by Allison Goh
His mother must have wanted to go the authorities. But was his mother really ready to sacrifice him as well? Though the Alpha5 had an amicable relationship with the government, this was crossing the line, even for them. The government would have punished them. The consequences would have been severe.
His brows furrowed, Max tried desperately to make sense of things. Regardless of the situation, couldn’t they have talked things out? Why was it necessary to imprison his mother? Why? Why? Why? It must have been Orion! He must have wanted to protect Ren. Ren was the same age as him. The pieces started to fall together. Orion was greedy and ruthless. He must have wanted no loose end that could potentially trip up his plan. But, even if Orion wanted to, how could his father have agreed? How could he?
Max focused his feelings of betrayal and hurt into anger at his father and Orion. Despite all his father had said, he couldn’t, no wouldn’t, believe that his mother was at fault. Her pained eyes haunted him in his dreams, ‘Help me, help me!’ she had said. He had to help her, he had to rescue his mother!
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The next few days passed by in a whirlwind. After yet another uncomfortable shouting match with his father, this time with Orion present, Max only felt angrier. Bringing in Orion to their personal problems only made it worse. It was obvious that his father and Orion were completely in cahoots. His father and Orion had once again tried to convince him that his mother had deserved the punishment, that it was her fault and that their lies had been justified.
Max only got more and more furious. All of them were lying. Liars, selfish, evil liars. None of them cared for him, they took his mother away and they lied to him.
To Max’s further dismay, Orion and his father made the decision to transfer his mother to yet another secret location and forbid Max from contacting her again. Max was livid, how could they do this? How could they take her away from him again, after all he had done to find her! He tried to find the new location, tried to find her again. But he got caught, forcing his father to imprison him in the mansion he once thought of as home.
Pacing in his room, after a week of ‘house arrest’, Max was getting more and more desperate. At 20, he was just a boy. His father still remained in large part, in control of Molten Industries. He had no money, power or resources to even figure out where Orion had hidden his mother, much less track her down and rescue her. Also, all his attempts at resistance had been shut down, with his father imposing stricter and stricter restrictions on him each time. House arrest was just an appetizer. Who knew what else they would do to him? Who knew? Maybe they would imprison him somewhere as well! Just like his mother!
Max’s mood turned sombre, imprisoning him was indeed a possibility and that would effectively end all his plans for revenge. Things can’t continue like this. I need to become powerful, more powerful than my father or Orion. I have to be smarter than this. I need a plan.
Walking to his bathroom, Max quickly splashed his face with cold water to rouse himself. Max stared at his reflection in the mirror. Fiery brown eyes stared back. Taking a deep breath, Max adjusted his expression. He watched as his expression turned softer, gentler and his gaze became warm. With an iron resolve, Max made a silent vow as he stared at his mirror image. He was going to pretend. He was going to act like he was coming to terms with what his father and Orion had done. He was going to surrender, hang his head and pretend to be a lamb.
Then, when he had thrown off all suspicion, he was going to fake his death. He would go into the shadows and he would plot and accumulate his strength. Slowly but surely, he was going to come after them, after all those people who had hurt him and his mother.
That day, Alex Etak was born.
Chapter 13: Revelation
After his wife informed him about Alex Etak’s snooping into Level & Co., Orion had quickly sprung into action. First, he informed Billion who was just as shell-shocked as he was. They couldn’t believe that Alex Etak had stumbled upon their deepest and darkest secret. They tried to convince themselves that it was mere coincidence but as long-time businessmen, they knew better. Something was up. Alex Etak must know something about Level & Co. for him to make this move. Whether he was planning to use his knowledge as leverage or for something worse, they had to find out his true intentions and nip this in the bud once and for all. They couldn’t risk this getting out. Not now, not ever.
Orion tasked Ren and Paris to look deeper into Alex Etak. His interest into Level & Co. was too unsettling to ignore. They had to find the connection, and fast.
After several days work, Paris managed to unearth something useful. While Alex’s identification records appeared perfect at first glance, Ren and Paris had privileged access to the far more impenetrable Genetic Lottery records, records that only top-level government officials could access. Upon further investigation and comparing Alex Etak’s identification records with those in the Genetic Lottery, Paris found something definitely amiss. He wasn’t who he said he was. While Alex Etak was an upstanding citizen with bank accounts and school records that spanned decades, his birth records just didn’t match up with those in the Genetic Lottery.
As she investigated further, Paris couldn’t help but feel a little irony. Here they were, calling someone else out on the very same records they had falsified. Nevertheless, this was valuable information. As she quickly explained her findings to Ren, Ren couldn’t help but be impressed. Paris had managed to find something he hadn’t, even with the months he had spent looking into Alex Etak. Paris was truly a computer whiz, he thought, beaming with pride.
Once Orion got wind that Alex Etak wasn’t he said he was, his suspicions skyrocketed even further. He and Billion pondered over this for several hours, to no definite conclusion. Who was Alex Etak? What did he want with Level & Co.? Could he possibly know about Kate? They decided that the only way for them to uncover anything real would be at the face to face meeting Orion had scheduled. Face to face, Orion was confident about his people reading skills. He was also a renowned negotiator who could force anything out of anyone and with his intellect and years of experience handling thousands of staff, Orion could detect a lie from a mile away. He decided to let rest all the conspiracy theories that had arisen from their discussion and just trust his intuition at the meeting with Alex himself.
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The meeting room where Orion had arranged to meet with Alex Etak was painfully chilly. Orion liked to meet his business rivals that way. He liked to see them squirm. Naturally, Orion had also asked Billion to be there, to support him in this final showdown with Alex. He needed to find out exactly how much Alex knew, what he wanted, and most importantly, he was going to crush him.
Stepping into the room, Alex, or rather Max, felt his surroundings melt away as he locked eyes with Billion Molten, his father. Since he faked his death 3 years ago to embark on his revenge mission, he hadn’t seen his father since. A pang of sympathy hit him as he looked at Billion, a shell of a man he was before. He had aged so much and he looked absolutely worn-out with heavy bags under his eyes.
No! You can’t think like that. This is the man who locked away your mother and lied to you! And he is in cahoots with Orion, the man you have been working so hard to take down!
Max reprimanded himself for feeling sorry for his father. He decided to avoid looking at his father and instead focus his vision on Orion. While his father looked tired and weak, Orion’s demeanour screamed arrogance and calm. This helped to solidify Max’s resolve and determination to take Orion down.
‘I can do it, I can do it…’ Max repeated silently, prepping himself up for the final battle.
Orion hardened his resolve once he saw Alex Etak. This man was now his rival, a dangerous man who potentially knew a secret that he had to protect at all costs. Seizing Alex up with his eyes, and not even offering a handshake, Orion gestured for Alex to have a seat at the mahogany table in the centre of the meeting room.
Once everyone was seated and their laptops ready, Orion addressed Al
ex directly. “Evening Mr Etak. This is my business partner, Billion.” Orion said, gesturing to Billion who was at his side.
“We’re all busy people here so let’s not waste each other’s time.”
Orion cleared his throat as he watched Alex’s expression like a hawk, determined to see past any façade that Alex was putting up.
“I do not appreciate the shenanigans you have been pulling with those shareholder meetings. I understand that you now possess 33% of OrionWan-Nutrienas shares.” Orion couldn’t help but flinch as he said the number. It was beyond shocking how much Alex now possessed of the company.
Moving on, he said, “Wasting each other’s time with these little games is useless. I’m going to offer you a mutually beneficial arrangement and I trust you will see the merit in conceding quickly. There is no need to drag this out longer than necessary.”
Alex smiled, pleased that his distraction tactics at OrionWan-Nutrienas had gotten under Orion’s skin. He said cooly, “I’m sorry you feel that way about the shareholder meetings. Perhaps you would like to give up your seat to a better man who cares more about his shareholders? In fact, I’m happy to volunteer my services. I’m not busy at all…”
Orion replied with clenched teeth, “I’m not sure you have that kind of bargaining power anymore Mr. Etak. Your Infinity Chip is going bust and I’m sure the Mayor won’t be pleased that he has been deceived.”
Alex froze, Orion had immediately highlighted the two points that threatened his entire operation, but he continued calmly, “The news about my Infinity Chip is false, I can assure you, things will be back on track before you know it. While I’m quite happy to hold on to my shares, you make a fair point. Let’s hear the arrangement then.”
“I’d knew you would come round.” Orion said, pleased that he had managed to shake Alex up with the mention of the Infinity Chip.
“Well, I can’t offer you the management position you previously asked for but out of goodwill, I’m willing to buy you out. In return, I’ll give you shares of a number of valuable companies I own. A share-swap.”
Without waiting for a reply, Orion proceeded to send Alex a fact sheet of the details. Orion’s real plan was to bait Alex. He wanted to know if Alex’s poking around Level & Co. was strategic or it was merely one of the many companies that he was eyeing. He hoped that Alex would give his true intentions away negotiating this share-swap arrangement.
Alex was stunned as he perused the fact sheet. There were several very valuable companies on the list, though many were just start-ups. Was Orion really so desperate to gain back his shares that he was willing to let go of these potential goldmines? More importantly, was this a golden opportunity to gain control of Level & Co.? Was Orion really unaware that he had already started probing? Could it be that his plan was going to work out after all?
Acting like he was immensely disappointed with the list, Alex furrowed his brows and started shaking his head. He started to draw up a new list of companies he was interested in for the share-swap deal and surreptitiously, he added Level & Co.
When Orion saw the revised list, he was shocked at what Alex was asking. He really is a greedy bastard! Orion cursed under his breath. As much as he was desperate to regain total control of his company, what Alex was asking was simply ridiculous. Scanning the list in greater detail, Orion was shocked to see that Alex had added Level & Co. to the list of company names. Was this a fluke? Or was it deliberate? Adrenaline rushed through his body as Orion put on his best game face, ready to find out once and for all what Alex was really after.
As they negotiated, Orion found it increasingly clear that Alex’s goal was Level & Co., his terms ever-changing except for that one company. His suspicions were confirmed. This was about Kate Molten and this was no simple coincidence. But how? The only person who would want Kate out was her son, Maximillion. Did Alex know him before his death? How else would he get this information? Why else would he want the company?
As Orion shared his thoughts with Billion, Billion was unable to mask his gasp as he realized that Alex Etak was somehow connected to his deceased son. A glimmer of hope that his son wasn’t dead began forming his Billion’s heart. After all, Max’s body was never recovered, he thought to himself. It was possible! When his son disappeared after a boating expedition, Billion had told everyone it was a freak accident. Max had been on his yacht when a terrible storm had broken out. A case of wrong time wrong place.
But, Billion knew the truth. Max had left a video message embedded in his personal planner admitting the truth. Max had told him that he couldn’t handle knowing his mother was imprisoned somewhere, suffering, anymore. The thought haunted him day and night and the fact that neither Orion nor he let him visit her was torture. His son told him that he wanted to hurt him, pay him back for all the hurt he suffered. He had committed suicide.
Thinking about his son’s pained voice and hardened expression right before the camera switched off, Billion Molten was overcome with grief. How he had regretted not telling Max the truth, the entire truth. He should have trusted him! He should have let him visit her! He had thought that Max was alright, that he was coping, and that he just needed some time to come to. But before he reached out, his son had already made his move and it was too late.
As he watched the fiery exchange between the two men, Billion focused on Alex. His look of concentration as he tried to escape from Orion’s skilful cornering was remarkably intense. As the flames heated up in the chilly meeting room, a disquieting thought entered Billion’s mind. Staring at Alex’s face so closely, Billion noticed something.
Alex had the same eyes as Max. Brown with flecks of gold, just like his mother. Could it be? Could it really be? While age was difficult to decipher from outer appearance these days, thanks to a combination of their genetic pool, faultless nutrition and modern cosmetic technology, Alex Etak was at least 40, judging from his dress, style and mannerisms. His height, build and facial features were also drastically different from his son’s. But the eyes! They bore an uncanny resemblance. Could it possibly be? Was Alex Etak Max?
Though he was unsure, Billion couldn’t give up the chance to find out if Alex was truly his son. Billion cut into the conversation. He said, “Enough with this!”
Looking directly at Alex, he said, “Son? Is that you?”
Watching Alex try to mask his shock, Billion felt vindicated that he was on the right track. He continued, “If it is you, I want you to know that I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. No more lies, I will tell you the truth. And so will Orion.”
“Please, I just want to, no I need to know, if my son is alive…”
Max looked at his father, not really registering what he was saying. What? he asked himself repeatedly in disbelief. How did his father find out? Was his cover really blown?
Billion looked imploringly at Max, “Look, if this is about your mother, Orion and I need to tell you the truth. Just hear us out, we won’t ask anymore of you.”
Max felt completely overwhelmed. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How on earth did his father figure it out? Collecting himself as best as he could, he tried to force his expression back to normalcy.
In a soft but steely voice, he looked Billion straight in the eye and said, “I’m not Max.”
Billion’s heart ignited when he heard those three words. He was sure that Alex was his son. He hadn’t even mentioned Max’s name and Max was his son’s nickname! To the public, he was only known as Maximillion Molten, heir to Molten Industries. No one else knew except his close friends and family.
Billion impulsively stepped forward and hugged his son. “It’s you… It’s really you…” Billion said, his voice choked with emotion.
Max remained silent, rooted to the spot as his father hugged him. Horrified that his cover had been blown and too shocked to react, he closed his eyes, hoping it was all a bad dream.
“Your mother is alive and well. She is in a safe location.” Hearing this, Max’s shoulders visibly relaxed, t
hough his face remained blank.
Noting his son’s softened posture, Billion continued, encouraged that Alex (or rather, Max) was starting to acknowledge his true identity. “Your mother is not who you think she is. I know you think we were the ones trying to protect ourselves and sacrifice her. But, that’s not the truth.”
“The genetic selection project was Kate’s idea. She wasn’t happy that our company was slowly losing its foothold. She was jealous of the others.” Billion looked at Orion then back at Max. “She saw the Genetic Lottery as an equalizer and she was not happy. She wanted an heir, but not just one from the Genetic Lottery, she wanted her son to be a superhuman, who would take our company to further heights and surpass everyone else.”
“She came up with this idea to create you. The best genes, from head to toe, inside and out. And she wanted this only for herself. Well unfortunately, the rest found out. Orion, and the rest of our friends at Alpha5 wanted in. I was alright with sharing this information, we were all friends and we could pool our resources to make this project happen. I didn’t mind, but Kate did.”
Checking to see if his son was still listening and noting that Max was, Billion continued speaking, desperately trying to convince his son that he was on his side.
“You and Ren were born and all the other children quickly followed… You were all so perfect. We were all so proud! I thought Kate had moved past this. She seemed so happy with you and you were perfect in all the ways she wanted…”
A look of sadness passed through Billion’s face before he continued speaking, “But it wasn’t enough, it never was…” Billion’s voice started choking with emotion as he spoke, his face desolate as memories of the past overtook his mind.
Orion cut in, “Suffice to say, your mother did some unspeakable things to the other children. She wanted them gone. No competition. We had no choice but to contain her. I’m sorry Max, I know she was your mother and she did love you…”
