บท 20: Digging up the Past

LIA

Alex let her leave because there was nothing he could do to encourage her to stay; besides, he needed her to feel secure around him. He could feel a war coming, but he wasn't sure who would be the opponents in the was.

But whichever way, he was determined to ensure the war never reached the low of his life. Maybe then he would have proven to everyone that he was not just a rich young adult, but that he would protect what was his. he would go to the vigilantes himself.

He would prepare himself for a future that was so uncertain, and more than anything, he would rid himself of the constant doubts that were already creeping in his mind.

If he was going to love this woman, he needed to have a lear head, but the more he thought about so many things, the easier it was to understand that there was more to this woman that she let on. Then again, what could an uneducated nineteen-year-old do to him or his family?

She was simply a mere secretary and didn't seem to have any plans of exploring a different future. But she didn't have to worry about that because he would be her guide.

In this time that she was away, he would try to understand what their relationship was, and more than anything, he needed to understand how the fuck she had a brother when all this while he had known she was a complete orphan.

Maybe he would start by doing a background check on Nik. Maybe then he would be able to have all his answers.

****

When Lia got home to her apartment, she found Nik and Jenny already home this weekend, and they were going to spend together. Maybe Carl and Jill would also come considering Damien was held up with work.

"Finally, the prodigal sister returns, y'know I was thinking of selling this apartment because you never really stayed here" at that, Lia threw the pillow at an expecting Nik, who dodged without trying so hard.

"it seems like you are starting to hate your balls; I wonder whether you and Jen Jen would have kids when you both finally admit to each other how you feel and stop acting like kids in preschool who are shy of their emotions…oh hey, Jen Jen," Lia said as she rushed behind Nik to use him as her shield.

She knew Jen didn't like being teased about her feelings for Nik, but then everything was being done at her pace; as long as Nik didn't put her in danger, the young Orlov was safe from the James brothers and siblings.

"Why are you back today? I thought you'd still stay with Alex for a while," Jenny asked, now that they had stopped looking at each other with mischief in their eyes. Lia sat on the l-shaped seat while the couple sat on the love seat.

Jenny wanted everything to be over quickly because she needed to see her sister okay and normal. She needed to be there to watch her sister get into college and take a diploma because she couldn't be people's secretaries forever.

She knew Amelia had always wanted to be a software specialist.

While she learned a lot from Nik and Damien and the rest of their siblings, she still needed to get a basic understanding of the concepts, and that was never going to happen if her life was defined by the number of gunfights she won or the shootouts she survived or even the number of people she commanded and the count of people that feared her alias.

She needed her sister to be normal. She, however, knew the James family had stopped being normal long after their parents had died in the crash. They were breathing, not living, and maybe together, they would find a possible reason to live for themselves and not the revenge that had consumed their insides.

"I got a job, and I'll be starting on Monday. I need to prepare and go shopping for those cheap clothes. That should keep my cover." Lia said as Nik and Jenny looked at her expectantly with eyes that demanded to know where she had gotten her job.

"oh…I'll be Ryan's secretary," Lia said as Carl and Jill came home.

"pay up, sister", Carl said to Jill, who frowned at her sister.

"oh please…why am I always the one who loses bets to this kid?" Jill whined as she got a thousand bucks and gave it to her brother, who was smiling from ear to ear. For a multimillionaire, the things that excited the car was literally questionable.

"Nik, it's your turn, pay up," Jenny said to Nik, who just frowned at Amelia too. Lia, on the other hand, just frowned at her siblings. What was with them betting on her and her possible choices?

"why go back there krushka, you know it's not safe for you there", carl said to his sister, but from her determination, he could tell that there was no discouraging her from her choices. They would stay on the side and let her live her life.

"because it's the perfect way to get close to the target. Which reminds me, I have some info on Alex, Lexi and Ryan. The trio is siblings. We can release that to the media and watch everything unfold, but we do it slowly, and certainly, so nobody suspects me." Lia said.

They hadn't messed around in a while, and it felt like they were growing soft, and maybe they were, but she would always be there to remind them of the pain they were going through because of the bastard.

"agreed; how will we do it, though? We need to get the suicide note that Collins left his son. Then leak it out to the public, then we can start releasing the information we have and watch the garners break apart slowly. And Jen, you need to be ready because this time, you will be helping us."

Amelia said as Nik responded, "this is one fucked up letter. I got it. The photo of the letter I mean."