Capítulo 83: Are you really?
The meeting committee wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be. Or so I thought at first glance, only to notice that Long Hào was present in person. With the Lady in Black standing by his side, looking regal, proud, and happy.
I took a step forward, waiting for the Lady in White to join me outside the car. Grandma said it herself, she is here in a supporting role.
After Kouzuki Maya took her place, a step behind my back and a bit to the side, I approached the waiting Family Head of the Long clan.
"This humble junior greets Clan Head," I greeted him with a polite bow.
"Welcome back to the family, grandson." His words were a little unexpected.
I quickly glanced at the Kouzuki Miya, who went completely still for the briefest of moments. Her eyes once again contained that odd comprehension. Was she really so afraid I would take offense and leave?
"I'm glad to be back, grandfather," I replied with an amiable smile.
***
The official part of this meeting went by uneventfully. Which wasn't all that surprising, as there weren't that many people present in the first place. And out of those, absolute majority were either the branch family members or vassals of the clan.
How did my grandma put it before? For the Three Families, blood is everything?
The Kouzuki twins took it upon themselves to introduce me to the people and filter out those who could be troublesome. All I needed to do was smile and occasionally nod in response to various greetings and introductions.
In a way, this was the exact thing I did for the last few years. Except that my grandmother and grandma, who were currently acting as my lieutenants, were far more polite and pleasant to deal with.
After a short while, Long Hào excused himself and asked me to follow. Well, this was what I expected, as well as the main reason behind this visit.
***
The personal study of the man I called grandfather a bit earlier was an impressive place. Against my expectations, the room was decorated in a Western style.
Heavy wooden desk with a big luxurious armchair behind it. A thick carpet on the floor. Bookshelves along two walls. A chimney, with a pair of decorative, or maybe not-so-much, swords above it. Two more chairs in front of the fireplace.
To be honest, this wasn't what I envisioned, thinking about the Long clan's Head's personal study's interior.
"I choose a suitable room for every guest," Long Hào answered my unasked question.
"This junior under…" I said.
"Stop this charade, please. I know you can talk normally," the father of Long Chen interrupted me.
"As you wish, Lord Long." I nodded.
The response to my words was a long, heavy exhale. A gesture followed, offering me one of the seats in front of the fireplace.
"So who am I meeting today?" asked my conversation partner after the two of us took our places, facing each other.
"Both, I guess." I shrugged.
The heavy gaze of hazel eyes landed upon me, seemingly trying to look underneath my outer shell.
"And who are you?" Another question followed.
"And I am Michael Roah," I replied.
"Are you really?" Those words made me tense a bit.
"I don't understand the question," I tried to deflect.
Another heavy stare bore into me.
"Judging by the words of Miya, as well as our two brief conversations, you are nothing like what reports said," he started. "According to my sources, this happened abruptly about two weeks ago. Literally overnight, your whole behavior changed. As if someone else took the place of Michael Roah, the infamous ruffian."
My mind raced, going through options available to me. Well, fuck, there wasn't all that much I could do in this situation. I scanned with my eyes, trying to spot the hidden shadows. Weird, we were alone here.
"But my wife already took the DNA tests, which were double-checked with material found in your apartments. You are, indeed, Michael Roah." Long Hào slowly continued. "The same sources told me that while immediate behavioral changes are extreme, the core basis behind them is still the same. Add to this the information you couldn't possibly know: the whereabouts of Chen's diary, Miya's bar, and Maya's connection to the Su clan, to name a few."
He took a short pause, looking straight into my eyes.
"You also readily accepted my wives into your life, yet you are extremely wary of me. All of this makes me think." His measured words kept echoing in the silence of the study. "Which leaves me with another outlandish explanation. You grew up."
One of the most powerful, and dangerous, people in the world left his words lingering for a while.
"And so I ask once more. Are you really Michael Roah?" he said, steel evident in his voice.
If the situation was slightly less tense, I would've laughed. Ah, he got me good here. There was no way out, obviously I could try and deny everything, but that would've complicated everything even more. So, what is left for me to do in this situation?
Actually, why not just tell the truth? He was already suspicious of me anyway, so, even if my explanation would weird him out even more, it was still net neutral.
"It's… hard to explain," I said after a while. "The short version is, I am Michael Roah. Or, at least, this is what I think."
The stare of hazel eyes intensified.
"Two weeks ago, on the third of March, I woke up in my current apartment with a splitting headache and a set of extra knowledge about the next twenty-five years." I decided to take a bet. "There are a few possible explanations, and I have no clue which one is true. If there is a way to check it out. Or even if there is any difference at all."
The stone expression on Long Hào's face broke for a moment, revealing one of utter shock for an instant. Another moment, and it changed into one of profound sadness.
"This would explain a lot," he drawled. "I suppose my stubbornness took the best of me then. Was that a reason why the two of us weren't going along?"
His words sounded so forlorn…
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder