The CEO's Painted Skin 126 Last Resort!

That night in Catherine's rented house...

Jerome was sitting on the chair, his eyes would occasionally roam around the house, trying to spot something that could potentially help him with his plan. He won't be able to break inside the house and have his way with Catherine because the house is very small and any tiny commotion will wake up everyone. Kidnapping Catherine seems to be the only choice he got. But it's the last thing in his mind. Where would he bring Catherine if he successfully kidnaps her? There's a lot of work involved in kidnapping a person, it needs meticulous planning and the truth is he has no energy and resources for that.

Thelma was cooking dinner in the kitchen adjacent to the toilet.

He can no longer use the odorless and tasteless drugs to mix with the drink because Thelma no longer allows it. It seemed he was met with a dead end.

'I won't lose hope yet!' he said to himself. His eyes caught the key of the house dangling in the cabinet.

When the older woman entered the toilet...

Jerome rose to his feet and immediately took the key and put it inside his pants pocket.

When the older woman exited the toilet he stood up and heading for the door.

"Auntie I will just buy cigarettes in the nearby store, I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay," answered Thelma.

Jerome rode his motorcycle and speed up into the highways. He will have the key duplicated so that he can return it right away before they will start finding out it has been missing.

After driving for a while, he finally saw a key duplication service stall in the corner of the street. Within 25 minutes the key was already duplicated and he paid the charges of the services rendered.

He went back to Catherine's house and waited for the opportunity to return back the key without getting noticed. An opportunity presented itself when Thelma was done cooking for dinner and get out of the house to find her children so that they can start eating their dinner. Jerome immediately returned the key to where it should belong and casually went back to his seat as if nothing happened.

When Thelma returned with Lily and Jacob, they eat dinner together along with Jerome. Jerome was the first to finish eating, he went out of the house to buy a bottle of cola from the nearby store and brought it back into the house to the children's delight. Lily, Jacob and Auntie Thelma loves drinking ice cold cola so much.

A few moments later he bid them goodbye, no longer waiting for Catherine to come home.

However, he pa.s.sed by on Catherine on the street walking towards her home.

"Cath, hop in the back, I will take you to your house," he said offering her a ride at the back of his motorcycle.

Catherine shook her head. "No thanks Jerome, it's just a remaining few meters walk towards my home."

"Okay. See you tomorrow, am going home now," he said bringing his motorcycle back into the street and disappeared from her eyes along with the countless vehicles moving in the highway.

Catherine resumed her walk towards home.

...

Jerome didn't go home to his rented house. Instead, he parked by at his favorite bar and texted Mark that he was looking for someone to talk to because he was going crazy due to his obsession towards Catherine.

Mark replied telling him to wait for a few minutes because he and his daughter were currently eating dinner.

Jerome ordered a beer and started drinking alone in the table. Catherine's pretty face dancing in his eyes, taunting him.

He already finished 3 bottles of beer waiting for his friend.

And finally, Mark arrived...

"Sorry for being late, bro. You know daddy duties!" Mark grinned.

"That's okay," he said.

"What is it you want this time, bro?" asked Mark, he was worried to see his friend becoming a hopeless guy.

"I need your help, bro. I wanted to kidnap Catherine and bring her somewhere for a few days. I need a secluded house away from everyone, then I also need a vehicle and one guy as my back up to execute my plan successfully," he explained.

Mark's eyes widen in shocked!

"Whaaaaat? Are you crazy bro? Since when did you become so desperate like this? For G.o.d sake, it's just a woman, find another that loves you back so that you won't have to resort to this type of evil scheme! Don't ruin your life! There's still a lot of women around, all you have to do is to search and you will find," he said, releasing a deep sigh of horror.

Mark spends the rest of the night convincing Jerome to abolish his evil plan. He was getting deeply troubled because his friend was turning into a criminal right before his very own eyes.

"The worst thing is you will end up yourself in a prison cell for many years just because of a stupid love and obsession to a woman that never loves you back. It's simply not worth it bro! Please listen to me," he was on the verge of pleading for Jerome to see his reason.

The look Jerome gives him is that of a deranged criminal, eyes totally dark, vacant stare! No emotion.

"All I ask is---can you help me bro?" said Jerome.

"No. I'm sorry bro. Ask me anything, just don't ask my help to a.s.sist you in turning you into an evil person. I won't tolerate that kind of thinking, I'm so sorry."

Jerome sighed deeply, clearly disappointed.

"It's okay bro. I understand. You can go home now, no need to stay longer by my side. I wanted to be alone for a while. Don't worry I will think about your advice. I will weight the pro's and cons of my actions before I decide if I will go on with my plan 100%," said Jerome.

"Are you sure you will be okay here, alone?" asked Mark in a worried tone.

"Yes, of course, I will be okay. Go home now, Bro," murmured Jerome.

Mark stood up hesitating to leave or not to leave. After a few minutes of hesitation, he gets out of the bar feeling anxious towards his friend's erratic behavior and troubled state of mind.