Zack arrived at the mansion, parking his sleek car in front of the grand house. As he stepped out, he immediately noticed the servants. A maid, darting by, practically tripped over herself, offering a nervous, almost panicked bow. He overheard two other maids, their whispers sharp and low, near the service entrance.
"Can you believe Uriel? Still nagging about him," one maid hissed.
"Honestly, he's such a menace," the other replied. "No one, not even his father, would ever believe a bully like him could save anyone, let alone a girl!"
Zack's head snapped towards them, his eyes narrowing. His expression spoke volumes – a silent, potent warning. The maids instantly clamped their mouths shut, shrinking back. They knew better than to offend Zack, of all Uriel's friends.
He was about to step into the living room when its unusual, hostile atmosphere hit him. It wasn't the house he used to visit as a kid; something had profoundly changed. Gabriel, the head butler, a man usually impeccably composed, approached him, his brow furrowed with an unfamiliar anxiety.
"Mr. Zack, a pleasure to see you, though Uriel is not around at the moment," Gabriel stated, his voice a little too smooth.
Zack's puzzle deepened. "Not around? That's odd. Uriel never leaves the house without getting changed first. Where is he, Gabriel? I demand to see him."
Mariah the head maid and Magnus, who had seemingly materialized beside Gabriel the butler, moved to block his path. "Mr. Uriel is... indisposed, sir. He wishes no visitors."
"Uriel! Answer me!" Zack called out, his voice echoing through the silent hall. No answer came. Zack's patience snapped. "Indisposed? Don't insult my intelligence. Get out of my way, both of you."
He didn't wait for a response. With a swift, practiced motion, Zack flipped Gabriel over his shoulder, then used the momentum to send Magnus sprawling with a powerful shove. Their futile effort to block him was decapitated in moments.
Mariah stood frozen wore down by intense fear. She hurried over to help Gabriel up. Magnus tried to reached for his small communicator but Zack's intense gaze stopped him in his track. "Call one more bodyguard here and all of you would be nothing but toast. He warned ferociously and Magnus puts away his communicator.
Zack entered the living room, his eyes scanning the opulent space before he started ascending the grand staircase.
"Zack! Stop right there!" Mr. Jefferson's booming voice cut through the air. He stood at the base of the stairs, a forced smile on his face, though his eyes held a flicker of desperation. "Uriel is upstairs, sleeping. He wants no disturbance."
Zack paused, one foot on the next step. A humorless laugh escaped him. "Sleeping? By 5:00 PM in the afternoon? Mr. Jefferson, you really don't know your own son, do you? Uriel has insomnia. A complicated one. It lasts until 3:00 AM. That's why he's always out partying, trying to exhaust himself."
Mr. Jefferson's forced smile faltered, replaced by a stunned expression. He opened his mouth, clearly trying to fabricate another lie.
"Don't even think about it," Zack cut him off, his voice dangerously low. "Tell one more lie, Mr. Jefferson, and I will shoot you. Now, where is Uriel?"
Mr. Jefferson chuckled, a dry, brittle sound. "How dare you threaten me in my own home, young man?"
"I could do more than threaten, Mr. Jefferson," Zack replied, his gaze unwavering. "And it will become a reality if you don't tell me where Uriel is at. Now."
Faced with no other options, Mr. Jefferson's bravado crumbled. "He... he came home bloodied. And then... he left."
"Bloodied?" Zack scoffed. "Don't bother with that one either. I overheard your unfilial servants, Mr. Jefferson. You had a fight with your son. You said harsh words to him, didn't you? Made him leave the house."
Mr. Jefferson was too stunned to speak, but he quickly regained his composure, a cold mask settling over his features. "I was only teaching my son a lesson."
"A lesson?" Zack's voice rose with indignation. "Your son, Uriel, just saved a female teammate by the name of Megara Smith from that perverted Shinhwa High football player! Those 'injuries' he sustained were proof of his courage, not some petty brawl! He was a hero, Mr. Jefferson, and you treated him like trash!"
Mr. Jefferson wished he could take back every harmful word he had uttered to Uriel, but the damage was done. He knew Uriel – hot-headed, temperamental, and a chronic grudge-bearer.
"Find Uriel, Mr. Jefferson," Zack commanded, his voice now a warning. "Or else, things might become very messy for everyone involved."
As he turned to leave, Zack pulled out his phone. "Sadiq," he said into the receiver, his voice calm but firm, "pin coordinates on Uriel's location and send it to me immediately. No delays."
He walked towards the front door, ready to re-enter his car, when Catherine appeared, her eyes wide with concern.
"Zack! Please, wait!" she cried, rushing forward. "Let me come with you! I have to see Uriel!"
Zack hesitated, weighing his options. He knew how tight Catherine and Uriel were; her presence might actually convince Uriel to come back. "Fine," he agreed, his voice clipped. "Get in."
As they drove off, the mansion's massive front door swung open, revealing Magnus, Gabriel, and Mr. Jefferson attempting to block his path. But Zack merely pressed harder on the accelerator, the car zooming past them, exiting the estate in a blur.
"Shut the gate!" Magnus roared into a small communicator, his voice tight with desperation. "Shut the gate before Zack approaches!"
Zack zoomed past the tree galleries in the estate, Catherine's heart leaping into her throat. She feared they might have an accident, but Zack glanced at her worried face. "Don't worry," he said, a confident smirk playing on his lips. "I'm better at car racing than any of my friends or other F1 car racers combined."
She reluctantly agreed. Ahead, guards stood in front of the gate, attempting to block Zack's car. They didn't know they were in for a surprise. "Buckle up, Cath," he told her, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "You might be needing it."
Before she could reply, Zack swerved the car, throwing concrete and gravel at the guards and dismantling their formation. Once their defenses were weak, he stormed through, leaving the guards running helter-skelter, unsure of what to do next, as the automatic gate slowly began to close behind them.
AT THE SANTIAGO MANSION
Megara glanced at her watch; it was already 6:30 PM, and Nathan still hadn't come out of his room. She slouched down, sitting on his doormat, her head between her legs. She looked up to see her father and Mrs. Santiago had already left for the rose garden behind the house, leaving her and an uncomplying Nathan to deal with.
Megara stood up and let out a sigh before knocking on his door once more. "Nathan?" she called softly. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry for ignoring you all those days, and for quitting our friendship over a silly fight."
Silence.
She tried again, her voice thick with regret. "I'm also really sorry for letting Hugo say those mean words to you that day. That was really bad of me as a friend. But I promise you, if you walk out this door and speak to me, I'll finally make things right."
The doorknob turned, and Megara stepped back, bracing herself for the unexpected. Nathan emerged from his room and, to her surprise, pulled her into a tight hug. He breathed in her scent, shedding tears of happiness.
"I missed you," he mumbled into her hair, his voice choked with emotion. "Every night and day. I missed our movie nights and our game nights."
Megara hugged him back just as tightly. "I missed them too, Nathan, all of it. And I'm really sorry. I let my jealousy get in the way of our friendship."
He pulled back, his face red, a small smile forming. "Don't say it. We should both make up for lost time by getting together every single day."
"I will," she affirmed, a wave of relief washing over her. "And... I'm going to accept Brenda into the circle if that would make you happy."
His eyes lit up. "Yes! That would make me really happy, Megara."
They both agreed, a comfortable understanding passing between them. Megara knew one thing was for sure: Nathan had never seen her as a date but rather as a true sister, and she was glad to remain that way. As far as she was concerned, she had her best friend back, and she'd missed him dearly.
The two walked back into the room, shutting the door as they both began chattering about all that had transpired within the three weeks they were apart.
The loud knock on the door startled both Megara and Nathan, their heads whipping towards the sound. They exchanged a quick glance, a silent debate about who would answer. With no other choice, Megara rose and opened the door to find her dad and Nathan's mom standing there, their faces etched with worry.
Megara looked up at them, shaking her head in dismay. "Nathan refused to talk to me," she explained, "but he did let me in so he wouldn't be responsible for me falling asleep on his doormat."
Nathan's mom looked sad, and Megara's dad let out a sigh of disappointment. "Don't worry," her dad said, "he'll come around. But first, we should give him some time to adjust to her presence and think about it."
A small smile played on Megara's lips. Just then, Nathan emerged from the room and burst into uncontrollable laughter. Megara joined in, their parents looking on in shock and growing concern. "We got you!" Megara exclaimed, pointing at them, still giggling. Nathan nodded, adding, "We successfully fooled you both! We're back to being friends and we'll remain inseparable."
Mr. Smith and Mrs. Santiago were thrilled that their kids were back to being best friends and the issue was resolved. Mrs. Santiago beamed at Megara. "You can come visit anytime, Megara! There are no restrictions on you at all." Megara happily agreed.
After the pleasantries, Megara and her father were driven home by a bodyguard in the Santiago family car. Mrs. Santiago was ecstatic that her son was finally back to himself. "What do you want to eat, sweetheart?" she asked.
"My favorite salmon fish and chips," Nathan replied, his eyes sparkling. Then, with a mischievous grin, he added, "And I'm planning on enrolling at Royal Von High School where Megara attends so I can be with her."
Mrs. Santiago was mesmerized by his request. It was quite outrageous, and the tuition fees were highly expensive. However, she knew a Mr. Jefferson, the owner of the school, on a business level and thought she could pull some strings to get him enrolled. "I know Mr. Jefferson, so I might be able to get you in," she said, "but you have to promise me you won't cause any trouble and will continue to remain a good boy."
Nathan promised. "Why do you want to pull some strings when you could just contact your family members, 'The Stefans'?" he asked, "Aren't they known as Spain's richest family?"
Mrs. Santiago's face clouded slightly. "I promised myself I'd never get involved with my family members," she replied, "as they weren't supportive of my marriage."
Nathan's curiosity was piqued, but his mother quickly shut down further questions. Unbeknownst to him, the Stefans were a large Mafia family who hid their true business under the fashion leather handbag industry. His mother was a fraternal twin to Zack's mother, Lyla, and she had run away from home at the age of seventeen to be with his father, Allen Santiago.