CHAPTER 2

After he stayed at the headquarters for almost five hours, Terrence returned inside the mansion to rest. All these mafia boss’ obligations drained him down. He could not believe it till now that a nerd who was once humiliated and despised would become the head of the largest organization in the country. He plopped his tired body on the bed. The memories of how it all began surged back into his head. He closed his eyes as he let the memory engulf him.

It was a peaceful Saturday morning. The sun shone brightly and the warm breeze of midsummer air was like enticing people to go out and enjoy it, but young Terrence and Troy were busy reading and arguing about the history of their clan inside Terrence’s bedroom.

They both flopped down onto the bed, and each gripped one side of the black folder. With a loud voice, Terrence read the next page. “The Evans House was built in the 1940s by Robert Evans, when he and his family returned to London from Germany to expand their chemical and steel manufacturing business. When Robert Evans died in 1961, his eldest son Jacob Evans inherited the mansion but not the business. Robert gave it to his second-born, Harry Evans, who was a businessman. Harry was a generous and caring businessman. Only Harry was interested in their family business when Robert was still alive. Jacob, on the other hand, just wanted to party and blow his father’s money on drugs, women, and luxury items.”

“Blimey! Our great-great grandfather was actually not the first head of the family business!” Terrence blurted out after reading the first paragraph of the Evans’ Family History.

“I was surprised you didn’t know about this. I learned it when I was thirteen,” Troy commented, looking at his brother’s amused face. Terrence was just two years ahead of Troy so they are very close with each other.

“Yeah, right. I’d rather read literature books with Tabitha,” he retorted. He was talking about their youngest sibling.

“You know, you must take an interest in our family business. After all, we’re enjoying this luxurious life because of it,” Troy uttered. He released his grip on the folder and stood up. He walked towards the window and peeked outside.

Terrence completely ignored what he had just said. “Hey, come back here and continue reading this!” he ordered.

Troy hesitantly obliged, sat on the carpeted floor and snatched the folder in his brother’s hands. He sighed before reading the next paragraph out loud again. “Jacob killed his brother Harry because of envy by cutting the brakes on his car. When he was finally able to get his hands on all of the money and the business, he sold it all and went into the illegal drug, firearms, and prostitution business, which eventually led to the operation of casinos following the signing of the 1960s Gaming Act.”

“So that’s how this family business started,” Terrence murmured. He paused for a while when he heard him say it and chuckled a bit because of his reaction.

“Oh, now you’re showing interest. See, I told you. Our clan is one-of-a-kind,” Troy stated, which earned a glare from his brother so he just continued.

“Right after Geoffrey Wellington, the Father of British Casinos created his first casino. Jacob formed a group which he called Black Scorpion in 1965 after obtaining lots of money from his businesses involved in bank robberies, kidnapping for ransom, and arson.”

When Troy finished reading the next paragraph, he glanced quickly at his brother who had been yawning continuously. His eyes looked droopy as well. He really doesn’t have any interest in mafia affairs at all. For a second, he thought he would because of this information.

“With all the money his group attained through these businesses, the Black Scorpion became the most powerful and feared group in the entire UK. Robert Evans then decided to form the Five Family so they will be able to cover the entire country.”

“Ugh! This is too much! I’d rather listen to my Homeroom teacher blab about her sappy, love story than waste my time with this!” Terrence finally snapped and decided to lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. “Hey, will you read everything for me and summarize it afterwards? I’m just gonna’ take a nap. I’m absolutely knackered,” he said sleepily.

“Do I look like your servant? Read it by yourself!” Troy yelled and threw the folder at him, hitting his arm.

“Bloody hell!” He screamed and winced in pain when the sharp edge of the folder scraped his skin. He threw it back at his brother, hitting his back.

Before Troy could react, they were both startled by a loud knock. “Terrence,” a muffled voice said behind the door.

Terrence rose to his feet and hurriedly opened the door. “What brings you here, Dad?” Terrence was taken aback when he saw his father at such an early hour of the morning. They used to see him at night and occasionally during dinner only.

“Troy please leave the room first, i want to have a word with your brother,” their father ordered as he glanced at his second born son sitting quietly on the edge of Terrence’s bed. He stood up, and carefully closed the door behind them.

Their father scanned the room right away after Troy left and spotted the black folder on the floor. He returned it to Terrence after dusting it off.

He spoke in a sour tone, expressing his disappointment. “Terrence. You’re not a child anymore. Our family business needs your help, and we need you to get involved. He was referring to the black folder when he said, “I gave that to you,” so you’ll know what we do. We-” he got cut off mid-sentence when Terrence interrupted him.

“I know what our family does for a living, dad,” says Terrence. We killed people and stole money from them. Is this really the kind of life you wanted to give us? You think your daughter will also follow your footsteps and murder people for money?!” Terrence scowled at his father.

“Terrence!” was all his father could muster after hearing those words.

“I don’t want to end up like my grandfather and you, dad. I want to be a normal teenager and be an ordinary person!” Terrence reacted angrily expressing his displeasure by throwing away the black folder in front of Travis.

Before saying anything, he took a deep breath. “Terrence, I need you to help me with this. I’m–” He took a deep breath as his voice began to tremble in order to fight back the tears about to escape from his eyes. He realized that this is too much for his young age to handle. He decided to just keep the news to himself first.

“Never mind, just carry on with what you’re doing, ” he said then abruptly exited the room leaving his son astounded.

He could not stop thinking about what had happened for hours and decided to talk to his father. He went to his room and knocked on the door several times but no one answered. He searched for him in every nook and cranny of the mansion until he found him in the garden. According to his father, when his mother was still alive, this was her favorite spot in the house.

Terrence hid behind the thick bush so as not to disturbed him. He noticed him staring at his mother’s favorite flower, white daisies, which represents innocence, simplicity, and joy. He recalled listening to their housemaid’s conversation about how their mother was their dad’s source of peace before. She can easily calm him down whenever he feels bad or angry. She would pick flowers from the garden and make him sniff it. He would then sneeze and both of them would burst into laughter.

His thoughts got interrupted when his dad’s phone suddenly rang. He fished it out of his pocket and answered the call.

“Brother. What is it?” It was Terrence’s uncle Andrew Jaxon Evans, on the other line. The only person who they can trust among the members of the Five Family.

“I won’t be able to go tonight because I’m not feeling well,” Travis replied after a few seconds. Terrence observed his father nervously paced back and forth and pinched his brow using his thumb and index finger.

Terrence tried to move closer so he could hear him well.

“I already talked to Dr. Martin. My days on Earth are numbered.”

Terrence’s brow furrowed in response to what he had just heard. His heart began to pound so fast that he had to clutch his chest.

His father yelled angrily, “He said I only have a few years to live Drew, that’s what I mean!”

It was as if someone had thrown a huge rock at him when he heard it. A rush of adrenaline wafted through his veins, and his knees went numb.

Terrence’s heart began to pound as he listened. He tried not to cry as best he could, but tears started blurring his vision. He was reminded of how rough he had been with him a while ago. He felt the urge to smack himself because of his attitude.

Terrence dashed to his room as quickly as he could after his father finished his conversation with his brother. He spent the day alone in his room, replaying the events in his head. He came to a difficult decision after a long period of deliberation.

He picked up his phone and sent a short text message to their uncle Andrew. “Uncle, let’s meet.”

He spent an entire year learning about the organization in secret. He studied the Black Scorpion Organization’s Five Family and its rival groups in secret. His godfather Andrew is the only person who was aware of his secret. He told him to keep it from his father. He also kept the fact that he’s aware of his father’s condition. Terrence wanted his uncle to think that he was willingly doing this and not just because his father was ill.

It wasn’t uncommon for him to arrive home late because his father assumed he was simply working hard to pass the upcoming college entrance exam. He underwent a series of training to strengthen his stamina, his thought process, and emotional stability. He was able to learn everything quickly thanks to his sharp mind and eidetic memory, which allows him to recall an image from his memory with pinpoint accuracy even after only seeing it once.

A few meters away from the mansion, Terrence and his uncle built a headquarters with a secret tunnel that linked the two. The entrance of the headquarters looks like a small studio, but it’s actually a doorway. Terrence was able to leave the mansion undetected by his father and his bodyguards because of this.

Now, it’s been fifteen years. But these memories still lingers in his mind. Terrence hugged his father’s picture as he drifted off to sleep.