It was late in the afternoon and the sun has slowly set in preparation to twilight. The old man sit on the sofa on the balcony of the mansion, with his thick scarf on – placing his golden cane beside the side table. He grabs his coffee on the center table and took a sip.
"Needs a little sugar." He stated and put it back to the center table. "Any information you have?" he asked to the man in front of him.
"The surgery of his Mr. Go's wife was a success. As of the moment he is waiting for her to be awaken." The informant said.
"Good. That means he can be easily persuade now." The old man smirk while crossing his leg.
"The man is madly in love. He would do anything for his wife. He is a change man." The informant responded, tucking his glasses closer to his eyes.
"We are getting closer to achieving our mission. This is half a decade of preparation and it's worth the wait."
The informant looks at the old man intently. The old man is filled with gratefulness yet it doesn't show in his eyes. "Why won't you tell the truth to the Young Master, especially now that the young princess is back?"
Magnus Grand, the Godfather of the Underworld Society, has shown weakness for the first time in his entire reign. He grabbed again his coffee and took a sip then he sighed – accepting the fact that he can no longer add more sugar to it. "My body is getting weaker. Before I go, I want to secure the safety of my heritage." He stated with determination. "Alejandro must give me a grandchild as an heir as soon as possible. I don't have much time."
Now that the cellar has been retrieved, he can die with peace along with the secrets of it. Truly, he is no longer in good shape. Yet, he can't tell Alejandro about it. He wants to keep his loyalty until the end and he is assured that his lineage will continue in Alejandro's reign in the future. He doesn't know much about his real grandchild Lellouch, but he entrusted her to Alejandro's care.
The memory of him meeting the young Alejandro was still vivid in his memory. He was at his early adolescence and was struggling to get the love he deserved from his mother, who happened to be reunited with her childhood sweetheart – Lellouch's father, Marcus Grand.
It was his first time in the mansion, his new home, and he was very observant. He saw Magnus Grand in the living room having a very important transaction so he decided to wait for him in the Veranda. He was amazed by the huge Garden Maze down the yard. He tried to trace it from the way in to its way out and it was very exciting to see.
"So, you are the child of my son's mistress?" the old man asked.
Quickly he turned and curtsied the old man. "My apologies for my mother's behavior, Mr. Grand. It was the Young Grand's wish to bring us here in your mansion. We don't intend to intrude. Please allow me to introduce myself, I am Alejandro." Young Alejandro explained with much respect.
Magnus was amazed with the man's attitude. "And to what family does Young Alejandro came from?" he continued asking, maintaining his fierce attitude towards him.
"No family at all, Mr. Grand. I am just Alejandro, the son of my mother." He answered in a wise manner.
"Ahh… So, you're protecting the name of your mother's family, aren't you?" he chuckled as he took his seat in front of him and gestured the young man to sit as well.
Alejandro obliged and answered. "My mother's family has raised me to become well mannered. It is my gratitude to give them respect. My apologies once again."
"Ha! I like you, young man!" Magnus exclaimed, his eyes glint with significance. "What are you doing here, Young Alejandro? You're a wise young man, you can make use of it for your own good."
"Indeed, I would have, Mr. Grand. Not until my mother disgraced her family. Now I must repent for her sin. I know it is too much but I have decided to devote myself for your family, Mr. Grand, in return for the punishing of my mother."
Hearing this, Magnus smiled sincerely. "I must admit, I despised women who destroy other people's life. And indeed, she is a homewrecker. But, what can an old man like me do for the two of them who are madly in love?"
"I agree. My mother loved your son so much that she abandoned her own family." Alejandro frowned.
He's attitudes towards the situation continuously amazed the old man. Magnus has developed an urge to take Alejandro in his family. Fortunately, he captured Magnus heart.
"Well then, that settled. You become my grandson. No harm shall be inflected to your mother, that's an assurance from me as the head of the Grand Empire."
Alejandro's eyes widened. He stands and bow his head with full of gratitude.
"But there is one thing that you should do for my family." Alejandro froze. "You must secure the lineage of my family by marrying my granddaughter. You will become my grandson, and no one will inherit my Empire except you and my granddaughter, Lellouch.
The memory swift to Alejandro as he placed Lellouch on the bed inside the cabin of his private plane. She was sleeping soundly and he doesn't want her to be awaken. He took the necklace from his pocket and gently place it around her.
The Heart of the Sea.
Marilyn gave it to him when Lellouch passed out in the wine cellar. It's the only thing that her mother left for her before passing away. That thing that mirrored her own eyes.
"Finally, you're here with me." He said upon observing the face of the woman as she sleeps.
He remembered telling the old man that he would be happy to marry his granddaughter and secure his lineage. That was the young Alejandro. As he grew, he was addicted to his responsibility - learning how to run the business at the age of seventeen when his mother and Marcus Grand was killed by the Mafia. His obsession with power was influenced by Magnus Grand and he celebrated his success with his party life and women in his bed. Although he had been so busy building his own empire, his investigation regarding his parents' death surface.
Lately, he was confused with his engagement with Lellouch. She is the only girl that can challenge him to the bone. The woman is unpredictable and he was thrilled to what else the woman could do to surprise him.
He left her, before he could do anything that might scare her. Changing her clothes have exhausted him already – controlling his hormones wasn't easy.
"So, you're awake?" he asked to Lucas when he is out from the cabin.
"I must, or else I will not get the chance to protect my master." Lucas answered indifferently.
Alejandro smirked. "I think you guys need saving. It is a shame how nobody noticed the intrusion of those insiders in my mansion.
"My men investigated the mansion before leaving. They discovered piled of dead bodies on the maid in their quarters. It's not noticeable since it is very rear for someone to check the area. They have occupied the place before we arrived a week ago.
Alejandro sighed. Those men are after Lellouch, not for him.
"I must ask, how did the Young Princess discover that those maids are insiders?"
"She only noticed the maid who serve her tea." Lucas nodded but still confused. "Those assassins have been pestering her since she was still in college. They've been observing her. Now, it is for you to find out which group sent those assassins, as well as their motives."
"Yes, Young Master."
"More importantly, make sure to secure the mansion before we get there. I don't want to see Lellouch running away from bullets ever again."
"That definitely won't happened again, Young Master."
Alejandro nodded. He went back to the cabin, only to find Lellouch sitting already and staring outside the window.
"Where are we heading to?"
"To my real house."
"So, you have another house? I doubt it is a house." She said in a sarcastic way.
"Yes, it is not a house, it is a mansion." Lellouch shook her head in disbelief. "We're going to San Antonio, Texas.
Lellouch close her eyes and tried to relax. This whole damn thing of transferring from one place to another is giving her headache. She haven't recovered yet from all the drama she was experiencing for the past few days and she has not yet seen her parents. Confusion started to build up again in her head that causes her to fell dizzy.
"I think you need more rest. Just close your eyes and I will be right here, watching over you."
"Aren't you tired as well?" she asked feeling sleepy again.
"No, I don't. Just go to sleep and when you are awake, the food will be ready."
She nodded and snuggled herself beside Alejandro, his arm as her pillow, while he listened to her breathing. He just lay there, beside her - feeling her. Until he drifted off in a wonderful nightmare.