As the CEO continued to speak, she mentioned how Kaizo had a talent for cooking and how he could work magic in the kitchen with his right hand. She contrasted this with his brother Eizo, who was left-handed and didn't share the same passion for cooking. Toni couldn't help but wonder if this was another aspect of the brothers' differences, and if Eizo's jealousy of his brother's talents had played a role in their strained relationship
the CEO of the Angio Family Orphanage revealed a stunning piece of information to him.
"Thirty years ago, a man claiming to be the father of Eizo and Kaizo came to the orphanage," the CEO said, her voice trembling slightly.
Toni's interest was piqued. "What did he look like?" he asked.
"He was a tall man, with dark hair and a serious expression," the CEO replied. "He said his name was Ezo and that he wanted to take his children home."
Toni was taken aback by this revelation. "What did you do?" he asked.
"We asked him for identification, but he didn't have any," the CEO explained. "He said he had lost his papers in the war."
"What happened next?" Toni asked.
"We took him to see Eizo and Kaizo," the CEO said. "The boys were overjoyed to see their father. They had never met him before, only Kaizo could at least recollect his face but it was a fuzzy memory ."
Toni listened intently, his mind racing with questions. "What did he say to them?" he asked.
He told them he was sorry for not being there sooner, and that he had come to take them home," the CEO replied. "But when we asked him where he had been all these years, he just said he had been traveling."
Toni frowned. Something about this story didn't add up. "Did you try to contact anyone to verify his identity?" he asked.
"We did," the CEO said. "But we couldn't find anyone who knew him. He seemed to have come out of nowhere.
The CEO continued to recount the story of the mysterious man who had claimed to be Eizo and Kaizo's father.
"After he introduced himself to the boys, he showed me an old family picture," she said. "It was a faded photograph of him, their mother Ellin, and the two boys. Eizo was just a baby, and Kaizo was two years old."
Toni was intrigued. "Did he say anything about their mother?" he asked.
"He said that she had died during the" first salt war," the CEO replied. "He didn't give any details about how or when she died."
Toni felt a sense of unease wash over him. He knew all too well the devastating impact the war had on families, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right about this man claiming to be the boys' father.
"Did he take the boys with him?" Toni asked.
"No," the CEO replied. "We asked him to stay for a few days while we tried to verify his identity. But after a few days, he left without warning. We never heard from him again."
After the CEO had finished telling Toni about the history of the Angio Family Orphanage and the strange man claiming to be Eizo and Kaizo's father, she suddenly changed the topic.
"So, are you interested in sponsoring one of our children? We always welcome donations and support," she said with a smile.
Toni couldn't help but chuckle at the sudden shift in the conversation. "Of course," he replied. "I will tell my secretary to call you this evening and discuss what's needed."
She smiled, "For that, I will add an extra bonus to the story."
Toni asked, "Bonus? What do you mean?"
She replied, "Well, after the strange man left, we noticed a big shift in Eizo's attitude. He was now more calm and playful than usual. We normally keep a close eye on him to stop his mischievous behavior. But a few months later, we let our guard down and to our surprise, Eizo ran away."
She continued, "We were panicking, but then we found two letters - one from the so-called father to his children on where to meet him and another from Eizo to his brother and the orphanage. Apparently, that man was really deceptive and observant to see that Eizo was the one most interested in following him. He took advantage of our naivety and slipped a letter to the boys, especially Eizo, telling them where he was staying and when he would be leaving."
Toni said, "Wow."
The CEO replied, "Oh yes, he ran away to his dad. He said they were going to go back to where they came from. I can't remember. I'm lucky to remember this much at my age," she said, smirking.
Toni laughed and said, "No ma'am, you have an excellent memory."
The CEO replied, "Oh well, that's all I can remember. Sorry."
Toni was surprised that she had given him more information than he expected but he still wanted to know exactly where they came from. That would have been the icing on the cake for him.
After the conversation ended, Toni let out a deep sigh and leaned back in his chair. He felt exhausted from all the information he had gathered about Kaizo and his family. He closed his eyes and tried to make sense of it all.
Toni couldn't believe how much he had uncovered about Kaizo's past. The mysterious man claiming to be his father, the Angio family, and the letters from Eizo all seemed to be connected somehow. He needed to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.
As he sat there, lost in thought, he wondered what his next move should be. He knew he needed to keep investigating, but he also needed to take a break and clear his mind. He decided to take a short nap to recharge and come up with a plan.
Toni closed his eyes and let his mind drift off. He felt himself falling into a deep sleep, but his subconscious was still working, trying to solve the mystery of Kaizo and his family.
A van approaching the army central base of Angisa. There was something suspicious about the van and the people accompanying it. It was moving slowly and cautiously, as if trying to avoid attention.