Leap OF Fate

The black Prius stopped at the front of the apartment. Behind them, another car had also stopped. She did not leave their car, instead two men from the other vehicle came out and got in the apartment. After a while, the men came out of the building carrying the luggages she prepared and loaded them in their car.

Their convoy drove to the airstrip they used three years ago and boarded a small plane. It chartered them to Nevada, and from there they took another plane going to Saffron City. They will then board one of Ellis Inc.'s fishing vessels docked in Meridian Port that would bring them to the neighboring port of Coast City.

The trip was more arduous than normal, but this is the only way they could escape Justin's radar. In 24-hours, she had once again stepped to Coast City after three long years. She left her children with the Lewis's then drove to the hospital to see her father. "Mom..." she softly called Carol, who was sleeping on a chair beside Conrad's bed.

"Shen, you're here!" she said, opening her arms to embrace her daughter.

"How's Dad?" she asked, looking at the pale burly man lying on the bed. She's not used to seeing her father looking weak and helpless.

"The Doctor said, he's lucky to have escaped this stroke. He did not lose any of his senses or function. He just needed to rest and adjust his diet and to reduce his stress."

Serene bit her lips at the sight of her father. Thankfully, he's alright.

Conrad stayed in the hospital to recuperate for three more days before being discharged. Knowing that Serene and her children have come back for good gave him an energy boost. Arriving home, as expected, Felicity ran towards her grandfather and jumped into his welcoming arms. She squealed in laughter as Conrad kissed her chubby cheeks and tickled her sides. Pax, meanwhile, walked to his grandfather and gave him a peck on his cheeks before returning to play with his Legos. Having children at home lifted their home's energy and atmosphere. "Grandpa, Mom said you're sick. Are you feeling ouchie somewhere?" Felicity asked Conrad. Her round eyes scanned his face while her tiny arms tightened around his neck.

"Grandpa is better now because you're here," he answered, chuckling.

"And me too, Grandpa?" Pax asked, leaving his Legos for a moment. His round eyes looked at Conrad with expectation.

"Of course, you too, young man," he answered amusedly and ruffled his grandson's hair. Pax gave a smile, then returned to playing.

Carol and Serene came into the house carrying Conrad's belongings. Carol looked at her husband and gave a tiny smile at the sight of him. He looked energetic. It's hard to believe that he just got out of the hospital because of a stroke.

It's been too long since they had small children in their house and having the twins now had lightened up the mood in their home. As Felicity's crisp laughter vibrated through the house, she watched her husband sit down with the twins to play with their Lego. Although her husband looked intimidating because of his bulk, he's really a gentle giant. His soft voice cooed the children and his chesty laugh made even the standoffish Pax laugh with glee.

Carol felt her daughter's arm snake around her waist and her head lean on her shoulder. The two women looked at the view in front of them with tenderness in their eyes. "Dad will be alright," she softly said to Carol.

"Uh-hum." Carol nodded, her eyes not leaving her husband. After a while, she looked at her daughter and asked, "Are you sure it's OK for you to be back?"

"Yes."

"What do you plan to do with Justin? What if he learns about our twins?" Carol asked, with worry in her voice.

"I don't care if he knows about them. You don't have to worry about it, Mom." she smiled at her mother. Carol simply looked at her daughter, but her daughter's words did not assure her heart. After all, Justin sits at the helm of Rain International, a powerful conglomerate. He could take the twins away from them if he willed it.

Meanwhile, in Hyacinth Bay, Justin was fuming when his men reported they lost track of Serene.

"I can't believe I hired a bunch of imbeciles. How could they disappear? I thought you've been following them? How could they escape you?" he berated the person on the other line. He threw his cellphone against the wall in frustration.

How could she appear one moment and disappear the next? He felt like she's playing him. He spent so much resources to find her for the past three years, and all the people he sent could not find her. His men scoured the whole California state and did not find a trace of them, only to find out three years later that she's on the opposite coast.

And when she finally appeared on his radar, she vanished again like a bubble. He felt like a child who got promised a gift but got denied one. He got his hopes high when he received the news that his people found her.

Seeing hers and their children pictures added petrol to his already burning desire to have them back. He felt empty ever since she left. There was never a day that he did not blame himself for his narrow-mindedness. Even without knowing that they had children, he longed to have her back in his life.

For the past two years, he lived like a hollow shell. He focused on his work and expanded Rain International, but all those achievements amounted to nothing. The emptiness he felt inside only grew as days passed. Only she completed him. But he lost her.

When he learned about the twins, his desperation to have her back increased. He wanted to build a family with her, to be a part of his children's lives. The nagging feeling that Serene could have found somebody in her life now and that person's witnessing his children grow eats him up every day. Thinking alone that Serene was spending her life with another man lights up his fury. She can't be with another man. She belonged to him as much as he belonged to her.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐