Mariko went back to Marcus' room and saw him struggling to crawl back into his bed. She rushed in to help him, but Marcus refused her help. "No need. You already left me alone. Why come back?" Marcus said in a mocking tone.
"I'm sorry, okay?!" Mariko rolled her eyes and helped Marcus.
"I was just stunned. I did not leave you on purpose." She muttered. Marcus got settled on his bed and Mariko put the wheelchair aside.
"Yeah… Yeah… You did not." Marcus mocked, which made Mariko turn her head as she glares at him. She sighed exasperatedly.
"Fine… It's up to you if you don't believe me. I will leave now but I will be back tomorrow. Make sure you are already awake by eight in the morning and we'll start your therapy again." She excused herself and got out of the room.
Marcus felt like he will have a headache after what had happened. 'I felt exhausted after what happened this early in the morning… I feel like it was a long day already.' He let himself lied down on his bed and went back to his sleep.
***
At the base
Itsuki got startled after seeing Mariko, who was sitting on his swivel chair with her feet resting on his table. "What the heck?! Put your feet off my table, you brat." Itsuki shooed her feet off, which made the young lady hiss. Itsuki put the files he was holding onto his desk and sat in front of his table.
"What are you doing here?" He asked as he glanced at her sideways.
"I'm bored." She stated.
"Bored?" Itsuki looked at her in disbelief. "What about the VVIP? Where is he? His life is in danger and yet you're here. What if someone attacks him?" Mariko rolled her eyes annoyingly.
"Come on… he's just in his room 24/7. He never got out. How come he'll be in danger? Besides, there are plenty of guards there, and I planted a camera in his room, so I could see him anytime." She shrugged.
"Besides, that wimpy kid is a pain in the ass. I might break his bones if I lose my patience." She muttered, which had him frown.
"Why? What happened?" He asked curiously.
"Nothing. He's just hard to manage. I think this will be my first failure assignment. I want to back out at this very moment." Itsuki chuckled at her remarks.
"Come on… Don't be so hard on him. He's still grieving. He just can't accept that his mother is already gone. But that kid is a good boy." Mariko snorted.
"Good boy, my ass." Itsuki couldn't help but laugh. It was the first time he saw Mariko complaining about her assignment. Usually, Mariko never complains whenever there's an assignment for her. Even if it's a very dangerous one.
He looked at the folder he just brought earlier. "Fine. Here… Take this assignment first, to cool yourself down." He pushed the folder to her, which made Mariko grin.
Mariko opened the folder and frowned. Project X. Mariko saw a picture of a 4-year-old kid wearing an overall pink jumpsuit with long white sleeves underneath while holding a white bunny plush toy. She's like a living doll, with her hair tied up into two buns. Her chubby cheeks were pinkish, and her skin was as white as snow. She was smiling, which made her eyes twinkle. But in her profile, there was nothing written, only her name and her age.
"What the hell is this? Why are you giving me this blank information and only a picture of a kid? Don't tell me, I'm gonna babysit her as well?" She looked at Itsuki in disbelief. "Am I going to change my job description now?" she asked in a mocking tone, which had him chuckle.
"No. It's not that." Itsuki kept chuckling like he just heard a ridiculous joke.
"Let's get serious." Itsuki had a stoic look on his face. "You just have to look at her from afar. Since you have the VVIP client, you'll be focusing on that matter. It's just that, this kid… her mother receives threats from her enemies from the business industry and they were aiming at her daughter. You don't have to know the parent's name since this kid's profile is highly confidential," he explained.
"Let me guess… Her parents are from high society. It's either a government official with a higher rank or a secret billionaire."
"Don't guess… Cause I won't give you a hint." Itsuki shrugged. "Actually, this is my assignment, but since you're getting bored, I will share it with you." Mariko sneered at him.
"Still… it's kind of boring. I want something that can give me an adrenaline rush. I want to break bones… And I miss the smell of the blood and the smoke of gunpowder." Itsuki shook his head at her remarks.
"Anyway, the hospital called. They want to talk to you regarding your sister's condition." Itsuki reminded her.
"It should be good news this time." She said.
"Also, Mr. Reed wanted to meet you personally. He has something to tell you. It's about his son." He instructed.
Mariko stood up. "Guess I'll be busy on this day," she said on a high note while raising a picture of a kid before she got out of his office without saying goodbye to him. Well, there's nothing new… She's been like that. Just come and go.
***
Mariko went to the hospital to pay a visit to her sister. "Miss Saito, it's good to see you here." The doctor greeted her as soon as she arrived.
The doctor just went out of her sister's room, doing her rounds. "It's been a while." She smiled. "Itsuki mentioned that you want me to talk. Are there any improvements in my sister's condition? It's almost a year, doc. I hoping for good news." The doctor's smile turned serious.
"I asked Mr. Watanabe to call you because of your sister. She ain't getting better and we are now hoping for a miracle. But clinically, I will be honest with you, Ms. Saito. Your sister now is living on our ventilator. Her condition has worsened, and there are no signs of improvement. We also checked her vitals, and though her blood is stable, she's as good as a withered vegetable." The doctor informed her, which made her gasp.
"So, what do you want to say, doc?" she asked. Her voice turned chilly as her eyes turned dark. She clenched her fist while waiting for the doctor's response.
"We just want to ask your decision as her family and her guardian, if you want to continue the ventilator or will end her life and let her rest in peace?"
Mariko closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking back at the doctor. 'If I let her die, I also give up on her. But if not, she will suffer.' Mariko gritted her teeth. 'Once I find out who did this to my sister, I will make him pay.'The doctor could feel the pain and anger in her eyes. It felt like Mariko could kill someone who upset her, and it gave chills down her spine. "Let me think about it first, doc. Give me a week to think," she said in an icy tone."Alright, miss. I know it's a hard decision for you. And I understand." She smiled, trying to comfort her. The doctor excused herself and get back to her rounds, and Mariko went inside her sister's room."Hey, sis. How are you? You've been sleeping for too long. Don't you have plans to wake up? Or were you just waiting for your prince charming to wake you up?" Mariko chuckled.Mariko took a wet towel and wiped it on her sister's arm to clean her up. "By the way, I have a new task. His a VVIP client, and he got into an
"Are you alright?" Itsuki worriedly asked. They were in the cemetery and had just finished burying the remains of her sister. Mariko was silent the whole day. She didn't even give her eulogy to her sister and asked Itsuki to do it on her behalf. Her eyes were red, but there was no single tear dropped, which had him worried. Itsuki had known Mariko very well. And this kind of grieving will lead to vengeance. He was worried that Mariko will become restless once again. Itsuki was afraid that Mariko will find out the truth. Because if that happens, he knew, she will loathe him for hiding it from her. What's more, their friendship will be over. Mariko nodded and smiled weakly. "Don't worry about me. I will be okay." She assured him, but her eyes says differently. "Shall we go home?" Itsuki asked, which made her agree. "I still have to get back to my post," she informed him. "You can take a leave for a while-" "And do what? I know that you're just concerned about me, but you know me, I
Sometimes, giving up doesn't mean you've already lost. But it was just part of a plan for you to succeed.Mariko raised both her arms and stood up. She did not fight and acted as if she was doomed. She looked hopeless as she turned around to face the men who saw her. The gun was pointing directly at her chest, as their distance was three meters apart.The two men who saw her were amazed by her beauty. Her hair was tied into a high pony. She was still wearing a black shirt and black slacks as she never got a chance to change her clothes. But it doesn’t matter what she wears, because she could handle herself well. ‘These assholes… They don’t know what’s waiting for them.’ she smirked at her thoughts.Mariko pretended to be helpless as she looked around and noticed that those goons had already surrounded her. She counted in her mind and there were15 guys she needed to fight altogether. But for Mariko, it was just a piece of cake. For a skilled fighter like her, 15 is just a tiny number c
“My God, Mariko!” Itsuki exclaimed. “How many times have I told you… It’s our protocol to call a backup whenever we have operations. Why did you have to go alone? Do you want a death wish? Dammit!” Itsuki coursed as he groaned out of his frustration towards the young lady.Mariko was busy cleaning up her wounds and putting bandages on them, not minding what her friend was ranting about. She glance sideways and then rolled her eyes at him. “You know me, Itsuki. I don’t waste time. Whenever I have operations, I never got used to calling others while someone was at risk.” she reasoned.“But what if the child will be in danger?-” he asked.“But nothing happened with the kid.” Mariko interrupted him.“Fine. But what if you did not make it and you’ll be dead as well? You don’t know-”“But here I am! Alive and kicking,” she reasoned out again, which made Itsuki look at her in disbelief.“Really? For fvck sake, Agent Angel! You got stabbed, and yet you’ll say you’re okay? You are making me nu
“Doc, how is she?” Marcus asked as soon as the doctor got out of the room.“She’s now safe. Luckily, you called me right away. Because if not, she may lose a lot of blood. Just let her rest for a few days until her wounds heal.” The doctor informed them.John and Marcus thank the doctor, and John went out to buy medicine for her. Marcus went back to his room and watched the woman sleeping on his bed. ‘I just noticed now. She is really beautiful and has smooth skin. Her nose is pointed, and her lips are tempting to kiss. This woman looks like an angel when she’s asleep. But when she woke up, she looks like an amazon.’ Marcus shook his head at his thoughts. But when he remembered her wounds, he frowned. ‘Where did you get your wounds?’ he wondered as Marcus remembered the scars he saw earlier, while one of his servants undressed Mariko.‘Are you really a therapist? You’re so mysterious, woman. You really get my interest. I will find out who you really are.’ he thought.Not long enough,
“By the way,” John started, which made Mariko look at him. “Where did you get your wound? By the looks of it, I think your wound is from a sharp object... A knife, perhaps?” He asked. He narrowed his eyes at her with his brows raised, as if he was accusing her. Mariko was astounded that she couldn’t say anything. How can Mariko explain to them that she got her wounds after saving the life of a child who was being kidnapped? And that Mariko has no choice because it was part of her job? Of course, she couldn’t tell the truth if she didn’t want to get busted. All of her hard work and plans will probably disappear like a bubble if she will allow them to know her identity. “I…” ‘Think carefully, Mariko. Don’t let them find out who you really are.’ she thought. “-I was on the street, and on my way to a restaurant to meet someone when a man declared a holdup. He asked for money, and I tried to fight.” Mariko looked at the two young men who were waiting for her to continue what she was sayi
‘Orianna McCartney,’ Mariko thought.She couldn’t believe that the little girl’s mother was a member of Aces of Triad. And one of the top billionaires and businesswomen in the country. ‘Why did she want to hide her daughter from the public? I thought she was single.’ Mariko wondered while she was lying down on her bed. Mariko opened the screen of her phone to search in their database regarding the details of the child she just saved.Mariko saw a picture of a child holding a white rabbit pushy. ‘Sophie McCartney Carter. Five years old.’ “What the... Are these all the details about the kid? They didn’t put the names of her parents here,” she muttered after reading the information about the child. Mariko tapped the search bar and typed Orianna’s name. Her right brow raised as she read the data about Orianna. ‘Orianna McCartney. 25 years old. Entrepreneur. Owner of Pearl of Orianna’s, McCartney jewels, SofiMalls. Billionaire. Status: Divorced.’ She smirked as she saw her status. “They wr
‘MC Royale. I think this is the place.’ Mariko looked up at the tall building in front of her and read the signage. She went inside and asked the receptionist on what floor the CEO had located. She immediately went up to the 20th floor and headed toward the room of the CEO. The executive assistant greeted her as soon as she arrived at the 20th floor. “I came to see Miss Orianna McCartney. I’m Agent Angel.” She introduced herself using her codename and told the secretary about her intention to come in.“Please wait for a moment and I will inform Madam of your arrival.” The secretary pressed the intercom that connects the office of the CEO. The secretary stood up and assisted Mariko in the CEO’s office. She opened the door for her.As soon as the door opened, Mariko saw a woman in her early 30s standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass window while holding a folder she was reading. She was wearing all-white cream-colored slacks and a blazer. Underneath was a white v-neck fitted s