Who's There?

“Hello?”

The line was silent when Vale picked up the unknown number.

“Who’s there?” she asked, starting to get annoyed.

“Its... it’s me...” A hoarse voice answered the phone.

Vale stiffened and wanted to end the call when Keith shouted, “Don’t! Don’t hang up...please...” he pleaded.

Vale felt a lump on her throat.

After six months, this is the first time that she heard his voice once more.

“What do you want?” she walked to the large transparent glass that shows her the view of the city.

Staring at the distance.

“I...I can’t...I don’t know-” his words were halted when he falls down in front of the fridge, covering his stomach with his arm. He grimaced at the pain on his stomach.

Vale frowned when she heard his pained groan.

“Keith?” her face wavered for a second, “What’s wrong?”

She heard no response from him. Only the sounds of the phones dropping down the floor.

“Keith?” her blood went cold.

When she didn’t hear any response from him, she ends the call and scrolls at her contacts.

Looking at Dylan’s number, she hesitated for a second.

Why should she care?

He had Sherry to take care of him.

With that thought, she turns her phone off and walks downstairs.

***

Vale was in the kitchen, preparing her dinner when she heard the doorbell rings.

She walked to the door of her apartment and looked at the screen beside her door.

Xavier.

She smiled before opening her door.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” She asked as she dragged Xavier in. Closing the door behind them.

Xavier didn’t react to her antics and only allowed himself to be dragged inside.

“You’re lucky. You came at the right time. You can sit here first. I’ll go to the kitchen to prepare for dinner.”

She made him sat on the sofa, grabbing the remote on the table and turning the TV on before she runs back to the kitchen.

Xavier shakes his head, and a small smile appeared on his face.

He only came here to talk about their plan.

The plan to destroyed the Black Rose gang completely to dust.

His eyes went dark when he recalled what had happened six months ago.

***

Xavier went back to one of his villas near the beach to escape his grandmother’s clutch.

She had been insisting him to find a wife for himself.

Saying that she wanted to hold her grandchild in her arms before she died.

Xavier only looked at her healthy and strong grandmother up and down before scoffing and walk away in large strides.

However, his grandmother threatens that if he didn’t find someone in three months, she would arrange a marriage for him.

True to her words, three months later, she would call him for dinner and introduced him to every woman who she finds suitable for him.

This made him feel paranoid whenever his grandmother calls for dinner.

To avoid her, he would make an excuse, saying that he needs to handle a big project.

His grandmother realizes that her tactic is not working out anymore. So, she changed her tactics.

She will directly send a woman to his office or his home.

Xavier knows about his grandmother’s good attention, but he doesn’t want to have any relationships after experiencing it once.

“Xavier!” Vale’s voice shakes him out of his thoughts.

“Hmm?” he replied in a daze.

“Come on! Time for dinner.” she said before dragging him once more to the dining table.

Xavier pursed his lips slightly.

He felt like he was always dragged by her like a doll.

They sat on the table and Vale watched expectantly for him to try her dishes.

Xavier lifted his spoon and scooped some soup before sipping on it.

Times ticked by, and Xavier just looked at his spoon for a long time.

Vale becomes nervous.

“Is it bad?” she asked.

Xavier blinked.

It seemed that he has a tendency to space out whenever she was near him.

“It’s good.” he answered shortly.

Vale smiled from ear to ear. Hearing his short answer is already good enough.

They eat dinner quietly in peace.

***

Keith’s Mansion

Dylan, who hasn’t had dinner, finally walked out of his room and walks to the kitchen.

However, the sight before him made him froze for a second before he rushed towards the person laying on the floor.

“Keith?” he looked at Keith in disbelief.

What had happened?

“Keith, wake up! Hey!”

Dylan slapped Keith’s face trying to wake him up.

Keith didn’t respond at all.

Seeing his pale face, Dylan panicked.

Taking his phone’s out from his back pocket, he called Caleb’s number while checking Keith’s body for injury.

Nothing.

So, why did he fainted?

“Hello?”

“Where are you?” Dylan asked in a worried tone.

“I’m with Nancy. What happened?”

Dylan groaned, “Who’s home?”

***

“Brett and Lexy went to some restaurant. Why don’t you try-Hello?”

Caleb looked down on his phone when he heard the line went off.

“Damn it!” he put on his seatbelt before driving back home.

“Whoa! They haven’t come out yet. Where are you going?” Nancy asked as she buckled herself on.

“Something happened at home.”

***

Dylan dialled Jack’s number.

“Yo!”

“Where are you?” Dylan rubbed his forehead when he heard the blasting music behind Jake.

“I’m home. Why?”

“Get to the kitchen. Now!”

Dylan hanged up.

He put his finger below Keith’s nose. He’s breathing. Slow.

A few seconds later, Jake barged into the kitchen.

“What happened?” He approached them. Panting.

“I don’t know. Let’s move him first.”

They grabbed Keith’s arms and lifted him from the ground before moving to the nearby room.

“Have you called the private doctor?” Jake asked when they dropped Keith on the bed.

“No.” Dylan answered as he sat down on the bed.

“What?” Jake looked at him in disbelief.

“I called Jenny.”

Jake scoffed, “You trust her?”

“What do you mean?” Dylan shot Jake a warning look.

“She’s an outsider. What if she leaked this information out?” Jake asked.

“She won’t.”

Jake wanted to retort but immediately hold his tongue back when he saw Dylan’s dark face.

***

“How long has it been since he had eaten?” Jenny asked.

The room went quiet on this question.

Truth to be told, nobody knows if Keith ever came down to eat at all.

Even if they asked, Keith would just tell them to go away and said that he had eaten.

“We...are not sure...” Dylan muttered.

Jenny turned around in disbelief.

“You remember what happened six months ago, right?” Dylan asked.

Jenny’s eyes widen, “Are you saying that he hasn’t eaten anything for six months?”

“Wait...I saw him talking to a guard outside his door a few months ago. I asked the guard about it, and he said that Keith asked him to buy a lot of junk foods.” Caleb stated.

“Anything else?”

“Alcohol,” Jake stated.

Jenny’s face darkened when she heard this, “Can I have a gun?”

“Why?” Dylan immediately stands up when he heard this.

Jenny inhaled as she put her hands on her waist, “I feel like I want to shoot someone! How can you let him do a hunger strike for six months?” she roared.

Dylan and the others were flustered.

“B-but...he did eat some junk foods, right?” Dylan asked.

Jenny gave him a sharp glare, “Are you kidding me? Do you know how unhealthy junk food is? And alcohol?” Jenny scoffed.

She turned around, facing Keith, “Just pray that he will wake up. He will be forcefeed using a tube for now. I wonder how he still survives after six months.” she said before walking out of the room.

Dylan followed meekly behind her.

“And you!” Jenny abruptly stops causing Dylan’s footsteps to halt at the same time.

“Why didn’t you give him artificial respiration when you found him?”

Dylan pursed his lips as he looked at the raging woman in front of him.

“Well, he’s fine now, isn’t he?” he blinked his eyes looking at her, innocently.

Jenny’s face went red, and her hands hold her waist as she looked at him, “Fine? He’s in a coma right now, and I don’t know if he will wake up at all!”

Dylan grabbed Jenny’s shoulders, “Babe, don’t talk nonsense.”

Jenny pushed his hands away, “If you don’t believe me, then you can find someone else!”

She gave him one last look before looking away. Raging.