CHAPTER 21...
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Josh punched in the door lock and came into Raphael's apartment. He just got back from Violet's house.
A text message buzzed on Josh's phone but before he could take it out his phone, he heard giggling at the kitchen so he took a peek and a half smile appeared on his lips seeing Raphael and Mabel at the kitchen.
"Oh no... I forgot he has a guest..." Josh murmured and slowly picked up his shoes so he doesn't interrupt them.
"Josh, it's fine! Come let's have dinner.." Raphael muttered from the kitchen.
Josh chuckled and dropped his shoes. He headed straight to the kitchen.
"Oh wow, you prepared noodles... Isn't ramen some sort of lovers thing here in Korea?" Josh asked ignorantly picking up a chopstick.
Mabel coughed nervously as she looked at Raphael.
Raphael chuckled when Josh gave him a silly smile.
"Don't look at me like that... Why are you acting so much like Simone?" He whined looking away.
Josh laughed and turned to Mabel.
"Don't mind me... We love teasing him that's all. Anyways how are you feeling now?" Josh asked warmly.
Mabel glanced at Raphael and nodded with a smile.
"I'm glad Raph came to my rescue and thank you also for helping out. I might be gone now if it weren't for both of you" She uttered in a remorseful tone.
Josh watched them in silence and exhaled sharply.
"What pushed you into doing it? Were you threatened just like Rein?" Josh blurted picking on the noodles.
Raphael smacked his hand lightly.
"You don't have to ask about that over dinner... We can do that after we're done eating"
Josh dropped his chopstick and licked his lips worriedly.
"Too bad I can't eat if I don't hear her side of the story and I fear you wouldn't want to ask exactly what happened cos you don't want to be reminded of Rein" He blurted.
Raphael looked away clenching his teeth.
"I'm sorry Raph but I want to know also... I'm no seer," Josh added.
Mabel dropped her chopsticks also.
"I went up the rooftop to get some air after a heated argument with my best friend and suddenly I got a call from an unknown caller id... I took the call.." Mabel narrated the whole scenario.
Josh and Raphael listened so attentively.
"It's obvious the caller was present at the exhibition ground!" Josh said and there was silence in the room.
Josh cleared his throat.
"Mabel, was it worth ending your life without putting up a fight? Didn't you think about the after life? Ending one's life is a sin against God! I get it that you care so much about Raph with your explanation but why would you want to make him go through the same pain... Are you sure you didn't jump off the rooftop just to get something off your mind? I'm sorry Mabel but I think that was a very selfish decision to make and don't blame me for acting this way, I love my friend way more than I know you!" Josh said seriously.
Tears roll down Mabel's cheeks. She wiped them off with the back of her palm.
"Josh, it's enough... You don't have to rub it in. She knows she made the wrong choice, you don't have to scold her for it!"
"It's fine Raph... Everything he said is true anyways... I jumped off because I had something in mind..." Mabel uttered sadly holding Raphael's arms.
Raphael furrowed his brows helplessly.
"You don't have to justify anything he says..."
"Raph just stop being nice with your words. You saw it in your vision that she took her life. How do you plan on stopping her from making such a rash decision again if you don't talk it out with her!" Josh uttered frustratedly.
Raphael glared at him. "Josh, you don't force things like this and I've got everything under control! You think blurting out your feelings is going to change anything..."
Josh scoffed in disbelief looking away.
"This is exactly why Rein never shared her feelings with you! You don't act fast… Mabel almost ended her life today cos you never shared your visions with her..."
Mabel hit the table to get their attention.
"I'm sorry so please can you two not fight cos of me! I really can't take it if you do..." She muttered in tears.
Josh stood up from the chair and walked up to his room without looking back.
Raphael watched him leave and he exhaled deeply as his gaze fell on the bowl of noodles.
He turned to Mabel.
"It's getting late... Let's get you settled at the guest room!" He said and left for the room without her.
Mabel followed from behind. She walked into the room and she found Raphael making the bed.
"I hope you find it comfortable here" He said politely.
Mabel nodded and sat on the bed gently. Her heart was aching cos of the argument early. She just couldn't brush it off.
"Raph... I'm sorry for being so thoughtless about everything! Trust me, it was never my intention to make you go through the same pain!" She uttered in a low tone but Raphael placed his index finger on her lips to stop her from talking.
"Shhh... It's fine! As long as you know you did wrong and it will never repeat itself again then I'm good. Forgive Josh, he only speaks out his feelings whenever his upset, don't let his words get to you! Let's talk some more tomorrow... Good night!" Raphael said softly then pecked her forehead.
He switched off the lights then left the room.
****
Josh took a quick shower to cool off his brain.
He lay on the bed and picked up his phone from the lamp stand.
He slide into his message box and then he saw footages of the event.
"Here you are!" He muttered and sat up before going through the footage.
He made the video a 2x speed to get a fastest result. He watched the footage carefully then he saw secretary Shin spilling something into Raphael's drink... The video was cut from that point, leaving only his back view on the footage, his face wasn't visible.
Josh rewind it again, he squinted his eyes to get a clearer view just then Raphael knocked and came into the room.
"Hey bruh! You good?" He asked jovially while sitting down at the edge of the bed.
Josh looked at him with a serious expression.
"I'm sorry I said those things earlier but it was all frustrating for me. I hated to see the way you looked at the rooftop. You looked like a dead body in a living body... God forbid, I never want to see you look like that ever again and it warrants I speak some sense into Mabel then I'mma do it!" Josh stated seriously.
Raphael laughed ruffling his hair.
"I get your concern but she's broken as well... It wasn't by choice... No one would want to end their perfect life like that, I bet she had her reasons and thanks a lot for telling her all of that... It would've been tough for me doing it" Raphael uttered with a half smile.
Josh smiled and bumped his fist on Raphael's arms.
"I've got you bruh!"
"You looked serious earlier, what were you watching?" Raphael questioned observantly.
Josh handed his phone over to Raphael.
"Do you have any idea who this is?" He asked.
Raphael took a careful watch of the footage and he looked at Josh with his eyes almost pulling out of his socket.
"That's secretary Shin! Mr Bu's secretary..." Raphael gasped.
Mabel was on her way to the refrigerator when she kinda heard their conversation.
Mr Bu? What happened to Charlotte's dad? She questioned in her head and leaned closer to the door.
"Do you think Mr Bu has anything to do with the threats? What was your relationship with him?" Josh asked curiously.
Raphael bit his lower lips recalling his last conversation with Mr Bu.
"Years back, he asked me to be his son in-law but his moves were suspicious then! It didn't feel like he wanted me for his daughter but more like he wanted to use me for something..." Raphael uttered making a disgusting expression on his face.
Josh slide into the rest of the videos to get a footage of Mr Bu. Mr Bu was captured in a private corner with his phone on his ears.
"I bet he was talking to Mabel here! The time aligned" Josh announced.
Mabel covered her mouth in shock.
Mr Bu was the one behind the threats? Why would he do that? He treated me like a daughter. She said in her head almost breaking into tears.
NEXT DAY...
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Mabel left Raphael's apartment before they woke up. She didn't want to disturb them so she left without a word.
She got into a cab, with her nose mask and shades on.
I have to get to the root of this. Why does Mr Bu want me dead?
Suddenly Mabel's phone started buzzing with calls.
She took out her phone from her purse, it was a call from her manager.
"Jennifer, why are you calling so early? Did you even sleep last night?" Mabel asked sarcastically.
"Mabel, what the hell are you doing? What were you even thinking to spend the night at Mr Raphael's... You promised your fans you wouldn't date anyone that you want to focus on your career for the rest of the day... What the hell is going on now?" Jennifer yelled over the phone.
Mabel blinked nervously.
"What are you talking about Jenny? How did you know I was at Raphael's last night?" She asked anxiously.
"You're all over the internet as we speak... Some intimate photos of you both are spreading like wildfire online right now... What have you done Mabel? I don't think your investors will be fine with this... Mr Lee is going crazy cos of this... All the workers at the company all left for work early cos of this" Jennifer panicked.
Mabel took in a few deep breaths and composed herself.
"Jenny, I need you to be calm in a situation like this. I'll speak with Mr Lee myself... Don't take his calls till I've spoken to him. I've got somewhere to rush off to so I can't go to the office just yet... Bye, keep in touch with me!" Mabel said and hung up the call.
Mabel smirked as she remembered Charlotte's threats to her.
Is this how you want to play it? Let's see how it ends for you! She said in her head angrily.
"Chauffeur, please can you make a U-turn... We're going somewhere else!" She stated in a mean tone.
~ THE BU RESIDENT ~
CHARLOTTE'S BEDROOM....
Charlotte was sleeping soundly on her bed with her legs widely spread apart.
She smiled from her dream. Her mum rushed into her room and woke her up worriedly.
"Mum, can't you see I'm still sleeping... I've got a 16 hour job to take care of when I wake up... Can't you just spare me this morning..." Charlotte groaned from her sleep.
"Dear, I don't think now's the time to sleep... I think at this rate, Mabel will be losing her acting career forever... Her fans aren't happy about this..." Mrs Bu panicked while going through the scandalous article on her phone.
At the sound of Mabel's name, Charlotte jumped up in excitement.
"Mum, is that true?" She asked with a wide smile snatching her mum's phone.
She went through the hideous comments and articles being posted of Mabel.
A wicked smile appeared on her lips.
Finally... This is just the beginning Mabel. Let's see how you can get out of this. She said in her head with a satisfactory smile.
Her mum moved backwards in shock.
"Charlotte, are you okay? What's that smile on your face?" She asked as fear gripped her.
Immediately Charlotte stopped smiling.
Mum shouldn't get involved in this fight...
"Nothing mum... I think I might be suffering from partial face paralysis but I'll be fine... I'm on medication already... Mabel must be feeling so devastated. I have to go wash up and rush over to her apartment! Who knows if she's okay?" Charlotte uttered faking a worried tone.
Her mum helped her out of the bed.
"Hurry up, Mabel needs you right now!" She said pushing Charlotte to the bathroom.
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Mabel arrived at her reporter's friend house. She punched the doorbell numerous times.
The door cracked open and Nina yawned stretching her arms.
Mabel pushed her side and ran into the apartment.
"Mabel what are you doing here so early? I thought you forgot about me since you became so close to the bratty rich girl" Nina uttered sarcastically in her sleepy tone.
Nina and Mabel attended the same high school and college. They were close during their highschool days but they stopped hanging out during their college days cos Charlotte didn't like Nina because her parents were middle class.
"I've got an article for you... Do you still have the secret file I sent to you years ago?" Mabel asked sitting down.
Nina pulled out her laptop from under the table.
"Yeah... You told me to protect it with my life when you placed a password on it... Are you ready to tell me what's on the file?" Nina asked switching on her laptop.
"Charlotte wants to ruin my career..."
"That b*tch!" Nina uttered with a frown.
Mabel gazed at an empty space.
"A tooth for a tooth.. no a tooth for the complete 32 teeth!" She uttered as she wore a vicious smile.
"Here's the password to the file... 82736465..." She added.
Nina punched in the password on the file and it opened.
The file was filled with multiple pictures of Mr Bu and secretary Shin and some other younger guys giving him a blowjob at different angles and locations.
Nina's eyes widened in shock, she covered her mouth due to the shock.
"Mr Bu's gay?" She asked in shock.
Mabel smirked.
"I've got a write up all planned out... Just put down everything I say and give it to the world to see... I want to destroy her!" Mabel uttered devilishly with horror in her eyes.
She clenched her fist as Nina began to type everything Mabel stored on her notebook app.
Nina glanced at her with a smile after she was done.
"You slay devil...! I thought she was your best friend"
"I'll make you rich with this one... Just post it on your anonymous account, I don't want to get you in trouble.." Mabel uttered cautiously.
Nina laughed and crossed her legs.
"What do you mean trouble... I'm a reporter and I'm trouble itself! Let's give Charlotte some shit to clean up!" She laughed and tapped on the post button.
She gave Mabel a high-five after uploading the photos with a little note attached to it.
("Is Mr Bu worth running for a senator in our country?")