Leap OF Fate

Serene woke up early to ready her children's belongings. They did not need to bring much, just their essentials. She needed to keep her children away from all the drama that comes with Justin coming into the picture. Yesterday, she completed all the paperwork to get her children removed from the school's roll. She felt a little sad because she knew they had already gained friends and enjoyed being in playschool.

Their flight to New York is at 5 PM. She had less than 12 hours ahead of her, but there were still loose ends she needed to clean up.

While her children slept, she gave Mary an early morning call.

"Hello..." the husky voice of a man answered, making Serene knit her brows.

"Kurosawa?" she asked. There was no answer on the other line, but she heard a low cuss. "Give the phone to Mary, please."

"Shen? What time is it?" Mary asked, half asleep, her voice as husky as Dylan's. Realizing what's going on, she groaned and cussed under her breath.

Serene chuckled at her friend's reaction. She caught her red-handed. Had it been a different time, she would have teased her to death, but she did not have that luxury today. "Yes, it's me. It's almost 8 AM, sleepyhead. Uhmm... We're leaving today. You can pick up the dress at my studio, you still have the key, right?"

"Yes, I do. Shen..." Mary's voice trailed, but Serene already knew what she wanted to say.

"I'll call you when we get there. I love you."

That's another box ticked in her checklist. The package she ordered arrived at her doorstep at 9 AM on the dot. She inspected the box's content to make sure that everything got delivered. Inside the box were two sets of children's clothing, one for a boy and another for a girl, and a set of her — a simple black leggings and a button-down white shirt.

After her children woke up, they had their usual breakfast. She let them play a little before asking their nannies to give them a bath. She gave Vivienne a quick call while the twins bathed.

"Hi, Viv! How's everything?"

"All good, Ms. Shen. The Upper East Side flat is ready. I've also confirmed the flights are all booked for this afternoon. Do you need me to have somebody pick you up?"

"It's all good. Thank you! Take care of the gallery while I'm gone, yes?"

"You don't need to ask."

After the children bathed, she dressed them up with the clothes delivered earlier. They were matching Disney jackets. Minnie Mouse for Felicity while Mickey Mouse for Pax. She also wore the leggings and white blouse from the morning delivery. When the children were all set, she drove to the airport. She found it easier if they checked in a hotel first and waited from there rather than drive from home directly to the airport.

Meanwhile, Justin had just finished his meeting. It was already past lunchtime, and he hadn't taken a bite yet.

"Sir," Joseph approached him with a worried expression on his face.

"What is it?" He asked, he had an ominous feeling about his secretary's fidgety body language, but he still waited for him to speak.

"Ms. Ellis booked a flight to New York for herself and the twins. The flight is at 5 this afternoon."

The corner of his mouth twitched, and the hands inside his pockets formed into tight fists. Just as he had predicted, she's leaving with their kids again.

"Clear my schedule," he ordered and strode inside his office.

He looked at the watch on his wrist. It's two in the afternoon. He grabbed his jacket and walked out in long, hurried strides. There were just three hours on his hands before they slipped past him again.

Feeling as if everything moved slower than he wanted, he could not help but cuss under his breath. The trip to the basement parking felt like forever, not to mention the small buildup of cars ahead of him. He wanted to bulldoze each one of them just to get ahead.

He arrived at the airport at three in the afternoon. As soon as he stepped in, his eyes searched for Serene's flight information. He couldn't be happier to see DELAYED displayed on a flight schedule. Sitting at a cafe, he watched each person in the waiting area. He waited for the familiar face that haunted his sleeping and waking hours.

At exactly 4 PM, Serene's familiar silhouette came in. She dressed in a simple loose white button-down shirt over black leggings. She tugged luggage on one hand while the other held the hand of a child linked to another child. He watched her approach the airline's booth. His blood boiled the longer he watched her. She's really leaving with their children. Again. But this time around, he would not let her succeed. There's no way he's letting her slip past him again.

He got out of the cafe and crossed the space between them in long and angry strides. He yanked her shoulder soon as he stood beside her. Surprise replaced his anger as he stared at the person before her. She's not Serene at all! Both women had the same body build and height. Besides those, she's totally different from Serene. He looked at the two innocent pairs of eyes that looked up at him in fear and were about to burst into tears. They looked slightly older than Felicity and Pax, but they were not them, neither were they twins. Justin apologized for the misunderstanding. He waited for the three but did not see their shadow even after the plane had already left. His anger was to the roof when he left the airport.

He drove back to his villa exasperated and crushed everything he could get his hands on to vent out his anger. Serene played him and made him believe she and their children left the country. He would really strangle her the moment he sees her!!