It's considered good advice when someone tells you to just move on from the past because after all it's over and nothing can be done about it and look forward to the future in which you still have the power to control. But what people miss is that future is related and affected by the past, sometimes even caused by the past.
***
Brian gazed at the figure: in big bold numbers, it read 99.99%. Brian felt a surge of complicated feelings come in changing the entire atmosphere of the floor. For a moment, he felt as if he wanted to laugh but as to why? He didn't know.
Dr. Fan had been up the whole night running tests. When the result came out, he was much shocked. He didn't expect this of Brian because the Brian that he had come to know had the strongest will power, even stronger than Richie's. He never expected Brian to impregnate a woman unwed.
Brian was always committed to the relationships that he had - a characteristic that was common among the Long family members. Brian himself too wanted a relationship like his parents had - something he had always admired. Then how could he have had a four-year-old son without his knowing about it?
Dr. Fan stared at the file that Brian had in his hands. Even though Brian was trying to remain calm, his hand was shaking uncontrollably.
Suddenly, Dr. Fan understood why Brian had asked him to do the test; he probably already had a gut feeling about it.
"You can go home," Brian ordered, his tone cold and his eyes black. "Thank you, Dr. Fan."
"It's my job to work for your family, Mr. Brian Long," Dr. Fan reminded him. Although Richie wasn't part of the Empire anymore, he was still Brian's father and therefore, part of the family.
Brian didn't respond anymore. Instead he turned around and made his way out the hospital with the file in hand. All he could think about while walking was Molly's and Mark's faces. Since Mark looked like Molly so much, it had never occurred to him that Mark could be his son instead of Spark's. He was just realizing how much he had missed. Four years! That was how long he had a son and he wasn't there for him.
Screech!
The car came to a halt. Brian loosened his tight grasp on the wheel, letting out a long sigh. He dialed a number, still breathing heavily.
"Mr. Brian Long," Tony greeted respectfully.
"Find out everything about Mark S..." He had intended to say Mark Su, but then he paused. "Everything about Mark," he continued, "since the day he was born. This is very important and you have to do this yourself. Just you."
Sensing the urgency and intensity of Brian's tone, Tony was shocked.
"Oh, and one more thing," Brian added coldly, "everyone who knew about Spark and Molly is demoted one level."
Tony's eyes widened in shock. It was hard enough to get a promotion in the XK Intelligence Agency. Punishments as harsh as this were rarely given unless someone had made a vital mistake in a life and death matter.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Love Began with the First Meeting