⊰᯽⊱┈──╌❊╌──┈⊰᯽⊱
After having fled away together, the two women drove back to major family's mansion, arriving to the entrance gates within an hour. There was no vehicle chasing after them this entire time, which meant that they were not in danger for now. But despite of that, they still felt agitated. The events happened so quickly before their eyes and they still couldn't process it properly.
The uncle of Paris was murdered by a male bodyguard dressed in a suit uniform, which meant that he was sent by the main family. The mafia leader must have figured that Paris was up to something since the moment she left the mansion, thus he sent a bodyguard to spy on her. Everything was messed up and the plan was completely ruined. They couldn't even get half of the information that they wanted.
There were still countless of unanswered questions that needed to be revealed to be able to unveil the whole truth and understand the story behind it. It was like an endless maze with no escape. Although, at this point, it was pretty obvious who the one at fault was. Paris was even more convinced now that the mafia leader was truly a psychopath. Perhaps worse than the leader of the minor family.
"Thank you for helping me today. Even though we failed and got caught, at least we were able to get some important background information." Paris told Venus while handing her back the backpack with the money she lent. She was able to take it from her uncle on time before running away earlier.
Venus took the bag, placing it down before asking with some concern, "Are you okay?" Paris' uncle just got killed and Venus wanted to make sure that she was doing alright.
Paris raised her own chin and nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry too much about it. I wasn't that close to him anyway. It does hurt a little, but it will eventually cease."
Venus fell into silence for a second. She stared at Paris for a while, tilting her head to a side before speaking. "Once you enter that mansion, you will have to confront my uncle face to face. Will you be alright all by yourself?"
"Yes, I'll handle the rest on my own. You can leave once I go inside." Paris replied and opened the door, getting out of the car.
Venus did the same in the opposite side, standing on her feet and leaning forward to lay an arm against the open door of the car. "Be careful, and just remember that they might go against you after this." She reminded her. "The main family has been getting a lot weaker lately. And I'm having the gut feeling that my father will soon take advantage of that. You have to be ready no matter happens after this, okay?"
Paris gulped down dryly, nodding her head, knowing exactly what Venus meant to say. If the major clan is weak, then that only meant one thing: 'That the minor clan will take that as a chance to strike and defeat them'. This was all about power and competition after all. It wouldn't be surprising if it really resulted this way. These two families were arrogant and ambiguous.
"What are you planning to do after this?" Paris asked her, a little curious.
"I don't really know." Venus shrugged her shoulders. "This all depends on my father's decision." There was a brief pause before she added, "But there's one thing that I do know. If the chaos begins, then I will make sure to protect the person I love. I will not let anyone hurt Pearl. I will give an order to the bodyguards of my family, warning them that if they lay a finger on her, then I will make them suffer."
Damn, Venus sounded so determined and insane. But that was good to hear. At least Paris could feel a little more relieved by knowing that nobody was going to harm her best friend if something were to really happen. Things were surely going to get wild sooner or later.
"Take good care of Pearl from now on, and don't let her down." Was the last thing that Paris told Venus before she turned around and left.
She went through the black gates, walking towards the entrance of the mansion, and entered without looking back. As for Venus, she got back inside of the car and drove back to her own mansion to meet with her father.
Their business was done here, and they were not associated with one another anymore. Meaning that Paris and Venus were not going to be a team. Whatever happens after, they will just act as if they were strangers again. They were not friends, neither companions. They were just simply doing business together, that's all.
⊰᯽⊱┈──╌❊╌──┈⊰᯽⊱
"Boss, the uncle of Paris has been killed successfully. The body was wrapped in bandages and was disposed in the lake." The voice of a male bodyguard sounded through the cellphone.
The leader of the major family was in a call with the bodyguard he sent to follow Paris. He was alone in his office, doing some paper work from the company and waiting for Paris to arrive at any minute. He knew that she was going to come back to the mansion to confront him after what she was told by the uncle.
"Hm, and what about Paris? Where is she now?" The mafia leader asked in a stern tone.
The bodyguard answered, "Paris ran away with Venus. They were driving to the mansion. I believe that they should've arrived by now."
The mafia leader: "Alright, you can start heading back now too."
"Yes, sir." The bodyguard replied before the phone call ended.
*Knock Knock*
The door of the office was knocked exactly in the moment that the leader had put down his cellphone on the desk where he was sitting. It was evident who this person was. It was definitely Paris. She had finally arrived.
There was complete silence for a few seconds before the mafia leader spoke up, "Come in." Despite of the situation, he didn't seem to be afraid or ashamed of himself at all. Instead, he still wore that smug and mysterious aura.
As soon as she got the permission to enter the office, Paris barged in really impolitely, slamming the door behind her back once she was inside. She was not planning to put an act and play all nice and sweet with the murderer that was in front of her. She wanted revenge!
"Aren't you tired of being a fake ass liar? You have deceived me so many times, thinking that I won't realize, but I'm not a fool. I won't believe in any of your bullshit anymore!" Paris was spitting venom through gritted teeth. "I almost killed an innocent elder because of you! You lied again and again! But you know what, your fabricated lies won't trick me again because I know the truth now." There was a brief pause before she continued, "My parents didn't die in a car accident. They were shot to death. And the one who shot them was no other person than you!"
The head of the major family remained quiet, listening to everything and pondering about it. He ignored how disrespectful the other was being and answered in a calm manner, "You're wrong. I was not the one who shot them."
*PAM*
Paris, who was standing far from him, stepped closer, and slammed her hands harshly on the desk where he was sitting.
Her blood was boiling and she snapped furiously, "Why are you still lying?! Stop treating me like an idiot, will you?!"
The mafia leader shook his head with closed eyes, letting out a deep sigh before opening them again to stare directly into her eyes. "Paris, calm down. Don't start assuming things so quickly. Listen to me. You don't know the whole truth yet. You only know part of it. You still need to hear the story behind the day when they got shot. Maybe after you hear it, you will understand it better."
"NO! I WON'T LISTEN TO ANYTHING YOU HAVE TO SAY! YOU HAVE LIED TO ME THIS ENTIRE TIME! YOU KNEW ABOUT MY PARENTS! YOU KNEW ABOUT ME AND MY BROTHER! YOU KNEW EVERYTHING AND STILL PRETENDED! I WON'T BELIEVE IN ANYTHING YOU SAY! HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO MY FAMILY!" Paris had lost control and was shouting so loudly that her voice was even echoing outside of the office.
The door of the room opened abruptly and a person dashed inside. It was Kai. She had heard Paris' voice in the distance and ran all the way here to try to calm her down. She had no idea what was happening, or why Paris was yelling at her father like this, but she was concerned by what was going on.
"Paris, calm down! What's wrong? What's happening here?" Kai had raised her voice so that Paris could listen to her. She was pulling Paris by the wrist, trying to seperate her from the leader since they were too close and she was afraid that Paris would throw her fists at him.
Paris completely ignored Kai and proceeded to yell madly once again, "HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU KILL MY PARENTS! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!" There were faint tears forming in the corners of her eyes as if she wanted to cry but was restraining herself from doing so.
Kai creased her brows in confusion, shifting her gaze towards her father who was being accused by Paris. "Father...What is this all about?" She asked him while still holding Paris tightly by the wrist. "Paris, please calm down." She said this last sentence in a gentle tone of voice.
"Let me explain the other part of the story. Once you guys hear it, you will get to know the whole story." The leader told them with a serious expression. He was still sitting on the chair, his hands were interlocked together on top of the desk, and his eyes focused on Paris and Kai who were standing in front of him.
Paris shook her head with a frown. "I don't want to hear it!"
Kai held Paris' hand gently and stroked it with her thumb in an attempt to soothe her. "Paris, please give my father a chance to explain himself. Maybe there's something important that we need to know. Let's hear him first, okay?"
Paris' face changed hearing this. She stared at Kai with a pained expression. She was already expecting this to happen. Kai will always defend her father no matter how wrong he actually was. She always looked up to him because that was the only parental example she had after her mother passed away. She had no one else to depend on other than the mafia leader. She loved him very much because that was her father after all. It was not surprising.
A shuddering sigh escaped from Paris' lips as she gave Kai a nod, giving up, and agreeing reluctantly. Even if she was not willing to listen, she had no other choice but to accept it. She was only doing this because she didn't want to be mean to her girlfriend.
Kai curved her lips into a warm smile, seeing that Paris had finally calmed down. It was a relief. She turned to face her father now and uttered, "Go ahead, Father. Tell us the story."
The leader assented his head and proceeded to explain, "It's true that I used to be in love with Paris' mother. I fell for her back when we were in high school, and even after getting married with my ex-wife, Kai's mother, I held a strong affection towards her. I visit her often because I wanted to help her take care of you and Parker. You two were so little back then. Your mother always had financial problems and since we were close, I thought of giving her a hand. I never thought that my help would ever bother them."
There was a pause in his words as he inhaled and exhaled before continuing, "Your mother's birthday came and my brother and I went to visit her, like we always used to, but that day her husband was in a very bad mood, and we had a huge argument with him. Paris' father didn't tolerate us, and he was kicking us out of the house. He had gone mad that day for some reason, and started to throw punches at us."
"My brother who is an impulsive person, didn't think twice about what he was doing and took out his gun, and shot Paris' father in the head. When Paris' mother saw this, she was left in a state of shock. She panicked and started to rebuke us. My brother loved her very dearly too, but after realizing what he did, guilt consumed his heart. He lifted his gun and shot her in the head too."
"In that moment he said that the reason why he killed her was because he didn't want her to suffer in this world because of him. He was going to commit suicide too, but I immediately stopped him. I couldn't allow him to do such a thing. He had completely lost control that day. His impulses always betray him. That day was unforgettable for both of us. And that's why we both never like mentioning it. Because we are still being haunted by the past even today. I'm sorry, Paris. I'm terribly sorry that things needed to end like this. All I wanted to do all this time was to take care of you and your brother." The mafia leader fell into dead silence after finishing what he had to say.
Having heard this side of the story made things even more complicated and confusing for Paris. She was trying to process all of this new information in her brain, but at the same time she didn't want to believe in it. There was something deep inside telling her that she shouldn't trust in this man. What if he was lying again? Anything could be possible at this point.
What is true and what is false?
It was unknown.
Paris had no clue anymore.
Her head was blank.
Her thoughts were in a mess.
Her mind was not functioning properly.
She didn't know what to do anymore.
Who to believe and whom to trust?
Can somebody tell her?
There was silence in the room. Too much as a matter of fact. Nobody was talking or moving. Only the heavy breathing of the leader was heard. He was breathing quite abnomally for some reason, and Kai was the first one to notice.
"Are you feeling alright, Father?" Kai asked with some concern.
The mafia leader didn't respond to her and got off of the seat, standing on both of his feet while resting a hand on the desk to hold himself up. He was pressing the other hand against the center of his chest as he kept breathing roughly. It seemed like he was having difficulties to breathe.
What the hell was happening now?
"Father, what's wrong?! Please answer me!" Kai quickly walked up to him, holding him by the arm to support him since he looked like he was about to collapse at any moment.
Paris didn't know what to do and only stood there quietly, completely baffled.
Was the mafia leader having a heart stroke?!
This was so out of the blue!
"Father? Hey, Father! Don't faint! Please don't faint! Get some help Paris! Hurry up! Father!! Father!!! No, no, please, no!!!" Kai was in a panic mode as the terror was starting to consume her. The mafia leader was loosing consciousness in her arms, falling back against her. Kai was struggling to lift him up as much as she could, but she eventually couldn't hold it any longer and had to lay him on the ground instead.
Paris had already left the office, calling out for help around the mansion.
The bodyguards were soon alerted of what was going on and without hesitating, they ran to the office to help Kai handle the situation. Pearl had called the ambulance immediately, and they were now on their way.
The mansion of the major family had officially fallen into chaos.
⊰᯽⊱┈──╌❊╌──┈⊰᯽⊱