A break-in

"Boss, the subjects left the house this morning. All of our people followed them, no one was guarding the house," Ekon explained. Not to make an excuse but simply to state the reason it happened.

Eric Wu closed his eyes as he leaned against the teal blue wall while pinching the middle of his eyebrows. He knew it would be unreasonable for him to blame his people because he was the one who instructed them to follow Bella Lim and little Ryan wherever they went. In the case where one left and the other stayed home, his people were required to split up to guard them.

"Why did they leave the house? Where did they go?" he inquired. Although it was normal for them to go out, he needed to know to set himself free from the increasing worry.

"Boss, one of our people overheard their conversation and told that the older subject was looking for a job at the nearby supermarkets," Ekon explained.

Hearing Ekon's explanation brought a sigh to Eric Wu's lips. He had forgotten about Bella Lim's jobless status. She must be worrying about how to go about her life right now. Nope, she must be worried about her little brother more.

"How are they?" he asked.

"They are in fine condition, boss. A friend of theirs came to visit, her name Lily," Ekon reported.

"How about the police?" Eric Wu implored. He already knew who Lily was from the busybody Tao, he didn't need to ask who she was.

"They are on their way, boss. Boss, should I ask our men to show up? Right now, they are hiding within the subjects' house's perimeter," Ekon informed. His flat voice was void of emotions. Eric Wu was already used to this as Ekon was the leader of his security team. His job required him to be strict. His strictness however made him the man he was today.

"Be alert. Let the police handle this," he said before ending the phone call.

Tao who was standing nearby swallowed his saliva. His throat felt dry as he realized that the man in front of him was no longer casual like the man who sat on the couch a while ago. He was now layered with a fearsome aura.

"Tao, cancel my meeting with the Solar's representatives today. I need to go somewhere," Eric Wu made a sudden remark after remaining silence for quite sometimes.

"Yes, president! I'll ready the car," Tao replied as he fussily looked for his phone.

"No need. Give me the key, I'll drive," Eric Wu said as he approached his assistant. Palm opened in demand for a car key. Tao saw this and confusedly gave the key that was kept inside his pocket.

"President?" he asked, unsure of what to do next.

"Gather all the documents on my table. I'll sign everything tomorrow. Ah, remind the Solar's representatives that they have until tomorrow to fix their presentation. I don't want any rubbish talk as they did previously," he stated before walking out of the office.

"Yes, president!" Tao responded. He didn't know what Eric Wu's plan of doing, but he knew he had a task to complete. He didn't want to disappoint the president anymore. He must do the job given to him well! Must!

***

"Bella, I want both of you to live with me!" Lily who was looking at the mess in Bella Lim's house was stricken with worry. A while ago, she had called to gossip about the chaotic change in the cafe because of Clara, but instead of a greeting, she heard her screamed in fear. It was only after calming her down that she knew someone broke into their house. Lily disregarded everything and ran to her friend's house.

"Lily--" Bella Lim tried to speak but she felt a lump on her throat. She hugged little pumpkin so tight unwilling to let go. Fear was evident in his eyes and that caused her to become even more anxious.

She had been vigilant these past few days and rarely went out of her house. Today, she had brought little pumpkin along to see if any of the supermarkets in Countryside would be willing to hire her. Her luck was good but she had to reject them since the work wouldn't allow her to keep watch of little pumpkin.

They returned home tired only to see that someone or maybe a group of people had broken into their house.

"Bella, until the culprit is taken care of you must stay with me," Lily insisted as she sat next to Bella Lim, holding her hand. She let go when someone knocked on the door.

"It's the police," she told and left the area to meet the officers. Bella Lim trailed Lily with her gaze and soon she saw two policemen entered together with her.

She watched as the two policemen looked around the house, in and out. When they asked her questions she tried to answer as clearly as possible. Although she was still afraid of the whole thing, she knew the importance of cooperating with the policemen.

"There is no CCTV in this area," she heard one of the policemen said to his friend and watched the other shook their head in dismay.

"Miss Bella, was this a reoccurrence?"

Bella Lim stared at the policeman who raised the question. She shook her head to deny it.

"Anyone get hurt?"

"They just came back. This incident happened while they were outside," Lily took the initiative to answer. She glanced at Bella Lim who looked gratefully at her. She smiled to console her.

"Is anything valuable missing? Jewelry, money?" the other policeman asked.

"No," this time Bella Lim answered the police's question. Her face looked bothered by the fact that nothing was missing.

"Miss Bella, based on our investigation, it seemed that this was a typical case of breaking in. Don't worry, we will proceed with the necessary investigation,"

"Well, there was no lead and no victim was harm. This case is basically closed," the other added.

Bella Lim felt a feeling of revulsion against the policemen. She hated to hear their nonchalant tone as if what had happened wasn't something she shouldn't worry about. Why was it that such scary things were branded as typical? Nothing was missing, wasn't that already weird?

"A typical case? Case closed?" she asked almost sounded like disparaging the conclusion made by the policemen.

The officers heard her. Their narrowing gazes were looking at Bella Lim as if challenging her to clarify her doubt.

"Officer, isn't it weird that nothing was missing? I'm afraid there is more to this. What if the people come back? Could you send someone to guard the house," Bella Lim knew that no matter how she disliked the policemen's easygoing manner over the case, she couldn't act overboard. Right now, she and her little pumpkin needed security the most.

She hoped they would reconsider her doubts and sent an officer as a standby just in case. Alas, all she heard in return was a subtle scoff. It was hidden well under the mask of a smile, but Bella Lim had become too sensitive with the whole things that happened the past few days. Sometimes, it allowed her to read people's expressions.

"Miss Bella, there was no lead, no physical harm, no evidence to tell who broke in. Tell us, how should we proceed with the case when we need to deal with more demanding cases?"

Such a casual tone yet ridiculing in its own way. Bella Lim shuddered as she curled her fingers to a fist. She rose from her seat and stared at the policemen with disappointment. She wanted to yell at their attitudes but know that aggravating them would put her at a disadvantage. She didn't want to get on their bad books.

"Could I request for protection?" she asked, trying to sound as polite as she could.

"Instead of that, why don't the two of you stay with your relatives or friends. That's a better choice,"

Lily who listened to their conversation bit her lips. She too began to hate the policemen.

"Bella, just stay with me," she persuaded because the longer she looked at her, the pitiable her appearance was.

"Settled," one of the policemen shrugged as he signaled his other friend to leave. However, the moment they turned around, a man blocked their path. They looked up and couldn't help but gasped at the sight of the newcomer. If this man punched them, they would be KO-ed in one strike!

Bella Lim and Lily noticed that someone had entered the house. They stared at the door and soon, Lily silent gasped was heard. Bella Lim, on the other hand, had her lips slightly apart.

Why was he here?