1. THE PAST

Larissa opened her eyes slowly. Her brow furrowed because at this moment there was no light in sight, her hand trying to reach up to something around her. And all she found were glass and then her eyes looking up and she could see the light from the calm water.

 The beautiful woman moved her tail slowly, trying to reach the up bottom with one of her hands. Unfortunately, she couldn't move because a chain held her tail. She was still trying to remove the object, but failed. A drop of tears trickled down her cheeks and instantly turned into pearls.

 "Lake ...I'm scared," she whispered quietly. Her weak body forced her to fall to the bottom of the water. Larissa cried there, sitting on her back against her tail, "Help me, Lake."

Her memories were spinning a while ago. When the evil man came to her house and asked for food. In fact, by that time Larissa had truly thought of Alferd as her own father. The man, however, was bad to her.

As Larissa went to draw water in a glass for Alferd, the man suddenly approached and flush out Larissa's legs with water from the sea. Larissa just realized that it was sea water and that in just two minutes she would be a mermaid. And at that moment, the shots were heard several times. Until another man entered the kitchen door, and she didn't remember what Alferd did to her until she remembered nothing else afterward.

But Larissa was shocked, when suddenly a black curtain closed around the aquarium where she had her cage opened. At first there was only darkness, but now she had become a spectacle to some people, including Alfred. Eleven people were in the a around of the aquarium. The men also wore the same garments as Alferd, which was covered in black.

From where she sat, Larissa could see Alferd smile at her. Unlike some of his friends who laughed aloud, it looks like they planned this whole thing pretty well.

Larissa can clearly hear all the conversations of people around her. She looked down in fear. Even making a move seemed impossible to her.

"She looks a lot like the mermaid girl fifteen years ago, right?" another said.

Alferd nodded with his gentle smile, "The mermaid couple are indeed her parents."

Upon hearing that, Larissa looked up. Her eyes were round at Alferd's confession. Her lips began to tremble, painful memories of fifteen years ago reflecting back at her.

 "Really? So, the mermaid could become human?"

 "More than that," Alferd interrupts. He approaches the glass aquarium as he smiles sweetly to Larissa, "They speak our language, walk as humans, cook our food, even give birth to a human baby."

 "So, you said she was carrying your grandchild?"

Alferd laughed loudly at the question of it. The question managed to tickle his stomach.

While Larissa got even more freaked out when she heard that. One of her hands moved against his abdomen as if he was trying to protect it.

 "Do you have any idea what the baby will look like? His father was a human having demon blood, while his mother was she-fish. It was incredible," said Alferd with endless laughter.

 "This is business, Alferd. If this mermaid has a child, a mermaid, then we'll be produce a lot more money."

 "Ah, you're right. After all, I want to see the look on my son's face when he knows that his wife and children will be my business fields."

 "I would also like to see the look on my father's face, upon learning that he had no chance to live again."

Eleven people there, including Larissa, looked at the door. All surprised by the presence of a man in a full police uniform, that it was a fake. Still, Alferd can be seen standing quietly at his position.

"He came alone, Alferd. I got too much hatred with him, allow me to sell his organs," one is making sound.

But Alferd detain his friend. He chose to step forward toward Alan who was also approaching. Alferd stretched out his hand, as if trying to hug Alan, "Oh, my son. I miss you so much. How are you doing in prison? Doesn't it feel more comfortable there? You have eaten a lot in there, right?"

Alan was silent, but he was still walking up to Alferd in a leisurely pace. His flat face said that he came as a friend, not an enemy.

 "Alferd step aside, he'll kill you!" said Tom.

 "Take it easy, Tom. Let my son say what he would like to say," Alferd replied.

Alan stopped exactly a metre from Alferd. He looks at Larissa before he finally said to Alferd, "I was just wondering, why are you sending someone to release me, when your mastermind behind it murder?"

From afar, Larissa was shocked. Her heart raced fear and nervousness.

 "It's business. I know you're interested in mermaid, despite if you can't kill her."

Alan looks down for a moment, then looks up at a

Alferd with his cash smile, "You trust your own enemies?"

"Of course," Alferd countered Alan, "Only you could fool those policemen, including my smartass, Aleda."

"What do you guarantee me?" asked Alan with his icy stare at Larissa.

"You will earn a lot of money and Including the mermaid's body," said Alferd with a teasing smile for his son.

Alan nodded, "I accept your offer."

 "Hold on, Alferd. We can't trust him!" Tom rejected.

 "Tell to Tom, what have you done with those policemen and Aleda?" asked Alferd to his son.

A silence following Alferd's question. The others are waiting for an answer from Alan, and they hope very much that the man will support them all. Unlike Alan, who still looked at Larissa with his cold stare.

In Larissa's own eyes, Alan looked quite different with that look. She sincerely hoped that everything she was witnessing right now was a lie. She believed that Alan was a good man, even though his feelings for her were not reciprocated. Alan is not a murderer in her eyes. The man is just a victim of his own father's abuse.

 "I made them all look like death by accident."