Chapter 557: Gut Feeling

Pulling back his arm, Damien punched Chris in the face, and he didn't even evade. Everyone in the room tentatively moved towards them, but no one dared to stop Damien. Chris's lips bled from the hit and the other brought him back up and held him against the wall.

For the life of him, Damien couldn't understand why Chris was being an idiot. For all his life, he had been wondering what having a mother felt like because even though he had one until he was eight, she never felt like one.

And now that he had met Amelia, he never wanted to lose her. He couldn't deny to himself that he was jealous when he learned that Chris was close to her. Good for Chris that he got to spend more time with her. Good for Chris that he grew up with her by his side.

But now, the ungrateful asśhole was acting like this? He had the nerve to be mad at his mother? Damien just couldn't take it.

When Chris heard Damien's words, he felt like he had been smacked with a baseball bat in the chest. He had been so narrow-minded that he didn't think about what Damien went through. For him, just the thought of Amelia and Damien being related—he couldn't get used to it. Has the world always been this small?

Moreover, why didn't he realize that he was more fortunate to have known about Amelia? About twenty years ago, he lost his biological family, and Amelia had been the closest to a mother that he had after that. So he had been territorial about his relationship with her.

Maybe because he hated Damien for who he was—it's why it was easy for Chris to look past the other's misfortunes.

His shoulders relaxed when he darted his gaze and met Amelia's. He could tell that she was hurt because of what was happening, but it was also apparent that she was trying hard not to show it. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, and she held her hands together as though she was keeping her hands busy.

Seeing the two grown men fight over her, Amelia felt a painful tightness in her throat. She never wanted this to happen. She loved her son, Damien, since the day he was born and even more so now. Chris was also like a son to her, but she never wanted him to feel like she only did so because of what he thought. He was a different person, and she cared about him differently, even if they were not bound by blood.

Hearing what Damien said broke her heart. Amelia always regretted what she did in the past. Now she was paying for her sins, and she could only accept what was coming because she deserved it.

She walked up to them and placed her hand on top of Damien's that were clutching Chris's collar. Her son didn't turn his head, but he relaxed a little. "That's enough."

Reluctantly, Damien released Chris harshly, tossing him away like he was worthless. He should have killed the man when he had the chance. Shooting him on the leg that one time wasn't enough.

"Come on." Gus helped Chris up and led him out of the house. The latter walked away wordlessly as he glanced at Amelia who only met his stare for a brief second before turning to her son.

Amelia swallowed the huge lump in her throat, gazing at her tall son whose rage was still coursing through his body. Damien refused to look at her, and he had kept his head down the whole time, ashamed of how he acted just now. He opened his mouth to speak, but it took him a few seconds to form his words. "I'm sorry, I couldn't control—"

"Shh… You didn't do anything wrong." Amelia pressed her palms on either side of his face, a tear sliding down her cheek. "I did… It's my fault. It's my fault."

Listening to her pained voice, Damien's shoulders drooped, and there was tightness in his chest. He could never blame his mother, so this was painful to hear.

He allowed her to pull him closer and be wrapped in her embrace. At first, he hesitated but eventually returned his mother's hug with his own. Only then did he feel better. The tightness in his chest was gone, and his heartbeat gradually went back to normal. Was it normal to feel the change this fast just because his mother was holding him? Whatever it was, it felt nice. It felt like home.

…

Sometime after dinner, Chris found the chance to talk to Amelia while she was cleaning up in the kitchen with Katherine. The kitchen and dining room were in the same room. Just like the rest of the house, this area was also pretty much empty except for some basic necessities. The kitchen needed renovation, but ever since Amelia came to stay here with the men, it had been cleaner.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked.

The two women turned their heads, and Katherine knew that he was referring to the other, so she left to give the two some privacy.

Amelia dried her hands with the dishcloth and turned to face Chris, waiting for him to speak.

"I'm sorry…"

She could only nod her head, indicating that she accepted his apology. It looked like he wanted to say more as he opened his mouth several times, but no words came out. Then he pursed his lips and nodded as he turned around.

Before he could walk away, she called and walked towards him. "Christopher."

He slowly faced her and kept his face down, ashamed of what he did. It wasn't only until Amelia spoke again that he lifted his stare at her.

"I was already a mother when I came to Shadow. But I do care about you… I hope you know that."

Chris nodded and the two hugged it out, forgetting about how silly he acted. She might not be his biological mother, but he certainly cared about her, just like how she cared about him.

…

Katherine and Damien decided to go back home to the Young Mansion. On the way home, she noticed how quiet he was as he drove, and she wondered if he was still bothered by what happened earlier at the safe house.

"You okay?" she asked.

Nodding, a small smile brightened his face, then he reached for her hand and kissed the back of it. "I'm okay."

Katherine smiled back at him and squeezed his hand. "For the record, he deserved that punch."

Damien softly chuckled, exchanging knowing smiles with her. He threaded his fingers through hers and brought his focus back to the road. They were about fifteen minutes away from the mansion, and this part of the suburbs was a bit busy with a lot of cars on the road.

He felt her hand twitch, and when he looked at her, he found her staring at something outside the window. "What is it?"

"Damien, slow down… Can you make a U-turn? I need to check something."

Without questions, he turned the car around and parked at a spot where Katherine told him to. "What are we looking for?"

"You see that building?"

He read the name that was written on the signage of the building. "Alliance... What about it?" His brows were furrowed when he faced her, wondering what she was up to.

"Remember what Felix said when he last saw the senator? He heard her say 'Alliance'."

"Didn't we think that it's the group behind Shadow?"

"But… we might be looking at it wrongly? What if it's not an association or a union of people or a group? I'm not talking about that particular building, but it could be a brand or a name of a company…" Her voice trailed off as she thought about the different possibilities.

Her gut was telling her she was in the right direction. "We have to ask Styles to check on it. I have a strange feeling about this."