Chapter 204 - Same Situation

Mike and Daniel proceed to the Chill & Drink Bar located at the top of the 10th-story Prestige Hotel Building.

"Bru, I heard that you just got married recently. Congratulation!" said Alex.

Mike raised a brow. "How did you know?"

"I saw the news in the newspaper! You married your girlfriend, the one who's with you in Davao City, am I right?"

Mike nods his head. "Yeah," he mumbled sadly, a bittersweet smile appeared on his lips.

"Oh, why is that? Your expression looks sad? What's wrong?" Alex pretended that he didn't know the reason why.

Mike looked at Daniel's face. He doesn't know if it's okay to tell other people his problem. Daniel is a new acquaintance, he was hesitating to open up his problem to him.

"Let's just drink, bru," he said.

Alex nodded his head and raised his glass. "Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Mike replied.

After a few glasses of wine, Alex was trying to talk Mike about business ventures but Mike doesn't want to talk about business.

"Sorry, bru, I'm not in the mood to talk about business, right now. I just want to drink and have someone to talk to," Mike apologized to Daniel regarding his lack of interest in discussing business with him.

"Alright, let's talk about business, some other time, when you are already in the mood," Daniel replied.

They sipped their drinks in companionable silence.

After a while, Alex was getting bored, 'coz his companion is not yet opening up about his marital status to him. Hmm, he will try to talk about himself so that Mike will follow suit.

"Bru, let's talk about women..." Daniel started.

Mike looked at his companion with a raised brow. "Huh? What about them—?"

Daniel wore a sad expression on his face. "You know what...some women can be so cruel!"

"Why?" Mike asked in an interested manner. A line appeared on his forehead.

"My wife left me a few years ago and went to live with her sister abroad. She no longer wants to do anything with me and demanded that we will annul the marriage, and top of that, she specifically told me that I should give her half of my fortune," Daniel narrated sadly.

Mike's eyes widened, he asked. "Huh? Do you also experience the same with your wife? Tell me, how did it happen?"

Daniel took a deep breath, ready to share with Mike his misfortune with his wife.

"One day, my wife left me without notice. Then she informed me that she will be living with her sister abroad and no longer wants to live with me. Until now, I have no idea why she left me? Maybe, she no longer loves me or she already found somebody else?"

A haunting look appeared on Daniel's eyes.

Mike patted Daniel's shoulder, sympathizing with him, 'coz they were undergoing the same problem.

Daniel looked at Mike in the eyes. "I bet you are luckier than me, bruh. You must have a happy married life now, not like me who was abandoned by my wife."

Mike sighed heavily and shakes his head. "You are wrong, bru. The truth is...I was also abandoned by my wife," he confessed.

"Huh? How? I mean... why? You just recently married. I thought your married life is perfect!" Daniel commented casually.

Mike released a deep sigh and was shaking his head painfully for a few seconds. "My wife left me after our honeymoon ended. She never tells me why. She left a letter for me, for her mother and her sister..." he said tears shimmering in his eyes.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, bru! I never thought that it also happened to you. But why she left...? What did she tell you in her letter?" Curiosity was flashing on Daniel's eyes as he continues to dig deeper into the true reason why Caroline abandoned her husband.

Mike raked his fingers through his hair. "She stated in her letter, that there is something she needs to sort within herself. And one day, she will return to my side. That's all," he concluded.

Daniel was tapping his fingers on the table, trying to analyze Caroline's motive in abandoning her husband. He can't think of any reason, nothing comes up on his mind right now.

He wanted to ask Mike one important question though.

"I guessed women are a bitch and cunning sometimes. They employ crazy and painful tricks that took us by surprise. It's so unfair when all we have done for them is giving them our love and adoration," Daniel said bitterly. "So...if one day, your wife returns to your side...will you welcome her back with open arms?"

Mike stared at Daniel's face for a few minutes...unable to answer right away. Part of him wants his beloved wife back, but another part of him hated Caroline for abandoning him, for not telling him the reason why. It's the mixture of hate and yearning for her presence that is killing him softly inside. The war raging in his mind and heart was torturing him, day and night.

Daniel watched as the pain clouded Mike's face. So, Caroline didn't tell her husband the true reason why she went away. 'Hmm, this is getting...interesting!' he thought to himself.

Mike glanced at his companion, unable to answer his question. He asked him with the same question. "And how about you, Daniel? If one day your wife will come back to your side and asked forgiveness, would you still forgive her?" he questioned him.

A bitter smile appeared Daniel's lips. "No way! I hated my wife for abandoning me and putting me in so much torture. I can't accept and trust her again. I can't put my heart in her hands and run the risk of being hurt again in the process. Women like my wife aren't worth loving," he said in a hard voice. He raised his glass and sipped the wine.

Mike stared at the liquid inside his glass trying to digest Daniel's statement. He released a deep sigh, he still not answered Daniel's question yet. Time to give him an honest answer. "I love my wife...I will decide after I see her again.

Daniel shrugged.

"Okay. I hope that she will come back soon so that you will regain your happiness back," Daniel spoke sincerely. For someone who undergoes the same kind of pain, he sympathizes with him.

They continue drinking, discussing random topics regarding the business world and their respective businesses.

Back in Allison's mansion.

She was sitting on the terrace of her mansion, looking at the stars and the moon above. The night is not getting any younger.

She was thinking of how her brother and Mike were doing now?

Are they still on the bar? Heavily drinking...?

What if Alex will accidentally reveal to Mike that Caroline was hiding in his house in the middle of their drinking session?

She knows that sometimes drunk people will reveal to others...their hidden secrets under the influence of alcohol.

No, she just can't sit idle here and not do something!

She must do something!

She grabbed her phone from the center table and place a call to her brother.

His phone rings instantly...

"Ali...why are you calling me?" Alex answered his sister's call irritably.

"Are you still in the bar, drinking with Mike?" she inquired.

"Yes, I am..."

"Where are you now?"

"I'm on the way to the restroom to relieve my self, why?"

"Are you already drunk—?"

"Why?"

"I want you to go home now. Don't wait that you will become so drunk that you will begin spilling our secrets to Mike. Think about our dying brother's happiness!" she reminded him.

Alex chuckled. "Don't be afraid, I'm not drunk yet!"

"Go home now or I will pull out Caroline from your house!" Allison warned him.

"What the hell—!?" Alex growled.

"If you don't go home now, I will go there within thirty minutes!" Allison threatened him.

"Oh my God! Ali...are you nuts!?" he almost shouted.

"Go home now or I will do what I say. I'm not joking. I'm freaking serious!" Allison warned him sternly, one more time.

"J-Jesus!" Alex blurted, out of anger, he ended the call at his end.

Back in Allison's mansion.

She was raving mad.

She will wait after thirty minutes, then, she will call her brother's housemaid and if she finds out that Alex has not returned yet, she will get Caroline out of her bother's house and also Greg!

She went inside the house and slammed the door of the terrace, then she went to her mini bar room and poured herself a glass of her favorite red wine, a few minutes later, she was already pacing the floor back and forth.

She was getting restless...

What if Mike will discover Caroline's whereabouts?

Fearing that Mike would come to her brother's house and take Caroline away, she needs to do something to prevent such a thing to happen! She hates it when something goes in her way and destroys her plans!

She can't take it!

She emptied the red liquid from the wine glass and went back to her bedroom. She changed her clothing, wore a jacket over her blouse, and put her phone and wallet on her clutch bag.

She exited the room and went downstairs, opened the main door, and boarded her car.

A few minutes later, Allison's car was moving out of the gate of her mansion.

Allison's vehicle was now passing on the second street where a few empty lots were currently occupied by big trees and overgrown bushes and the surrounding area was a bit dark.

Then she saw something in the middle of the road!

"Oh no!" Allison gasped in surprise.

Allison steps on the breaks right away after seeing a human form slumped in the middle of the road.

"What the hell!" she screamed. She almost hit the person!

She stopped the car and looked around her, no one is around, what she's going to do?

Is the person hurt?

She grabbed her phone from her bag and placed a call to her minion Owen to come over the area where she was stuck...

Owen's phone keeps ringing...she can't wait for him to answer her call.

She opened the door of the car and exited, she took a step forward wanting to get closer to the body lying on the ground.

Then all of a sudden a shadow appeared and sneaked behind her, grabbing her waist in a vase-like grip, and a piece of cloth was pressed hard on her face... she can't breathe!

She realized that the person who attacked her from behind is a guy judging on his strength.

"G-get awayyy from me!" Allison tried to fight her attacker but he was too strong for her, she was slowly losing her consciousness due to the strong odor originating from the cloth, suffocating her in the process. She slowly crumbles into the arms of her attacker.

The last thing she saw before she closed her eyes...the figure that was slumped on the road was already standing in front of her!