Arrow to the heart

"Zi Tao!"his mum called out but he ran out of the house into his car,he was furious,he wouldn't listen,he knew that Zhi Ruo would never be able to marry any one other than him.Even if she diened it,he would drag her out of the engagement,"she's my woman....no one else is permitted to touch her!"Zi Tao said,while driving away.

"Mother! If he goes over to her, he'll find out that she's carrying his child, and it will be over for me and sugar cookie"Ru Shi said in tears.

A maid came in,she walked towards Zi Tao's room,"stop!come here!"Huang Yue said to the distorted maid.

"Ye..Yes!"she said, she came up to her, looking at the ground, Huang Yue assessed her critically.

"What are you doing? Why were you going into my son's room?"Huang Yue asked.

The made tugged unto her attire, and gripped the letter, but didn't utter a word.

"Answer me!"A frustrated Huang Yue yelled.

"Madam...it's something for second son Huang Zi Tao"she said.

"Give it to me"she said, the maid tried to conceal it,but Ru shi yanked it out of her hand.

"It's a letter"she said while opening the envelope.

"Who is it from?"Huang Yue asked, facing the maid, her eyes breeding anger.

"From.... the Zhi mansion"she managed to say, trying her best not to reveal Zhi Ruo's identity, but, no one needed to point out the obvious.

"Get out of my sight before I for you!"Huang Yue yelled,her voicing echoing all through the house.

"Mother,read this"Ru Shi said, Huang Yue grabbed the letter and digested it's content.

"I've lost"Ru Shi said, and slumped on a lounge chair.

"No.Not yet, we can still win, get up, we have to be fast"Huang Yue said.

Ru Shi followed, uncertain on what else Huang Yue had in mind, and she had a fruit basket arranged, which puzzled Ru Shi.

"Who is this fruit basket for?"Ru Shi asked,"Zhi Ruo"

"What! Why?, Don't tell me, you've suddenly switched sides" Ru Shi screamed, frantically waving her hands."No"

"Then why the basket?"she asked.

Huang Yue,got a piece of pen and paper,and wrote a letter,she smiled at it,and placed it in a pink envelope,and dropped in gently on the basket.

"Ru Shi, that piece of paper will go a long way, our only concern is to deliver this before Zi Tao gets to her engagement"Huang Yue said,and gave a wicked smile.Ru Shi was perplexed,but trusted Huang Yue,she was a sucker for togetherness in the family and would do anything just to pass off as that ideal front cover family.

Huang Yue grabbed her phone and made a quick phone call.

"Hello Officer,long time no see...."

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"Please,I don't want to carry on with this engagement"Zhi Ruo said,she sat in front of her dresser,her eyes puffy.

"There is no need"Qing Shan said,with a twisted smile,she dropped food for Zhi Ruo.

"Really?"Zhi Ruo asked instantly full of life,she turned to face her stepmum,with what seemed like a smile.

"Yes,it will all be over very soon...."

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"Am coming my love,just hold on for me"Zi Tao said,but the traffic was something out of this world,the car honks wasn't a stress remover either.

He hit his steering wheel frustrated, suddenly,the traffic jam ended,he sped off,just to meet another jam.

"Damn!,please hold on for me,am coming my love"he said.

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"Mother what was in that letter anyways?"Ru shi asked, her mother just smiled,"don't let that bother you now, start preparations for your wedding"Huang Yue said, making Ru shi nervous on what was in that letter.

"Don't be tensed, you will get your sugar cookie,and I will get my son back,and the family will get it's heir back"Huang Yue said.

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Qing Shan was the first one to receive the fruit basket, she didn't notice the letter at first, but while taking out the red wine she saw it, she opened it, read through it's content and gasped,her attention was suddenly on the fruits and she got a new plan.

"Once Zi Tao gets my letter and knows am carrying his baby, he will come here, weith ice cream, no forget the ice creame,he's sweet enough"she thought, her stepmum walked to her room with the fruit, the Apple.

She picked a syringe, and quickly injected the Apple with it,"time to end this love story, and get pitiful life"Qing Shan thought, and placed the Apple back into the basket.

She carried the basket, sheepishly walking towards the room of Zhi Ruo.

"Child, there's a gift for you...."

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"I can't take this!"Zi Tao got out of his car and started running, Zhi Ruo could have finished the engagement ceremony by now, and he knew how much honor meant to her.

She might not agree to leave the alliance if he doesn't stop it now.

"Am coming"he said, running, not stopping to breathe,"Zhi Ruo!"he yelled.

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"Ah!"Zhi Ruo said, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach, but heeded to her stepmother's demand.

Her attention was on the gift basket,"Whose is it?"she asked, her stepmum grinned,"yours"she said.

"It must be Zi Tao"she thought.

"But why not deliver it in person? Maybe he's waiting for tonight, he'll climb up my room wall,get in through the window,and I'll tell him the good news, he'll,be so excited and we'll...."

"What is on your mind child?"Qing Shan asked, but she blushed, the room was dark, the curtains his the outside, sometimes, Zhi Ruo could barely know if it was night or day.

Zhi Ruo opened the basket, and stumbled upon an envelope, her stepmum looked away, acting as if she was selecting a dress for Zhi Ruo.

"Child, eat, your child must be starving, you do want to take good care of it, don't you?"Qing Shan deviously said.

Zhi Ruo wondered at the sudden change in of character from Qing Shan, but shrugged it off, she was fixated on the letter in her hands.

She picked up a green apple, but her stepmum held her hand,"take the red one"she said with a grin.

"It's good for your baby"she immediately added.

"Yes mistress"she said and grabbed the Apple.

Qing Shan wanted to stay in the room, but knew fully well that would only arouse suspicions, so hoped that Zhi Ruo ate the poisoned Apple.

"Take care"she said and slammed the door, but more gently this time, as it was the last time, she'd get to slam it.

"Let's see what your father has sent me little one"Zhi Ruo said, while she over the envelope, she placed the Apple close to her lips, ready to take a bite.

"Huang Zi Tao, why are you here?"Qing Shan asked, stunned to see Zi Tao, his eyes were selling his intentions, it was obvious he was here for his woman.

"Am I too late? Has the engagement ceremony ended?"he thought, he almost sheded a tear.

"Where is She?"he asked, with force, hoping Zhi Ruo would hear his voice wherever she was.

"Let me give you something to eat, you must be hungry surely, I'll go call her"Qing Shan said, nervous, but she covered it up with hysteria.

"Take me to her"he said.

Zhi Ruo read through the letter, and cried her eyes out, the last line was what caught her attention the most, and what killed her.

"I WISH THAT YOU AND YOUR CHILD WOULD DIE!!!"

She was devistated, she dropped the letter, it landed beside her, she soaked the bed with tears, she covered up, she felt cold inside, but hot at the same time.

Everything was spinning, and her stomach ached her badly, and the last line of the letter replayed on her mind,"he...he.... he's really done it. He's KILLED me"she said, and the Apple rolled out of her hand, and placed itself near a throw pillow.

Zi Tao burst into the room about five minutes later, the quiet scared him, he saw his lover on her bed, her skin white, pale rather, her eyes shut, he sat down beside her.

Qing Shan followed,she smiled at the scene,"finally!Good riddance!"she thought.

"Love wake up, an here for you, I won't let you leave"he said, but she wasn't answering, he looked away, then tried again, he held unto her nose and swayed it to his will, but nothing, he then noticed she wasn't breathing, he placed his head on her chest, but her heart had stopped beating,she had stopped breathing.

Qing Shan noticed the letter,and without second thoughts or hesitations, she swept it under the bed.

"Zhi Ruo....Zhi Ruo!"he called out, at the beginning, they were soft love calls, but they became intense, and he pretty soon was vigorously shaking her.

"Son, she's gone"Qing Shan coldly said, the room was too dark to even see anything properly, so he wouldn't notice the Apple.

Tears trickled down his eyes, he pulled her to his side, and sobbed, her sweet scent, he took it in, he kissed her, hoping she'd wake up, but she didn't, she was lifeless, and so was he....