In The Midst of Trouble

Chapter 25

Third Person’s P.O.V

There weren’t many times that anyone or anything ever made Jack Hirano feel like an idiot. In the last few weeks, not only had he followed his usually accurate instincts but he’d fallen hook, line and sinker for what seemed to be the biggest wild goose chase on the face of planet earth.

It’s not like there was much to work in the first place but it was better than nothing. In the face of so much heartache and inner turmoil, hope always made it seem like there really was light at the end of the tunnel after all. Gen had warned him about blindly following what the letters written by his mother read, he had been given a sliver of hope.

Oh, how he had wished to meet his mother, to see her face to face, to know what she smelled like and what her voice sounded like. It had always been his dream since he was a young boy to know who his parents were but life had dealt him a very shitty hand, which resulted in him growing up with so much resentment. Resentment for them and resentment towards himself. Maybe he didn’t deserve to have known them…

There were so many questions roving all through his mind as he sat in his office late in the afternoon, thinking of various ways in which he’d execute his uncle, his cousin and all his accomplices. To have gone as far as to forge her handwriting and making it like she hadn’t died all those years ago? That was just way too below the belt. And that was why he was going to make them pay for the shit they made him go through.

Jack was angry at them alright but he was angry with himself the most. How could he have fallen for such a stupid trap? It was probably a diversion for them to plot something big against and as much as he hated to admit it, Aurelio and Arturo were a very unhinged duo. They detested him as much as he detested them, and that was dangerous. They were dangerous and he knew they were coming with everything they had.

He was brought out of his reverie when his phone began to ring. He was about to ignore it since he was in no mood to take any personal call but as soon as he saw Gen’s name flashing across the screen, he answered it without an ounce of hesitation. She rarely ever called when he was at work; could it be that something was wrong?

“Gen, what’s the problem?” he said hastily as soon as he picked up.

She scoffed. “Does there have to be a problem for me to call my husband?” Gen retorted, surprisingly eliciting a laugh from him. “When will you be back tonight?”

“Around eight, maybe. Why do you ask?”

He could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke. “You might want to try to be back a bit earlier than that because a surprise is waiting for you.” With that vaguely worded statement, she ended the call. Jack couldn’t help but stare at it in incredulity. What is it that she sounded so stoked about?

Was today a special day? No, it wasn’t the last time he checked. Her birthday wasn’t until December, and it was only the middle of the year. It couldn’t be their anniversary either, they hadn’t been married a year quite yet. His own birthday was in February… what the hell are you up to Gen?

Nevertheless, he felt obligated to wrap the rest of his tasks as quickly as possible and by six thirty he was ready to go. The car ride back home made his nerves twist up. He didn’t know what to expect, in fact, he never knew what to expect with his wife. And that was why he loved her so much. Gen was like a flame that nobody could put out, no matter how much someone tried. She was a force to be reckoned with, so unpredictable and managed to look so sexy every time.