Olivia started to pace back and forth inside the control room of the underground facility while Matthew just watched her apprehensively. "H-how…w-why? Oh my God! Matthew, what have you done?" She cried and stopped in front of him.
She is now more concerned about the repercussions of what Matthew had done instead of the fact that Matthew is the vigilante who kidnaps criminals, tortures them, and then kills them.
Her thoughts were filled with what if the authorities find out? What if they get caught? What if Matthew was taken by the police? What if the authorities found him guilty…which he really is…and sentenced him to life imprisonment or worse…death?
Olivia doesn't even want to think about it.
Matthew, who cannot take it anymore, stood up and held Olivia by her shoulders. "Liv, you promised that you will let me explain," He said beseechingly.
Olivia stared at Matthew and tried to calm her racing heart. After a while, she nodded her head and said, "Okay,"
Instead of pulling Olivia back to the chair where she was seated earlier, Matthew grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the control room.
Olivia didn't question him, instead, he let him lead her a few hallways from the control room until they stopped in front of a wall that turns out to be a concealed door that amazed her when it opened. But she didn't expect to be more amazed by what was inside. In her situation, she still managed to be amazed by what surrounded her because it was hard not to.
Inside was the bunker that she saw on the computer screens back in the control room.
Olivia knew how luxurious the bunker was but seeing it in person and being inside it felt like she was inside a stately home that is occupied by an aristocrat. She suddenly felt underdressed when her shoes stepped on the carpeted floor.
She thought that if ever there comes a war or a calamity in the future, she wouldn't mind living in that bunker.
Olivia's trance was broken when Matthew spoke and gestured to her to sit on the sofa. She walked toward the three long sofas. She hesitated sitting on the white leather sofa because it was so elegant that she thought it was a crime to sit on it.
Until Matthew sits in one in front of her.
Olivia opted to sit on the sofa in front of Matthew so they were facing each other.
Matthew's thoughts were too preoccupied with his worries and ways how to start explaining to Olivia why they were doing what they were doing to notice the amusement on Olivia's face.
For a moment there, Olivia seemed to have forgotten about Matthew and the vigilante or the people who were in the cells in that underground facility because of her. In fact, she had forgotten that she was in an underground facility as she continued to gawk at the luxury that surrounds her.
Until she heard Matthew speak. "We are not doing this, just because we take joy in breaking the law or because we just wanted to play hero. We have reasons…personal reasons," Matthew said. He was sitting in front of Olivia with his back hunched forward and his elbows on his knees. He was staring at the white carpeted floor before he looked up to meet Olivia's gaze.
Matthew continued. "It was Tim who started this alone, on his own years ago. He had taken criminals from prison…from their houses while on bail…or on the streets. Took them here…detained them…torture them for weeks…and then kill them. No one knew about it. Not even us. Not even his family. Though we guess that his father knew but didn't say or do anything about it because he knew that Tim needed it. His father would've done the same,"
The change in her environment must have helped because Olivia's head was clearer now. It was easier for her to understand and comprehend what Matthew was saying. She frowned and tilted her head. "Why would he do that?" She asked.
She was not surprised to learn that Timothy started it all. After all, it was in Timothy's character. Timothy's personality and character were someone that Olivia would expect to do vigilantism. He was smart and capable enough to escape the law. But she still wondered why he would do that.
Matthew stared at Olivia for a while without speaking as if preparing her for the shocking information he was about to divulge to her. Then he opened his mouth to say, "Because his mother was a victim of those kinds of people,"
An inaudible gasp escaped Olivia's lips. She felt like her breath left her for a moment at the sudden news. Her mind was suddenly filled with images of what could have possibly happened to Timothy's mother because Matthew left her hanging.
As if Matthew sensed that Olivia was waiting for the story, he continued, "When Tim's mother was about 19 or 20 years old. She was sold by her own father to a businessman as a mistress. But instead of making her his mistress, he turns her into a sex slave…"
Olivia instinctively brought her hand to cover her mouth as if she witnessed what Timothy's mother had been through. She hasn't met Timothy's mother but according to Megan, she was beautiful…like an angel. She could not imagine Timothy's mother…or any woman in that kind of situation because no woman…no one deserved to be in that kind of situation.
As if it was not enough, Matthew continued. "She was locked up in an apartment for a year. They abused her…"
Olivia frowned. The feeling of sorrow and compassion she felt earlier for Timothy's mother was replaced by anger. "They?" She wanted to confirm hoping that she heard it wrong.
But Matthew nodded his head. "They. Because apparently, that businessman shares her with his friends. Some were businessmen like him, while some were politicians. There was even a lawyer,"
This time, both Olivia's trembling hands covered her mouth. Her eyes were wide in disbelief. "Oh, God!"
"If she was not rescued by Nic's grandparents, she would have died in those men's hands. But after she was rescued, she was diagnosed with PTSD. For years, she suffered from nightmares and anxiety. She feared and detested men until she met Tim's father. He is the only man she trusts. But even after she got pregnant and gave birth to Tim, she still suffered from nightmares. Tim was witness to that. Tim was a smart kid. By just observing, he found out what happened to his mother. As he grew up he wanted to avenge his mother, but it turns out, his father had already done that,"
That information about Timothy's mother was supposed to be a secret. It was never heard of. An unspoken secret within their circle. He just heard it once from his mother and never heard it again. They never talked about it but it seems that his friends within their circle knew about it as well. It was just never spoken of. Timothy didn't speak about it as well. They knew that Timothy knew that they knew but never said anything about it.
In a way, it was better that way. Out of respect to Timothy and his mother.
But they were not certain if Timothy's mother knew that her friends knew about it. Or that Timothy and his friends knew about it as well. One thing is for certain, she is not aware of the things that Timothy was doing in the name of avenging her. And her husband, Timothy's father, will not let her know about it because it will definitely break her heart.
"But the feeling of wanting to avenge his mother never left Tim. He wanted to get justice for what happened to his mother. So, he found a way to do that. He avenged and seek justice for women and children who suffered the way his mother did,"
"Does his mother know about that?" Olivia asked even though she doubts if Timothy would let his mother know. She could not imagine what she would feel if she found out that her son was killing people because he felt that he needed that to avenge his mother…even though those people were not the ones who directly abused his mother.
As expected, Matthew shook his head. "No. But his father does. He was the one running this facility after all," Matthew said as he looked around the bunker but seeing not the bunker but the whole facility.
"You said no one knew about it? But how did you know?" Olivia asked about how Matthew and the others knew that it was Timothy who was taking, torturing, and killing those criminals when he said that no one knows about it.
Matthew straightened his back and leaned on the sofa. But his hands remained clutched on his lap. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "We were trained the way Tim was trained. We knew how to observe people. We knew how to read people and situations. We suspected that it was he who was behind the missing criminals that were, later on, found dead but we didn't say or do anything about it because we knew that he had his reasons," Matthew unclutched his hands and placed them on the top of his knees.
The creases between Matthew's brows deepened as he continued. "Until we took interest in it. First, it was Nic and Mason. And then, later on, Daxon and I joined him as well. Tim was against it at first because he took it as his responsibility to take care of us and look after us, not involve us in his crimes. But we were stubborn and adamant. Until he lets us in or else, we will do it in our own way," As Matthew said those words, he was watching Olivia's reaction but she didn't show any.