Chapter 15: A Storm that Swept Away What Came Before

Frederick sat comfortably in his leather office chair, chatting with Sonia, who was perched on the edge of his desk, when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Frederick called out.

Alex opened the door with a smile, saying, "Can we come in?"

Sonia smiled at him, while Frederick asked, "Come in... Wait, who do you mean by 'we'?" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Maya standing at the door. The sudden apology she had sent through Alex and the shyness now visible on her face made Frederick jump to his feet and rush toward her, pulling her into a tight embrace.

Maya stiffened for just two seconds before she smiled gently, wrapping her arms around his neck and whispering, "I'm sorry." After about half a minute, she looked up, only to meet Sonia’s gaze. The look in Sonia’s eyes made Maya avert her gaze and pull away from Frederick.

Frederick, his face bright with joy, exclaimed, "Please, have a seat."

Sonia stood up, greeted them, and then said, "I'll be leaving now. Don’t forget about dinner, Frederick." She kissed his cheek and left the room.

Frederick returned to his chair, beaming, "To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

Alex replied, "I’m about to die of boredom from staying at home, and because I’m on mandatory leave, I had no choice but to come to see you. And since I don’t have a car, Maya kindly offered to give me a ride."

Maya objected, "Let’s not mix things up. I only gave you a ride because it was on my way. I have a reconnaissance mission nearby. Honestly, I couldn’t care less if you died of boredom."

Frederick laughed, then asked, "What can I get you to drink?"

Maya stood up and apologized, "Another time, perhaps. I’m really running late." She was about to leave when she stopped and asked Frederick, "Do you know Sam?"

Frederick furrowed his brow, repeating, "Sam?"

Maya clarified, "The man who gave your nephew the heroin."

Frederick recalled, "Oh... I know of him through Alex, but I’ve never met him in person."

Puzzled, he asked, "Why do you ask?"

Maya put her hands in her jacket pockets and smiled nervously at Frederick. "This might sound strange, but is there anything, no matter how small, that connects me to Alexander?"

"I’m not sure what you’re trying to say."

"Honestly, I’m not sure either. It’s just that this Sam told me there’s a connection between me and Alexander—a causal relationship, as he put it—and that you know about it."

At this point, Alex interjected sarcastically, "Do you really trust what Sam says that much? Didn’t it occur to you that he’s just a madman?"

Maya replied awkwardly, "I know that, and I didn’t believe him. But curiosity drove me to ask. One more thing, Frederick—does it change anything if I tell you that Sam is the one-eyed man?"

Alex exclaimed, "Sam isn’t one-eyed."

Maya responded, "I know. That’s what he said."

Alex, frustrated, said angrily, "For God’s sake! How long are you going to believe this nonsense?"

Maya retorted, "Why are you so angry?"

The argument between Maya and Alex distracted them from noticing the extreme paleness that overtook Frederick’s face and the distant look in his eyes. He looked like he had seen a ghost. Sam was the one-eyed man! Now Frederick understood the meaning of the 'causal relationship.' Why? Why now, of all times, does the one-eyed scoundrel have to reappear? Just when things were beginning to return to normal, this wretch shows up to stir up trouble. Frederick was only pulled back to reality when he heard Maya say as she was walking out, "He said he would tell me the truth if Frederick didn’t. I’m curious to see what lies he’ll spin."

That’s when Frederick shouted in horror, "Maya! Wait!"

Maya turned to him in surprise, and Alex stared at him—Frederick wasn’t the type to shout. Maya asked, "What’s going on?"

Frederick ordered with difficulty, "Sit down!"

Maya sat, while Alex, noticing the change in his uncle’s demeanor, asked, "Are you okay? What’s happening?"

Frederick tried to close his eyes, to breathe calmly, to rest his head on the back of his chair, but he couldn’t. So, he stammered, "I... I know that what I’m about to say... is not easy, but I have to tell you because... because I think that letting that wretch Sam tell you... would be worse."

Alex wanted to ease Frederick’s discomfort, so he offered, "I can step out for a bit while you two talk. I don’t mind at all."

Frederick, struggling to compose himself, replied, "No. You should stay. You have the right to know the truth too."

Maya, impatient, urged, "Speak. I can’t wait any longer."

Frederick, regaining some of his composure, said, "Not before you promise me you’ll stay calm."

"Fine, you have my word."

Frederick didn’t know where to start, so he began by looking at Alex. "Alex was shot in the lower right shoulder three years and six months ago."

Maya muttered indifferently, "I know that. I saw the scar."

Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise, wondering when she had seen the scar, but Maya simply gave him a teasing smile.

Frederick continued with pain in his voice, "The investigation concluded that the bullet was the result of a gang fight in that old neighborhood where Alex happened to be, so he was hit by a stray bullet. But the truth, which neither you nor Alex know, is that the bullet was deliberately meant to hit Alex."

Alex’s eyes narrowed as he heard this. Could it be true? How had his uncle hidden this from him? And how did his uncle even know? Meanwhile, Maya showed no reaction, especially since she hadn’t known the story behind the bullet in the first place.

Their silence indicated to Frederick that they wanted to hear more, so he forced himself to continue without looking at either of them. "On the day Van died, before he was killed, I was surrounded by Madov’s men while I was keeping watch for Van. They were led by the one-eyed man, who seems to be Sam. The point is, they didn’t hurt me. They didn’t do anything to me. They just told me that Madov wanted to kill Van and that he was on the roof of one of the buildings. They then ordered me to stay silent and not warn Van through the earpiece. I refused and told them that the only way they would kill Van was if they killed me first. I wish they had killed me, but they didn’t. Instead, they showed me a video recording. In the video, a rifle and the voice of a man saying he wanted to shoot a young man were heard. Another man responded that Madov had only ordered the young man to be wounded, not killed, because he would be useful in the future. Then the first man agreed and started loading the rifle with bullets. After that... Alex appeared on camera, standing in that neighborhood. Then a gunshot rang out, and Alex fell, shot in the lower right shoulder. Yes, Alex’s injury wasn’t due to a gang fight; it was planned by Madov." Frederick choked up, then said, "They told me that just as they were able to wound Alex that day, they could kill him today if I didn’t do as they asked. Then they brought another camera, live-streaming footage of Alex at a gym training with his friends. They said the same sniper who shot Alex was at the gym, and he was the one filming. They said he had orders to kill Alex if they made a call. Then the sniper’s rifle appeared on camera." Frederick tried to clear his throat, but his voice remained hoarse as he continued heavily, "There was nothing I could do. I thought of every possible solution, but I couldn’t find one. I had to choose between Van’s death and Alex’s death. If I warned Van about Madov and his men, they would kill Alex. If I didn’t warn him, they would kill Van. Van was my friend, my brother, but I couldn’t sacrifice Alex, who I consider my son. So, I... I didn’t... didn’t warn Van, which led to his death."

The room fell into a heavy silence for several minutes. Frederick lowered his head, lost in his thoughts, clearly suffering after recounting the story.

As for Alex, he remained composed and stoic. He didn’t allow himself to think, analyze, or deduce anything from the strange story Frederick had just told. This was not the time for shock or disbelief. This was the time for action. So, with the utmost speed and agility, Alex jumped to his knees in front of Maya, reached under her jacket, and pulled out her gun from its holster. She had shot him once and nearly killed him over a trivial matter, so he feared she might draw her weapon and shoot his uncle. But what Alex didn’t realize was that Maya was paralyzed by shock, unable to move. She didn’t even react when he took the gun from her.

Alex stood up, but the look in her eyes made him drop back to his knees, overcome with fear. Dead eyes—that was the only way to describe them. There was no sign of life in them, completely empty. Her eyes, which he had always seen as a deep, sharp green, had suddenly become a pale, terrifyingly transparent shade. He tucked her gun into his belt, then placed his hands on her knees and whispered, "Maya! Maya!"

She didn’t respond or move, so he let go of her knees, placed his hands on either side of her face, and gently tilted her head down toward him until their eyes met. Then he whispered again, "Maya! Answer me."

She didn’t respond, but she did react to him. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him, then she smiled—a smile that Alex couldn’t decipher—and murmured, "I’m fine."

Alex withdrew his hands and stood beside her. Maya turned to Frederick and, in a voice devoid of any emotion, asked, "What else? What other secrets have you kept from me?"

Frederick lifted his head abruptly, despite the pain he felt. He had been prepared for any reaction from her, but he wasn’t prepared for this indifference. Unable to stop himself, he asked, "Why are you so calm?"

She smiled and said, "Didn’t you ask me to promise to stay calm? I always keep my promises."

Alex’s fists clenched tightly, and he closed his eyes, turning his face away from her. Damn it! He hadn’t succeeded in snapping her out of it. Her words and actions showed that she was still in shock.

Frederick’s heart ached even more at the sight of her, but he knew he had to tell her everything. He realized this was the last time Maya would listen to him calmly. In a quiet voice, he said, "I didn’t make the decision to keep this from you alone. Your mother also thought it was best if you didn’t know."

Alex didn’t understand what Frederick meant by this, but he knew it would complicate things further and hurt Maya even more. So, he shouted angrily, "Enough, Frederick!"

But Maya responded coldly, with a faint smile on her face, "Why not, Alexander? Things are getting more interesting." Then she addressed Frederick, "Speak."

Frederick spoke with a tone of sorrow, "I told you before, Alex, that I met Madeleine—her mother—after the funeral, and she told me she trusted me and couldn’t imagine that I had anything to do with her husband’s death. Her words were like a knife in my heart, keeping me from sleeping. So, I met her two days later and told her the truth. She left me then, and I knew she was shocked and hurt—I saw it in her eyes. But the next day, she came to me and said she forgave me and understood the situation I was in. Then she asked me to promise never to tell you the truth, Maya. She believed that knowing the truth wouldn’t benefit you in any way."

Maya pursed her lips and muttered, "Are we done, or do you have more secrets?"

Frederick was filled with frustration at her lack of reaction, but he could only reply, "We’re done."

Maya stood up stiffly and walked out under Alex’s gaze, who realized that their lives had taken a dangerous turn, one from which neither of them would emerge unscathed.