Having recorded everything that ensued in the room like a camera man filming a whole movie, from kisses to yanking off their clothes and finally having sex, Ex-Ranger Jackson's burner phone suddenly began to ring. However, it rang so silently, like a ghost whisper, that it barely made a sound.Walking silently away from the window and the garden until he was back in his car, he picked up the call.“How is it going?” Ex-Ranger Jackson heard Julius’ voice, full of authority and resonance, like a command from a seasoned general.“I am still on it, sir. Not interfering as instructed, but keeping everything on record.”“Great! Any unexpected scenarios?”“The friends betrayed each other, sir. She is sleeping with the other boyfriend.”“And?” Julius inquired.“They went to your abandoned apartment, sir, and filmed it. It's been sent to space.”“I know about that. I was in the space,” Julius answered.“What else?”“Your name has been reported to the police station by the same guy from the res
The next morning dawned with a bright new sky, and perhaps the brightness of it was the reason Jessica's cheeks expanded into a wide smile. Ex-Ranger Jackson, sitting in his car, saw Mark arrive at Jessica's door and knock on it gently, like a gentle breeze tapping on the window of a cozy cottage.Mark was not alone. In his hands, he held a bouquet of roses, and he was dressed differently from the night before. This morning, he wore a suit that was not well-fitted, with his white shirt collar flying over the suit. His pants were loose, giving him the appearance of an old-fashioned fashionista seen boldly on an old magazine cover.Seeing this, ex-Ranger Jackson smirked and waited in his car, poised like a patient spider in its web, anticipating his next catch.He had been in the car for about six hours since he watched Jessica fall asleep the night before while she waited for Mark to call her back, which he did not do throughout the night. Yet he appeared the next morning with a bouque
Having finally gotten dressed, ex-Ranger Jackson heard Jessica ask sadly, “Do you hate me, Mark?”Feeling Mark's surprised expression in response to Jessica's question, Ex-Ranger Jackson heard him say, “No, babe. How can I hate you? I love you.”“Then why are you keeping your distance from kissing me?”“I wasn’t!” Mark insisted.“Yes, you did,” Jessica said again.At this moment, Ex-Ranger Jackson felt how silence prevailed for about five seconds, during which the only sounds he heard were the sounds of their heavy breathing.If all that had happened was a lie, ex-Ranger Jackson felt how Jessica slowly began to lean her neck forward and how Mark continued to stare at her. Slowly, as her head kept moving towards him, Ex-Ranger Jackson pictured how Mark would have closed his eyes and received the tender kiss that was coming to him. However, suddenly,“I don’t think I can do this right now.”“We should see a doctor as soon as we are done with the eat-out,” ex-Ranger Jackson heard as Mark
Entering the eatery, ex-Ranger Jackson observed that the interior boasted lavish decor, with intricately designed chandeliers casting a warm glow over the marble floors below. Plush velvet curtains adorned the windows, framing views of the bustling city outside. Similarly, mahogany tables were meticulously set with fine china and sparkling silverware, while elegant artwork adorned the walls. He noticed the waitstaff moving gracefully between tables, clad in crisp uniforms.At the far end of the interior, ex-Ranger Jackson spotted Mark seated with Jessica, along with Emily, Alexander, and Olivia. Mark sat in the middle of Emily and Jessica, with Olivia and Alexander on the other side of Emily. Jessica held hands with Mark, and they smiled buoyantly, as did Olivia and Alexander, leaving only Emily to place both of her hands on the table.“Nice arrangement,” ex-Ranger Jackson muttered to himself as he walked to the far end of the interior, distancing himself from Mark and the others.Aft
Even though she asked the same question for the third time, Mark did not answer directly. The only thing he was bold enough to do was look down at his feet and shake his head negatively.However, it didn't matter if he lost his voice due to his cowardice to admit he did or if he was bold enough to tell Jessica to her face. Ex-Ranger Jessica saw how she rose up in anger, her eyes still watery.She looked at Mark at that moment and said, “I hate you. I hate all of you!” she yelled, then walked away from the table and out of the eatery in wild anger, like a kid who grudgingly walked into her room since she was grounded. Her plate of food remained untouched.“What?” Emily shouted, like a bully who would not admit her mistake.“Did I say anything wrong? I only spoke the truth!”“Mark, I only have one question to ask you,” Olivia said, ignoring Emily's nonchalant behavior. Alexander only sunk his fork into his piece of steak and cut a small piece of meat into his mouth, followed by a glass
Following him outside of the eatery and at the front of the establishment, right before the greeter, Emily was able to catch up with Mark by pulling his coat.Immediately as Mark turned to her, “Mark, please. What happened in there was just...“Are you happy now?” Mark suddenly interrupted.At this moment, Ex-Ranger Jackson gently turned the direction of the phone to film the front of the eatery. The entrance door was a glass door, which made it possible for him to film the events happening outside. He also adjusted the position of the pen voice enhancer to point in the direction leading outside of the eatery. Then he relaxed more in his chair and continued to sip his juice slowly.“I don’t understand,” Emily said, looking confused by what Mark just said.“What don’t you f**king understand, Emily, huh?” Mark's voice rose in frustration.“Didn’t you want me to break up with Jessica because of your own selfish reasons?” he yelled.“Selfish? Did you just say selfish?” Emily sounded incre
"The last time we were here, we interviewed one of the students of Augustine University, and according to him, one particular student who used to be poor is now very rich, and he mentioned his name to be one Mr. Julius Sabbath. According to the source, this particular Julius Sabbath was either involved in cybercrime or drug dealing.""So, we took measures to investigate this matter, even as the police were on to it from their end. We went to Augustine University and confirmed what our source told us, and some of the students we asked either categorically stated they didn't know if he was involved in cybercrime or drug dealing, or they were just supporting the notion because it was fun. Others told us they did not want to be part of it if it involved legal matters.""We didn't get discouraged from there. We met with some more students, some of whom said it was true that Julius Sabbath was involved in cybercrime, while others said it was mere banter and shouldn't be taken seriously.""H
As the news ended, and while the people were cheering the name of Julius, ex-ranger Jackson kept his eyes fixed on Emily like a hawk stalking its prey. This way, he was able to quickly tell when she said nothing further to Olivia and angrily walked outside of the eatery like a storm was brewing on the horizon.When she walked out of the eatery, he quickly rose to his feet, having left a few dollar notes on the table. He walked out of the eatery evenly.On the footpath by the side of the road, he stood and watched how Emily, at the rip of the road, furiously raised her hand in the air, waving it like trembling leaves, until a taxi parked before her. Immediately as the taxi parked right in front of her, she leaned her head into the taxi window like a hooker at the roadside, negotiating a fair price with a client who was in his car.About a second later, as she leaned into the taxi window, she pulled out her neck again and took just one step while closing it with the other step. She slid