This is it, the final chapter. I would just like to take the time to thank all of you who've stuck with me until the end. Yes, I know that my upload schedule is horrendous, and for that, I apologize. You would think that with a pandemic going around, I would have more time to write this fan fiction; well, that's the cost of being an essential worker. I'm a tradesman, just starting out.

But seriously, thank you so much.

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"What do you mean she's dead?" Raymond stood there in the hospital corridor. Staring in the window of the morgue door. The air had been contaminated by his overflowing cup of aura. Confusion. Anger. Hatred. An undertone of loss of direction. The walls that once were of plain magnolia blackened to grey and only got more nocturnal in Raymond's eyes. The childish pictures drawn by the children patients posted on the walls lost their colors, leaving behind nothing but the cheap and benign color of vanished crayons.

"Raymond, please, calm down…" The intern Rhoads cowered. She was emotionally suffocating under all that pressure Raymond was ejecting so carelessly and furiously everywhere. She didn't want to see him clench his fist so violently that his nails pierced through the palm and droplets of blood bled out to the marble-tile floor. "I've tried contacting you every day, but you just weren't receiving my calls…"

Because he didn't have one. A penny earned was a penny saved. If he really wanted to make a call, he'd use a payphone. Why else was he such a cheapskate when it came to traveling to and from New York City? The only reason he got back so fast was because Dylan was high on the explosion of dopamine as he couldn't stop smelling the musky sweaty scent of money as he waved it past his nostril. That sweet smell of sudden wealth, right there in his hands. A train ticket for a friend was a drop in the bucket.

"Let. Me. Ask. Again." He was broken, he was tired, and most importantly, he was pissed off as he recalled the scene with Dylan flaunting to everyone. Raymond had never felt that much of an impulse to beat somebody ever. Deep down, in the darkest parts of his heart, he just wanted to kill Dylan and take the money. Then, all he had to do was to make sure he didn't get caught nor did the money get retrieved until after Reynalda's full recovery. After that, if he still wasn't caught, then good for him. But if he was caught, then so be it. "What do you mean she's dead?"

"We managed to stop her seizures. She was fine afterwards, but then…"

Rotting in prison for Reynalda would have been worth it. She would be on the other side of the glass panel, crying about how he was an idiot and he should've just let her die instead of ruining his own life for her sake. But of course, she would be the idiot, as it would be better for two of them to be alive than one of them dead, leaving an empty hole in the heart of the other. They would keep arguing back and forth until visitation hours were over. "But then what?"

"I don't know what happened!" Rhoads cried. "We kept her in the morgue… we were waiting for you to claim the body…"

Fogging would be a daily occurrence. Not just by the other inmates but the guards as well. It'd be worse if Novak's cellmate was a lunatic who had been deprived of love during childhood and now degraded into a sexual deviant. That'd be how 'Jack' wanted Novak to be accosted in prison for killing His obedient, plot-convenient character. "Let me see her."

It was definitely against protocol. But Rhoads unlocked the door and let him in anyway. One of the many benefits of her being such close friends with his sister; she would understand that Reynalda would like to see her brother one last time, even if she was dead. Just as the ghosts of time long past still would love the scent of flowers to battle the rotting smell of their own corpses.

She led him to the slot to which Reynalda's body was preserved and pulled her body out.

Lifeless. Her golden hair was a mess, scattered in multiple directions. Her sapphire eyes were wide open. Nobody bothered to close her eyes for her, not even the doctors nor Rhoads. Why? So Raymond could have one last look at it before… before…?

Raymond felt her cheek; the ghostly pale cheek. Lips were already developing a bluish decay.

Her arms were folded over her chest, just like the times she folded her arms when she was receiving communion. Back then, she received God. Now, God received her.

This empty husk, so still on the earth, was her flesh and however long Raymond continued to stare at it, it wouldn't change the fact that she had departed. This was all she left behind. The sudden sadness behind her jaded irises.

"Where were you…?" Rhoad said to him in a passive quiet tone.

His heart pounded at the one question he did not want to ever hear again in his life. Racing through his thoughts, he scrambled to find the answer. After all this time since his mother's death, he thought he would be able to answer that question.

He was wrong.

"WHERE WERE YOU!?" Rhoad finally bursted into tears. She was now shouting at the top of her lungs, the heaviest pounding she could throw at him. "REYNALDA KEPT ASKING FOR YOU BUT YOU NEVER SHOWED UP!"

Just like last time…

"WAS REYNALDA LESS IMPORTANT THAN YOUR BONER FOR BARBARICALLY BEATING A MAN!?"

Raymond's brain stuttered for a moment and his eyes took in the sight of an enraged and despondent Rhoad. After a wash of cold Raymond returned to Reynalda's lingering shadow, ironically feeling more warmth than the heat of Rhoad.

"YEAH! THAT'S RIGHT! I KNOW ABOUT WHAT YOU DO AND SO DID REYNALDA! WE BOTH DIDN'T WANT TO BELIEVE IT, THAT YOU LEARNED YOUR LESSON AFTER YOUR MOM DIED AND QUIT! BUT I GUESS NOT!"

Raymond squeezed his grip. He wanted to hurt her, to destroy—no, annihilate her, for saying that. Pin her down to the cold, marble floor and make her feel helpless and breathless beneath his weight. She dared use his dead mother in order to shame and denigrate him beyond what she could do with his sister.

Every second that he spent thinking that was every second he used to reveal himself before God's eyes. And Raymond understood more of the puzzle of his life: the sad, violent man that he was.

"WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO SAY, HUH!? THAT IT WAS TO HELP RAISE MONEY!? FUCK YOU AND YOUR SANCTIMONIOUS MORALIZING!"

Raymond gave no answer, not even to a single charge, much to Rhoad's amazement. She wanted him to say something, anything. She didn't even want him to excuse himself or apologize for himself, just as long as he said something. At least it wouldn't make him look completely indifferent to the suffering of everybody else.

She walked out of the room, making sure to slam the door behind her to demonstrate what she wanted to do to him. But not before she had one more thing to say. "YOU'RE JUST AS SICK AS I HEARD YOU TO BE! GET HELP YOU UTTER SOCIOPATH!"

Raymond found himself in total darkness. Literally, as Rhoad turned off the lights on the way out, letting only the dim hallway light shine in. Spiritually, he wanted the lone presence. His heart was working perfectly, on the path towards the prime of his life, yet he felt so heavy. Perhaps it was the cold taste in the air of these rotting flesh depleting his sense of fullness. He grabbed Reynalda's hand and ran his fingers through the soft and smooth skin. Paradoxically, it retained its perfect shape, curved to the shape of a virtuous care.

"What's Your plan here, 'Jack'?"

He was daring the wicked pestilence to kill him. The same pestilence that killed his mother and his sister. Who knew? Maybe it would. Just because he got vaccinated didn't mean he was completely immune to it. Fortune definitely didn't favor his dead family, evident by how they got the disease before a vaccine could be developed.

"Was this entire journey to humiliate me?"

If it was, then 'Jack' had succeeded. Raymond revealed just how ugly he was. This entire time…

"Did You trick me? Making me think it was destiny that I would save my sister?"

Then again, he could have tricked himself. Things men do to themselves in desperation.

"Was this Your revenge?"

Or was this the washing of all his sins weighed against him? That 'Jack' wanted to kill him for his insubordination but could not because Raymond was still instrumental to some future event. So instead, he chose to kill the two most important women in his life. Two innocent, obedient, unblemished women to be slaughtered at the twilight of his life. Two for the life of one.

That would be consistent with His constant messaging, wouldn't it? Deliverance required sacrifice; salvation came through the shed blood of another.

"I've seen the grand plan, so has Mom! I know you're confused and upset, but in time, you will see what we have seen!"

"What now? What's the next step of Your grand plan?"

What did Reynalda mean by that? Was that a round-about way of saying they willingly took on the burden of having to pay back what he did? They took on the role as his whipping girls. Instead of young slave boys who took a beating for the mistakes their masters had committed, it was people who Raymond actually cared about.

That sounded like them alright. It sounded like family.

"It better not be a shitty sequel."

'Jack' whipped them. He whipped them to death. Either He was just that cruel, or that was just how much 'Jack' wanted to kill him. Two death sentences.

"Are You going to use me as the instrument of someone else's tragedy?"

Why bother keeping him alive if not for that? It seemed to be the thing 'Jack' most enjoyed: sowing tragedies.

"Fine. I give up." Raymond started to let loose a drop from his eye. "You win."

No more defiant stance, no more angry vows. Oh, he wanted to, he so desperately wanted to. He wanted to shout out at the sky the same things he thought about when he lost to Trudeau. Curse 'Jack', curse Trudeau, curse everything and everyone.

"And when we do, tell us all about your life, what you did, who you married, how were the children you raised! I want to hear it from your own mouth!"

But he had to keep the promise to his mother. Cursing 'Jack' would only make it worse. Did he want to repeat this scapegoat practice with his future wife? His future sons and daughters? How devastated would Mom be when he dies and find out what he had done? Cursing 'Jack' was cursing his own bloodline.

Even if that bloodline had his father in it.

…

His father…

Raymond gazed upon his sister one last time. She has left him for a new life, for Heaven, just like their mother had with them. He kissed her head lightly and stroke back her hair, bidding her goodbye and prayed a wish that they would see each other again when he dies. Then, he closed her eyes. And when finished, he pushed the tray carrying her corpse back into the morgue and locked it shut.

"God." Raymond addressed God as God again, not as 'Jack'. This was serious. "I may have surrendered. But that doesn't mean I don't have one last revenge I want to fulfill."

Not once did his father show his face and helped them.

Hatred guided him now. His soul lost its strength. His peaceful pretense shattered and the rest of him followed suit. Without the hatred, Raymond would have nowhere else to go, there wasn't any part of him that knew how to proceed from here on out. He didn't have much dreams, no ambition for anything higher. Heck, he thought that the present was his future. But as long as he had the hate, his greatest companion now in the wilderness he found himself in, he had somewhere to go, some place to look forward to. A goal.

Revenge was coming.

Eugene Ramsey loved his life. He loved his parents, he loved his siblings, his family.

"Oh my God, Eugene! Look!" His girlfriend squealed at her phone. "Isn't she the cutest?"

Ah yes, his girlfriend Sidney too. How could he forget?

She pointed her phone at his face, showing him a photo of a baby who had milk spots on her endearing face. Her bright blue-green eyes, which were staring off into nowhere, made her look somewhat like she was off to lala land. A dear little infant, sizing up at only six pounds, yet looked so chubby from the camera angle; he could make out those bracelets where the fat was beginning to fold at her wrists and ankles.

"Whose is it?"

She gasped at his ignorance. "It's Casey's!"

Shit. Eugene was dumbfounded that he forgot Casey had a baby recently. Instead of acknowledging it however, he took one more bit into the chocolate bar before throwing it in the trash bag of his car. His sweet, priceless car. A gleaming chariot of jade green. Large and bulky, yet aerodynamically curved, it seemed like some predatory beast resenting it's confinement to the rails.

Being the son of a president of the top pharmaceutical company had its peaks.

Including the grand mansion he was driving towards as the cream coating of its structure as the setting sun shone upon it. Stone statues accompanied the clean, unblemished driveway. Thick, marble stones, wet with sprinkler dew, standing tall and mighty with a gem's brilliance. The iron gates behind them closed once the car was out of its swinging radius.

The mansion loomed proudly with its ivory towers, one at each corner and one at the center. It was almost a castle, if looking from afar. Walls snow white; fitting, as the first flake of snow started falling a few minutes ago. Glass windows took up most of the exterior wherever there were curves on the structure. And a final touch, a rectangular water fountain stretching as far as it can; the melodic gurgling of the clear water resonated through as far as it could. It was why the driveway was divided into two: one for entrance and other for exit.

"Wow…" She marveled at the sight of his home. "I know you said you lived in a grand mansion too, but still…"

"Yeah, it's a beauty alright." Eugene breathed a huge sigh of nervousness. Each closing inch he drove closer to the house returned more of the reasons not to do this flooding into his brain. The soft panic urged him to hyperventilate whilst he tried to force it to fade away. It wouldn't. It just swirled into a vortex of an ouroboros. Eugene began trying to breathe real slow, doing one of those 'I am the storm' thinking. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"Eugene, relax." Her fingers licked his cheek. It brought him some comfort, but that didn't outright banish the anxiety. "Everything's going to be fine. I'm sure your parents would love me."

He could always do this another time. It wasn't something so important that there were no other times this must be settled. Aren't they going too fast anyway? It's only been five months since they've been dating; there was really no need to meet the parents. Nope, no need at all! After all, love was the thing that made all things good. Meeting the parents was only a courtesy; it wasn't going to change that they love each other!

Why was he repeating himself to himself?

"Please don't embarrass me in front of my parents," Eugene stuttered when she softly tickled his nape. It was the funny bone of his vocal cords. Couldn't explain how, and that was frustrating. "Especially that business on Neimoidia. We—we don't need to bring that up."

"Hmm… I don't know, Eugene," She impudently pondered. Her hand found its way up his hair, and she was caressing his hair. She liked his hair, because it reminded her of the burnt red sunset over the bay where they like to spend some quality time together on his boat. Okay, his dad's boat. But it might as well be his since his dad almost never used it, and all his other siblings have other things they rather do. Mom? She just did whatever Dad did. "I might ask for embarrassing photos… like that story you told me of the first time you rode a horse."

"You cheeky girl." He returned her tuffling by squishing her cheeks. Come on, they were just begging for his fingers to squeeze them, just like every other part of her body. He wanted to gnaw on those delicate cheeks because he just couldn't restrain himself.

He leaned in for a kiss, to which she reciprocated. Full on, open-mouthed, almost sexual kiss. Her model body merged into his. Lips joining together like two pieces of a puzzle. He played with her hair as she did with his and held her as tight as he could given the obstacles of the stick shift, the cabinet, and whatnot.

When they finally found the resolve to break away after what seemed like they were in a time machine, she looked at him. "Ready?"

He smiled. "There's no turning back anyway."

He stepped out of the car and opened the door for her. Like a lady of her class, she stepped out of it as gracefully as she was taught. Surrounding them were rows of evergreen trees crowned in Christmas attire, swaying gently to the winter wind.

All around was a garden made from flowers and plants of the immaculate snow drops clinging to the blades of grass like little encrusted jewels.

The double doors open, revealing his mom waiting inside. She was looking ready for a dance at the grand ball, with her red lipstick and crimson hair, wearing her smile and her kind eyes. "Eugene! This must be Sidney! Hello!"

"Hello Mrs. Ramsey!" She greeted back with the same gentle smile and bowed. "I've heard so much about you; it's so great to finally meet you!"

She, of course, was distracted by just how tall the ceiling was. Sparkling crown molding, a compass engraved at the center, two flights of curved staircases going up to the open second floor. The floor itself was made of ceramic tile. The kitchen—which could be seen from her angle—had the best gadgets. The countertop was marble. If the outside was the Ramseys' way of telling that they were extremely wealthy, then the insides were practically bashing her head with it.

And also there are at least eight bedrooms that she hadn't seen yet. Six of them with their own distinct different themes and bathrooms of their own. Wait until she sees the heated pool and hot tub.

"You too, dear." His mom took her hand and covered it with her palm. She turned to Eugene and said, "Eugene, why don't you leave us two alone until dinner? I want to get to know her one-on-one."

Oh boy, here it came. The mom-talk on the girlfriend routine. It was a fortunate thing that he foresaw this and prepared Sidney appropriately. "Sure Mom; where's Dad?"

"Up in his office, as usual." She pointed up to the second floor, to the room on the left. Once Eugene got the location, his mom escorted Sidney away to the kitchen. "Now come dear, I'm sure you would want to know everything Eugene doesn't want you to know."

He was going to pretend he didn't hear that and his mom was only messing with him by purposefully saying that out loud.

As he made his way towards his dad's office, he saw his younger brother, on his knees, cleaning the floor with a towel rag. Cleaning supplies scattered all over the hallway: a bottle of bleach over here, a bucket of water over there. It was practically unwalkable; his little brother never did have a sense of organizing, did he?

"What did you do this time?" Eugene smirked, arms resting on his waist. He liked this positioning, as his brother was forced to look up to Eugene, towering over him. That was, until his brother stood up. Damn it. He liked having the high ground.

"I—uh—tried cheating on my finals."

"What did I tell you?" Eugene folded his arms. Smug as already and he knew it. "You're horrible at cheating."

"Yeah, yeah, I know… Travis said the same thing. I don't need you to rub it in either." His brother sighed.

He'd never learn, would he? After Dad had him put in the sanitation department of his company, one would like to think he would learn his lesson. After all, who would want to risk cleaning the toilets again? Not to mention that time somebody—the same somebody his brother still cursed to this day—flushed a bunch of used condoms down a toilet somewhere in the building and it was left up to him to fix the clogged pipes.

Damn, somebody was horny in the office that day, hornier than Eugene possibly. Or lab; they do research and department in the same place. Thankfully not the dangerous kind of research and department which could, oh who knows, start a global pandemic.

"Which reminds me, have you seen him recently?"

"No, why?"

"Haven't seen him at all recently. I've looked in the casino, I've looked in his favorite pick-up club, even at the local."

"Maybe he finally settled down and got a girlfriend. Flinging gets boring after a while."

His brother snickered. "Not everyone's like you. Come on, can you imagine Travis settling down?"

To be honest, he could. Sure, the son of a bitch was a had absolutely no incentive to give up whatever he was doing right now; the man has extreme luck on his side. Put him near any woman and it'd be a loser's bet that he could not get into her pants. Most of the time, they're the ones who spread the legs. Took away plenty of virginities too.

Eugene could remember this one girl who had a childhood friend thinking they were in a relationship. Then that childhood friend lashed out at Travis when he found out that she was in a 'relationship' with someone other than the pathetic loser that he was. Travis was lucky Eugene was there to beat down the attacker before things escalated. Instead, it ended with the dude left crying face-down on the ground as they walked away.

Geez, that dude really needed to grow up. Hopefully he learned something from that incident and lost that naivety Eugene saw reflected in his eyes. Boo hoo, his crush didn't actually like him back; go look for the other fishes in the sea. Or maybe not, because Travis broke up with her a couple of weeks later. If he loved her that much, then go pick up the pieces.

Eugene shrugged. "Yeah, you're probably right."

It was kind of strange to think like this. There was no particular reason why Eugene hated that guy more than the usual bums who pissed him off. He should be forgetting about that dude by now, but somehow, Eugene couldn't. What was this tingling feeling that the dude was going to become relevant again at some point of his life?

Shame. Life would be a little bit better without remembering that cringe.

"Oh, before I forget," His brother reached into his back pocket and pulled out a black card stylized with streaking stars as if one is flying through space. "I found your card."

Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon. His favorite card. He thought he lost it forever. Sure he could just go down to the local and buy a new copy, but it wouldn't be the same. First Edition from the Lord of the Tachyon Galaxy booster pack; it wasn't something many shops are going to have in their inventory these days.

"Oh thanks!" Eugene took the card, flicking it between his fingers. "Where was it?"

"Cassandra's room."

Eugene raised a brow. "How the hell was it in Cassandra's room?"

Didn't make sense when his sister wasn't even remotely interested in the game. But oh well, it wasn't going to be some great mystery that required his discernable attention.

"How should I know? I'm not the one who lost it." His brother shrugged. "Anyway, I'll talk to you later at dinner. These floors ain't going to scrub themselves!"

"Alright." Eugene waved his brother off, continuing to his destination.

His father's office was luxurious. A sleek, dark bookcase taking up the entire left-hand wall. Chances were that nobody actually bothered to read a single book in it; prop for whoever visited to conduct some business after hours like the piano at the corner. They'd take the comfortable leather sofa warmed by the large aesthetic fireplace and look at the framed photos sitting on the mantle above the fireplace, full of all the successful mergers, deals, achievements, and the clutter with the detritus of scholarship of his father, and be assured that they are talking to a man of extreme importance.

If they wanted to watch the television though, they'd have to turn aboutface, as it was positioned for easy viewing from his father's desk, which the sofa faces. The double door between the desk and sofa lead out to the balcony with a patio below its view. Beyond was a southern pine forest as the red, distant sun began to set for the dusk.

And to think, one day, this would all be his.

Heir to the most successful pharmaceutical company in the United States, possibly the world, this beautiful house, the gorgeous homes, the luxurious cars, and acres of land, would all be his. He was practically drooling at the thought, just like every other time he thought about it. He just had to prove that he was ready to take over. And he had, just not enough yet.

"Eugene." His father smiled once Eugene opened the door. He was still on his computer; working, no doubt. Seven-figure salaries were never going to make anyone a relaxed individual. Almost to the cusp of being a rich slave. But somehow, his dad always had the best time-management. "You're home. I assume you've finally brought your girlfriend for me to interrogate?"

"Dad." Eugene greeted. "I assume you're still working on the Faunus project?"

"Why yes!" Mission accomplished. Subject successfully changed. "The results have finally begun to show some promise."

"Really?" Eugene was intrigued, flipping his card between his fingers. He didn't know about the devil in the details, but as much as his dad could disclose to him, the Faunus Project was something about using stem cells to develop fully functioning human organs. A conspiracy theorist would accuse his father of using actual live humans from some cruel country across the sea, but Eugene could vow on his life that his dad would never do something like that.

Still, his curiosity inside wanted to scream at his dad about the question.

"Yes." His father called out to him, in his firm voice. "Eugene, I really think this will be the breakthrough I have been waiting for."

"Wow," Eugene chuckled. "If only I could know."

His dad put his hand on Eugene's shoulder. "One day, son, one day. Meanwhile, let's talk about your girlfriend. I hear you met her when you were with me on one of my business trips?"

Red alert! Red alert! Mission was not accomplished! It was a false flag! "Well… I did."

"Hmm…" His father shot a stern glare at him. Of course, his dad knew; he always knew the details of Eugene's life. Well, it was too important not to know what the future company president was going on about. One scandal and loom over like a rainy cloud for the rest of his life. Sure, his dad was smart enough to be a venture capitalist in all the media organizations but that was only going to work on the small stuff. If he did something equally as stupid as raising the price of a medicine pill from thirteen dollars to seven hundred and fifty, the scrutiny would be too much to handle.

Last thing he wanted was to serve seven years for something he could've gotten away with if he just didn't fly too close to the sun.

"Look, Dad, I know what you're thinking! But I swear that I was paying attention, okay?" Eugene quick explained. "You were teaching me on how to read somebody's shoes! And how the people I should make friends with the most are those with luxury cufflinks because any random smuck can afford a suit!"

"Well," His dad conceded. He knew Eugene's flirtful tendencies to move from one girl to another. Not to brag, but he wasn't one to be rejected. He had class, he had style, and most importantly, he had the looks. Other boys would just love to be him. Once he hits eighteen, he could finally and legally lose his v-card. "That certainly was what I taught you that day."

"See!? I wasn't distracted by her b— I mean, I applied my lessons and chose a great match! Remember that diplomat who was going to be sent to China? She's his daughter, and I already got some business relations with his connections!"

And it was the perfect connection. Diplomats have immunity and China was the most lucrative place to invest in. It had less restrictions than the United States and no legal conundrum about medicinal applications. Got to expand his list of connections even before inheriting the company, after all.

"So, you chose her for financial benefits?" He spoke coldly.

"Not solely." Eugene defended. She was also damn hot. Perfect breasts that'd fit exactly in the palm of his hands. Wide hips, thick rear, perfect for the eventual plowing. Sure stirred his arousal more than once. But of course, he's not going to disclose that information to his dad; if he does, he'd sound like a degenerate pimp who didn't care who his customers were.

"Do you like her?"

"Yeah, definitely! Why else would I be dating her?"

"Do you love her?"

"Yeah, I just told you."

"How long do you plan to be with her?"

Eugene was caught off with that question. He hadn't really thought about that, but to be fair, it wasn't such an important question anyway. "Eh, I don't know, we're just going with the flow, you know?"

That did something to his dad. A sharp tingle stung on his face. It was definitely not anger, not as far as Eugene could tell, but it certainly brought a degree of uneasiness to his dad. "Do you see yourself marrying her?"

Based on that question, perhaps he was concerned about the financial complications this relationship might bring to the family. After all, marrying young was not a great strategic move, with the whole risk about divorces simply because one or both parties falling out of love. Older people have this perception about young people being guided majority by their emotions. "Not really…"

"Then break up."

"What?"

"What's the point of continuing this relationship if you're not planning to do anything with her." Judgement gazed upon Eugene. Certainly wasn't the intense reaction he was prepared for. Why was his dad making such a fuss about it? "You'll just waste her time and yours."

"Dad, you're making a big deal out of this; relax, everybody has to test-drive the car before buying it."

"Test-driving doesn't mean you get to hundred thousand miles on them either." His dad was starting to ooze a little bit of frustration. And he didn't even seem to be looking at Eugene, but rather past him, as if some distant memory called out to him. "And you certainly can't refund the car after buying it, and you certainly won't be able to sell it at the same value you bought it. You've wasted the car, and you've wasted your money."

A flood of guilt washed over his face.

"Dad?" Eugene asked. "What's gotten into you?"

"All I'm saying is: don't be cruel." His dad continued with the weight on his shoulder. Eyes adrift, hand heavy; it must be some life experience his dad was trying to teach him. "You'll regret it."

"Okay, Dad, I get it." Eugene backed away. Not rudely, of course; first, he didn't want to anger his dad enough to incur some punishment like his brother. Second, if it was life experience he was speaking from, Eugene didn't want to be overly dismissive. He liked to think he grew out of 'I am fourteen and I am deep' phase. "I'll come to a conclusion soon."

A knock came quietly and somebody peeked her head in through the door. Both men turned to see Cassandra, waving her hand, knowing she was interrupting something. The extent of how long she's been there, is a different question.

"How long have you been there?" Eugene asked.

"Just got here," She turned to Dad. "Mom says dinner is ready."

Dad smiled. "Tell her I'll be there in just a moment."

"Okay Dad, just don't take so long; there's a guy waiting for you downstairs."

Dad groaned. People knew that when he meant personal time is personal time, he will go to lengths on the punishment of whoever broke that rule. If it's an employee, it wasn't out of the realm to terminate that employee. "Who is it?"

"I don't know, but he says that he has some important files to hand to you."

Oh yeah, definitely an employee. And that employee was definitely going to get fired.

"And you didn't just tell him that you'll deliver the files to me for him?"

"He says he has to personally deliver it to you." Cassandra shrugged. "Mom has him in the dining room, let him eat some appetizers."

"Alright, let's go, Eugene; we can continue our talks later." Dad sighed. "Don't want to keep our guest waiting, do we?"

And so they went. Eugene smelled the sweet scent of sizzling, grilled turkey mixed with gravy and melted cheese as the three of them approached the dining hall. Just before he could turn the corner, the scent of coffee, cakes, and danish pastries accompanied the earlier aroma. They were going to have his favorite tonight. It was the kind of dish that could make him sit for hours on the dinner table, just eating round after round.

When they turned the corner, Eugene saw his mother sitting by his girlfriend, chatting it up as they left the guest alone with his meal. No photo albums nearby, so he silently thanked his mom that she had the decency not to embarrass her kid. Wishes like that were only granted to the most privileged of children, and it wasn't wealth privilege. Still, it was a bit awkward for them to leave the guest alone. Eugene felt his need to break the ice with the guest, especially because for some reason his dad was frozen, unable to move, not even offering a hello. Eugene snickered in his mind: And Dad said Eugene had no manners.

"Hello there," Eugene greeted.

The guest turned his upper body. First, his body was definitely well-built, not of someone who sits in a cubical all day. Athletic, even, like he didn't work for the company. Was he a test subject? But why would the company trust a test subject to deliver important files? Maybe he wasn't an employee, as he certainly was dressed borderline like a bum off the streets. But if he was, his blonde hair couldn't have flailed with the motion as smoothly as it did. The hair was certain being washed.

And sharp, blue eyes greeted Eugene. Sharp, yet debased blue eyes; suffering pain and hatred, yet unsympathetic to his own demise.

"I'm Eugene." Eugene switched out his Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon out of his right hand into his left and held out that right hand for a handshake. Couldn't believe he was holding it out the entire time his brother found it for him instead of putting it in a safe pocket where it wouldn't be damaged.

"Raymond." The guest accepted his handshake. "Raymond Novak."

Damn, his grip was strong, strong enough to crush Eugene's bones. Or at least, it felt like it. He could see the shape of veins on the back of the guest's hand, like he held a grudge.

Raymond's eyes weren't focused on him however, he was looking at the card in his left hand. "May I see that card?"

"This?" Eugene didn't see any harm in showing the card to him. He let the man take the card off his hand. "Uh… sure, go ahead."

Raymond took it face-down, and with anticipation, he slowly flipped the card to see what it was. As soon as the image of Eugene's Tachyon Dragon was revealed, Raymond let out a small little chuckle.

"Of course…" He whispered to himself. "Of course… So you're the one who's going to be the problem for me."

"What?" Eugene asked. What was this guy talking about? Eugene turned to his dad for any help. After all, this guest was here for him, surely his dad knew how to deal with it.

Color drained from his dad's face, pale as a ghoul who never felt sunlight. Frozen, a winter tree whose saps were of cold sweat. Shaken and stammered only by the passing of the gentlest of breezes, which seemed the coldest his dad ever suffered. Wide eyes fixed upon the sight of this guest, looking at the afterimage of a ghost he knew so long ago. Almost looking at a mirror.

Which… now that Eugene thought about it, kind of fitted. His dad was a brunette with hazel eyes, whilst the guest was a blonde with blue eyes, but other than that, it was almost the split-image of his dad's younger self.

Heck, Raymond kind of looked like an older version of Eugene, except that he inherited his red hair and green eyes from his mom.

"Dad, you okay?" Eugene asked, concerned at this point. His dad hadn't stopped edging backwards inch by inch, repelled by Raymond's presence. Incomprehendisble, incapacitated by fear shutting down his ability to think logically. He wanted to run. "Do you know this guy?"

"N—no." His dad stuttered. Eugene, and pretty much everyone could see through the lie.

"I see. That's how you want to play it." Raymond smirked. Disturbing, really, when combined with those dead eyes which banished all light from within. "In that case, all I'm here is for me to give you this."

Raymond handed him an envelope. "Open it."

His dad did as he was instructed. As soon as he pulled the paper out, his heart dropped. Eugene wanted to see what exactly it was that made his father make such a face as that, but his dad pushed it back in so quickly he didn't have a chance. All Eugene caught was that it was a death certificate.

So, someone had died. Well, that was understandable then why his dad was on the verge of tears and eyes full of remorse. Someone dying was always a sad event; but who exactly was this dead person that struck such a blow to his father?

"I had the decency to change her surname since you didn't want her."

What was this dude talking about? Who was her? The first terrible thought that flew into Eugene's mind was that his father had an affair. But that couldn't be it. His dad wouldn't do that kind of stuff; he was the one who kept making sure there was no scandal in this family. Hypocrite? Not when Mom would drain his libido, as much as they thought their kids wouldn't notice.

"Raymond—" His father let out some tears.

"Novak." Novak gave a stern warning. "It's Novak from now on."

"I didn't know. Why didn't you—"

Novak scoffed. "Save your excuses; you knew and you ignored it. Every single call I made to you went straight to voicemail."

Mom had a guilty look. Then it faded as fast as it appeared.

"NO!" His dad protested in an emotional mess. Eugene never really thought he'd see his own father like this. This was not the image of the collected and firm man Eugene looked up to. "I swear I didn't know! Please! If I had known, I'd help immediately!"

"Enough." Novak pained eyes silenced everyone. "She's dead and there's nothing that will bring her back."

The silence scratched his skin like nails on unfurnished metal, agitating his soul, giving him jagged edges. Not just him, but all of them. His brothers and sisters, his mother, and especially his father. He had the worst symptoms. Frankly, it was past the point of uncomfortable; the whole day had been nothing but cheers and up lighting delight and then boom, this stranger walked into their lives and ruined it.

"Her death is your responsibility." Novak poked straight at his dad's heart. "So you must pay for your failure."

"What do you want?" He sounded both afraid and hopeful, that he could reason with this man.

"Whatever inheritance you can leave for your new children belongs to me."

"That—that's crazy!" His dad was taken aback. "You can't be serious!"

He was. No matter how much pleading he could mutter up, this man would never be satisfied until he got everything he wanted. Eugene knew what kind of man this was, Mom looked like she knew what kind of man this was, even his siblings knew. So, why did it take so long for his own dad to realize this, considering it was him who taught them how to spot an unrelenting force?

"God is watching us… and He will judge you on what you choose in this moment…"

Somehow, a gust of wind entered the dining room. No windows were open, and no way could it come from an open window from afar without the wind taking twists and turns and still manage to have a strong force.

From the corner of his eye, Eugene thought he saw a white dove on the chandelier, watching the scene unfold. Alas, nothing but the trick of the eye.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I have a responsibility to them too."

Something flew away. The room got darker.

Novak took his coat and headed out the door. He took a good, long look at Eugene's mom, smirking. "Well then, enjoy your whore while you still have her."

Wait. Wait a minute. Was this dude taking his mother? Oh no… OH FUCKIN' NO.

"What the fuck did you just call my mom?" Eugene rolled up his sleeves, ready to engage. Honestly, it didn't seem like Eugene could take him on, as he was never the physical type; playing lacrosse and tennis hardly translate to fighting. But damn it, he was going to give it his best shot.

Besides, even if Eugene lost the fight, he could get Novak on a criminal charge should he even try to put up a fight. Who would the cops rather deal with, the heir of the largest pharmaceutical company in the world or the smock who didn't even look like he could afford new shoes? Easier to deal with one public lawyer overburdened with cases than the best private lawyers money could buy.

It was a win for him whatever happened. Unless…

"Eugene! Don't." Unless his own dad held him back. Eugene tried going around him, but his dad was fast enough to block his other paths.

Frustrated, he raised his voice at his dad. "Dad! You can't just let some guy walk in here, demand stuff, insult Mom, and then just let him walk away without any consequences! He needs to be taught a lesson!"

"This is beyond you, Eugene."

"Beyond me? How!?" If Eugene got into trouble, it was no He would never let this humiliation stand as it was. He had to do something about it, come hell or high water. Imagine if other people learned of this! If he couldn't deal with a chump who called his mom a whore, then how would he deal with much bigger issues? His reputation was on the line here!

"Just let me deal with it."

Look how that turned out. For the first time, his dad was pathetic. Eugene wanted to ignore his words and show this piece of shit not to mess with better men.

"Eugene, is it?" Novak interrupted. His little grin right at the edge of his lips aggravated Eugene even more. "It's nice to meet you; I have a feeling we'll meet again. Enjoy everything while you still have it."

And he left. The door closed behind him. Eugene gave chase, practically ripping the door wide open.

Thunder roared, the wind soared.

Frightened, Eugene almost tripped backwards. He eyed the clear, dusk sky, confused as to exactly where that sound came from. Until he eyed the dark clouds in the distance, miles afar from his home. It was tiny from his perspective, but undoubtedly tremendous above the area it was over.

And by the direction of where the wind blew, it was coming this way. To destroy the beautiful and starry twilight his home was under.

Never mind that; he was out for Novak and he would have his plummet. But Novak was already too far ahead. Eugene wanted to run after him, even at that distance, but something held him back. Something Eugene wasn't familiar with, like a non-existent hand on his shoulder telling him not to give chase. He didn't know where this came from or why he even felt it, but it was there.

All Eugene could do was to watch the dark shadow disappear into the night, accompanied by the same white dove Eugene thought he saw back in the house.

And hope, for either's sake, he would not return.

So, this is it. Finally, the last chapter. Took almost two years, and only eleven chapters to show for it, but I gotta say, I'm still damn proud I actually finished it.

You know, looking over my work, I've discovered that I've overused repetitions. A LOT of repetitions. Ideas that were already mentioned in earlier paragraphs and chapters were often repeated in later chapters without me even realizing it. If you got sick and bored of that, I completely understand; I wouldn't want to read something as torturous as that.

With that being said, if you're still interested, there will be a sequel:

"Of the Father's Sin Begotten"