11:05 am

Private Library,

Stefan's Manor

S T E F A N

"What do you mean?" I asked with impatience and controlled anger, looking at Elizabeth and Roman back and forth. Elizabeth and Roman looked at each other worriedly, then glanced at my parents. Huh?

Mom and Dad stood up. "We'll look for Oliver. Be patient Stef. Hear their side of the story," Dad said with a hint of plea and I nodded, then heaved a deep sigh. I stood up and kissed mom's cheek then gave dad a one-arm hug. I let Trevor and Devon stay and listen. They are my guards after all. They cannot be left in the dark.

Elizabeth took a deep breath and Roman held her hand tight. She looked at me and smiled a little. "We were enjoying our time in Thailand when Mara called. That was a month before the accident. She informed me about Elena's illegal deeds. We were both disappointed. We gave her everything and tried our best to treat both of them equally."

"But it was not enough for her. She wanted us to throw away Mara, our biological daughter, because she feels like we were not giving her enough attention. She even went as far as to attempt to crash Izen and Mara's wedding, but the security was tight. I wonder where we went wrong," Roman added tiredly and sighed.

"I told you she's crazy," Devon whispered and Trevor agreed. I also agree with them. Elena has a screw loose.

"The way you're telling the story, you're implying that Ollie's parents anticipated the accident. How did you even know about it? Ollie told me that his communication with you was blocked so he wasn't able to ask for help." This is confusing. When I called both of them to inform them what happened, they were surprised so I assumed that they did not know.

"You're right. Mara's warning was a premonition, and we also learned about the accident. We were so devastated," Roman murmured with a cracked voice and inhaled sharply, his eyes full of pain and regrets. Elizabeth rubbed his husband's back, and when he calmed down, continued the story.

Izen and Mara disclosed to Roman and Elizabeth everything; from a possible spy in the mansion who is allied with Elena to the corporate spies Elena placed on the other branches of the company. Oliver's hunch was right in the dot. It was the assistant butler. It turned out that he was in love with Elena and wanted so badly to please her. The old couple wanted to go home when they learned what was happening but Izen stopped them. It was not safe and Elena will notice that both of them are investigating Elena secretly. It was just a matter of time before everything was exposed.

Then the accident happened. Elizabeth and Roman needed so badly to return and support their grandchild, as well as mourn for Izen and Mara, but they felt someone was following them and tracking their movements. If they go home, Oliver could get hurt. The two pretended to be oblivious and 'enjoyed' their vacation, but deep inside, they were heartbroken.

A few days after the funeral, the feeling of someone tailing them vanished. "We were in Thailand when four men approached us. They introduced themselves as Olive's bodyguards." I furrowed my brows and stared at Elizabeth.

That's right. Oliver had bodyguards; he mentioned to me that he got bodyguards when his parents learned about the bullying. Fuck, I should go visit Peterson downstairs and give him a piece of my mind.

"They were also the ones who got rid of the people following us and told us that Oliver sent them. That he can't go abroad because Elena might get suspicious," Roman explained and I could help but feel rage. I clenched my fists until they turned white, feeling so confused about their story.

"Did you know what they did to Ollie after that? The harassment he received from Elena and his son? How they tried to break him and make him go insane?" I gritted my teeth and spat out angrily.

The older woman shed a tear and nodded. "We didn't abandon Olive, Stefan. Marc, the head of his security, went back when all threats were minimized a week after. He was the one who gave us updates about our boy. When we heard about his near-death accident, we were so devastated I had to rush Roman to the hospital. He almost had a heart attack." Elizabeth wiped her tears while Roman calmed him down.

If the head of security was there, why was he unable to protect Ollie? That's so fucked-up!

When I voiced my concern, Elizabeth told me that Marc was busy taking down the men that were following Oliver. He did not expect that something would happen to Oliver's car. Bullshit. That's just plain incompetence and too many excuses. I remained silent, but the anger in me was building up faster than I can control.

Roman glanced at me apologetically. "We can't go home until Olive celebrates his birthday. If we return home earlier than planned, Elena could use us against my grandson and take everything away from him. As much as it was crushing us to hear him suffer, all we can do was hope and pray that he survives."

"How did you meet my parents?"

"It was a coincidence. We were staying at the usual hotel and decided to eat downstairs when we saw Lucas with a business partner. That was a month ago, in Brunei. I told him everything that has happened. From then on, we devised a plan that will make Elena pay for everything she did," Roman informed us and that made my frown deepen.

"Hold up. Last month? But I thought my parents did not know? When I told them, Dad was angry I had to call him again the next day!" What the fuck is happening? Were we deceived after all? I don't like this. Unpleasant emotions twisted in my stomach and I was vibrating with anger that Elizabeth flinched when she glanced at me.

"Calm down, Stefan. Remember what your parents told you. Let's hear their side before you explode like a volcano," Trevor reminded me so I took a deep breath and waved my hand for them to continue.

Roman nodded and continued. "Yes, your parents knew but we asked them to keep quiet for a while. It would pose danger to both of you if Elena got wind of the news that we knew what was happening. But now that Olive's birthday is coming up, and the succession in less than two days, we decided to go back here."

I shook my head and scoffed. "That doesn't justify abandoning Ollie. Come on, you are Roman Ainsworth! You are powerful! You have lots of connections! Why were your hands tied? What's the use of all that money if you can't even protect your grandson from your adoptive daughter!" I exploded and pulled my hair roughly, my jaws tight, and my expression hard.

That is such a lame excuse. They are a powerful family yet they can't even control Elena? What the fuck? This is the most nonsensical thing I have heard in years!

"We can't!" Roman bellowed and the frustration in his voice is palpable. "Up until you met him, Elena has men surrounding Olive wherever he went. Marc can't handle them all. The three guards who were left behind had to protect us from Elena's goons whom she sent to kill us! Do you think she is a mere pest? Think again! She killed my daughter and son-in-law! She almost killed Olive! Do you think I have the courage to risk Olive's safety? I have to protect him by abandoning him! No matter how much it kills us. We trusted Olive; that he is strong. When you found him, our plan to persecute my adoptive daughter started," Roman burst out and held his chest, while Elizabeth calmed his husband down.

I filled my lungs with air and angrily looked heavenwards. Fuck it. So pathetic. There was another way: face Elena head-on but they chose the road where Oliver hurt the most.

Yes, Ollie is strong, but even strong people get hurt and break down. Strong people are human too. They have feelings. They get tired and break down. Just because someone is strong doesn't mean that they can handle everything. In fact, some people decided to be strong because they got fed up being weak and powerless.

I turned toward the couple again with my blank stare. "I don't buy it. Something is up. What a cowardly thing to do. You said you want to protect Ollie yet you hurt him the most. He was devastated and broken after his parent's death. After that, he almost lost his life and almost went insane because Elena kept on terrorizing him. That went on for three months. of pain and heartache yet you didn't do a thing. You just hid, scared of your fucking adoptive daughter," I spat bitterly and was about to leave the room when Roman spoke.

"Why do you think you and Olive bumped with each other? Coincidence? Serendipity? Destiny?" Roman smirked and scoffed. "You should stop believing in fairy tales, young man. It was thanks to us that you met him."

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fist, not bothering to glance back. "Well, thank you, but it was three months too late. If I had known him earlier, I could have protected him, just like what Ollie did to both of you when he sent his guards over. Don't you ever hold it against me or him, because if there's anyone else braver than all of us, it was Ollie. If I was in your position, I would have handled the situation differently." I went for the door and slammed it, massaged my temples and screamed, as I punched and punched the nearby wall until my knuckles bleed and numbed from pain.

Fuck everything! Oliver suffered because of his grandparent's cowardice. How could they do that to my baby? Oliver was hurt and scared. If we hadn't met that time, then he would suffer another month of torture.

Just imagining it was ripping my heart to shreds. Tears started welling up in my eyes and my breathing got heavier. I feel like being crushed. I swear, after this, they won't be able to get near Oliver.

"Shit! Are you out of your mind, Stefan? No matter how much you punch the wall it won't fight back," Trevor mocked me and I glared at him. I didn't notice that he followed me. He put his hands up in surrender and sighed. "Chill. Are you sure you want to continue beating up that wall? Oliver would be so heartbroken if he saw that you hurt yourself. Again."

I froze and my hand stopped midway from punching the poor wall again. Fuck. Oliver will be so mad. I promised him that I will take better care of myself...yet... I looked down at my hands; they were bleeding profusely, the skin broken, almost purple from the strong impact. I winced when a stinging pain coursed through my veins.

I glanced at Trevor helplessly and he shook his head, knowing how much trouble I will be in later. "Tsk. I'll help you later, but let's treat your wound for now." I nodded and followed him to the room next to the library. It was a mini-clinic, but complete with medical equipment and facilities like a small hospital. This is where Trevor treats Devon and I's injuries when we came back from a fight.

After cleaning my wounds, applying antiseptic, and wrapping my knuckles with a bandage, he sighed and sat in the chair across me. He also cleaned and treated the inside of my palm which was hurt yesterday. "You should've controlled yourself. I thought you were more level-headed than this, Stefan. Instead, you went berserk." The irritation in his voice made me grit my teeth.

"What?" I glared at him but he just shook his head.

"If you had remained calm, you would have noticed that there was something wrong with the story."

All my senses went on full alert and stared at Trevor, bewildered. I creased my forehead. "What do you mean?"

"They're lying."

My heart stopped beating when I heard his reply. Trevor and Devon were trained by the very best. They were excellent negotiators, but are beasts when crossed. I trust them with my life because our bond goes beyond blood. "Which part?" I asked breathlessly.

"Yes, they were worried that Elena will do something to Oliver, but that's not the reason why they were not able to return here." Trevor stood up and pushed a button on the wall and scanned his fingerprint, the cabinets opening up like a secret door. Well, it is.

We entered the door and we were inside Trevor's domain in just five minutes. There are parts of the mansion that I gave them the freedom to modify. I even allocated an enormous budget for their security agency,

The space is surrounded by high-end devices and equipment. A very large monitor is positioned at the middle wall, several data analyses popping up. Trevor's team consists of ten members, all are excellent in their fields. Right now, the team is busy hacking and extracting information related to Elena and her allies. We stepped down the stairs and settled on the landing, Trevor calling Mei, one of his staff, to come up.

When she saw me, she bowed and greeted me. "Good day, Sir." Then she turned to Trevor. "Is there any problem, Boss?"

"Mei. I want you to show Stefan what we discovered about Roman and Elizabeth Ainsworth." Mei nodded and pulled a remote device from her pocket. I turned to Trevor, confused. "Just wait. Mei will explain it to you." I nodded and stared at the monitor.

Mei pushed a button and the profile of Roman and Elizabeth popped up. Then, a medical file was opened, showing a recent hospital discharge form. "What is the meaning of this?" My mind is swirling from too many emotions, as I stared at the file.

"The reason why both Elizabeth and Roman were not able to go back was because Elizabeth was undergoing medical treatment from a very rare disease. Oliver thought that it was for a vacation, but his parents did not want Oliver to worry. They stayed in New Zealand for almost four months. Elizabeth was in a coma for three months. When she woke up and learned about Izen and Mara, she suffered depression and became unresponsive."

I gaped at the new information. "What about mom and dad? Do they know about this?"

Trevor nodded. "In fact, they were the ones who suggested that the old couple go to New Zealand. A genius doctor resides there, and he became Elizabeth's doctor."

"How did they know about Izen and Mara?"

"Remember Oliver's guards?" I nodded. "They were the ones who relayed the information. As much as Roman wanted to get Oliver, there was still the threat of Elena. At that time, Elizabeth was still in a coma and he can't leave his wife. Moreover, he was busy managing the empire, now that Izen and Mara were gone."

What Roman could do was hope that Oliver stayed strong. Izen left a huge power vacuum and Roman will not let Elena take advantage of the situation so he sent Marc back and the three remained and helped Roman subdue the company spies across the remaining branches.

It took them three months to clean the entire organization. Trevor also mentioned that The Phantom was the one supplying false information about the other branches to Elena. She believes that her schemes are working and in no time, will hold the largest share of the empire.

"Marc was left to protect Oliver, and he was able to successfully take down the ones who attempted to take Oliver's life, but there were instances where someone was still able to terrorize your baby. I want you to understand that if Marc wasn't there, Oliver won't even last a day. That's how much Elena wanted to kill Oliver."

A chill ran through my nerves as the beast inside me started to wreak havoc. My hand gripped the railing and closed my eyes shut. This is a mess. Everything is so fucked up. "How did you know all of this?" That was a dumb question, considering that The Phantom monopolizes the flow of information.

Trevor met my eyes and I gulped when I noticed how serious he was. "Marc is my fraternal twin and yes, I knew about Oliver all along. And your accidental meeting with Oliver? It was all planned." Just like that, Trevor dropped multiple bombs that blew my mind and shook my system. In a flash, a hard punch landed on his jaw. He wobbled and glared at me, rubbing his hurt jaw.

"What the fuck? What was that for!" He screamed and brushed his hair back, his amber eyes darkening as he fixed his cold gaze on me. I even forgot that Trevor has a twin because Trevor mentioned that his brother went abroad.

"You knew about Oliver yet you didn't help him from the start! We have tons of resources at our disposal! You should have helped Marc and got rid of Elena earlier!"

"We can't do that. We didn't have enough evidence that time."

"Bullshit. You are the head of the intelligence unit. You are supposed to know everything." I bellowed yet Trevor remained calm.

He accepted the handkerchief handed to him by Mei and wiped the blood on the side of his lips. "Do you know how frustrating it is not to know everything?" Trevor's voice is dripping with frustration, bitterness, and anger.

"Quit the suspense and just let it all out in the open." My voice was hard and stern, as I stared at him.

"When we learned about Izen and Mara's accident, the first thing we did was a search for the footage but it was deleted instantly. It took us a month to recover the file. When we found out who the culprit was, both Devon and I wanted Elena behind bars but our evidence was not enough. We can't rely on circumstantial evidence. We need solid proof of her illegal deeds."

He sat down on the nearby couch and I did the same. He clasped his hands and took a deep breath. "Then a month after their death, a video file was sent to my computer. That was two months ago. I was suspicious at first, but when I saw the logo, I knew it was authentic. Izen told us that the evidence we were looking for was left in the care of Oliver, and that we should follow his plans. Soon, Oliver will call Lucas or anyone from your family. But it seemed that Oliver forgot all about it. He was just overcome with grief and sorrow that he forgot the note his parents left him. Oh, and he was preoccupied escaping the clutches of his evil aunt and demonic cousin," Trevor breathed out and gritted his teeth.

Fuck, it hurts. My head throbbed from information overload and the unpleasant emotions that settled in my chest never vanished.

"We won't take action unless Oliver's birthday is near. We can't arouse suspicion from Elena or else the sacrifices of Izen and Mara will be useless. Thank God we were able to extract the additional will. That was one of the hardest projects I did. It was encrypted by several codes and the security system was ten times harder to decode. We decided to take action this month because it was time."

"Wait, so you mean to say... you could not find any evidence about Elena's illegal operations? And the chip that Ollie kept was the one you were searching for?" He nodded and I furrowed my brows.

I understand that Oliver's life would be in danger if they did not follow Izen's plans. Elena will do everything to get a hold of the evidence. Was Izen anticipating that they were going to face their end soon? "Was there no evidence at all? How did that happen? Was it deleted?"

Trevor shook his head and sighed. "It was not deleted, per se. Izen made sure that everything was hidden. He can't afford for the evidence to leak before showtime. It was Izen's strategy so Elena will let her guard down and think that she's invincible," Trevor explained.

"Izen? He kept on popping in this conversation for a while now. What's Izen got to do with this whole thing aside from the fact that he gathered the pieces of evidence?"

Trevor smirked and an image flashed on the huge monitor. Izen Jacobs Pines. Co-founder and Head of the Intelligence Unit of The Phantom. Fuck. So that's why.