Burning Passion

CHAPTER 126: SEARCHING for NIKKI (Five)

* * *

"But Nikki is pregnant!" Oops, it slipped out from under her tongue.

"Honey? Do you know about this?" Daichi asked his wife. Why does Riley keep a secret from him?

"I'm sorry. We didn't mean to keep a secret." Still biting her lip, her tongue slips out one more time.

"We? You are not alone to know that Nikki is pregnant?" What the heck? Who is this person???

"Um, well, honey." Riley's voice has to be extra sweet from what she committed. "It was just an accident that I found out. It was when I brought the contract for Nikki, and together we went to Blaire's office. I saw the pregnancy test on her coat pocket, so I asked her."

"And you didn't tell me?" Daichi complains to his wife, sounding like sulking.

Everyone stayed silent, including the Boss, Theo, and Matt; who's driving Theo's car, he also listens eagerly. They waited for more arguments from the couple. They anticipated how it was going, but only a deep sigh they heard from Daichi.

"Did you know who's the father?" He tests his wife of what Riley knows more. He senses Riley did something regarding this issue.

"No. Blaire and I did not force Nikki to confess further. Although I want to cut that man's head!" Riley stated, and everyone tried not to laugh.

"What? I've suspected someone! Wait, are you guys on-link to each other?" Riley blurted.

"Yeah, we are."

"Wait, did you guys already learn about it?" Riley smells something other than the disappearance of Nikki.

"Just now. This guy admitted to us. But Shun and Matt somehow knew already."

There's frustration in Daichi's voice, and Riley understands her husband's feelings as he stood like a big brother for Nikki.

"Honey, don't tell me it was Theo?" Riley makes a guess, and she could hear sniggering from the other line.

"Why didn't you share this with me if you have suspicion!" Daichi pouted, acting hurt from what his wife committed.

"I don't want to meddle in Nikki's personal life. I have been weighing. Something must happen, and I could smell fishy after Nikki confesses to us. I found out they are having financial problems, but Nikki has been silent about it. When Nikki said that she doesn't know who's the guy, I have an idea who it could be after I made a little investigation to the people surrounding her. I found out it was Theo who was stalking her and always hanging out with her. Also…" Riley paused after her husband yelling at someone.

"Wait, what? Theo! Why did you stalk our Nikki?" he's yelling on the gadget in his ears.

"Huh? Is Theo able to listen to this conversation? What the heck, Daichi?" Riley raises her voice and drops her husband's name. "Are you guys on a mission, and you just call me now? Why did you not contact me earlier!?"

"Uh-uh… I smell trouble. Hehe..." Mark teased.

"Shut up, Mark!"

"Okay. Jeez…"

"So, you are gossiping while looking for Nikki?" asked Riley to everyone. These men did not share that something is going on!

A bit nervously, Daichi replied to his wife. "We found a lot of things while investigating the video footage, yes. And it upsets me when this guy makes his way behind our back!"

"All right. I like neither. However, they were both adults," Riley tries to pacify her husband. She discovers the real status between Theo and Min Xi's engagement. Besides, she forces Yonah to confess to her. Girl to girl talk that is.

"Bu… but!" Daichi cannot find a reason now he's talking with his wife. He has to agree with her to avoid casualties.

Matt laughed and whispered at Theo, "he is frightened of his wifezilla."

"Wifezilla?" Theo asked dumbly. He has been bathing sweat; more people learned about him and Nikki. Though it was good, it still made him nervous. "What is that?" he asked further while pondering the things inside his head. He has to find Nikki and confess everything to her.

Matt snickered before he answered. "Ahem! Blaire and sister Jean are also wifezilla. Including Michelle, Anna, and my sister Andrea. They were the boss at home."

"Um..." Theo is lost. He was totally dumb about it.

"Have you realized when Godzilla opens her mouth? It was too loud like your eardrum wants to explode. Also, she is breathing fire. So don't mess up with them!" Matt explained further.

"I see… so that is why it has a term of WIFEZILLA." He kind of understands now, and it intrigues him more. "How about Chairman Crow?" Theo whispered, which everyone still could hear him.

"What are you guys gossiping about!?" Kier yells from the other line.

"Heh. Complained by someone afraid of his wifezilla." Matt irritates his brother.

"You're dead to me, Matthew Lorenzo!"

"Ouch." Matt twitches his mouth. He frowned, hearing his name blurted by his clean freak brother.

* /* /*

Later on, Riley throws a question after the men annoying each other. "So, since you can hear me, Master Theo Shang. I am curious. Why are you stalking Nikki at the beginning if you can approach her normally?" Riley has a desire to interrogate him while they are on the search.

"Um, I… ahem." he clears his throat. "Originally, I wanted to offer her a contract to model for the new products we targeted to launch during the Shang 100th Year of Founding. But I don't know how to approach her, so…"

"So, what then? To pregnant her—?" Daichi snapped out.

"Shush! Honey? I'm listening to his reasons! Would you shut up first?"

Yelled by Riley, Daichi scratches his head.

"I'm sorry. But that idea is mine," Jeremy spoke up. Of course, he won't let his younger brother roast all night.

"What???"

"I want Theo and Nikki to meet again. So I use the surrogacy thing as an excuse," he explained.

"What the heck?" Kier blurted.

"I just thought, might Theo would recognize her, or he would be interested in Nikki once he meets her once again."

"Wait, a minute! What now? You guys are playing sister Nikki?" Mark questions the Shang brothers.

"No. I never intended to play with her. I do pregnant her, so she won't get away from me." with a very serious tone, Theo confessed.

Everyone takes silence from Theo's confession. No one expects to hear this from him. A lot of men are careful or don't like to impregnate their women or someone to not be bound in an obligation and responsibilities. Some men don't want their girlfriend to get pregnant because they don't like to marry her but then forced to.

However, Theo's reason is one of a kind.

"Yet, Nikki didn't know it was you, Director Shang. So, how did you play this game with Nikki?" Riley asked bluntly, which made Theo bathe with sweat.

"Okay! Let's do this trial against Director Shang after we save Aunt Lucy and Nikki. Let us continue the search and investigation!" Rudolf suggested.

"Yeah. We can beat him up after…" David concurred.

Theo swallowed his saliva upon hearing Rudolf Lao and David Lawrence's threats. He glanced at Matt, who's grinning at him.

"Don't worry. I am on your side."

Ah. Maybe he has to trust Matt with his words or not totally when he has four scary brothers.

"All right. My team is ready. We're headed to the warehouse now." Later, David announces to lighten up the mood. He then makes a request. "Dylan, can you get satellite images from that area?"

Instantly, Dylan works on it.

* * *

"Ahem! All right. Let's continue the search for Nikki." Shun announced and gave further orders to Riley.

"Okay! Honey, the MAS-13, and 14! Don't forget to launch them! We'll talk when I get home! Love you!" Daichi ended the call, and everyone laughed.

"Someone going to sleep outside!" Mark teases once again.

"Shut up, Mark, and give reports!"

"Heh. Alright! The agents are now at Garry Shang's manor and installed the Nano cameras and successfully linked them to our system." Mark reports. "Give me a minute to test them."

"How about Kevin Hale? Where is he now?"

"I am watching the car he rides in," Rudolf replied. "Successfully placed a tracking device on the car. ATHENA is on the move now," he reported. ATHENA is the satellite owned by Crow Corporation. They once used her when they searched for Cassandra. Again, they were using her to search for someone close to everyone. While Rudolf watched the screen in front of him, having a wide vision of the entire Mainland City.

"All right! The Nano camera works great. Garry Shang was home already. Luckily, he has a secret camera in his study room. If he plans to bring Kevin Hale in that room… BINGO! We can eavesdrop."

"Good job, Mark." praised by Shun.

"Kyaa! Praise by the Emperor! You heard that?" he boasts it.

"Just concentrate on your work!"

"Jeez… killjoy." he murmurs, and the usual Kier reacts.

"Who do you call, killjoy?"

"Enough! We should just focus on the work.. We are halfway now to reach the warehouse!" said Matt, and he speeds up Theo's car.