LISA'S POV
I stared at the freshly baked cookies and smiled in satisfaction. My mouth watered at the sight of them. They looked absolutely delicious!
I was tempted to grab one and take a bite, but I couldn't. After all, I had added some sleeping pills to the batter while mixing it.
I poured the freshly squeezed orange juice into two cups. I deliberately left the juice untouched by the sleeping pills. I had my reasons.
Once I was done, I arranged everything on a tray and carried it out of the kitchen into the dining area.
I glanced towards the living room and spotted Mum and Diego chatting happily. A smile crept across my face as I made my way towards them.
"Hi, Mum and Dad! Your delicacies are ready," I announced, giving them a playful bow like a professional baker.
"Lisa, did you make lunch for us?" Diego asked, clearly surprised.
Urrgh! How much I hate that voice! I thought, maintaining the smile on my face.
"Did you just call us Mum and Dad? Did I hear that correctly, or are my ears deceiving me?" Mum asked, staring at me in disbelief.
"Well, I've realised that I might as well accept the fact that you're my mother and will always be my mother. And he's your husband, which technically makes him my father too," I replied with a smile.
"Wow! I can't believe you're saying all this, Lisa. And to think that you refused to even greet us yesterday or leave your room! I must say, I'm genuinely shocked," Mum said.
The amount of courage it took me to say all that! Even I'm surprised that the words are flowing so freely out of my mouth. If only they knew how badly I wanted to punch this fool in the face and wipe that irritating smile off his face! I thought.
"Believe it or not, Mum, I'm the one saying all this. It's high time I stopped acting like a spoilt brat, throwing tantrums just to get my parents' attention. I prepared these to show you how sincerely sorry I am. I'm really sorry for my recent behaviour, and I promise it won't happen again," I said, bowing several times.
They stared at me with wide eyes. From their expressions, it was obvious they were completely stunned.
They opened their mouths as though they wanted to say something, but apparently, they couldn't find the right words. Eventually, they simply closed their mouths.
"Come on, don't just sit there staring at me. Go and eat before everything gets cold!" I urged, pulling them out of their seats and ushering them towards the dining area.
As expected, Diego had his little journal with him. He gave me a rather strange look before finally settling into his seat.
I stood aside, watching as they each picked up a cookie. They took a bite and immediately closed their eyes, savouring every mouthful.
"This is really delicious, Lisa!" Mum exclaimed, reaching for another cookie.
"Seriously, Lisa! I wasn't expecting these to be this delicious. You could easily pass for a professional baker. It's almost as though I'm eating cookies made by Madame de Poca herself!" Diego complimented.
I simply smiled in response.
"Well, I learnt from the best," I replied before leaving the dining area and heading towards my room.
And I wasn't lying.
I really did learn from the best. My dad was the greatest cook and baker I had ever known. His restaurant could have become one of the most popular in the world if only he had been interested in pursuing a career as a professional chef.
I walked into my room and slumped onto the bed. Picking up my phone, I dialled Mira's number. She answered almost immediately.
"Hey, girlfriend! How are you doing in your little prison?" Mira teased.
I rolled my eyes.
"FYI, it's not a prison. It's a cage. At least in prison, you wouldn't be the only person locked up."
"So sorry, friend. I can't even imagine how boring and lonely it must be for you," Mira said sympathetically.
"Please, don't imagine it. I'll survive. Anyway, how's school?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
And thankfully, it worked.
"Oh, the usual. Nothing new. Ohhh! Teddy has been asking about you. That boy won't let me rest! If he had his way, he'd probably hire an entire search team just to find you," Mira complained.
"Just let him be. And do me a favour, please. Don't tell him anything about me, and most importantly, don't give him my number," I warned.
I knew Mira very well. She hated being disturbed, especially when someone kept bothering her about the same thing.
If Teddy continued pestering her, she might eventually give in and hand over my number. Worse still, she might even tell him where I was.
"Don't worry, friend. I've got your back," Mira assured me before ending the call.
I sighed and dropped my phone onto the bed.
For a while, I lay there, staring at the ceiling and thinking about how perfect my life would have been if only Dad were still alive.
After some time, I finally got up and left my room, heading towards the dining area to check whether my unsuspecting victims had fallen into my trap.
When I arrived, I found them both fast asleep at the dining table.
I shook my head and smiled.
My plan had worked!
I looked at the two of them and sighed deeply. Then my eyes shifted to the little journal in Diego's hand before settling on the untouched orange juice.
Just as I had suspected, they hadn't even taken a sip.
They must have thought I had tampered with the juice, but what they didn't realise was that I was far smarter than that.
Now, how am I supposed to get these two out of the dining area and into their bedroom without raising suspicion when they finally wake up? I wondered.
I dragged my feet towards them, looking as though I was being forced to do something I absolutely didn't want to do.
First, I approached Mum. I lifted her arm and draped it over my shoulder, supporting her with my other hand to keep her from falling. We staggered towards their bedroom, one step at a time.
When we finally got there, I carefully laid her on the bed and pulled the covers over her.
With that done, I returned to the dining area and glared at Diego.
How much I hate this man! I can't even stand the sight of him, and now I have to touch him. Disgusting! I thought, letting out an annoyed sigh.
I reluctantly walked towards him and tried to pull him up.
"God! This man is much heavier than I expected!" I complained to no one in particular.
After struggling for a while, I finally managed to get him into the bedroom and onto the bed. I pulled the covers over him and sighed in relief, wiping an imaginary bead of sweat from my forehead.
My eyes immediately drifted to the little journal.
A satisfied smile curled across my lips.
I carefully took it from his hand and examined it.
What on earth could be so important about this journal that he carries it everywhere? I wondered.
After examining it for a few minutes, I finally opened it.
The moment I saw what was inside, my eyes widened in disbelief.
My expression twisted into a frown, and I could already feel a headache coming on.
I couldn't believe what I was looking at!
I quickly returned to my room with the journal in my hand. Once inside, I let out a frustrated sigh and slumped onto the bed.
"How the hell am I supposed to figure out the correct code when there are dozens of numbers written all over this thing?!" I exclaimed, glaring at the journal.
"Curse you, Diego!" I muttered angrily.