Chapter 26: Where Is Jack?
For three days, Jack had disappeared.
Natasha checked the system again, her fingers moving quickly across the keyboard.
"Still nothing," she muttered.
Jhosen leaned on the table, looking irritated. "Jack loves attention too much to disappear like this."
Natasha turned toward Leo.
"You know where he is, don't you?"
Leo stood quietly near the large window, watching the city lights below.
"Yes," he said calmly.
Jhosen frowned. "You know?"
Leo nodded.
"I sent him."
Natasha blinked in disbelief. "You sent him? Where?"
"To my mother."
Jhosen sighed loudly. "Great. So we wasted three days searching for someone who is probably drinking tea on an island."
Leo didn't deny it.
Tourister Island
Far away from the city, surrounded by the endless blue ocean, stood Tourister Island.
It was a beautiful place, famous for its beaches and peaceful atmosphere. Tourists visited it every year, enjoying the clear water and bright sunlight.
But hidden from the public eye was a private mansion on a hill.
That mansion belonged to Leo's mother.
After a long journey, Jack finally arrived.
A guard welcomed him immediately.
"Mr. Jack. Madam is expecting you."
Jack smirked slightly.
"She always is."
Tea with Leo's Mother
Leo's mother sat calmly on the balcony, a cup of tea resting in her hands.
The ocean wind moved softly around her, but her presence was steady and powerful.
Jack sat across from her.
"Leo sent me," he said.
"I assumed so," she replied.
A servant placed tea in front of him.
She looked at him carefully.
"Start from the beginning."
Realiana
Jack leaned back slightly.
"The girl's name is Realiana."
Leo's mother listened silently.
"Leo kidnapped her," Jack continued. "But things didn't go the way anyone expected."
He explained everything.
How Realiana behaved.
How she argued with Leo.
How she wasn't scared of him the way most people were.
"She's stubborn," Jack said with a small laugh.
Leo's mother raised an eyebrow.
"And Leo?"
Jack shrugged.
"That's the strange part."
"He didn't hurt her."
That made her pause slightly.
Jack continued.
"They argue a lot, but he lets her speak. Sometimes he even listens."
Leo's mother placed her cup down slowly.
"That's unusual."
"Very."
George's Suggestion
Jack then told her about the meeting with George.
"The conversation wasn't friendly," he admitted.
George had been serious the entire time.
He looked at Leo and said,
"If the girl is causing this situation, then deal with it carefully."
Leo remained silent.
Then George added something unexpected.
"Take her in your home" and don't tell her about this tell her you kidnapped her.
Leo looked at him sharply.
George continued,
"Keep her there for a few days."
Jack explained this part carefully to Leo's mother.
"George said it might help Leo understand the situation better
maybe he simply wanted the situation under control.
"So Leo brought her to his mansion," Jack finished.
Valley Lilly and Silent Duchess
The conversation then became more serious.
Jack's voice lowered slightly.
"There's another reason everyone is worried."
Leo's mother's eyes narrowed.
"Valley Lilly."
Jack nodded.
"And Silent Duchess."
Both of those names carried weight.
They weren't ordinary groups.
They were powerful organizations that had influence in many places.
"They've been moving quietly again," Jack said.
"Each of us believes something is happening behind the scenes."
Leo's mother looked thoughtful.
"They always appear when the balance begins to shift."
The Four Rulers
Jack continued.
"The Four Rulers still work together."
"But you know how it is."
Leo's mother nodded slightly.
"Yes."
They shared power and influence.
They cooperated when necessary.
But they rarely met in person.
Each of them controlled their own territories, their own systems, their own people.
Their alliance was built on balance, not friendship.
"They only come together when something serious happens," Jack said.
"And right now… four roulers thinks that moment might be coming."
Leo's mother looked toward the ocean.
The waves crashed softly against the shore.
"And Leo?" she asked quietly.
Jack smiled faintly.
"He's already preparing."
"Preparing?"
"He started training again."
That surprised her slightly.
Leo rarely returned to that level of training unless he expected danger.
Jack finished his tea.
"If Leo is preparing… then something big is coming."
Leo's mother remained silent for a long moment.
Because she knew one thing very clearly.
When the Four Rulers began paying attention again…
The world around them was about to change.