Leaving Behind

29. The Anurak Family

PETE

Some believe that there are infinity numbers of parallel universes. Every decision we make will lead to different parallel universe. However, there is only one start. Our birth. That is where I am heading to. My hometown, where I was born and grew up.

I texted Khun Kinn to inform him about my leave exactly right before I boarded into the ferry. I turned off my phone, not wanting anyone to contact me while I was not on the family's mission, but my own.

I unknowingly and unwillingly come back to this particular time with one thought... to save Vegas. However, the longer time I spent here, as I got to know more about the family, I started to get the picture that there were more of it that I needed to find out.

There are so many questions lingering around my mind. Most of them are the things that I've never even cared about. As a bodyguard, I never wanted to try to learn about the things that I shouldn't know. I was trained to only protect the family members and keep silent about whatever I overheard while on duty.

I was too used to the rules and invested too much of myself to the family that I even forgot to get to know my own self. I even fail to acknowledge my own feelings until they are all too late.

All these time, I thought Vegas' death was due to the war between the main and minor families that happened because of their long-term rivalry. Little did I know, it was only a fake issue created to cover 'his' real intention.

From Khun Noo, Khun Kim, Dr. Top and Arm's conversation that I heard while I was in the space between life and death, Vegas' death was not from the bullets by the main family's bodyguard that I shot. It was from another person, and that person shot me too.

Is that person trying to shut me up so that I won't reveal who he is? But why? Isn't the war supposed to be caused by the rivalry between the two families?

The island where I used to grow up is slowly becoming visible. It has been a while since I last visited the island. My grandma is the one who always comes to visit me in Bangkok.

I do feel guilty. However, I couldn't really make time to visit because of the flexibility of my work schedule that required me to always be ready in case there is any emergency schedule.

I still feel sorry to grandma as this time, too. I'm going back to the island not to visit her, but to have a look at a compound that Khun Don's has been telling me about. I do not know why he told me about it, but him being persistent of wanting me to have a look at the place, leaving me no choice.

Last night, he took a risk by breaking into the hospital, knowing that he could be caught by the family, to have a talk with me. For that reason, I am now on my way to the compound that was once known as an operating place for one of the most well-known mafia families in the country. That was what Don told me.

Although during my childhood time, it was only known as the place where the ghosts wandered around. The old folks keep on giving us the warning not to enter the place. Of course, the children, including me, will never dare to come near the place until finally, it has been forgotten.

I looked around the compound, looking for something related to just anything as I didn't even have any idea of what I should look for.

'Is this a mafia's hut?' I asked myself. I didn't know there was a mafia family living on this island. I made this assumption because the place was no different from the other mafias' compound I had entered. I cluelessly walked around the old building, looking for clues. I'm trying to figure out which family this building belongs to.

I entered a huge room. I am amazed at how different the setting is from the other rooms. It looked more like a resting area instead of a place that people used to do trade for black market. It feels more like... home.

There is a living room like space at one corner of the room completed with an old television, sofas, tea table, and carpet. At another corner of the room, there is a play space for children. It fills with toys and even a baby crib.

I went near to the baby crib. There were a few toys hanging above the crib. I touched them while walking past it. There was a single sofa located near the baby crib, probably for the mother to rest while taking care of the baby.

There is a shelf behind the sofa with photos on it. I looked and took one of them. It was a photo of a newborn baby. I got curious, so I got the photo out of its frame. I looked at the back of the photo. There was a date and a name. The date was the time when the photo was captured. The name is...

Phongsakorn Anurak.

The baby has the same first name as I am. The surname is different, though. It's Anurak. Does that mean this compound belonged to a mafia family named Anurak. Anurak family? I've never heard of them. Probably, they are not famous in the mafia world. I chuckled. Even the meaning of the name is too soft to be the name of a  mafia family. Anurak. An angel. How irony.

I observe every detail of that room. I can tell how loving this family is towards the baby. The child was probably the first successor of the family. I wondered what happened to them.

I kept walking around the room until I stopped at a cabinet. It was rather feel like it was out of place. I looked behind it and saw a small door. I tried pushing the cabinet.

I stopped pushing it when I heard a sound of people chattering with each other. I ran and hid behind the room's door. The sound of their footsteps stopped right outside of the room.

I waited for them to enter the room. They began to their steps slowly and quietly. I peeked through space between the door and the wall. I furrowed my my eyebrows once I saw the two people entered the room.

"Grandma? Vegas?" I came out from my hideout.

"What are you two doing here?" I looked at them back and forth in confusion.

"And why are you with him, grandma?" I pulled grandma to stand beside me, away from Vegas. Vegas was taken aback by my action, but I just let him be.

The memory from the other life surged. That Pete tried his hard to make sure these two people he loved so much to never meet each other. The trauma when Vegas threatened him using grandma while keeping him captived. I thought it would not affect me. I thought I had forgotten about it. Well, it looks like I haven't.

"What were you thinking? You shouldn't have brought grandma here. What if it's dangerous?" I snapped at Vegas.

"What about you? What are you doing here alone?" Vegas asked me instead of explaining to me how he is here with grandma.

Gandma stepped forward so that she was between me and Vegas. "Stop fighting with each other."

"Let's go back, shall we?" Grandma pulled me out of the room. Vegas led the way, and grandma followed behind him while dragging me out of the compound to a car that was probably rented by him.

I went with them as I didn't want to involve them. We went back to grandma's house. I promised myself to come back here again as fast as I could whenever I had the chance. To get to know more about the mysterious mafia family, the Anurak family.

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Sorry for the late update 🙏.

Enjoy reading this chapter ☺️.