Chris was helped out of the boxing ring and made to sit for a while. Monica went away briefly and returned with a water bottle which she opened and handed to him, her face creased with worry. Rose stood a little distance away and watched the scene, trying but failing to hide her worry. She hadn't expected him to get knocked out so hard and she was worried about him and also about getting in trouble with Mr. Michael Bolton, he paid her to protect his son, not put him in harm's way. Sarah and Lucas stood at a corner, deep in conversation, both seemed unbothered about the situation, they had both been into this for years and both knew that Lucas' punch had done no real damage to Chris, he just hadn't been hit by a punch of that magnitude before. Rose knew this too but her sense of judgment was clouded with fear and worry. After a while, Chris got to his feet, with Monica still rooted to his side. The others turned to look at him and Lucas walked up to him."How's that jaw feeling pal?"

It all came rushing back to him, kind of like a dam of memories had been broken free in his brain. Victor, his childhood trainer, the man in the picture, the baseball cap mystery man, the one who had appeared and disappeared during the death of Scuro Lancia's Don Martini; they were all one and the same person. How had he been so blind? It was still the same baseball cap from when he was just a little kid. He could still remember how Victor would walk up to him in the Sanders' back lawn, as he took off the baseball cap and his backpack, with the words "hey buddy," as he messed up his hair with a ruffle. He remembered how he always tried to squirm away from those ruffles and how Victor had always been faster and more agile than him, trapping him before he could move out of his reach. If the man in the picture was Victor and he had killed Scuro Lancia's Don Martini, then he certainly had not done it on his own accord. Someone must have been behind giving the order and making the required

Chris brought out his phone and dialed Monica's number and she picked up at the first ring."You and Rose should meet me at the ice cream palour on 5th in the next fifteen minutes," he said and hung up. Then he turned to Merlanie. "Send that article to me, then clear out my schedule for the rest of the day and head home," he said. Merlanie understood the situation and didn't bother pressing him to attend to company business."Yes sir," she said with a nod.Chris was about getting into his car when it crossed his mind that things were probably stirring up and about to get heated again, and leaving Merlanie to find her way on her own, was probably not such a wise move. He walked up to one of the vehicle of guards and instructed her to get in."See to it that Ms. Merlanie Jones gets home safe then you can head to the ice cream parlour on 5th," he said to the three guards in the vehicle and they gave a "yes sir," with their heads bowed. Turning to Merlanie, he said "Lock yourself in and

Chris had been the last one to arrive at the ice cream palour. He had walked in to see the ladies sitted at the most secluded booth even though they were the only ones in the shop. He had been waved over by Sarah who was sitted beside Rose on the side of the booth that faced the door. He walked over to join them and slid in beside Monica."We already placed our orders," Rose said "Plain old vanilla for you."Chris didn't say anything but only acknowledged her words with a nod and a tight lipped smile. He was still caught up in the surprise and anger of what he had found out. He felt angry, betrayed, surprised and scared at the whole thing.Monica slid a hand into his and squeezed it causing him to look at their connected hands then up at her."Sarah filled us in already and we also checked out the news," she said "I'm so sorry about this." she finished."Sorry?" Chris asked and disconnected his hand from hers. Why was she sorry? Did she think he was sad because he felt like he had los

As Richard's car backed out and sped away from the driveway of the Bolton's Mansion, Chris stared after it till it had departed a reasonable distance and had become a little speck in the distance. For the life of him, he couldn't understand the true purpose of Richard's sudden visit but he would ensure they didn't suddenly turn around to do make any destructive move. He turned around to see his dad, Rose, Sarah and Monica were also watching the disappearing form of the vehicles and their eyes turned on him when they caught his movement. "Alright then, come on up, we need to talk," Michael Bolton said eventually to the four persons he had been waiting for since he disbanded the party, "you can take some time to freshen up before joining Mrs. Yvonne and I in the study," he added as he took in Chris' weird and somewhat scruffy appearance. His shirt was rumpled and the first three or four buttons seemed to either have been snapped off or been purposely undone and he could see his suit an