Operation rescue Jeremy! 2

Although he could already guess what Jeremy's answer was, or so he thought, Casey still watched in anticipation as his friend explored the file in his hands "So?", he asked as his eyes grew in excitement, 

"Uhm, let me get this straight, this is the information of every single person I mentioned yesterday..?", Jeremy asked calmly as his eyes scanned through the document,

"Yes... All of it..", Casey yawned as he confirmed,

"Now I understand where those puffy eyes came from... but Casey, what should I do with this?",

"Not you, but us...you said so yourself, they had to pay and so-"

"I was drunk...I don't remember half the things I said;"

"That is the thing, you are drunk almost every night, you hardly hang out with your friends anymore.."

Jeremy understood what his friend was talking about, and he did have a point, but those people were still his family, how could he possibly bring destruction upon them? Casey looked at Jeremy one more, "So, we are-"

Jeremy tossed the file aside, and with his final decision now at hand, he completed Casey's sentence "--are not doing anything about it.. "

Casey understood that his friend was a nice person, but was he really prepared to lose himself, and be bitterly eaten away slowly? "Why not? You said so yourself, they need to pay?", He pleaded, 

"Yes, and I still believe so, I have about 5000 ways I can make them all pay, I just don't want to go down that path..."

" But Jay..."

"No... I have seen what revenge does to people, my family is not heaven-sent. Manipulation and vengeance dwell in the core of us... I just want to be differ-"

Jeremy was cut off by a notification sound on his phone which darkened his face, but thanks to the text, his whole demeanor changed to a cold and bitter one, fueled by the content of the read text.

" Casey, on second thoughts. Let's do it! They need to be humbled...and we have to do it in 6 months", he said as he tossed his phone aside, 

As much as Casey was excited, the sudden change in resolve left him with mixed emotions, and let alone the sudden deadline, he wondered about the 6 months. However, once again, prying was not in his nature, despite his profession.

"Alright then... How do you propose we d-"

Jeremy hurriedly replied, "John King...John King is the key", those words initiated their mission.

However, Casey couldn't understand why John King was key, but whatever it was, he was prepared to go the extra mile, he had to do this for his friend.

Days after initiating the mission, Jeremy used the money from his art to buy a restaurant at a convenient location, just to lure Linda in. However, everything happened too fast in Casey's eyes, because just as he was beginning to grasp the idea of the restaurant, he got an update telling him he had gotten closer to John, all thanks to his scheming Uncle Lucas. The thing that impressed him the most was the engagement notification, that is when he knew his friend was determined to see this to the end and his first target was the Kings.

*****

Casey leaped back to the present moment where Jeremy was still talking about the details of the plan, could his friend be really doubting the Kings??, he thought as he recalled the hesitation in his voice when he mentioned them, but once again, unless his friend spoke out he refused to pry, but that didn't mean he couldn't reassure his commitment and devotion to the friendship, "Jay, as your friend, you know I got your back right? So should you need anything or someone to talk to, I am here",

Casey's words surprised Jeremy, they were in the middle of discussing important details, he cleared his throat in sudden shock,

"Casey, what's going on? Did you hear what I said...wait, were you thinking about the past again", as he recalled, his friend only got sentimental when his brain wanders to the past,

"Yes, I still don't understand how you managed that much alcohol given your close to non-existent alcohol limits...", Casey replied as he tried to take his friend on a trip down memory lane, 

"Please leave me alone, I am not doing this with you again, but for the 100th time, stop worrying about my alcohol intake. Anyway since we spoke about everything already, let's conclude this call, I need to go open the kitchen..."

"Wait...your aunt? Why don't you just give her a call?", Casey suddenly suggested

"I would smarty pants, but she doesn't talk to me. I need to know what business she has going on with the Kings. Something is not adding up", 'Why would my aunt work with these people?', Jeremy pondered again,

"Okay, will do.", Casey affirmed to him,

"Also, have you been keeping an eye out on my stepmother?", Jeremy enquired as a memory of his stepmother and John King suddenly caught his attention, 'Was he perhaps the man she was seeing?' Jeremy knew about her infidelity, in all fairness, she didn't bother to hide it, she only hid the man in question. At first, Jeremy thought it was a way for her to blow off steam because things had never been the same since the day his father suddenly announced his existence putting a strain on their house of cards but soon realized he was just an excuse for her shenanigans.

"Yes, and something interesting happened...", Casey replied getting his friend's full attention, "...Mrs. Tang had been meeting at a hotel with Mr. John King and your uncle"

"I see the three greedy geezers finally met....pity our plan had to pause..", Jeremy sneered 'I need to make sure we burn both Kings and Tangs down, especially that greedy woman I call stepmother. Is the least I can do for my mother's memory.' Jeremy thought once again

"Oh, if your aunt is involved? What then?"

"I will deal with that we get there, for now just look this up for me."

"And Linda?"

"What about her?", Jeremy's eyes widened as he asked 

"You didn't answer me, have you fallen for her?"

Jeremy paused for a while to decipher his feelings, although he was sure he didn't love her, he still couldn't help but play with the idea, 'Have I fallen for her?', he thought about all the intimate times they spent together, yes they were fueled by alcohol, but it was still something he wanted to do. But since he vowed never to do it again, in the end, he arrived at a 'no, he was not in love with him, and his desires and curiosity have been fulfilled', so he convinced himself. However, before he could voice it out, 

Casey chimed in between him and his thoughts, "Let me remind you, feelings will complicate this whole thing, before falling, make sure you understand what is at stake, and be willing to do what needs to be done when the time comes. Got it?", with that wisdom, Casey hung up the phone leaving his friend with a lot to think about.

"What feelings, why would they worry about that? I am most certainly not worried, I am sure I have not fallen for her. Yes, I find her to be extremely gorgeous with a lovely smile, but that doesn't mean I love her.", Jeremy mumbled to himself as he made his way to his bathroom. 'She is also smart, and awkwardly funny, very calculative...wait, what am I doing right now?' Jeremy thought as he caught a glimpse of his smitten reflection, 'What is this look? Am I smiling?'.