PS I'm Over You

There's an unsettling pit in her stomach. Ririna didn't know how she should handle this situation. Should she leave Eli and Sky for the meantime? This was absolutely a manhunt against her and Hiro Liu! What kind of madness was this?

She would be hunted like a prey now. Were there no other options for her to decline the position?

"Do you think this is a test for me and Hiro Liu?" she asked her husband who was staring at the screen with interest.

"Yes. This could be a good way to test your limits and note how you will respond to these threats." Eli replied. "To receive his title, his successor must be able to overcome obstacles like this. What will you do if everyone is against you?"

Ririna rubbed her chin and her eyes were looking at her image on the website. Her husband wondered if he could replace his wife as the contender against Hiro Liu. Not only could he save his wife but it would also free the Park family from government's control.

He wondered why his grandmother had agreed to become a watchdog for the government if the Park family had enough resources and influence.

Eli gave Ririna a side glance before scrolling down to see the details about the event.

"Look at these," he called out for her attention.

Ririna leaned forward and read the terms written below her and Hiro's picture.

1. This mission should be completed within 30 days.

2. Only Rank A and B are allowed to participate. Anyone who can kill either the Warlock or the Witch shall inherit the title of 'King of the Underworld'.

3. No long-range assassination allowed. No teams, no factions are allowed to utilize. Targets are allowed to use any means to protect themselves.

4. Challenger must issue a twenty-four-hour warning to their target/s.

5. Avoid collateral damages.

The news about their marriage has spread to the Underworld like fire. Now that the devil had sealed the deal with his witch, it wouldn't be easy for anyone to burn the witch without facing him first.

Eli was also sure that Hiro Liu was enjoying this challenge. If all of the details he gathered about the warlock was correct, Hiro Liu wouldn't have to worry too much about his challengers.

Compare to Kian Huang, Hiro Liu's ways might be peculiar but he had always succeeded in his missions and he also had his own resources. It was Ririna who would receive the shorter end of the stick.

But who would dare to issue a challenge to Ririna if the devil was on her side? If they thought the devil would allow anyone to bully his wife, they were gravely mistaken.

"There are no limits to how many challengers can attack in a certain day. While long-range assassination is forbidden, you're also open and vulnerable to poisons and ambushes." Eli commented after the long silence between them.

Maybe he should plan ahead their strategy for the following weeks. Anyone could be a potential challenger and they may ambush Ririna when she least expected it.

"You are forgetting that my body can resist certain poisons and medicines. As for the ambushes, I think I need some practice as you know I'm not good with close range and hand to hand combats." Ririna replied.

Eli nodded. He would ask Jerry to call Aoi as soon as possible. Aoi was his second in command, one of the best fighters on his wing. If there was someone who could help Ririna improve in a short span of time, it would be Aoi.

"Don't worry. I will protect you this time. No one can harm you easily. Even if the archangels come to kill you, I will rip off their wings and will send them to the fires of hell if I have to."

But then he remembered something that he hadn't discussed with her.

"Do you know if your mother was related to the current Hattori?" he asked. It has been in his thoughts ever since Kian's death. He refused to believe that Yelan Han doesn't have to do anything with it.

"I believe she does. I remember Hattori mentioning my mother when he abducted me after mom's death. Why?"

She was also wondering if it was because of her mother that her name was included in the successor list. Ririna wasn't popular when she was still active on the Underworld. She only executed Eli's commands when she was his subordinate years ago.

Her name as the witch was only noticed because of Gamaliel Park. She would be just another ordinary assassin if Eli wasn't on her side.

"I did some background check about her. Some of the details about your mother are shady and suspicious. Even some of her researches weren't even funded by the government and she was missing for more than two years before she married your father. "

"Do you think…" Ririna started, her eyes gazing at his conflicted expression.

"Ririna, we aren't sure about that."

"But if she was also once part of the Underworld, it would make sense why someone killed her. I can't think of any possible reasons why would they kill my mother aside from her medical researches," she scowled.

Her mind was trying to come up with the possibilities. Her mother must have something valuable for her to get killed. She tried to remember the night when her mother was murdered. Anything that could give her a clue about the murderer.

She knew it was a man but she couldn't make any semblance on what he looked like. The only thing she could remember was his smile. The smile that made her shudder in fear whenever it passed through her mind.

Eli noticed the sudden change in his wife.

"Are you still having nightmares about it?" he asked.

Ririna nodded. There were nights that she would wake up in the middle of the night, screaming with a cold sweat. Her dreams weren't as clear and detailed like before but it was enough to make her question her own sanity.

"Yes, but not as frequent as before," she replied.

Eli sat on the edge of the desk and took one of her hands to his. He knew that she was worried and might be overthinking again. She tended to do that if she wasn't sure about something.

"If you want, we can send Skyler to mother for the meantime. She's currently staying in her villa within the city. I know it will be hard for you and Sky but this next 30 days will be crucial and too dangerous for him."

"He will be alright?"

She didn't want to part from Skyler but at the same time, she didn't have the heart to drag her son into danger.

"Yes. They can't possibly harm him while he's under my mother's care. Also, the government has assigned us to check on one of the mercenary families on the Eastern Provinces. Do you want to come with me? Didn't you say that you also wanted to check your mother's home?"

Ririna had planned to visit her mother's home in the Eastern Provinces long before her accident.

The request for the mission was quite urgent. Eli wondered what was happening to the Eastern Province that they have to send him to oversee the issue of another mercenary family.

"Why would they send you? Are they planning to cut off their arrangement with the Park family?" Ririna asked. She hoped that it wasn't because of her.

This didn't make sense for Ririna. Are they trying to test Eli's loyalty to the government? Was there something that made them unsatisfied of? To send her husband to another's lair, what were they trying to prove?

Eli shook his head.

"No. That's not what they want. They still believe that our family is capable even though they're questioning your intent. By being married to me, I am liable to anything that you will choose. Of course, I will support you in whatever path you take." His hand cupped her face, and his thumb gently c.a.r.e.s.sed her cheeks.

If she chose to compete for the title, she would become an enemy of the state. And because she's married to Eli now, he would eventually have to choose between her and his loyalty to the President.

"Thank you. I won't let you down. So are we going to the stockholders meeting this weekend?"

No. She refused to make his life harder than what they have now. It wouldn't be a good idea to make another enemy.

He turned off the laptop before scooping his wife from her seat. Ririna let him take her to their bedroom. She laid the side of her face on his shoulder while he held her close.

"No. We have to leave soon. I'm sure they won't mind rescheduling the meeting if we're not going to attend."

"What's so important on the Eastern Provinces that you have to represent the state on dealing with another mercenary family?"

Ririna yawned and felt dead tired before Eli put her on the bed. Her husband helped her change her clothes into her pajamas. Ririna huffed. The way her husband looked at her was like a parent taking care of their kid.

"There's an ongoing feud within the Jiang family. You know them, right? Ever since the head of their family died last year, the conflict has risen so high that the government feels that they will lose their control over the Jiangs."

Ririna waited for Eli to change his clothes too and lay beside her before she wrapped her arms around his torso and laid her head on his shoulder. She was getting used to sleeping with someone beside her again. As long as they were together, she's confident that someone would watch her back and keep her safe.