In My Deep Memory ( IN REWRITE )

XVI- Unraveling shadows

Now face to face, their faces closer than ever, time seemed to freeze. After a moment, Fathim tried to free herself, realizing their awkward position. However, he pulled her back, making an unexpected move. He pressed his lips against hers. She was in shock.

The bitter taste of alcohol on his mouth brought her back to reality.

'He's drunk, just drunk,' she thought.

Yet, when she tried to break free, he tightened his grip, pulling her closer, kissing her more passionately, forcing access to her tongue. Lost in this surge of passion, Fathim allowed it to happen. She knew she might regret it later, but she couldn't stop him. Even drunk, he was strong, and she wanted him.

"If only something could interrupt this moment. Anything!"

Right at that moment, her phone rang, cutting short their heated exchange, much to her relief. Fathim hurried to answer, and when it was over, she found the young man deeply asleep. She gave up on the idea of moving him and simply covered him. Leaving a note in the kitchen, she touched his lips with her fingers at the door. He probably would not remember, but she would, and that night became a turning point for her feelings.

***

After revenge comes emptiness and remorse; Axel often wondered if he had made a mistake in killing Arele. While he was initially satisfied, it was short-lived. Furthermore, following his father's statement, he doubted more and more. Even in death, this girl still occupied his mind! Each time, he felt an unknown pain—feelings that no longer brought him anger and hatred but sadness. After all, he hated himself now that she was gone; hating a dead person would be sown in emptiness. He needed the truth, the whole truth.

As he sat in his office, flipping through files, someone knocked.

"Come in!" he ordered.

"Boss! We found it!"

The man handed him a sealed envelope and took his leave. As he perused the lines, what he discovered surprised him more and more as he read. It was his father's file. A particular detail caught his attention. His progenitor had studied at UC Berkeley, Section A, Department of Social Science. His father was a connoisseur? He had ignored that, and his father did not seem to have that kind of character. But the evidence was right in front of his eyes.

"Incredible man!" he thought.

To his dismay, the documents in his possession revealed nothing particularly suspicious about his father. No mention of his marital or paternal status. It seemed he had never married or had children.

"And damn! He got me!" he exclaimed angrily, pushing the files away with a quick motion and leaning back.

He then noticed a crumpled sheet escaping from the documents and grabbed it. It was a note. '212 Street, XXX Avenue, Uncle's place, Welcome Bar, San Francisco.'

With some additional research, he found that the establishment had endured. As a trafficker, the West and Southwest of the country were not unfamiliar to him, but he had never heard of this place.

"Extracting information from there will be a piece of cake!" he thought.

He called his men, and they left the premises.

***

Michel wakes up with a horrendous headache. The previous night only vaguely comes back to him. He heads to the kitchen and discovers food prepared the day before. So, she had come. Engrossed in his work and the "Dark Obby" case, he had almost no time for himself. He should think about thanking her because she has been a great help.

Without her, who knows what mistakes he could have made. On one hand, he is relieved that his best friend hasn't been alone all these years but well surrounded. He can never thank her enough for that. Lost in his thoughts, he doesn't hear the door open and close in the next room.

"Good morning, I came yesterday, you were dead drunk!" greets Fathim.

"Hey, it's you!" he exclaims, surprised by the intrusion. "Yeah, I messed up a bit," he responds.

"Really?" she mocks gently. Then, she gets serious and says, "I didn't plan to see you this morning, but I got some rather interesting information."

Michel invites her to have a coffee, which she readily accepts before continuing.

"So, I looked into our classmate, and guess what I found? He's not an orphan, as we were told at school. His father is still alive and well. The strangest thing is that his father never publicly acknowledged him as his son. He concealed his existence. To whom, and why, remains a mystery. As for his mother, no trace, she just abandoned the child at birth. Don't you find that suspicious?"

"Publicly, you say?" he asks, perplexed. "So, that means..."

"That all the copies, legal documents, and identity cards he has used so far are fake, that's right," she confirms. "And I can't confirm if it's part of a specific plan. Nevertheless, I did manage to find his real ID."

She hands him an envelope, which he hastily opens. What he reads surprises him. Everything he needed was there: name, surname, date of birth, parents, etc.; everything was there. Fathim notices his grim expression and asks in amazement:

"What's wrong, why are you making that face?"

He doesn't answer right away, analyzing the logic of these documents and the information gathered so far. He now understands the source of his failures.
There it is, the missing piece: "Axel Kennedy, son of Jacob Kennedy alias Patrick Wilbert." Everything becomes clear in his mind. This name often came out of his parents' mouths.

This man had been playing with a puzzle all along. The Artland company, Arele, the Dark Obby family, this so-called son he had hidden all this time, and even his parents were just part of his action plans. His ultimate goal remains unknown. Understanding his silence, the young woman realizes they are on the right track.

"Tell me!" She breaks his silence.

Michel shares his insight into the situation, and their conclusion is the same: this affair does not only stem from a thirst for power but even more so, a thirst for revenge. However, no evidence can be presented against him because it has simply been destroyed or no longer exists.

"How are we going to proceed then?" Fathim asks.

"There's only one way," he says,"to defeat an enemy, make them a friend."

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Hello, here I come after a few moment of break.

I hope you enjoy the chapter.
See you in the next one💕