Hollywood Zenith

" I learned various things over the years, grandfather did find me after few years but I already knew that there is nothing left for me there. They would destroy themselves sooner or later. I have been keeping tabs on them and they still haven\'t changed much."

" I don\'t care if you believe me or not, but I only have one piece of proof to show you." as Oscar said, he lifted his shirt to reveal a nasty burn mark on his torso. There were several scars over those areas, masking some of it, but you could see a massive area on his right side covered with burn marks.

Everyone looked at it solemnly, not knowing what to say.

Karoline, on the other hand, held Oscar\'s hand to show her support. Oscar looked at her with a sad expression but seeing the worry on her face, he made sure to compose himself not to worry her.

" Is something going on between those two?" Samuel thought. Others also noticed but decided to ignore it at the moment.

Oscar continued--

" This is the only thing left for me, I still remember that day, but years of passing the time have healed some of those memories. I know it\'s hard for you to comprehend the sins of our family, but at least you don\'t carry the family\'s blood. Your fate is sealed as a chess piece with proper power. As you already know how the family values blood over everything. " Oscar said with a sad smile, although he was angry at Iblis before, he felt sorry for her future nonetheless.

" That is not true -- " Iblis asked.

" Are you still denying it after everything you heard from me? I know I haven\'t been around much but trust me on this. " Oscar tried to drill some sense into her.

" That\'s not what I mean -- Mother may still be alive."

" W-what the hell are you talking about?" Oscar exclaimed.

" I-i don\'t k-know much but I did hear father talk in his sleep, h-how he wish she would \'wake\' up and such."

" He may be reminiscing about the past; people do that when they truly miss their lost loved ones." someone said suddenly from one corner of the room. Hearing it suddenly made everyone else jolt a little; Oscar and Karoline ready their bodies for impending danger.

Everyone looked toward the unknown person; Hana was just standing in the corner. No one noticed how or when she entered the room, but she seemed to hear most of our conversation.

" S-since when have you been here?" Samuel asked but the old woman simply shook her head.

" Is that really important right now?" to which Samuel could only stare at her. Others also looked at her, stunned; it was one situation where you didn\'t know what to do.

" She would not leak it or use it leverage right? They don\'t look like bad people from our meeting." He thought.

Others waited awkwardly, but it did lessen some of the tension in the air.

" No, I guess it is alright. " Samuel said.

" But she may be right, It could the case with your father. That don\'t warrant as a proof." Karoline supported Hana.

" I know, but I have several reasons to believe otherwise. Firstly, I have lived with my father my whole life; I have seen him go out once every week for a fixed amount of time. I have asked him about it, but he always brushes me off.

Secondly, One time when I was little, I needed to go to the hospital for a checkup. I explicitly heard him say that I was his daughter, and he would not lie, as it could result in a medical complication. After several years after that, I research it independently. It did say that medical history is essential and could even lead to patients\' death if not handled properly.

Lastly, the timing of my birth is also important; he said he \'adopted\' me when I was a few weeks old. It was only more than six months after my mother\'s accident. If I have his DNA, either he stepped out during his marriage or --"

" I don\'t think father would do that; his only good quality was how he treated mother, and he truly loved her, which means mother could be alive. " Oscar muttered, but everyone heard it as the room was silent. He started to seriously consider the possibility.

" But why haven\'t we heard anything from her for all these years?" Samuel asked.

" She could be somewhere where she could not contact anyone. Hostage, maybe?" Hana chimed in. Everyone had gotten used to her presence, and although she was putting her nose in our business, Samuel didn\'t feel any hostility.

" Maybe that\'s why I hadn\'t felt her presence when she entered. "Samuel\'s thoughts trailed off a bit.

" I want to say few things too, as everyone is piecing together their stories. I want you all to hear mine too." Karolina interrupted everyone\'s train of thought and began saying her piece.

She was a freelance mercenary taking on assignments around the globe. She started young to support her family. Before the Soviet Union fell, the country was pretty militaristic; every day was a struggle for its residents.

They had to fend for themselves at that time, and one of the highest-paying jobs was the one she chose. They did well after the fall and were living a modest life. Although the job comes with a fair bit of danger and dirty work, Karoline didn\'t mind if her family was safe.

She had her mother and one little brother to support her, they objected to her decision at first, but she was able to persuade them.

Everything went well until last year when she found out her contractor had sold her out. Hanson\'s family used that information to capture her family and made her a puppet for her scheme.

She mentioned everything about Eric and her father, their faction and their plan to take over the family through Iblis. She also told her reasoning for getting closer to Samuel and hiding it from Iblis.

Karoline went through a whole range of emotions during her story, there were few smiles at the beginning, but at the end, she cursed her fate when she encountered Eric and his father. Oscar was rubbing her back to calm her down; she was fuming with rage.

" That\'s quite an elaborate plan, They must be planning for years now." Hana said.

" As far as I know, Uncle Thomas is the largest supporter of Kester, He is like the right hand man ever since that man took the position. So, after the main family falls in their hand they would be the new king inside the inner circle of the Hanson family."

" I never knew, they were like that, although he was following me around for years. He always presented himself as a gentleman. " Iblis began recalling her encounter with Eric.

Karoline then began to tell her about everything she witnessed while dealing with Eric, she never had much contact with his father, but she knew the leecher. Her stories made Iblis\'s face distort in disgust; she also found out why she could never make friends and Eric was blocking anyone trying to contact her.

" It\'s unbelievable how far they have fallen, well, somehow after that incident, nothing seems too far for them." Oscar said while Iblis was lost for words. Adele was also consoling Iblis; even after everything that had happened, she still treated her as her friend.

" But it does tell up important info about your mother." Samuel declared, getting everyone\'s attention as they waited for his words.

" There could be another faction that have your mother or your father may be hiding her. If your uncle is doing that much for the position, it basically rules them out of the equation. If they had your mother, they could simply blackmail Kester for whatever they wanted. But I think later scenario is more plausible. " He paused.

" Why? " Hana asked before anyone else could react. She was beginning to like Samuel more and more with each passing second.

" Well, for one, Oscar or should I say Daniel, mentioned seeing her mother getting hit in the head. If you go by that, she could be alive but comatose. She may have fallen into a coma at that time, and fearing for her life, Kester would have hidden her at that time. But he would not have expected her to be carrying a child at that time. " Samuel connected the dots for them. Others also came to the same conclusion after he pointed it out.

" That means that she could be alive? " Oscar was ecstatic, but Samuel shook his head in response.

" We don\'t know, the chances are very slim. It has been fourteen years too, but Iblis may be your sister. About Kester disappearing from time to time, it could be he is visiting your mother\'s \'real\' grave. We simply don\'t have more information. " Samuel replied.

The atmosphere became gloomy again but was interrupted by the sudden cry of a child at the door. Hannah, who had been wandering with castle attendants came with Princess Kako; they were holding hands. Hannah was calling for Samuel while peeking through the door.

" I think we should pick up the conversation at a different time; we could move our schedule by a day. You all need rest; I will accompany Hannah and Princess." Samuel said, which made everyone disperse; Hana stuck around while others obliged. They were also tired and a little jetlagged; after a serious conversation, they needed rest too.