"Your Highness, please think it twice. This might only worsen your condition more." Matthew stood in front of the door where the Prince was about to enter. He blocked his way, begging him not to enter the room.

"Your cousin is right, Matthew. Hiding from reality won't solve anything. It's time for me to carry on the task that awaits me." Felix argued and glanced at his wristwatch. "Move." He commanded.

​​

"But Your Highness - "

"I will be fine." Felix calmly said, assuring his right-hand man.

"Then I will enter with you." Matthew promptly said, observing the Prince's reaction.

The Crown Prince fell silent for a while and sighed. "Fine. I have no problem with that." He pointed the door with his chin and glanced at Matthew. "I'm running out of time. Will you move now?"

Hearing his words, Matthew move and opened the door for the Prince with a bit of reluctance.

Taking a deep breath, Felix walked inside the room and the first thing he saw was Alonzo who was sitting on the chair. He narrowed his eyes at his cousin and when he saw both of his hands being bound to the chair by handcuffs, he felt a stinging pain in his heart.

Never once did the Prince thought there would come a day when he witnessed his cousin in such a condition!

"You finally came. I was wondering when the mighty Crown Prince would visit me." Alonzo's voice was still full of sarcasm and contempt just like the day he was arrested. There was not a single hint of remorse!

Without saying anything, Felix sat on the chair opposite to him. His eyes were still fixated on Alonzo hands that were cuffed. Then he turned to Matthew. "Ask the authorities to uncuff him at least during my visit."

"Your Highness." Matthew worriedly glanced down at the Prince but the latter remained still, proving that his decision was set in stone.

"It troubled me so much and I can't think of anything else," Felix added in a low voice.

"I understand." Matthew bowed and quickly left the room.

There was a glimpse of amazement in Alonzo's eyes. "Are you here to mock me?" He uttered, gazing straight at his cousin.

"Alonzo, even if you have no regret, can't you pretend like you have one?" Felix's voice was still low and finally, he shifted his gaze from the cuffs to his cousin's face. "At least, I will feel bad if you act that way. Because even if I want to show mercy, it's not up to me anymore."

"I have no regrets. Why would I pretend? Do you even know how tiring it was for me to pretend all the time?" Alonzo scorned. "You're always weak, Felix."

"No, you're wrong. The weak one is you. You let yourself be blinded. You allow your life to be destroyed by petty jealousy."

"Shut up! You don't know me!" Alonzo grunted, fiercely glancing at Felix.

"Do you know why I don't call myself weak when it comes to you?" Felix asked. "It's because I still worry about you. Even after what you did, I still care about you. I won't do that if I'm weak as you said."

The door was opened and one Agent of the NIA entered along with Matthew. He uncuffed Alonzo and then turned to the Prince. "In case something happens, I will be on standby outside, Your Highness." He bowed and left the room again.

"Aren't you scared? I might even harm you." Alonzo promptly asked him with a mocking smile.

"I won't let that happen. You're no better than me in that field." Felix simply replied.

"Don't you know our difference, Felix? Unlike me, you have a kind heart while I can easily kill without even blinking an eye." Alonzo spatted, placing both his palms on the table which separated them.

"Don't you know that's the exact thing that makes you a monster?" Felix retorted. He still couldn't get used to this side of Alonzo yet it's the bitter truth which he must accept.

"Is that why you kill Cayden too? Just because you are capable of killing him?" He added, meeting Alonzo's gaze. For the first time, Alonzo could see anger in his eyes!

Alonzo sneered at him. "I only want to distract you while I'm abducting your fiancee. Besides, he betrayed me. Why should I spare him?"

Felix shook his head. "You're wrong again, Alonzo. Betrayal is possible only when there is trust and loyalty. You never trust Cayden and he was never loyal to you. Everything was done by force and without consent. How can there be a betrayal?" He made a deliberate paused and said, "I'm the real one who suffered the betrayal. Unlike you, I trust him wholeheartedly."

"You killed Cara and Cayden, you forced Gina into submission because she witnessed you killing Cara and... you abducted and harm Yelena. Do your sins ever haunt you? It's a miracle that you are still fine." He added.

Alonzo snickered, mocking at his cousin's question. "Haunt? That's for the weak!" He scoffed.

"No. That's just a part of human nature." Felix rose from his seat and glanced down at his cousin. "Alonzo, I just realized that you already lost all the humanity in you. What do I even expect from you?"

Alonzo stood up and slammed the table. "Shut your mouth! Don't you know that you're the one who turned me into this?"

Hearing the sound of the table being slammed, the Agent who was on standby outside quickly rushed in.

Felix looked at his cousin and shut his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, he let out a breath. "I want you to think about just this, Alonzo. I don't care even if you hate me to death but... what about my aunt? What about your mother who cannot recover from her illness ever since she heard about her only son's demonic nature? Think about that."

All at once, Alonzo's face turned pale but Felix didn't care anymore. He turned his back at his cousin and walked out of the room with Matthew.

"Come back here, Felix Valestra! You cannot just leave like that!" Alonzo shouted. He tried to run out of the room but the Agent holds him back. "What about my mother?! Tell me!" He shouted at the top of his lungs but it was useless as the Prince had already left.

Soon, the other Agents rushed in and cuffed him on the chair again. No matter how much he struggled, there was no use!

Now, he was all alone in the small interrogation room again. His mother occupied all his mind. In his opinion, she was the only one who truly cared about him! "Mother... " He chanted continuously and it lasted for minutes. For the first time, tears were forming in his eyes and rolled down his face as he shut his eyes.

* * *

It was around 1 p.m. in Silveren. After getting that report and meeting with Colonel Arias two days ago, Yelena could barely concentrate on her work. If it wasn't for Jason's help, she might face many difficulties.

She was sitting in her office with Jason Moravsky, discussing about her mother's surgery. They confirmed yesterday that there was a donor and the doctor said that he will schedule a surgery after checking her mother's condition. Then Julia Corell informed her that Thomas Faery was here to see her.

He was an unwanted visitor for the Acting Chairwoman. Thomas Faery was one of the executives who protested against her the most. As such, she wasn't that pleased to meet him.

"Let's continue our discussion later. I will meet the annoying man first." Yelena said with a bit of sarcasm. She already had so much on her plate but those executives won't leave her alone!

"I think it's better for me to stay." Jason assumed but Yelena shook her head.

"It's fine. I cannot let those executives think that I hide behind you. I will face them and shut them. I'm tired of this." She dryly said.

"I'm afraid for you but now that I look at you, I think it should be the opposite." Jason mused. After staring at Yelena for a while, he finally rose from his seat. "Good luck then. I trust you."

As soon as Jason Moravsky left, a middle-aged man who might be the same age as her mother entered the office.

"Have a seat, Mr. Faery. What brings you here?" Yelena promptly said, hiding her displeasure. She faked a small smile.

Thomas Faery sat on the couch in the left and turned to Yelena. "It's no important matter, Chairwoman. I heard something interesting, so I come to discuss with you."

His confident attitude and proud demeanor; it made Yelena wondered what he heard. Was it about her? "What do you mean?" She asked, acting as if she didn't care much.

"Somehow, I get my hands on your whereabouts during all those years. To be more precise, I realized why your mother was always being caught up in the issue of an heir." Though he puts up a little smile, beneath it was a sly smile which Yelena didn't fail to notice.

Apart from a few relatives and close friends, no one knows about her career. Then how did this cunning fox find it out?! Did he hired someone to tail her or... She glanced at Thomas Faery with almost a mocking smile. "You investigate me?"

Thomas Faery chuckled. "You take it too seriously, Chairwoman. I only want to know more about our new leader. That's all. But..." He paused, gently tapping his thigh with his fingers. "I never know that the result would be this interesting. It's beyond my expectation."

"You're quite bold, Mr. Faery," Yelena remarked. She didn't care much even if they knew about her past but... his attitude really gets on her nerves!

"I hope you understand, Chairwoman. Maybe because the result truly shocked me. No wonder we don't hear anything about you all those years. You were in the Army, serving as a Captain. I even heard that you're among the elites. I feel assured thinking how capable you are." There was a lopsided smile on his face which really irritated Yelena.

"You're right." She agreed with a smile. "I'm a soldier. But do you know this, Mr. Faery? A soldier like me is better in action than talking. Do you want me to show you what a soldier is best at?" Her smile slowly faded which made the man uncomfortable or even intimidated.

"But mark my words. If that happens, you won't like it." The moment she finished talking, her lips curved into a smile again as if she means no harm.....