'It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Everywhere you go;

Take a look in the five-and-ten, glistening once again

With candy canes and silver lanes aglow'

ヽ(￣д￣;)ノ=3=3=3

"Do you remember anything of this day?" I pass my laptop to Noah which is pouring tea for Ace as we've all calmed down.

Once he sees the screen, his figure stiffens but his sad smile stays.

"The day I lost everything important to me," he thinks out loud.

"What was the thing Antonio needed of you to keep me alive?" I ask and watch him sigh deeply.

"My gang was mainly known for it's technology and secret hacking projects that won us the money without having to get innocent people involved. However, I started to get selfish with the power that I had and decided to mingle within other gang's business which started earning my gang enemies," he explains.

"Antonio being one of them?" I ask.

"Tony being my co-leader in that," that's where I started to get confused.

"Tony and I started the gang because we both were really poor and wanted a home to belong to since we were both orphans. We met with a couple of guys in shanty towns until our names spread and we created a small group to get some money.

"But as I said, as our group became bigger, members started craving more of the power we had. Tony and I thought it would be a testing period to see if anyone found out it was us," he stops.

"How did you know people found out?" I bring my legs to the sofa to feel more comfortable.

"When we got a call informing us of Antonio's brother and sister's murder with a message left behind," he looks up from his cup with sad eyes.

"He obviously blamed me for it since I was the one with the brains that pushed for our project to move forward and soon left the country without any trace.

"I took that time to expand my knowledge in hacking thinking if I was powerful enough, no one would be able to threaten my family, your mother.

"A couple of years passed, and I started to become a monarch with the gang since I became so powerful that members weren't always sure of my intentions. When the word got out that I figured out a strategy in which I can break through any system, Tony attacked me in my house and locked me in the basement which is what you see in the video.

"It was indeed a complicated system of formulas that took me years to master and no one would figure it out anyway but he was so desperate for answers that he came after the one thing I had left, you," he laughs sadly.

"You created the program to protect your family but instead, it broke it apart?" I summarize.

"I knew some gang will start threatening you once they knew I had a daughter, but I didn't expect it to come from my former best friend," he shakes his head.

"Then where were you?" I stare at him with no emotions on my face. "For the next 20 years of my life, why were you nowhere to be seen?"

"Well, at first I didn't know where to look—"

"Spare me the excuses mister best hacker," I scoff, feeling Ace's hand on my thigh telling me to stay calm.

"All my technology and money got stolen away the day you were taken from me but I still tried! When I found you, Antonio was still breathing down my neck and it was already a year later where you were in a foster system," he defends himself.

"Then what about the next five years? Ten? Fifteen? Not once did I hear from you or of you," I spit out.

"To be honest, I lost track of time when I flew to Australia and by the time you were in high school, I lost all information about you. It's like they erased everything about you in the system," of course Daniel would do such thing.

Having no other thing to say, I lean backwards to meet with the sofa and sigh in conflict. Seeing that I wasn't going to speak, Ace takes the time to update Noah about our situation with Antonio while I tune them out and think what my alleged father just told me about his life.

"Do you really believe him?" I whisper to Ace when Noah was upstairs.

"From what he's saying, and the way he looked, I would say he's been honest with us so far," he shrugs.

"Maybe, but I just get a bad feeling towards him," I lean on his shoulder and let him rub small circles on my hip.

"Are you sure it's not just because he's your father that you didn't know you had?" He raises an eyebrow at me, smirking.

"Oh shut up, you know what I mean," I roll my eyes, laughing along.

"My my, such a lovely couple you are," Noah returns to the living room but I make no attempts to pull away from Ace's shoulder showing no interest in his remark.

"Thank you sir," Ace says politely earning a weird stare from me. He motions with his eyes towards me then him, indicating he wants to look good in front of my dad so I stifle my giggle and nod seriously with a smile.

"Well it's getting late, we should head back," I say, finally pulling from Ace.

"Are you sure you can't stay? I have extra bedrooms since it doesn't seem you kids slept at all since yesterday," he offers.

"That's fine, we can manage," but Ace just stares at me. "What?" I whisper.

"Well, you fell asleep in the car and could barley move. The road will take another half and hour and you haven't slept much. Plus, your dad is offering you a chance to stay with him and figure more things out," he whispers quickly, making some parts inaudible.

Thinking of staying with my mother's sperm donor at his house makes me want to leave right away, but Ace also has a point. There's no point in going back to the mallows when they're mostly taking a power nap right now with no immediate danger that surrounds us.

"Very well then, sorry for the intrusion," I sigh in defeat and the smile on Noah's face gets much wider.

"Shall I get you separate rooms?" Noah says as we're walking up the stairs. I pause and take a look at him, then back at Ace questioning if he's serious. Ace only tries to stop himself from laughing, motioning for me to be nice.

"Uhm, no no, I think two adults in a serious relationship can sleep in the same room. Wouldn't you say so honey?" I bat my lashes at Ace, giving him the nicest fakest smile.

"We do live together after all," he says in a comedic way. Noah stops and blinks at both of us, sensing the sarcasm.

"How silly of me, of course you would want to sleep in the same room when in a stranger's house," no, I really don't think he gets it.

I exaggerate by waving my arms to his back when he's not looking, mouthing a more dramatic REALLY? to Ace while we continue walking to our room.

When we arrive, I quickly wipe the sarcasm off my face and smile another fake smile as Noah starts talking.

"Well, I will see you in the morning then," he awkwardly waves and heads downstairs to where I'm assuming his room is.

"Can you believe this guy?" I point to the staircase.

"Oh no, how dare he be as nice as he could be to his daughter he hasn't seen in years with all the guilt eating him away!?" Ace says dramatically.

"You know, I liked you better when you were all mean and quiet," I refer to when we first met.

"Oh you love me," he kisses my temple laughing.

these chapters have just been reflecting on my mood lately so they're all over the place. so depending on what i watch or read, it'll probably be how the chapter will be themed :))