TWENTY-FIVE

Amane fell backwards and Scarlet Sapphira screamed his name as his opponent rushed forward, using the opportunity to pummel him to a pulp... till he immediately sprung back to life and gave the man a bicycle kick to the chin, shooting his tooth guard sky high with a splash of saliva.

Amane landed smoothly on his stronger leg as the man didn't stand up for more than fifteen seconds and was declared a winner, then Scarlet Sapphira ran to hug him even more tightly and didn't want to let him go, she didn't want him to go back in there again...

"This might pinch a little..."Scarlet Sapphira said.

She placed the warm towel on his bruised side and he winced in pain then she said,"I thought you liked pain."

"I never said you should stop."He aid with a grin.

She continued till she got to the arm opposite her sitting position, then he pulled her to his chest and she struggled to break free as he whispered,"I don't want us to be apart any longer."

She broke free and yelled,"Pervert!"

After he was slapped with the very towel that promised him health, he stood up and swept her off her feet as she stood as well then carried her towards her room as she tried to get down, but he didn't let go...

"You're hurt, I should help you heal, not you help me walk."

He walked into her room then she was stunned as there were lit candles all-around, with rose and plum flower petals falling from the ceiling onto her bed.

She looked at him and asked,"Did you arrange this?"

"Do you like it?"

"No. Not at all, you're spending way too much on me."She said with a frown.

"Let me worry about the money, you just worry about what I'm going to surprise you with next."He said with a smirk.

He gently placed her on the bed then said,"Sleep tight Scarlet Sapphira...I love you..."

She hesitated for a second, before saying,"You could just call me Scarlet, you know, everyone does now."

He chuckled then said,"Good night, Scarlet Sapphira."

After switching the lights off, she looked around at the dim lights of the candles, then closed her eyes...

Amane didn't get far from Scarlet Sapphira's room when he heard her scream.

He yelled her name and ran to see five dark figures around her, four pinning her down and one holding chloroform tightly to her face.

He was about to attack when he was hit hard in the back of the head with a gun, Scarlet Sapphira saw this and yelled with the moist tissue over her face when there was a loud bang as he was hit harder...

Scarlet Sapphira lost it then pulled one of her hands free and caught the person who held it by the back of the head before smashing it into the floor.

She was about to do same to the other side when a sharp pain arose on her shoulder as the choker had injected her with something...

Her consciousness was failing, her breath was returning as she saw someone carry the unconscious Amane on their shoulders and away, then her eyes finally closed...

The choker kept the handkerchief over her face for several seconds longer as they were fully aware of her breath holding and deceptive capabilities, after long enough, they let go...

***

Scarlet Sapphira slowly opened her eyes to hear Amane yelling, then screamed as she saw men beating him up, bound to a chair.

The men didn't stop as she screamed and begged, till a familiar voice said,"Leave him alone..."

Amane's face was covered in bruises as he looked at Scarlet Sapphira and forced a comforting smile.

She then yelled at the person to show his identity and purpose for kidnapping them, but the person chuckled and asked,"Why do you want to know? What will you do then? You are terrible influences on each other, that's why I brought you here, to teach you a little fatherly lesson."

"Show yourself you bastard!!"She yelled.

"Okay, don't scream..."The person said in a low tone, then came out of the darkness...

"Dad?"

***

Rose had been worried sick and walking paces and I slowly opened my eyes then said,"Rose, Scarlet's fine, she just called a few hours ago, and it's the middle of the night, what could she possibly be doing?"

"Dad?"Scarlet Sapphira asked.

Amane looked as surprised as Scarlet Sapphira did as the man chuckled then said,"No, I'm his distant cousin, my name is Chienembe Chidinma."(I know, I never got his first name right myself..."

"What a tongue twister..."Amane asked.

Chienembe pulled his lowered head up by the hair then looked at his bloodstained face and grinned, asking,"Quite the funny one, aren't we?"

He then punched him in the nose with brace knuckles on Scarlet Sapphira screamed as he shook his hand then begged him to stop, but he only did it more, after, he asked the young man,"Do you want to apologize now?"

Amane looked at him, breathing slowly, then spat blood on his tux.

The man chuckled then slapped him across the face and Scarlet Sapphira screamed.

After the Chienembe character left him, she asked,"What do you want from us?"

"From you? Nothing, from your fathers...I may know them a little bit."

"What do you mean?"Scarlet Sapphira asked.

"Oh, your father never mentioned me? What about your mother, or aunt?"

It all came back to her as she said,"You're the boy Oleh hired to replace my dad when she kidnapped him..."

Amane looked shocked despite his state as Chienembe said,"Not a boy anymore..."

"What could you possibly want from him?! My uncle took you to a family and paid for you to be catered..."

"He got rid of me! That's the word you should say, I grew up with nothing, till this woman comes to promise that I'd live in a palace with servants to do whatever I wanted, as long as I did something for her in return, my life was perfect, until your father made his brother get rid of me...he is the one who should have been shot, not Mark..."

"Mark did it to save my..."

He slapped her across the face before she could finish and Amane went mad as he tried to break through the ropes till a man pointed a gun at his head and the world went blank for Scarlet Sapphira, when she heard a loud and silencing...bang...