Episode 17: Emptied Sentiments

"Drive faster, I want to quickly grab and dash back to the hospital," Anathii said and closed his eyes whilst leaning back in his seat to get some minute long rest as he headed home to get some things for both Caith and Aneni-Anesu. He was still having flashbacks from the terrifying ride of his life as he had spent it wondering if they'll get to the hospital on time for Caith.

"Are the rumors true though, gunmen at the wedding?" The Uber driver asked him and knocked him out of his little nap, before increasing the radio volume where the news coverage was also focused on that Dumisanii bulletin

"Will you shut that thing down? I'm trying to rest over here." He closed his eyes some more as the Uber driver seemed to mind his own business, but even as the radio waves went down and the comforting warmth of the car finally preyed on his fatigue, he began feeling as though the sounds of the sirens were still evident in his head - but despite that he tried to keep himself calm to stop his heartbeat from escalating to the thoughts of Caith and Aneni-Anesu.

A few minutes later the sounds got loud and loud, enough to drag him out of his nappy, as the driver informed him of their arrival by waking him up harshly, before noticed the ambulance and cop car just outside of his house as one cop prepared to set the yellow tape, just before his heart jumped to his stomach as he saw two paramedics pushing out the bed, with a lady on it.

"Aunt Emma, nooo!" He whispered cynically while getting out of the car, as the driver stepped out too to steal a look at the occurrence. Anathii ran towards the scene and almost bumped into the yellow tape applying officer, who was moving between the ambulance and the police car which were about 7 meters apart. Several neighbors standing in their yards to steal a look, whilst some were already walking towards the crime scene - their cold skin warmer than the curiosity of their figuratively cold hearts.

"No I have to see her, get out of my way!" he said to the cop who was trying to deter him from going inside the house. Just as the two paramedics finally lowered the paramedic bed to ground level. In his mind he badly wanted it to be Aunt Emma, but when he finally saw his mother's face on that stretcher, his world fell apart and he got enough boost to push the police officer out of his way, before jumping his metre-tall wall of his house as he rushed to his mother's rescue - only for her eyes to slowlygrab hold of him as soon as he had place his hand on her forehead.

"Anathii, how was the wedding?" His mother said in a very faint voice, which he had never heard before, yet her face remained as smiley as possible as a paramedic kept using a hand to apply pressure around her ribcage. The pain smudged in her eyes through which he could see her love for him bubbling - despite the morose tears which formed simultaneously in both of his eyes.

"Mom, what happened, who did this to you?" He asked her while rubbing her forehead with his thumb, yet as she was about to answer - her smile suddenly faded as her stretcher was lifted into the ambulance, leaving Anathii with a major dilemma. To either go and assess the house or to forget about it and go directly with his mother. "I'll be right behind you mom, stay strong, I love you."

"Are you sure you're not coming?" the paramedic said, before closing her door, shortly before the ambulance departed and left the nosy neighbors in his face, asking questions like: "what happened, will she make it, was she short? is she pregnant," questions which he didn't bother to answer before he began hearing rumors amosng the same lost neighbors as he hurried into the house despite an officer's warning.

Keywords like; "black Range Rover..., masked dude pulling up..., another figure in car..., dude came out running;" which kept his ears ringing enough to almost ignore the cop who suspiciously followed him into the violated house. Even as his thoughts towards the noosy neighbors' speculations began to surface. Perhaps his gurdian angels too were also addressing their own assumptions... Ones with teardrops of suspicion as he remembered Darwin Mandalay and even Zanele Mandalay's black Range Rovers. Genna Gumede too had a dark green Range Rover, but surely it looked black at night. Everyone who had a role in his life seemed much of a suspect.

Nevertheless, he he knew that the only person who had the true answer to that was his mother. As he walked into the house and looked to the kitchen he saw a cake and some muffins, before their aroma finally reached out to his and left him with an image of his mother baking. Yet there was nothing on the kitchen counter or the the bar chair where he usually sat on whilst eating breakfast or supper. The Kitchen clean and yummy smelling.

Yet as he walked further into the lounge the difference was legitimately evident, and the clash between peace and chaos was tenuously tangible. As he saw a cracked television as well as blood on the couches and the carpet. Making further imagine of Darwin had actually sent some men to do his dirty job, but he knew Mandla Mandalay was the one with such a motive. Mandla had been the one to object his wedding with fiance after all.

Unless? It was actually Dumisanii, who might have sent his men over, if not his mother. But then again that lad was under arrest and Lindiwe Gumede was out of the country. Anathii kept calculating until he suddenly noticed a small page with some blood on it, half of it sticking out of the couch he lowered his knees, bent forward and tried to grab it but the forensic office came out of the blue and pulled him back, ordering him not to temper with evidence - before that forensic personnel bent forward and slowly reached for it, leaving Anathii caught in a web of conspiracies.

"Either you... meet me..., at the, Grand Cental Apartment, tomorrow at 11...," the forensic carefully wiped the blood off the pretty cardboard note, "if not by your sister's hospital bed, tomorrow at 11." The forensic looked at him and in turn he looked to the massive crack running down the tv, as vusuals of Dumisanii's arrest and escortation, from the wedding venue ran on opposite sides of the television's crack - fast enough to race temptations in his head. Temptations to call and involve Detective Divvy Jaars. But then he also saw the report on her alleged shooting and her disappearance since then.

"What do you think it means? And what will do?" He was asked out of thought, just before his phone rang, and he saw Genna's name written all over his screen, before he wondered as to whether answer it or not.

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At an unknown location, Mastermind walked into the room with 2 cups and two closed plates and kept his eye on Kimm Jayde-Maxworth who was seated on the bed directly opposite from it. wearing his white vest whilst looking down with her fingers deep in her hair, closing her eyes as though in thought. Leaving him guilty enough to lighten his walk so as not to disturb her.

"Thank you once again for coming through when you did," she, the poisonous journalist, said as she reminisced running out of the Rosebank Palace through a cloud of smoke and quickly dashing towards Mastermind's car whilst keeping her gun close just in case Mastermind would betray her and lead her directly to the real Dee Monique, just before Mastermind hit the pedal as she looked into the rear view mirror only to see Rosebank's butterflies shooting as them, with bullets which then left his car scratched and damaged.

"But was it necessary though, you could have gotten to Mr Rosebank in other ways, yoiu could have been old news by now you know"

"I could have tried seduction, but hell no - he suits the 7 deadly sins perfectly," she gripped the edge of the bed and fought against against opening her eyes - keeping her little meditation unstopped.

"Why not, you're cute, innocent looking and even I - have a thing for your legs." He swallowed his words, licked his lips and came closer before placing the tray on the bed and running his hands while dancing his gaze down her eyes. "Even though I never really liked multiracial girls."

"You can forget about it, I'm as colored as can be, so hold your horses," she wiped her hands with wet wipes before opening one of the plates, "Noodles? And baked beans? Really? I should have known." She nodded and turned towards the window.

"Uhm! I was gonna make Spaghetti, but I didn't wanna make you wait?" He went on to the bed and smiled as he crawled towards her, "Is it too late to add Russian sausage to the dish?"

"No thanks," she picked up a fork and dug into the big bowl of noodles as well as marinade sauce before dropping a few dashes on the dish, "Noodles, beans and sauce? At least you get 2 stars for presentation," she laughed for a bit especially seeing his goofy face melting hastily whilst looking at him. "But I'll add another star for the timing, I need to get out of town quick."

"Do you really want to go out, plus now Dee Monique's shooting and dissapearance is all over the news - and cops are all over the streets trying to crack the case - searchong for any suspect they can find," He looked her in the eye but couldn't find a proper word piece to calm her down..

"I've got the shares, and I was hoping to capitalize on them, by corruptly legitimizing the transfer of ownership, before selling the shares and crippling the mighty Rosebank's net worth, thus letting Dee Monique and Rosebank go to war," She paused, thought about it and laughed. "Now I must just go and get it signed by a high court official," she winked.

"Gummy Bear introduced me to a legitmate official, with corrupt hobbies.., helped in bribing judges and tranfers of property attained through illegal activities." Mastermind reached out for his phone and got ready to call him, dramatically acting like her - especially with his eyebrows.

Until she braced his arm with her hand, "I don't trust your methods, but since I've signed the contract, and so has Rosebank - I'll let you handle the rest, with that guy of yours." She patted his leg twice, not so far from his private property, before she took a last bite and got of the bed and walking away whilst lifting the vest of his she was wearing - before spanking her left butt cheek.

"Daughter of Esther, oh my!" He whisphered to himself, "but what if I run into Dee Monique there?"

"Then that will just petition the end of us," she looked at him and winked before turning around and continuing to model. "Where's your bathroom again, I gotta go hunting for Anen-Anesu, she's got my little red heart."

"Wait, let's talk this out first, come back to bed, I'll personally take you to her, I know exactly where she is." Mastermind dropped his alta ego's voice and raised an eyebrow, before placing a continental pillow against the headboard and leaning back. His eyes assessing her handling of the daunting temptation he had just spelled out.

"There's nothing much to talk about," she invited him closer with her index finger whilst walking with a slow, powerful stride which almost left electric sparks in the carpet - until she reached the bed and hesitantly lifted her right leg onto it - just before Mastermind's breath ran from her knee towards her waist, before he kissed the white vest and barked like a dog. "Mastermind, oh Mastermind," she held the bottom of his jaw as he brought his smile towards her lips.

"Kimm Jayde-Maxworth! You just know how to..."

"But first, let's make spaghetti," she dodged his nearing kiss and placed her kiss on the very corner of his lips, before stepping away and leaving him gliding onto his bed, making her giggle as she walked away.

Mastermind too watching her walk away as he felt the joy of being around her slightly descend to the usual abnormal levels as soon as she had walked out the door. Leaving lain smilingly on his royal sheets as he felt as though she were slowly becoming like Dee Monique - like why else had she actually disguised herself as Dee Monique, well enough to give him a 3 second shock when he had seen her running to his car, just after she had shot Rosebank - as she'd soon explained.

"You coming or what?" She called him out of thought and he stood, just before he saw her phone beeping whilst on the bed, before he saw Divvy Jaars' name floating across KJM's screen, before almost picking it up. Until he saw her standing in the door - looking at him suspiciously as though he weren't the one with the license to be suspicious of her.

"Detective Divvy Jaars is calling you, care to explain?" He squinted his eyes and licked away the recent kiss she had plastered on the corners of his lips. "Why is he calling you, at this time of dawn?" He saw a knife and a red apple in her hands, as she drove its sharp edges deeper into the apple before cutting out a piece and succulently putting it into her mouth, closing it to devour its flavor properly, whilst running the back end of the knife on the doorframe.

"Relax, I just promised him something," she stepped closer in a small dance-dance like sequence and saw mastermind's eyes filling with a depth which could only come from being cheated on. "If I tell you then I would have to kill you," she giggled and cut another piece. "Want a bite?"

"Until Mastermind's phone also rang, from the corner of the bed and when both of them looked they were surprised to find Detective Dee Monique's name written behind the screen guard, leaving the semi-couple eyeing each other with ravenous eyes - Mastermind clenching his fist and Kimm JM dropping her apple but keeping her knife firm in the nest of her palms...

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Meanwhile Vulisanii found himself in the solemn Spring breeze as the glass of whisky in his hand failed to stop his heart from bleeding as he stood in the Grim Reapers playground, a priest preaching as leaves slowly moved before his feet. His black suit failing to keep him warm, as he stood amongst his uncle's associates and criminal friends and allies, whilst Vulisanii's subordinates stood around him too as a gloomy sunlight shone upon the brown casket of Uncle G.

"Was a man of honor, pride and respect. Hence as we say our final goodbyes to him let us bow our head and wish for the Holy Ghost to cleanse his soul as he is reunited with the lord," Vulisanii couldn't bring himself to close his eyes for long before opening them and witnessing a golden rose dropping onto the coffin as the man in a white suit, man who had just thrown it, punched the air in regret and walked through the morning gatherers whilst walking away from the grave.

"My man! Wait up!" He said as he pushed through them, tryng to reach that man, who then looked back and revealed his face - which resembled a slightly younger version of Gummy Bear with no scar and no beard. Before the man turnen back from his car, 60 meters away. The graveyards and randomly placed trees showring him with leaves as he began walking towards

Driving Dumisanii into a cage of thoughts and memories, making him remember something regarding the dream of his father driving away and leaving him behind after he'd gone to fetch his schoolbag. Seeing that man's face actually reminded him that as his father had raced away from the cops he had actually turned to him and waved - but that Vulisanii's dejected mind and heart had blinded him from seeing it.

Yet now that same man, he was sure of the uncertainity he was feeling in his heart, that the man was somehow - his father. But that word was too heavy for his tongue to lift and throw out through the windows of his lips ,hence he just mumbled with words until the priest called him back and he almost turned around to respond, but his yearning for a father's love kept him focused. Until his chance was tarnished once again as a white sedan drove past the cemetery road and before a gun was stuck out of the passenger seat's window before Darren stuck his head out too; Vulisanii catching glimpse of a bald, grinless man in the backseat; and set the gun blazing just as the man in the white suit turn around in time and dove in front of Vulisanii as though to protect him.

"Haaarrrrrh! Vulisanii screamed as he woke up, and looked at the time. 16:17. His beeping phone too ringing - to a ringtone of gunshots - making him realize the coincedence behind the same sound within his nightmares. As he looked around his bedroom, which was dimly lit due to the closed curtains, he wondered as to why it always had to be that his dreams would never let him close to his father - as well as why his father always had to leave before the right time. Just as he had departed from Vulisanii's life at the tender age of four.

"Nevertheless, it was a missed call from his lecturer, Ms Anastasia De Waal, and he clearly wasn't ready to answer. His assignments were nearing the due date and Mastermind wasn't there to do it for him - as always. Aneni-Anesu too wasn't there, for him. As he sat in bed he wondered if he had done the right thing by going to look for her. A memory which was too strong for him to forget...

He reminisced about how his chauffer had slowly parked the car in the early hours of the morning, before Vulisanii himself had adjusted his outfit and gotten out modestly - without trying to appear suspicious around 11 hours earlier that morning, before looking around the quiet neighborhood and seeing the neighboring houses light up as people probably got up to go to work, just before he retained his tunnel vision towards the door - praying for her to be present whilst lifting his fist to brace the door with a knock.

"Who's this," Aneni-Anesu's mother had asked, whilst slightly opening the door with heavy, baggy eyes.

"It's me, Vulisanii, and I'm here to see your daughter, I need to speak to her." Vulisanii had responded before unleashing a smile on his face.

"I'm afraid you can't... She's not here Vulisanii," she had said back, suspicion laying in the sleepy bags of her eyes, before attempting to bang the door in his face. Something which he hadn't taken lightly.

"Only a few minutes, I really need to speak to her." He'd asserted while bulldozing his way into her home, before shes's switched on the lights and attempted to call the cops. "I'm not here to fight, she needs to know something."

"That you were the one that sent your uncle to kidnap her? She knows already? Now get out of my house you filthy crook." Nomsa's face had melted into a pot of anger, as memories surfaced of the pain she'd felt on the night her only daughter had been kidnapped. "Your family caused me so much pain during during her dissapearance - I won't let that happen again." she had looked to the kitchen where she'd bought Aneni-Anesu a welcome back gift - since Aneni-Anesu had texted her telling her of her plans to return around 6 that morning - almost an hour to go from the moment she was now faced with.

"How ironic? You're busy here moaning of a childish kidnap, when you: Nomsa, were the one that sent my uncle to prison, whilst you were pregnant with his baby." Vulisanii had asserted whilst stepping closer to her and watching her eyes closely to catch her reaction. "That's right, you've got nothing to say now Nomsa - and I'm the one left to deal with the butterfly effect that your small call to the cops had on my life."

"I've got nothing to say to you, now get out of my house," Nomsa had screamed to the top of his voice, screaming in his face - as though what he'd said to her wasn't important at all.

Vulisanii had sniggered and nodded, to her ignorance: "I lost my father and mother whilst my uncle was in prison because of you, they were gunned down by their enemies - and my uncle wasn't there to protect them," Vulisanii felt his heart open up, much like his tear glands and a lake of insecurities and lost love opened up beneath his eyes and blurred his sight.

"I'm sorry but he was just too abusive, obsessive and unpredictable - If I hadn't called the cops the stress would have led to my miscarriage." The last remorseless words she had uttered before turning her back on him and walking towards the TV, her phone dialing the cops. "He was just too much..., oh hello, Nomsa hear, want to report house intrusion." Also the last words she had said before Vulisanii had snatched the phone out of her hand and dug a small dagger into her tummy, not once but thrice, her hands squeezing his arm whilst digging her nails into his skin before falling onto the couch just as he'd thrown her phone against the TV... Which was then reporting on Dee Monique's shooting and dissapearance - before leaving a crack running down. "You're just like your uncle - when he used to beat me - stay away friom my daughter."

16:30 overtook the clock and as he moved off his bed, thinking of her last words - he wondered if his uncle were truly that bad - and if Nomsa actually had every right to snitch on him - just like she had done to him after the stabbing. He closed his eyes and swam in thought a bit longer, wondering if what he did would have made his uncle smile - or even jump for joy. Fully knowing that one of his uncle's fundamental philosophies were the sweetness of vengence.

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"Riley and Roselyn Rosebank? You want what exactly?" He asked minutes later, standing by his bedroom's window whilst glancing out to the backyard where he could clearly see his subordinates having fun by the pool, whislt hanging with some butterflies which had once worked for Dee Monique - a perfect combo. "Shot by who? Are you sure about this?"

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Meanwhile Yonella sat in the prison's visitors booth; on her phone whilst waiting for Mastermind to arrive. She was busy looking at the pictures of Aneni-Anesu that Monday evening - whom she was supposed to have met by then. She had sent her a message approaximately 20 hours earlier wanting to meet up - only for her to get another message from Anathii informing her of A-A's hospital admission. She had to go to the hospital - she really felt as though she was wasting her time trying to be there for a man who always seemed to want to control her - a man whom she now knew to have allegedly impregnated Caith, A-A's cousin.

She stood up from her call session section and looked through the glass and into the room where the prisoners usually came through but there was still no sign of Darren. Yet the ones beside her where busy talking to their fellow beloved inmates already. Yonella was serously ready to leave - because the more she thought about him the more she remembered of how unfairly he had treated her whilst they were dating. Sick of him she was, and she certainly weren't prepared to let a prisoner tie her down - he certainly couldn't touch her now, he was behind bars - meaning that she finally had enough physical and emotional freedom to do exactly what she wanted. Her smiled blossomed between her dimples, before she got up again ready ton leave. Alas it was when she saw him, whispering some things to the warden.

Darren left the warden by the door and walked cockily towards his seat, and picking the telephone whilst pressing againt the glass with his other hand. "Nelly Nelly, you don't pick up my calls nor answer my texts, why girl?" His face morphed into a concoction of anger and curiosity. "Damn you Yonella answer me, don't make me come out there."

"Why you being rude Darren, have I not come to see you?" She felt guilty and kind of scared, but she didn't bother to show it, before taking out two chocolate bars from her purse. "I even brought you your favorite."

"Even though that used to be my favourite we both know who is my favourite candy now," he licked his lips before blowing her a wet kiss, "also, I've told the warder to prepared us a little cozy cave, so what do you say?"

"Eish Darren, I really don't know, seeing you in orange overalls just doesn't turn me on hey," she pouted and ran her fingers along the surface of the glass between them, sliding her hand away from Darren's. "Plus you are in prison after all, I can't risk my health like that."

"You're really testing me today Nelly, don't be surprised if I visit you in the middle of the night though," Darren looked down and grinned before slouching in his chair, scratching his head and leaning forward again. "I applaude your nerve though..., by the way how's Vulisanii's girlfriend - I mean Aneni-Anesu?" His expression had suddenly switched gears again, for the happier.

"A-A is fine Darren, but you should focus on Caith and lea..." interruption kidnapped her words

"No need to be overprotective, I've seen the way you act around each other; besties." Darren finally confessed to knowing about it.

"Just as I have seen you kissing Caith, so don't tell me you want her cousin Aneni-Anesu too." The dilussional sense of irritation fell upon her again, but she hated the look in his eyes as he bit his lower lips and clenched his fist whilst glueing his gaze onto her. Her intuition had become accutomed to that look and it quickly sent butterflies to her stomach. If they'd been at her, or his, place who knows which direction his slap would have flown from. "But both of them are in hospital and that's all I have to say."

"Oh, okay then, I'll see what I can do, and as for you my love I'll definitely see you soon enough," He then whistled like nothing happened, and put his had back against the glass, for her to do the same. His patience runnimg out of his fading smile.

"Honestly, I highly doubt that..." She paused for a second as Divvy Jaars finally gave her a call, one which she'd been waiting for. Even though she had actually come over to break up with Darren she suddenly deemed it best to reserve that conversation for some other time - she obvousl didn't want him to do anything stupid. "But I have to go now Darren, Ciao!"

"Oh, it's A-A isn't it? If not your new man? let's talk it out Yonella! Don't you dare end this call. Don't you da..."Darren stood and shouted at her as she dared, and proceeded to walk out on him - leaving his vicious words bouncing of the glass - unable to penetrate through it. Before he punched that glass whilst watchinh her lift the phone to her ear as though he weren't watching her. He felt defeated, wishing he had taght her many lessons when he had had the chance. Until he composed himself, as the guards stepped forth to him. "Nothing happened dummy so you get nothing, give that room to someone else."He pushed the guard out of his way after mocking that guard's childishness - before smiling as he walked out of the booth's door, to the fact that King Katlego Gumede has promiseed to elaborate on a certain plan upon his return.

"No way, that wasn't the agreement, I'm the one with the little red heart," she said to Divvy Jaars who clearly wasn't in the mood to comprehend the weight of the classified information she had. "Kimm this, Kimm that.., I have it now and if you don't want to meet my demands then you can kiss the evidence goodbye." Walking out, a certain guard watched her and walked behind her, with a certain suspicious look in the eye - eyes which were overshadowed by his cap and thick brows. "I'll be there, but right now I have to go, Aaaah!"

MInutes after the guard had cupped her hand and dragged her to the shadows of the prison walls, and thrown her into a quiet room"Yonella Yonella, she was surprised to find Darren sitted amongst a two guards, two bald and muscular guys, standing on the sides of Darren and another man.

"Meet my future wife KG, she can disrespectful sometimes but hey, we still love them don't we." Darren came closer to her and almost slapped her, before rubbing her cheek with the back of her hand. " I'm gonna need an apology from you, but first..."

"No Darren, she reminds me of my daughter Genna, you'll lay no hand on her...," KG came closer, took her hand and tried to kiss it, but she refused, "You'll have to get used to me, and also, what is this I hear about a little red heart."

"I don't have it on me I swear, and it has several files and evidence incriminating..." Yonella said as soon as the two buff men came closer, whilst giving her a scary look - in that dark office of the prison. Criminal shadows tempting her to spill out the beans.