The Violinist would've been caught by Scorpion X, if he hadn't commingled with the guests in the wedding. He wanted to leave this wedding ASAP.
'Maxwell!' Someone calls from the back. The Violinist felt his heart freezing. He turns around to see who it was; and it was his first cousin, Michelle, Senator Theodore's niece.
'Hello, Maxwell. It has been 4 years since I last saw you. How have you been?' Michelle asks, concerned.
'It's a long story. Let's meet at Gold Island Villa. Catch you next time: tomorrow will be a good day – 4:00 pm.' Maxwell rushes out of the manor, into his car.
Senator Theodore idiosyncrasy with relationships made him alone. He was a man, who didn't value relationships. He disassociated himself from his siblings. He calls them unfulfilled, poor, and useless set of individuals, who chose to suffer. He hated them, because they were honest, and would always scold him for his wrong doings.
Maxwell has his own story to tell.
Li Chang ran for some distance. His phone was no way near him. He sights a telephone booth. He walks to it, and dials the serpent brothers, but no one picked the call. He calls again and again, but no answer – It was a rule that none of the serpent brothers should answer an unknown number. He was exasperated. He looks at the newsboard, which was by his left. His picture was broadcasted on the news. The headline read:
Li Chang was frightened. Now, USA was no longer safe for him. He was now wanted by the police. Li Chang wished the operation went as planned. It was all Wu's fault.
He wished one of his brothers would come to his rescue. Charles was standing right behind him.
'Li Chang, come with me.' Charles says leading him to a pickup truck.
In the vehicle, he gives him a cap to wear.
'How did you find my location?' Li Chang asks.
'You said "MWM" which I realized it was initials for Mr. Williams' manor. You told me that anytime you're in trouble you use initials to convey information. I was on my way there, and I saw you,' Charles says. 'What happened? Where's Wu and Ruòxi?' He asks.
'Ruòxi was killed, and Wu betrayed us. Where did you get this truck?'
'I got the truck from a friend. It's very bad that your plan failed. Where are we heading to?' Charles asks. He grabs the steering, and turns the ignition key, starting the car's engine.
'Take me to our hideout.'
'Are you mad?! What if that traitor told the senator it's location, what would we do?'
'Just take me there; I know what to do.'
Charles hits the road, and to the hideout.
Oliver heard the news about The red viper's jailbreak. Li Chang's picture was on the screen. He knew Li Chang – at least, he saw him with Charles. He also knew he was called The red viper. He also heard it as it was used in that video. This meant Li Chang was the senator's enemy; it may be that Li Chang was behind the absence of Vanya from school. This thoughts alone made Oliver to shiver.
Charles must have more information of this Asian guy, he thought. He takes up the phone, which was sitting on the table. Charles has to see this video, too. Oliver walks out of home to the street, in search of Charles.
Mr. Myles was seating on a chair, in the veranda of his house. He was admiring the beauty of nature. Two men walks to him. They were tough and fierce looking. The walk into the veranda.
'Hey, man.' One of the guys, dark brown skinned, with a full beard, says. 'We know recently some policemen visited your house, twice. It's on the streets that you were the one who informed the police about Rodney.
'Firstly, I need you to tell us what business you have with the police.'
Mr. Myles was now tensed. He knew this was Scorpion X's men. He couldn't risk messing up.
'The police… um… they were taking surveys. They had questions from the government.' Mr. Myles says nervously and clumsily.
'Are you the mayor? What business do you have with the government?' the second guy, pale skinned with a Balbo beard, asks. Then his phone beeps. He checks it.
'It's business. Don't forget, we'll be back, and be ready to answer all our questions.' He gestures the first guy, and they walk to the car. 'We will be back.' They zoom of.
After they left, Mr. Myles was very scared. He wanted to leave this neighborhood as soon as possible. He had to flee for his life and his son's life. He knew he would be killed immediately Scorpion X finds out he's the one who told the police about Rodney. It was the matter of where to go to after escaping Scorpion X's clutches. Nevertheless, Mr. Myles was determined to escape.
The next day, Vanya was up early, and she was shocked to see Angela that early – 4 o'clock in the morning is not a regular time to be at work.
'Angela…?' Vanya calls out, and Angela turns to see Vanya.
'Good morning, Vanya. How are you?'
'Good morning, Angela. I'm fine.' Vanya replies, but still shocked.
'Why do you look surprised?' Angela asks.
'You are… quite early. You always come everyday at few minutes past seven. What happened?'
Angela was mute. She just looked around the sitting room, suspiciously.
'I just decided to stay with you till morning. Your dad isn't home, and your mom, she isn't… well, her mental state is in disarray.'
'My mom is sane! She simply lost her memory,' Vanya snaps.
'Of course. I merely wanted to look after you, today, only.'
'So you didn't go home yesterday?' Vanya inquires.
'Yes, I didn't. I stayed here all night long,' Angela says. 'I wasn't bored; I read my Bible, a worthy companion.'
Vanya didn't understand why Angela did this, so she asks, 'What about your family – your children?'
Angela was silent for a few minutes. She was trying so hard to conceal the pain she felt. She wanted to keep her mouth sealed, but it was hurting inside.
'I think your mom hasn't told you the story of your birth. Vanya, I don't have any child of my own, although I have a husband. He hates children, a lot. I don't blame him; he's a drug addict. He's always nagging, and complaining unnecessarily.' Angela narrates.
Vanya was confused why Angela was still in that type of loveless marriage. She wore a dazed face.
'He's my fourth husband, now.' Angela speaks up.
Now it was clear – she was not destined to have a child. Then why remarry if she knew the guys were awful, Vanya thought.
'Your run-away brother, Maxwell, is just your step brother. When he was 10 years old an incident happened; an incident that caused Senator Theodore to hate him so much. At age 10, Max was involved in smoking. The senator had no time for him, at that time Senator Theodore was not yet a senator: he was a business man. He and his wife were always busy. Max because lack of attention, he would still a packet of cigarettes from his Dad's drawer.
One day, Max was almost caught by his biological mom, Celine, so he hid the stick of aflame cigarette under the bedsheet. Unknown to Max, the flames caught on the sheet. He had to act normal, so he went out to play with his friends. But the worst happened. The house was on fire when he returned. His dad was in tears, as he stared at the burning house. The worse fact was that Celine was the house. She had been scorched to death by the unforgivable flames.
Max later confessed to what happened. This caused The senator to hate him, so much. After that day, nothing he did to excite or impress the senator worked. He was lost, at a tender age.
After a lot of pressure from people, the senator had to find him a steward, or better still, a mom. I was employed after two weeks of the incident. I was previously working part-time, therefore he employed me to work full-time.
The incident made Max's life a nightmare. He confided in Michelle, his cousin. All his fears, he told her. She was the closest to him.
The senator later got married to lady Kate, a poet and a writer. She was British. She tried very hard to fill in the place of a mother in Max's life; she succeeded, after much patience, time, and love. A year after, she got married to Senator Theodore. Max loved and trusted her, but Max always remembered his sin, each day. I felt The senator didn't love lady Kate as much as he loved Mrs. Celine; he married her for convenience sake, and for his son's well being. He named you Vanya (which is Russian) because Mrs. Celine was from an American-Russian descendant. He named you Celine after his first wife. Vanya Celine Theodore.' Angela reveals.
'So, how's this related to your early arrival at work? And your family?'
'It's complicated. Maxwell is your step brother, and your mom never gave birth to a child.' Angela states, making Vanya even more confused.
'What are you saying? My mom gave birth to me.' Vanya says.
'No. Her womb couldn't hold a child. She only trusted me, and I had to go against my first husband, just to help her carry her baby in my womb – I became your surrogate mom. I felt your emotions in me. The first time you kicked, I was overwhelmed by happiness. It was just the excitement, it was too much. I opened my heart to love you from the first day the embryo was implanted in me. You breathed the air I breathed. You were nourished by the food I ate. I remembered smiling broadly as you kept moving in my tommy. It was as if you were trying to tell me that you loved me as much as I loved you. The sixth month of the pregnancy was pretty stressful, but I still endured the stress; feeling your heartbeat in me was exciting. On the 9th month, you were ready to take in your first breaths. It was time for labor. It was successful, but at that moment, I knew you would be taking from me. Mrs. Kate took you away from me. She later paid me a few thousand dollars, but my peace and love was taking from me.
'15 years has gone, but I still feel a strong attachment to you. I take you as my only child. I wanted to have more children, but my first husband divorced me as soon as I accepted to carry you in my womb. I got married to the second man, but he hid the fact that he had 4 kids. When I found out, I still continued the relationship; but when he told me he was not ready to have children with me, I gave up the relationship.
'My 3rd marriage was to a friend of mine, who I fell in love with. Little did I know the guy was impotent, and couldn't give me children.
'I didn't marry the 4th, because I was desperate. The first day I met him, he was so flirtatious and looked very potent. But he was the worst man I've ever known. He hates kids, he smokes and drinks himself into stupor. I thought he was rich, but I never knew he was a hopeless pauper.
'Seeing you every morning, gives me peace. I stayed to watch over you, and know how you're doing. All night long, I had gone to your room frequently to check on you.' Angela coughs, and then holds herself from bringing more tears.
Vanya was speechless. Why was she living like this, with secrets surrounding her. Every dark corner looked like it was filled with secrets. She breathes in, then out. What secret would come up next? Maybe her dad is not her dad anymore, or that she was picked from the road side. She couldn't consume everything she just heard, she had to have a very good rest. May be it is the stress; It's getting into her, she thought.