Leap of Faith

Just like any other day, Kanna got out of bed and headed to the bathroom after waking up. As she splashed water on her face, out of nowhere, she felt queasy and ended up throwing up. Feeling a bit lightheaded, she made herself comfortable by sitting back down on her bed. She evaluated whether or not she could still manage to go to school today while contemplating her next move. However, with an unwavering determination in her heart, Kanna decided that nothing was going to stop her from attending classes. Putting aside any doubts or discomforts caused by earlier events, she mustered the energy needed to get dressed for school. Afterward, joining their parents at the breakfast table were also Kanna's siblings who seemed engrossed in a lively discussion about Innovare Inc.'s uncertain future

"Did you catch wind of the latest development? Arjan is assuming control of Innovare," Albert chuckled, casually placing the newspaper on the table. However, amidst his mocking laughter towards Innovare, his expression betrayed a deep-seated fear – afraid that Karl Marino would seek revenge and overpower him. Ever since their altercation resulted in Karl's temporary seclusion and Albert's entanglement in an attempted attack on Karl and his spouse, conflicts between their factions - namely, the commission and triads - have escalated into brutal clashes that instill terror and wreak havoc within their respective territories.

"Don't underestimate how much experience he has. He's been trained and worked with many wise people," Madam Fontierra said, taking a sip of her juice. "Remember, he is one of the key figures in that company."

"But there's only one thing I really want in life - for Karl Marino to kick the bucket and reveal all the hidden riches he has stashed away. You know money equals power, strength equals power."

"I agree, because being famous and wealthy is necessary in this society. However, what you're hoping for is impossible. If he dies, it would be your downfall too. His dangerous right-hand woman Tiffany will come after you, not to mention Gustav, Charlie Helen Ted and Jamie - his loyal followers turned deadly femme fatales will also be gunning for you along with your sidekick Chuck Kanor," Madam Fontierra explained as she noticed her daughter wasn't eating breakfast. "You should eat; it's going to be a stressful day at school."

"Yeah, it's tough to go without eating," Albert said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I'm not really in the mood for food," Kanna told her parents who looked at her with surprise, wondering what was going on with her.

"Only someone pregnant would say that," remarked Albert.

Kanna felt a chill and shivered before hastily leaving home to head to school. When she arrived at the University, her boyfriend – full of energy like the sun – accompanied her to their classroom. Everyone noticed that she wasn't feeling well; her eyes were wide open as if she had taken drugs.

"Did you have a wild night doing coke?" Rafael asked jokingly but received no response from Kanna. After a few seconds, she suddenly vomited but nothing came out and then collapsed unconscious onto the ground. Students quickly gathered around as Rafel carried his girlfriend towards the clinic where they waited anxiously for news from the nurse who emerged after a few minutes passed by.

"Raf, I've known you since you got here. I've watched you grow and nurture your love for Kanna," the nurse said in an attempt to explain.

"Just tell me what happened to her!" the young man interrupted. The nurse then led him to Kanna's room where they found her after she had been in the bathroom for about thirty minutes. When she emerged, he was sitting next to her bed while she held a pregnancy test kit. Tears streamed down her face as soon as she saw him. She quickly embraced Rafael tightly, crying and trembling with fear.

"It came out positive," she sobbed, "What do we do now? I'm scared that they'll find out."

Hearing these words from Kanna left Rafael speechless and frozen; unsure how to respond. His heart overflowed with both happiness and anxiety knowing that their child would be born into two families who are like oil and water

"I...uh, I don't really know how to respond," Rafael stammered while gently wiping his girlfriend's tears with his handkerchief. He held her hand in an attempt to reassure her. "I kinda expected this day would come."

"What do we do now?" "Remember how your dad swore to eliminate any connection between our families?" Rafael explained, looking at Kanna seriously.

"Well, I'm willing to take a leap of faith and escape with you."

"Where are we gonna go?" an anxious Kanna asked.

"We'll just go wherever our feet take us. No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you and our child; let's meet up at the bus station as soon as possible," Rafael proposed, quietly asking the nurse not to spill the beans.

------

At the Marino Residence, Rafael sat in front of the dining table with his family, enjoying their delicious dinner.

"You guys better appreciate that you get to eat three meals a day," Karl remarked to his children. "During the third world war, I was lucky if I got three meals a day. And my monthly expenses were only ten thousand yen."

"Enough about that," Riko scolded her husband. "We're trying to have dinner here."

"I heard Jude is now Albert's son-in-law," Jiena shared with everyone else, but no one seemed interested.

"I couldn't care less about them," Karl responded dismissively . "Let crazy people stick together for all I care."

"You know this war is going to happen whether we like it or not," Riko added on to what Jiena said, causing Karl to shake his head and briefly look at their son.

"Just promise me you won't see Albert's daughter anymore, Rafael," Karl told him as he quietly ate his meal.

"Oh, that's just perfect!" Riko exclaimed with excitement. "He and Erina are a match made in heaven."

"I've had enough," Rafael grumbled as he got up and stormed off to his room, clearly annoyed by his father and stepmother's behavior.

-----

Later that night, the couple got ready to leave. At Marino's place, there was a lively atmosphere. Rafael quietly opened and closed the door as he passed by the living room where Bianca and Kyoko were watching TV. He then went into his room at a relaxed pace to pack his clothes, making sure to close the door softly behind him. Sneakily, he entered the master bedroom like a nighttime burglar and took his father's wallet with all its cash inside. Next, he grabbed ten gold bars from one of the cabinets and stashed them in his bag before calmly heading towards the stairs.

On his way out, while passing through the kitchen where Riko was busy preparing bento boxes, Rafael spotted Jiena opening up the front door unexpectedly fast. As soon as he realized this potentially compromising situation unfolding before him,giving no second thought,the young lad quickly jumped against an adjacent wall in an attempt to make himself invisible.Frustratingly,Jiena had somehow managed to materialize right behind him causing great surprise for Rafael

"Where are you going?" Jiena asked, curious why her brother seemed so nervous and on edge. She gave him a quick once-over from head to toe.

"Don't try to stop me Nozomi," Rafael said defiantly, raising his head high and giving his twin sister a stern look.

"Is it because Kanna is pregnant? Are you planning to run away with her?" Jiena questioned boldly. "I managed to get the information out of the nurse."

"Yeah, I want to take her somewhere safe. I'm afraid that her father will harm the baby," Rafael explained, trembling as he faced his sister's intense gaze.

"You have the spirit of a Marino," Jiena commented affectionately, pecking her brother on the cheek.

"I'll let this slide for now but trust me when I say that everyone will be looking for you and Kanna."

"Nozomi...," Rafael muttered in astonishment at his twin sister's warning. He wasted no time and bolted away as fast as possible, fully aware of how unpredictable Jiena can be

-----

At the Fontierra mansion, Kanna quietly crept into the house. Nobody was around – Albert was still working at his office, Madam Fontierra was busy filming her show, and Ulrich had gone to the mall. It was a piece of cake for Kanna to gather her belongings and make a speedy escape from home so she could meet up with her boyfriend at the terminal.

"Are you really sure about this?" she questioned him while he lovingly stroked her face, demonstrating his unwavering confidence in their plan.

"If we stay here, your father will not only harm our baby but also you," Rafael responded as they climbed onto the bus, heading towards an unknown destination. They were uncertain of what would unfold in their future, but they held each other's hands tightly, prepared for whatever lay ahead as they left behind their families.

"This is the beginning of a fresh start for us - you, me and our child," Rafael whispered to Kanna while holding her hand. His words provided her with comfort and reassurance about the path they had chosen. With a smile on her face, Kanna rested her head against Rafael's shoulder, trusting that his love for her would never falter. Without any second thoughts, they boarded the bus bound for the North. To avoid being recognized by anyone associated with their families, the couple settled themselves at the backmost seat.

----

At the Marino household, things were calm as always. Charlie Ong and Arjan were helping Riko with some Feng Shui arrangements around the house when they suddenly heard a loud commotion coming from the master bedroom. Doors were being slammed shut, causing Karl to storm downstairs in a fit of anger. He had an enraged expression on his face and clenched his fists tightly.

"Hey, where's my five hundred grand?" Karl demanded from his wife, catching her off guard with this question.

"What are you talking about? I didn't even know you had that much money," Riko responded honestly, causing Karl to lean in closer to her face and glare at her intensely.

"There's no way that cash could have magically disappeared," grumbled the head of the Marino family hoarsely. "My safe was left unlocked! Three gold bars are missing!"

"And why on earth would I take your money? And furthermore, how did you come into possession of all that cash?" questioned Riko skeptically.

"Damn, it's gone!" Karl shouted as they kept arguing. Out of nowhere, gunshots echoed outside their crib and without wasting a second, Karl, Riko, Arjan Charlie whipped out their heaters and dashed toward the entrance. As soon as they stepped outside, there stood Albert Fontierra with his crew of goons ready to unleash hell on his archenemy like nobody's business.

"What's all this? Getting ready for a war?" Charlie inquired of the leader of the Fontierra family.

"Quit it, you weak lawyer!" Albert smirked, brandishing his handgun at the Marinos. "Where is my daughter?"

"This ain't no lost and found place," Riko responded, drawing her Katana. "We don't know where your daughter went."

"Shut up, you old lady! I know she's with you!" Albert shouted.

"Well well, I like how you insult my wife but seriously dude, you're causing trouble in our neighborhood. Just go away!" Karl snapped back. Jiena stepped outside to mediate between her father and Albert calmly yet cunningly.

"You really wanna find out where they are?" Jiena asked both parties before revealing the answer herself. "Mr. Fontierra - surprise! Your daughter is pregnant with my brother's baby and they were so scared that you'd harm them that they ran off."

Albert couldn't believe what he heard. He was angry and furious as he aimed his gun at Jiena. But then, out of nowhere, Karl quickly pulled out a hidden knife and placed it against Albert's neck, glaring with a deadly look at the leader of the Fontierra family.

"How did you change clothes so fast? And where did you hide that sword?" an frustrated Albert exclaimed. "If I were you, I'd get outta here before things get messy," an enraged Karl threatened.

"Well, just know that your son won't survive and my daughter's child will never be part of your family," declared Albert in front of the Marinos. "I won't allow anyone from your clan into mine."

Karl, Riko, Arjan, Charlie and Jiena couldn't stop laughing at Albert's statement. They thought what he said was as funny as getting nibbled by a goldfish.

"Being part of a royal family?!" Charlie wheezed between laughs. "You know, I should've agreed to marry Takako twenty years ago if I wanted to join a royal clan. She's already more regal than any other royal in the world," Karl chuckled. "But seriously, that joke was priceless."

"Yeah, you could have been married to a princess," Riko said and laughed again.

"Who would want to be part of a family full of crazy people?" Karl asked, referring to Albert's comment.

"I'll take all of you down!" Albert shouted, shooting his gun into the air. This prompted Riko to quickly disarm him and twist his arm.

"Just make sure you actually can do it," Riko pushed Albert towards the sidewalk, causing him and his men to leave out of fear.

"When Julio becomes pope, I might as well become a Papal Duke," Karl said jokingly with an ambitious glint in his eyes.

"I thought you'd be surprised to hear that you're going to be a grandfather," Jiena informed her father teasingly

"Nozomi, I'm disappointed in you for covering up your brother's actions," Karl chastised his daughter.

"Maybe I did cover for him but if I did it was only because I could've stopped or prevented what happened," Jiena calmly responded.

"What are your plans now?" Riko asked curiously.

"I'm so mad, I swear I wanna kill that jerk for stealing my fifty grand," Karl said angrily as he stormed into their house. He was yelling and crying out of frustration.

"What did I do wrong? I was just looking out for his well-being. He's always been stubborn and reckless, but if only I knew he'd get this aggressive, then maybe I should have let him stay at my parent's place."

"What are you gonna do now?" Riko asked.

"Who knows what the hell I'll do next," Karl answered. "But please don't leave me when things are tough like this."

"We're in it together," Riko replied and gave her husband a kiss on the forehead.

"This is rock bottom for me," Karl admitted with tears running down his face while Riko held him tight.

"I'm here, right by your side through it all," she reassured him, although deep inside she saw an opportunity to take charge while he was vulnerable.

"After all these years," Karl said.

"Despite everything that has happened, I will always be by your side," Riko replied. "What can Emi, Riho or Yuuna do?"

Karl nodded at Riko's words and closed his eyes to rest as Riko smirked with a hint of mischief in her gaze. The next morning, the Marinos sat down for breakfast like any other day despite the chaos caused by Rafael running away with Kanna. Riko had assumed complete control over decision-making due to her husband's vulnerability.