Nathaniel's father, Matthew, stood in his living room, staring blankly at the wall. His wife, Marie, was crying on the sofa, but he couldn't bring himself to join her. He felt numb as if his body had shut down to protect him from the pain that was threatening to overwhelm him.
He had just received the news that his son Nathaniel had probably died. He had disappeared during the attack on the city, and they couldn't find any information about him, despite having sent many men to search for him. The likely outcome was that he was dead and had trouble restraining himself and avoiding crying in front of his men.
The details were sparse, but his goons believed that the thaids had killed him during the attack on the city. Matthew never feared for his son's safety, and he never thought this could happen, as his son was a skilled fighter and had always been cautious. How could he have been caught off guard by those monsters? He refused to believe he was dead, but the situation had all led to this outcome.
As the news of his son's death started to sink in, Matthew started to feel many different things. He was angry at the thought that his son had probably been taken away from him, furious that the thaids dared to kill one of his own. He was also consumed with guilt; he had always been very demanding of his son and didn't spend much time with him.
Tears began to stream down Matthew's face as he thought about the last time he had seen his son and as they argued about something small. Matthew's emotions were overwhelming, and he couldn't help but wonder if things would have been different if he had been a better father. He knew that he could never make up for the lost time.
Matthew's grief was consuming, and he couldn't bear the thought of facing the world without his son. He felt lost like a part of him had been ripped away. Nathaniel had been his only child and had always been the center of Matthew's world, as he planned on making him the next leader of his organization. Matthew had dedicated his life to ensuring Nathaniel had everything he needed to succeed, but now it seemed like all that effort had been for nothing.
Now, the world had come crashing down, leaving him with nothing but pain and sorrow. As the hours turned into days, Matthew found himself consumed by grief. He couldn't eat or sleep and spent most of his time staring out the window, lost in thought. He missed his son terribly and wished he could turn back time and change the outcome of that fateful day, maybe forcing his son to go to a shelter.
In the end, and after several days, as he finally accepted that Nathaniel was dead, Matthew realized he would never fully recover from the loss of his son; the kid had been his pride and joy, and his absence had left a hole in his heart that could never be filled, but he acknowledged he had to move on. However, he hoped that his son had found peace in the afterlife.
Matthew sat alone in his study, his eyes red and puffy from crying. He had been trying to gather his thoughts and keep working. But every time he tried to focus, his mind drifted back to Nathaniel, and the pain would hit him all over again.
Lost in thought, he heard a knock on the door as he was there. He wiped his eyes and tried to compose himself as one of his men entered the room. The man had a somber expression on his face as he was about to deliver some sad news.
"Sir," the man said, his voice hesitant. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but we found something we thought you should know about."
Matthew looked up at him, wondering what could possibly be more important than his son's death.
"What is it?" he asked. The man then handed him a broken phone, and Matthew felt his heart sink as he recognized it as Nathaniel's.
"We found this near where we found Nathaniel's body," the man said. "It looks like it was destroyed, but the state of the phone suggests that it was broken on purpose. It was probably a human's doing."
Matthew's mind raced as he tried to make sense of it all. Despite his astounding talent, he had always known that his son had many rivals and enemies, but he couldn't imagine who would want to hurt him so much as to kill him in the middle of a thaid invasion. Then the man spoke again, and his worst fears were confirmed.
"We also did some digging, and it seems that Nathaniel had some problems with some people from school. Apparently, he was also kicked out by the Red Palace," the man said.
"WHAT?!"
Matthew felt rage building inside him as he listened to the man's words. If what he said was true, there was a high chance that he had been killed. But aside from this, why didn't his son tell him the Red Palace expelled him? How could they humiliate him this way? He was Matthew McConnel, the Mambas' leader.
"Did you find out why he was kicked out?" The man asked.
"Not yet; the Red Palace is keeping this under wraps, but we think the other students may know about this, and we are searching for the right opportunity to investigate the matter," the man said.
"Good..."
As Matthew held Nathaniel's broken phone in his hands, he felt a sense of anger and determination rising up in him. The man kept explaining what he and his team members had found out, and as he did, it appeared clear that all of this was a ploy concocted by someone to get rid of his son. He vowed to find out who was responsible for his son's death and make them pay.
But even as he made this vow, Matthew knew it would never bring Nathaniel back. He would always carry the pain of his son's loss with him, and nothing could ever change that. All he could do now was honor Nathaniel's memory and ensure his legacy lived on.
Matthew then left the building. He needed to take a breath of fresh air; besides, he needed to do something that day. He reached his garage and entered a limousine, and then he told the man driving to bring him to the town hall, where he was required to attend a banquet since the mayor was going to make an announcement.
The driver started the car, and Matthew, in the meantime, grabbed the phone; he had to make a call. The phone rang a few times, and a man replied from the other side.
"Here Is Simone speaking. Good morning boss."
"Simone, there is work for you to do," Matthew said.
Simone was the leader of a powerful team inside the Mambas, the black toads; they were the ones he asked to take the most important jobs: kidnapping, killing, investigating, etc.
"How can I help you?" Simone asked in a respectful voice that had a hint of fear.
"I'm afraid I have some terrible news. My son was killed last week, and some of my men told me this was probably man-made."
"Oh, sir, I'm so sorry to hear that. Do you want me to investigate the matter?"
"Indeed. I understand that you and your team, the Black Toads, are the best in the business when it comes to investigating these kinds of things. I would like you to find out what happened to my son parallel to the other teams doing the same."
Simone's face expressed a mix of sorrow and shock. He knew how important Matthew's son was to him, and he felt the pressure of the task that was being assigned to him.
"Of course, sir. We will do everything we can to discover what happened to Nathaniel." Matthew nodded slowly, his face grave and sad.
"I appreciate your dedication and expertise in this matter, Simone. Keep me updated on any progress you make." Matthew's voice was heavy with emotion as he spoke, clearly struggling to maintain his composure. However, as the boss of the Mambas, he couldn't let his subordinates hear him crying.
However, Simone could sense the sadness in Matthew's voice, and he knew that this was a difficult time for him.
"Don't worry, sir; we will work closely with the other teams and share any information we find to ensure a comprehensive investigation. You have my word that we will not rest until we have answers for you." He offered his condolences once more before ending the call.
As the call ended, both men had heavy feelings in their hearts. Simone knew that this was a task that needed to be handled with the utmost care and attention, and he was determined to do his best to bring closure to Matthew and his wife and make a good impression on his boss.
Matthew then told the driver to go faster, and with that, he reached the town hall.
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