Jessica was speechless, unable to think of a reply that would convince Leonard at that moment. Even as his wife, she was deeply afraid of him. Leonard wasn't just a crime boss — he was a killer.
"Umm… umm…" Jessica chewed on the words as she tried to speak.
"Why are you stuttering? Speak up, don't get me angry, you bitch!" Leonard snapped angrily over the phone.
Jessica trembled as she finally forced the words out of her mouth. "Your daughter… She failed this time. Instead of her injecting the poison into the victim, the victim injected it into her."
Leonard let out a low, menacing chuckle, then he replied. "Nice. From the start, I knew I couldn't trust that stupid daughter of ours with anything. Looks like I'll have to handle things myself, scrabbling you off everything."
"Please… now that she's the victim, I beg you Leonard, please give us the antidote. I don't want to lose my only child," Jessica pleaded over the phone.
"Even if she died right now, I wouldn't give a damn or show any sympathy about it. Now get the hell off this phone before I divorce your silly ass," Leonard warned.
"She's your daughter, for heaven's sake! She had tried to please you in every ways, She helped you secure the last of the Sinclair properties and ownership. Why won't you save her life now that she needs you the most, why won't you act like a father even for once?" Jessica cried, her voice rising over the phone.
"Yes, she helped me — but she's still a failure for letting Nathan live. He's the only evidence that could ruin every single thing we have risked and ever worked for throughout all the years that had passed by, and you know I wouldn't take that risk, neither the mistake."
"What is the difference if you make her die now, there's nothing that would add up to what had happened, choose your family for once," Jessica replied.
"Please, I beg you… forgive her. Let her try again. I promise you, she won't fail this time," Jessica begged again, her voice softening, desperation dripping from every word.
By now, Laura's breathing was already starting to seize, and her body had already begun to get cold.
Leonard exhaled sharply, after a while of pleadings from Jessica. "Fine. I'll send a doctor to the family mansion right away to administer the medication to her, by the way, where are you currently at right now," Leonard asked.
"We are on our way home," Jessica replied.
"Okay do well to get there on time," Leonard replied, and with that, he hung up the phone. Jessica exhaled in relief, and they both rushed home.
Nathan wandered the streets, wearing nothing but the hospital's white gown. At this point, fragments of his memories started returning more into his head, a sudden headache kept hitting him hard, let alone panic and confusion struck him uncontrollably. He had no money, nowhere to go, and no place to sleep.
It was now midnight, and Nathan was still aimlessly roaming the streets. After hours of searching for shelter, he stumbled upon a mechanic shop. The place seemed deserted with lots of cars which ain't working, and those who were already decaying.
"Where the hell am I supposed to sleep tonight, this place seems like a yard for trash?" Nathan muttered with a sigh, gripping the gown on his body, as he curled into himself.
As Nathan's eyes darted around, it suddenly caught a wrecked car at the edge of the shop yard — battered and rusty, but its roof was still intact.
"I guess that's my only option," Nathan thought to himself, then walked over, opened the door, and climbed inside.
The cold outside was merciless, and rain poured heavily. Nathan lay back on the car's torn cushion seat, staring blankly at the rusty ceiling of the car ruff top.
"What is happening to me?" Nathan wondered.
"I was shot… I felt death creeping over me… and now, I'm alive? How?"
Nathan ran his hands over the bandage wrapped around his head. Slowly, he pulled it off. He felt around the spot where the bullet had hit — but there was nothing. No wound. No scar.
"I don't understand…" Nathan muttered in amazement.
He lifted his hospital gown and peeled off the bandage from his chest, where he had also been shot. And just as he had suspected, there were no injuries in there as well.
"What the hell is going on?" Nathan gasped. He was struck by disbelief. None of this made sense.
A lightning bolt split the sky, followed by a deafening crack. Rain hammered the car roof, but instead of shivering, Nathan felt… warm. Strangely warm — as if his body was generating its own heat to protect him from the cold.
Minutes later, lost in his thoughts, Nathan drifted into an uneasy sleep.
The next morning, while Nathan slept, the car door creaked open. A faint sound called out his name, and just in an instant, Nathan jolted awake, and to his surprise, his eyes were staring right into a man, standing at the door, the man looked a little bit old in his fifties.
"Who are you? Don't come any closer to me!" Nathan warned, shrinking back into the corner of the van, then reached out to an iron and picked it up.
The man smiled. Nathan stared, confused. "Was this the owner of the mechanic shop?" The thought ran through Nathan's mind.
"Please… I was just trying to get some sleep. If I trespassed, I'm sorry. I didn't mean any harm," Nathan said quickly, his hands still gripping the Iron. His assumption was that he'd violated someone's property.
"It's good to see you alive, young lord Nathan," the man suddenly spoke calmly, cutting the tension. "I've waited a long time for this moment — for you to awaken."
Nathan frowned, his confusion deepening. Why was this man calling him "lord"? Surely, he was mistaking him for someone else.
"What are you talking about? I shouldn't have come here. Thank you for letting me stay… I'll leave now," Nathan stammered. He scrambled out of the van.
But just as he stepped out, the man spoke again. "I know your father and mother. I served them for many years. I know who you are — son of Thomas Storm, the true heir to the Sinclair inheritance."
Nathan froze.
"What… did you say?" he asked, turning slowly to face the man.
"You should come with me. Right now, your life is in danger. Leonard will come looking for you."
Nathan shook his head, a dry chuckle escaping his lips. Disbelief sent a chill through him. "So… you're telling me… you know my father and mother?"