Chapter 80: Chapter 79: Strange
The car ride to his mother’s residence was quiet. Julius sat in the back seat, staring out the window as the city buildings slowly changed into the green, peaceful trees of the quiet residential area.
When the car pulled up to the house, Julius took a deep breath. He needed a moment of peace, and seeing his mother always felt like a safe harbor after a storm.
He walked up the steps and opened the front door. The house smelled like warm vanilla and fresh tea.
"Julius?" a soft voice called out from the living room.
His mother rose from her armchair, the moment she saw him standing there, alive and well, relief filled her eyes. She rushed forward and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
"Oh, Julius," she whispered, her voice breaking with raw emotion. "I was so terrified. I’m glad you’re okay."
Julius held her close, burying his face in her shoulder. The warmth of her embrace made the fear inside him melt away. "I’m okay, Mom. I’m right here. Harrison kept me safe."
She pulled back, her hands moving up to cup his face. She examined him carefully, checking for any injuries, before letting out a long, relieved sigh. "Thank goodness. Come, sit down. Let me pour you some tea. You look so tired."
They sat down together on the sofa. For the first twenty minutes, the conversation was warm and easy. They talked about how glad she was that he was finally back at his company. Julius felt his defenses dropping, completely enjoying the simple comfort.
But as the tea began to cool in their cups, the atmosphere in the room shifted.
His mother set her cup down on the table with a soft click. She looked at Julius, her eyes turning a bit more serious. "Julius, dear... I heard that your memory has started to return. Is that true?"
Julius nodded, holding the warm mug between his palms. "Yes. Most of it came back after the help of Harrison."
She leaned in a little closer, her voice dropping into a gentle, careful tone. "And... did you remember everything? Did you remember what your father was working on right before he disappeared? The drive?"
Julius looked down at his tea, his expression turning a bit distant. "Some of it still feels incomplete. I remember that the drive is real, and I remember how scared my father was. But the exact location where he put it, and some of our final conversations... they are still very blurry. It feels like the pieces are there, but I can’t quite link them together yet."
His mother’s fingers tightened slightly around her own napkin. Something flickered in her eyes, something Julius could not really place his hand on, though her voice remained soft. "Your father was an extremely cautious man, Julius. You must remember that. He knew how dangerous Arthur was. He would never leave something that important somewhere easy to find. He probably used a very specific riddle or a hidden location only you would recognize."
Julius sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I know. We checked the cottage, but the box was empty. It was just a distraction."
"What will you do if you find it?" she asked suddenly.
The question came out a bit too fast, catching Julius completely off guard. He lifted his head and looked at her.
"What do you mean?" Julius asked. "I will either give it to Harrison so his team can use it to finish Arthur, or I will hand it straight over to the federal authorities. That drive has all the proof of the illegal finance networks. It is the only way to end this war."
His mother’s warm expression subtly changed. The soft smile vanished from her lips, replaced by a tight, serious line. She reached out and placed her hand over his, her grip surprisingly firm.
"I don’t think you should do that, Julius," she said, her voice dropping even lower.
Julius blinked in surprise. "Why? That drive is the reason my father is gone. It is the reason people are trying to kill me."
"Exactly," she pressed, leaning forward. "It is an incredibly powerful object. Your father didn’t spend years gathering that data just to hand it to the police or let another man like Harrison control it.
That drive could be very valuable to you in the future. It is a shield, Julius. If you give it away, you lose your leverage. Your father hid it for a reason. He wanted you to have it."
Julius shook his head, pulling his hand back slightly. The advice felt wrong. "No, Mom. You don’t understand. The drive has caused too much suffering already. Harrison almost died, Daniel got shot. I don’t want leverage, and I don’t want power. I want everything exposed to the light so nobody else gets hurt."
"You are being naive, Julius," his mother said, her tone sharpening just a fraction. She quickly softened it again, trying to look comforting, but the tension was already there. "The world doesn’t work that way. Keeping that drive for yourself might be the smartest thing you can do. It keeps you safe. If the authorities get it, they might just bury it, and you will be left with nothing."
The conversation was becoming deeply uncomfortable. Julius stared at his mother, a strange, heavy feeling settling in his stomach. For the first time in his life, he noticed that she seemed strangely invested in the drive. She wasn’t asking about his safety anymore; she was asking about the asset.
Before he could process the thought or ask her why she was pushing so hard, the phone in his trousers pocket vibrated.
Bzzzz.
Julius pulled it out, glad for the interruption. But the moment his eyes scanned the urgent message on his screen, his expression changed completely. His face went pale, and his breath hitched in his throat.
The text was from Marcus.
His mother immediately noticed the sudden shift in his posture. She stood up as he did, her eyes scanning his face. "Julius? What is it? What happened?"
Julius quickly slipped the phone back into his pocket, his heart beginning to hammer against his ribs all over again. He couldn’t tell her about Marcus, and he suddenly felt a strange need to get away from her questioning eyes.
"I’m sorry, Mom," Julius said quickly, taking a step backward toward the hallway. "Something urgent just came up at the company headquarters. A major issue with the audit. I need to leave right now."
"But Julius, we were just talking—"
"I have to go," he interrupted, his voice tight. "I will call you tonight. I promise. Stay inside and keep the doors locked."
Without explaining further, Julius turned around and rushed out the front door, leaving the quiet house behind him.
His mother remained standing in the middle of the living room. She didn’t follow him to the door. Instead, she slowly walked over to the window, watching his car pull away and disappear down the street.
As the sound of the engine faded into the distance, the warm, loving smile completely disappeared from her face. Her features went totally cold and blank. She stood frozen by the glass, staring silently toward the empty road.
