GRAND CASINO*

★

"Where's Richard himself, and who're you guys?" Tate replied, fighting her fidget.

"He sent us to come for the money. Now will you let go?" Jeremy stood, and Tate immediately stood too.

"I'm not letting go of the money without seeing Richard himself. He ruined my daughter's life and now he's gonna milk my money? Where is Richard!!!!" She yelled, but that was replied with a hit from Romeo to her shoulder.

Tate fell back to the chair, and the briefcase fell from her.

Before she could reach it, Jeremy already picked it.

He opened it and saw the cheque, then he nodded and closed it.

"You're the one who should be careful, and you better reply anytime Richard calls, else....the secret you're desperately trying to keep from your husband and daughter will be out in your face like poof!" He said.

"Let's go" Romeo told him, and they rounded the table, making Tate shift back on the ground before they finally left.

Tate covered her mouth tightly as tears came out of her eyes, and she couldn't even stand from the ground despite the fact that they're gone.

She was interrupted by the vibration from her phone, so she fished it out of her bag and saw several missed calls from her husband.

She quickly wiped her tears and stood before swiping green.

"Hello honey" she spoke.

"Richard is back I think... Pearl got the trigger and is still unconscious at the hospital" Mr. Wilson announced, and she almost fainted.

"What! No no no...not my baby again...which hospital?" She asked, breathlessly rushing out of the place.

*

GRAND CASINO*

Master X stood to his feet immediately Roonie entered his office.

He's with Hazzan who's helping him with some records, but Hazzan stood and left after bowing to Roonie who's not even looking at him.

"Fred is back" Roonie announced.

"Do you have a plan?" Master X asked.

"I do, but it's useless if he doesn't show his face" Roonie replied, and Master X sat.

"And are her parents doing about this?" He asked with an unusual calm.

"Are you really asking that? He escaped from them years ago, so they're basically helpless, and the fact that they kept the case from the public and the cops is another thing. They're on their own" Roonie replied.

"I'll take it from here" Master X said.

"Meaning?" Roonie replied.

"You can stop being her shadow... I only told you to do that cos he's absent. Now that he's back, I'll take it. My boys will handle it" Master X said.

Roonie's throat moved as he tried to talk again, but Master X beat him to it.

"You can't get too attracted to her, Roonie. Did you forget? You're like a female poison, and she's bound to die if you go too close" he said, and Roonie's brow tensed, his eyes lowering as he had a rerun of the day of the accident.

FLASHBACK, AGE FIVE*

The sound of police sirens woke little Roonie up from his unconsciousness, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the tarred road.

The cops are just arriving with the firefighters, and when he saw them running towards a direction, he stood and faced that direction only to see his father's car in flames.

It's burning viciously in the middle of the road, and his eyes widened when he saw his father getting dragged away from the car with a bleeding and broken left leg.

"No Silver is still in there! Silver is in the car I can't lose her too! Get Silver! Get my daughter out! Silver is in there! Silver!!"

Roonie made to run towards the car too, but he was held back by the cops

"My sister is in the car let me go! She's inside the burning car!!! She's in!!!"

His struggles are tantamount to an ant's cos they overpowered him and held him in place till the fire was completely put out, but shockingly, Silver isn't in.

Not her bones, skull, burnt body or anything.

It's like she disappeared.

BACK TO THE PRESENT*

"Silver didn't die... she's somewhere alive" Roonie muttered.