Chapter 17

--------------------Los Angeles, California

------------------------------ Olyster residence. ( same morning)

" Son, how are you?" Mother asked immediately I and Sophia walked in. " I'm okay Mother" I answered as she checked my lips. " Mother he's okay, he just needs rest" Sophia said as she hugged her. " Yes, I'll stay with you, I'll call someone and ask them to fill in for me" She looked so worried. As if I fell off a cliff. " no need mother"

" oh yes need, go take a bath and change and I'll get you breakfast, your grandfather and Brandon are taking care of things in the company, so you should stay at home" she added as we walked up the stairs. I nodded and followed her. "Mother, I'm going to have lunch with Ethan today, my classes finish by 5pm, when I'm done, I'll head over to Faryah" Sophia said. " How is she?" my heart sank as she asked us that. " She's still under observation " I managed to answer. " She'll be fine, hopefully " Sophia answered. " She's suffering for us" Mother said as we got upstairs. " She'll be fine" I said and hugged her. " I'll see you guys later" Sophia said as she entered her room. " I'll prepare your breakfast, freshen up okay" Mother said as she left me in front of my room. Sophia had already handed my painkillers to me.

I took my bath and wore fresh clothes, I wore my socks and used my hoodie cap to cover my hair as I laid on the bed. I was sleepy all of a sudden. " Khalid, here, I brought you a bowl of veggie salad and a fruit bowl, with tea, milk and sausages, with soft coconut bread and normal bread and you could use the Jam " she said as she placed my food in front of me and sat on my bed. It looked much, but I needed healing, I had to eat. " It looks much" I said as I cut my sandwich. " you should eat much, eat and take your medicines" She said as she caressed my cheek and smiled as I began eating.

" How is Pamela?" she asked as I was almost done eating. " She broke up with me" my mouth was stuffed with vegetables. " she found out about Faryah right?" She asked again and I nodded. " The break up isn't affecting you" it wasn't really, cause I knew she was going to come back. " It is, but not much, cause..."

"cause you like Faryah" she cut me off. " No, cause I know she'll come back" I answered and gulped down my milk. " what if she doesn't?. You know I don't want her back, I like Faryah for you instead" Mother said as she poured a glass of water for me. " Pamela is the one I love, no take backs" I said as I ate my bread. " You're forcing yourself to love her, you do know that right?, and I want what's best for you son" Was I really doing that?.

Nahh.

" Mother don't worry, I love her willingly " I assured and watched her sigh. " But you and Faryah fit so perfectly, in every way, and you know the main reason why I like her, she's that perfect piece that completes you" she couldn't be serious right now. " Mother, No, I and Faryah, a No zone, Nehi" the veggie bowl wasn't that bad. " Fine, I'm done making you realise what you truly feel for her. But hey, one last question, why do you always go see Faryah at the hospital?" I had no answer for that. It felt like she was a magnet that was pulling me closer to her each day. " I can't say anything about that mother, but it's going to stop, I'm going to reduce the rate at which I see her, it's going to help me get Ella back" I couldn't believe I said that.

" Are you sure you can do that?" I needed to be honest with her. She was my mother after all , she had to know everything about me. " Fine, mother I'll admit it, I just feel attached to her, kind of. Not that I like her or anything, I just feel attached" I watched her smile widely.

" Son, I'm not going to say it again, you really need to calm yourself down and think about what you truly really want, who you truly want" She was caressing my cheek as those words escaped her lips. " I want Pamela, I want to fix my relationship with her" she placed a small smile on her face this time.

" Fine, if you want Pamela back, and you want things to go back to how they were before, stop seeing Faryah, don't ever go to the hospital again, I don't want to see you there, since its Pamela you want" she was packing my plates, she looked sad. She was going to have to accept it, sooner or later. Pamela was going to be her daughter-in-law. " Mother, you've got to accept it sooner or later" she faced me up front this time. " I don't want you going through what I went through with your father, I loved him so much, I thought he was the one, but look what happened, I just don't want anyone to break you son" she looked like she was about to break down. I immediately got up and sat closer to her, giving her a warm embrace.

" I'm not like Father. Mother, to be honest with you, you can't break already broken things, even if she does, I won't really feel a thing even though I love her like crazy, love is really overrated lately, love hits hard and fades away slowly" I said, trying to cheer her up. " I know son" she was already crying. " I fear losing her mother, I really do, but if it has to happen, fine. I guess" that was the plain truth. The reality of things. " I was in your position once, me and your father were, we were so crazy about each other, but look at what happened. You know son, I know we ruined your childhood, and you're still hurting inside, I am too, but yours is much worse. We shouldn't be running away from our problems, you need to find it in your heart to forgive your father" There was no way that was going to happen. His face alone made my blood boil. He brought out the violent side of me, I didn't want that. " No"

" Yes, we'll talk to him" she said as she slid out my hug. " I don't want to and I'm not going to" I snapped at her. " I want you to, it's for your own good Khalid, try and understand, your father is trying to make an effort here" she said as I stood up, took my drugs and walked to my window. I needed fresh air. " What if he's just pretending, we can't just trust him mother"

" Allah will help us" she whispered but I heard her. She still believed in him after all the nights she prayed to him to help us out but nothing happened. " What the fuck mother, you're still saying that, why?, he wasn't with us when we needed him the most and here you are, praying to him, Mother come on" I was so furious right now. " Don't you dare yell at me boy, and never you question me and my actions like that" she hit me hard across my face. I rubbed my cheek as I looked at the anger and sadness in her eyes and I softened up and lowered my gaze. " I'm just trying to help you stop being like this, you're suffering deep down and I don't like that, the only way you can change and live peacefully is for you to learn to forgive your father, stop acting like you were the only one that was hurt" she snapped back and I heard her leave the room, slamming the door shut. I sat on my bed and hid my face in my palms and let the tears flow. I couldn't stop them. I always tried not to hurt my mother and here I was, hurting her, badly.

What was going on with me?. Why was this happening to me?.

I needed to calm myself down and think about my life.

I was slowly ruining it.

--------------Los Angeles, California

-------------------- Olyster textiles ( same day)

Ethan

It was almost lunch break, I was supposed to spend it with the love of my life, Sophia Olyster. I had already reserved a table for two in a classy new restaurant pretty close to the office. I really hoped she was going to like it. I needed to take some marketing files from Khalid’s office. Personally. I was his only friend, and the only one with the spare key to his office.

I walked out of my office and headed towards Khalid’s floor.

" ouch" I heard a petite voice cry as I bumped into her, stepping on her glasses as the elevator door opened up. The files she was holding fell and scattered round the floor. " I am so sorry" I apologised sincerely as I helped her kneel to help her pick up her papers. " No" she screamed immediately I laid my hands on them. She rose her head up from the papers and I got to see her face clearly, she had a pretty small, cute face, everything about her face was small, her pink small lips that complimented her chin. She had pretty small eyes, they looked Asianish. " Don't touch them sir, I can handle it" she said sternly as she picked them all up. " Okay, well I'm sorry for your glasses" I apologised again as I handed them over to her. She hissed as she looked at what I was handing over to her. " No problem" she was done picking up her papers and she got up to leave. I looked at the surrounding, there was no one here, what was she doing here all alone?. " Wait" I called and watched her freeze as if she was scared of something. She didn't turn to face me. She just stood still as she tapped the elevator button. Was she a ghost?

Or was she possessed?

" What were you doing here all alone?" I asked and walked closer to her as the elevator opened up. She had a tattoo of a green viper on her neck. She was beginning to creep me out. " I.....I.......Uhmm..... The secretary.... Uhmm....well Uhmm...... Uhmm... She.. She told me..... To..... to come help her get some files to take to the big sir" Khalid wasn't at work, his secretary shouldn't be too. " Where is his secretary?" she looked into my eyes as I asked her the question. There was something really fishy about her. " She.. She's downstairs in the..... IT department" she was lying to me.

Khalid’s secretary wasn't at work today.

" oh okay, I wanted to see her, I'll follow you to the IT department then. I need to get some files from her" I needed to find out what she was really up to. I stood beside her in the elevator as it went down. " So, you work here?" I asked, breaking the silence. " Yes sir, I'm an intern, in the IT department" she answered straightforwardly. " Oh, what's your name?" I asked and instantly fell her eyes. " E......erm, Uhmm Daisy Sir, Daisy Rivera" she was holding onto her files like her life depended on it. " Daisy Rivera, you're not American?" no wonder. " No sir, My parents are from different places, My Mother was American, but my father was Philippine" Oh interesting. She seemed nice, but why did she have to lie about Khalid’s secretary?. " That's interesting" I answered with my hands in my pocket. " Yeah, What about you sir, you work here too?" I nodded my head and smiled at her.

The elevator door opened and we both walked out. She quickly walked away from me, but I left her. She was hiding something. I asked around and found out that Khalid’s secretary wasn't here. I went back to my office and asked my secretary to do a background check on her. Daisy Rivera. I didn't even get the files I needed from Khalid’s office. I sat down on my chair as I turned my laptop on. I needed to know what her creepy tattoo was all about and why.

The Green Viper.

They were mostly books by some people and about vipers. One information caught my eye.

* The Police’s new findings on child trafficking syndicate, who call themselves The Green Vipers* I had to know more about that.

* Familes and Friends, all over Asia, have been searching for their underage offsprings, things have gone from bad to worse as these syndicates attack each day. The police are finding it very hard to locate these syndicates, most especially The ones headed by The Green Ivy and The Green Viper. The syndicates each have their symbols*

There, the tattoo I saw on Daisy's neck was right there, exactly the same, the curled body, the head sticking out a little, everything.

It couldn't be a pure coincidence that she had the same tattoo as they did. Even if she wanted a tattoo of the green viper, it would've been something different.

She was part of the syndicate.

Then why would she possibly be working here.

* No one knows the real Identity or the real location of The Green Ivy and the Green Viper, any information you have, any where around the world, please report to the police, children and little babies have been gone for years now, families are mourning, help is needed*

I knew there was something fishy about her. But why will she be working for us then, was she possibly doing an inside Job. Well for who?

" Sir, here's the file on Miss Daisy Rivera" My secretary said as she walked into my office and dropped the file. " Thank you" I answered as she walked out.

Daisy Rivera.

19 years old.

Grew up in Philippines.

Name of mother: Amanda Ronald

Name of Father: Nathan Rivera.

She has been with us for almost a year now.

Nothing looked suspicious here. I needed my PI( Private Investigator) to get me something better. He went by the name, Greg. Gregory. He was good at what he did. I never really had to use him, I only had to, for some sabotage plans and fraud signs we found on our systems. I dialled him up.

" Long time no call sir" I heard him say. " Greg, how have you been?" I asked into the phone. " I've been good, you forgot about me"

" I'm sorry for that, but I have something for you to help me do" I needed to go straight to the point. " Alright"

" I need you to find out if someone I know works with the Green Viper, her name is Daisy Rivera. I need you find out all what you have on her, trace her phone calls, messages, everything, I need you to follow her too, I'll send you every single detail I know about her, I'll pay you more" I said into the phone. " Okay sir, I'll do my Job very well" I could feel his smile. " Good, thanks a lot" I answered back. " is that all sir?"

" Yes, for now"

" Okay sir, good day" He said and ended the call and sent him photos of Daisy's file.

I went back to Khalid’s office to get the files I needed earlier, before leaving for lunch with Sophia. I quickly got them and was about to leave and I saw a paper lying around. It must be from what Daisy dropped earlier. I picked it up and read the contents. It was like a history on one of our competitors company in Seoul, South Korea.

Jeong Suk Textiles. The paper had all I needed to know about them.

It was headed by a certain Mr Ji Min Yeong. The owner wasn't Korean, he was Mr Jake Gabriel.

The Vice President of the organisation was a certain Miss Ji Hae Soo, The Green Viper, owner of Lee Modelling agency and the wife of Mr Jake Gabriel. There were some other names here I couldn't understand, they were funny and kind of silly.

This sheet clearly Identified who the Green Viper was and her accomplices. This was why she didn't want me helping her out. She was working for the Green Viper and for our competitors. This was bad. Very bad.

Seems like she was studying about it. I got into the elevator and carefully placed the paper in the files I collected. The name Jake Gabriel Kept on ringing on and on in my head. I had heard the name before, somewhere.

I got to my office and kept the file in my safe. This was going to be concrete evidence in court. It was already almost lunch break. I had to be earlier than Sophia. I left my office and drove my car out to go meet my love. I had to call up Greg again. All these findings in one day. Pretty tough to handle. " Greg" I called into the phone. " I received your message sir" he answered. " Good, I need you to also find out more on Mr Jake Gabriel and a certain Miss Ji Hae Soo, find out Daisy's connection to these two and get back to me"

" Cool sir"

" Good day" I said and ended the call. I needed to report my findings to Khalid or Mr Brandon. I needed to be sure of everything first. But it looked pretty obvious. The Green Viper was about to attack us.