C8 8

"Vanessa, so much has happened since we separated. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. Now that you have me here, I'm going to make sure you live life to the fullest. Let this stupid buddy compensate, " Evelyn said emotionally.

"Nah, it's fine," Vanessa chuckled. "Look, the little beauty is waking up. She's so cute"

"Why now?" Evelyn whined. This little demoness is going to make things hard for her again. She won't let her stare at her bestie say less f talk to her.

"If it weren't for the telepathy, I would be hopeless," Evelyn muttered. But she'd underestimated Vanessa.

"I can hear you, baby girl," Vanessa reminded.

"Even my inaudible words? Cool!" Evelyn screamed telepathically.

"Hold it baby, you're being too loud here. You don't want me to be deaf too, right?" Vanessa teased.

"Hmph! I'll not talk to you again" she turned over to the other side of the hospital bed. Seeing her throwing a childish tantrum, Vanessa shook her head and smiled.

"Mummy?" a familiar sweet voice finally stole her attention. She looked down to see Lisa, who had just awoken staring at her as if she's afraid that Vanessa would disappear.

Vanessa opened her mouth, and then realization hit her: she couldn't speak. Ah, she just wanted to speak to her little princess by all means! Why is life so unfair?

"Well then, my hands and eyes will do the speaking, ," she said to Evelyn telepathically.

"Suit yourself, my queen, " Evelyn replied telepathically, without turning back.

'She's still throwing a tantrum. As expected of my highschool buddy' Vanessa thought.

"You know I can hear your thoughts, right?" Evelyn muttered since she now knew that Vanessa had extremely sharp hearing.

'Well, I know now that you have sharp hearing, too. Congrats, baby" Vanessa then returned her focus to a confused Lisa.

"Mummy, you don't want me anymore? Is that ugly lady better looking than I am?" Lisa asked with tears.

Vanessa panicked, but quickly readjusted herself. She placed her right hand on Lisa's forehead and brought her face closer to her. Then she planted a kiss on both of Lisa's cheeks and her forehead.

"Haha, Mama love me" Lisa stopped crying and kissed Vanessa's cheek.

"That felt so good, " Vanessa spoke to Evelyn telepathically.

"Like I care. You guys can kiss yourselves to hell?" Evelyn was indifferent.

"Jealous somebody?" Vanessa teased her bestie, but this time she didn't reply.

"Mama... don't worry, Lisa will make sure no one bullies you. Pinky promise," Lisa showed her pinky finger and intertwined it with Vanessa's.

All Vanessa could do was smile and nod her head, then hug Lisa tightly. Gosh, this little princess felt so soft to hug and smelt good.

How much she wished she could speak right now, so she'd shower Lisa with compliments.

So while Lisa and Vanessa were having a merry time, Evelyn sulked.

"This evil baby dared to steal my position," she cursed under her breath.

"I can hear you, remember?" Vanessa wouldn't let her bestie be in peace nor let her have time to formulate evil designs against her little princess. Lisa deserved all the pampering, love and kisses. She's Lisa's mum; at least temporarily. She never knew having a kid would be so satisfying; though she didn't exactly birth Lisa.

While the trio was busy; two having a merry time and the other sulking out of jealousy, a majestic figure whose very presence and name called for respect and fear, had just stepped out of the hospital's VIP elevator. Behind him were 6 male bodyguards dressed in either grey or black suits and black sunglasses. Their faces were cold as ice just like their master.

His very appearance caused many to shudder involuntarily. It was like they were seeing a good-looking Asura who would in the next moment chop off their beautiful heads! Ah, they wanted to live longer. So as expected, many got out of his way because they wouldn't be able to handle his anger. After he had left, an elderly lady asked her granddaughter in a whisper. "Who's that man, Liana? So scary!"

"He's Y city's ruthless business emperor, Jack..." the granddaughter chose not to say further. She didn't want misfortune to stick to them like glue.

"Liana dear, say something. You said Jack..." the grandma refused to understand the situation.

"Curiosity kills the cat. Sometimes ignorance and silence is bliss" the brunette granddaughter adjusted her medicated glasses and stood up to leave.

"Where are you going?" her grandma asked.

"Ladies restroom, grandma. Wait for me, I'll be back in a jiffy." Liana ran away in her yellow floral gown that showed her curves despite it being a little loose.

"Ah, children these days. Just look at her. Does she think I don't know who she's talking about? Hmph!" she took out a can of refined luxury beer (which actually contained juice inside)and opened it. As she drank, she slightly shook her head from time to time, indicating she liked the beer.

"This is what Liana should be drinking to get more courage not those juice and mineral drinks that only give her cowardice. Ah, if she didn't look like my daughter Roselle I wouldn't believe she's my..."

"Grandma, I'm back. You were saying...wait, is that a beer? Grandma?" Liana called out while facepalming in frustration. She quickly sat on the waiting couch and wanted to take the beer can from her but grandma held it tight like it was her beloved.

"You never listen. Beer is bad for your health. Hand it over" Liana tried to get the beer can.

"If I hand it over will you drink it?" grandma asked with mockery. "This is what you should drink. Look at you; you look so timid and weak"

"Grandma?" Liana was close to erupting. Why wouldn't her grandma just listen?

"Besides who are those doctors to tell me what my body can and can't take. When I was working, their mother hadn't even hugged their father. PTUI!" Grandma wasn't convinced to hand the 'beer' can over.

"Fine, what do you want?" Liana knew grandma wanted her to do something.

"That's more like it. By this time on Friday, next week bring me a presentable man whose elegance, demeanour and charm can overshadow your late grandpa. And he must be as handsome as that guy who passed earlier or else...." Grandma didn't finish her words but that was enough to send a message.

"Fine grandma, I'll do it. Will you hand over the can now?" Liana asked trying not to show her irritation.

"Baby girl, old ginger is spicier. Hahaha Hahaha. This is juice, my dear. Just juice! I cherish my health more than anything. I can't believe how silly you are. Hahaha," she laughed as she drank from the can, amused.

Liana could barely hold herself from erupting like a volcano.

Old ginger is spicier, huh? Grandma dared to trick her over a can of juice. She forgot how cunning grandma was. She wanted to scream out loud and destroy things but dint wanna destroy her wonderful image so she held it all in. Tonight, she was gonna pour out all that anger in the boxing ring.

Yeah, unknown to her grandma and many others, the petite-looking, Liana Peterson was an excellent boxer. Let's hold a candle to her future spar partners.

*******************

The majestic figure from earlier had just made his final turn along the passageway and finally stopped at the door of female ward VIP 007. A cold smile appeared on his enchanting lips and he knocked on the door like a bandit.

If you're wondering where the nurse, Regina was at this moment; she's with her colleagues at another ward. She didn't wanna meet this Asura who had come looking for trouble. She still wanted her nice head, ah! She also trusted Evelyn would handle the matter as she had known her for quite some time.

Inside the ward.

Vanessa, Lisa and Evelyn were alarmed.

"Who could be outside knocking like this? Has he no manners?" Evelyn spoke telepathically to Vanessa unhappily. If she weren't on a hospital bed, she'd have beaten the bastard out there whoever he is.

"I think it must be her relative. Most likely her dad" Vanessa replied telepathically with a sigh. She had forgotten something important all this while- that this kid had a father. Why did he have to come to spoil their bonding moment now?

"So he only recalled he had a kid now? Look it's 6:30 pm already. Did he care whether his child was dying or hadn't eaten or felt lonely or..." Evelyn was cut short by Vanessa.

"Let him in. He might be a bad man but he's the progenitor of Lisa"

"Fine" Evelyn reluctantly agreed.

"Mama, you won't let him take me away right? Please don't let him take me away. Lisa wants to stay with mummy. Lisa doesn't like daddy" she began to sob burying her head on Vanessa's chest.

Vanessa sighed and brought Lisa into a big warm hug. She was gonna relish the last moments of being with Lisa.

"Come inside whoever you are bastard," Evelyn yelled after turning over to face the sad duo. Deep down in her heart, she was glad that Lisa was finally leaving and she could bond even more with her bestie but she still kind of pitied her though. The little one had a cruel man for a father. She must have suffered a lot. She sighed internally.

The door opened and the man they were expecting entered the ward after kicking the door open.

"Show some manners will you? What if we were all naked? Or could it be you have such fetish?" Evelyn ranted but Vanessa quickly shut her up through telepathy.

"Dear, he's no ordinary person. We can't offend him" Vanessa chided.

"Damn..."

"No cussing babe" Vanessa reminded Evelyn for the nth time since they've known each other. Yeah, Evelyn was short-tempered at times and won't hesitate to fight if the need be.

"I heard you. You haven't changed at all" Evelyn decided to turn over pretending she didn't see Mr Jack. Lisa on seeing her dad sobbed, even more, her shoulders trembling caused Vanessa's heart to quake.

"Please don't let them take me away, mummy. I'm scared of him" Lisa cried.

"Woah, finally the little demoness met her match," she muttered.

"I heard that"Vanessa telepathed unhappily.

"Sorry" Evelyn wasn't sincere with her apology one bit and Vanessa chose not to bother her over it. More important issues needed to be addressed right here and now.

"Let me pretend I didn't hear you lady. Men, get Lisa for me" Mr Jack commanded.

"Aye, Sir!" two bodyguards chorused and made for Lisa.

"No, mummy, don't let them take me away" Lisa's sobs increased causing Vanessa's heart to ache even more.

"Ma'am, please let her go. She's our young mistress" one of the bodyguards spoke politely.

"I don't wanna go with you" Lisa pushed the bodyguard away and hugged Vanessa tighter.

"..." Vanessa still couldn't speak. She could only caress her head and back while trying hard not to let a tear fall.

"Are you there to play?" Lisa's dad asked causing shivers to run down the bodyguards ' spine. So without further delay, they took her away from Vanessa and back to her dad.

Vanessa's right hand was stretched out and she looked at Lisa with longing.

"Ma'am, she's my child so I can do whatever I want with her. I haven't sued you for destroying my property" Mr Jack reminded before turning to leave. He took Lisa by the hand and stated walking away.

"Hey, bastard! What do you mean you can do whatever you wish with her?" Evelyn was forced to get down the bed in rage.

"You must be deaf, peasant. I said whatever I want not wish. Only peasants who never progress in life wish for things. Please return to your coven before you initiate my darling Lisa" Mr Jack spoke heartlessly.

"You're calling me a witch and a peasant? I've tolerated you long enough, Mr Jack" Evelyn wanted to fight and Vanessa sighed, dropping her right hand.

"Let them go. Lisa was never ours to begin with. Besides aren't you happy that she's going home? We have no right to separate her from her dad even if he's nothing to write home about," Vanessa advised telepathically and Evelyn felt deflated.

"Well, you can go." she had to bend low to kiss Lisa on her cheeks and ran back to her bed pretending to sleep.

"Tsk!" Mr Jack handed her to his bodyguard.

"Don't carry her. Let her walk coz she's dirty"

"..." the bodyguards wanted to shake their heads in pity but didn't dare to. One of them held Lisa gently by the hand and followed behind the others.

"Mummy, save me. Mummy..." Lisa wailed as they took her away but Vanessa pretended not to hear or see anything. She knew that if she didn't, she might actually fight over her custody.

Evelyn got down the bed and made for the door. She closed it after making sure that they had left.

"So you're happy that Lisa is gone?" Vanessa telepathed to Evelyn, almost causing her to trip.

"Could you be a little more gentle? I almost died just now" Evelyn complained while pretending to wipe off invisible tears.

"Stop it! Only a beggar or blind man would believe you" Vanessa spoke coldly before hiding under her blanket.

"..." Evelyn was tongue-tied.

"Choosing to ignore me now, eh? Probably a little tickle would do the job" Evelyn inched closer to Vanessa with a wicked grin plastered on her red lips, her long, slim fingers were ready for work.

"Don't you dare" Vanessa telepathed and removed the blanket from her face feeling defeated.

"See, I got you. I know how much you hate tickles. That's why I'm your bestie. I know you are sad that she's gone, but she wasn't ours to begin with. To be honest, I like her too but not too much. She is really annoying and would cause me to age even faster. You don't want that to happen to your bestie right? Don't you want your telepathy companion to look hot and cute like an anime mermaid princess?" Evelyn asked, blinking her eyes rapidly and amusingly.

"Forget it. Get me discharged as soon as possible, Evelyn. I fear he might come back for revenge," Vanessa said with urgency.

"Why would he do so? You helped take care of the child he abandoned in pursuit o money. He came back and didn't even thank you instead threatened you and made you feel like you did wrong; like you kidnapped her or something. If I weren't in a good mood, I'd have beaten him up mindless of the paper tigers he has for guards. Humph!" Evelyn folded her arms; clearly unhappy.

"Now my love, don't you feel resentful towards Lisa's progenitor alright! But you really need to take me to my apartment. I will recover from there" Vanessa urged.

"Bestie, are you hiding something from me? Did you wrong him earlier or something coz his tone was way too rude," Evelyn had put on the invisible detective cap.

"Look, this happened. Today, I was taking a walk. I mean I had applied for a job and was going there on foot to exercise my rather stiff, sore feet..."

"Oh, oh oh," Evelyn teased in the old-fashioned manner " Exercise your rather stiff sore feet, eh? Just say, you had no way to fly to the venue"

"You asked me to explain. Will you let me or do you intend to mock me throughout?" Vanessa looked mad.

"Oops! Sorry, my bad" Evelyn apologized with a smirk pasted on her lips. Vanessa pretended not to notice her hypocrisy and continued.

"As I was saying...."

****************

Hudson's caressing center.

Contrary to it's name, this wasn't a place for carnal fun or massage. This large building is a place meant for BOXING! There were so many spectators inside at the guests area watching and cheering from second to second. The VIP spectators sat above and saw everything. They had people appointed by the company to serve them.

One of them (VIP), a middle-aged man wore a yellow t-shirt, loose black pants, white converse and black bad boy cap. An expensive gold chain rested on his neck, a $600 wristwatch rested on his right wrist. Sitting beside him was a beautiful lady dressed in black bum shorts that barely covered her hips. She wore a seven inch blue heels with a butterfly design at the edge. Her crop top revealed she wore no bra so her pointy nipples made the man salivate.

The man played with her shoulder-length blonde-red hair while sipping expensive wine and watching the exciting scene below them.

"I'm so happy, exciting entertainment, fine wine and a lovely beauty by my side" the man commented causing the beauty to laugh melodiously.

"What do you think? Who will win?" the man asked.

"Err... I think the man will win. Naturally, he's big and strong. That lady will get beaten to a pulp sooner or later. But I do admire her courage."the lady said coquettishly causing the man to laugh.

"So if I go there will I be able to beat her up?"he asked , amused.

"Those things are beneath you,my love" she said looking unhappy.

"Now don't be mad my baby" he kissed her left cheek causing a smile to break out on her face.

"Now that's my butterfly" he teased.

On the boxing ring were three people, two men( Angel's opponent and the referee) and a woman (Angel) wearing a mask, her hair is packed in a bun to avoid distraction. Her figure looks a bit manly and her six packs made many men drool. She wore a red sports bra and green mini skirt that showed her red bum shorts underneath from time to time as she moved.

"Go hottie, beat hm to a pulp"

"Beat him and let me kiss you as a reward"

"Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight"

"Beat him, angel"

"Fight"

The whole place was noisy; everyone here was hotblooded at this moment. Some of them were at their various jobs, doing chores or some other stuff. But the moment thy got a message that a popular boxer in the ring who went by the pseudonym 'Angel' was making a presence today after two months or abstaining. So they mailed their friends right away and rushed to be first in the front general rows so they could witness the magnificent 'Angel' in action. But today, she seemed to be lenient on her opponents. But she always won. This man with her is fighting with his all but she just dodges. This is why that blonde-red haired lady at the VIP section thought, the man would win.

But the die-hard fans of angel believed in her.

"Angel, toss him to heaven"

"Kill him"

"Kick his balls" one lady shouted earning looks from some males around her. She shrugged and said: " What? It's not your balls that're gonna be kicked!"

"This isn't martial arts but boxing dummy" one man chided.

"I don't care. I really want to kick my husband's balls back home so he'd repent from alcoholism" she said earning pissed looks from those around but they decided not to let her spoil the mood.

Suddenly, 'Angel' fell to the ground earning gasps from her fans.

" 'Angel', you can do it"

"When you win, I'll give you a free massage"

"Be strong my queen"

"Applaud the queen"

The fans still believed in 'Angel'.

The referee hit the stage but before he could do it a third time, 'Angel' was already up earning more cheers.

"That's my angel"

"Fighting, angel, fighting"

"Take out his heart and squash it" the same annoying lady cried out again.

"You finally chose to be serious" 'Angel's' opponent teased. "Weakling" he added.

"Hahaha, you finally look worthy to be my punching bag" she grinned.

In less than a second, she was behind him erupting in cheers even from the formerly calm VIP area.

"That's my angel"

"She's gonna break your ribs. How dare you make her fall?"

"You hurt my wife, she's gonna crush you into powder"

"Yeah, fight, fight"

"Roast him, pulverize him, crush him, fry him, kill him, eat him" the same lady was getting on others' nerves.

"Woman, please shift to the extreme, you're spoiling the mood" a pissed man dragged her away without listening to her explanation.

Angel who was behind the man chuckled and before he could react she started a punching spree, punching with all her might at his back but he turned to face her with a grin.

"You indeed are a worthy opponent" he chucked too and his aura became dangerous and terrifying.

'This person carries the aura of the devil. This is the opponent I desired for so long. Today is my lucky day!' Angel was excited inside but outside she looked tough.

Both of them threw away their gloves and shoes.

"Free is better" she said, smiling from ear to ear.

"Yeah, free is faster" the man sad as they both headed for each other A boxing fight turned into karate, judo, martial arts with boxing as the seasoning.

"Gosh, this is lit"

Many took out their phones or cameras and started recording. They didn't want to miss anything; they could watch it back home.

The man had also gained some fans from here so the cheering became like this:

"Show who's the man"

"Kill him"

"Girl's rule"

"Men dominate"

"Fight, man, fight"

"Angel, cut off his balls" the annoying lady yelled and immediately, a man taped her mouth.

"You remove it, and you're out of here. Got it?" he warned. The woman quickly nodded her head to show her consent.

"Now that's how it should be" the man made for the front general rows to cheer for Angel.

On the stage, Angel and the unknown man were having fun or the best fight of their lives. No one was winning and no one was willing to concede defeat. Both kept chuckling thinking of ways to prolong the battle.

Thirty minutes later,

Both lay on the floor breathing heavily but looking satisfied.

"I concede" they said in unison.

"It's a tie" the referee announced, erupting in cheers from the crowd.

"Let's bet on who will win the final match people" a man proposed and many agreed.

"I bet on the man"

"I bet on Angel"

"Yeah, I bet on Angel"

On the stage, Angel and the man got up and held hands walking down the stage causing confusion and gossip.

"Are they lovers?"

"This... makes it difficult to know if it's gonna be a tie again"

"Wow, my darling finally has a man. Kick him silly everyday alright?" the annoying woman had removed the tape to yell only for her to spot the man who taped her staring at her balefully. She quickly taped her mouth again. So scary! He was simply too scary! She's just an average woman struggling to survive with a dumb hubby and three evil children. Yeah, she's not worth his holy time.

"I'll just slip away. I hope he won't notice" the lady thought and retreated slowly only for her to hit a rod with her head and she fell to the ground crying.

The man quickly rushed to her and knelt before her.

"Are you alright? Who told you to remove the tape?" he asked.

"You're a bully. I'm not yours, I have a husband. Don't touch me" she got up on her own and marched away angrily.

"Silly lady" he took out his phone and made a call before leaving the place.