Saving the Villain

"You… don't even believe that, Maynard. I will not go through this matter since it already happened and I don't think it's something I should meddle with, but you should stop blaming someone for something you did. And just stop. Focus on your sons and the Quinn Holdings. That's the best for everyone."

Maynard gazed at Conrad's stoic expression as the latter give his 'friendly advice.' He knew Conrad meant well, and Maynard wasn't as blinded as he used to be. However, how could he just stop so easily? The scar in his heart was far too deep that two decades wasn't enough to heal it. Only the surface appeared to have healed.

"You know… that she… never mind." Maynard scoffed whilst shaking his head. "What's the point of telling what kind of woman that woman was, right?"

He lifted his head and sneered. "It will only sound like an excuse. Am I right?"

"You already pretended it was nothing," said Conrad coldly, keeping his stoic countenance. "Being hurt and having to heal that wound at the cost of your children's happiness… is something a parent should avoid. I might be wrong about this, but I'd rather bleed out instead of taking the risk of exposing my daughter to the ones that had hurt me."

Conrad peeled his back from the chair while fixing the buttons of his suit.

"We all had our past that we wished we could have done differently and made better decisions," he continued, standing from his seat. "But what done is done. We have no control over the past, but we have control in the present. Take time to consider your list of priorities, Maynard. I only wish the best for you… you know that."

"I have a meeting after lunch, so I'll excuse myself first. Warren will settle the bill, so if you need to treat more people, just tell the manager." Conrad knocked on the table lightly to get Maynard's attention. "Buy me some drinks some other time for this lunch."

Conrad and Maynard stared at each other quietly before the former walked away. Maynard gazed at Conrad's back and sighed, leaning back against the chair.

"Until now…" whispered Maynard to himself. "... I never understood why we're friends. I was always curious about your answer, though."

Maynard already thought about this question many times and through the years, he would come up with different answers. He never heard Conrad's answer.

"Hey!" Maynard called before Conrad could leave his line of sight. The latter turned and looked back at him. "Why are we friends?"

Conrad furrowed his brows but still answered, "I don't know," before waving dismissively, resuming his steps.

"Hah…" Maynard let out a short laugh, shaking his head mildly. "... I guess the answer doesn't matter to him."

Maynard smacked his lips and cocked his head back. He stretched his legs comfortably, shoving his hands inside the pockets of his trousers.

"Am I making another terrible decision?" he asked himself, lowering his gaze. Bitterness dominated his countenance, smiling bitterly at the question. "Stella… was it that hard to at least know if you're living well?"

Maynard wasn't the young brat who used to have an explosive temper and make rash decisions. It took him a while, debating whether it was worth it to search for Stella, who suddenly disappeared as if she didn't exist. The last time he heard about her was her last visit to Rocco in prison with a protruding belly.

After that, Stella just disappeared from the face of the world. Even when Rocco got out of prison the first time, she didn't appear again, only for Rocco to 'commit' another crime which sent him back to prison for the second time and where Rocco was supposed to spend the rest of his life. Unfortunately, Rocco got out.

Now that Maynard was confident that Rocco moved on with his life and didn't show up in front of Maynard for revenge, Maynard gained little confidence. He just wanted to know about Stella's well-being. How many children did she have? Who was her husband? Was he treating her well? Did she live a better life without them in their life?

Maynard didn't wish to talk to her or show up in front of her. All he wanted to do was to know about her, but why… was this world always stopping him from doing so?

Why… was it that whenever he attempted to look for her, something would happen that would divert his attention? If not, something like this advice from Conrad would come his way.

Many questions hovered over Maynard's head until he was zoning out. Little did he know, Asher was just standing in a blind spot from their spot.

Asher gazed at his father, clenching his teeth whilst balling his hand into a tight fist. He only went out to wash his hand, so he returned quickly. However, the discussion he overheard between Conrad and Maynard stopped him from returning to their table.

Asher almost heard about everything. Everything. It wasn't that that surprised him. His father would constantly call this woman named Stella whenever he got too much to drink. He even caught his father sleeping with this woman's portrait in his hand.

This was the very reason Asher stumbled upon a horrifying truth about his origins. And now, he was walking on thin ice, knowing Maynard wasn't his real father and he could lose everything in a blink of an eye. Anyone would be scared.

'Why…' anger resurfaced in Asher's eyes as he gazed at his father's back. '... can't you just become a father to us?'

Asher's ground his teeth until his jaw tightened, getting even angrier at the thought of his stubborn father. Maynard should just listen to Conrad because the more Maynard digs up the past, the more restless Asher was. After all, Maynard might find out that his first son… wasn't actually his.

'Why are you doing this to me?' he wondered, but quickly realized he might not understand his father. Hence, Asher stayed quiet in that same spot for minutes before letting out a sharp huff. When Asher took a step forward, all the emotions he bore were replaced with a kind and understanding smile.

"Did Mister Blac leave?" he asked politely to his father, snapping Maynard from his thoughts.

"Uh… yep. Let's go, son?"

"Mhm." Asher smiled, nodding. "Let's go… dad."