Trusting a person is a choice and she chose to trust him despite whatever he had done. Everything between them was going perfect like he wanted until the moment when she saw Justin. Although Michael covered it up with another lie, for some reason she couldn’t believe it especially when she started to notice Michael’s nervousness whenever she spoke about Robin.
His inconsistent behavior like sometimes he totally forgot about Robin and other times, he was more than sure of Robin’s arrival in their lives, was making her doubt him even more, added to the fact of his secret calls with Marcos. She could clearly understand that he was hiding something, the doubt that raised only after Justin’s visit as she started to observe his actions since then.
The constant lies even though they were not big enough to care about, and her suspicions, which were increasing a little by little, day by day, was making her go crazy, and many doubts began arising in her head for which she clearly had no answer.
At a certain point, she even felt Marcos being Robin and they both were hiding it from her for some reason. She knew it was a stupid thought as Marcos was older than him, and Robin was younger to Michael, but her craziness wouldn’t leave her alone.
She tried asking him about his behavior many times but he kept escaping and the serious as well as apologetic look from Michael whenever she went out in search of Robin was making it more suspicious to her. As she didn’t want to spoil his mood that would distract him from concentrating on his works, she decided to not make it complicated.
“Hey! What happened? Did you find him?” asked Guren sitting beside Rose.
She shrugged her shoulders, and faked a smile, saying “No!”
Guren held her hand, noticing the sadness on her face. When he was about to speak something, Rose interrupted “That’s fine. It’s not new for me. Going somewhere with the hope of finding Robin and return back disappointed.”
“Your wish is so strong. You’ll definitely find him.” Guren smiled.
She smiled back and held his hands, saying “Thank you.”
“You have been spending more time with Rose than me.” Michael interrupted, walking towards them.
“Because she is so sweet.” Guren replied.
He sat beside Rose, giving her his best smile, and then looked at Guren narrowing his eyebrows. “You talk to her so nicely, why don’t you behave like that with me?”
“I gave you the answer already.”
Michael rolled his eyes, and turned his face towards Rose, saying “Rose! Don’t spend too much time with him. He will brainwash you with his stupid words.”
“Oh hello! Hello! I’m still here.” Guren raised his eyebrows.
“Who cares!”
“You cannot command your girlfriend like that.” He protested.
Rose raised her palms, stopping them both. She then looked at Michael with a serious expression, saying “It’s his birthday, can you stop fighting with him at least today?”
“It’s okay. I am not as young as you to get excited on birthdays.”
“With these words, you cannot escape from giving party to both of us.” Michael raised his eyebrows.
“Yeah! Yeah! I know. We three will go out tonight.”
“Note it down old man, it’s my revenge time and I won’t sleep till I leave you with empty pockets.” Michael smirked and raised his hand for hi-fi which Rose reciprocated with a smile.
All the day he spent thinking about taking his revenge on his master and never did what he commanded showing his birthday as an excuse but as soon as Guren took them to a luxurious hotel, where everyone were classy and silently having their foods without even talking to each other while a slow music playing in the background that felt like someone was mourning, his happiness faded.
Looking around, he let out a sigh, and he couldn’t stop pulling his tie, which was suffocating him.
“Stop doing that.” Shouted Guren noticing his actions.
Michael’s lips formed a thin line whereas Rose let out a little chuckle as she understood what was running in Michael’s head.
“Seriously, did you bring me here to sleep because of that music?” Michael questioned.
“You can listen to any kind of soft music if it comes to proposing Rose but cannot listen to this at my birthday party.” Guren said crossing his arms over his chest.
Michael's eyes widened and his gaze fell on Rose, who immediately bent her head down, pretending to be focused on her food.
Michael scoffed looking at them both, and said “You both became too close, didn’t you? She even told you about the way I proposed.”
“Eat.” commanded Guren, and continued focusing on his food.
After they finished having their food, they three walked out of the restaurant, and then Guren said “I’ll drop you both at home and I’ll leave.”
“No way!” shouted Michael. “I am not at all satisfied.”
“Then what do you want?” Both Guren and Rose looked at him with their questioning faces.
Michael gave a small smile to both of them, grabbed the car keys from Guren and ran towards the car, shouting “I’m driving.”
“This is my birthday. I am not ready for any heart attacks.” Guren ran behind him.
Defeated, Guren sat on the passenger seat while Michael started to drive to the place that was unknown to both Rose and Guren. When he halted the car in front of a pub, Rose shook her head as negative, saying “No!”
“Please.” Michael made a face that immediately convinced them both. Though Rose hated those places, she began adjusting to them as she didn’t want to take away Michael’s little happiness.
“What if they won’t allow me because I don’t have a girl with me?” asked Guren.
“Don’t worry. I know people here, come on.” He took off his coat and tie, rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, made himself suitable to the surroundings and did the same to Guren.
Michael and Guren kept enjoying while Rose sat silently, looking at them. The happiness on his face brought a big smile to her and she wondered how he could manage to be so carefree when he was always surrounded with many troubles.
Holding her hand, Michael dragged her for dance, and she didn’t protest but let herself to be immersed in the music beats. After enjoying in the pub, they cut the cake in late night in the middle of the road exciting Guren even more.
“You can never follow rules, can you?” Guren laughed while cutting the cake.
“Never.” Then he shouted out loudly in excitement making Rose to shut her ears. “You are becoming a year older, old man.”
Rose and Guren laughed looking at him, and Michael gave him a gift that surprised him. Eagerly, Guren unwrapped the cover to see a small glass piece of the shape of an old man and a young boy.
Michael said rolling his eyes “I know this doesn’t match your status but adjust with it.”
Guren’s eyes slightly turned to teary and he hugged him while controlling his tears from falling down whereas Michael smile widened and he hugged him back, speaking in a low tone “You are not just my mentor. You are something more to me. Though I hate the word ‘Dad’, I feel you as my dad. I wish I had a father like you.”
The tears that he was holding back rolled down his eyes receiving the affection from him. He said “I may not be your real father but you are always my son, Michael. I may not say it or show it but… I always care for you and I love you.”
Michael pulled him back from the hug, saying “Oh no old man, you cannot say this. Rose will feel jealous.”
Rose wiped her tears and let out a chuckle with his words. “I am not jealous.” She managed to say, controlling her emotions.
“Shit! The situation is getting emotional. We should go to the pub again.”
“No!” Rose hit his arm.
“Then you both stop being emotional and let’s enjoy before the cops find us.”
They both nodded their heads, letting out their craziness on the middle of the empty dark road.
****
Stanley poured alcohol in the glasses while thinking about his sons. Michael was beyond his reach to even plan to do anything to him and Stanley was surprised to know his new trails of being a successful person whereas, Rafael was still drowning in his own madness. Even though Stanley inflicted unbearable pain in Rafael’s heart, he couldn’t stop coming to his father again with the same hope and same insanity.
“Why didn’t you tell this to me before?” asked Stanley looking at Rafael with a shocked face.
“I don’t know.” Rafael brought his glass closer to his lips. “He offered me a big thing, which I always wanted.”
Stanley scoffed with Rafael’s words, and put his glass down, yelling “Do you believe him, Rafael? The reason he called you as a family was because he wanted to live happily with Rose. Not because he really treats you like his family. Don’t trust Michael.”
Stanley didn’t want them both to team up as he knew if his sons would stop their fight, it would be the end for all of his games. He didn’t tell Michael’s warning to Rafael about making him as the heir but he kept fueling him more with his poisoning words.
Rafael shook his head, at the same time, letting out a small smile, and said “Though I know you don’t allow me in your life, I keep coming to you with a small hope and trust on you. You didn’t offer me anything but I am trusting you, and Michael is offering me something so why shouldn’t I trust him?”
“So, what are you thinking? Sacrifice everything for your little brother and walk out like a fallen hero?”
“I have nothing to sacrifice. I don’t have the name as a Grayson, I don’t have someone to even love me, and I don’t even have courage to stay strong. The only thing I have is a weak mind and a broken heart.”
The sad smile that bloomed on his lips was enough to tell how broken he was but it didn’t move Stanley even a little as if he was made up with rock.
After taking a gulp of his alcohol, Stanley spoke “It’s all because of her. It’s better if she goes out of everyone’s life.”
“Blaming Rose for everything that you did.” Rafael muttered clenching his jaw.
After a few seconds of silence, Stanley said “Rafael, I will give you the share in all my properties and yes, like Michael said we can become a family, and Michael will get married to the girl I choose… the only thing we need to do is send Rose out of our way.” He moved closer to his son, saying in a low whisper “Kill her.”
Rafael's eyes widened and he turned his face towards his father to give him a serious look. “Kill her? I will kill you instead.”
Angrily, Rafael stood from there, and started to walk away.
“Kill her, Rafael. I will give you my properties, I will make you the head of one of my companies, I will provide you every luxury you need…”
Rafael took out his gun and fired in the air, furiously. Then he pointed it at Stanley, shouting “Even now… you are not offering me the thing I need. Even now you are not saying that you’d give me your name, that you’d be my father.”
Stanley gulped with Rafael’s anger, and kept quiet.
Rafael continued shouting “What are you planning? I kill Rose then you help Michael in killing me. After we both die, you think you can make Michael your puppet?”
Although Stanley didn’t say it out loud, his intentions were the same as what Rafael was assuming.
“Rafael…”
“You think Michael is Rafael to blindly listen to you despite whatever you do? If he gets to know you are planning to kill Rose then even before you touch her, he’ll kill you.”
“No that was not what I thought…”
“I keep coming to you not because I am unaware of your evil intentions but because… I am your blood. You won’t change and I cannot change.”
“Rafael… Rafael… fine, I can do it by myself.”
He turned around and walked away ignoring the shouts of his father.