The third point of view

Eden was troubled in his office. Ever since Isabella terrorized his daughter at his place, Anabelle has refused to leave her room not to talk of seeing him.

It was true Isabella was not a model child but she had never been this destructive, they had worked out just fine since their childhood amid their personality differences. What could have caused the rift this time?

Eden was still wondering what he could do to brighten his daughter's mood when his phone rang. Glancing down, it was a strange number, and would have ignored the call if he hadn't felt the urge to answer.

This was a restricted number, hence the only people that could get to it were his family members, a close circle of friends, and few business associates. So whoever was calling him with this unknown line, must mean something to him.

"Hello," He picked up with a bored tone.

"Oh, thank the universe you picked," He heard a somewhat familiar feminine voice.

Wait a minute, Eden's eyes widened.

"Reina...?"

"Yes, you guessed correctly,"

He was delighted, she finally called him. Though her company was active but finding this woman without help from questionable sources was like finding a needle in a haystack.

"I'm so happy to hear your voice. Ever Since you left me at the hospital, I've been searching -"

"Eden, I would have chit-chatted with you on normal days, but right now, I need your help,"

Eden's brows furrowed, why does she sound like she was in trouble.

"You're in trouble, aren't you?" it dawned on him.

"Yes and no: yes, there's trouble but no, I'm not the one in trouble but your cousin Niklaus and you're the only person who can save him," She revealed in one breath.

Eden had mixed feelings about this. Why was Niklaus in trouble and how did Reina get to know about that? Were Reina and Niklaus together?

"What the hell is happening? "He questioned, pushing aside his personal feelings.

"You were right, I'm Maya, "

It felt like a bomb went off in his head. From the start, Eden had an inkling that the girl was Maya come back to life somehow. But since her adamant rejection of that claim, he believed her and finally began to treat her like the Reina she allegedly claims to be.

Moreover, if she was Reina, that means dating and falling for her wouldn't be wrong since she wasn't Maya, his cousin's woman. But now, all his hopes came crashing down.

Amid that, Eden was relieved that she was alive - after all, he had contributed to her death. If he had protected his artist perfectly well, she wouldn't have been assaulted by angry anti-fans and pushed down a bridge.

"M-Maya?" his throat was clogged with emotion, " How did you -"

"I would have loved this emotional reunion and possibly reminisce the past with you but like I said, I don't have enough time and the life of Niklaus is in your hands," she told him with all manner of seriousness.

"Fine, what's going on?" Eden decided to leave this reunion for later. What mattered was finding that annoying cousin of his.

"Well, as you all know I'm Reina princess Armani but what you don't know is that I'm a Sakuzi. Sadly, it turns out that my father and Niklaus have quite a long history. He betrayed my father during a shady business deal which resulted in a shootout that claimed the life of the brother I don't know but called Maxwell and Kay, Niklaus's wife as well.."

Eden froze when that information was passed into his ears. It has been so long already, why was that case reopened again. If only they knew that he was the one who had leaked their location to the police force that night.

"Turns out that Sakuzi's are big on revenge and now, my father is insistent on hurting Niklaus. I've done my best but I'm helpless here neither is my father changing his mind anytime soon. Niklaus told me that I should seek you out, that you'd know what to do, "

Eden rubbed his jaw, thoughtfully. Was Niklaus telling him to confess? But if he does that, Sakuzi's anger would be shifted to him and probably multiplied since he had hidden that secret for years.

"I'm sorry but I can't do that, " Eden relayed.

"What?!" He sensed the disappointment in her tone, "You can't be serious,"

"I'm sorry but unlike Niklaus who has a daughter, father, aunt, and you, Anabelle has only me; nothing should happen to me," He told her.

"I never knew you were this selfish and here I was, about to tell you that I have the permanent cure for Anabelle's poison. So then, are you going to bust Niklaus in exchange for that?" She proposed a deal to him.

Eden thought hard over it and responded, "I'm sorry Reina but I still can't do it,"

"Even with the deal? "

"If you can find the cure, that means my team would make a breakthrough soon,"

"Niklaus must have been a fool for trusting you," She spat and hung up on him.

Eden sighed, rubbing his face with his palm as soon as the line disconnected. He wished he could help Niklaus out but Anabelle was more important; his daughter was too fragile to lose him now.

The moment Sakuzi finds out he hated the wrong person all those years, he'd feel played, added with the frustration and anger, who knows what he would do to him? End his life presumably?

But then, how long was he going to live like this? Eden was no going to lie, he has taken a life before - which was inevitable in this line of business - and though it stayed with him, none had tormented him so much than the secret of knowing he caused the death of

the woman he previously loved.

Eden felt a heaviness in his heart, no day passed by without him being reminded of what he had done to Kay. Perhaps, it was time to pay for his sins, time to make retribution for his crimes.

Eden picked up his phone and called his shadow guard at once, "I need you to track down a number and make arrangements, we are going to war,"

***********************

Niklaus was surprised when Sakuzi didn't bother him after separating him from Reina. That asshole Andrew was attaining revenge for what he did to him - framing him for public indecency and sending him to jail- he hurt him pretty badly.

He purposely didn't show an ounce of pain earlier, knowing that Reina would worry about him. Sadly, his joy was short-lived.

As expected of gangsters, the man rained punches on him till he was exhausted.

"Satisfied now?" Niklaus spat out blood from his mouth. That hurts.

"Do you know how long I've waited for this moment?" he said, ramming his fist into Niklaus' face.

His head whipped to the side from the impact, a groan drawn from his lips.

"You took away a son that should have ruled after me!" he yelled, tugging Niklaus' head backward by grabbing his hair painfully.

"And you took the mother of my child. Isabella was made motherless because of you," He retorted.

"That one's on you Niklaus, if you hadn't called the police plus put your wife in her place, she wouldn't have died. So try again for your mind games," Sakuzi growled, then grabbed his chin, turning it side to side as he scrutinized his features.

"I'm such a fool by forgetting that Reina loves beautiful things, no wonder she fell for you a second time," He said, thinking hard, "I wonder if she would still like you if your face is ugly and disfigured-that should settle the score between us," Sakuzi's eyes glinted malevolently.

"Seriously man, don't do this," Niklaus started to struggle to be free. That look in Sakuzi's eyes was enough of a warning sign that he wouldn't like his next plan. Plus, he loved his face, not that he was narcissistic or something - maybe a tad bit narcissistic - but the point is, this face has been with him for thirty-two years of his life, he wouldn't want to lose it.

Sure, he had the money to get plastic surgery done if he became hideous to the eyes. But the pain of whatever plan Sakuzi had installed would be borne by him. To summarize it all, Niklaus loved his face.

Sakuzi turned around, ordering his men, "Get the acid ready,"

Niklaus' eyes widened from shock and disbelief, this man wasn't about to give him an acid bath, right?

"Maxwell has been dead for twelve years, do you think he'd be happy for this blind revenge?" Niklaus tried to reach out to him before his face would be deformed. permanently.

"Why wouldn't he want this? You're the one who put him in an early grave,"

"Fine, let's be truthful here," Niklaus had enough of this nonsense, "All these years you've blamed me for being responsible for the whole catastrophe

when in reality, you caused it all,"

"What?" Sakuzi's expression shifted.

"I wasn't even the one who fired the gun that killed your son, he was caught in the crossfire just like my wife, Kay. A crossfire which you started! So if you want to take revenge, start with yourself, "

"Liar!" Sakuzi roared, angered by that false accusation.

He glared at Niklaus just as his men came in with his request. Niklaus groaned - he would have facepalmed if his hands were free - he just made things worse, didn't he?

"No, no, no," Niklaus shrank away just as two men came to unlock the cuffs. He fought hard but he was no match for them, and they subdued him in no time.

Niklaus was forced to his knee, his hand restrained by the men with two others coming to hold steady his legs so he doesn't shake and get acid on anyone else.

"You don't have to do this Sakuzi, we can figure another way out," He pleaded as the stoic looking man got increasingly close with the glass bowl containing the acid.

Niklaus watched his life flash before his eyes as Sakuzi grabbed his hair, planning to dip his face into the bowl when they were suddenly interrupted.

Oh, thank God.