Private Villa

Ridger became so busy the following days that Maxene didn't see him for almost a week. The news that three kids were kicked out of the school spread like wildfire. Maxene expected that this would happen because she knew that the Falcons would not stand by after what happened to their youngest.

It was the weekend, and Maxene and Lianey decided to go to the mall together because they have been so busy these days with schoolwork and the election. Maxene had to balance her time to make sure she did everything. Fortunately, she's good at this, so everything went smoothly, just as she wanted, allowing her more leisure time.

While they were walking inside the mall, Lianey took the chance to talk to her. "Maxene," she uttered, and she looked at her.

Maxene turned her gaze to Lianey and said, "Yeah?"

"I just want to thank you for what you've done for Mikey," Lianey stated with a soft smile.

Maxene chuckled and replied, "You've already thanked me. It's not a big deal."

"Actually, it is. Because of what happened, we realized that we had been neglecting him, and he chose to keep things to himself. My brother and I were so busy with our lives that we forgot about Michael. Meanwhile, mom and dad were busy with work," Lianey responded with a sigh. "I'm pretty sure you've heard about the kicked-out kids, right? My brother did that. I know it's cruel, and I disapprove of doing that too. However, my brother was right. Those kids will not learn their lesson if we just let them get away with what they have done."

Maxene smiled at Lianey and tapped her shoulder. "You don't have to explain anything, Lian," she said, then put her hands inside her pockets. "What Ridger did is the right thing to do. There are chances that they do this to other students too, and we are just not aware of it. And it is not cruel at all. They committed something bad, and they pay for it."

Lianey felt relieved upon hearing what Maxene said. All this time, she was worried that Maxene might think that their family was cruel for what they decided to do.

"You know what? Mikey can't stop asking about you! He even told me that he wants to give you something. I told him I could just give it to you myself, but he insisted on meeting you," Lianey said, chuckling while remembering her brother.

"He said that?"

"Yup! The thing is, our schedule doesn't match his since his classes end earlier," Lianey answered.

"But is he okay now?" Maxene queried. The last time she saw him, he was about to cry.

"He is! It almost seems like nothing happened, which worries mom more," she said, heaving a deep sigh. "It's really hard to read that boy, so I agree with mom."

"You should spend more time with him. Where is he now, by the way?"

"With mom and dad, having a little vacation together," Lianey stated.

"Then why aren't you with them? You should be spending time with them too," Maxene queried out of curiosity.

"Well, it will be a two-day vacation, and we have projects due, so I can't. My brother is too busy too, so I guess we'll just spend time together when our schedule isn't that hectic," she explained as a boutique took her attention. "Let's take a look at the clothes there first!" she blurted out, her eyes shining in excitement.

"But you said you want to go buy books?"

"I changed my mind! Let's go!"

–

Meanwhile, Michael and his parents just arrived on the island, where they would spend their entire weekend. They have a private resort and a villa located there, and a few of their loyal people take good care of their property.

This property is quite far from the city, which allows them to relax. Aside from that, there were guards around the area protecting them because Geniere Falcon just wanted to ensure that they would be safe.

When they entered the villa, they were greeted by an old woman, her husband, and their two children. They were the caretakers of the property, along with three maids and five bodyguards, excluding the ones that were assigned to surveillance on the island.

"Good morning, everyone. How have you been?" Minerva, his mom, said while smiling from ear to ear. It was obvious that she missed this place so much. "It's been so long since we've been here. Don't you just miss this villa, Geniere?" she added, looking at her husband, who seemed quiet the entire time.

Geniere looked around as if he were reminiscing and showed a sad smile. "I do," he answered, and then looked at the people and said, "You did great in preserving this villa. I'm grateful to all of you, especially to you, Aunt Karina," referring to the old woman.

The old woman named Karina took a few steps forward and uttered, "You should have told us sooner that you would arrive. We are glad you took Michael with you. He has grown up!" She was like a mother to Geniere, so they are all a family to the Falcons despite not being related biologically.

"Hello, granny," Michael said with a smile. Then he looked at her children, who are already in their middle ages.

"Where are your other two children?" Aunt Karina's husband asked.

"Oh, they were still busy in school, uncle John," Minerva answered.

"It's a good thing you brought Michael here. It's his first time in a while, right, Michael? The last time you were here, you were still a baby," Uncle John remarked and tapped Michael's shoulder.

Surprised, Michael said, "I've been here when I was a baby?"

Minerva smiled and nodded. "Yes, my dear. If I remember it right, you were just three years old then."

"I remember those days when you used to come here with your friends and their children," aunt Karina uttered while reminiscing about their old memories, which made Geniere freeze. Minerva noticed that and grabbed her husband's hands.

When uncle John noticed Geniere's reaction, he grabbed his wife by the shoulder to stop her from saying anything about the past and said, "I think you should rest now. You had a long flight."

"I think we should go rest," Minerva responded, chuckling as she squeezed Geniere's hand. She tried her best to smile at him, but inside, she was worried about her husband. It was hard enough for him to come back here after all these years.

"Yeah, let's go," Geniered replied as he pulled himself together.

On the other hand, Michael felt the strange atmosphere for a second but was too afraid to ask. He then noticed that the old couple were exchanging meaningful glances as they headed upstairs. When they noticed that he was looking at them, they beamed, waved, and mouthed, "Rest well."

Minerva turned to Michael and said, "Mike, baby, the second room beside the master bedroom was prepared for you. Your bags are there too. We'll just head to our room, okay? Rest first."

Michael nodded at his mom and replied, "Okay, mom." He watched them enter their room while his mind was still occupied. He wanted to ask questions so badly, but he knows it was not the right time yet.

End of Chapter 23

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