The overwhelming urge to kill the man in front of me almost made me lose my cool but I had to control myself and follow the plan. I shouldn't mess this up even though I wanted nothing but to end his useless life once and for all.

"Who are you?" I heard him ask and my eyes squinted in anger.

"Don't play dumb because I know you still remember me. Now, I want you to raise your hands and slowly face me. Don't try anything funny or else..." I warned him and he did as he was told. When our gazes met, I caught a glimpse of shock and anger in his eyes. But if he was angry, I was livid and full of unexplainable rage.

Seeing the man that I once called my father made my stomach churn with disgust. I couldn't believe that I once considered him my father. Now that I finally saw him again, I finally understood why I've never had any desire to really make an effort for him to recognize me as his son when I was young.

Even though I didn't know that he wasn't my biological father back then, I already felt that distant feeling within me; the feeling that he wasn't related to me. I thought, I just felt like that because he never gave me any attention but now, I understood why.

"You..." He uttered.

"Yes, it's me. Surprised? I've grown tired of this cat and mouse game of ours and decided to come and visit you here. Missed me, papá?" I asked sarcastically.

"What do you want from me?" He asked, ignoring my question. My eyes squinted even more in anger as I threw the folder that I was holding at him. Because of what I did, all the papers that were clipped inside of it scattered on the floor.

"Take a look at every page." I instructed emotionlessly and I saw his jaw flex before he did what I told him to do. I saw how his eyes went wide in surprise upon seeing what was written on it but he tried to appear fine.

"This is nothing but lies." I felt like the blood in my body rushed to my head because of his reaction. He was feigning innocence and it just added to the rage that I was feeling.

"I don't want to hear your bullsh*ts. I just want to erase you out of my sight. You don't deserve to live." To my surprise, he suddenly laughed like the devil as if he was so amused of the situation. Then, he tore the papers into pieces.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"You're still the kid that you used to be. Weak, ignorant and oblivious."

"You—" I was about to take a step forward to attack him when he stopped me.

"—Don't move a muscle if you still want to live!" His voice became menacing as he smirked at me like he had won the battle or something. Then, he raised his right hand as if signaling someone to come out and I was right.

"Now, throw you gun!" I saw from the corner of my eyes that two men came out of the shadows before the door opened and two more men came in with their guns pointing at me. I was already surrounded.

I tsked and then threw my gun about four feet away from me. The pleasure of success crossed Giuseppe's eyes as he saw me obliging.

"Do you really think that you could outwit me? Never, Vázquez. Not the likes of you." He uttered full of disgust as he laughed once again while shaking his head.

"You're nothing but a coward." I uttered firmly. He stopped laughing and then closed the gap between us and punched me in the face. I grunted.

"I've been waiting for so long to get a hold of you like this. You don't know how much I've been dying to kill you with my own two hands."

"Kill me like you did to my mother, Queen Margarita of Nuevo Imperio. I'm her sole heir to the throne that's why you were desperate to catch me. Now, I'm here in front of you. Do whatever you want."

He scoffed. "You're the only one who believes that."

"But it's true, right? All the evidences are written on those papers that you just tore into pieces." He laughed once again.

"Well, since you're about to die, might as well tell you the truth. I am not that evil." He answered as he smirked and then bended down to take the gun that I threw a while ago. He then stood up while caressing the gun with his hand.

"Answer my question!" I snapped at him as I ran out of patience. I wanted to attack him but I knew that I should stick to the plan and not ruin everything.

"Yes! I killed her!" He answered like he was even proud of what he's done. My hands formed into fists as I heard the confirmation from his own mouth. The overwhelming anger crept within me.

"You killed her because of the throne, you power-hungry b*stard."

He gave me a menacing glare as the smirk on his face disappeared. "You don't know anything, so don't talk as if it was my fault!" He attacked me and punched me a couple of times. I knew that I had to stick with the plan and endure but I couldn't take it anymore.

The anger within me was too much to bear that when he punched me once again, I managed to parry off his blow and was about to punch the lights out of him, uncaring if I was surrounded by his men, when I felt a cold thing touched my temple.

"Fight back and you're dead." That familiar voice warned. At last, he's finally here...

I slowly let go of Giuseppe's hand just to be hit by the man who just arrived. He punched me by the stomach and I almost fell on my knees because of what he did.

"You are nothing but weak and pathetic. You actually fell into our trap just like that. I can't believe it actually took us many years just to reel you in." Franco said. He looked like he was having the time of his life seeing me like that.

"I knew it. You two planned all these. From the start, you carefully planned everything. You took my mother's life, drove me away from this country when I was young and attempted to get rid of me and now, you succeeded on destroying my reputation as well by spreading fake news about me. Not just that, you're planning to extend your power by using what happened in the past to get Costavia." I said, trying to be calm as possible. I knew that just a little bit more and the table would eventually turn on my favor.

Franco laughed. "You actually have a brain after all. I really thought, you didn't have one."

"I don't care about what you think of me. I want you to tell me why you did that to my mother. Why did you have to kill her?" I answered while staring at Giuseppe, uncaring of the nonsense that Franco was spewing.

"Ignoring me, huh, you b*stard?!" Franco got pissed off and gave me a couple of punches. My fists were already itching to end his life too but I wasn't done yet. I should control myself as long as I could.

He kept on hitting me until I fell on my knees.

"I'm going to kill you and bring your head to Athena as my gift. By then on, she wouldn't surely defy me in anyway."

"Really? Stop day dreaming because Athena will never succumb to you." I saw how his face turn red in anger. He cocked his gun and was about to pull the trigger to finally kill me when Giuseppe spoke.

"That's enough for now, son. I'm not done watching him suffer. It's too easy for him if we kill him just like that."

"I can't wait to end all this, papa! He's the only obstacle in our plans and I can't wait to remove hm out of our way for good! If it wasn't because of him, Costavia already fell in our hands."

"I know that, son, but I don't want to end his miserable life just like that. I want him to suffer to the point that he would be the one to beg us to kill him." Franco smirked.

"Now, you're talking, papa. What do you plan on doing to him then?"

"Tell him everything that he wants to hear. I want to see the suffering and hopelessness on his face while listening to everything that we did in the past."

Franco laughed. "I like that idea, papa. Maybe, we could let him live for quite sometime after this so that he could witness how I take Athena from him and make her succumb onto me whether she likes it or not. How I'd love to see her obliging onto anything that I want."

"Don't you fùcking touch her or else—"

"—Or else what? You can't even help yourself right now. You're nothing but a wimp." He answered and then gave me another blow. Every attack that I was receiving was registered in my head. The corner of my lips was already bloody but I didn't care. Just a little bit more...

"Aren't you bored with that Princess, son? You've been trying to catch her attention these past few months but she never warmed up to you." Giuseppe asked Franco.

"I'm almost there, papa. Just a little bit more. Besides, Costavia will be ours whether they like it or not. We still have the upper hand. The Queen will surely give everything that we ask from them because of their debt from Nuevo Imperio."

"That Princess Athena is very feisty and stubborn. I don't have enough patience to wait for her to warm up to you. It's better for you to marry one of her sisters."

Franco tsked. "You're right, papa. Athena is a hopeless case because she's in love with this b*stard here." I wasn't even surprise that they already knew about Athena and I's relationship.

"You finally realized that. I'll fix this as soon as possible." Giuseppe uttered before he brought out his phone and called someone.

"You know what to do with Princess Athena. Make sure that everything's clean." My breathing became heavy upon hearing what he instructed.

"What are you planning to do with Athena?" I asked through gritted teeth. Franco and Giuseppe looked at each other before they laughed as if my question was funny.

"What do you think? Give her flowers and chocolates? You're really stupid." Franco said, shaking his head in amusement.

"You b*stards. Try touching even the tip of her fingers and I'm going to kill you; I promise you that." I menacingly threatened. Just thinking that they're after Athena gave me unparalleled fear. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something bad happened to her.

Giuseppe chuckled and then walked towards the office table before sitting on the swivel chair there. His gaze never left mine.

"Don't worry, Prince Maximus. You will join her shortly. For now, I want to have some fun with you." He opened the drawer and then brought out a box of Arturo Fuente Opus X Ltd and then lit one and started smoking it.

He puffed a smoke, still staring at me quietly, and then spoke.

"You really look like her." I wiped the blood on the side of my lips.

"Because I'm her one and only son." I answered proudly, knowing that he was referring to my mother. He smirked.

"Even that look on your face whenever you're mad is just like her. I see her in you so much that's why I hate you so much too."

I scoffed. "Why? Because she was a lot better than you in anything? She was the Queen of Nuevo Imperio while you on the other hand was nothing but a trash. You're not even worth it to be called her husband." His eyes squinted in anger.

"Damn you! Don't talk to my father like that!" Franco hissed and then gave me another punch. I continued counting his hits on me, determined to give that back to him. Giuseppe puffed another smoke.

"She chose me to be her husband because she was head over heels in love with me. Yes, people called her the wise and intelligent Queen but when it comes to me, she was nothing but a lovesick puppy. That's why we have Franco here as our son." The both of them looked surprise when I suddenly laughed out loud as if I heard the funniest thing.

"What's funny?" Giuseppe asked as his eyes darkened in anger.

"Poor you. Keep telling that lie to yourself to alter your ego. You really think that I don't know the truth? In that case, I'll tell you the truth that you couldn't accept. She never loved you. In fact, she just married you because you happened to be her childhood friend who desperately needed her help. Even though you've been courting her ever since you two were still in University, she turned you down a couple of times.

"She wanted nothing from you but friendship. But then, the truth about you was about to come out that's why you begged her to marry you to hide the truth further. You were afraid that everyone in Nuevo Imperio would discover that you were nothing but an adopted son of the Gutiérrez family.

"You didn't want the other Royals to look down on you because you didn't have any drop of Royal blood in you. Because my mother took a pity on you, she married you. That was the time when she was pregnant with me.

"You told her that you would be my father in the eyes of all the people of Nuevo Imperio and she agreed because my biological father was nowhere to be found back then. You two got married and that was the beginning of all the pretenses. You two faked your love for one another in front of everyone but behind closed doors, she never became your wife in the truest sense of the word. Now, I understand why I never saw you sleep in her Royal chamber even once before.

"You made all the effort to make her fall for you but she never did. You even faked to be nice to me in front of her to get her affection but I guess, she never bought that. Even during those last moments of her life, she never reciprocated your love.

"Franco is not related to my mother in anyway because he's not her son. I don't know which part of hell did you get him but I know that he's not my mother's son. You had to present him as the Queen's long lost son after you drove me away from here because you knew that I would come back one day and claim my throne.

"You tried desperately to get rid of me that you attempted to assassinate me in any way possible ever since mamá died but failed and when you realized that you couldn't get rid of me, you destroyed my reputation and made me look like the bad guy.

"You instructed your men to bomb a mall here in Nuevo Imperio including the biggest mall in Costavia and then manipulated the investigation to make it look like I was the one who did it. You killed many people because of your greed and ambition." Giuseppe looked stunned upon hearing what I've said.

"H-How did you know all that?" He asked, referring to his past with my mother, with a trembling voice while looking at me in disbelief. I scoffed seeing him with that kind of expression. I knew that I just hit a land mine.

"A very reliable source told me all that. Someone that you've tried to eliminate because she was the only person that knows about your real relationship with my mother but survived." He shook his head as he gritted his teeth. He was about to answer when Franco spoke.

"I-Is that true, papa? Mamá wasn't my r-real mother? You and I are not Royals?" He looked like a bucket of ice-cold water poured over his head. Giuseppe kept on shaking his head as if he couldn't accept the truth. Looked like he lied to his son too.

"You're not the rightful king of Nuevo Imperio. You killed my mother and destroyed my reputation by pinning all the blame on me of the crimes that you've committed yourself. You don't deserve the title of a king. You're nothing but a worthless trash." I continued berating him and that was when he lost it.

"Hijo de p*ta!" He roared full of anger as he violently threw the cigar that he was holding on the floor. He lost his cool just like that and it felt so good looking at him like that.

"You seem so angry hearing the truth. How does it feel to be unwanted and nothing but a sore loser? You killed my mother because that was your only option to gain power and use that power to bury your pathetic past. What a pathetic loser."

"You b*stard! You don't have the right to insult my father like that!" Franco angrily said and was about to punch me again but I quickly blocked his attack and disarmed him. Everything happened so fast that the Imperial Guards couldn't even act right away to rescue him from me.

He screamed in pain when I twisted his arm as I pointed the gun that I forcefully took from him at his temple. I restrained him tightly that he couldn't move nor struggle even if he wanted to.

"You're the b*stard, not me! You and your father can go to hell!"

"Let go of Prince Franco!" I heard one of the Imperial guards say. I noticed too that Giuseppe pulled out a gun from inside the drawer and pointed at my direction. The corner of my lips twitched, enjoying watching his anger.

"I'm going to kill you, you b*stard!" He roared full of rage. I used Franco as my shield with a smirk on my face.

"Don't worry, Giuseppe. I will let you and Franco be together again...in jail. I won't kill you both here because I'm going to make sure that I'll be watching you suffer as I take everything that was rightfully mine from the beginning."

"You won't be able to have the chance to do that because I'll kill you right here, right now! No one will ever know that you're the rightful king because I will make sure to erase you!"

"Oh, trust me, Giuseppe. It will happen. The people of Nuevo Imperio will be the one to make sure that you're going to spend the rest of your life in jail. Before I came here, I already planned everything and you just fell into my trap.

"Wanna know something interesting? Everything that's happening here in this very room is being broadcasted live on the official website of Nuevo Imperio and other platforms where people could easily watch it. Everyone in this country finally saw the real you. Now, it's up to them to punish you." I saw how his eyes widened as if he just received the most shocking news in his life.

"N-No! You're lying!"

I laughed. "Trust me, Giuseppe. I'm not."

"Go to hell!" He shouted as if he lost his sanity. He looked murderous as he cocked the gun and was about to pull the trigger when the window burst open and Joaquin jumped into the room with a gun in each of his hand and shot everyone inside the room except me and Franco.

"Papá!" Franco yelled as Giuseppe fell on the ground.

"Bud, we need to get out of here quick! The other Imperial Guards are on their way here!" Joaquin said as he hit Franco with the gun that he was holding which caused him to lose his consciousness.

We carefully got out of there through the secret passage way that only the members of the Royal Family know about, taking Franco with us.

"I know, this is not the right time, bud, but you need to know something." Joaquin said. We were almost at the end of the passage way, leading to the backyard.

"What is it about?"

"Something happened to Athena just now." My eyes widened as my heart throbbed in fear. I suddenly remembered Giuseppe's instruction to his men on the phone.

"What do you mean?"

"Giuseppe's assassin almost killed her. Thankfully, Red fox and her men managed to save her. They're on their way to the hospital now."

"I thought they managed to save her?! What happened to her?! Why do they need to take her to the hospital?!"

"She got hurt because her car bumped into the road barrier while that assassin was chasing after her." I felt like my head doubled in size as so much worry rose within me. My jaw clenched in anger.

"Bud, we're here. Open the door." Joaquin said and I did as I was told like I wasn't myself. I couldn't help but to blame myself of what happened to Athena. If I didn't leave her...