“What is this helmet for?” Max asked as Gabriella put a headgear on him.
“Don’t you remember? The doctor said that you have to be careful so you don’t hit your head again,” the woman explained with a serious look.
“But I’m fine, Gaby. This helmet will actually hinder my movement,” Max protested pitifully.
Without thinking, Gabriella shook her head. “You have promised to obey all my orders if you want to participate in this mission.”
A second later, the man let out a resigned sigh. “I never thought that I am going to save the box that once I wanted to burn.”
“Stop grumbling! Come on in action! Uncle John, please pray for us,” the woman said while clenching her fists in the air. The middle-aged man behind the wheel nodded with a faint smile.
“Do you realize that this idea is so ridiculous?” Max whispered as he crept into the dark with his wife and two small dim flashlights.
“Yes, but you agreed.”
“We look like thieves,” the man muttered, noticing that their clothes were all black.
“You’re so noisy. Do you want to change your mind? It’s not too late to switch to normal ways. Knock on the door and ask politely.”
A quick sigh escaped Max’s mouth. “I don’t want to face Herbert again, Gaby,” he said lazily.
“So, don’t complain.”
A second later, no sound was heard other than footsteps in the grass.
“Are you sure the entrance is around here?” Gabriella whispered as she kept walking while bending down to find the manhole cover.
“Sure, Gaby. Do you want me to show you the way?”
“No,” the woman said quickly. “You have to keep your posture right.”
Suddenly, Gabriella’s steps stopped. She just stepped on something that wasn’t ground. “Is this the secret entrance you’re referring to?” the woman asked as she brushed aside the dry leaves.
“Yes.” Without a word, Max bent down, about to lift the large, moldy board.
“Let me do it,” Gabriella sighed before snatching her husband’s job.
After a while, they started down the stairs and then a narrow passage.
“If this secret passage does lead to Herbert’s basement, why doesn’t he block the access?” the woman whispered as she continued to lead the way.
While fixing the helmet, the man kept the distance to stay close to his wife. “Perhaps, he himself had forgotten. This passage was built for Julian and me to play. But, because my brother was too coward, I’m the only one who often went through it.”
“Is he that scared?”
Max chuckled. “You can judge for yourself.”
After a few minutes, they finally arrived at the end of the road. The large board that looked like a shelf in the CEO’s room was now right in front of Gabriella.
“How do I open this?” the woman asked as she searched for a similar lever.
Before Gabriella had time to find something to press, the thick wood had begun to shift slowly. Looking at it, the woman’s eyes opened wide.
“And perhaps, this is also one of the reasons why the hole was not closed. Only I know the key to the entrance,” Max said with a faint smile.
“Are you aware? If this route is designed by Herbert, then both of you are actually similar, Max,” Gabriella said without thinking.
“Yeah, maybe because I’ve received affection from him,” the man said, placing his hand on his wife’s waist. “Now, let’s go in.”
After a nod, Gabriella stepped in. A second later, she was taken aback. The room they entered looked very different from what Max had described. No more useless stuff there. The shelves attached to each side of the wall were filled with bottles of various shapes.
“Max, are you sure that old man rarely comes here?” the woman sighed with eyes still scrutinizing every drink.
“I’m not sure either. I haven’t come here for a dozen years,” the surprised man answered.
After a moment, Gabriella shook off the admiration that had stolen her focus. “Now, where should we go?” the woman asked, raising an eyebrow.
The man who had also just realized, moved to examine the gap between a wall and a shelf. “Still here,” he muttered as he coded to his wife.
Wasting no time, the couple started up the stairs to a door.
“Is it possible that the old man kept your box in his room?” Gabriella guessed.
“That’s our main destination. He doesn’t have any other storage,” the man said flatly.
“But considering my mother’s piano and trophies are in the living room, doesn’t that mean your box might as well be on the display shelf? He’s like a psychopath who loves to display the belongings of his victims.”
The man’s sigh suddenly turned into a silent laugh. “You’re over-imagining, Gaby.”
Suddenly, the door they were headed for, opened wide. The couple’s steps suddenly stopped. Without waiting for a signal, the two together descended the stairs.
“But, Dad, I really can’t afford to hold on to the company.” Julian’s voice was faint.
“Nonsense!”
A moment later, the lights flashed brightly and the sound of footsteps began to be heard. Max and Gabriella didn’t have enough time to get out. As a result, they both hid behind a pile of boxes containing empty bottles.
“Why do you force me to become CEO? Isn’t Max more competent? Evidently, Quebracha goes fast in his hands,” Julian said in a voice that grew louder.
“He is not my son. I didn’t build a Quebracha just to hand it over to an illegitimate son,” Herbert said as he started to check the date on the bottles.
A second later, Julian scratched his head and grimaced. “Please, Dad …. I don’t want to be the CEO of Quebracha.”
“Why?” the old man snapped in a cold tone. Finally, he met his son’s gaze.
“Don’t you know me very well? You must know that I don’t have the criteria to be a leader.”
Suddenly, Herbert’s hand swung toward the man’s cheek. In just an instant, the atmosphere turned tense.
“You’re such a disgrace! I have educated you for years to be my successor. But, you give up at the last second. Is this your way of repaying my affection?”
With his gaze fixed on the floor, Julian held the throb in his jaw. After several breaths, he finally straightened his face and showed red streaks in his eyes.
“Then, you have chosen the wrong child. From a long time ago, I realized that I was more suited to be the illegitimate son.”
“Stop your bullshit!”
Julian shook his head without hesitation. “That woman is right. I’m not a good person. I secretly harbor envy and grudge against Max. Because of it, I let you launch your plans to take him down.”
The breath of the man who was hiding suddenly caught. Pain had pressed against his chest. He could have drowned in pain if Gabriella did not quickly hold his hand.
“Are you sorry for supporting my plan?” Herbert asked with narrowed eyes. “Is that why you don’t want to hold the company? You feel bad for the illegitimate son?”
Julian’s lips trembled more violently, compensating for the rumbling in his chest.
“No. But, I’m sorry for pointing him on the day Mom died,” the man admitted with his fists clenched tightly. His teary eyes almost spilled out a tear.
Sniffing the growing guilt, Herbert snorted in disgust. The bottle he was about to take had been put back in the shelf.
“Why do you regret the right thing? Revealing the facts is not a crime,” the old man said, trying to instill courage in Julian. However, the air in the son’s lungs became heavier.
“I shouldn’t have refused when you gave the necklace to me. I shouldn’t have said that it was Max and Mom’s twins necklace,” the man regretted with shoulders starting to shake. “Because what I said isn’t true.”
In just an instant, Herbert was wide-eyed with his mouth open without a word. His brain was unable to process what was caught by his ears. Julian’s confession was too hard to accept.
Max couldn’t be his real son.