Chapter 11: Chapter 11

I took the earliest flight to Japan after the talk I had with the private investigator Menchie had hired. Even before his investigation started, he already knew so many things about him. That was enough to raise my hope of seeing James again.

All I wanted to do was talk to him, know his current situation, and how I could be of any help. Unfortunately, I couldn't go to his family since they didn't know about me. I could neither meet any of his friends since he kept me away from them. In short, we lived in a different world that only the two of us enjoyed.

Whoever he was in real life, I was sure he was the complete opposite whenever he was with me. I saw a kind and romantic person in him, loving me despite the short time we knew each other. I was happy with him despite not seeing him often. And that was the first time in my life that I didn't feel lonely after dad had passed away.

I went down to the hotel lounge three hours after I checked into the Imperial Hotel. I was in awe of the elegant and spacious area, even if I had been to luxurious places already. Choosing the quietest area, I picked the last couch on the farthest corner.

"Miss Ella Sahara?" came the voice I was already familiar with through our video call.

"Mr. Banzon," I smiled, motioning him to take the couch in front of me. He smiled back, reaching out a hand for a handshake before he took his seat.

He looked like in his late thirties, but his sharp gaze spoke of wisdom. It was apparent that he had been into this business for a long time because of the ways his eyes moved around. They seemed like cameras, capturing important scenes in short focuses.

"What have you found?" I asked right away after he settled comfortably.

"I admit it was hard to get into him, but my first option was to talk to his lawyer."

"And?" My heart started at its crazy pace. I wouldn't be able to take it if James didn't want to see me.

"She had arranged to let you see him in three days. However, she has yet to confirm if your name is in the list of family members he is allowed to meet."

"Prisoners are allowed to write and meet only their family members, lawyers, and consuls."

My hopes fell at what he said. I felt my strength draining from my body when I closed my mind to the possibility of my name not being included in the list.

"Don't lose hope, Miss Ella. Mr. Mori has surely expected that one day you would come to see him."

"What else have you found out?"

"Mr. Mori has engaged in illegal businesses such as smuggling, drug trafficking, money laundering, and many others. But he's able to escape from all of these. Not until lately when pieces of evidence against his rape case have surfaced."

My hands began to shake right away. Rape case? I could never imagine him doing that. He was even so gentle with me every time we made love.

"He was under the influence of alcohol when the incident happened. He saw his cousin's wife running out of a room. He and his men happened to pass by, and seeing her naked, he let her men catch her and brought her inside a room. And that's how the rape took place."

"When did it happen?"

"Eight years ago."

I gasped in surprise. James was 32, so it meant he did it when he was 24. I hoped he would get parole that would lessen his sentence by at least 15 years.

"How about his family background?"

"I guess you want to know about the mother of his son first," he chuckled, his eyes reducing into a slit.

"You guess it right," I forced a smile.

"From what I have gathered, the mother of his child is a wasted woman. After marrying an old man, she became the mistress of Mr. James Mori's cousin, but the relationship didn't take long. Mr. Kim Mori found out that the child she pretended was his was Mr. Jame's Mori's child."

"Oh, my goodness! How complicated!" I exclaimed. "But why did James' cousin take her when he knew she was a married woman?"

"One-night stand," he chuckled, amused at my innocence. "Miss Maezy pretended she got pregnant, so Mr. Kim decided to keep them. At that time, the old man got sick, so his family took him home with them. She was somewhat irresponsible, and the family couldn't trust their father to her. They never thought he would recover from his illness, so they sent Miss Maezy away with a large sum so that she could live comfortably. No one knew that all along, her obsession was Mr. James Mori."

A pang of pain quickly wrapped my heart, making me feel sore inside my chest. I knew what kind of a man he was, but it didn't spare me from hurting. I couldn't imagine him coaxing a woman other than me, whispering sweet words into her ears every time they made love.

"So, I get it that James did not marry her also. So, where is she now?"

"While she's still living with Mr. Kim Mori, she got into a relationship with her driver and now is living a hell with him."

I shook my head in disbelief. This was too much of a drama.

"And how is Mr. Kim Mori now?" Their complicated story now piqued my curiosity, so I couldn't help myself from asking.

"Now happily living with his wife. After the storm that came into their lives, they are now with each other. But unfortunately, they take their peace and happiness after Mr. James Mori is sentenced to long-term imprisonment."

After three days, I found myself sitting across from James in the prison's visiting area. I broke into a loud sob immediately, but the lawyer patted my back, reminding me to control my emotion. She said James wouldn't like it. And that would drive him crazy. Although James always anticipated ending in death or jail, staying in a small and crowded room behind bars would never suit him well.

"Ella, you shouldn't be here," he said calmly, watching me fighting against my urge to cry.

"How are you?" I smiled, finally finding my words. Unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury of time to chat with him, so I forced myself to stay calm and brave.

James moved his gaze at the lawyer, looking at her meaningfully. The lawyer understood and excused herself right away.

"Ella, I deserve this. I hurt my cousin and ruined his marriage. I even hinted before that I was already walking in a thin thread. So, I expected this."

I looked down at the table. I didn't know how to comfort him. He was living a life of luxury, and now he's confined within the four walls of this hell.

"I'll always visit you. And I will wait for you until you are free."

James chuckled, but the glints of pain hadn't escaped from my eyes. "Don't be silly, Ella. Don't waste your life. I'd be here for 20 years. Marry someone else and have kids with him."

"James, I'm into this kind of life already. Dad had been away from my entire life, so our setup isn't new to me," I tried to explain. The freedom he gave me only ripped my heart apart.

"No, Ella. I'll have your name removed from the list. Go on with your life and be happy."

"James, no."

"Ella, if you want to help me, please run your business the way I want it to be." Of course, I remembered everything, and that was an indirect implication to destroy his cousin.

"But how would I do that? His lead engineers are all geniuses."

"It's not true. It's all because of Dennis, the brain of his company."

"What else?" I surprised myself by asking this. I never dreamed of being a vengeful fiancée.

"Nothing else. All I want is for you to be happy, just like the man who presented the pieces of evidence five years after the incident happened. It gave him freedom."

I wasn't too stupid to understand what he meant. He wanted revenge, and he was asking me to do it for him. But, before I could ask further, a guard approached us, informing us that our time was up.