♝

"M-MY MOTHER...SHE MIGHT be the one who killed the Stepanov Clan. She might have killed Viktor's family, Gav. What am I going to do? What the hell am I going to do now?" Max reveals, instantly making Gavriil's eyes widen in shock.

     "What are you talking about?"

     "The bombs that the Rosario family bought from your company, they were resold. They were resold to my mother a week before the bombing incident. This can't just be a coincidence, Gav, and you know it," Max explains, tears streaming down from his eyes as he continues to hold onto Gavriil's hand tightly.

     "This doesn't make any sense," Gavriil says while staring at their hands, furrowing his brows because of the new information he just heard. He then looks back at Max and tells him, "Listen to me, Leigh. Your mother would never do such a thing. And there is no concrete evidence for this claim yet. Those bombs might have been stolen. Someone must have tried to frame her."

     "Let's be for real, Gavriil. When you put all the pieces together, my mother is the only one capable of doing such a thing," Max insists, surprising Gavriil because he wasn't expecting to hear this from his lover. Especially from him.

     "Do you really think your mother can just...Leigh...I know you're still in shock, but think about this first. This is a very serious claim. This is your mother we're talking about, right? Not just some stranger. This is your mother who has experienced things you, of all people, should know too well, yet you think she did this?" Gavriil asks in disbelief.

     "Then explain to me why my mother tried to kill both of us after that bombing incident. Explain to me why the first thing I wanted to do when I survived that car crash was to forget my memories?" Max then asks back, and Gavriil slowly pulls his hands away from him, standing from the sofa and massaging his temple.

     "Leigh, you're suggesting that madam Luna, your own mother, is a mass murderer. Are you hearing yourself right now?" Gavriil asks as he turns to him, and Max immediately looks away from the vice president.

     As her son, Max should be the first to believe that this isn't the truth. He should be the first to defend her. He should be the one to think that someone definitely framed her, but instead, Max couldn't do it. After everything he went through, the first thing that popped into his head when he heard about this information was that it was true. The mother he loved dearly...the mother he would reach out to whenever he was having a hard time...and the mother who he constantly defended when people talked badly about her...

     "I don't know anymore," Max says in defeat. "For some reason, deep inside me, there is this sick and wicked boy who wishes that she did do it so I could justify why I'm slowly turning into a monster too."

     "You're not a monster, Leigh. And it pains me to see you think that it's true," Gavriil sadly says, kneeling on the ground and grabbing Max's hand before lifting his head so he could directly look into Max's eyes which were now filled with tears.

     "You are not a monster. Everything you have done in J.S High is the biggest proof of that. Whatever you were in the past doesn't matter here. And you told Jontell yourself, right? That we shouldn't carry the sins of our family, whether they were true or not," Gavriil says, and Max takes a deep breath and slowly nods his head.

     "Alright, I think you should rest first. Come on," Gavriil then says, standing from the floor so he can take Max to the bedroom. 

     As they head inside the room, Max sits on the edge of the bed, wiping his tears with the back of his hand while Gavriil removes his shoes and his coat for him. Right after, he tucks him in bed so Max can rest and clear his head. Gavriil then sits beside him and gently brushes Max's hair with his fingers so he can relax.

     "I'll be here until you fall asleep," Gavriil whispers.

     Max reaches out for his hand before closing his eyes, his heartbeat slowly calming down until he finally drifts away.

     [Flashback: Year 2021, at Sinclaire Mansion]

     "Master Leigh, your lunch is ready. When are you going to come out of your room?" Étienne announced from outside the room, making Max aggressively sit up from the bed to throw his pillow towards the door.

     "Shut the fuck up!" He shouted, and everything suddenly became quiet for a couple of seconds. Max thought his butler was going to leave him alone, but then he heard keys chiming from outside the room, and soon after, the door eventually opened.

     Étienne walked inside and saw the mess. There was vomit on the side of the bed, bottles of alcohol, and even cigarette buds on the floor. Max was also still wearing the clothes he wore yesterday. For a fourteen-year-old boy, he was definitely ruining his life with these vices.

     "Get out of my fucking room!" Max shouted, but Étienne ignored him and just snapped his fingers, instantly making maids rush inside the room so they could start cleaning.

     Max continued to shout at them, but Étienne could only stare at his master with pain and guilt. His mother, Luna, died two years ago in a car accident in which Max was also involved in. Max survived, and after recovering for a year, everything about him changed. He was no longer the young master that Étienne once knew, and all he could do was watch him turn into the monster that everyone claimed him to be.

     "Stand from your bed and take a bath. You smell like a pig," Étienne coldly instructed before spotting the documents on his bed, instantly making him sigh and massage his temple.

     "Have you been searching for clues about your mother's death again?" Étienne then asked, and Max looked at his butler with an almost dead expression. His complexion was terrible, and there were bags under his eyes. Étienne could only guess that he hadn't slept for days now.

     "It wasn't an accident, Étienne. Someone tried to kill her. I just need to find more clues about the accident. I just...I just have to find more," Max said, grabbing the files on the bed and aggressively looking through them.

     "You'll be dead before you find anything, Leigh, and you know it," Étienne told him, instantly making Max throw the files towards his butler, startling the maids.

     "You're not listening! No one believes me. No one fucking believes me, but I know. I know that my mother was killed. It can't just be an accident. She can't just leave me like this," Max continued to say, tears now forming in his eyes.

     Étienne took a deep breath and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and reaching out to wipe the tears off Max's cheeks. "If I help you with this, will you at least eat? Please."

     Max's eyes widened in shock, but he immediately nodded his head to agree to the exchange.

     "You promise?" Max asked, the kid in him showing as he stared at Étienne with his eyes filled with forgotten innocence.

     "I promise," he answered before looking back at the maids. "Bring his lunch here."

     "Yes, Sir Étienne," one of the maids answered, rushing out of the room to prepare the meal. But as soon as she got out, a butler suddenly appeared from the doorframe holding a tray that contained a glass of water and a familiar pill.

     "Sir Étienne, it's time for Master Leigh's medication," the butler stated, instantly making Étienne clench his fist. Without giving an answer, the butler walked toward Max and handed him the pill. Max didn't even question it and just swallowed the pill down, making Étienne look away.

     After drinking the pill, the butler left, and Max instantly became dizzy. Étienne immediately grabbed him and gently laid him down on the bed so he wouldn't tire himself too much.

     "Master Leigh, eat your lunch and then take a bath. And then you can go to bed again, okay?" Étienne asked, and Max nodded his head again before closing his eyes.

     It took a while to calm him down, but Max eventually did as he was told and got himself cleaned. Étienne told him that he'd be the one to look for clues about his mother, so Max stayed in his room and rested.

     But when the night came...

     "Master Leigh, your father would like to speak with you through the phone," one of the butlers announced from outside the room while Max was looking through the files he gathered from his mother's accident.

     "No. You may leave," Max answered with no hesitation.

     "But master Leigh—"

     "I said leave! When are you going to put it in your useless head that I don't want to speak to that man?!" Max angrily shouted, making the butler outside swallow the lump in his throat in terror.

     "I apologize, master Denzel, but master Leigh does not want to speak with you," the butler stated on the other line of the phone, making Denzel sigh.

     "Alright, I'll just call him directly," Denzel answered, and the butler nodded his head and ended the call before walking back downstairs.

     While Max continued reading the files, the telephone inside his room suddenly started ringing, making Max sigh. He ignored it for a while, but then it continued ringing and ringing nonstop. Max got irritated, so he turned his television on so he wouldn't have to hear it anymore, but as soon as he turned it on, he was suddenly welcomed by horrible news.

     "Today, March 19, 2021, Friday at 8:32 PM, it was reported that the heir to Cullen's Corporation, Matthew Grey Cullen, was involved in a car accident near Stephen's Avenue. And at 8: 50 PM, when the cops arrived, it was declared that the heir had died on the scene. We are still trying to find more information about this incident, but for now, we would like to send our deepest condolences to the people involved, especially the Cullen family," the reporter said, making Max drop the folder that he was holding.

     He continued to stare at the screen of the television, watching as the news showed pictures of the incident. But as he was watching the news, his telephone rang again, making him flinch.

     Max still wanted to ignore it, but then he turned his head and stared at the phone that continued ringing. After a while, he slowly reached out to it to finally answer the call. Max didn't say anything as he pressed the phone against his ear. It was silent for a while, but then he heard his father speak.

     "Maximilian...Matthew Grey Cullen passed away. His family just called to confirm it," he said, and something inside Max suddenly shattered. He didn't say a single word to his father and just put the phone back down to end the call. He then turned the television off and slowly lay on the bed.

     Max didn't know why his father would even inform him about this. He didn't personally know who Grey was. He didn't have any memory of him, so this news shouldn't be too much of a shock. But somehow, as Max lay on his bed, his chest started to tighten, and tears started pouring out of his eyes, tears that wouldn't stop falling even if he tried.

    Max took a pillow and hugged it tightly. He continued to cry the night away for a man who he thought he didn't know, unaware that his brother Marcus was standing outside his room, silently crying with him too.

     [End of Flashback]

     Max gasps for air and touches his rapidly beating chest. He looks around the room and realizes that he is still in Gavriil's bedroom. And then he reaches out to touch his cheek and realizes that he's actually crying like in the dream he just had.

    "Grey," Max whispers under his breath before standing from the bed. Thankfully, after sleeping soundly, Max felt a lot better, and his head was no longer a mess compared to earlier. Now he could talk more rationally with Gavriil and think of what all that information could mean.

     If Gavriil believes Luna isn't the mastermind behind the bombing incident, then Max should definitely believe it too.

     "Gav! Where are you?" He then shouts, walking towards the window to check outside. To his surprise, it was already dark out, and it was even raining. Max walks out of the room and sees that all the lights are turned off, so he flips the switch on and spots the food that Gavriil prepared for them, and in the middle is a note. Max approaches the table and read the note that said:

     Leigh,

     I'm heading out for a bit.

     Eat first and then go back to bed so you can rest.

     Gav.

     Max furrows his brows and puts the note down before taking a seat. He slowly takes the fork on the table and then grabs a bit of the food so he can take a bite. As soon as the food entered his mouth, Max was overwhelmed by the delicious flavor that instantly made him put the fork down.

     "You really expect me to eat this delicious food alone?" Max says before taking a deep breath. "I hope you return home soon, Gavriil."

...

"Master Gavriil, the man you are looking for just left the building. He's driving a black McLaren car with the plate number BD24 JDR. In 2 minutes, he'll make a turn in your street. You won't miss it," an unknown voice says as Gavriil sits inside his car, waiting in the rain for a certain heir to arrive.

     While waiting, Gav adjusts the Bluetooth earpiece in his ear and says, "Thank you for answering my sudden request. I'll talk to—"

    "It's been a while since you called the main house, Master Gavriil. Your mother will be very pleased to hear that you're asking for our help again," the man then says with a cheeky tone, making Gavriil release a heavy sigh.

     "Don't make any mistake, Ilias. This doesn't mean I'm returning home. This was only one favor. A favor that is not even worth anything from all the crap that the family has done to me," Gavriil says with a serious tone, making the man named Ilias chuckle.

     "Of course, that is perfectly understandable. Is that all?"

     "Do not mention this to anyone in the family, especially father. Is that clear," Gavriil replies and Ilias takes a deep breath and nods his head.

     "Crystal. After all, the last thing I want is to anger the devilish son of the Alexeev family," Ilias then says, and before Gavriil can retaliate, the man ends the call, immediately making Gavriil remove his earpiece.

     Right on time, a black McLaren appears in front of Gavriil, immediately making Gavriil turn his engine on to chase after him. Since it was late and it was also raining, Gavriil had a hard time following the car that was speeding in front of him. But this wasn't much of a struggle as he stepped on the gas, avoiding the upcoming traffic, not afraid of the consequences that might occur. All that was in Gavriil's mind right now was the boy who was crying back in his apartment.

     As Gavriil chases after the car, he finally removes his black shades and throws them on the passenger seat. When he got closer, and when there were no other cars in the way, he took over him and went in front to block the road. If the driver didn't stop his car on time, he would have crashed.

     The driver inside the other car honks aggressively, but Gavriil ignores him. Instead, he takes a deep breath and turns his engine off as the man from the other car heads out in the rain, angrily approaching Gavriil.

     "What the fuck is wrong with you!?"

     Gavriil brushes his hair back with his fingers and finally heads out of his car too. As soon as he got out, the man he was chasing immediately took a step back in complete shock.

     "G-Gav?"

     "Jontell Rosario," Gavriil said with an expression that made Jontell gulp. The vice president hasn't even said anything yet, but jontell already knew what he was here for. What he didn't expect was that he'll find him this fast.

     "I told you, Jontell Rosario, that being noticed by me will be the last thing you'll ever want to happen to you," Gavriil says as he starts walking towards Jontell.

     "Look, I don't know what you want. But you can't fucking touch me. If you're planning to beat me up, I won't—" Before Jontell could even finish his sentence, Gavriil suddenly pulls out a gun from his coat and starts firing in the air, instantly making Jontell drop to the ground in complete shock.

     "Fucking shit! Have you gone completely mad?!" He shouted, surprised that Gavriil would bring an actual gun with him.

     Gavriil doesn't answer and just points his gun toward Jontell, who is now sitting on the ground. Jontell looks up at the man in front of him, the rain falling down on both of them. But as Jontell faces the agitated heir, his entire body instantly stiffness. For a quick second, he saw Viktor. And right after that realization, he was instantly consumed by fear.

    "Lie to me once, and I will shoot you, and you know well enough, Jontell, that I don't use guns as props," Gavriil says, instantly making Jontell swallow the lump in his throat.

     "O-Okay, you crazy bastard. I'll tell you everything I know, so fucking calm down," Jontell answers while staring at the gun that's being pointed at him.

     "What the hell did you tell Leigh?" Gavriil finally asks.

     "Leigh? I didn't tell him anything. He talked to my mother about the past. Whatever he discovered, he deserves to know it all," Jontell answers, making Gavriil chuckle.

     "Oh, so now you're acting all noble? When Leigh was hanging out with you, why didn't you say anything? Is it because he's no use to you anymore? Is that it?"

     "I know what I did, and I am as guilty as all of you. But I didn't want to hide it any longer, especially from him. Leigh deserves to know the truth now more than ever."

     "What truth?! That his mother was the buyer of the bombs that killed the Stepanov Clan?" Gavriil asks back.

     "Yes! He has every right to know that his mother is involved in the death of the biggest family in the world. That is the truth," Jontell answers.

     "That's bullshit, and you know it."

     "Why on earth would I lie about this?! Use your fucking head! Let's not be stupid here, Gavriil. You think it's her, too, right? You also think that Luna planted those bombs that killed them. After all, the Lemieux and the Stepanov were considered enemies. Who else would have done such a thing?" Jontell then says, instantly making Gavriil move even closer to him.

     "Are you out of your mind, Rosario?! Madam Luna had no reason to do any of that."

     "Then who else would do such a thing to them, huh? Viktor was always number one. Luna had to do something to make Leigh rank up," Jontell insists, and Gavriil looks back at him with disbelief.

     "Do you seriously think this is about Crème de la Crème? Do you seriously think Luna would kill an entire clan just so Leigh could be on top of that stupid list? Is that what you're saying?!" Gavriil angrily asks.

     "People always said that Luna was a monster, and monsters can do anything for their sons."

     "Then it's more reason for it not to be true!"

     "Gav! Wake up! You saw what she was when we were kids. You saw the looks she would give every time she saw Viktor. You know deep down she hated him," Jontell reminds him, and Gavriil finally puts his gun down.

     The rain slowly starts to stop. And when it was gone, Jontell finally saw that Gavriil's eyes were actually filled with tears. The sight of him surprised Jontell.

     Why was he so affected by this? Is it really all because he cares about Max?

     "Gavriil, be honest with me. Why are you defending Madam Luna so much?" Jontell finally asks, instantly making Gavriil look away from him.

     "Leigh was there too, Jontell. Have you forgotten? At that party, all of us were there," Gavriil reminds him this time. "During the bombing incident, Leigh was there too. If it weren't for me, he would have...he would have died with the rest of the Stepanov Clan. So why is it so easy for all of you to think she'd want to kill her only son?

     "Gav..."

     "When I was a kid, my father didn't want me. He would call me a bastard son because during the time my mother was pregnant with me, she was cheating on him. Even when they checked the DNA results that proved that I was his real son, he still didn't want me," Gavriil suddenly explains as he turns away from Jontell.

     "During the time I stayed here, Madam Luna...she was like a mother to me. Because she was close friends with my mother, she took care of me here, and Leigh and I loved her very much. All her life, she was dubbed a monster when all she wanted was to protect her son. I swore in her grave that I would protect Leigh..."

     Gavriil takes a deep breath and hides the gun back before walking to his car. Before heading inside, Gavriil seriously looks back at Jontell. "Madam Luna isn't a monster. And Leigh isn't a monster either. The real monster...is me," he tells him, and like before, Jontell saw the growing darkness that was similar to what he saw when he first met Viktor. 

     Now he understands why Viktor and Gavriil never broke apart even when Max, Cindy, and Grey left. They never left each other's side because they were terrifyingly similar to each other. And it was that similarity that led Jontell to believe that this monster might not just be lurking beside the two of them.

     Contrary to what Gavriil said, birds of the same feather flock together. There will definitely come a time when this same monster will come to Max and Cindy too, and when these heirs start connecting all the puzzles and remembering their past...

     The power and chaos that the four of them will bring will no doubt cause fear to anyone who dares stand in their way. And no one in the entire world will be able to stop them.

     "I will do everything I can to make sure no one hurts him. I will prove Madam Luna's innocence, and whoever the real killer was...they better hide now because as soon as I find them, I'm going to drag them to hell with me. Mark my word," Gavriil finishes before finally heading inside the car.

     As soon as he drives off, Jontell touches his chest and suddenly lies on the ground to stare at the sky. Right after, he starts laughing.

     "Damn, now I know why I never fit in with them when we were kids," Jontell says, reaching out to the ring on his finger, which was an emblem of the Rosario family. "Looks like my mother is right. A storm really is coming soon."

- END -