Act to pretend!

*****A week passed*****

Lauren got recovered moreover she became more attached to Edina.

Jason and Rocella schemed to give Edina to Mark as soon as possible.

Jason, Lauren, Rocella, and Kevin were eating dinner.

[Edina was relaxing on Rocella's lap.]

Jason stopped eating for a while, looked at Rocella and Edina, and turned his face towards his mother.

Jason: "Mom, how's your condition?"

Lauren: "I'm good. Rocella is taking good care of me."

Jason: "Hmm it's a relief."

Lauren: "How's your business going?"

Jason: "Yeah it's going well."

Jason and Rocella looked at each other.

Jason: "Mom, I have to go out of town tomorrow."

Lauren: "Why in such a hurry? Is everything alright?"

Jason: "Yes, everything is okay it's a business trip."

Lauren: "For how many days?"

Jason: "Maybe two or three days."

Jason lifted his head and looked at his mother (Lauren).

Jason: "Mom, I was thinking about Rocella and Edina going with me. I mean Rocella has been suffered from mental depression. So uhhh..."

Lauren: "It's a good idea. Kevin with stay with me. Okay, Kevin?"

Kevin: "Why can't I go there?"

Jason: "You have to go to school. Did you forget that you have final exams from next month?"

Lauren (expressed an unhappy face): "Kevin! Don't you wanna stay with your grandma?"

Kevin: "Grandma, I would never leave you."

Lauren: "Aww so sweet. Jason!"

Jason: "Yes mom."

Lauren: "Leave Edina home with me. I'll take care of them both."

Jason and Rocella looked at each other.

Jason: "Mom! I want to have good memories with Edina."

Lauren: "Hmm you are right."

They finished the dinner and after then all of them headed to their rooms.

Jason and Rocella headed to their room.

Jason: "Thank God! Mom is agreed."

Rocella: "Do you have any proper plan for that?"

Jason: "Yes. I have a plan in my mind."

Rocella: "What is it? I mean how?"

Jason grabbed Rocella's hand and asked her to sit in front of him to discuss the plan. Jason sat on the couch (settled) in front of the bed and Rocella sat on the bed.

Jason: "We'll head tomorrow evening to the hill station and we'll spend two days happily with Edina and on the last day, we'll hand out Edina to Mark."

Rocella: "I can't tolerate my daughter to be handed over to a stranger."

Jason: "First it's not our daughter and second, Mark is not a stranger."

Jason: "If you don't want to go to Mark's place, then don't worry. Fred and I will take care of it."

Rocella nodded her head and replied (in a pitiful voice): "Okay."

***On the next day!***

Jason and Rocella packed up their traveling stuff and all the necessities of Edina.

Jason (holding a big suitcase in his left hand) heads out of his room. Rocella (snatching Edina's prom) and Jason meet Lauren and Kevin then said goodbye to them.

They spent two days happily. It seemed like they both (Jason and Rocella) forgot the reason for being there but they didn't. That's why they both (Jason and Rocella) enjoyed it a lot and lived as if it's their last day of living.

On the last day of their tour!

Jason asked Rocella to stay at the hotel and He called Fred. Fred received a call.

Jason: "Hey Fred."

Fred interrupted Jason's words.

Fred: "Bro! I'm on my way."

Jason: "Okay."

Rocella was worried and depressed.

Jason looked at Rocella and said: "Rocella, please react normally like you were yesterday."

Rocella: "Hope that our daughter will be safe there."

Jason: "Don't worry. Mark is a very good person."

Rocella: "I'll miss her I don't know how I'll confront mommy (Lauren) and Kevin after reaching home without Edina.

Jason: " Don't worry. Everything is gonna be okay."

Rocella: "What about the plan of a car accident?"

Jason: "No, it's not relevant. My mom wouldn't tolerate that."

Rocella: "So what would you tell them (Kevina and Lauren)?"

Jason: "I'll tell them that we lost Edina from the hotel and the police are investigating about finding her."

Rocella: "Why this plan?"

Jason: "I want my mom to believe us otherwise if we tell them that Edina dies then she might have a heart attack."

Rocella nodded and said: "But..."

Jason took a deep breath and said: "Don't worry yourself that much."

Suddenly, Jason's phone rang, he got a call from Fred and he received the call.

Jason: "Yes Fred where are you?"

Fred: "I'm in the lobby of the hotel."

Jason: "Okay stay here I'm coming."

Jason hung up the call and looked at Rocella.

Jason: "Fred and I've made the best plan."

Rocella: " What if someone doubts us?"

Jason took a deep breath and said, "We'll talk to our old friend who is a policeman. He would help us in Edina's case. Therefore no one won't be able to doubt us."

Jason took Edina from Rocella's hands and put her in the prom and held a prom with his right hand and snatched the suitcase(full of Edina's stuff) in his left hand. Rocella was crying to meet her daughter. She didn't want to do that but she agreed because she thought it's good for Edina. She (Rocella) couldn't protect Edina rather than Mark. She (Rocella) didn't have any idea what how Mark looks like or what kind of man he was. She just believed her husband because Jason admired Mark a lot and he was feeling relieved to know that Edina was gonna be safer.

Jason met with Fred.

Fred looked suspicious and asked: "Where is your wife. Isn't she gonna head with us?"

Jason: "No. Let's get going."

Fred ceased Jason and said: "Stop."

Jason suddenly stopped stepping forward (towards the car) and replied: "Yes."

Fred (confessed): "I wanna ask you something."

Jason shrank his eyebrows and expressed a poker face.

Jason: "What thing?"

Fred: "Are you sure."

Jason: "Sure..... about what?"

Fred: "Are you sure that you want to give your child to a person you've met only once."

Jason lift his head and said: "I've thought about it more than a thousand times and yes, I am pretty sure that Edina will be safe and protected there."

Fred nodded his head move from his (Jason's) way, snatched the suitcase from Jason's hand, and gestured towards the car.

Jason moved forward and sat on the front seat (Edina was sitting on Jason's lap).

Fred drove the car to Mark's place.

Finally, after 45 minutes of traveling, they reached Mark's place.

The house was quite good. It was an apartment in the building so they reached the building. Fred parked his car in front of the building and they went out of the car.

Fred picked up the suitcase and a baby prom from the car. Jason was clenching Edina in his arms. She was sleeping. Fred held the baby prom and the suitcase and headed inside the building.

Jason settled Edina in the baby prom and he gripped a baby prom in his hand.

They took a lift to go up (in Mark's apartment). They entered on the third floor. When the lift opened, there was an alley with approximately four feet of its width. On the left and right sides (walls) was there were doors (of apartments). The view was decent but the place was indicating that middle-class families lived in that building.

Jason (grabbing the prom where Edina was sleeping) followed back Fred (holding a suitcase in his hand) to Mark's place.

Finally after some steps towards the main spot. Fred stopped walking in front of a door. The door was quite neat and decent.

"I think this is the apartment of Mark," Fred admitted.

"What? Aren't you sure about that? I thought you know the place." Jason raised a confusing question.

Fred looked back (at Jason) and said, "I'm not sure. I've never been here before."

Jason got shocked and asked: "Really?"

Fred nodded as yes, looked forward, and took his phone out of his jacket (pocket).

Fred dialed Mark's number. Mark received the call and said: "Yes, Fred. Have you guys arrived?"

Fred: "Yes but I'm not sure I mean can you come out I am so confused to see so many corridors on the balcony. So..."

Mark interrupted Fred's words.

Mark: "Wait I'm coming out...."

Jason: "What did he say?"

Fred: "He's coming out.."

Suddenly the door (situated) behind Jason opened.

The voice came: "Hey you both!"

They turned back and looked behind them, Mark was standing in the corridor (that was opposite to Jason and Fred).

Jason looked at Fred and Fred was startled.

Fred: "Oh you're here. I mean I thought your home is this."

(Fred gestured to the door to which they were standing and thinking as if it's Mark's place.)

Jason and Mark looked at Fred with a poker face.

Mark: "You have to Thank God that the owner of that place isn't here."

Fred: "Mark! What if the owner would be in there?"

Mark took a deep breath and said: "Then you might get killed and no one else wouldn't find your dead body."

Mark looked in the prom and said (to Jason): "Good. You brought him here."

Jason nodded his has as yes and raised a question: "Can't we come in?"

Mark chuckled and replied: "Come in, Come in."

He (Mark) gave the way to them by shifting himself behind the corridor.

They entered Mark's apartment.

[The view from the corridor was good. There was a lounge with two rooms with attached bathrooms and a kitchen in the lounge.]

They (Jason and Fred) both looked shocked by seeing Mark's apartment. His apartment was neat and clean and everything was decorated perfectly. Mark gave them slippers to enter in. Jason looked at the sofa and he passed a silent smile towards the lounge.

Mark noticed the expressions of Jason and said: "I normally live at this place for 14 years. So I decorated especially every single part and piece of this house by myself."

Jason nodded and said (Looking towards the lounge): " Indeed. That's why it looks like a gentleman is living in this house."

Jason stepped forward to the sofa and grabbing the baby prom where Edina was sleeping. He settled the baby prom near the sofa where he and Fred sat. Mark looked at Edina and said: "This child has a great and bright future. I can see that."

Jason chuckled and replied: "Because we are giving this child to you. And we want you to up ring my child into the best person."

Mark: "Jason, you don't have to worry about this child from now on."

Jason passed a smile and moved his head towards the baby prom to see Edina.

Jason: "I hope this child to have the best life full of happiness."

Mark: "I promise you I would never let this child be a victim of disgraceful behavior with him."

[They became silent for few seconds.]

Mark broke the silence and asked (by looking at Edina): "What is the name of this cute angel?"

Fred: "Edina."

Mark nodded and realized that he didn't offer his guests (Jason and Fred) to eat or drink something.

Mark: "Oh I forgot to ask you both, what you guys would like to eat or drink."

Jason and Fred looked at each other.

Mark: "You guys are not telling me to serve water only. Aren't you?"

Jason looked at Mark and took a slight breath."

Jason passed a smile and said: "I want to drink tea."

Mark looked at Fred and asked: "And Fred you?"

Fred: "Tea."

Mark headed towards the kitchen (with a smile).

Jason looked at Mark and said: "Fred, I need to accompany Mr. Mark. You take care of Edina."

Jason followed Mark and looked at Mark quietly.

Mark didn't realize that Jason was looking at Mark and noticing him.

Mark headed towards the fridge. He pulled a pack of milk and then stepped towards the stove and made a tea. He (Jason) noticed Mark that he( Mark is doing his duty/work with cleanliness. After two minutes Jason said: "Hmm you are quite good at cooking."

Mark got startled and looked behind.

It looks like you are noticing me since I came into the kitchen.

Jason nodded his head as yes and said: "Thank you, Mr. Mark."

Mark chuckled and continued to pour the tea in the tea point and he pulled the cake (Almond flavor) and serve it on the plate, held the tray in his hands, and headed to the lounge.

Fred said: "Wow."

Fred was holding Edina in his arms and playing with her.

Mark put the tray on the glass table (in front of the sofa) and grabbed Edina from Fred's arms.

Mark: "Oh, this child is so strong and heavy."

Mark sat on the couch in front of the sofa (where Jason and Fred were sitting).

Jason and Fred drank tea and ate the cake.

After some minutes, Jason got serious and looked at Mark.

Jason: "Mr. Mark, I have a request."

Fred and Mark looked at Jason with their shocked expressions.

{Author's note => Please vote with a power stone and add your reviews (via comments) to my story. Let me know how you like my story.}

:)

To be continued!!!