Tears brim in his eyes as he drives down the road minutes later. He tries to get everything off his head, but the more he tries to, the more it keeps coming in, and he can’t help but feel frustrated. Finding out that his supposed dad was a gold digger wasn’t the problem, but the fact that they never have anything to do with this man, and the fact that he lied to Alex to turn them against each other. How else can one be crueler?
He pulls over at the side of the road and hits his hands on the steering wheel as more tears came streaming down his cheeks. Why do bad things keep happening to him? Why do they keep coming just when one is almost over? What the hell was his offense to have been punished like this? Those were the questions he keeps asking himself as more tears stream down his cheeks. He feels like his heart is being ripped off his chest. It hurts.
Finally pushing all the thoughts to the back of his mind, he drives back to the hospital to join Alex.
“Are you ok? You don’t look fine,” Ariel asks once he steps into the ward, and he smiles at her weakly, trying to be fine. He is not fine, and no matter how much he tries to hide this pain, it still hurts.
“You are not fine… Are you ok? Did something happen?” She asks for the second time, worried about her husband.
“What happened, Max? Did something happen where you went to?” Alex, who has been looking at his brother confusingly, finally asks, and that is all it takes for Max to burst into tears. He tries to control his tears, but he can’t hold back. Not when he is seeing his brother standing in front of him.
“You are scaring me… What happened, Max? Can you talk to me, please?” Ariel utters worriedly as she tries to sit up on the bed, but she groans and lay back since she is still feeling pain from her stitched tummy.
He finally manages to tell them everything that happened, and Ariel freezes on the spot. She is as shocked as Alex. How come she never knew this was happening? How come she has been clueless about everything?
“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” She asks as she stares at Max questioningly.
“I didn’t want you to be worried about anything. I thought I could handle it with Alex, but more kept coming. I’m losing my mind,” Max cries harder as he sinks his fingers into his air, squeezing his eyes.
“Uhm… Max… Are you telling me that Dad lied to me? That woman… She never existed in my life? We were both birthed by the same mom? And he has nothing to do with our family?” Alex asks, trying so hard not to burst into tears, even if he is having the urge to. He feels his heart tighten painfully, tears brim in his eyes, and they finally find their way out when he can’t take the pain anymore.
“He… he… he also has a family elsewhere?” Alex further asks and gulps down nothing. He wishes this was a nightmare he could wake up from, he wishes that this was not reality, and maybe just his illusion, and knowing that it is reality, he couldn’t help but feel betrayed and stabbed in the back.
“I’m going to kill him with my bare hands… I’m never going to spare him!” He utters between gritted teeth as he stares into space, more tears streaming down his cheeks…
Mr. Dante’s apartment…
“What do you mean you didn’t find her?” Mr. Dante yells at the top of his voice as he glares hard at Viper while clenching his fingers tightly.
“Forgive me, boss… But I tried to search for her everywhere and it was futile,” Viper replies to him, and he scoffs as he runs his fingers through his hair frustratingly. This was the only chance he has to get rid of Elizabeth, the only chance he has to destroy the only witness that knows about what happened in the past, but it seems to him that he just lost the chance now, and he can’t help but feel furious.
“You promised me that you were going to do a clean job! You told me you could handle it, and I trusted you. Do you know how much that means to me? You just ruined my plan now. Shit!” He yells for the second time, and the urge to strangle Viper surges through him, but that wasn’t the solution now. He just needs to find something to do about this if he doesn’t want to be on the losing side.
“I’m sorry, boss. I didn’t mean to…” Viper apologizes to him, and he scoffs as he turns to face him, his eyes blazing with anger, his blood boiling in rage as he glares hard at Viper.
“You are sorry? Do you have any idea what you just did? You think your sorry can clear the mess?” He scoffs angrily as he throws himself on the couch, running his fingers through his hair. He tries to think of what to do next, he can’t possibly let Elizabeth live, knowing that everything he has worked so hard for will be at stake. Allowing Max and Alex to find out the truth is really the last thing he wanted, but does he know that what he is scared of has come to pass?
“I don’t care how you are going to do it, but do something. Find her and get rid of that wicked woman!” He snaps at Viper, forgetting that he is the monster here. If he wasn’t a monster, how could he have betrayed the woman he claimed to love? How could he have broken his promises to her and turned her kids against each other, making one believe that he was inferior to another? How could he manipulate one to get what he wanted, all because of his greed? Well, he should be the monster here.
“She can’t get to those brats, ok? I need you to do a clean job this time. You have to find her whichever way you can and get rid of her. Now, get the hell out of my sight!” He snaps at Viper, and he bows his head before he turns and walks out of the living room.
“Damn!” He curses under his breath as he throws his head on the couch, staring up at the ceiling as waves of anger spark through him.
His phone suddenly starts ringing, and he hesitates before he picks it up and swipes the answer button without even bothering to check who the caller is.
“Dad… You need to come home now, please… Mommy slumped, and I rushed her to the hospital. Can you come over here, please?” A feminine voice sounds through the phone, and his heart sinks into his stomach as fear grips him…