1:20 am

The Penthouse,

Azure Paradise, LA

S T E F A N

"Come again? Pietro is your what?!" Elizabeth bit her lip and burst into tears. Fuck. Things are getting more complicated.

I exhaled sharply and stood up, then went straight to the kitchen. I think I have some tissue boxes kept here somewhere. After opening several cabinets, I pulled out a box of Kleenex and headed straight to the fridge.

I grabbed a pitcher of water and went back to the living room. I offered her some water and tissues, and she nodded.

"Thank you. You're very swe--" I raised my hand to stop her. "Nope. Don't go there. My baby's the only one who can call me that word."

She nodded and wiped her tears. I waited for her to calm down but my mind was running wild, trying to connect the dots from the little information she gave.

Pietro Cordovez is Alejandro Perez. Perez? Why is that name familiar? I reached for my laptop and sent a mail to Trevor. I know he can get me the information in an hour. I closed my laptop and stared at Elizabeth. She was finally able to regain her composure. "Tell me everything."

She seemed hesitant but nodded. By the time she finished, my expression was hard and my eyes were blank. When Elizabeth left, I pulled my hair and screamed when I got to the bathroom. I don't have to worry about Oliver hearing me because the bathroom is soundproofed.

Dammit! Did Ollie suffer because of that? Did he lose his parents because of petty revenge and crushed ego?

I sat on the floor and pulled my knees. I tried to even my breathing and clear my mind, but what Elizabeth shared earlier kept on replaying in my mind.

Alejandro Perez, also known as Pietro Cordovez, was Elizabeth's ex-fiance and childhood sweetheart.

"I didn't know that Pietro and Alejandro were the same. I should've listened to my guts when Roman introduced Pietro to me a year ago. I got a bad feeling." She chewed her lips nervously and clasped her hands.

"When did you find out that Pietro and Alejandro were one?"

"Two weeks ago, a death threat was sent to our villa. Roman was busy at the company so he wasn't able to see it. We were also preoccupied with our meeting with Olive." She picked up the glass and gulped the liquid. "The content was more on killing Roman and making sure that he will get his hands on me soon. The penmanship was familiar, so I hurriedly went to Roman's office and saw a hand-written note from Pietro. Then, everything clicked," she confessed in terror and nervously ran her fingers through her hair.

Dammit. "What's your relationship with Pietro before? Did your relationship end on a good note?"

She frowned and shook her head. "My father was very strict and conservative. He wants me to marry someone who will give me a good life, and Pietro was not like that. He's just a newspaper boy, but his honesty and kindness got to me. I fell," she reminisced with a small smile on her lips.

"When he asked me to be his girlfriend after meeting in secret a couple of times, I agreed. But he was a wolf in sheep's clothing. He became possessive and obsessive. He always talked ill about my parents, even my friends. He wanted to control my life. Then one day, we were at our secret meeting place in the woods a few miles from town when he started forcing himself on me. It was so scary. I could not move from shock but when I realized what was happening, I tried to fight him." I gritted my teeth and the memory that resurfaced on my mind was what Peterson did to my baby.

Fuck! I will make sure to torture Pietro the way I did with Peterson when I get my hands on him.

I gritted my teeth and exhaled sharply. "You can tell me another time. I know how hard it must have been for you. I'm not a monster. I don't want you to recall a detestable memory just because I want to know everything." I can just wait for Trevor's mail. I don't want her to be subjected to unnecessary torture.

I brushed my hair and sighed. "I may not be fond of you because of what happened to Ollie, but Roman takes the cake. You had your own share of burdens, so I don't want to put you in a tight spot. Ollie adores you after all."

Elizabeth smiled and wiped her tears. "I'm glad that Olive met you. You're a good man. Straightforward and frank. I can see how much you love Olive. Please take care of our boy. I give my blessings to you."

My tough facade cracked and my throat clamped, knots forming in my throat. Damn! I don't know why but it hit so close to home. Hearing someone acknowledge what I have with Oliver just made my heart swell with so much happiness.

Well, my parents were another story. They have been on board with me from the start. However, Elizabeth and Roman are different. "Are you sure? Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your blessings. But are you really alright with this? I mean, me and Oliver?"

She smiled and her eyes twinkled. "As long as Olive is happy, I'm on board. All we want is Olive's happiness," she sincerely answered and a huge burden was lifted off my shoulders.

Even if I'm not particularly fond of Oliver's grandparents, their acknowledgment of our relationship still made me happy.

Even though I told her not to, Elizabeth continued her story. Roman was patrolling around the area at that time and came to her rescue. It turned out that their meeting place was part of Roman's estate. Roman saved her and took care of her. Her father was livid and used all of his connections to have Pietro exiled which was not so hard.

Roman and Elizabeth became friends and started to develop feelings for each other. Then at their wedding, Pietro came back and caused a commotion, cursing Roman and Elizabeth, and promising to seek revenge.

The couple thought that everything was all good since almost two decades passed without any news from him... until a year ago. I believe that was when Pietro's plan started.

When I asked Elizabeth if Elena's adoption may be part of Pietro's plan, she shook her head. "I don't think so. We just saw Elena's biological mother by coincidence. She was outside the church we always passed by from work. Then one winter night, we saw her lying on the floor, her baby clutched against her chest, protecting her from the cold. We tried sending her to the hospital but she was dead on arrival. We processed all the legal documents and adopted Elena."

According to Elizabeth's investigation, Elena's mother was one of Pietro's rape victims. My vision went red for a second when I heard that. I respect my mother very much, so hearing women get abused and violated just like that made me boil with anger.

Elizabeth and Roman didn't know how Pietro figured out that Elena was his daughter, but I have a feeling that he already knew when he became friends with Roman. All of this for a fucking, petty revenge. Oliver had to suffer so much because of a man's twisted and egoistic love.

I sucked a breath and rubbed my eyes harshly. I need to get it together. I have to be strong for Oliver. I have to make everything better for him. I will make sure that this problem will be resolved immediately.

With a heavy heart, I got up and freshened up. I can't let Oliver see me looking so devastated. He's smart. He'll know what's up. I can't let him worry about me. He has too much on his plate.

I went out of the bathroom and frowned when I saw my phone blinking and vibrating. It was Trevor. I picked up the call and Trevor blew a loud breath. "Finally! I have been calling you since thirty minutes ago. Where were you?" Trevor hissed in annoyance and glared at me.

I sighed and opened my laptop. "I had some business to take care of. I'm checking my laptop. Did you send it to me?"

I heard him sigh deeply. "Yes, but it's better if I explain everything through a video call. I also notified Devon. He'll join us."

"Got it. Thanks." The call ended and I accepted Trevor's video call. Trevor looked haggard and stressed, but when Jesse brushed his hair and kissed him softly, Trevor's expression lit up.

Now I miss my baby. Trevor is really fond of Jesse. I'm expecting to hear wedding bells this year. After all, Jesse will soon graduate and I feel bad for Trevor because Jesse kept on rejecting Trevor's marriage proposals. They love each other so much and even if I'm intrigued about Jesse's reason for refusing to marry Trevor, I don't want to butt in.

When Jesse noticed me, he waved at me and I gave him a small smile, then he left the room to give us some privacy. Devon joined the call a few seconds after, a serious expression on his face while eating his coffee-flavored cookies. Trevor rolled his eyes and I chuckled. "Stop eating, will you?"

Devon frowned and swallowed his cookies before answering. "Fuck you, Trevor. Get off my back and stop glaring at my cookies. It will taste bad," Devon hissed and took a mouthful of his sweets.

Trevor just shook his head. Sporting a very serious expression, I brushed my hair back. "Guys, 911."

Trevor and Devon dropped everything and put on their professional hat. 911 means serious discussion that involves a grave danger; this is a very dangerous situation.

"Elizabeth was just here a few minutes ago." Then I told them what Elizabeth and I talked about, from start to finish. The two of them remained serious with blank expressions.

After a few seconds, Trevor shared his screen. "I don't want to say this, but we got ourselves in a huge mess." A pictured popped on the monitor that made me frown.

"Who's that?" The man's information and background profile appeared on the screen. My body turned cold and I froze.

Don Felipe Garcia, is a drug overlord of an international drug cartel based in South America. Even with a blank expression, the man exudes authority and danger. It would be smart to steer clear of him.

"Pietro owes him big, and their organization is after his head."

Yeah, I thought so. Sometimes, stupid people like Pietro just can't help but provoke a dangerous predator.

"How big are we talking about?" Devon asked and squinted his eyes.

"Billions of dollars. When I heard Stef's story about Elizabeth and Pietro's past, everything clicked. Elizabeth's father strongly disapproved of Pietro for his daughter because he was penniless. When Pietro was exiled, he worked in an underground organization. He became a pusher for Don Felipe. When Pietro witnessed how Roman became successful throughout the years, happily married, he was overcome with jealousy and hate. He wanted to get even."

"He stole money from the organization to make Elizabeth see what she lost, is that it?!" I concluded and bellowed, but the two of them didn't flinch. Of course, they are scarier and more formidable when crossed.

Trevor sighed and nodded. Devon rubbed his hurt ears and glared at me. "Will you calm down, Stefan? My ears hurt."

I looked at him apologetically and he nodded. Then I turned my attention to Trevor. "I know this is a stupid question, but how did you find out about this so fast?"

Trevor sent another picture of a man. "When you asked me to gather information about a certain Alejandro Perez, this picture popped up."

I examined the picture and noticed something. He is oddly familiar. "Is this him before the surgery?"

"Yes. He had to undergo reconstructive surgery to escape Don Felipe, however, five months ago, the organization found Pietro. He needed to return 40 billion USD in the next two weeks or he will be subjected to endless torture before being killed."

"Five months? Isn't that the time when the Ainsworth-Pines empire started having problems... Fuck." I widened my eyes when realization dawned on me. I stared at my friends, shell-shocked. The seriousness in their eyes confirmed my theory just now. Someone was pulling the strings the whole time. "The embezzlement and offshore accounts... it was all Pietro. Elena has nothing to do with it."

"Not entirely true. Elena was just being her greedy self, and when she heard about her biological father's revenge, she went with him. She also wanted to get back at Izen and Mara."

I nodded and massaged my temples. "Makes sense. There's more to this case, I know. Izen and Mara's death... it was the organization's doing, right?"

Trevor nodded sadly. "A video was sent to me minutes ago. I need you to watch this. We'll give you privacy. Call us again if you're ready to formulate a plan." I nodded and both of them ended the call.

My phone vibrated and read Trevor's message. 'By the way, we haven't played the video or anything. It was addressed to you. Good luck, man.'

For me? And why is he wishing me luck?

I don't know why but I feel so nervous. Fuck, I don't like this. This feeling of dread and anxiety slowly consuming me is making me lose my mind. I swallowed the lodge in my throat and filled my lungs with air. I clicked the notification and played the video. The video was dated a week before their accident.

The monitor was black at first but after a few seconds, a couple entered the camera. Despite their collected expression, the storm in their eyes suggested otherwise.

The man with a dark brown gaze, black-rimmed eyeglasses against his messy hair, cleared his throat. This is Izen. The resemblance he had with Oliver was uncanny but he's stricter and far from the gentle personality Oliver has. Mara was at his side, holding his hands. Oliver must have inherited her soft and gentle features. She has dark circles around her eyes, and the stress was getting to both of them.

Izen looked straight into the lens, and I felt my heart stop when he called my name. "Stefan Alexandrei. I hope you're treating our precious son well. Don't wrack your brains on how I knew that you're with Oliver. I'm awesome like that." He smirked and pouted afterward when Mara elbowed him.

Then it was Mara who stared at the camera. "Hello, Stefan. Don't mind this big baby. I was thankful that I was able to convince him to keep his threats in moderation. It's his dream to be able to torture Ollie's suitor because no one deserves our baby, his words, not mine," she chuckled in amusement. Izen frowned and his jaw tightened.

"No one is good for our Oliver, Mara. No one," he insisted, but his wife waved him dismissively.

"Yes, yes. No one is deserving of Oliver... blah blah. Do you want us to leave Oliver with no one to take care of him?" Izen looked like a lost puppy when Mara scolded him.

I chuckled and shut my mouth when Izen scoffed. "I bet you're enjoying yourself now, young man." He stared at the lens threateningly. "I may not be there to make sure that you take care of my baby well, but I know you will. Lucas told me that you have a big crush on Oliver." I facepalmed and groaned, heat creeping into my cheeks.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. This is so embarrassing, being exposed like this. Especially to Oliver's parents. Why can't Dad keep his mouth shut? Dammit, Dad!

"Izen Jacobs Pines... stop teasing him," Mara warned and I smiled at that. Izen zipped his mouth but he was glaring daggers at me. She's gentle like Oliver, her eyes held quiet danger and intimidation. Fuck, I don't want to anger Oliver.

She turned to the camera and smiled warmly. "I know you're surprised, receiving this video out of the blue, but not that surprised. By now, I know you have figured out what's really happening. About Mom, Pietro, and Don Felipe," she gritted out and Izen rubbed her back to calm her down.

"Truth be told, I was suspicious when Dad introduced Pietro to us. I know an evil man when I see one, so I had The Phantom investigate and track Pietro's movement. He was so elusive and doesn't leave any paper trail which made it harder for us to figure out his intentions. Then two weeks ago, he slipped," Izen started, holding a serious expression and blank eyes.

Mara nodded. "We retrieved footage about him getting cornered by some unknown men, and we scanned their tattoos through our database and found out that they were Don Felipe's men. They have been searching for a certain Alejandro Perez, who turned out to be Pietro, for months. He stole billions of dollars from the organization, and now, Pietro wants to get hold of the empire to pay Don Felipe back or he's dead. He should've known better than to mess with the underground society."

Every time Don Felipe's name was mentioned, Izen's eyes went dark with fury. He must have hated the organization that much. Izen took a deep breath and his serious expression turned solemn. "We're running out of time, Stefan. The organization is after us because they are scared of the pieces of evidence we have at our disposal. They don't want to get exposed." Weird. Why do I feel that Izen is not really scared of the organization?

"We considered negotiating with them, but people like them don't negotiate. They need to get rid of the source of infection before it festers so I need you to listen carefully." Izen looked straight into the camera with a serious and commanding aura.

I gulped and felt cold sweat pooling on my forehead and back. "I formulated a plan and Trevor will be the one to execute it. I have also informed Dad and The Phantom earlier. I need you to strictly follow the plan, hoping that Oliver is safe by the time it commenced. If he's safe, then that means everything is going well."

He removed his glasses and sighed in exasperation, then stared at the camera, tears springing in his eyes. "It breaks our heart to know that Oliver will get hurt along the way, but I prefer that rather than see him get killed. Pietro needs to know that Oliver is not a threat and that Dad is the one who owns the empire. Dad volunteered to be the scapegoat, just so Ollie can stay safe. I know you don't like the plan; we also don't. It's killing us. To think that we're the reason why our boy will get scarred." Mara covered her face and sobbed softly, while Izen rubbed her shoulders and cleared his throat.

"Fuck, this is so hard. All I want is to have a happy family, but I'm hurting the ones I love," Izen harshly wiped his tears and pulled Mara against him, offering comfort to his heartbroken and devastated wife.

"I need Ollie to stay alive before the succession, Stefan. I trust Trevor to figure out what to do from here. As much as possible, the organization's focus should be on Dad and Pietro, not Oliver. I know Elena will keep on pestering our son, but we believe in him. Oliver is strong. If Ollie's inheritance was successfully transferred to him, then you have to be prepared. Things will get tough from here on out. Pietro will know soon that Ollie is the major shareholder, so his life will be at risk. I put my full trust in you, Stefan. Keep Oliver safe. Don't let him out of your sight. Pietro will get desperate because his time is running out."

Mara composed herself and sat straight. "Stefan, we don't want to leave our boy alone, but I know he will be okay with you. Please, please. Take care of him. Love him more than we do. We might not be there for him from this point on, but we will watch over both of you. Tell him we love him so much--" Then the video went black and all I heard were commotion. After that, the video died.

I didn't how long I have been staring at the screen, hoping that the video just got paused and there will be additional clips, but there were none. I leaned against the couch helplessly and stared at the dark ceiling.