rembered the mont. But Evelyn still looked unconvinced.
"Earlier, you said Lana sent those n. How do you know it was her?" Evelyn asked carefully.
The annoyance in Stella’s gaze returned instantly.
"Yes. When I thought I was done for, I tried to negotiate. I told them I could give them money. They refused. They said their employer pays better. I asked who their employer was. And one of them accidentally ntioned Lana."
Evelyn did not speak for several long seconds.
Instead, she picked up her sushi and began eating again with exaggerated calm.
Stella knew the look on her sister’s face. Her sister was already creating strategies, planning punishnt, and maybe even writing imaginary arrest warrants in her head.
She continued, her voice trembling slightly with leftover fear. "Sis, that woman is crazy. Why would she kidnap ?"
"Because Dad refused to divorce Alice, and he no longer wanted to continue his relationship with Lana," Evelyn said with a low chuckle. "And because of that, Lana beca crazy."
"What the hell! No wonder, he shalessly wanted Mom to return ho..." Stella can’t help but curse.
"He is indeed shaless!"
"But sis... Why did Dad suddenly change his mind?"
Evelyn rested her chopsticks.
"All this ti, Dad thinks Lana loves him. But the truth is, Lana has only been using him. She wanted his money. She has soone else... a younger man she actually loves."
Stella nearly choked on air.
"What? Are you serious?"
"Yes." Evelyn sipped her ocha calmly, but her eyes were sharp. "That’s why Dad wants to go back to Alice. He realized Lana would never choose him. And of course, he feels betrayed."
"So he wants to run back to Mom because his mistress dumped him?"
Stella slamd her palm on the table.
"And, that shaless old man! I cannot believe he is our father. He destroys his own marriage, humiliates our mother, and now wants to co crawling back because his side woman found a better boyfriend? Ugh!"
Evelyn nods, "You sumd it up perfectly."
"I swear, if Dad cos to et us and acts like he is the victim, I will throw a brick at him."
"You should," Evelyn replied with a straight face.
Stella laughed. "I definitely will."
"And make sure you tell Alice this. Dad wants to return, not because he regrets anything. Not because he still loves her. But because his future with Lana is gone."
"I will tell her. I want her to know exactly what happened. She deserves to know the truth."
They ate their food slowly, talking, laughing, and matching each other’s sarcasm as they cursed Lana and their father.
Stella looked more relaxed, though now and then she still shivered when she rembered the n who had tried to drag her away.
When her plate was empty, Stella looked at the ti and sighed heavily.
"Damn it! I need to get back to work. There are still many patients waiting. And I have not taken a nap yet."
"You look like you have not slept for a decade. Go, before you collapse on one of your patients," Evelyn teased.
Stella stood, grabbed her coat, then hugged Evelyn tightly. "Thank you for listening. And please, sis, do not do anything reckless."
"I will only do what is necessary," Evelyn replied with a smile that was not comforting at all.
Stella paused. "That is what scares ."
"Don’t worry, I won’t kill her..."
___
*Author Noted.
Ocha = Japanese tea
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