482 I Will Never Qui

Gus thought about Damien's offer. He had no one outside of Shadow, and money alone could not entice him at all. However, being offered a free ride straight to wherever he wanted, complete with everything he needed, he could have a new life in a place where no one knows him. He could be anyone he wanted where Shadow couldn't reach him.

"The only way to get out is if I die," he said.

"Then we'll plan your death," Damien responded.

"This won't be easy."

Katherine raised her chin, tilted her head and asked, "Is that a yes?"

"What if I get caught?"

"You won't."

"How can you be so sure?" He furrowed his brows.

Damien signaled one of his men to untie Gus and he said, "We'll be creating a distraction."

The tie around his arms came off and he rubbed the sore spot. They were careful with how they tied him up, leaving only very minimal marks on him. He stretched his limbs and hissed when he got up, feeling half of his body had gone numb from sitting for too long. He thought that they did that to him to get back for what he had done to Katherine recently, so he didn't complain much. 

"What distraction?" he asked.

Katherine glanced at Chris and said, "We have what Parker wants… rather who..." She watched as Chris's expression changed from being curious to suddenly alert, and she knew that he had caught on. They were going to use him as bait.

Gus followed the direction of her gaze and understood what she meant too. It was then that he got concerned. "How could you—"

"Gus, it's okay," said Chris.

"You're already injured."

Chris chuckled. At this point, he had no other choice. It was either stay and work with Katherine and her team, or he works alone—which he had already tried, and this was how he ended up being targeted by Parker. "I'm touched, but I'll be fine. Let's hear what they had planned. You should check-in, make sure they know you're still reachable."

Looking at the time on his watch, Gus counted in his head. It had been twenty hours since the last time he checked in with Shadow. He had four more hours until they would start searching for his location. 

All agents of Shadow must report every day. The maximum time would be twenty-four hours since the last time they reported, or else, as soon as the allowed time passed, the organization would consider that he got compromised. He would need to be put on probation—where things would get complicated that he would rather choose to be tied up in a chair here than being there. Shadow's method of investigation wasn't as simple as 'Q\u0026A'—it involved torture.

Eventually, Gus agreed. Styles gave him a phone number to memorize, which would connect him directly to them just in case. Damien ordered a few of his men to escort and drive him somewhere else. 

When the room fell quiet, Styles clicked his tongue and turned to Chris. "Damn… I gotta hand it to you, man… You have such a loyal mentee."

Giving Styles and Katherine a look, Chris muttered in a low voice as he turned around, "I used to have more than one."

The two exchanged looks, knowing that he was talking about the two of them. They were indeed loyal to Chris back in the day. That was until Katherine woke up from the truth and took the matter into her own hands.

Placing a hand on her waist, Damien gestured for her to go outside with him, signaling Felix and Styles to come along. The four stayed at the stairwell where Styles retold the story that they learned about Chris a while ago, showing what they found on the internet and the details that Chris had shared.

Knowing this piece of information about Chris, it didn't change how Damien saw him. Sure, Chris had a rough past, but what he did later in his life that ended up getting Katherine hurt were his decisions. It was the same with Katherine. She felt bad for Chris too and wished that he could find his sister if she was still alive. However, he wasn't the only one who had a tragic childhood. She also lost her parents and so did Styles… and Gus… and even Damien. She empathized with his situation, but it didn't change the fact that he had hurt her—and she still hated him for that.

When they got back inside the apartment, Felix and Damien discussed the specifics on their upcoming infiltration in Young Corporation while Styles worked on his computer.

Katherine just got out of the toilet when she saw Chris standing by the window. The glass was heavily tinted from the outside, so there was no risk of him getting seen. She couldn't help but notice how melancholic he looked, so she walked towards him and said, "I heard from Styles about your sister…"

Without turning his head, he scoffed, "So, he told you about my sobbing story?"

"I'm sorry that it happened to you… Why didn't you tell me?" she wondered. He knew all about her past, but never once did he mention anything about his. She had tried asking him before, but he would always deflect his answers and try to change the subject. She then understood that it must be something he didn't want anyone to know, but she had always been curious.

"So that you can pity me? No thanks."

She didn't know how to respond to him so she didn't say anything. Katherine crossed her arms and leaned on the post. Chris was facing the window while she was facing Damien who took a glance at her from the kitchen, probably wondering if she was okay—always worried about her like he always does. She gave him a small smile and it seemed to make him feel better as he subtly nodded and went back to focus on his discussion with Felix.

It was quiet for a minute until Chris spoke again, "I've… never told anyone this… But this has been eating me up inside."

Hearing him open up, she turned her head to him and probed, "What do you mean?"

Letting out a long sigh, he looked down at the view. "What if that fire never happened? What if I actually got out with my sister and we got back home… and they would still be alive?"

Katherine faced forward again and softly scoffed. Somehow, it was a little amusing for her. "I've been wondering similar questions myself. What if that night never happened? What if… I finished my homework, had dinner with my parents… said goodnight to them before I went to sleep, and woke up to my mom's cooking and my dad's hugs."

So many what-if's. 

"But life isn't fair. It never was," she added. "There are so many questions that I want to be answered… I thought I could learn everything... I thought I could do everything. Turns out I couldn't. But I'm not giving up. I may stumble and fall a lot of times, but one thing is for sure, I will never quit."