The twins appeared on the phone screen as soon as the call went through, their cute eyes blinked bubbly as it search for someone else.
"Where is Mum?" Nora asked, she was named after the color of her eyes.
Dorcas forced a reassured smile. "Mum is busy. She asked me to check up on you" she said.
"Is everything okay over there?" she asked, her panic hidden beneath her smile.
Nora nodded but her eyes still searched for Elena, like she wanted to get into the screen.
"Mum will speak to you as soon as everything is sorted here. Be good kids and sleep tight" she said again with a forced smile.
Nora wanted to nod again but her brother stopped her, he leaned closer to the screen, his amber eyes narrowing.
He lifted his brow faintly, there was stillness in his small frame as he stared unblinking. He seemed to be dissecting every twitch, every breath.
On the other side, Dorcas shifted in her seat, the phone trembling slightly in her hand. Her gaze darted away, as if the boy could actually see into her thoughts.
"You're hiding something" Noah said quietly, voice steady, almost too calm for a five year old.
Dorcas released the long breath she has been holding and cracked up in a strained, false laughter.
"What could I possibly be hiding?" she said admist the laughter trying to dismiss him but Noah did not flinch or blink.
He kept his gaze on her, his index finger tapping lightly on his cheek, and his eyes calculating.
"What could Aunt Dorcas be hiding?" Nora asked innocently, facing Noah.
"Something about Mom" he replied.
Dorcas stared at the screen defenseless, afraid she was going to slip and confess, she immediately wished them a good night and pressed the end call button.
She took heavy exhales to calm her beating heart, wondering how she was almost defeated by a five year old.
The door opened and Damien walked in, Dorcas got up and hurried to him. "Have you found her?" she asked worried.
"No" Damien answered, however, his hands clenched by his sides.
He had managed to find out who kidnapped Elena, turned out it was some gangster and not Nicholas like he thought.
But, when the cops found where Elena had been taken, they only found blood and no bodies.
There was no Elena or trail of her.
He has no idea whether she was dead or not, or why a gangster would kidnap her as soon as she landed.
"What are we going to do now? What do I tell the twins?" Dorcas panicked
Damien quickly stop her. "I am going to find her! And I will bring her back safe" he said, like a promise to himself.
Dorcas looked at him and nod, knowing he would keep his word. "How can I help?" she asked.
"Just keep the twins from suspecting anything" he replied and Dorcas's face twisted.
That seemed like a hard task seeing they are already on to her.
Back at Vista, where the twins are, Noah focused on the phone trying to find Elena's location.
"What are you doing?" Nora asked.
"Tracking Mom" he replied.
"How?" Nora asked curious.
Noah looked away from the phone for a second. "Remember the bracelet we got for Mom on her birthday?"
Nora nodded.
"I put a tracker in it"he said, an uncanny, mischievous smile curved his small lips.
…
Elena woke up to the silent bright room, just as she turned around, Axel's face stared close at hers.
"Good morning, beautiful" his voice rings into her ears like a seducing, sweet melody.
She stared for a second, mouth parted a little before she blinked and flinched. She jolted up, while Axel moved back at the same time as if he had predicted the reaction.
"What are you doing?" Elena cried and cleared her throat, afraid it might sound a bit husky.
A slow smile tugged at the corner of his mouth playfully. He gently kept his hands inside his pocket.
"Waking you up" he replied.
Elena eyed him, grabbing the blanket, her eyes still fixed defensively on him. "How did you get in?" she asked, a bit shaken and upset. She had made sure to lock the door before falling asleep..
Axel couldn't help but chuckled at her naiveness. "I own every part in this house, do you really think you can lock me out?" he asked.
Her mouth fell open at that realization, of course. She was in his house, under his mercy.
"When are you planning to let me go?" she asked in a stern.
Axel paused for a second, breathing in a low inhale. He needed to recreate their first meet so she wouldn't think of him as a bad guy.
He moved closer but she recoiled back on the bed. "Fine. But on the condition that you marry me" he let out.
Elena widened a little in disbelief at his request. She stared him down wondering if he had lost his mind.
'Why on earth would she marry a stranger?' she barely know him and from the past hours, she has spent with him, she can tell that he wasn't safe.
"Never" she spatted. "Let me go" she demanded instead.
Axel's expression darkened for a split second but he quickly plastered a smirk on his lips.
"We'll see, Cara Mia" he said and turn around to leave.
Elena stood still on the bed for a short while, her heart beat slowly against her chest. She thought he was going to force her or something, fortunately, he didn't.
She got up after hearing the door close and tried to slip out only to be collided by the group of women who brought clothes and other accessories for her.
"Good Morning,Boss's wife." they all chorused, while Elena stood with her mouth agape.
…
"We got the location sir" one of Damien's men yelled through the room..
Damien rushed over to the computer, his eyes stared earnestly. "Where is this place" he asked quickly.
"It's the Castillo family property. Miss. Elena is being held there" the man said and everyone of them froze in the room at the mention of the name.
Damien immediately noticed the change in the atmosphere, he had also heard of the Castillo family.
It's no ordinary family but a mafia group, lead by a notorious leader. Although they operated underworld, the whole country know about them. They own the state
"What do we do now?" Dorcas asked, agitated already. "Do we inform the police?" she asked.
But Damien shook his head. The police would probably not dare to enter into the Castillo Territory. But there was no way, he was going to leave Elena in the hands of such dangerous people.
"I'll go myself" he said and ordered his men to follow after him.
Dorcas tried to call him back but he didn't listen and about fifteen men stormed out after him.