Back at the hospital where two members of the Millicent are currently staying in, time flows by without any particular change until a certain someone's uproarious reawakening happens.

Adrian has finally regained consciousness - in the most unexpected way possible, that is. At least, for all of those who were aware of how bad his condition was, they were not expecting that he was going to wake up this soon. As for his family members who were on watch, they did not quite anticipate the first thing he would do and say as soon as he opened his eyes.

​​

"C-Cassidy..."

Edward comes rushing the moment he hears Adrian mumbling something. He then heaves a deep sigh of relief after finding that he is finally awake. Right at that very moment as well, Olivia enters the room with Irish. She has regained consciousness a few days ago, but she still needs to use a wheelchair to move around.

"Olivia! Irish! Adrian is...!" Edward called out to them, much to their surprise.

"Adrian?! Is he finally awake?!" Olivia exclaimed before making her way in their direction.

"Thank goodness... He is awake..." Irish breathed out as she joined their siblings, nearly tearing up in so much relief.

"Olivia, can you please call the doctors for now?"

"Yes. Of course."

But before she can even reach the door, they all suddenly hear their youngest sibling whispering something underneath his breath. His gaze tears itself away from the ceiling before falling on them. They can only watch in silence as he peers at them one by one, looking like he is searching for something or someone.

"Cassidy... Where is my wife?" Adrian then asked.

As if that is not enough to baffle them, they can also see both panic and desperation in his weary expression. When he attempts to sit up, they stir and scurry to make him lie back again. Even then, he doesn't want to let up. He only continues budging while looking behind their backs to search for any other occupant in that room.

"Calm down, Adrian. You haven't completely recovered yet," Edward said as he tried to pin him back down on his bed.

"You're not answering my question. Where is Cassidy?" Adrian muttered with an anxious look and tone.

"C-Cassidy is... She is not here..." Olivia trailed off hesitantly, casting down her gaze as she recalled how Cassidy suddenly disappeared the other day and associated it with what Gertrude told her before.

"D-Don't worry, though. Your secretary and bodyguards are already searching for her-"

"S-She's... n-not here? Why?"

Seeing him slacken and droop his head low, they only fall silent once more. His entire face begins to pale from that point on. He appears like he can't believe what's happening. More than that, he is looking more and more desperate in each passing second. Whatever gets him acting like this is something they can never fathom.

"We don't know the reason, Adrian. She just went and left the other day," Edward continued, still trying to make him settle down but to no avail.

"Why did you let her?! How did she even...?!" Adrian suddenly bolted out as he struggled to break free from his grip.

"There is still someone who is after her life! She can be in danger!"

"Still, you can't just stand up and do something reckless! You will only make your condition worse!"

"I have to go to her... I have to see her... Just let me go already! Let go, Edward!"

"Adrian, enough of that! Olivia said that there are people who are already looking for her...!" Irish chided with her brows furrowed in vex, unable to bear looking at her brother act like a madman any longer.

"Look, she'll be back, okay? They're going to get her back. If you really wanna see her, then do her a favor and recover first-"

"What's the commotion all about?"

Then, they all come to a pause.

At that all-too-familiar voice, everyone snaps out of their clamorous exchange and turns to look at the figure that is standing by the doorway.

Despite the grey strands that are peeking out of his dark hair and the time-chiseled layers of skin on his frame, he remains youthful-looking and striking in appearance. That strong, distinctive air around him can only be distinguished as his and his alone - powerful and domineering. He looks as imposing as ever, almost never-changing.

"Grandfather Grisham," Adrian breathed out in so much shock that he nearly faltered.

Different kinds of emotions begin to surge through him at that very second - the strongest being wrath and resentment. He badly wants to burst out right there and then. His blood boils and seethes while his fists and teeth clench tightly. All those memories of his lying, manipulation and brainwashing are making all his inner demons emerge from his deepest depth.

However, that only lasts for a brief fraction of a moment - Adrian tries to control it.

One single hint of rebellion, and Grisham might see through him. He is the sharpest, keenest person he has ever met, after all. If he were to find out that something was out of place about him, he would meddle in again. Worst case scenario, he would find out that he has regained his memories. There is no doubt that he will do something worse than what he has done before.

In order to protect Cassidy and himself, he will pretend that nothing is wrong - he will play the perfect grandson for a while longer.

"You're finally awake, Adrian. I'm relieved to see you up and about. How are you feeling?" Grisham started as he approached him with that not-so genuine smile of his.

"Thank you for coming, Grandfather. I'm fine now..." Adrian calmly replied and settled down at last.

"Very fine."

---

"So, this is where the others are currently working at, huh..."

Cassidy is now standing in front of this local restaurant that has a casual feel to it. Asher took her there as soon as she woke up on the next morning - partly because she insisted to know where their other friends were, and the other reason being that they had to get something for breakfast.

"This is just our disguise, though. We still have to blend in the city life, after all..." Asher trailed off while looking around the diner.

"Well, to be honest, we also want this kind of normalcy back. If we weren't hiding for a long time, we would've been working like most people out there. This may look like any ordinary casual dining around here, but the people working inside are far from ordinary."

"At least, you are getting there. You are not going to run away forever, you know..." Cassidy chimed in once more, smiling a little.

"We'll go back to how we used to be before. I'll go and take care of the children while you guys manage your dream restaurant. Was it a bar, you said?"

"A sports bar! That's what it is!"

"Right, I see. I'll help you guys out with that too."

"You know, Cassie... Before that, shouldn't you be more concerned about some other important matters? Like how exactly are you going to deal with the Millicent family from now on, for one?"

Cassidy drops her smile at that.

After learning the truth from Asher, she knows that she still needs to hear another side of the story. About the reason why Adrian can't remember her and how everything leads up to this point - she wants to know them all. This time around, she will not continue her life while staying in the dark. Everything will have to arrive to a conclusion once and for all.

While she does want to know more, she has already made up her mind as well. Whatever she will learn from here on out may not change this final decision of hers. She wants to be decisive about how she will attain her freedom and happiness for once.

"Asher, give me some more time. I'll go back there, then I'll return here - to reunite with all of you..." Cassidy continued before turning to face him directly, her gaze firm and unyielding.

"Using the Millicent's name, I can get a high-paying job right away. I will work to earn money for your restaurant and for funding the children's needs. As soon as I am able to save enough, I will leave the household - whether that man wants me to or not."

"And here I thought you were gonna say that you wanna smuggle out their riches-"

"I'm not a criminal! Of course, I won't! I'll just use their name and influence!"

"But you are still the wife of one of the wealthiest men in the world. Doesn't he pamper you or something?"

"I won't rely on him anymore. After what happened to him, their family was dead set on kicking me out. No matter how you look at it, I don't belong there. Besides, he wanted me out of there long before-"

"Wait...! He wasn't treating you nicely back then?"

While she only stoops her head low and averts her gaze, he scowls and narrows his eyes intently. In the end, he thought wrong. She wasn't taken care of as much as he thought she was. As far as he is concerned, he will not continue to stall around and do nothing about that.

'Damn you, Shade. Just what did you do?' Asher cursed silently, not liking how Cassidy suddenly looked so broken and exhausted.