After breakfast, I asked Isabella to take me to mom and dad's room. I just wanted to see their pictures and know more about them. My life would have been so different if they hadn't been faced with the fate that they did.
I saw all the pictures of them. They looked so happy. So content in their own little world. I chuckled when I looked at a photo in which mom was laughing and dad's face was covered in whipped dream.
Another photo was of them standing near a snow man whose one eye was missing and there was snow on dad's hair.
Then I looked at it. A picture of them, in a hospital room, with two new born babies. Dad had one in his arms while mom was carrying another.
Max and I.
The grins that the two of them were showing to the camera was as if they had been gifted the true treasure of life. I sighed and stared at the photo for a long time.
There was another picture of just me and Max, lying next to each other. One of us was sleeping while the other was giving a toothless grin to the camera.
My eyes welled up as I looked at all the photos, one by one.
I went near a drawer and opened it. There was a diary in it. I took it out and opened it to see that it belonged to mom.
I read the first entry in the diary :
16th November, 1997
Dear diary,
We will be graduating in a few months. High school would be over. These four years were the most amazing four years of my life. Mom and dad always had my life planned for me. It never bothered me until now. This is my life. I should have the control of it, not them. They have been really strict with me ever since I was little. I know that they only want the best for me but, now it's getting suffocating.
The only piece of chaos in my 'perfect' life is Andrew. That boy doesn't care about anything. He's always so carefree, mischievous and cheerful. He's just so silly sometimes. But he always manages to bring a smile on my face everytime I see him. I am really worried because after graduation, we might be separated.
Rose and Matthew are just so sweet too. They are the cutest couple for me. Sometimes it feels like, the four of us have a little family of our own. The family That I never want to be separated from.
Nina
I read a few more entries in the diary. Mom had mostly written about dad. She had even written about those two traitors. The time gap between the entries was huge so I guess mom didn't used to write in her diary that often.
I skipped the pages and started to read the last entry instead.
24th December, 2004
Dear diary,
After waiting for nine months, I finally got to see my lovely babies. My children are the most precious things that Andrew gave me. It seemed like my life was perfect. A loving husband, a successful company, all the riches- and most importantly, my precious little beans. Both of them have blue eyes, similar to my own.
My baby boy, my dear Kyle, he's just so restless. He never gets tired of playing. And it has become his habit of waking me up in the middle of every night with his loud crying.
My beautiful daughter, my Jennifer, she was so calm. But someone took my little baby away from me. It is every parent's worst nightmare- of finding out that your new born little baby is kidnapped and not being able to do anything about it.
I feel so empty inside. I had felt like the luckiest woman on this planet during these nine months. And now, I am suddenly forced into this nightmare? It feels like someone took away a piece of my heart.
Andrew was so excited to meet our baby girl. He had already started acting like an overprotective dad.
But, he's just so lost now.
It's Christmas tomorrow. It was supposed to be our first Christmas with our children. But how can we celebrate it without our little Jennifer?
I don't want all these riches, this company or anything. I just want my Jennifer back. She's worth more than life itself for me. I just want to hold her in my arms again. Look into those beautiful crystal eyes again. Hear her soothing chuckle. Hold her little hands in my mine.
I just want my baby back.
Nina
I read that entry twice. I can't even imagine how depressing my kidnapping would have been for mom and dad.
Someone's greed and desperation left my parents so broken. And what's more upsetting is that it was the people who they trusted the most. Who they considered family.
Someone knocked on the door. It was Max. I quickly wiped away my tears and gave him a forced smile.
"You think you can fool me with that?" He frowned and sat down on the bed beside me.
He took the diary from my hands and started reading it.
After he was done, he let out a long and depressed sigh. I looked at him and saw how he was trying to hold back his tears. I kept my hand over his and we both sat there in silence.
"Let's read something happy instead." he suggested after a few minutes and I nodded.
9th July, 2004
Dear diary,
I know that I keep saying about how embarrassing Andrew is sometimes but, what happened today was just too much.
We were walking around in the park and there was some kids playing soccer among themselves. Suddenly, the ball came towards us and stopped. The kids asked Andrew to pass them the ball and Andrew being the good guy that he is, decided to do that.
Oh how much I wish that he had just ignored them instead because when he tried to kick the ball, he missed it, terribly and slipped, landing on the ground on his butt. I just stared at him in shock.
Everyone around us went painfully quiet. The kids blinked at Andrew and then shared looks with each other. One of them came towards us and picked up the ball, mumbling an awkward "thank you" to him.
And Andrew being Andrew, gave him a big grin saying "no problem" like he hadn't just embarrassed himself.
Some old man who was watching the entire scene muttered something like "this can happen sometimes" to his wife who giggled. Andrew got up from the ground and started chatting with me like nothing had happened.
Oh god, I just wish that my kids are not as silly as him.
Nina
"You are just like him." I muttered after we had finished reading. "You are like him too." Max playfully pulled my cheek and we both shared a good laugh.
"Guys!" Liam yelled, entering the room causing us to flinch. "There are some, no no, there are many people waiting downstairs to meet you."
"Who?" Max asked and Liam shrugged.
We went downstairs and saw atleast 30 people gathered there, talking to each other.
They all stopped talking as soon as they spotted me and Max. We received so many shocked faces and widened eyes. I could feel all their stares on my face. I stared down at my feet, hating being the centre of attention.
Can I just evaporate into vapours?
Please?
"Don't worry. I am here with you." Max whispered and held my shaking hand. Together we walked towards everyone who were still staring at us in shock.
Don't people get tired of staring?!
"Kyle. Jennifer." A man appearing to be in his late forties whispered in disbelief.
"Who are you all?" Max asked in confusion.
"I am Ben. I was a good friend of your father's." The man said with a warm smile. "This young man right here, he told us everything." Ben gestured towards Zack who smirked at us.
"So... You all are dad's friends?" Max furrowed his eyebrows.
"There's something we all have to tell you." Ben stated. He looked kind of nervous. Isabella, Simon and Jessica looked anxious too.
"What is it?" Max asked.
"Children. This is something that only your father's most trusted people knew. So, we want only those people to be present here who you both trust enough." Ben looked towards our friends.
"We trust all of them." Max confidently said without wasting a second.
"Not all." I mumbled staring at Celine.
"Damien will tell her everything anyway." Max mumbled back.
"Alright then." Ben started. "Your grandfather, your father's father, he was quiet a powerful man. A mafia leader."
Ben stopped to see our reactions. Max and I looked at each other. "Some of us here have worked for him." Ben nodded towards all the other people around him.
"A week before their death, Andrew's parents had made him the new heir of the mafia. He was a really silly and carefree guy. None of us thought that he would be able to run the mafia but- he controlled it even better than your grandfather. The reason he always acted so carefree was just so that Nina would not be worried." Ben came towards us and patted our heads affectionately.
"Both of you just remind me so much of your parents." he sighed. "We all were more like a big family than a group of mafia. When Andrew gave us the beautiful news that he was going to be a father, we all were more than happy. Everything was going on so perfect- like a fairytale.....Only that it ended like a nightmare..." Ben trailed off with sad eyes.
The respect that I had for my parents just keeps increasing. They had so many people who loved and cared for them so much.
"Jennifer." Ben addressed me and I straightened up.
"Your father had already hired a bodyguard for you even before you were born." He chuckled.
He moved aside and a tall boy stepped out in front. "My son, Tristan. He was three when you two were born."
Tristan gave me the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. He had grey eyes and brown hair which looked too fluffy.
"You would have really loved your father so much." Ben gave me a sad smile.
"We all worked day and night to find Jennifer but I don't know where Rose and Matthew had kept her because... We never managed to find her. Andrew had gone into depression. He had become completely opposite to the cheerful guy he was." Ben looked away from us and Tristan patted his shoulder.
"I am so, so sorry, Jennifer. Kyle. We failed to find you....both."
The air felt so thick. All the people who had come with Ben looked so guilty and disappointed in themselves.
"What happened to the mafia?" Max finally asked.
"We separated. After Andrew, you were supposed to be the next heir, Kyle. But everyone took you for dead and Jennifer- she was never found. Isabella informed me about you and I quickly called everyone else. There are more people than this but I didn't want to overwhelm you so I got only 35 of us today." Ben smiled.
Ben told us more about the mafia and themselves. He later informed us that he was actually dad's right hand as they say in the mafia language. All 35 of them greeted us with warm smiles and handshakes. They all treated us like we were a part of their own family.
I, who always felt so lonely and alone, was suddenly gifted with a huge family.
******
The seven of us were sitting together thinking about everything that has been happening with us.
Ben, Tristan and a few other of dad's most trusted men stayed back for dinner while the rest had already left.
"Wow guys! You are the leaders of your dad's mafia now!" Charlotte exclaimed.
"I don't think either of them can run a mafia." Zack snorted.
"Well good because no one cares of what you think." Max gave him a blank look to which Zack glared at him.
"Well, this is just too much. I need to talk to Eric." Max said and got up. We all gave him weird looks.
"Uh, I mean I- Uh need to check up on coco, yes! She's been with Eric since we came here so- yeah." Max nervously laughed and left.
"I am going for a walk in the garden." I got up, ready to leave.
"Shall I come with you?" Zack asked. "No, I just need to think about everything." I said and he nodded in understanding.
My life had suddenly turned upside down. So much has been happening ever since I got kidnapped by these four guys. My life had always been so boring and simple but now, it seems like a movie where new secrets and twists are keep opening, one after another.
A mafia? Seriously dad?
"Jennifer?" I heard a really attractive voice call out. I turned around to see Tristan smiling at me. "Tristan." I grinned at him.
He slowly came towards me, staring into my eyes with an intense and amused gaze.
"I have waited seventeen years to see you again. Now that you're actually standing in front of me, it just seems so unreal."
"Well, all this seems so unreal to me too. I mean, a mafia?! Really?!" I gave him an incredulous look which made him laugh. Just like his face and voice, his laugh was so beautiful and attractive too.
"You're so cute and innocent." Tristan mumbled and my cheeks reddened. "Damn. Even your blush is so cute." That made me even more red.
"She's not just cute." A voice said.
I can recognise that voice anywhere- Zack. He slowly approached us and swung his arm around my shoulder, giving a cold look to Tristan.
"She's beautiful. Absolutely stunning. Breathtaking. Angelic. Adorable. Lovely. Fascinating." Zack said, smiling at me. "Her eyes are the prettiest in the world. So deep and innocent that one can get lost in them forever. Her laugh is the best music to my ears. Her smiling face is my favourite view in the world." Zack looked away from me and I could see that he was blushing.
"She's silly. So silly and a weirdo sometimes. Also acts like a confused bean often. But, she's just the most amazing person I've met.......... And she's my stuffed sausage." Zack finished and I could just feel how tomato-like I must be looking.
"The last line was a little... Weird. But Okay. I don't know her that well yet but I can definitely agree with your words." Tristan gave a soft smile to us.
"Well, see you later then." Zack gave him a cold-ish smile.
"Yeah. See you later." Tristan smiled at me and left.
"Those were the most sweetest words anyone has ever said about me." I whispered and stared down, not wanting him to see my teary eyes.
Zack put his arms around my neck and pulled me in a tight hug.
"And you're the most sweetest thing that happened in my life." He whispered.