Tom went straight to Daniel's house.
Without any words, Daniel let him in and offered him a drink.
They sat in the backyard on Keter resin chairs. A moment later, Daniel returned with two bottles of beer and handed one to Tom.
"I heard about what happened at the auction this afternoon," Daniel said as they both raised their bottles and took a drink. "I thought Anna would be there."
He sat down across from Tom, watching him carefully.
Tom shrugged.
"I don't want to talk about her… I hate her, dude," he muttered.
Daniel studied him for a moment.
"Maybe there's a reason she didn't come," he said calmly.
Tom didn't respond.
"I'm really sorry about everything," Daniel added. "How much do you need? Tell me."
"Nah," Tom replied, shaking his head. "I've got savings. That should last me about two months. If I need anything, I'll let you know."
He gave a faint smirk.
"For now, I just need to process my papers… I'm going to Paris."
"Paris?" Daniel repeated, surprised. "Mildred isn't in Paris."
Tom froze.
"What? That's impossible."
Daniel nodded. "It's confirmed. She's not there. I already contacted someone at Immigration. He'll update me once they trace her. It's technically a data privacy issue, but he'll keep an eye on it."
Tom took another sip of beer, silent for a moment.
"Where could she be then?" he asked quietly.
"Maybe another country," Daniel guessed.
A while later, Tom's phone rang.
It was his mother.
He answered immediately.
"I'm alright, Mom. You don't need to worry," he said. "Daniel's here. I just needed to unwind… a lot happened today."
"You sure?" his mother asked worriedly.
"Why don't you come home? We miss you," she added softly.
"I miss you too, Ma," Tom replied. "Thank you. Take care of yourself, okay? I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
"I love you," he added.
A pause.
"Tom… if it's okay with you," his mother said gently, "let's pack your things tomorrow and bring them here. I want you to stay with us for now… please."
Tom hesitated.
"That's…" he looked down, shaking his head slightly. "I mean… alright. I'll think about it."
"Alright, son. Goodnight. I love you," she said before ending the call.
Tom lowered his phone.
"So?" Daniel asked. "You're moving in with them? That's good. Reunited with Lolo."
Tom exhaled sharply.
"Damn, I hate that old man," he said, taking another sip.
Daniel chuckled.
"You're still his favorite, you know."
Tom scoffed.
"Yeah, right."
Daniel leaned back in his chair.
"You can stay here if you want. It's too big for just me anyway."
"Nah," Tom replied. "Thanks, but I want to be alone for now."
"Uh-uh… not happening," Daniel said immediately, concerned.
"It's not what you think," Tom assured him. "I'm fine." He gave a small smile.
Daniel sighed.
"Man… I miss when we were kids. And Kent…" he added, shaking his head. "I don't get why he's so obsessed with being the boss. He already has everything."
Tom stayed quiet for a moment.
"I'm not interested in the company," he said finally. "You or he can take it."
Daniel raised his hands.
"Me? Negative. I just want to travel the world with girls. Remove me from the list."
That earned a small laugh from Tom.
For the first time that day, both of them smiled.
***********************************************************
A middle-aged man sat in a high-backed armchair, holding an old-style telephone receiver. A faint smile lingered on his face as he listened to the voice on the other end of the line.
"Congratulations… you've won," he said. "You've got their attention now—especially Chairman Yang."
A low chuckle came through the receiver.
"Whatever happens to them… he deserves it," the voice replied. "That was only the first step. There's more to come."
The man's smile widened.
"I'm looking forward to seeing all of it."
They both laughed softly, as if sharing a private joke.
A brief pause followed.
"Are you going to meet them?" the man asked.
"No," the voice answered calmly. "Not yet. It's not the time. But soon… I will take back everything they took from me."
"Good," the man replied. "You're doing the right thing. This is only the first step toward everything we planned."
The voice on the other end let out another quiet laugh.
"Thank you, Mr. Kelly. You did an excellent job."
"I learned from the best," Mr. Kelly replied smoothly. "And you know you always have my full support."
"Hmm. Thank you. I'll see you soon. Keep me updated."
The call ended.
Mr. Kelly slowly lowered the handset back onto the telephone base, his expression unreadable as the room fell silent once again.
**********
it was early morning when Chairman Yang arrived at the company with his driver, David.
As they walked through the long hallway, the building still quiet and half-awake, Chairman Yang spoke without slowing his pace.
"David, after you go to the police station, help Janet. She'll be going to Forbes Park to fetch Tom."
"Yes, Chairman," David replied immediately.
"Major Santos will talk to you," he continued. "Please be extra careful. Tell them everything you remember from yesterday—that's the only way we can trace those carnappers."
"Yes, Chairman… and I'm sorry about what happened yesterday."
Chairman Yang stopped walking and turned to him.
"We already talked about that, David. Move on. The important thing is that both of you are safe, understand?"
He resumed walking.
"I don't know… maybe it's just a coincidence. Yesterday could have been the moment for Tom and Anna to finally fix things… but we lost that chance."
A faint smirk crossed his face as he continued down the hallway.
His secretary opened the office door for them.
"Ah, Kaye," he said as he stepped inside. "Did anyone call me?"
"No, sir," she replied politely. "But you have an appointment with Mr. Kelly at 11 a.m."
"Yes," he answered shortly.
David placed the briefcase on the couch and quietly exited the room, closing the door behind him.
Chairman Yang settled into his chair, opened a folder on his desk, and began reviewing its contents.
His phone rang.
Without looking up, he answered.
"Any update?" he asked.
"Sir," the private investigator's voice replied, "we found the vehicle in a private lot… but the four gunmen are still missing. No fingerprints were recovered—only David and Anna's prints inside the car."
Chairman Yang's expression tightened slightly.
"Alright," he said, then ended the call.
A moment later, he pressed the intercom.
"Ms. Kaye."
She entered promptly.
"Have you looked into the new investor?" he asked, his tone serious.
"Yes, sir. But there's almost no public information. He doesn't use social media and appears to be extremely private."
Chairman Yang narrowed his eyes.
"Keep digging. I want every detail you can find. And update me immediately."
"Yes, sir."
She left the room quietly.
Chairman Yang leaned back in his chair, the silence of the office settling around him like a warning.
A few moments later, Kaye informed Chairman Yang that Mr. Kelly had arrived and requested a private meeting.
Chairman Yang stood as the door opened.
"I am so sorry, Chairman Yang," Mr. Kelly said as he walked in. "There was a change in my flight schedule last night, so I needed to meet you in person before returning to France. I'm only here as the buyer—I just want to settle the contract regarding the property I purchased at the auction."
Chairman Yang smiled politely and stepped forward to greet him.
"No, no—come in," he said, shaking his hand firmly. "Please, have a seat."
Mr. Kelly sat on the couch facing him.
Kaye entered shortly after with two bottles of water and a sandwich, placing them neatly on the center table before leaving.
Chairman Yang remained composed.
"I've already signed off on the property. The Vice President should have the documents by now. You may collect them from his office."
"Yes, thank you, Chairman," Mr. Kelly replied. "And the buyer wanted to personally thank you as well."
Chairman Yang nodded lightly.
After a brief exchange, Mr. Kelly stood and adjusted his suit.
"Goodbye, Chairman Yang. Have a nice day. I'm sure we will meet again."
Chairman Yang gave a faint smile as they shook hands.
"We'll see," he replied.
Mr. Kelly left the office.
The moment the door closed, Chairman Yang's expression shifted. He watched it carefully, his gaze narrowing with quiet suspicion.
Meanwhile, Janet arrived at Tom's house.
She immediately began packing Tom's belongings. After an hour, Tom arrived with Daniel, and the three of them continued organizing everything together.
By dusk, the packing was complete.
David helped load the boxes into the car.
Janet then invited Tom and Daniel to dinner at their home.
Later that evening, during dinner, Chairman Yang arrived at the house.
Without much interaction, he went straight to his office, turned on the television, and sat down. He looked visibly tired, his eyes heavy with exhaustion.
An hour later, Marvin entered the study. He found him asleep on the chair and quietly placed a blanket over his lap before stepping out again.
He then joined Tom and Daniel in the backyard.
"You two are busy?" Marvin asked as he approached.
They looked up at him.
"I've been thinking," Marvin continued, "why don't you want to work with us, Dan? Your position in the company is still waiting for you."
Daniel smiled slightly.
"Does Lolo know about this, Uncle?"
Marvin nodded.
"He asked me. He would be happy if you joined us. I'm sure your parents would be proud too."
"I'll think about it, Uncle," Daniel replied.
"Alright. Call me when you decide," Marvin said, patting his shoulder.
Daniel nodded, then glanced at Tom.
"What?" Tom asked.
"I thought you didn't want to go back to the company," Daniel said.
"I never said that," Tom replied with a small smile. "You should come work with me. My position is higher than yours anyway."
Daniel laughed.
"Have you forgotten I'd be your boss?"
Tom scoffed.
"Try it first. For now, I'm still the heir."
They both laughed, and even Marvin chuckled as he watched them banter like old times.