The Black Scorpion
Ch. 21

"Rick, in addition to thinking about the future of Abellard and Damien, you also have to think about your future. I don't want to disappoint your mom and dad if they meet again. You also have to think about yourself once in a while" Annette said in a motherly tone.

"Yes Ma. Aaric understands. It's just that Aaric is still unable to forget Sasha," Aaric replied in a sad tone.

"Rick, you don't have to forget Sasha. She will always be here" Annette said, pointing to her chest and continuing, "You just need to keep it deep and fill the emptiness of your heart with another person who will accompany you in the future."

Aaric just kept silent not answering. Without them noticing, Adrienne heard their conversation and could only sigh heavily.

"Sasha," murmured Adrienne while sculpting.

...*****...

After the talk of the day, Aaric spent his time with more silence and daydreaming, not knowing what he was thinking. In his room alone he spent more time looking at the city from his glass windows.

A vibration from the phone he placed on his desk jolted his daydream and made him turn the work chair that was originally facing the window to his desk. He saw the video calls of his two best friends. He just kept quiet until the call went away on its own. But the call came back and disturbed him. Inevitably Aaric answered the call by sliding the green button directly connected to the faces of his two best friends, Bellagio and Baldovino.

"What's wrong?" answer Aaric.

"Hey man's. You alone in the office?" bellagio cried as soon as Aaric answered the call.

"What do you want?" - Aaric

"Let's have dinner with our ladies. I think you need some entertainment." - Bellagio

"You guys have women. I don't have." - Aaric

"Man, I have information about that night. You don't want to know?" - Baldovino

Aaric straightened his seat and looked at Baldovino.

"You're serious?" - Aaric

"You ever see me joking about serious things?" - Baldovino

Inevitably Aaric had to admit that Baldovino rarely joked about serious matters, unlike the Bellagio. He weighed for a moment whether to accept his two best friends or not. After a few seconds, he finally answered.

"alright. What time is it tonight?" - Aaric

"A hour and a half eight. For the place later we will send a message." - Baldovino

"All right then." - Aaric

"Don't forget to take your woman with you because I'll bring my Sophia and Vino will bring her Clarissa" - Bellagio

Without answering the Bellagio, Aaric instantly turned off the call. He saw a Tag Heuer-branded clock that was coiled around his left wrist and the clock hand showed the number three. It's still a few hours before dinner time together arrives.

"Niko, meet me in the lobby in ten minutes" Aaric said as soon as his call was answered by a trusted person.

"Well," answered Nikolai briefly.

The call was interrupted and Aaric got up from his throne, cleaned his desk, put on his suit and walked out of his room. When he came out, he saw Savannah, his sister, still struggling in front of the computer.

"Anna, clear your desk and come with me home" said Aaric.

Savannah looked up from her computer and nodded. As fast as lightning he cleared everything up because he knew Aaric, his older brother, was not the type to wait. It only took Savannah five minutes to clear everything and walk side by side with her brother to the elevator. By the time they reached the lobby, Nikolai was already waiting at the lobby door with the car still on. He opens the door to let Aaric in and closes the door and prepares to reach the passenger door to let Savannah in but is held captive by the woman.

"You work for my sister and I'm not my sister, Niko," Savannah said with a sweet smile that stunned Nikolai for a moment.

Shortly before running the car, Aaric asked Nikolai to stop by the city's largest and most complete mobile phone store. Nikolai just nodded and the car drove across the creeping afternoon road. Upon arrival at the store, Aaric asked Savannah to choose two phones, one that she liked and another that would be suitable and comfortable for a woman to wear.

Hearing her brother's orders, Anna smiled, not because she would buy a new phone, but she knew who the other phone would be given to. After choosing her own, she chose a limited-edition phone model similar to her brother's, which had an A engraving on the back.

Savannah's second-choice phone is paid for by Aaric and they return to Nikolai who is waiting in the parking lot while exhaling cigarette smoke. Seeing that Aaric and Savannah were done, he immediately threw away and stepped on his cigarette to numb the remaining embers. After Aaric and Savannah get in the car, Nikolai immediately takes a small bottle from his ordeal bag and sprays the contents of the bottle onto him to dissipate the pungent smell of the cigarette he is sucking.

Arriving inside the house, Aaric sees Adrienne sitting watching a cartoon with the twins in the living room accompanied by a sleepy Annette. Seeing Aaric coming, the twins immediately greeted with a sumringah.

"Dad," the twins choked together.

Annette, who was initially sleepy, woke up to hear the screams

"You're home" said Adrienne, taking Aaric's arm and the brown bag he held and placing it on the couch.

Adrienne went to the kitchen and Aaric looked at the woman without blinking even though the twins had already tugged on Aaric's hands asking the owner to play with them, until he was dragged to sit down. Before long, Adrienne came to bring five cups of steaming tea and two cups of warm milk. Put four cups of tea and two glasses of milk on the sofa table and then drive a cup of tea to Nikolai's place. Adrienne returned shortly after and chose to sit some distance away from Aaric and the twins.

Aaric took off one of his hands that the twins were holding and grabbed a brown bag nearby. He handed the bag to Adrienne.

"What's this?" adrienne asked confusedly.

"Open up and you'll know" said Aaric flatly.

Adrienne opened the brown bag and grabbed the contents inside of it in the shape of a box and pulled it out.

"This.." said Adrienne in a choked voice.

"Wear it so that I can easily contact you" said Aaric maintaining a flat tone in his voice as his heart raced.

"Te.teri.ma ka..kasih," said Adrienne stammering as she looked at the phone box in front of her.

Seriate...