Before Vicker could get all worked up, Adriana responds "fifteen years ago"
As she stared at the man who raised them for the past twenty years, Adriana says exasperatedly, "I'm twenty, dad! But that doesn't stop me from being your daughter, right!"
The two laughed out loud at Adriana's attempt to lighten the mood.
Vicker then spoke after a few seconds of silence ensued,
"the Rockerfeller family are currently chasing a missing drive, as you are aware. You need to get it at all cost, so we find out if they truly did it."
Vicker fixed his gaze on Adriana as he spoke carefully, "we can't go against the Rockerfellers without enough evidence!"
Adriana walked to her father and sat on the armrest of his single sitter sofa, while giving him a side hug, she says "thank you, dad! You are the best!" Vicker was over the moon.
At that particular moment, Sabrina walked in, with a plate of fruit salad in her hands "young lady, release my husband! That's what you get for marrying your job! Go get a life would you!"
In a bid to escape one of Sabrina's long speeches on marriage and relationships, Adriana run out of the study, but not without shouting towards Sabrina
"I leave for Country C at dawn mom! You better treat me to a feast before I do...You're gonna miss me when I'm gone"
Outside the study, "that was close," Adriana mused.
Meanwhile, behind the door, Sabrina glares at her husband as if her eyes could bore holes into him. Her eyes kept screaming "I need an explanation!"
Vicker dragged his wife into a hug and says assuring, "they've known the truth for the past fifteen years, Rina"
She wriggled out of his embrace and attempts to walk away while saying "I've been the fool running a solo show all along huh!"
Vicker was prompt enough to say "I swear it wasn't me! You know how they are"
Feeling stupid all of a sudden, Sabrina snaps at her husband "so it's my fault huh!" She then turns around and walks out the door.
Being the wise man that he is, Vicker resisted the urge to go after Sabrina because he understood her need for alone time right now. He did not even dare speak a single word.
All alone in his office, Vicker had never felt less of a man like he was feeling at the moment.
"I'm sorry! Sabrina!..forgive me...forgive me for my selfishness all these years!
There is another reason that Vicker didn't mention to Adriana. He knew she may find out once she lays her hands on the drive anyway. But before she does, he saw no need in speaking about the bitter past.
Vicker was lost in a deep thought. Going down memory lane, he couldn't help thinking about the past!
As a member of the royal family of country K, Vicker had everything he could ever ask for.
Theirs was a large and happy family. Royalty has never been this peaceful. Every branch of the family lived as one.
A loving family, a mother and father who adored him, as well as all the material things money could buy.
He also had very good friends he still misses, even now. Friends who treated him like a regular joe, and not the prince everyone wants to worship for various reasons.
Everything was peaceful, but he later reckoned that it was the calm before the storm.
Vicker started falling mysteriously ill from the age of twelve, after he was declared the crown prince of Country K.
He lost his parents to assassins in one night and subsequently discovered that he was unfit to lead the country due to poison.
To date, the best bet to his parents' assassination was the Rockerfeller family of Country P. They had the motive and the means to commit the said crime.
He was fed with drugs that made him impotent. He could not even father children. To top it all, his health was deteriorating, and there was a hidden enemy who was out to get him. Someone wanted him dead at all cost.
Vicker felt so lonely and suffocated in the palace that, he felt terribly out of place.
Therefore, at the age of eighteen, Vicker Hastings stepped down as crown prince and left country K for good.
He never had anything to do with the rest of the family, neither did he ever honour any of their invitations to come to visit. He knew his uncles and aunties would do a good job even if he doesn't go back.
The least Vicker could do was to protect them from the shadows as best he could.
Vicker Hastings could not blame himself any less for the apprehension that his wife feels at the moment.
He knows all too well how Sabrina feels because he feels the same way.
Vicker had the resolve to bring the Rockerfeller clan to its knees if it is proven that they were the cause of his parents' death as well as his poisoning incident.
He was just biding his time in anticipation of indisputable evidence. So far everything points to the clan, but there is nothing concrete.
To prevent a war with the other clans and families, he had to present indisputable evidence if he has to wage war against the Rockerfeller clan.
That is the only way to prevent other clans from poking their nose in their affairs, thereby giving the Rockerfeller family undue advantage over them. Not that Vicker is afraid of the Rockerfellers, but he has a lot of people to consider.
Planning a revenge when there are other people to protect is really not an easy job.
What Vicker does not know, or even consider as a threat, is the new head of the Rockerfeller clan, Aiden Rockerfeller.
He is so elusive that, all other mafia families even forgot about his existence.
What they do not know however, is that, he is the secret weapon of the Rockerfeller family, who is kept out of sight, to protect the family from any unfortunate surprises.
All other reasonably thinking members of the Rockerfeller family give their undisputable support to Aiden.
However, there are always some odd ones out.