92
Their Kingdom Panorama
“What do you want?”
“You know three things now, which aren’t good for you,” he stated, “one, you know it was your mother’s necklace you gave me, two, you know I was behind the kidnapping, three, you’re already aware of the fact that after I throw So Rae out of the company and after your father retires, I’m kicking you out as well.”
“What?!”
The third one had never entered her mind. She’d never thought of it. It was unreasonable!
“See, you know too much,” he laughed. “Take her upstairs and don’t let her escape.”
“What are you doing?!” Victoria lunged forward at him but found herself suddenly restrained from all sides as the men grabbed her arms.
“I’ll see you later,” Myung Soo smiled, “oh, and I hope you’ve had dinner already because I’m not offering you any.”
“Let me go! Park Myung Soo! Let me go!” Victoria screamed almost terrified.
The men’s grasps were strong and they way they were holding her hurt. Just minutes later she was tossed to the ground, her arms pulled behind her, and she could feel them tying her hands up tightly with a rope. She’d really had no plans of being kidnapped again and yet here she was going through what she had first gone through after getting out of jail.
“Just you wait! Someone will come looking for me!” Victoria screamed.
One of them lifted her up to her feet and Victoria knocked the back of her head into his face. The amount of pain she generated from the movement hurt her more than the man behind her and within the next moment she found a fist flying across her face.
“Don’t hit her,” one of them started.
She received a slap the next moment. The man tossed her to the ground roughly and turned to walk out. As soon as they closed the door she heard then insert a key into the keyhole locking the door. Getting up to her feet after much of a struggle she raced for the door jumping at it.
“Let me out! Let me out!”
After long moments of hurting herself and growing tired she slid to the ground. What was she going to do now?
/\_____/\
“Where’s Victoria?” Dae Jung questioned at the breakfast table. “Ahjumma, is she still sleeping?”
“I don’t know.”
“Go check.”
The ahjumma left the kitchen and walked back.
“She’s not in her room, sir.”
“Then where is she?” Dae Jung wondered then turned to So Rae. “So Rae, where’s your sister?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? She’s your sister.”
“I don’t keep tabs on her, father.”
Mi Sun greeted So Rae when she reached the office.
“ Mi Sun,” So Rae turned to face her, “you saw me put the necklace away, didn’t you?”
“What necklace?”
“The one Lee Donghae delivered at my uncle’s funeral, you remember, right?”
“Ah…that one,” Mi Sun nodded, “yes, I watched you put it away.”
“I left it in my drawer, didn’t I?”
Mi Sun gave her another shake of her head.
“Why?”
“It’s missing.”
“Missing? How come?”
“I don’t know. I’m thinking maybe Victoria took it.”
“Why would she take it? She knows nothing about it.”
“I don’t know,” So Rae sat down in her desk chair, “it’s strange.”
Mi Sun sat down in the chair before her desk.
“Lee Donghae spoke of a kidnapping incident before they started working here,” So Rae began.
“What do you mean by kidnapping incident?”
“Someone was looking for the necklace,” So Rae explained, “it was published in the papers the next morning, wasn’t it? That Lee Donghae and Victoria Song both rescued my uncle.”
Mi Sun nodded.
“Someone went after them for the necklace,” So Rae continued, “who would know about the necklace? Who else knows about it?”
Mi Sun thought for a long moment, “No one, but our families.”
“Exactly,” So Rae agreed, “is it an insider who was after it?”
Mi Sun glanced at So Rae.
“What are you going to do when you find out?” Mi Sun wondered curiously. “I mean, why is the necklace a big deal now?”
“It may be because of the necklace that my uncle died,” So Rae said, “I just find it strange that Lee Dongahe and Victoria were sought after for it.”
“I know,” Mi Sun told, “I’ll see if I can find any links between all these.”
“What about Man Shik? Have you found anything else about him? I haven’t heard anything from you about that these days.”
Mi Sun hesitated, paused, then said, “I’m still looking into it. Give me some time, ok?”
/\_____/\
“Wake up.”
Victoria awoke with a kick and looked around having forgot where she was. She was pulled up roughly and twisted around. The man untied her hands only to tie them at the front again.
She snorted, “Just to keep me alive, you’re going to go this far?”
The man didn’t reply.
“Breakfast, you’d better be done in 10 minutes.” he commanded moving to the side.
Victoria glanced at the food on the tray before her and rolled her eyes. As she did so, her eyes landed on the half opened door behind him. Immediately she gripped her hands together and knocked her hands into the side of his head. As he bowled over she jumped up to her feet and started for the door, she found herself tumbling forward. The pain of her nose slamming against the floor echoed throughout her body so painfully that she felt merely paralyzed from it.
“Ahh…” she moaned as the man she’d hit dragged her back to her spot by her ankle.
He pulled her back up and pushed her to the ground.
“Forget breakfast, why don’t you starve, ,” he scowled taking the tray with him.
Once the door closed Victoria took a breath of the filthy air and struggled to sit up. As soon as she did she felt blood drip from her nose.
“Aish…” she muttered wiping her nose with her sleeve.
/\_____/\
Donghae paced back and forth down the hallway debating whether he should stop by Victoria’s office or not. After 5 minutes he turned and paused when he saw Kyuhyun standing in the hallway.
“What were you doing back there?” questioned Kyuhyun.
“Ah…nothing,” Donghae replied after the waiter stopped by with their plates of food. “Thanks for inviting me out.”
“I haven’t heard from Victoria, how is she?”
“I haven’t heard from her either,” Donghae answered.
Kyuhyun smiled after a few seconds.
“I thought maybe you two would have made up by now.”
“She’s still wearing the ring.” Donghae pointed out. “I saw her two nights ago, she looks like she’s doing well.”
Kyuhyun turned his gaze toward his food.
“Victoria and I were arguing about you and the wedding before my mother caught us off guard,” Kyuhyun started, “I’m kind of glad that my mother was there to overhear us.”
Donghae didn’t say anything.
“Do talk with her,” Kyuhyun added, “I’m sure that you two have more of a connection with each other than anybody else does.”
/\_____/\
“Honey, lets stop talking to the kids about the wedding,” Madam Cho tried.
Her husband who was busy scooping up the rest of the food from the bowl didn’t answer. He turned around to feed her the rest of the food.
“What are you talking about? The wedding date’s already been decided and Kyuhyun already put the ring on her finger! What do you mean by a sudden cancellation?”
“Dear, can’t you see that Kyuhyun is no longer willing to go along with it?” she asked. “If they can’t marry, it’s exceptional as well. It won’t do harm.”
“We already talked this over. The kids area already prepared,” Chairman Cho pushed her words away, “Victoria will be over for dinner tonight, I can guarantee that. Don’t you see all the effort she’s been putting in these few nights? That girl is certainly our son’s bride!”
Madam Cho sighed.
“What?” her husband questioned.
/\_____/\
“Where’s Victoria? Hasn’t she returned?” Dae Jung asked again at the dinner table.
“She hasn’t come home, sir.” the ahjumma replied.
“Where could she have gone?” Dae Jung wondered worriedly. “So Rae, call up Lee Donghae. Maybe he’s with her. Tell her to come home.”
So Rae half rolled her eyes and got up to retrieve her phone in her room.
/\_____/\
“Hyung!” Ryeowook excitedly greeted Donghae at the doorway.
“What’s this?” Eunhyuk asked grabbing the t-shirt Donghae had gotten for him. “What’s ‘Swag’ supposed to mean?”
“Dipstick!” Yesung name called. “Thanks, Donghae! It’d be more embarrassing if Victoria bought these for us.”
“Hyung, have you seen Victoria? She hasn’t stopped by in the longest time,” Ryeowook said.
“Maybe she’s busy,” Donghae suggested.
“Victoria’s VP now, Ryeowook,” Yesung reminded.
Eunhyuk walked closer toward Donghae, “She is ok, isn’t she?”
Donghae turned to look at him.
“Are you worried about her?” Donghae questioned.
“I can’t?”
“Don’t.”
Eunhyuk sneered at him.
When the three disappeared to gulf down the food he’d purchased for them he grabbed his phone and sent a text to Victoria hoping that she’d reply back. No matter how long he stared at the screen, though, Victoria didn’t reply. His phone started ringing seconds later and the call was from So Rae.
“Hello?”
“Where’s Victoria?”
Donghae’s eyebrow arched surprised that So Rae would be searching for Victoria.
“Tell her to come home. My father is looking for her.”
“She’s not with me,” Donghae shook his head.
“What?”
“Why would Victoria be with me?” Donghae questioned. “Why? Is she not home?”
“Nothing.” So Rae said before hanging up
/\_____/\
Walking down the hallway, So Rae opened the door to Victoria’s room to find it empty and lifeless.
The next morning, Victoria was not present at the breakfast table. The thought of Victoria running away amused her, but So Rae was more than sure that the hardheaded Victoria wouldn’t do that.
Entering the car that morning she told Donghae, “Victoria has been unaccounted for these past two nights. You should tell her to stop playing hooky.”
Donghae turned around abruptly, “What do you mean?”
“Don’t you get it?” So Rae asked. “Victoria’s missing and you better tell her to get her home or my father’s going to stir up some real commotion.”
“Missing? How can she be missing?”
“Why are you asking me?” So Rae questioned. “I’m going to be late for work.”
/\_____/\
Victoria’s cheek and nose felt bruised up, or they were really bruised up. It was hard to chew the dump of food they’d given her. Her wrists hurt and she felt like dying in the small box of a room she’d been tossed into. How long was Myung Soo planning to keep her there and for what purpose? She felt so pissed off and deprived of fresh air. Too bad the room she was locked in did not have even a freaking window.
The door opened and the man came in to collect her lunch. As he left Myung Soo stepped in closing the door shut after him. Victoria couldn’t help but glare at him.
“How are you doing?”
“You even dare to ask?” Victoria asked angrily.
Myung Soo laughed, “Do you want to hear a story? I thought you might be interested knowing about this before you disappear off the face of Earth.”
“So you’re going to murder me?”
Myung Soo clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and waved his pointer finger around.
“Don’t say such ugly words,” he teased.
Victoria rolled her eyes through her clenched teeth.
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