Episode 77

"You knew?"

"It wasn't hard to tell"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"That's not something-"

Mari quietened up halfway, looking around. She appeared somewhat conscious of keeping it down even if they were in the balcony and Ian was downstairs.

"Did he tell you?" Aoi asked but Mari shook her head in a no.

"How long have you known about it, don't tell me you've known it from the start?!"

Mari gave no response but that in itself was a response.

Aoi felt repulsed just thinking about it.

"You should have told me..." Aoi complained.

"He's self conscious, he hates being pitied the most, he still has his pride you know" Mari implied she had done it to save his face.

"You absolutely can't let him go back no matter what" Aoi calmed a bit, realizing Mari's intentions all along.

"I won't" Mari said with a straight face.

Aoi took in a deep breath, recently she'd felt more stressed than usual, even though normally she was able to do multiple things without feeling frustrated.

Natsuro's pheromones were more intense than a normal omega's would be. Besides it wasn't just him, but the pheromones of the child that were effecting her the most.

"Are you-" Mari was about to ask something but stopped half way through.

For a moment there Aoi was blank but then she realized what Mari meant to ask and somewhat chuckled.

"You've gotten kinder" Aoi mumbled.

"I don't need to hear that from you" Mari replied.

"Pfftt why do you always get defensive at compliments" Aoi felt amused.

"Did you get your little horny bunny to start working on the invitations" Mari asked.

"Who? Natsu? Yeah, he's compromising this month too with a substitute professor, it's gonna leave a negative impact on his career" Aoi replied.

"Why does he need to work, you earn in millions?" Mari asked.

"Natsu doesn't rely on my money, he earns his own living and we pay for the apartment equally" Aoi replied.

"Just buy a house or move to Himari mansion" Mari suggested.

"Yeah with the baby on the way, I think I should start looking for houses"

Aoi didn't reply anything regarding the Himari mansion. Though Mari already got her answer.

The place was a bad memory for Aoi.

"What now, what are you going to do?" Aoi asked.

"He'll come for the boy in a week, he clearly has some nasty obsession for him otherwise it isn't normal to go for an alpha" Mari replied.

"What do you mean not normal to go for an alpha?! It's not normal to go for your own damn kid!! That piece of sh-t..." Aoi clenched her fists.

Though a sound distracted the two and they turned to find Ian Strauss standing at the entrance of the balcony with widened eyes and a horrified face.

"Sh-t-" Aoi mumbled but in a few seconds Ian turned away running off.

Aoi was about to move but within seconds Mari ran after him.

He ran down the stairs and Mari chased after.

"Ian-" She called out but Ian didn't stop he ran towards the door, getting out and running down the road.

Mari kept on chasing him, he was out of breath, yet he couldn't stop, he ran with that expression of horror upon his face even though his arm was hurting so much.

Ian was athletic since a young age, so it would have been impossible for any normal person to chase him.

If only Mari was a normal person, she wouldn't have been able to either.

Yet this girl had the perfect running form and pace, she began to catch up with him.

The two ran a long run before Ian's wound made him give in and he stopped near an alley to catch his breath whilst resting both his hands against the wall.

Mari stopped too, resting both her hands upon her waist and breathing hard. She hadn't run like this in a while.

"How'd..you...know..." Ian whispered with a panting voice.

Mari didn't respond, she was still catching up with her breath.

"Sh-t, sh-t SH-T!" Ian punched against the wall "this is- you shouldn't have..."

He mumbled still panting hard.

"It's disgusting...and shameful...I'm...I'm-"

Mari stood straight and tried to reach him but he slapped her hand away, refusing to look at her.

"Why'd you have to find this out- WHY!" He punched into the wall again.

A little droplet fell upon Mari's cheek and she looked up at the dark cloudy sky.

Mari extended her hand again, this time firmly holding his shoulder even though he tried to shove her away.

"This one thing- just this one thing- you shouldn't have known-I want to dig a hole and bury myself- this one is..." Ian whispered on and on.

Little droplets had started falling on Mari's face at this point.

"Why?" She whispered "Do you hate me?"

Ian stopped speaking.

"I'm the same as him aren't I? He to...his son...and me to my...brother" Her voice actually shivered saying that.

Ian hadn't thought of it in such a way.

For him it was one disgusting secret, he'd wanted to take to grave.

He was beyond embarrassed and couldn't face her anymore.

"That's not-" Ian turned to look at her only to be astonished at the sight before him.

"It's the rain" She whispered with reddened eyes and wet cheeks.

Ian was taken by surprise, he didn't know how to respond to her being like that, he awkwardly just squished her up in his arms, she remained still.

"I'm sorry- I'm sorry- I'm sorry- brother- I'm sorry-" She went on mumbling.

Ian had forgotten his own situation at this point and he just tightly held this little person in his arms.

His back hurt though.

He had to bent in alot to simply reach her shoulder.

But he couldn't do anything else other than simply letting her let out what had been accumulated within her for all these years.

It was the first time, he'd seen her messy face or any expression on her face at all.

Even though she kept apologizing to her brother in a constant whisper but Ian felt some of her agony was for him too.

Aoi caught up, though she stopped after seeing the situation and simply opened the umbrella that she took time in finding before chasing.

She walked up to Mari's back and held the umbrella over her head while Ian was still holding onto her.

It surely was a stormy day.

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"How is it?"

"Hurts"

Ian placed an icepack onto her head whilst keeping her head in his lap as she was lying upon the couch.

"Aoi san told me, you haven't cried for a long time, maybe that's why your head is hurting so much" Ian whispered, since even voices were making her migraine worst.

"I wasn't crying, it was raining" Mari outright denied it.

"Yes, yes, it hasn't rained in a long time so that's why your head is hurting" Ian didn't feel like arguing over it.

"Ian" Mari murmured and he got attentive "Why'd you not want to tell me"

The question made Ian's expression change a little "Can we not...talk about it"

Mari didn't ask after hearing that.

She thought, it'd be better to give him time regarding this. He'd eventually talk about it himself once he's ready.

"Mari san, you should talk to your brother too next time" Ian said, just as she had told him to talk to Alex, he realized that she needed to be told the same.

"Hmm" Mari didn't deny it, she tried to smile a little but a stinging pain to her head made her cringe instead.

"Mari san, Aoi san told me, you are really good at maths and sciences and you were the head of cheerleading and marathon team in college...though you eventually left it all...but, I want to ask you over...let's give an exam for a university together" Ian spoke softly.

Mari looked up at him and sighed.

"I'll think about it" She responded a bit positively.

Ian became visibly happy

"And don't worry about me, I can go home next week, don't go stressing yourself over it, I'm relieved just by knowing someone's by my side and besides it won't be the first time he'd-" Ian paused midway.

"Even if you are used to it, I'm not, I don't share" Mari replied.

Ian blinked a bit and then stuck out his tongue pretending to be all cringed out.

"So cheesy" he said playfully, somewhat annoying Mari.

"I'm serious" Mari said, though Ian messed up all her hair instead.

"You little-"

She got up and started ruffling his hair, till it turned to a hair messing war.

Mari being competitive as she is simply took the other down being on top of him and messing up his hair completely.

Ian was only losing because he was laughing. Otherwise he was bigger and stronger in terms of power.

Seeing how wrecked up Ian was from laughing Mari chose to make it worst for him by tickling his sides, he turned and twisted whilst laughing until Mari stopped.

Ian was all teary eyed from laughing at this point, so when she stopped, he finally caught his breath.

"Do you smell something burning?" Mari asked.

Ian looked blankly at her for a few moments and then suddenly recalled.

"Aoi san went to the kitchen to cook something for you" he told her and she went white in the face. She stood up, ready to make a run, making Ian worried.

"What is it?"

"She's gonna burn the kitchen"

"The what?!

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"Whoever it is, find them"

Mr. Strauss sat with a stressed look upon his face. A few people left his room and only his lawyer and bodyguard stood there.

"This won't turn out good Ivan, they have the upper hand" The man told him.

"No, I don't think it's them, if it were Himari Aoi, she wouldn't make such an indirect approach or try that hard to cover her identity" Mr. Strauss speculated.

"Could it be Ian?" The man asked but Mr. Strauss shook his head.

"Ian didn't know Clara Hughes, whoever it is, doesn't wish to come forward, they know things from a very personal level, it has to be someone close to Raina or Clara" Mr. Strauss said.

"I see, I'll look up their information, though you don't suppose they sent this without any intention?" He asked.

Mr. Strauss gave it a thought "they haven't asked for money, I'm assuming it's some sort of threat but it could also be a bluff"

"Don't take this lightly, this person knows Clara Hughes didn't die on spot of the accident but was actually killed in the hospital, whether or not they have actual proof, it's still a bad sign that someone knows, it means there's a witness and it won't be long till there's a proof too.." The man warned.

"Do me a favor Nicolas, contact Kirihara Mari, let's do this deal in a week, before this person makes a move, I need to make sure that I have control over Kirihara group, even if I end up being prosecuted by law, if I have enough assets, I can wrap up things here and escape with money worth a lifetime" Mr. Strauss told.

"Are you sure? Holding a big event in a week is not easy" The lawyer warned.

"They're already desperate, I'm sure she'll cooperate, but to control Ian, I still need Lian, we already know where he is, we just need to snatch him back somehow without getting the cops involved" Mr. Strauss asserted.

"Alright, find Lian and this anonymous mailer, got it" The lawyer spoke reassuringly.

"Actually I have a better idea to control both Ian and Himari Aoi without getting the cops involved, it would be quicker" Mr. Strauss's expression changed.

"What is it?"

"I heard she has a partner..."

"Are you thinking-"

"Yes..."