The next day, Mariana went to do some shopping at the Fan Mallorca Shopping mall. She felt like she needed to clear out her mind and get some fresh air.

She went around the different stores and brought some tops, shoes, and some makeup.

While she was looking at some hoodies, she caught sight of Leilani who was over at the makeup aisle. She was wearing a mustard strap dress with a floral print and white sneakers. Her wavy hair was pushed to one side as she sipped on some bubble tea while looking at red lipstick.

"Hey, Leilani!"

She looked over at Mariana who waved towards her.

"Oh hey," She smiled and put the lipstick back to go talk to Mariana.

"What are you doing here?" She asked when Leilani came over.

"Well, I was sitting in my office and wanted to stretch my legs, so I came here."

"Oh okay, so are you gonna do some shopping?"

She shrugged. "Depends, if I see something I like, I will buy it."

"Yeah, same here. By the way, where did you get your drink from? It looks yummy."

"I got it from this shop that sells bubble tea and waffles, I could take you there if you like."

"Oh yes please!"

"Okay, I'm just going to pay for the lipstick first, and then we can go."

"Alright then."

Leilani then went back to pay for the lipstick and placed it inside the bag that had other products she got.

They then exited the mall and made their way to the cafe Bobo House which was in Palma.

They took public transport and when they got there, Mariana got an ice cream sundae which was in a cone designed as a bubble wrap. It had two Oreos and chocolate sauce was whipped all around. She also got an iced latte while Leilani had her chocolate flavored drink.

They sat down at a table and began chatting.

"So, how's the antidote coming along?" Mariana asked.

"Um it's alright so far, we are still running tests, but I'll make sure we will get it done."

"Thanks so much, I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome, it's the least I can do."

Mariana smiled at her friendliness and continued to eat her ice cream. "So, are you from France?"

"Um yeah, I am. My father is French, but my mother is Hawaiian, but we spent most of our living in France."

"Oh wow, that's so cool! Your mum is from Hawaii?"

"Yup, my name actually means heavenly flower or child of royalty."

"Wow, that is so pretty..."

"Thank you."

"You know, you seem much more friendly when you're not in business mode."

"Because I am," she said. "I'm only harsh when it comes to my workers. Even though I wasn't always like this but it helps make them work better."

"Oh okay, that makes sense," she said.

"How many months are you in if you don't mind me asking."

"Six months."

"Oh wow, do you know if you're having a boy or a girl?"

"A boy," she  answered with a bright smile.

"Aww, I'm sure you'll be an amazing mom."

"Thank you so much," Leilani tried to contain her blush.

Mariana smiles but suddenly felt a cough coming up and a metallic taste slithered onto her tongue. She discreetly coughed into the napkin that was on the table.

"By the way, I really like your job, it seems interesting," she said, placing the napkin down.

"Thanks, I've been running that facility for two years now."

"Do you actually work for Xavier or is it separate?"

Leilani shook her head. "Completely separate from Xavier, we don't work for him, he just found me by one of his staff I think."

"Oh okay."

"He's so annoying, I hate him so much," She rolled her eyes while sighing. "The disrespect he has for people is just," she sighed again while looking into the sky, "c'est trop."

"I mean, even the way he came to ask for the experiment was just plain rude!"

"Wait, how did he?" Mariana leaned for, clearly intrigued.

"He came marching into my office like he was in charge, he didn't even phone to make an appointment, and then he suddenly started demanding it and threatening me if I didn't agree."

"I wasn't going to tolerate that in my own office, so I called guards in to throw him out and I forced him to come the next day with an appointed time," She continued to smirk while slowly sipping her drink.

Mariana giggled at how Leilani put Xavier in his place. Maybe that will teach him that he cannot just command anyone he likes she thought.

"Anyway, when I got home, I told my husband about it and it was like music to my ears when he told Xavier off and even threatened him back."

"Did he learn his lesson?" She asked with a hint of amusement.

"I don't think so but as long as he doesn't bother me like that again, I don't care," Leilani rolled her eyes and leaned back into her chair while crossing her arms.

Mariana was about to say something when her stomach violently rumbled and she felt like she needed the toilet again.

"Excuse me," She quickly got up and hurried out of Leilani's sight. Her belly continued to rumble uncomfortably, and her abdomen was paining her.

After 10 minutes when she was finally done, she walked back into the cafe and her eyes peered up at the TV. Instead of the news channel that was playing, there was some static and it kept glitching to a black screen, and a dark distorted voice that was hard to decipher blurred in the background.

She kept on staring at the TV but suddenly got a piercing feeling around her head. It was like invisible needles were pricking at her skin.

"Um I think I'm gonna go back to my hotel," She said suddenly, cradling her head.

"Okay, I'll see you soon."

"Bye!" She grabbed her ice cream as she clenched her teeth and left Leilani at the table.

Mariana quickly went to the restroom before leaving the cafe and went back to the hotel. That voice on the TV sent spikes up her spine and a very unsettling feeling hung over her like an ominous cloud. She did not know why but she felt like it was Xavier.

Other than that, she got a sudden headache and she kept having to go to the toilet when she did not even eat that much.

When she back to the hotel room, she got inside quickly and closed the door swiftly.

"Hey Mariana."

She screamed in shock but was relieved when it was only Micah sitting down with a bowl in his hand.

"Oh hey," She said, putting her bags down.

"Are you okay? You seem a bit startled."

"Yeah, yeah, just fine."

"You sure? Did something happen?"

"No, no, nothing happened," Her voice came out shakier than she realized but she hoped that Micah didn't notice.

She took off her shoes and then sat on the edge of her bed.

"What's that you're eating?" She asked.

"Almond ice cream, it's really delicious."

"Oh, can I have some?"

"Sure," He handed the bowl over to her and she took a little bit. She licked it off her finger before giving the bowl back to him and it was delicious.

She laid on the bed and watched the football match that was currently playing on the TV. The dark voice she heard earlier was echoing in her head which made heartbeat in trepidation and perspiration dripped down her temples.

Okay, maybe it was not him, maybe it was just a glitch or a simple malfunction she reasoned to calm herself down.

Once she settled, she relaxed into her fluffy pillow and watched the match.

Suddenly the screen blacked out.

Static suddenly appeared and then a person with a black hood and his face fully hidden with only his piercing dark eyes were visible.

Mariana froze in her position while Micah kept trying to change the channel.

The person stood still in the darkness. He was like a shadow and managed to fill the whole room with silence.

After a few minutes of a deafening atmosphere, the hooded figure finally spoke.

"Hello. What you are watching right now is a recording being broadcasted all around the world. Right now, I have taken over all your satellites for you to listen to what I have to say."

"A few days ago, I lost something very precious to me. My niece who I love dearly and is the only family I got, was taken from me by someone who I worked very closely with."

What a pig Mariana thought with a heavy eye roll.

"It's been days since I've seen her and every minute that goes by, my heart pains of whatever unknown things she might be going through that I know nothing about. The only thing that I have been able to find is that she is on the island Majorca. Please, if you see her, contact this number and I will give the person one billion dollars as a reward, that's all for now."

The person finally unveiled his face, and it was Xavier. He had a blank expression towards the camera while crocodile tears rolled down his cheeks.

The TV finally went back to normal while leaving Mariana and Micah in a state of shock. He must have checked the tracker before Micah destroyed it.

"Was that the reason you were acting strange?" He turned to face her.

"Yep."

"Okay, we may have to lay low for a while. Maybe stay inside the hotel for a few days."

"Mmm alright," She sighed.

"Don't worry Mariana, I won't let anything happen to you," He reached over and took her hand. He was even more determined now to keep her safe after seeing that message.

"I promise."

****

Back at the warehouse, Xavier got off the video camera and walked back with a smirk. He chuckled evilly because he knew his plan would get them back quickly because who could refuse a reward that much?

"What do we do now boss?" One of his agents asked.

"We get on a flight to Majorca as soon as possible. Give it a week and they should be found."

"Okay boss," the agent said, and went out of his midst to make some arrangements.

Meanwhile, Xavier exited the room and strode down the darkened hallway. Soon, he will have Mariana in his grip again, it was only a matter of time then he will have finished what he had started. He will have completed what he had set a long time ago.

He then passed an old, ginormous portrait with golden frames showing off the prestige of the old mafia leaders: his parents.

His father, broad and proud, with his silky, black hair and proud smile; while his mother, her slim figure and her facade of a beautiful face and luscious curls disgusted him.

His eyes glared at her like there was fire blazing within them. His heart beat furiously like it was about to jump out, and his fists clenched, making him violently shake as he wanted to grab the portrait, and rip her picture out.

He will never forgive her for what she did...

The rain pattered against the window, with the thunder cackling evilly like a ferocious beast. Little Isabella and Xavier sat against the cold glass, hiding from the man above, as lightning occasionally flashing followed by a great rumble, scaring Isabella a little.

Xavier rubbed her back and hugged her. She sneezed a little so he gave her his sweater.

"Do you want this orange?" He pulled it out of the tissue he had in his pocket. Since their mother barely fed them these days, they would hide any food they managed to get. It's been about two weeks since they've had a proper meal and they felt incredibly weak.

She nodded and then took it with her bony arms. A tear trickled down her cheek as she slowly started peeling it. She shared it between themselves until they heard heavy footsteps, thumping around.

Isabella's eyes perked in morbid fear. Her heart immediately accelerated as she heard the boots get closer and closer...

"He's coming!" She shouted and jumped off.

"Isabella no!"

She ran towards the basement door but the man caught her in his grubby arms. His breath reeked of smoke, as his pot belly stuck out and he looked quite unstable on his feet.

She screamed as she tried to run away but he had her hair tightly in his grip. She had tears streaming down her face and her tiny feet slipped and slide against the floor.

"You dirty little rat!" He shouted and spat all over her, drops of alcohol dripped down his lips and ended up on her cheek. He was about to whack her with a broken glass bottle but she cried out in fear.

"Mamma salvami per favore!" (Mom save me please).

But their mother, who was behind him, wasn't listening, she just had a face lost of expression and affection, as she ignored the situation and pretended it wasn't happening.

The man just chuckled like a mad person and went to hit Isabella until Xavier shaded her from it.

"Don't touch my sister!" He shouted in his childish voice.

The man just paused, gave Xavier the most unbelievable look, and laughed his head off as he shoved his little body out of the way, he grabbed his face and then forcefully pushed him through the window, breaking through the glass barrier and threw him onto the soaked glass unconscious.

The man then turned around and striked Isabella with the bottle. The glass broke against her hair, stabbing into her scalp as blood rippled out like the scream from her throat.

That echoing scream jolted him out of his memory, making him shiver. He hated remembering the past but he couldn't help it, and the more he thought about it, the more he remembered.

That's why he must get revenge.

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

Q: Have you ever tried bubble tea before?