You Are My Other Half
You Are My Other Half
Beatrice sighed before removing her lab coat and her latex gloves, with the married couple behind her doing the same.
"Let's talk about it in the main room," Christian said before leaving when his assistant called his attention.
They all gathered in the main room with the four remaining children of the Jiang family included. Aside from Michelle and Christian, their other two half-brothers arrived to discuss their next plans and listen to what Beatrice and Ririna found from the corpses.
"So? Did you find something relevant?" Michelle asked Beatrice and Ririna again.
"We agree that they were killed and are already dead for a week. Maybe since the day, they went missing. We could only estimate the time of their death based on the rate of decay of their bodies," Beatrice explained.
"It didn't seem like they were dead for a week. I heard from Christian that the bodies were beyond recognition," Xander Jiang, the second master of the Jiang family, said. He was already in his early thirties and had an athletic build. He was leaner compared to his brothers and sported dark brown hair that hung below his ears.
"There are several circumstances where bodies can decay faster than usual," Francis Jiang, the fourth master and the youngest brother of Michelle, said. He also had the same shade of hair as his siblings. He looked younger and seemed like he was in his late teens.
"Yes, that's right…" Bea said.
The rate of decaying dead bodies depended on the environment it was in. Bodies decayed differently according to the place and temperature. It also made a difference if there were open wounds, insects in the area as well as the humidity, and the position of the corpses.
Bea continued to explain to the Jiang family while Ririna tuned out so she could talk with her husband privately. She heard him talking on his phone.
"Are you sure?" he paused. "Make sure he is dead and throw the remains out in the sea. Let the sharks feed on him. He can't possibly survive the raging waves in this storm."
Did Eli send his team to kill someone? Was he working on another mission?
As soon as Eli noticed his wife walking towards him, he nodded to her to acknowledge her presence before turning back to his call.
"Alright. Let me know if there's anything else," he said before ending the call and moving to stand beside Ririna.
"Did you find something relevant?" Eli asked his wife.
Ririna shook her head.
"There isn't much to say. Although, you were correct when you said they were tortured before they were killed. The missing eyeball and fingers of the Young Master were the only parts of the body missing," Ririna said.
"That's enough," Eli replied. "It is clear that one of his siblings plotted against him."
They stayed silent as they watched how the Jiangs interacted with each other. One of the four remaining Jiang children was the one who committed the crime.
----
It was already past midnight when everyone decided to call it a day. When Eli and Ririna arrived at the guest room provided for them, Ririna was too tired and couldn't wait to have a shower. She left her husband in the bedroom to check if there were hidden cameras for spying while she let the water run over her body for a long while.
After that, she ran a warm bath, put a citrus scent in the water, and just laid and soaked with her head resting on the tub. She was really tempted to soak in it for a long time to get rid of the smell of death from her skin. She would have fallen asleep if she didn't hear Eli taking a shower and joining her in the tub.
He grabbed his wife around the waist and pulled her onto his lap as the water rippled around them. He trapped her against his body and his lips found its way to her neck leaving kisses on its trail.
Ririna shivered when he nibbled her ear and kissed her neck.
"Won't you tell me what did you do?" Ririna asked.
She knew something was up with Eli for the past days.
"Don't you trust me?" Eli said as he rubbed her shoulders, and she leaned on his touch.
"I do trust you. I still can't believe it," she said after a moment.
"Believe what?"
Ririna blushed and was thankful that he couldn't see her face. She could feel his chest and taut muscles pressed against her back.
"That I am here, with you, as your wife, and that you love me and need me. I used to think that you were some kind of unreachable star that I could never grasp. That my feelings for you were just a fantasy in my head. I thought I was just hopeless and delusional, but ever since I came back, you proved to me over and over again that I matter to you as well as Skyler."
'What foolishness was she talking about?' Eli thought.
Didn't she know that he couldn't believe and convince himself from the start that she was capable of loving him? He was alone and unwanted for as long as he could remember. No one had loved him the way she did.
She made him feel needed, wanted… loved. Before, he was just an empty shell, functioning like a robot programmed only to kill his enemies and crush his business competitors. Deep gratefulness blossomed with him.
Would she ever know? Would she ever understand the pain and longing he had endured for years when she left him? Like how she was able to bring him to his knees like no one had ever done before? How she made him weak and useless?
"You are my other half," he replied and embraced her. He would do anything for her even if the world condemns him for it.
Ririna feared that even when he married her and kept her by his side, she wouldn't be enough. That eventually he would get tired of her with all the troubles she caused recently. Sometimes, she couldn't help but feel unworthy whenever he held her like this.
"You're worried. I can sense your uneasiness." Eli's cold voice surprised her.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't doubt you. I thought…"
"You thought that you aren't enough?" Eli finished her words. "Tell me. How can I heal your heart from the pain I caused you years ago? Let me heal it. For you to think that way, it hurts me more than you know."
She had loved him for years and wanted him for so long. She had made peace with herself years ago that he would never be hers. Now, here she was. She still couldn't believe that he married her, and she was in his arms.
His presence engulfed her. His fresh and musky scent sent shivers all over her as he held her even tighter.
"If I asked you to do something for me, would you agree easily?" he whispered while his hands went back to rub her shoulders and back making his wife moan in his touch.
"Depends on what you will request. W-what is it?" Ririna whispered.
She could feel the tension coming from him. It was like a chilly wind spreading within the room, trapping her, and sinking within her bones. She realized then how serious he was.
"Promise me you will never lie to me and you will never leave me, Ririna. Not even to protect someone else."
His gloomy tone made her look up. She adjusted in his lap and saw his hair dripping wet, his gray eyes hooded and gazing down to her.
Ririna understood then how he struggled to keep everything under control at the expense of his own private life. He had isolated himself emotionally from everyone, kept their family business up and running, accepted the dangerous missions from the government, and asked for nothing in return.
For him, to ask for her loyalty was a way to let her know that he wanted to share his everything with her. His achievements, his pain… his whole life. He hoped that she would also accept him for who he was.
He was breaking his walls and barriers because of her.
"Oh, Eli." Ririna wrapped her arms lovingly around his neck, not caring if they were both naked in the tub. She hugged him tenderly. It was like hugging a dangerous predator ready to kill his prey.
"I swear I will never leave you. I will never lie to you, my love."
Ririna felt her heart being overwhelmed by her love for this man, and she hoped that he could see and feel what he meant to her.
Eli pushed her gently away from him, taking her by surprise, and framed her face with his strong hands. Ririna shivered at the heat and intensity in his eyes. It was enough to make her weak beneath him.
"Thank you, Ririna," Eli said, "In return, I will protect you and will never lie to you."
'And will always love you.' He added inwardly, couldn't voice out his feelings.
Ririna's little laughs sounded like bells to him, and he gazed down on her pretty face. She didn't answer with any words but with a smile. She knew he was going to kiss her, and she let him kiss her passionately.
She couldn't think straight at all because his mouth was on hers, blurring out everything on her mind except the fact that he loved her and she loved him.