Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 356: Talk To Me

Mari didn’t call Jax immediately as she told him she would. Instead, she busied herself with getting ready for their outing since Callan was already on his way to pick them up.

She wanted Jax to stare at his phone and worry while he waited for her call, as she had been doing since the previous day.

Knowing that he was alright and had deliberately not responded to her messages or called her made her very upset, but she used the time to cool off.

"Snap out of it and focus on me, will you? What do you think?" Emily asked, standing in front of Mari, who had not noticed her the whole time.

"Oh!" Mari said, then blinked and looked again. Then she laughed, "This is the most slutty I’ve ever seen you look."

"I guess it’s good then," Emily said with a satisfied smile as she turned her attention to the mirror.

The pink mini dress she was wearing had a plunging neckline, with very tiny straps, and the back was bare.

"Hmmm," Mari drawled without saying anything.

"What’s that for?" Emily asked, turning to look at Mari again.

"It’s sexy, almost to the point of recklessness. That’s my thing. Not your thing..."

"There’s no reason why it can’t be my thing too," Emily countered before she could finish.

"True. But you don’t exactly want to become someone else entirely because of Cal, do you? I mean, you can be sexy within your bounds. Now look at that," Mari said, angling her head when Emily involuntarily adjusted the dress to cover her boobs.

"If you are doing this because it’s for yourself and you want to, I have no issue with it. But if it’s solely for Cal, I suggest we go for something that’s sexy and sophisticated but not over the top for you. Something you won’t need to tug on all night to cover your twin towers," Mari said, going to her closet to pull out a black long-sleeved mini bodycon dress with a moderate V-neck.

"Now this dress is totally you, but in a sexy way. There’s no risk of you catching a cold in this. Also, with this, Callan won’t think you put in too much effort to impress him with your dressing. You look casually sexy. Your beauty is what he will think about, not how to undress you."

Emily rolled her eyes but took off the dress she was wearing and put on the dress Mari offered.

Mari then helped her to fix her hair and make up, and by the time Callan called to say he was downstairs, they were both dolled up and ready to go.

Emily’s heart raced as they both descended the stairs. They could hear Callan’s voice as he conversed with Mari’s parents downstairs.

Callan, who was about to respond to Andy’s question, trailed off when he saw Emily descending the stairs.

Callan forgot what Andy had just asked him. The words left his head the moment his eyes landed on Emily. Although Mari was walking ahead of Emily, Callan didn’t notice her.

She was halfway down the stairs, one hand lightly on the rail, moving slowly, not rushing. The black dress looked simple enough to be tempting, but it didn’t beg for attention.

Her hair fell softly around her shoulders, shiny and neat. Her makeup was clean and simple, her lips glossy, her eyes bright.

Callan’s breath caught in his chest.

Andy noticed the sudden silence and followed Callan’s gaze. She smiled knowingly and nudged her husband gently.

"He’s drooling," Andy said lightly.

Callan didn’t even hear her.

Emily reached the last step and stopped when she saw Callan staring at her like that. Her heart skipped. For a second, she wondered if she’d made the wrong choice.

"Shut your mouth, son. Quit embarrassing the male species," Alex muttered to Callan, making Andy and Mari laugh.

Then Callan swallowed and found himself gravitating towards Emily. "Wow," he said quietly, like the word was pulled out of him. "You look... really beautiful."

"Thank you," she said softly, suddenly shy.

Behind Callan, Mari smirked at Emily, pleased with herself for picking out the right outfit for Emily.

Emily rolled her eyes at her playfully, and Mari blew her a kiss.

"Ready?" Callan asked Emily, holding out his hand.

She hesitated for only a second before placing her hand in his.

His fingers closed around hers gently, like he was afraid she might pull away. That small touch sent a quiet spark through both of them.

"If I didn’t know you were going clubbing, I’d think this was prom night. Why don’t I take a picture?" Andy asked, eager to snap them and send the picture to Delilah and Jessica, since she knew very well how both sisters were interested in Callan and Emily’s relationship.

Before either Callan or Emily could respond, she took out her phone and started taking pictures of them. Mari did the same.

When Mari was satisfied, she grabbed her clutch. "Let’s go. We don’t have all night. And I need to give my boyfriend a call."

Andy chuckled. "Behave yourselves."

"We always do," Mari lied smoothly.

"Mari, do not stress Jax," her father called after her.

"He’s my boyfriend, I intend to stress him for stressing me," Mari said with a wave as she walked ahead of Callan and Emily.

When they got to the car, Mari looked at Callan and Emily as he opened the door. "You two, I don’t want any weirdness or awkwardness. I’m stressed out already. So let’s all have a cool drive, okay? No awkward silence or awkward conversations. Save that for when you’re alone tomorrow on your way back to Husla."

"You’re so annoying," Emily muttered playfully as she got into the car, while Callan chuckled as he shut the door.

The moment Mari settled in the backseat, she glanced at her phone. She had calmed down enough and was ready to give Jax a call now.

She dialed his number. It rang twice before he picked up the call.

Mari didn’t speak. She waited for him to speak first.

There was a pause on the other end. When he spoke, his voice was low and rough, like he hadn’t slept. "Mari."

Mari shut her eyes. Hearing the way he called her name and the obvious exhaustion in his voice weakened her.

"I was worried sick. Do you have any idea how that feels?" She asked in a very quiet voice that made Emily turn in her seat to see if she was on the phone or talking to her.

When she saw that Mari was on the phone, she raised a brow in silent questioning, and Mari nodded. Then she flashed her a smile, glad that now Mari didn’t have to worry about Jax so much.

"I know," he said quietly. "I’m sorry."

She frowned. "I don’t want your apology. I need an explanation. What’s going on? Did I do something?"

"No. You didn’t do anything wrong," he rushed to assure her.

"Then why did you ignore my call but took my Dad’s call?" she pressed. "Is Chad in a critical state?""

"He’s fine. The wound wasn’t that serious," Jax cut in quickly.

Mari let out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding. Her shoulders slumped. "Thank God. So, if it’s not Chad, what is it?"

Silence followed.

"Jax," she said again, softer now. "Talk to me."

He swallowed. She could hear it. "Why don’t we talk when we see each other? It’s not something I want to tell you over the phone."

Her brows knit together. "Should I come over?"

"No, don’t. It’s not safe," he said quickly. The last thing he wanted was her being under the same roof with Chad and Venita. He could never trust those two again where Mari was involved, and he never wanted to risk her safety.

Her frown deepened. "You’re making me worried. What’s going on? My Dad said everything has been taken care of, and it’s all over now."

He closed his eyes on the other end of the line, leaning back against the wall in his studio. How could he tell her that though the issue with the Cartel had been taken care of, he now had one with his own siblings?

Just then, a car from nowhere overtook Callan’s car, almost hitting them in the process, and Callan let out an angry cuss.

"Where are you?" Jax asked with concern.

"I’m on my way to the club with Emily and Callan. Talk to me," Mari urged him.

Jax sighed. "Alright. Have fun. I’ll talk to you another time."

Mari’s grip tightened on the phone. "Jax!"

There was a long pause, then he exhaled slowly. "I love you, Mari. You don’t have to worry about anything. I’ll come to you as soon as I sort out some stuff. Please be patient and give me some time."

Before she could respond, he hung up the call, and she stared at her phone in confusion, wondering what the issue was.

Mari closed her eyes as she tried to recall everything that happened that morning before Chad received the call from Diva.

"You okay?" Emily asked, cutting into her thoughts.

Mari opened her eyes and nodded, but her eyes were serious. "Drop me off somewhere I can get a cab. I don’t think I want to go to the club. I won’t be able to focus."

Callan glanced at Emily, while Emily looked at her. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Jax is not okay. I need to find out what’s going on with him. Besides, I’ll be the only single one in your midst at the club. Y’all should have fun."

Emily studied her face, then nodded. "Go. Just be careful."

Mari managed a small smile. "I will."