"You're here.", Charles Kim was sitting behind his wooden desk. Behind him was a window.
"Grandfather, I heard from butler Park that you miss me?", Lucy said, she wanted to tease him.
"Don't believe anything he said, child. I don't miss you at all.", the old man talked while crossing his arms, a habit he does whenever he isn't being honest.
"Oh dear.. you can't fool a psychologist.", Lucy chuckled. She missed him too.
And then Charles' eyes trailed over Aubrey, who was standing still beside Lucy. He stared at the area around Lucy's hand. She was still holding Aubrey's hand in hers.
"So this is Aubrey Lee.. the next successor of Lee Group?", he said. It sounded more like a statement rather than a question.
Lucy went silent. How did the old man know? She turned to Aubrey, he was also thinking the same as her.
"I know more than you expected.", Charles said. He stood up, and he walked closer towards them.
Lucy stepped ahead, she wasn't going to receive a 'I want you to break up with him' again. She wasn't going down without a fight.
"At ease, child. I'm not going to do anything against your wishes.", Charles Kim said. But the moment he raised his hand, a group of male guards appeared out of nowhere. They inched slowly but closer.
"What is this?", Lucy's grip on Aubrey's hand became tight. Since when were these men..?
Aubrey could feel the same past repeating itself, whenever Adamson raised his hand to the air, a group of men would appear and they would capture him.
His hand that was warm in Lucy's grip turned cold. She noticed his changes. And she didn't hesitate to hug him in front of the many people.
"What the hell is going on? I'm not into pranks!", Lucy said.
"Let him go, Lucy.", Charles' voice sounded cold.
"What? Are you for real? Why-", she was taken away from Aubrey. A guard held her in place.
"Hey!", she tried to break free but her grandfather told her to behave.
Aubrey could hear his brother's voice in the dark basement where all of his guards were holding him in place, where he was forced to kneel down like a criminal upon a guillotine. He remembered all the things he had to go through. It made him feel miserable.
"I know what happened to you. You were locked up there.", Charles said. He was now standing before Aubrey.
Aubrey couldn't move an inch, but what the old man said was able to get him to his senses. He forced himself to fight his inner trauma. He told himself that he was going to be fine. He was over it. He wasn't going to live in the past, no more.
".. How?", after a couple minutes of silence, he asked. How did he know?
"It all began from a single letter.", Charles gave an envelope to Aubrey. It seemed old and was out of color.
Aubrey took it. After reading the simple sentence of just six words, he turned to the old man. His face shocked, he was holding back from trembling. He looked like he wanted to ask a hundred questions. Sadly, even Charles didn't have the answer.
".. Why?", Aubrey knew the letter was definitely from his grandfather. Was his grandfather actually still alive?
"Silas Lee is my friend, and I honour his request to look after you since a long time ago.", Charles explained. He walked back to his desk. His back facing Aubrey.
"But I couldn't do anything to change your situation, child. That oldest son, Adamson Lee, he was merciless. No one could cross his path and return unscathed. That includes me too.", Charles Kim said. His voice wasn't cold any more. Instead, it held some hint of surrender.
"Grandfather.. you knew? You knew from the start but you did nothing?", Lucy heard everything. She still couldn't believe it.
"How could you?! Don't you know how much he suffered?!", Lucy asked her grandfather, she was desperate to get away from the guard.
"You didn't feel anything at all?!", she was then shoved away from the room. Her attempts of turning and tossing around weren't working at all. All of the guards followed behind.
It was just Aubrey and the chairman now.
"I won't apologize for the thing I couldn't do.", Charles spoke, breaking the heavy silence.
"Since I know you wouldn't be able to forgive my ignorance, even if you tried.", he continued.
Aubrey didn't say a single word in return.
"I've always prayed for you to get out from there. Only after seventeen years do my prayer is heard.", Charles said again, this time he was facing Aubrey straight to the eye.
"Where's my grandfather..?", Aubrey asked him after being silent for some time.
"I don't know. I tried looking for him, but I found a dead end. Whether he is alive or not, I also have no idea."
Aubrey clenched his hand. He thought his grandfather was dead. But now.. maybe.. just maybe.. he was alive somewhere.
Aubrey then remembered Adamson's words. He once said that their grandfather was in a faraway place.. he didn't mention him dead.
"He's alive.." Aubrey suddenly said. He was certain. But seventeen years was a long time.. his grandfather might be alive several years back, but how about now?
"I know what you're thinking, child. But optimism is a virtue. You should trust your gut. Since I trust mine.", Charles said to Aubrey. He also had a feeling that his friend might still be alive.
Aubrey finally got himself to face the old man in front of him. He was the chairman of Prime Hospital. And he knew Aubrey for more than a decade. He knew what happened to him.
But could he trust this old man? The man didn't do anything to help him despite knowing his sufferings. He was just a bystander.
"Do you remember when you first ran past the gate? There was a car coming in your way.", Charles suddenly thought back to the old memories.
Aubrey remembered. He was ten at that time. It was also the moment where he was forced to wear the choker..
"That car was supposed to pick you up and bring you to me.", the old man said.
"But fate wasn't nice to us kind people. Fate always break us and build us up again and again.", Charles Kim finally sat down.
"So young man, my purpose to bringing you here is to ask you one question. Depending on your answer, I will ask another following question."
Aubrey stared at the chairman. He was waiting for the supposed question.
"Aubrey Lee, do you love my granddaughter?", he asked, his voice serious, his brows furrowed.
Aubrey widened his eyes. This old man knew about that too?
"I love her.", he answered. His tone also serious. He was determined.
"And will you sacrifice yourself for her?", Charles asked the next question which threw Aubrey off the track.
"Will you do anything it takes to make her the happiest? Are you ready for all of the responsibility that comes in the future?", he put his hand on the desk, interwining his fingers together.
"To make someone happy is for you to be happy first. And in your case, your happiness is long gone. You received it from Lucy instead. You can't always be the one receiving, Aubrey Lee. Take back your long-lost happiness and only then will you be able to stand above your fear."
Aubrey was stunned. Even Lucy never said anything like this to him before.. he realized how naive he was. He couldn't stay scared forever. Although he had made the decision to stand back up, he wasn't sure how to do it. But hearing from the old man, he finally had a clear picture of his own self.
He knew then, Lucy wouldn't be beside him forever. And what would happen when such moment came? Would he become crazy? Would he lose himself in the darkness again?