529 With All My Hear

Chris couldn't contain his delight seeing that Amelia was alive. At a young age, he lost his parents and was a victim of human trafficking along with his sister that was why being Amelia's mentee meant so much to him. She was the only one whom he looked up to in Shadow. On a normal day, she left the organization while the news about her killing their boss was announced. And then later, they learned about her death, which devastated him.

Now, his heart was full. Learning that Amelia was alive was the best news he had received in many years. He had so many questions to ask and his eagerness was apparent as he said, "I still can't believe it. Tell me what happened. How are you—"

"I understand that you have so many questions. But right now, we have more pressing matters to talk about. We'll catch up later. Okay?" Amelia reassured him.

"Right. Of course..." Chris gave her a brief hug, sighing as he released her.

Noticing some footsteps behind her, Amelia turned to see Damien and Katherine enter through the front door. Her gaze zeroed in on her son's expression. He almost seemed expressionless, but the slightly dismissive look in his eyes worried her. With furrowed brows, she strode towards him and asked, "Is everything okay?"

The knots in Damien's heart slowly untangled the moment he felt his mother's hand clutch his fingers. It was warm, like the last time she held his hand. It was fascinating how he could easily recognize her touch despite having only felt it a few times since they started to mend their relationship as mother and son.

He squeezed her hand back and pulled the corners of his mouth into a smile as he nodded. "Yeah. It's nothing."

Their gestures didn't escape Chris, and he was beyond confused as to why they were so close like this. His eyes darted between the pair and Katherine while his mind wandered to so many questions. It was when Styles called their attention that his train of thoughts was interrupted.

"We're connected," said Styles, clapping his hands once as he took a seat in front of the monitor. 

The others looked in his direction as they walked towards him, their eyes scanning the panoramic monitor's activity. Several windows were opened all at once—among them were live footage of the CCTV cameras around the Golden Phoenix Residences. 

The building's security reported to Styles that one agent had already asked the front desk, but the agent left right away when the staff denied having seen the man they were looking for.

"I saw Parker at Central Harbor," Katherine muttered, earning shocked stares from the three men who didn't know yet.

"What?! What happened?!" Chris exclaimed, his face full of worry as he waited for her response. "Did he see you? Did he do something?"

"I'm not sure…" He looked down, his eyes shifting here and there as he tried to recall the times when Parker left the state and possibly coming to this state. "He had never brought me with him whenever he came to Esmea. I've always thought he was here to meet some clients."

"Damien…" Turning towards him, Katherine asked, "We need to know who was there today."

"I'll take care of it." Damien nodded and immediately made a call as he strolled to the corner of the room for some privacy.

While he was at the side, others discussed their next course of action. Because they had no idea what Parker's next moves were and why he was even in the state in the first place, they could only continue to be cautious now more than ever. They had decided that Amelia and Styles were to stay in the safe house with Gus and Chris to limit their movements as it was no longer safe for them to stay anywhere near Golden Phoenix Residences. 

When Damien came back to join them, he informed them that he would receive a response in a couple of hours. Although this was another favor that he asked from Wallace White, it was easier this time—but definitely a favor that he had to return.

…

Katherine and Damien stayed in the safe house until the agents around their building left. Unlike Amelia, the two of them had a lower risk of raising an alarm if they were to go home. So, the couple headed back to the city center once the coast was clear of Shadow agents.

"We can't stay here. It's too risky now," said Damien as they parked the car in the basement parking of Golden Phoenix Residences.

Katherine nodded in agreement. She had been thinking about it on the way home. Her hands were fidgety, and she could feel the acid in her stomach climb up and burn her throat, causing her to feel nauseous. The whole thing about seeing Parker earlier and Shadow agents still roaming around did not sit well with her. "I was thinking the same. But we have to be closer to the safe house."

"You're right. Where do you want to stay?"

"I was thinking… If you're okay with it. How about we stay in my grandfather's mansion? It's about twenty minutes away from the safe house, and it won't look too odd if we stay there for a few days since he's family anyway… We can just make up an excuse to stay there. I thought about the house in Pearl Gardens, but it's too out of the way—"

"Sure. I don't mind. We have to bring Bear with us, though," Damien agreed right away.

"Grandpa loves dogs. I'm sure he would love Bear." She smiled at him as they rode the elevator up to her penthouse.

A couple of Damien's men greeted them as they stepped out of the elevator and into the foyer of her penthouse. As the two walked towards Katherine's bedroom, they passed by the empty living room, and their eyes caught sight of a lone garment bag hanging on a rack by the coffee table.

"What's this?" she asked as they approached and watched while Damien studied the item. He unzipped the bag and found a hand-written note on a small card pinned onto an expensive suit with a logo of the brand, Lilize—the luxury boutique they visited today. 

Damien examined the card, and his heart thumped as he silently read the message.

[ To my son. You've been a blessing from the start. I love you with all my heart. ]