Saving the Villain

Meanwhile…

"It's true that I want to make sure that boy is living well, and I will stay true to my words that I will not show my face in front of him. However, watch out for that kid's father. I heard he's been looking for Stella."

"If he ruined everything again, I can't guarantee anyone's safety."

Conrad narrowed his eyes as Rocco's words from the previous night kept hovering over his head. The latter didn't disclose any, but Conrad was certain of what he heard. But why would Rocco say such a thing?

'Maxen's father…' Conrad whispered in his head before his thoughts trailed off upon someone's call.

"Sir." Warren bent over Conrad's side, noticing that his boss was spacing out during an important board meeting.

Conrad snapped his eyes at his assistant and then shifted them to the people sitting around the long conference table, looking back at him. A shallow breath slipped past Conrad's lips, realizing he was too distracted.

******

"Sir, are you alright?" asked Warren to Conrad in the back seat of the car as soon as they got in. "You've been zoning out during the meeting. It's unlike you."

That was right. There was never a moment Warren could remember that his boss zoned out in any meeting. Conrad was always focused on his business affairs — even on other things. Therefore, it was strange for Warren to see Conrad get distracted.

"Is it because of last night's matters?" Warren continued warily, assuming it had something to do with the dangerous events last night with Conrad and Maxen meeting a very dangerous man. It was still a relief that Maxen and Conrad left the scene unscathed.

"Last night…" Conrad paused, gazing back at Warren in the front seat. "... after we left, what happened?"

"Well…" Warren cleared his throat. "... there was an exchange of fire once we got out of the danger zone. The general and his men raided the club, so there was tension."

Warren detailed the report he got last night. He wasn't there to witness everything; it was too dangerous for a civilian like him to linger around the area. Therefore, Warren could only rely on the official reports afterward.

Conrad had a connection with several high-ranking politicians and also in the military. After all, Conrad's security agency was employed for their safety and also some well-known celebrities. His deal with the general was to give him the location of the notorious criminal and also the Don of the SIN organization. In exchange for that, the military would secure Conrad and Maxen's safety during their twenty-minute meeting.

Rocco was aware of that — it seemed. But thankfully, he didn't mind. A chaotic life of a felon was something Rocco had to survive on a daily basis. Last night was just one of those days he had to survive as well. Good thing Rocco kept his word and didn't harm Conrad and Maxen. Still, it was dangerous for those two.

"I heard the general was shot a few times." Warren sighed after detailing the occurrence after Conrad left. "Fortunately, he survived. I sent a gift this morning, and he was overall fine. Although it would take time for him to recover… or perhaps he will have to retire."

Conrad slowly set his eyes on the window. "Did he lose a limb?"

There was a long silence after Conrad's inquiry, only to hear Warren say, "yes."

"I see…" Conrad rocked his head in understanding. "... how about that man?"

"The Don of the SIN organization? We didn't hear much about him, but I heard he escaped before the reinforcement arrived. From the reports, it seemed that man only wanted to hurt the general and then left before things could go bad in his favor."

That was enough information for Conrad to understand that things might've ended well for him and Maxen, but it didn't surely end well for others. But then again, Conrad didn't take the slightest bit of accountability or didn't feel the need to do so. After all, the General wanted Rocco's head, and this general had irked Rocco.

Rocco and the government military were standing on the opposing side. Conrad was only on the bridge. It was bound to happen one way or another. With or without Conrad. Still, hearing all that, Conrad had to let reality sink in.

'He is not the man I used to know,' Conrad told himself, staring at the window quietly. 'He had changed.'

Another careful breath slipped past Conrad's lips as he thought about his dearest friend, Rocco. Although there were still remnants of his old friend behind Rocco's eyes, he was never the same person. Conrad had always wondered how Rocco got involved in a criminal organization, and after hearing that Rocco met a man behind bars who introduced him to such a criminal life, it all made sense.

'Rocco… Maxen… Stella…' Conrad dawdled in his mind without a change of expression. '... Maynard.'

Rocco, Stella, and Maynard. Those three. It all started with those three.

Conrad already had a guess of what happened after his brief interaction with Rocco last night. He wouldn't think much about how Rocco spoke as if he wasn't Maxen's father. After all, Rocco wasn't there for the entirety of Maxen's life. However, there was something Rocco said that was clear to Conrad. And that was something Conrad wanted to confirm.

'The truth might not be important…' Conrad whispered in his head. '... but it seemed Rocco wanted to keep this secret to our grave.'

"Warren," Conrad called his assistant calmly, making Warren look over his shoulder to the backseat.

"Yes, sir?" asked Warren, staring at Conrad, who was still sitting calmly in the backseat with his eyes on the window.

"Arrange me a meeting with Mister Quinn." Conrad slowly looked back at his assistant. "I want to have lunch with him."

Warren blinked twice before cocking his head to the side. "Sir?"

"You heard me." Conrad looked away calmly. "It's been a while since he bothered me and whenever he is oddly quiet, it makes me nervous."

Warren's face twitched, looking at his boss in disbelief. Never once did Warren receive a direct order from his boss to have lunch with Maynard. It had always been Maynard who would create opportunities to meet Conrad.

Was the world ending? Or was Conrad's life-and-death meeting last night change his boss? Either way, this was a surprise.