Alesio Xander sat in his office chair with a tense expression. His hands tightly gripped several sheets of paper printed from the printer beside his desk. His eyes scanned each sentence, his chest aching.
He had no idea that his grandfather, Nikson Xander, would hide such a profound secret so thoroughly. Even after the deaths of his parents and his older brother, the old man remained silent, as if their loss ant nothing.
His heart tightened. If Nikson had been honest sooner, perhaps things wouldn’t have ended like this. They might have found a way out before this tragedy claid the lives of their loved ones.
Alesio clenched his fists.
"Why, Grandpa... why did you have to hide it? Why didn’t you ever tell us from the start? Maybe we could have done sothing to prevent all this!" he muttered softly, but his disappointnt was clear.
Bang!
Nikson’s door swung open. Alesio entered without warning and threw the papers in his hands to the floor.
"Explain everything now, Grandpa! Don’t hide anything anymore! I already know everything about HENDI, about Grandpa’s past, about everything!" her voice was shaky, but firm.
Nikson was shocked. His hands trembled as he picked up the scattered papers on the floor. But his gaze imdiately fixed on one large word, printed boldly on the first page: HENDI.
He closed his eyes for a mont. His breathing slowed, as if gathering courage. Then, he quickly picked up the remaining scattered papers.
"So... you finally know. I actually suspected this would happen soday," he said quietly.
Alesio stared at him intently. "Yes. And I want to hear it straight from Grandpa. Now. I don’t want to hear any more lies. I need the truth!"
Without answering, Nikson walked to a bookshelf in the corner of the room. He pulled out a thick brown book, and then there was a tallic scraping sound. The shelf slowly slid aside, revealing a dark hallway behind it.
"Co with . There’s sothing you must see," he said flatly.
They descended through a narrow hallway into a basent. The room was simple—only an old sofa, a small table in front of it, and a few large frad photographs hanging on the wall.
When Alesio’s gaze fell on one of the photographs, his eyes widened. There, a young Nikson stood, his face almost identical to that of his deceased brother, Jonathan.
If it weren’t for that, Alesio probably wouldn’t have believed it.
Nikson stood frozen in front of the photographs, his eyes misty. "Back then... this was my family. We were so happy, back then. Nothing could beat our happiness," he said softly.
Alesio stared at him silently, waiting.
"I thought that after undergoing plastic surgery and changing my identity, HENDI would never find again," Nikson continued. "But I was wrong. I was too naive. They won’t stop until all my descendants have disappeared from the face of this earth."
Nikson’s voice trembled. "When my son and daughter-in-law were murdered, I should have known they were still hunting . But I was too naive, too overconfident. I thought by hiding, they would forget about us." He looked at Alesio with sad eyes. "I thought by faking the death of my grandson—your brother, Jonathan—I could stop them. In fact, I brought the curse on all of you. I only made things worse."
Alesio was silent for a long ti, his chest heavy. He didn’t know whether to feel anger or pity.
Nikson wiped away his tears quickly. "If I had explained everything to Jonathan when I forced him to have plastic surgery, maybe things would be different. Maybe Jonathan, your parents, even Putra would still be alive. Maybe they would all be together with us now."
Tears stread down Nikson’s wrinkled cheeks. He took a deep breath and then looked at Alesio.
"Sit down, son. Grandpa will tell you everything. From beginning to end. I won’t hide anything anymore."
Alesio complied. He sat down on the sofa, trying to calm himself. He wanted to know everything.
Nikson took a deep breath and began to tell his story.
"Back then, my grandfather worked for an underground organization called HENDI. We weren’t good people. We controlled politics, finance, and even the arms trade. We were like shadows moving the world from behind the scenes. I was part of their data research division, and they called ’Elmoon’ back then."
Alesio listened without interrupting.
"I started to regret it when I learned that our research was being used to destroy innocent people. Many families were destroyed because of our actions. I wanted to leave, but they wouldn’t let . They threatened to kill my family if I dared to leave. I escaped, had plastic surgery, changed my na, and then built a new life here as Nikson Xander."
But... they never stopped looking for . No matter how much ti passed."
Nikson lowered his head. "My son, my son-in-law, my eldest grandson... all beca victims. All died because of my mistakes. Because of my dark past."
A long silence fell over the room.
Alesio finally said softly, "Grandpa just wanted to protect the family, right? Is that why you hid all this?"
Nikson nodded. "Yes. But I was foolish to think I could fight HENDI alone. I thought I was strong enough to protect you. Now it’s too late. Too much blood has been shed."
Alesio took a deep breath. Although still disappointed, he could see genuine fear and regret on the old man’s face.
"Whoever managed to get information on HENDI must be soone great," Nikson said then. "Ask him for help, son. Our family won’t be able to face them alone." They’re too powerful and dangerous."
Alesio rembered Isabella Clark, the intelligent girl he’d just t. The data she’d provided had led him to the truth. Perhaps only Isabella could help them.
"I’ll contact her, Grandpa," he said firmly. "I won’t let HENDI destroy us again. I’ll protect what’s left of our family."
Nikson nodded slowly. "Be careful, Alesio. They have eyes everywhere. Don’t let your guard down."
That afternoon, after finishing her lectures and inspecting a new project at the Imperial Residence complex, Isabella Clark headed to her café in downtown XX. There, Demon Alegra, the middle-aged man now believed to be her biological father, was waiting.
Siva, her assistant, looked up from the front seat. "We’re here, Bella. Mr. Demon has been waiting for us all this ti," he said.
Isabella snapped out of her reverie. "Oh... okay. Thank you, Siva." Sorry, I was daydreaming."
Before getting out of the car, she spoke to the Phoenix System, an intelligent system directly connected to her consciousness.
"Phoenix, you’ve read the DNA test results, right? What do you think? Are the results really accurate?" she asked quietly.
[DING!]
[The DNA test results show a 99.999 percent match. The Host is indeed the biological daughter of Demon Alegra. There is no error in this test result.]
Isabella fell silent. "But how is that possible? Wasn’t it just my identity data that changed? My body is still Arlina’s, isn’t it? I don’t understand how this could happen."
[The Host has misunderstood. Once the Host’s body fully synchronizes with the system, everything connected to your genetics and mories will adjust. Your blood remains the sa, as will your genes. So, whether you’re Arlina or Isabella Clark, you are still the biological daughter of Demon Alegra. The system has integrated everything perfectly.]
Isabella took a deep breath. "Very well. Then, I will accept this fact. But I don’t want to depend on anyone anymore, Phoenix. I live for myself. I’ve been struggling alone for too long."
[Understood. The System supports the Host’s decision no matter what. The System will always be there to help the Host.]
Isabella smiled faintly. "Thank you. I’m glad to have you."
As soon as she entered the cafe, the aroma of warm coffee greeted her. Demon was waiting in his private study, accompanied by Marco, his loyal assistant.
Isabella had the staff lead them into the inner room. The cafe was busy, and she didn’t want anyone else to overhear their private conversation.
Once they were seated, Demon looked around Isabella’s study in awe.
"Your cafe is quite busy, huh? And... the decor isn’t what Daddy imagined. It’s very... bold. Not like a typical cafe."
Isabella smiled faintly. "I don’t like rooms that are too feminine. Black, white, and brown—three colors that make feel calm. These colors soothe my mind."
Demon nodded. "You’re really like your mother. Strict on the outside, but soft on the inside. Even the way you choose your colors is the sa as hers."
Isabella smiled faintly. "I never knew her, but thank you for telling about her."
There was a mont of silence before Demon handed her the brown folder.
"These are the DNA test results. Open them; you deserve to know first. I want you to read them yourself."
Isabella’s hands trembled slightly as she opened the folder. Even though she already knew the results from the Phoenix System, it was still nerve-wracking to see the black and white evidence.
She read each line of data slowly, then closed the folder. "The results are positive. I’m Daddy’s daughter. I’m truly Daddy’s biological daughter," she said flatly, but her voice was trembling.
Demon smiled warmly. "Daddy knew from the first mont he saw you. The look in your eyes... is just like your mother’s. I recognized it imdiately."
Isabella lowered her head. A warm feeling she’d never felt before arose. However, she still wasn’t ready to return to a family life that was completely foreign to her.
"Daddy," she said carefully, "I appreciate everything, but I can’t co ho with you right now. I have responsibilities here—this café, my project with MGS Group, and the new shophouse I’m renovating. I also have MIO Entertainnt to take care of."
Demon nodded gently. "Daddy understands. I won’t force you. I just want you to know that we’re always waiting for you. Our ho... yours too. Whenever you’re ready, co ho."
Isabella smiled, this ti sincerely. "Thank you, Daddy. Maybe soday I’ll co and et our extended family. I promise."
Demon nodded, then looked deeply into her eyes. "Can you call Daddy one more ti? And... can I hug you? I’ve been waiting for this mont for so long."
Isabella was montarily stunned. She rose slowly, smiled, and opened her arms.
"Of course, Daddy. I want to hug you, too."
Demon stood up and hugged her tightly. For the first ti in her life, Isabella felt like she truly had a ho.
"Daddy’s been looking for you for 22 years, son," Demon said hoarsely. "And now you’re here... Daddy’s grateful that God still gave you life. Daddy will never let you go again."
Isabella held back tears. "I’m grateful to have found you too, Daddy. Thank you for never stopping searching."
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