LEGALLY MARRIED TO MY EX (Episode 55)

                                   EPISODE 55

The blazing sun would confuse anyone who wasn't conversant with the times and seasons of the year into believing it was summer. Jake drove into the driveway with Teddy closing the gate behind him. His hands were on the staring, but his eyes were fixed on the female human who was standing in the same position she stood when he left in the morning, just this time, her appearance wasn't as bad. Tiffany tapped her legs on the floor like someone who was doing a tap dance.

"Okay, what's going on?" Jake asked the very moment he stepped out of the car, grabbing Tiffany by the waist.

"Everything!" Tiffany lamented.

"Everything Jay! Everything is going on!" She kept on lamenting as she made gestures with her hands in the air like one being an interpreter for the hearing impaired.

"Tiff, you have to calm down a bit," Jake said as he moved his hand away from her waist and slid it into her soft palms.

The feeling it gives him whenever he mixes his skin with hers was unexplainable. It had a unique way of making him feel good and relaxed. So inversely, he was trying to calm himself down because Tiffany was obviously putting him under pressure. "Let's go in and talk." He said dragging her behind him.

Tiffany rolled her eyes and then she followed him in.

"We have our analysis, our plan draft, legal document, and our contract ready sir," Ford said to Joey.

"Okay, that's good. Positive info. I must commend your squad." Joey said as he walked in with two chilled can beers.

"Regardless though," Joey said as he handed Ford his own can. "The success of the entire mission lies heavily on the success of your team. If you fail, we all fail. If you win, we all win." Joey leaned into his seat, fixing his gaze on Ford, trying to convey the seriousness of the mission to him through his eyes.

"i get it, sir!" Ford replied with all assurance. 

"We got Intel about a vault at Mallory's residence." He gulped the drink. The weather was just unnecessarily and weirdly hot, so weird. "The squad sent Allen there but he wasn't able to deactivate the code. Whoever got that shit built did some really technical stuff there."

Joey realized what was going on. Kai had met with Allen and it was the same way with Allen, but they both don't know they belong to the same legion, and there was no way he was going to let them know. "So what are your plans with it?" Joey asked.

"Well sir, Dudu is already doing some tracking. Allen had sent him images of the vault, although he was instructed not to take pictures of anything, and right now Dudu is currently trying to track down the inventor, so we could do a collaborative work with him and get the vault open. Judging from how the Mallory's want this to be done in all secrecy, it has been divuged to us that, that vault holds some very important documents. There is something strange in all of this though." Ford said squeezing in the empty can of soda.

"You want another?" Joey asked as he gave a side smile watching how fast Ford gulped down the entire can.

"Nah. Thank you, Boss?" Ford said politely declining the offer.

"So what's this strange thing?"

"Boss! Jake Mallory has the passcode. He didn't open the vault though, and I don't think he has plans of changing the location of the documents, to him that is the best and safest place to keep them."

"If he could open it, why then would he call for a tech wizard," Joey said confused by the whole situation.

"That is the issue. We aren't sure yet what the reason is, but we are making guesses.

"And what could they be," Joey asked.

"Well, it's either one of the two. First, there is someone else who has access to the previous passcode, and now, he wants it deactivated so he could reselect those who are to have access to it."

"What's the other?" Joey asked.

"Maybe he just wants to change the passcode, he probably tired of the previous one."

"Does this vault operate with just passcode alone?" Joey asked, trying to confirm the information Mandy had told him.

"No boss! It had a full palm print verification and an Irish verification too. And all of this is what made it difficult for Allen. The vault is was built years ago but with all the modern-day security features."

"This is hard."

"It really is boss! If Allen couldn't break into it, then...then I just don't know. Allen said he even asked why they refused to call in the same guy who developed it for them to come to redo the whole thing and they said they been tracking him but he hasn't been m accessible. So right now, it's like a race.

competition between Dudu and whoever their IT guy is to track the inventor first."

"I would inform Peekaboo about this too, he would have to work with Dudu to get the job done. We don't have time."

"Okay, Boss! I would inform the rest of the squad."

"You have to ensure you get the vault job done within a month. You can't afford to be here when the trip to Itaewon is made. You have to wrap this up smoothly." Joey said as uncrossed his legs.

"Thank you, Boss!" Ford said as he stood to take his leave.

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"Why is she here again?" Tiffany asked herself the moment she heard Mrs. Mallory's voice approaching the living room.

"And just where are you running to?" Mrs. Mallory asked as she met Tiffany who was still trying to look for a place to hide.

"Run! Who? Me! Oh absolutely not! ! was just looking for..." Tiffany said looking for nothing in particular. "This! I was only looking for this!" She said as she dangled the TV control in Mrs. Mallory's face.

"How pathetic and childish!" Mrs. Mallory commented as she watched Tiffany make a fool of herself. "I'm even more pathetic to have ever felt threatened by this dunce even for a second." She murmured to herself. "Do you really think I don't know you were hiding?" Mrs. Mallory said still dumbfounded by Tiffany's grading of her being a stupid person. "That's not even necessary, neither is that what I came here for. About what you said the other day..."

"I just knew it," Tiffany mumbled to herself. 

"I really don't have time for that right now." She said again, a little louder now.

"You know I can hear you right." Mrs.

Mallory said as she walked to the couch. 

"I'm not here to explain anything to you, neither am I here threaten or beg you concerning what you said, but I'm here to tell you that, you can go ahead and say whatever you feel like. However I want you to have this at the back of your mind while you make your decision, life doesn't happen, people make it happen." Mrs. Mallory stated

her intentions and then she walked away from the residence not waiting for Tiffany to drop any comment.

In the unusual summer scorching weather, Tiffany suddenly felt a cold winter breeze blow into the house the moment Mrs. Mallory left. Mrs. Mallory must have some sort of superpower mixing summer and winter in spring. She could be called weather woman.

"What in the world is up with that old hag. She literally just threatened me without batting an eye. This bitch could literally kill a person with a smile on her face." Tiffany shrugged her shoulders. "How scary."

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"Get dressed," Joey said to Mandy who was helping herself to some mango juice.

"Why?" Mandy asked choking on her juice.

"You have a place to go with Peekaboo." The expression on Jake's face wasn't completely bright. It felt like he was happy but still there was this hidden sadness, camping somewhere within him.

"Al...right," Mandy replied studying his face. 

"Is everything okay Joey?" Mandy asked.

"Yh, totally. Everything is okay."

"Okay...if you say so." Mandy said walking towards the dishwasher to add the glass cup to the pile of unwashed dishes. "I would go get dressed now."

"Yh, sure," Joey said giving off a faint smile, that trace of sadness was still there.

The environment was new to Mandy, yet still, there was this familiar smell. It felt like she had lived all her life here, at the same time she could swear it was her first time here.

"Where is this place?" Mandy asked

Peekaboo.

"I don't know," Peekaboo said raising his shoulders and then bringing it down almost immediately. "Boss just said to bring you here."

"Boss did?" Mandy asked.

"Yh. He said you would know when we get here." Peekaboo said. "Peekaboo, there is a place l want you to take Mandy to. When you get there she would understand." He noticed the confused stare Mandy had fixed on him. "Those were the words of the boss!"

Mandy came down from the car and then she walked to the overly large-sized gate. She knocked softly on the gate, hoping no one would respond, but the gatekeeper did. 

"Good day ma'am! Welcome to Home away from Home orphanage. Just walk straight down you would find the reception. At the reception, you would get to meet the receptionist. She is a pretty nice lady she would help you out with whatever you need." 

The security guard said with a warm smile. While he spoke with a soft voice and heartwarming smile, hot liquids rolled down Mandy's cheeks. Seemed like his words were too warm for Mandy's heart.