The phone was still on Mariana's lap as she was trying to make sense of everything that just happened. Mona, Xavier, and their picture. Just everything about it made her feel very uncomfortable.

"Was that Mona on the phone?" Micah asked.

"Yeah..." Mariana mumbled, "now I know where I know her from. She was there when Xavier kidnapped me."

"What? When did this happen?" Micah looked at her with the most confused expression plastered on his face.

"I never told you about this but it happened when we were still broken up," Mariana muttered and shook her head because the memory was painful to recall.

"Xavier managed to catch me again and lock me up somewhere. I did hear Mona's voice but never saw her face so that's why I couldn't recognize her at first."

"That makes sense. It's also been a long time so it's understandable that you couldn't recognize her," Makayla pointed out.

"Yeah, I know." Mariana slowly nodded and smiled to keep herself thinking positive. But then her phone flashed and an email appeared on the screen. She glanced down and it was from an unknown sender.

This piqued her curiosity because she might have thought this was the "special package" Mona was talking about. Or, it could be from somewhere else, but right now, she wanted to open it because if there was a chance it would lead to finding her kids.

She ended up opening but on seeing the first video, she wished she never made that decision.

On the video, her precious munchkins were stood together, with their eyes hooded with blood, and a frown smeared crimson along their cheeks. They were cuts like tiger strikes across their arms and their full lips had a slit down the middle.

Mariana could only look for less than a second as she threw the phone on the table like it was a cursed image. Her tears broke out like a dam as she let out a stream and a shriek.

"My babies!" She screamed, "what has she done to them!"

The others surrounded her phone and their jaws dropped once they heard a cackling, chirpy voice in the background.

"Hey Mariana! Hope you and Micah are doing okay since I have your squirming little kids!"

"Don't tell me that is who I think that is..." Micah scowled.

"Yeah, it is...." Makayla replied awkwardly.

"What she even doing back here? Can't she go one day without terrorizing people like the witch she is." He scowled, "little demon bitch."

"I'm convinced the puta has some mental illness because this obsession is getting weird..." Makayla said.

Screams and desperate pleas filled the air as they both turned to look at Mariana, but were disturbed to see her changed demeanor. Her eyes narrowed, darkening the brown in them as her body rocked slowly. They heard the forced puffing out coming from her steaming nostrils, and her knuckles turned scarlet as they shook against her face, like a volcano waiting to erupt.

Then out of nowhere, she got up. She sauntered towards the table and closed the video.

"She wants to keep on trying me. Once she goes too far, it'll lead to her own death," she calmly muttered, which left everyone unsettled.

"I'm going to get my kids back, and then I'll slit her throat with my nails!" She raised her voice, but it wasn't directed at anyone in particular. But they all took a step back as she picked up her phone and waved it in the air.

"But first, I'll do every single injury that I see on my kids, and then I'll end her life with my bare hands!" She let out her anger and screamed out loud since she couldn't do it to Electra.

Her hands were shaking as she was about to delete the video but then she got an idea.

"Actually." She breathed out. "I'll send this to Micah to send to you Mason for evidence."

"Alright, that's fine."

Mariana tapped on her phone as she sat back down and gently caressed Micah's head. Even though she was boiling inside like a kettle, knowing what she would do to Electra once she's grabbed hold of her, made her smile.

"Micah, is it okay if I get dad to come to you for any updates. I'm kind of busy these days but I came today so that I can give you this," Mason picked up a plastic bag.

Micah was looking at his phone but briefly placed it on his chest. He held a deep frown but nodded at this point. By now, he didn't seem to mind anything and it was only till they get their kids back.

"Sure."

"Also, this is for you and Mariana. Just a little peace offering." He brought out Ferraro Rocher and a bouquet.

"I'm sorry for trying to take advantage of you Mariana," Mason said and nudged the gifts towards them while keeping his head low.

Micah didn't say anything but only kissed his teeth and rolled his eyes. However, Mariana was stuck in her seat as this left her in a bit of a shock.

Eventually, she stood up and advanced towards the table.

"Thanks, Mason," she muttered and picked up the flowers. She slowly retreated to her seat, feeling confused and teary-eyed because this was the first apology she had gotten, out of all the things that had happened.

"I'm glad you like them. Anyway, I'll be going now, see you later." He stood and collected his things before leaving.

Mariana then put the flowers on a vase and then opened the Ferraro rocher to share with everyone.

When it was time to go to bed, Mariana was sat on the edge and pulled at her bathrobe. Her body felt exhausted and she was about to go limp when Micah came out from the shower.

He had a towel wrapped around his waist and was dripping with sprinkles of water. Mariana could see the steam radiating from him and felt her heart palpitating, making her chest grow warm. Her mouth hung open and she held her legs together tightly as they started tingling.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Um fine, I guess." Mariana nodded. She tried to smile but it quickly faded away.

"I'm still upset about the video. I don't want to think about what our kids might be going through at this minute." She sniffed as snot leaked out.

"Me too, but we just have to keep our heads up and hope we get them back soon before things get worse." He sighed and squeezed her hand in comfort.

"I know." She smiled at his attempts to keep her spirits up. She responded favorably by sitting on his lap and resting on his chest.

"But I'm proud of how much you're cooperating with your brother. I know it's not easy, but I just wanted you to know how grateful I am."

"I know, don't worry about it. You and our kids are my world, so it's all worth it."

"Yeah, but I don't want to seem ungrateful, because sometimes I feel like I do seem like that."

"You don't seem like that to me Mariana," he said, squeezing her hands. "I can always tell your grateful for everything."

"Aw I'm glad." Mariana blushed and then pulled him close, sealing their distance with a tight kiss. "Because I don't want you to ever think that," she murmured and pulled him into an embrace and a tight kiss.

"My baby..." she said and backed into the bed. She pulled him down with him, still not breaking away the kiss. She had a grin spread across ever face as she felt his body press against hers.

****

The next day, Mariana was spending time with Crystal after her shift. She wanted to take her mind off things so they were making brownies.

"Mariana, can you pass me the cocoa and baking powder please, my lovely?" Crystal asked while holding a big mixing bowl.

"Sure," Mariana passed it on and it was added into the fluffy egg mixture. She was sat on a stool and watched the batter get swirled in a hypnotic spiral.

"I'm happy you came today, I was wondering how you and Micah were doing," she said as she mixed everything. Her golden bangles shimmered in the light and twinkled in Mariana's ears like a melody.

"Thanks, we're fine..." Mariana nervously smiled but it fell when she was reminded of that horrible video.

"Crystal, have you had a time where you almost lost your children?"

"Oh, I have," Crystal said and glanced up the chandelier. "Did I ever tell you of the time when I nearly lost Mason and Micah?"

"No!" Mariana exclaimed and eagerly scooted close. She clasped her hands together and leaned in. "Tell me more."

"Okay." She started chuckling as she looked at how close Mariana came to her.

"Anyway, this happened when Micah was around two and I think his brother was four. I and their father were walking towards this park while they rode in their tricycles. Aidan went to get something from the store so we continued as we would meet him there."

"I think I can see where this is going," Mariana muttered slowly. "So what happened next?"

"Mason and Micah were riding ahead and then they turned a corner so I couldn't see them anymore. I had to quickly run so I wouldn't lose them," Crystal said, placing a hand on her chest as a sigh of relief was released from her lips.

"Oh that's good, I'm happy you didn't lose them. I would've started panicking."

"I was." Crystal pointed the spoon towards her as she tasted some of the batter with her finger. "I hate thinking about that day because it makes me wonder what if I wasn't able to catch up to them. I would have lost my boys."

"I'm glad that didn't happen, that would've been terrible," Mariana said.

"Me too. I would've never forgiven myself if I didn't catch up to them."

"Thanks for sharing this story with me." Mariana smiled. "I don't feel so alone now."

"I'm glad that made you feel a little better," Crystal continued folding the batter. But then her hand stopped working and she waved it in the air.

"My arthritis," she hissed and pressed her hand down on her lap.

"Here mom, let me do it." Mariana took charge and did it herself. She now happily hummed to herself as her mood greatly improved.

Crystal watched as Mariana closely leaned on her shoulder, and occasionally licked the spoon while they sat together.

"I can tell you were someone that loved helping their mother." Crystal smirked as Mariana held up the whisk to see the gooey stuff rolling down.

"Yes, I was! I would always help my mamma make pastries like this in our little house in Firenze." Mariana started speaking fast with a spark of an accent but had to pause to reevaluate her sentence.

"Sorry, I meant Florence." She covered her giggling lips as her squishy cheeks tinted pink.

"It's okay, I could guess what you meant." Crystal slowly nodded for her to continue. "I also heard a slight change in your accent and it sounds gorgeous."

"Aw, thanks." Mariana started blushing but she wiped her face and continued:

"Anyway, there's this doughnut called Bomboloni!" Mariana exclaimed, dropping bombs of emphasis. The wooden spoon fell from her hand as she started making gestures.

"It's an Italian-filled doughnut. I tried making it with Axel one time because he loves spending time with me in the kitchen. But he quickly got bored because of how long it took," Mariana chuckled.

"Aw, that sounds so sweet. Little children really don't have much patience," Crystal chuckled lightly. "I do remember doing the same thing with Micah and Makayla when they were also young."

"I honestly love making food with children. They are always so eager to help," Mariana said and finished with the batter. She then got a packet of mini eggs out and crushed them into pebble shapes.

"I agree. Until they become teenagers and then just want to spend all day in their room," Crystal said, her tone becoming higher as she raised her eyes towards the ceiling.

"I want my babies to stay babies forever," Mariana said, sucking in her lips. "I know that can't happen, but I can wait until they become teens, especially Elisa."

Crystal started laughing and shook her head. "You sound like she's already giving you a hard time."

"Sometimes." Mariana laughed along until they heard the front door slam.

"But enjoy them while they're young though. They grow up very fast," Crystal said and took a sip of her water. The bodies suddenly jolted as they heard the front door slam.

"Aidan, is that you?" Crystal called out.

He came in through the door and removed his coat and his bag.

"Hi honey," he said.

"Hey, did you manage to get everything you need?"

"Yeah, I got them all." He put them on the table and also got out a bouquet of tulips, which held as he strode towards them.

"I also got these for you." He gave them to her with a little squeeze and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, Aidan." She took them and there was also a fortune cookie hidden away beneath the petals. Meanwhile, Aidan rubbed his eyes and then sat down on one of the chairs.

"Hello Mariana, how are you?" He asked her.

"I'm good, thank you." Mariana answered pleasantly while remaining in her seat.

"I also heard what happened. How's the investigation going?"

"Good." Mariana nodded, trying to convince herself because she didn't think so. But she hopes they will find new evidence in the coming days.

A/N: Hey I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Electra is a bit of a dummy🌚🌚🌚she shud know you never mess with a mother, especially one that was once powerless but is now getting her power back 😂😂😂❤️