Leap OF Fate

Serene stared slack-jawed at the television. A breaking news interrupted her daily dose of morning show. She could not believe what she just heard. Crystal jumped off from the rooftop of her apartment and plunged to her death. Her fingers gripped the remote.

She had been in constant communication with Crystal for the past two weeks. She knew the feeling of being alone amid a storm. It’s a dark, scary and lonely place to be. She did not wish for anybody she knew to find themselves in such a situation.

Serene touched her left wrist subconsciously. Four years ago, when she just gave birth to the twins, she suffered from postpartum depression. All the sadness, loneliness, and stress she felt were magnified. She never felt so helpless, sad and lonely in her life. The darkness in her ate the spark of life her children brought. That place felt so depressing she wanted to just end her life to escape from it. Thankfully, Al paid her a visit and saw her in a pool of blood. His timing was perfect, and the paramedics saved her.

So, when Crystal’s scandal broke out, her first instinct was to reach out and pull her out of that black hole. She talked to her whenever she could and engaged with her as much as possible. But then, she did not know how huge the wave Crystal battled every day. She sighed and gave her a silent prayer.

Her suicide eventually toppled over her scandal. It’s funny how when the media who just days ago painted her as the dirtiest person in the world now mourn for her. They say the industry lost a shining star on the rise. The same people who threw rocks at her now lay roses for her. How flippant people could get.

The days following Crystal’s death had been quiet. Mary had just flown to Paris with Pierre Ingram to become his apprentice. Dylan followed her shortly after. As for Justin, she had heard nothing from him.

However, she could not let her guard down. She and the twins continued to stay in the hotel. She did business for Ellis Inc remotely. Al and her father attended to those that required physical attendance. As for her galleries, Viv was more than capable of handling them and just reported to her the financials and any pressing concerns.

The twins meanwhile enjoyed the hotel’s facilities to the max. They swam in the pool in the morning and played in the indoor amusement park on weekends. Everything ran smoothly like it did before.

when her twins’ nannies ran up to her, looking like they were at

Lee called, her

on, Aunt

twins, they’re gone!”

the older lady said, but she tried to remain calm. “Aunt Lee, what did you mean

hide and seek. But we have been searching for them for a long time and we could not find them,” Aunt Jane explained when

furrowed. Her twins could be playful. Perhaps they just found a really

me to that garden,”

looked at all the places her kids could fit

down her back as she waited in the security room for them to check

rock bounders. They sniggered as they watched the two older ladies look for them among the plants and bushes. Then from behind them came two men who looked like security personnels. They wore black button-down shirts and slacks. They had

children’s faces with a handkerchief. She saw how their bodies limped and lost consciousness.

her ribs. In perhaps the 10th replay, she noticed that at the corner of the men’s collar was a tiny logo. Zooming into it, her pale face went livid. The knuckles on her which held the mouse turned white as her grip tightened. The security team gave her a copy of the video when she said that she would

angrier about being stuck in traffic. She pummeled the horn to urge the cars in front of her to move. The angry stares and the middle fingers they gave her did not bother her at all. As soon as she parked her car in front of Rain International, she stormed right in, not bothering with the calls of the people behind her when she punched in the code to Justin’s exclusive elevator. Thankfully, the codes had not changed at