GIFT

A great pang gripped Sumire's heart. Her body went numb and her vision blurry. Her pair of midnight eyes bleed with pain. A series of orbs of tears dripped into her beautiful midnight eyes while her hand clutched her chest. She hid in a massive cylindric wall of the basement near her parked car. Sumire felt her heart break into tiny pieces and it left her huge damage inside. The maiden silently cried and she restrained herself from sobbing as she watched the approaching happy family walking in her direction.

Sumire dramatically grips her chest. Her choppy breathing and watery eyes remained for quite some time. She stands hidden in there unmoving. "...hic...I won't wipe these bitter tears from my eyes and even in this way, it will obscure the reality that has slapped me." Sumire started chewing on her lower lip and her eyes welled up with tears, she was truly hurt. '...no words can describe how my feelings have been emotionally tortured....' she added. Tears continued to stream down her reddened cheeks. The happy conversation between them didn't escape from her ears.

"Sweetheart, you should buy a bikini for night swimming later at home," Laurel said, smiling from ear to ear at the beautiful green-eyed teenager walking next to her.

"Sure," Mort said, talking to someone through a wireless earphone hanging from his left ear.

"Yes, I'm excited!" Mischa exclaimed happily, clapping and jumping in delight.

"Shall we have some grilled meat for dinner later?" Laurel asked.

"I'll have Klauss prepare everything," Mort added that the call hasn't ended yet.

"Yey! That sounds awesome, I crave a barbecue. I've been asking dad for this but he doesn't allow me to eat delicious grilled meat." Mischa said and childishly pouted. Mort turned to his spoiled brat sister who was now frowning.

"Because it is not good for your health, dummy," Mort said as his sister's face contorted and roll her eyes at him.

"It was as if salt-and-pepper had been sprinkled on my fresh wounded heart," Sumire mumbled between her sobs as a flood of tears gushed down her ashen cheeks. It was as if thousands of needles had pierced her heart at what she heard. "Now... I'm s-stuck... in the world of hurt." Moans escaped her lips through the suppressed sound of hiccups.

Sumire peeked again from her hiding place. Tears kept forming in the corner of her eyes but wouldn’t fall. She was deeply in pain when she saw how happy together they were. "I...can't take this anymore ..."

Sumire was about to leave her place when she caught her eyes the tall, gorgeous woman suddenly fall out of balance but Mort quickly grabbed her. From her blurred vision, she saw the sweetness lingered between Mort and that woman. "...this pain... is truly unbearable...hic...and it kills me..."

Just like a flash of wind, Sumire quickly ran to the back of her car to hide. Firmly covered her mouth to stop the sob that wanted to escape from her lips. The pain felt like a hot, sharp knife, covered in salt, piercing through her heart. The maiden left her hiding place without knowing what really happened. Mort blocked Laurel's way with his feet, but to her great agility and reflexes, the tomboyish maiden was able to avoid the inevitable accident and grabbed Mort's neck. Laurel punched him in the guts hard who had not been able to escape from the woman's iron fist. Now they are exchanging dagger looks, a flash of lightning collided through their deadly glares at one another.

Back in her position, Sumire silently peeked in Mort's direction and that tall beauty again. There she saw Mort and the mysterious lady deeply staring at each other. The young teenager that seem to be their daughter standing in the middle looked up at the two mighty giants in front of her. From the maiden's point of view, the teenage girl was thrilled with the sweet moments of her parents.

"Until now, you're still very sweet to each other," Mischa said sarcastically and crossed her arms on her chest. Bottom lip quivered, Sumire's shoulders dropped in resignation. Devastated, tears flowed like a river as she held her chest tightly. Sumire didn't even notice that Klauss was standing behind her. Just like her, the white-haired man peeks in the direction of the approaching Boss. The sight of him and that woman shattered her heart into smithereens.

"What a happy family of Gods. Clearly, there is no room for an anthropod like you." Klauss said with a hint of bitterness in his tone watching his Boss and his bratty sister along with Laurel.

A wave of sadness cruised in her teary eyes. "How would you like to be punched in the throat? You're adding fuel to the fire." Annoyed, Sumire said bitterly and turned to Klauss.

"W-what d-do you want, clean f-freak?" she added and choked out her words in between sniffles from crying.

"What is the feeling of being slapped by the truth? Does it hurt?" Klauss asked as Sumire's face twitched and tears started to gather at the corners of her eyes.

"Do you badly wanna know how it feels?" She said between her sobs and suddenly an unexpected massive strike landed on Klauss' face making his right cheek quickly redden. Sumire slapped him.

"There. Stings, right?" Sumire sobs and laugh half-heartedly with her eyes filled with tears. Klauss, holding his reddened right face eyed the maiden murderously.

"You wren---"

Klauss was interrupted when Sumire stepped closer and would have hugged him, buried the bitter tears in his white business suit, and leave snots to annoy the silver-haired neat freak to death. But even before the maiden could embrace him, Mort came to their place and quickly grabbed the maiden's hands. Sumire was turned to Mort and there she met his serious and darkened face who was standing menacingly behind her. Klauss, on the other hand, quickly fled away and raised both hands in the air as if he had done nothing wrong.

"What are you doing?" Mort asked the maiden in a cold, stern tone. Weakened, Sumire stared at his orbs of green as her knees jelled that she almost fell to the ground when she saw the beautiful teenager who she suspected was Mort's daughter to the beautiful tomboyish lady standing behind the man and now staring at them questioningly.

Laurel's brain quickly processed as she decoded the situation one by one. First, a hint of possessiveness can be seen in Mort's dark expression and tone. Second, the way he held Sumire's hand, is very territorial. Third, was Klauss's pale face that seemed to be afraid of being misunderstood by the Boss, and lastly -- Laurel smirked when she saw the puffy eyes of the most beautiful lady she had ever seen in her entire life. Eyes swelled in tears that obviously misunderstood everything.

A naughty play etched in Laurel's mind. She flash a vile smirk and instead of clinging to Mort's massive arm, Laurel's hand slid down unconsciously and encircled her hand around the hunk man's waist.

"Sweetheart, let's go." Laurel tries her best to sound sweet and gentle to him with a tender smile reaches in her eyes. 'Wow, I need to vomit later,' Laurel added in her mind and smiled at Mort teasingly.

Sumire could hold the heartbreak no longer and she fell to the floor in a disheveled heap as her grief poured out in a flood of uncontrollable tears, fell to her knees, and cried out. Just before she could fall to the floor, Mort quickly pulled her up. He grabbed her by the waist and bury her face in his wide chest.

Jaw menacingly moved, he coldly glare at Laurel who just flashed a playful smirk at him. "Damn it, Laurel."

Deeply surprised, Mischa stared at Sumire and looked at her older brother back and forth. Klauss, on the other hand, was relieved to see Sumire sobbing in his Boss's chest. But his face quickly twitched in disgust at the thought that Mort's suit would be stained with her nasty snots and tears. 'This witch ...'

As soon as they arrived at Mort's office, Sumire still weeping and sniffling uncontrollably. They are currently on the sofa and Sumire is sitting on Mort's lap and her face still buried in the hunk man's chest. All Mort could do was embrace her and let the torrent of her tears soak through his expensive suit. He could feel her clench her fists, not knowing whether to be mad or to give up hope all together. With his dead, expressionless face, Mort ran his fingers through her hair, time and time again, in an attempt to calm the silent war within her mind. Sumire was still locked in the man's arms. She was embarrassed to see the two maidens with Mort sitting in front of them staring at her.

"Is she okay?" Laurel asked, sitting on the opposite sofa even though she knew and was obvious what had happened.

"Did you get her pregnant, brother?" Mischa seconded who was sitting next to Laurel. And from that moment, Sumire's sobbing stopped. Slowly, the maiden lifted her face. Her reddened eyebrows, the corners of her eyes, and exquisite nose were visible to them. Curious, Sumire looks Mischa straight in the eye.

"Brother? Isn't he your father?" Sumire asked, sniffing and gently wiping her reddened nose. In awe of her breathtaking beauty, Mischa stared at Sumire's flawless face for a few more seconds and mumbled into her mind. 'Finally found someone as beautiful as me' the teenager proudly said to herself but her smile quickly turn to a frown at Sumire's question.

"Ah, what ---" Mischa was about to diss and swear when she saw her older brother staring at her threateningly. "Well, my brother is the kindest, generous and righteous person in the world." Mischa sweetly smiled at her brother but Mort ignore her and look at the maiden on his lap suppressing her hiccups before preceded.

"I thought he was your dad and she is your mom ..." Sumire said and pointed at Laurel who was sitting proudly and her smirk never ceases.

"I know I am as gorgeous as he is but he is my brother and she is not my mother." Mischa pointed at Mort and Laurel at the same time. Sumire immediately turned to the man's female companion.

"Are you Mort's girlfriend?" Sumire asked Laurel, but the tomboyish maiden flashed a meaningful smile at her.

"Who knows. Why don't you ask him?" Laurel meaningfully said even it isn't meaningful at all. Sumire turned her gaze to Mort, waiting for the hunk man's answer who was just keeping his eyes on her.

"There is this specific person which gives me the urge to kill every time I laid my eyes on, yet I can't because killing is a crime."

Mort said in a cold and serious tone as Sumire stared into his eyes.

"So?" Sumire abruptly asked as Victoria's annoying face suddenly popped into her mind. She had felt the same way too.

"That is exactly what she is to me," Mort said and glared in Laurel's direction as she rested her crossed leg on the sofa table and smirked at them.

"So, she's not your girlfriend?" Feeling relieved, Sumire asked breathlessly.

"No." Mort directly denied.

"Hic ... how about a wife?" Sumire asked for a second time. Mort's face suddenly get serious and looked the maiden in the eye meaningfully.

"My first love is gonna be my wife."

Mort replied that Laurel almost vomited on her seat but she quickly covered her mouth before splashing dirt on the floor. Astounded, Mischa's jaw dropped along with her gadget. She didn't expect it to come out of his older brother's mouth. Klauss, on the other hand, squinted his eyes looking at Laurel's position that any moment she would give in. Wondering what kind of disinfectant to use when Laurel finally vomits. And what shocked them the most was---

'I thought he is not capable of feeling anything yet he has a first love?' Stunned and pupils dilated, Mischa was statued on her seat.

'When did my ruthless, cold-hearted Boss who killed hundreds of men become human?' Finger tapped on the side of his cheek as if thinking, Klauss asked himself, frowning.

'This stoned-face hunk knew what love was? Impossible.' Laurel kept covering her mouth from puking her guts out all over the place. Knowing Mort, the three of them utter in their minds in disbelief.

Sumire was left dumbfounded looking at Mort. No words came out of her mouth. Not knowing how to feel after hearing from the man she loved. Their gaze entangled as his eyes landed on her parted lips. 'His first love...who is she?'

While the misunderstanding gradually cleared from Mort's office. In a magnificent manor, Trevor, hands thrust into his pocket, was talking to a woman wearing a sexy white tube and tight jeans. Her curly hair was artistically coiffured with a polka dots handkerchief on top of her head. An expensive handbag hang in her arms, with her red pouty lips, the woman was wearing big blue sunglasses.

"Have you given Sumire the gift?"