The Black Swan Behind (Beauty of Fire)

135 Make Sense

Quietly, Emma was thinking about the words of the three people who said things were not good. Did it lead to the crime rate of the gangsters which had increased recently?

If Emma thought about it, she had just wandered around her home and university area all this time. Of course, Handway City was too big for her to explore alone. Moreover, Emma was not the type to memorize ways easily. Since kid, she used to drive with a driver. She always sat in the back passenger seat and did not pay attention to the road ahead. That’s why her insight of The Handway City’s roads was so minimal.

If Emma thought was true, that would mean that Marcel and his group were guarding Redvalley Street against other gangster attacks. A memory flashed in Emma’s mind again. When Emma was stalking Roger Timothy to meet a man who was a former member of Hell Gate, she ended up witnessing the man being captured by several men in black clothes.

At that moment, Marcel also appeared as if he wasn’t surprised by what had happened. Wouldn’t that mean he knew exactly what was going on? Because, the two men who were cornering the former members of Hell Gate were his own subordinates.

‘Wait a minute..’ Emma frowned.

Marcel, Marcel, Marcel Douglas. RJC. The four groups that made up many martial arts studios closed. Troy Roner. Calvin Lee. Their meeting!

Good grief! Emma almost went crazy because a flash of memories that her brain had almost discarded were now coming back to life. Memories that she thought were unimportant ware turned out to be very important information.

‘Marcel! That’s right! Why am I so stupid?! How many times has that name been mentioned by Troy and his friends?’ Emma thought.

She even recalled the time when she entered the old radio room when Calvin Lee and members of Jita Kyoei were in a meeting. They said they were going to attack a group led by Marcel, whom Emma didn’t know at the time because, the man she knew was PB, not Marcel Douglas.

.....

Marcel led a group that seemed to be called RJC. They were tasked with guarding a street from attacks by other gangsters. So, what they were talking about then was Prince Bold or Marcel Douglas. The street they were referring to was Redvalley!

“Emma.. Are you okay?” Lilian shook the hand of the girl who suddenly fell silent with a face like she had seen a ghost.

“Yes? Oh.. I’m sorry, I seem to be daydreaming,” Emma immediately came to her senses and gave an awkward laugh.

“Ah.. You must be very confused about the situation, aren’t you? I’m sorry to make you uncomfortable,” The old woman sighed.

Emma shook her head, “It’s not that.. I.. I’m just.. thinking about my family in my hometown. I’m thinking about my dad and my younger siblings.” She lied.

“Seems like you really miss them, that makes you give that serious face,” Lilian felt sorry for Emma who had to stay away from her family.

Emma couldn’t help but nod a little uncomfortable because she had lied to a woman as good as Lilian. However, she really was shocked at all the possibilities that formed in her mind.

“What’s the time now?” Lilian looked at the clock on the wall which said it was 3 pm. “Would you like to take a walk for some fresh air?”

Emma paused for a moment before nodding, “Looks like we both need to cool off.”

The two women finally decided to walk outside. The problem that heated their brains would feel better if they got cold outside air. Luckily, it didn’t snow that day.

Lilian led Emma down a quiet, empty main street. It seems that the snow was rarely cleared from the asphalt road. The street was surrounded by shops. However, the shops were closed and looked abandoned.

“Is this the street called Bluevalley?” Emma asked the old woman walking beside her.

Lilian nodded, “As I told you, this street used to be very busy and nice. A lot of people spend their money on this street to have fun overnight.”

“I’ve seen pretty much the same street,” Emma said, imagining Jen Marie Street. Come to think of it, it was her first bad memory in Handway City.

“Surely Bluevalley wasn’t the only street that provided nightlife in Handway City. But perhaps, it was the only street that sacrificed dozens of families to make it rise.” Lillian muttered.

Emma looked around as she walked. Bluevalley Street was as quiet as a dead city. Even though Marcel could sell all the buildings to someone else or open a new business here, it seemed the trauma he had experienced was too great that he hated the street so much, even after Apollo had fallen.

“It’s a very quiet street. Isn’t it dangerous for us to walk around here alone? Have you done this often?” Emma asked.

Lilian shook her head, “Looks like this is the second time I’ve visited this street again. But, you don’t need to worry. Marcel’s men are always on guard here, so no criminals ever get into the Bluevalley or Redvalley area.”

“Wow.. Looks like the organization that PB runs is quite large, huh? Does that organization have a name?” Emma asked curiously. Secretly, she wanted to find some information because she had heard Calvin and Jita Kyoei discussing about Marcel. Emma just wanted to make sure that the Marcel they were referring to was, indeed, the Marcel whose grandmother was walking with her right now.

“Apparently not. Marcel said it was just a normal security services business. Actually, Marcel did the business because he wanted to make sure Redvalley Street was always safe. It was something he and Jack have wanted since they were teenagers.” Lilian answered, then, she sighed softly, “Actually, I didn’t expect that running a simple business like this could make him buy luxury goods and have many subordinates. But, everyone could see how much change has happened on Redvalley Street. I feel proud of Marcel. But what happened earlier just made me sad.. I don’t know what is really happening.” The woman continued.

“Actually, as far as I know, it’s true that the level of street crime is on the rise. If PB decides to increase the cost for its services, that’s quite reasonable.” Emma replied.

“You think so? I didn’t know that because I rarely go out of the Redvalley area. You know, I’m too old to do that,” The green-eyed woman laughed shyly. She was aware that her age and strength were getting weaker. She didn’t want to trouble Marcel by wandering around alone outside her home territory.

“Actually.. From your story, I feel very touched and amazed by PB. I didn’t know he loved his family that much. Not only that, but he had also saved a lot of people on Redvalley Street. He is like a real hero.” Emma said with full honesty.

“I feel very proud of him too. Not only me. Jack and his parents must be very proud of him from up there.” Lillian smiled. “However.. From the look in his eyes, I can tell that he is actually feeling lonely. I feel that I haven’t accompanied him enough. I’m afraid that what if my end would come and Marcel would no longer have someone beside him. He’d feel even lonely.”

“I admit the burden PB is carrying is heavy. But I can also see that you raised him very well. He must be a very strong man. You needn’t worry.” Emma cheered her up.

“Thanks for cheering me up, Emma. It’s been a long time since I’ve had any friends to talk with this long. That’s why I should be more careful with my words about Marcel when I’m chatting with my neighbours. Actually, I’ve realized that they always thought Marcel was too extravagant. But apparently, they were too desperate this time, that they dared to speak it out.” Lillian said.

“Grandma!”

Emma and Lilian stopped their footsteps and looked back when they heard the voice. A few meters behind, a tall man in a black coat was standing in the middle of the road dominated by the white snow.

“Marcel?” Lillian muttered. She was quite surprised to see her grandson’s sudden appearance. The reason was Marcel had said that he would return late at night or even not come home at all.

“Hi..” Emma greeted awkwardly.

Marcel smiled briefly at Emma, ??”I didn’t know you came here so often?”

“Emma came over for lunch. But our shop is closed, so I invited her in for a bit and walked around here.” Lilian explained, “Then, why did you come home? Didn’t you say you would be back late at night?” she asked.

Marcel sighed tiredly, “I saw a notification on my cellphone showing twenty-five times missed calls from you. After that, you didn’t even answer your call. You made me worry.” The man shook his head.

“Gosh! I’m sorry, Marcel. I forgot that left my cell phone at home. Ah.. this senile brain..” Lilian muttered.

“I’m here now. There’s no need to mind about that anymore. Do you ladies still want to continue walking around?” Marcel asked, looking at the two women in front of him.

“Eum.. It’s actually quite cold. I was a bit thinking about your grandma’s feet.” Emma said in a low voice, even though it was also heard by Lilian.

Lilian laughed at Emma’s words, then nodded approvingly, “You are very understanding, My dear.”

Then, the three of them returned to the tavern. Lilian looked very happy that her grandson could come home early to celebrate New Year’s Eve together.

“Ah.. Marcel. Have you finished your work? I didn’t make you leave your unfinished work, did I?” Lilian asked by putting the seasoned turkey in the oven.

“I left it to Kenny,” Marcel replied.

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