Chapter Ny-Five


    After bringing his car to a stop in front of the St Louis Cardinals hospital, Rome pushed the door open


    and raced into the building.


    When he got to the waiting room, Amara was pacing back and forth with a look of fear in her eyes and


    ster on her arm.


    The moment she saw Rome, she rushed to him and cried out, "My blood is notpatible with his. You


    have to help him out, please!!!"


    "How are Axel and I rted?!" Romeshed out, unable to contain his anger and eagerness for the


    truth.


    "He''s your first cousin, Rome! Your uncle''s first son! Mr. Ford''s oldest brother''s child! And also, my


    father''s firstborn."


    "You are lying!"


    There was a long pause because Rome didn''t understand what he was feeling, and atst, he sighed


    and mumbled, "My father told me nothing about having a sibling."


    "That''s because Mr. Ford and our father fell out a long time ago before we were born since your father


    stole what rightfully belongs to my father as the eldest son!! He ransacked the Fords'' wealth from our


    dad!" Amara said with anger glowing in her eyes.


    "That can''t be true!"


    "Well, it is. And when my father hit rock bottom, he came back home to ask your father for help. But


    your dad killed him instead to im the entire Ford''s riches for himself! Taking away our father at the


    time we needed him the most!"


    "No! No! That can not be right."


    "Your father killed our father in cold-blooded fashion because of the Ford family''s wealth! That''s why


    my brother and I want to take everything from you and Catherine because you guys don''t deserve it!"


    It grew awfully quiet between Rome and Amara and after a few more minutes of silence between them,


    the operation room door finally opened.


    The moment the doctor walked out of the room, Amara was the first one to approach him.


    “How’s my brother?” Amara impatiently asked.


    It took a moment of silence as he stared at Amara with pity in his eyes. Then he said, "We need to find


    a blood donor quickly, or else, he wouldn''t make it through the night."


    "Okay then, test him," Amara said, pointing her finger at Rome.


    Staring in shock, the doctor looked at him and asked, "Mr. Ford, do you have a rtion with Axel?"


    "We are about to find out." Rome calmly uttered, frowning slightly. "Let''s do the test. I want to know how


    how true it is that Axel is my cousin."


    "How about you ask your father! Hopefully, he will be less of a liar and be truthful this time." Amara cold


    mumbled, narrowing her eyes at Rome.


    Sighing, the doctor wanted no part of what was going on between the two of them, so he looked at


    Rome and said, "Pleasee with me, Mr. Ford."


    For a moment, Rome stared at Amara. Then he hesitated for a moment before walking away with the


    doctor.


    As the afternoon was bing evening, Rome and ze silently sat in the car while he drove.


    Staring away from the road for a moment, he gazed at his boss and said, "So, Axel…"


    "I don''t want to talk about it. Just take me to Richard." Rome said with his eyes dark and cold.


    A few minutester, ze brought the car to a stop in front of a warehouse, and Rome got out of the


    car.


    Then he walked towards the building with ze quietly following behind him, knowing that shit was


    going to get ugly pretty fast.


    When they arrived at the door, Rome pushed it open, and the force he used sent the door mming


    against the wall.


    The sound made Richard stare at him. Then fear coursed through him when he and Rome''s eyes met.


    “What are you going to do?” Richard mumbled, struggling to break free from the chains that were


    around his hand.


    Ignoring his question, Rome rubbed his nose and sniffed, then rolled up his sleeve and scowled.


    "This is for turning my wife over to those bastards and endangering her life, and our baby''s life!" Rome


    coldly uttered.


    At that moment, a wave of intense emotion coursed through him, and he felt furious.


    Staring at the ceiling, Rome''s bottom lip trembled as the tightness in his chest became suffocating.


    Then he folded his fingers into a fist and swung it at Richard''s right jaw, causing his head to rotate to


    the left.


    Watching from a few distances away, ze''s eyes continued twitching every time Romended a


    punch at Richard.


    The scream of his cries echoed in the warehouse and his hand kept going left and right with each


    movement of Rome''s fists.


    After a couple of minutes had passed, ze rushed over to Rome, grabbed his wrist before his fist


    could m into Richard''s bloody face.


    "You not a murderer, boss. Don''t be one now." ze said, staring at Richard''s swollen shut eyes.


    The mansion had never been so lively as it was that evening. Theughter of Mr. Miller and Mr. Ford


    could be heard echoing through the walls.


    "Are you sure you don''t want more to eat?" Mr. Miller asked as he smiled at Catherine.


    Staring at the feast before her, Catherine couldn''t help wondering who else was eating with them, even


    though she knew Mr. Miller made the meals for only her.


    "No, thank you, father. But I think I might spit up if I put any more food in my belly." Catherine softly


    uttered with a distracted mind.


    Frowning at Mr. Miller, Mr. Ford met his eyes and said, "Can you stop feeding her food before you


    upset her and our grandbaby!"


    "I just want to nourish her healthy food! Who knows if that rascal was treating her well!" Mr. Miller


    uttered, snapping his brows into a frown.


    Smiling softly, Catherine gazed at the both of them and said, "Axel actually didn''t hurt me. I don''t know


    why he would want to hurt Rome though."


    Those words triggered her worry, and she mumbled beneath her breath, "When is he going toe


    home? Is everything okay? Did something happen?"


    Suddenly, the sound of footsteps drew their attention to the dining room entrance, and it took a couple


    of seconds before Rome showed up in the doorway.


    Gazing at his son, Mr. Ford smiled and said, "We caught six of Axel''s men today."


    When his sightnded on his father, he loured at him and coldly uttered, "I think it''s time we have the


    talk about what actually happened the night my mother got murdered!"


    Then he walked out of the dining room, and Catherine slightly clutched onto her blouse as she watched


    Mr. Ford obediently follow after his son.


    "He looks so shattered. I have never seen that look in his eyes, ever." Mr. Miller mumbled with a touch


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    of worry in his gaze.


    "Neither have I," Catherine whispered, pouting softly.


    When Rome and Mr. Ford reached the study, Rome mmed the door shut andshed out, "So, you


    kill your own blood!!"


    "Rome, you don''t understand…" Mr. Ford mumbled, lowering his gaze from the hateful stare in his


    son''s eyes.


    "I understand a lot of crazy things that you have done! But killing your only brother! What will make you


    so insane to do something so sick!"


    "Rome…"


    "Answer me, Father!!"


    Swaying his gaze to the left, Mr. Ford''s bottom lip trembled uncontrobly as he fought back tears.


    "Answer me!!" Rome screamed, clutching his fists.


    "David pulled the trigger on your mother! He was the one who killed her!!" Mr. Ford yelled, tears


    running down his cheeks. "I have the security footage of that night to prove it!"


    "What?!" Rome mumbled, darting his eyes around the room as he took an unstable step backward.


    "My brother that I loved so dearly, betrayed me! He came to this house that night in the name of peace,


    saying he wanted to mend our broken rtionship, only to attack when I was at my weakest!"


    "No, mom!"


    "That''s why I wanted the past to stay buried, Rome!"


    "How the hell can the past still beid to rest when Uncle David is Amara and Axel''s father!!"


    The room immediately became silent as Mr. Ford''s face grew pale and a look of intense pain settled in


    his eyes.


    "I… I did-n''t kn...ow my bro-ther had… he had kids." Mr. Ford mumbled, pping his shaking hand over


    his trembling lips.


    With tears dimming his vision, Rome dropped to the ground, rested his back against the door, and


    covered his face with his palm as he sobbed.


    "What happened between uncle David and you for things to get this ugly?" Rome uttered, struggling to


    get his emotions under control.


    Looking down at his son, Mr. Ford sniffed and said, "Our family wealth goes a very long way back. But


    there was a time the Fords were on the verge of losing everything. Our father made a terrible


    investment and he dragged us into a deep mess, and we got stuck."


    When Mr. Ford paused, Rome raised his head and met his father''s watery eyes before mumbling,


    "And?"


    "And it seems like there was no hope for us. So, David betrayed our father and mother and stole a


    attack when he found out and died because of that." Mr. Ford said, struggling against his emotions.


    Then he took a napkin out of the box and blew his nose in it before continuing, "Mother couldn''t take


    the heartbreak of losing father, and she ended her suffering. So, it was just me, in this big bad world


    with debts and no power."


    Watching the brokenness in his father''s eyes, Rome drew a harsh breath, holding back the air in his


    lung for a while.


    "Luckily, your mother fell in love with me. She was my light in the darkest moment of my pathetic life.


    She stood by my side when she was a reputabledy from a worthy and wealthy home." Mr. Ford said,


    choking on the rest of his words.


    With a touch of pity in his gaze, Rome mumbled "You don''t have to fin…"


    "Let me finish, Rome. You want the truth here it is. After your mother worked hard along with me to


    make the Ford name great again, building me into the man people fear and respect. That suddenly


    unfortunate night happened."


    "Mother didn''t deserve that night."


    "No she didn''t, and I will live with that guilt till myst breath escaped my lungs because I was the one


    who refused to let my brother back into thepanies after he returned to the country when you were


    eight."


    The study grew quiet for a while. Then Mr. Ford sighed and said, "He imed that as the oldest, he had


    the right to shares in thepanies, and he wanted them! But I refused, and his next solution was to


    kill us all, and then he automatically bes the Fords'' next sessor."


    Pulling another napkin from the box, Ford wiped his face, and said, "I shouldn''t have been headstrong


    with him. What is wealth if I lose what truly matters to me?"


    After tossing the tissue into the trash, Mr. Ford met Rome''s eyes and said, "After your mother died and


    you went missing, all I felt was madness! And that rage led me to pull the trigger on my brother and


    everyone involved with that night."


    Not knowing what to say, Rome stood to his feet and silently stared at his father.


    "Just as I never told you that you had an uncle, David never told me that he had kids outside the


    country. I swear on my life, Rome!" Mr. Ford cried out. "If I knew… If only I kn-ew…"


    Without uttering a word, Rome walked to his father, hugged him, and gave him a manly pat on the


    back.


    "Who am I to judge? If I had lost Catherine and our baby, I think I would have done exactly what you


    did or more." Rome mumbled, squeezing his father tightly.


    For a while, it remained silent as the father and son hugged, allowing themselves to be vulnerable with


    each other.


    "So Axel…" Mr. Ford mumbled, patting his son''s back.


    "He''s fine. My blood matched his, and we will have the Y DNA results to find out if he''s truly rted to


    us. That will be around Two to Four weeks ording to the doctor."


    "And then afterward,"


    "I''m not sure. Too much has happened today for me to think straight."


    Staring nkly at the wall, Rome sighed and then said, "But what I do know is that I don''t want my kid


    growing up in this madness. So we gotta do what we have to do before he or she enters this world."