My Seven Wives in One Body and Me, her Manager

A few days later, Dennis, his seven wives, and Destiny had finally had their fill of Ruby City. Even though it was still summer break, they were heading back to Emerald City. William, Elenor, and Martha dropped them off at the station. After the goodbyes—specifically the farewells between the grandfather, the two grandmothers, and their grandchild—Dennis, Daisy, Diana (who was carrying Destiny), Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, Dulcia, and Daphne boarded the high-speed train. With a final wave to William, Elenor, and Martha, the train began its journey toward Emerald City.

There was a hint of sadness in leaving their parents again, but they had to get back to enjoy the rest of their vacation; by next week, they were expected at the stadium for the inter-school competition. As Dennis watched the dark scenery rushing by outside, Daisy suddenly leaned her head on his shoulder. He turned to look at her.

"Are you sleepy?" Dennis asked.

"A little... we didn’t get much sleep last night because we were busy packing," Daisy answered.

"Yeah... Mom gave us so many souvenirs," Diana added, propping Destiny up on her lap so the baby could look outside and stay quiet.

"That’s just how Mom is. Wasn’t Mom Martha the same way?" Dennis asked.

"Exactly. Everything is doubled now, and it was such a hassle carrying it all onto the train," complained Dulcia, who was sitting across from Dennis, Daisy, Diana, and Donna.

"Oh, by the way, that bully was finally sentenced, right? It’s a shame he didn’t go to prison because he was declared insane, but at least he’s locked up in a psychiatric hospital," Donna noted.

"Yeah, he’s on five years’ probation... but since he’s considered mentally unfit, they didn’t banish him to Diamond City. Otherwise, he definitely would have been sent there; murder is a major crime, and the punishment is usually Aquamarine City," Dennis explained.

"Huh... and I actually wanted to use his corpse for research," Deborah muttered.

"Don’t go looking for trouble," Dahlia scolded her briefly.

"I know, don’t nag me," Deborah replied.

"Hmm... where’s Daphne?" Daisy asked.

They all turned to look at Daphne, who was sitting next to Deborah at the very end beside an empty seat. It turned out she was fast asleep.

"Just leave her be; she’s exhausted," Dennis said casually.

"Well, of course... last night, besides packing, we trained for five hours, didn’t we? Hehe," Donna said.

"Yep... baby-making training, hehe," Dulcia added, looking quite satisfied.

"My whole body is actually sore," Daisy said, rubbing her shoulder while her head remained resting on Dennis’s.

"Same here," Dahlia added.

"My husband is seriously powerful, hahaha," Diana said.

"I’m drained too. Enough, let’s not talk about that anymore. Let’s just relax for now; we still have an hour to go," Dennis said casually.

They chatted idly throughout the journey toward Emerald City. An hour later, they began pulling into the Emerald City station on the south side of town. After stepping off the train, still feeling weak, they headed straight home. But when they arrived, the faces of Dennis, Daisy, Diana, Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, Dulcia, and Daphne—who was carrying a sleeping Destiny—suddenly went grim and weary. They saw Rika sitting on their porch with Akira, and it looked like Rika was crying.

"Sigh... what now," Dennis muttered.

"No idea... let’s just go see," Daisy said.

"The rest of us will head inside through the garage with Destiny. It’s better not to wake her up," Daphne added.

"Yeah, go ahead," Dennis said.

Dennis and Daisy walked up to the porch while the others entered through the garage. Even though they were standing right there on the porch, Rika and Akira didn’t seem to notice them at first.

"Rika? What’s wrong?" Daisy asked.

Rika looked up and Akira turned around; both immediately stood to greet Dennis and Daisy. Then, the questions started.

"What is it? More trouble with Bella?" Dennis asked.

"Not this time. Well, it’s related to Bella, I guess. Brad was stabbed. He’s in the hospital now—don’t worry, he’s fine, Elisa is there watching over him," Akira answered.

"Oh, okay... then why is Rika crying?" Dennis asked.

"Bella is hospitalized too... she had a miscarriage. The person who stabbed Brad kicked her in the stomach," Rika answered.

"Huh... how did that happen?" Daisy asked, confused.

"That’s why we’re here to tell you. Remember when the city was attacked by that giant monster?" Akira asked.

"Yeah, I remember. Why?" Dennis asked, puzzled.

"During the chaos, Silas—who was serving his sentence—escaped. He wanted revenge on Brad, so he stabbed him. He also wanted revenge on Bella because he thinks all his bad luck is her fault. And there’s one more reason why Rika and I came here," Akira explained.

"Alright... I’m listening," Dennis said.

"He knows... he knows that the two of you were the ones who reported him to Brad and tracked down his data. So, there’s a good chance he’s coming after you both, too," Akira said.

"Oh, is that it," Dennis replied, looking relieved.

"You seem pretty relaxed about this," Akira remarked.

"Yep... no problem. Tell him to come on over," Dennis answered casually.

"Haha... you really are something else. That’s good to hear; I was worried because I couldn’t reach you and your house was empty," Akira replied.

"I was at my parents’ place in Ruby City. Sorry, I rarely turned on my smartphone while I was there," Dennis replied.

"Don’t sweat it, it’s fine. The important thing is that you two are okay," Akira said, patting Dennis on the shoulder.

"And how is Bella doing?" Daisy asked.

"She’s physically fine... but she’s in total shock. She was just about to start over from scratch with her baby, and then this happens," Rika answered sadly.

"Yeah... she’s a little shaken mentally, but I’m sure she’ll be alright," Akira added.

"Hmmm... I see," Dennis replied.

"Anyway, as long as you two are safe, Rika and I will head out. You guys just got back, so I know you’re exhausted," Akira said.

"Alright, thanks dude," Dennis replied.

"We’re heading out now... Dennis... Daisy, sorry for bothering you," Rika said.

"It’s fine... no worries," Daisy replied.

"Where’d you park? I don’t see your car," Dennis asked, glancing at the driveway and the curb.

"At the end of the street. I didn’t want to be a nuisance or make the neighbors suspicious... it doesn’t look great if I’m coming here with Rika every day," Akira answered.

"Oh, right... fair enough," Dennis replied.

Finally, Akira and Rika headed home. Once they had walked past the house, Dennis and Daisy stepped inside. The moment they set foot in the doorway, both of them immediately felt that something wasn’t right. Dennis glanced at the photos of him and Daisy hanging on the wall; several of them had been rearranged or swapped around. Then, the two of them walked into the living room. Everything was deathly silent.

"Wait, where is everyone?" Dennis asked.

"Probably upstairs. Let me check," Daisy answered.

Without waiting for Dennis to reply, Daisy ran upstairs toward their master bedroom. Meanwhile, Dennis continued to scan his surroundings. He felt certain someone had broken into his house—and not just broken in; they had likely been living there while they were away. On the coffee table, he found a glass and a beer can that clearly didn’t belong to him or William. The television was tilted at an odd angle, and there were plenty of other details that felt wrong. But before Dennis could investigate further—

"Honey... get up here," Daisy called out to him.

Dennis turned to see Daisy standing on the stairs. He rushed over to her, and together they headed up. As they walked down the hallway toward the master bedroom, Dennis noticed Dahlia’s door was ajar, and Daisy pulled him toward it. When he stepped inside, his eyes went wide.

He saw Dulcia with her arms folded, Deborah smirking, and Dahlia busy checking her arsenal. Diana stood opposite Dulcia, and Donna stood next to Deborah. They had surrounded a man kneeling in the center of the room, his arms, legs, and mouth tightly bound. Daphne was nowhere to be seen, likely staying with Destiny in the master bedroom. The moment Dennis saw the man’s face, he rubbed his eyes in sheer exhaustion. It was Silas.

Silas looked like a wreck. His eyes were bloodshot as if he hadn’t slept in days; he was much thinner now, and clearly not in a healthy way. He struggled against his restraints, his sleep-deprived red eyes glaring at Dennis and Daisy with pure venom. Suddenly, Dahlia—having finished checking her gear—returned and "click," she pressed the barrel of her pistol directly against Silas’s forehead. He instantly went pale, his expression that of a man questioning every life choice he’d ever made. Dahlia then looked over at Dennis.

"What do you want to do with this guy, love?" Dahlia asked.

"Don’t kill him. Turn him over to the police," Dennis answered.

"Okay... fine," Dahlia replied, pulling the gun back.

Dennis sighed and stood in front of Silas, then crouched down to meet his gaze. He stared into Silas’s eyes with a sharp intensity.

"Now... tell me why you broke into my house without permission," Dennis said, his voice heavy and deep with annoyance, yet remaining perfectly calm.