t is written that not all that glitters is gold.
Finally, I arrived at the warehouse, just as the anonymous caller had instructed. I had my own plan because I now knew who I was meeting and what he was capable of.
The warehouse was dark and unpleasant, with a strong, unsettling smell. Blood had stained parts of the floor, reminding me of what I had encountered in Japan. I began to wonder whether the two incidents were connected or whether it was merely a coincidence.
As I stood there, a voice came from behind me.
"Finally, we meet."
I turned around. The man was wearing a mask.
"Where are my people?" I demanded.
He laughed.
"Your people are safe and sound. You only need to do me a small favour."
I watched his movements carefully. Then, when the opportunity came, I moved quickly and pulled off his mask.
To my surprise, it was my own blood brother, Mike.
I was overwhelmed with happiness. I had missed him for many years. He had always been my brother, but something in his eyes had changed. He looked like a lion trapped inside a cage, filled with anger and desperation.
"Hey, bro," he said. "Long time no see. Did you forget about me? I came unnoticed. I'm sorry."
He laughed in a way that sent a chill through me.
"Your wife, children, and maid are here."
His men opened a curtain, revealing my family and Maria. They were crying for help. Mike raised a gun toward my wife and fired, but the shot struck above her. He laughed again.
"Oops. I'm getting worse every day with these shootings."
Then he pulled out eight documents. Each one represented one of my companies.
"Let us sign these," he said. "Transfer your businesses to me, and I will let them go."
In other words, he wanted to take everything I had. He claimed that I had taken it from him years ago.
My wife began to cry.
"My husband, don't sign them!"
Mike turned toward her and laughed.
"Shut up, bitch. Should I tell your husband who you really are, or will you tell him yourself before you die?"
I stared at her, confused by his words.
"What does he mean?" I asked.
Tears streamed down her face as she began to explain.
"My husband, I am sorry," she said. "When we met, it was not a coincidence. The thugs who attacked me had been arranged by Mike. They were not truly harassing me. I was one of his personal assistants.
"I was trained as an assassin, and my mission was to kill you. But, unexpectedly, I fell in love with you. Instead of harming you, I protected you with all my heart.
"Even when Maria came into our home, I knew Mike had other plans. She was trained by him from her teenage years to become a killer. Her arrival as our maid was not a coincidence either."
Maria interrupted her.
"Boss, I am sorry for lying. My real mission was to kill you. But after I began living with you, I realized that you were different from the people I had known. You were caring, loving, and always willing to help others.
"I am actually a Muslim. I disguised myself as a Christian because I thought it would make you trust me and feel sympathy for me."
Then she turned toward my wife.
"And there is something else you should know. Your wife was pregnant with twins. I discovered it before she could tell you. I secretly gave her medication that caused her to lose the pregnancy."
I felt as though the ground had disappeared beneath my feet.
Maria continued, her voice trembling. "I was under pressure, and I regret what I did. I am sorry."
Before she could say anything more, Mike shot her in the leg.
"Bitch, shut up! Let us get back to business."
He turned toward me.
"Sign the documents, and I will let them go."
I looked at the papers, then at my brother.
"Mike, I have always kept a secret from you. Today, I want to reveal it."
"I do not want to hear it," he snapped. "Do not try to trick me. I am not easily convinced."
"When Dad collapsed and you ran away, he did not die at that moment," I told him. "His final words were recorded on a video. I have the USB drive. You can watch it yourself."
Mike narrowed his eyes.
"I do not trust you."
He tied my hands to a metal pole, then played the video on a laptop connected to a projector.
My father appeared on the screen.
"Hello, everyone. I know I am dying soon, but I want to say something.
"I know I was harsh toward my son Mike. I wanted him to learn that there is nothing in life like a free lunch. But I was wrong.
"The will was rewritten. My two sons, William and Mike, were to receive equal shares in all our businesses. If Mike never returned, his shares were to be managed and grown by William, but they would eventually belong to Mike.
"These are my final words. I love you both so much, my two sons."
The video ended.
Mike stood motionless. Tears began to fall from his eyes. For years, he had prepared himself for revenge. He had even become one of the most feared assassins because of a misunderstanding.
Our father had loved him all along.
I turned toward him and spoke quietly.
"You were always my brother, Mike. Everything that belonged to you was reserved for you. You never lost it."
For a moment, the warehouse fell silent. Mike looked at the documents, then lowered his head in regret.
Suddenly, the sound of a helicopter echoed outside.