Six
1657 Words
Mason had been staring at the paper in all curiosity ever since Ciara had given it to him right after he had showered. He flipped the paper to the back, raised it to the air facing the room light in hopes of maybe seeing a secret message somewhere but got none.
"The thing is, I don't understand what this means," Ciara said in a hushed tone as she held Lex who was still struggling to stay awake while sucking his two fingers.
Mason ran his fingers through his wet hair and tossed the paper to the floor. He stood up from where he sat at the edge of the bed and strode to the window of the room. He stared out the square window, eyeing the roofs of other houses.
"Whoever sent this is someone we obviously know. And I don't even want to begin to put my mind on maybe anyone wanting to harm us. Because, Fiona is in prison and there's no way Leila could be resurrected," Mason stated and spun around to face Ciara who was now placing a sleeping Lex on their bed.
"I don't like what just happened, Mason. I'm not happy that someone sent this and I'm worried about Lex if this ends up being bad news," Ciara told him in a tensed voice.
Mason walked up to the woman and wrapped his arms around her soft body. He placed his cheek on the side of her face and cradled her side to side in comfort.
"Don't stress yourself about any of this, Ciara. Nothing's going to happen, trust me. I won't let anything happen to you and our son," he whispered into her ear and kissed her temple.
Ciara nodded. "And I am the same. If someone thinks that they can come into our lives to maybe hurt us like a year ago, I won't let it happen. I won't have my son in this world and see him experience such negativity."
"Yeah, now get some sleep. We both have work tomorrow," Mason said and kissed her forehead softly. "I'll take Lex to his room."
Ciara paled. "No!"
Mason frowned. "Excuse me?"
"I mean, don't take him there. Until we understand what that letter is all about, Lex stays in this room with us. Just go get his crib," she demanded and sat down on the bed.
"Okay."
•••
During lunchtime, the men had met at the kitchen Hatch for a brief meeting concerning the letter left at Mason's doorstep. None of them had said a word after going through the paper after the first five minutes and Mason was not happy about that.
"Could you guys say something?" Mason probed and Harry who was opposite him, alongside Jerome shrugged.
"We don't know what to say, honestly. I mean, we don't know who could have sent such a letter. We don't even have enemies," Harry replied and took a sip from his smoothie.
"He's right and are you sure this isn't some sort of prank from someone?" Jerome asked with a raised brow.
Mason shook his head incredulously and took a piece of fries and placed it in his mouth. He glanced away from them to where his PA sat, eating her own lunch and also using her work tablet.
"You still haven't told me when you hired a personal assistant," Harry said, staring over at Twinkle.
"And how she is coincidentally my new neighbor," Jerome stated and the men paused to stare at him. "What? It's true. She lives right by me."
"Well, that's good then. That way we can tell if she's a good worker and not some irresponsible person," Mason said and took a bite from a single chip.
Harry cleared his throat and took a long sip from his smoothie then fixed his gaze on Jerome who was focused on his plate of food.
"Can I ask you something?"
Jerome nodded. "Sure, what is it?"
Harry glanced over at Mason then at Jerome who was taking a drink from his water bottle.
"Has Nora, in anyway spoken to you about marriage?" Harry asked softly, his gaze still on Jerome who almost choked on his water before clearing his throat.
"You two want to get married?" Jerome asked back with furrowed brows.
"Yeah, have you popped the question?" Mason also asked while his body was leaned in interest.
Harry face palmed. "Relax, please. Jerome just answer me."
"Uh, no she hasn't. We talk about other things but not marriage, why?"
Harry sighed. "Well, you all know how much I'm madly in love with her. And all I want is to spend my life with her. But whenever I ask her indirectly, she turns moody."
Jerome and Mason shared a look then glanced back at Harry who was playing with his food.
"Maybe she isn't ready," Jerome offered cautiously.
"Yes, Harry. I mean, before I asked Ciara to marry me, I made sure that she was mentally and physically ready to be my wife before I asked her. Marriage isn't asking someone to be your girlfriend and the both of you must have given signs that you want that next step," Mason stated with a reassuring smile.
"But-"
"Sir!" Twinkle hollered from where she was standing at her table before rushing to their table with a worried look on her face.
"What is it?" Mason asked, pissed.
"I-I don't understand," Twinkle replied and dropped her tablet in front of him. "Look at this email."
Mason shifted the device properly until it sat well under his gaze. He moved the screen up and down as he read the content in shock.
"What is it?" Jerome asked.
"Twinkle, what does the email say?" Harry asked the nervous woman.
Mason gripped the device tightly in his hand while gritting his teeth and narrowing his eyes at a spot on the table.
"Can one of you answer us?" Harry demanded in a terse tone.
"Look at this," Mason said absently and handed the tablet to Harry and Jerome.
"From Joker, to The Deon's Realty. What happens when your greatest breakdown is your greatest assets? We are ready to go to the extreme. Just watch your back and keep it guarded," Harry read out and swallowed.
"What is happening?" Twinkle asked and they ignored her.
•••
"What the hell is happening?" Nora demanded in a hot voice while pacing around the living room where the others sat. "Why can't we live a few years without getting uncomfortable?"
"I still don't know who this is and who names themselves Joker?" Mason asked with a face contorted in annoyance.
"This thing is a joke to them and a nightmare to us. That's why," Elizabeth replied while rubbing her temples. "I knew something bad always happens when we are happy."
Ciara hugged her shins and placed her chin on her knees. She hunched her back on the couch and glanced at Lex who was sleeping on the space beside her.
"Have you called the prison?" Jerome asked, while glancing at his wrist watch. "It's 5pm and we don't have much time."
"Why would we call the prison?" Harry asked.
"We need to find out if Fiona is still in there or not. Who knows, she could be out and be responsible for doing this," Nora replied and took a seat between Harry and Jerome.
Mason sighed. "Fiona can't be out until after ten years. That's the only sentence the judge could consider giving her."
"Well, there's this stuff called probation," Ciara retorted.
"If she is on probation, she isn't allowed to engage in crimes but anyways, we need to contact the prison to be sure," Jerome added with a heavy sigh. "This cannot be happening."
They fell silent for a while until Elizabeth's phone rang out, making them jump in slight fear. She smiled apologetically at them then rushed out of the room.
"But we know that we can't let the same thing that happened a year ago repeat itself in our lives. Even if Fiona is responsible for this, we can't let her or anyone come between us," Mason reassured them with a small smile.
"Of course but we don't know when whoever Joker is will strike or what he would do and I'm seriously worried about my son," Ciara stated and placed her hand on one of Lex's knee.
Nora stood up unintentionally when Harry was about to touch her and sat down beside Ciara. She smiled a little before wrapping her arms around her best friend in a hug.
"Everything is going to be okay," Nora whispered and made eye contact with Harry who immediately looked down at his feet. "Everything will be okay."
•••
Nora rubbed her upper arm to generate heat as the chilly night breeze hovered around the balcony of her best friend's home. She shut her eyes tight and flinched when she felt strong warm arms around her waist then the soft lips of her boyfriend on her temple.
"I'm sorry," he whispered and tightened his hold around her waist then kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry for ever forcing you into maybe being my wife."
Nora sighed and turned around in his grasp. She looked up into his eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"There's no need to apologise. I shouldn't have reacted like I always did, Harry. It's just that, I'm scared of getting married and not being the perfect partner. Look at what Leila and Fiona turned out to be and-"
Harry placed his thumb on her lips and shook his head at her. He took his hand down and pulled her closer until her head rested on his chest.
"We won't let that happen, Nora. We aren't like them and we will never be like those people who do not appreciate the smallest things they have," he said and kissed her cheek.
"And I promise, when I am ready to be your wife, I'll let you know. But you should always know that I love you," the red haired woman whispered against his chest and smiled.
"I'll always love you too," he replied.
The couple hugged their issues out, unaware of the figure in a hooded black sweatshirt standing in a dark corner of the street and looking up at them before walking away.
- Writer
