HOW YOU LIKE THAT | JENLISA

Chapter 112

Lisa

"Mama..." Louis said, while pointing at the screen again and bringing me out of memory lane.

There was another clip playing, the one of our wedding and Jennie was such a vision, while she walked down the aisle. I switched off the screen and picked him up into my arms.

"Let's go for a walk, buddy."

I walked out of the room and met with my gorgeous wife, who was dressed in a sea-green velvet cocktail dress. Her dark eyes were shining with adoration.

"Ahhh... my sweethearts." she said lovingly, while touching her cheek, "I've been looking all over for you, Lisa. What were you doing here?"

"Mama..." Louis said, while pointing at his mother.

"Just watching some of our old movies."

She picked Louis up into her arms and kissed his chubby cheek, and then quickly wiped the lipstick stain from there.

"Can I convince you to go to the charity ball with me, Lisa?"

I pulled her towards me. "You know how much I hate attending those galas. I think Louis wants to sleep and I guess I'll rain check this time."

She pouted cutely, "Is it important for me to go?"

"Have a little fun, honey." I claimed her lips with mine and I was good at drawing the kiss from her until she was weak in the knees. When I pulled away, I could tell that she was dizzy just from the kiss. "You need a bit of a break from taking care of the baby all day. Go, have some fun. Enjoy yourself."

"I think I'm the luckiest woman in this world." She said, "I have to keep pinching myself to remind me that this is all real."

I laughed.

"You know what? Actually, I'm the lucky one to have you, Jen."

And I wasn't lying. She was amazing and if it weren't for Jennie, Bambam and I wouldn't have succeeded in what we'd started out to do. This woman, the love of my life, had helped us out a great deal unknowingly.

"Lisa..." she said sweetly, totally overwhelmed.

She and I. We were similar. She wasn't aware of it, but we were born in poor conditions and we'd worked for all of this. We deserved all of this.

"I'll make it up to you tonight." She said, while running a finger over my jawline.

I gave her a heated look. "Go baby, or I'm tearing that pretty dress to shreds."

"Gaga... goo-goo." Louis said.

"See, Louis approves." I said.

Jen rolled her eyes.

I accompanied her downstairs, and then she kissed both Louis and I before sitting inside the car. I waited until I saw it disappear through the gates.

"Where do you think your Uncle Bambam is, Louis?"

Louis spoke again in his baby language.

"Let's put you to bed and then I'll go look for him."

I read Louis his favourite book, and the kid dozed off as soon as I was done reading the first page. I tried to call Bambam's number, but he wasn't answering, so I went to look for him.

Twenty minutes later, after I'd checked mostly every place in the mansion that I thought I would find him. I just couldn't find him anywhere.

The door of the connecting wing was wide open, and I followed the path down to the tunnel. I went deeper using the flashlight of my phone. I'd been here countless times as a kid, but never bothered in the years that followed.

There was light emanating from a source a little further down. I took the stairs down the spiral staircase down. Ten people were in a circle, holding hands. Candles illuminated the place. The dark-cloaked man in the middle was chanting as the others followed him. His voice was authoritative and his actions fluid and practiced. Their faces were covered in masks, and their body in cloaks.

I waited until the ceremony ended.

The members kneeled, while bowing to the cult leader, hanging onto his every word. When the ceremony was over, the leader walked towards me. The large pendent glinted in the dark.

He slid off the cloak's hoodie, and Bambam had a grin on his face. "Didn't think you would be joining me tonight."

"Just came to check on you."

The ring in his hand glimmered. "Jen's not home?"

"Nope."

Nichkhun thought that he was running a cult, but in actual fact, the cult members had secretly rejected him. According to them, he did not have what it took to continue what the Manoban ancestors had started, so they let him be so deluded to think that he was running things back then, but in reality, they'd helped Bambam take the position and they had also played a part, when I was admitted in the hospital. They were everywhere, looking out for us and protecting both Bambam and I.

Bambam had also been the one to kill Diana, because that maid knew way too much, and she'd seen Bambam write the journals and would have exposed everything. The members had seen the potential in Bambam, and when he'd turned eighteen, they convinced him to take the position of the new cult leader to continue on Grandpa Marco Snr's. legacy.

Grandpa Marco Snr. was secretly very proud of it.

I don't know what "rituals" Bambam was doing, and truthfully, I didn't care as long as he kept it on the hidden wing of the mansion.

Lucas is thirteen years old now. I wondered what would happen if he found out the truth about Grace Manoban, his real mother, and would he blame us for it? He might even come after us for revenge, or after my dear son, Louis.

It would be another toxic cycle of revenge, but I wouldn't let him ever find out. Or maybe by the time that he becomes an adult, he will realise what a loving family he have and never ever let the thought of revenge cross his mind.

Maybe Bambam or I would write another story. Just for Lucas. And he'll eat it up, it would consume him whole.

"I'm going to bed." I told Bambam.

"Goodnight, Lisa." He nodded, while turning around to face the members.

Jennie would never find out the truth. I was going to take all these secrets to the grave with me when I meet my maker.

I started making my way back upstairs when my phone buzzed. My sweet wife was calling me.

"Hey, darling."

"Lisa, I'm so bored here. I just gobbled up dinner. I'm coming home. What were you doing?"

Oh, nothing much. Just checking out a cult ceremony hosted by your innocent, loving brother-in-law, Bambam.

"I put Louis to sleep, Lucas' in bed too, and Bambam and I were watching a movie earlier."

"Do not move. I'm coming home and we're watching something together."

"Sure, darling. Anything you want. I love you, Jennie Manoban. See you soon."

"I love you too, Lisa Manoban."

-- THE END --