Aces Series: Twin's Trap

PROLOGUE

In a hidden place, not far away from the city, a woman with bright red clothing is seen walking towards a small house. The woman seems anxious looking back and forth all over the place. It looks like she’s running away from something or someone, but everytime her eyes fall on the thing she’s carrying, her eyes will fill with resentment. She tries to accept it, but when her desires take over; she can’t help but despise the things she’s carrying.

In her arms are two babies wrap in white cloth. They look so innocent and they wear the same face: identical twins. One has a mole under his left eye and the other has one on his right eye. They hold each other’s hand like they don’t want to be separated from each other. They sleep peacefully not knowing what fate they have and what future will come to them.

“What a bad luck I have for having you two! If not for the two of you, the Flush would still want me!” the woman whispers angrily to the babies.

“What are you doing here?” A baritone voice suddenly fills her ears.

A man, not that old, maybe on his late 30’s, can be seen standing outside the small house. His skin is tan and has a body you’ll know have undergone intense training. A scar can be seen above his right eye. It looks like it was done by a sharp object. One look and you’ll immediately know that he’s not someone ordinary.

His eyes squint towards the lady’s direction, immediately knowing her identity. Yes, it was long ago that he worked under that powerful man, but he can still remember everything, anything, and anyone that is associated to that King. He won’t be shocked if every woman he will encounter on the road was already licked by that King. Just by the thought of it makes his lips twitch in grimace.

The man immediately takes the lady by his arm while scanning his eyes around just to check if anyone’s secretly watching them. He takes her inside his house, hastily earning a light whimper from the lady.

“Can’t you be a little gentler? I’m carrying something here,” the lady hisses.

The man carefully shut his door after scanning outside the place one last time. His movement is quiet and precise. It’s like he’s very wary of his surroundings just like the anxious lady.

“May I ask you again what you are doing here?” he repeats the earlier question.

The lady clears her throat when she hears the slight annoyance in the man’s voice. As much as the man is the last thing she can think of leaving the babies, the lady is sure enough the man is very capable of ‘taking care’ of the babies. After all, this man is the former Jack of the man he is willing to throw her everything.

“I’ll go straight to the point. I’m leaving these babies in your care,” she straightly confesses.

The man is taken aback. He looks at the babies she’s carrying and sees that it is twins. He sighs, closes his eyes, and rubs his temple. The lady gave birth to a bad luck in the King’s ancestral lineage! This is not known to everyone around unless you’re directly working on that family, but twins in that family is a taboo. They’ll be immediately hidden and get a little chance of becoming an Ace. No. They’ll be last in line, or worst, not qualified to be one. Most probably, one will be the Joker or the Mastermind, or both are Jokers.

Aces are the face and pride of the King family, and having twins is dangerous and bad luck in the King’s ancestral lineage. The man immediately understands what the lady’s objective is. She doesn’t want to lose the affection of the King Patriarch this way; she’s getting rid of the babies. The man easily feels a thug in his heart for the clueless babies. He can only look at them with great pity.

But still… he’s hesitant of accepting her offer. If he does, his own kid will pay a prize, too. He can’t have his own son – who was born not long ago – will undergo the same path that he already gave up long time ago.

He shakes his head to the lady. “I’m sorry but…”

“Please!” The lady pleads! “I don’t know anyone as capable as you, Racer. If you won’t, then I have no choice but get these babies killed. I don’t want them! I can’t have the life that I want if I have these two! They are bad luck!”

The lady’s eyes become bloodshot. Racer thinks she’s already gone mad. She wants to kill innocent babies just to get what she wants. It’s her children! But yes, there’s nothing important to this mere concubine at this point but to have that King’s approval. Killed or abandoned, these babies’ fates are already written.

It looks like he doesn’t have a choice.

Sorry, my son, Jade.

“What are their names?” he asks, eyeing the babies with acknowledgement.

The lady’s face lighten-up hearing him asks their names. It can only mean one thing; he’s getting the babies.

“I haven’t given them their names yet.” She immediately hands the babies to the man whose name is Racer. “I won’t be long, they’re all yours.

After handing the babies to him, the lady rushes outside not wasting any time running for the life she wants. Abandoning her babies, Racer feels a little piss. He eyes her until she’s gone and nowhere to found. The babies are still sleeping, and looking at their calm faces just like the calm sky bloated with clouds that time, Racer can only smile. They might be branded as bad luck, but they are still a blessing from above.

“No matter where or whatever happens, clouds always sticks to the sky and the sky always holds the clouds close. They are one, in calmness or in storm.” He strokes the babies’ faces, earning a small smile from them. “Cloud and Sky… That will be your names from now on.