Never Look Weak!

"Sir, where are we going? The Eisenhauer family mansion?" asked Richie, who was still concentrating on turning the wheel. He looked at his Master through the rearview mirror. Keenan seemed so focused on fiddling with his cell phone.

"I don't know," Keenan replied casually. "I tried to contact my niece but couldn't get through, even though her phone was back on.

Richie didn't ask any more questions. He just turned the wheel and drove aimlessly through the city of Berlin. All the while waiting for orders from his Master, of course.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Keenan seemed genuinely worried about Sharlynn—his niece, born from the womb of Keenan's only sister.

"Damn, Heinz!" Keenan cursed suddenly. "How could he dazzle that rich widow with her daughter?"

Richie didn't want to ask any questions. He only glanced at the rearview mirror from time to time. Besides, he had just received a threat from the Master.

"Richie, I know where Sharlynn is. My guess is not wrong. She must be somewhere she feels very comfortable," Keenan said suddenly.

"Where do I take the car?" asked Richie, asking for directions to the address.

Keenan mentioned a string of letters that was their destination. As an uncle, Keenan loved Sharlynn like she was his daughter. He remembered his sister's message before she breathed her last.

"Richie, listen to me!" Hearing the Master's words, Richie just glanced at the Master's face through the rearview mirror. "Sharlynn is my only niece. Please, if she asks for something that you think is unreasonable, I invite you to be kind. I'm sure she's got some serious problems. She's had a very cheerful personality since she was a child.

Richie didn't answer a single sentence. He didn't even understand what the big guy was talking about. Only when he remembered that Sharlynn had asked him to marry her he got a little worried.

***

A sob could be heard from a girl crouched before a black andesite gravestone. A yellow rose lay in the centre of the grave.

The body of the brunette girl in an ivory dress seemed to be shaking violently. Her face was downcast, looking straight at the gravestone.

"Mom, why did you leave me so soon?" she sobbed. Her breathing was ragged, but her heart hurt too much to be betrayed again.

"Daddy is bad, Mom. He has forgotten me. Julian and Odette are both idiots. Odette always took what I had, but Daddy always defended her. If you were alive, I wouldn't be going through this." The sob came back louder, heartbreaking.

Sharlynn could not even keep herself upright. Her knees were too weak to hold the weight of her emotions at that moment. Exposed to the seduction of the new woman, Heinz was too busy to forget his daughter.

The girl dropped her body onto the grave. Her posture was tilted, her head leaning on her late mother's tombstone. Her beautiful face looked even more dull because it was filled with tears and expressions of sadness.

"Mom, if Daddy and people in this world no longer love me, take me with you. I only feel good when I'm next to you," Sharlynn whimpered, unable to cry. It was as if her tears had been drained from her mother's grave.

For a few minutes, Sharlynn just rested her head on the headstone as if she were resting her head on the shoulder of her deceased mother and telling all her sorrows.

"Sharlynn!" Suddenly, the sound of the cry made the girl gasp. She raised her head and searched for the source of the sound. She saw Keenan, still dashing in his formal attire at half a century and a half, running toward his niece's whereabouts.

Sharlynn seemed to get a breath of fresh air. She only had aunts and uncles on her mother's side who loved her very much.

"Uncle Keenan," Sharlynn forced a smile.

Keenan was surprised to see Sharlynn's chaotic state. The man crouched down, framing the swollen oval face before him.

"Why is it like this? If you have any problems, talk to your aunt or uncle. We are always here for you." Keenan looked sadly at his niece.

Sharlynn's chest suddenly squeaked with pain. There was no response except for the sobs that sounded so heartbreaking.

"Hey, hey, Uncle's beautiful niece shouldn't be crying. Get up; we need to get out of here," Keenan coaxed.

Sharlynn was still sobbing and shaking her head. She did not want to get up right now.

"I don't want to go home, Uncle. They're all bad! Daddy is bad, too; he defends his stepdaughter. He always gave Odette everything she wanted; he even gave Julian to Odette! Daddy didn't punish her even though he knew she stole my fiancé." The heartbreaking voice came back after telling his uncle all his problems.

Keenan tightened his lips. Unable to accept what Sharlynn had experienced, he wanted to go to Heinz and his new wife.

"You will surely get a better husband than Julian—the one who loves you the most, of course. Now you must go home. Uncle will take you," Keenan coaxed.

Sharlynn showed her pleading face again. "No, Uncle. I don't want to go home. I hate to see the faces of the bad guys! Take me to your place or anywhere else if it's not back to the mansion!" An emotional Sharlynn.

Keenan again took in the beautiful face that looked heartbreaking before him. He shook his head and talked Sharlynn out of it.

"Listen, Uncle!" Keenan forced Sharlynn to look at him. "You will not lose and give up just because of this problem! Show them that you stay strong and don't weaken in front of them. When you leave the mansion, Odette and Rolanda will be laughing happily. Remember, everything in the mansion belongs to you. It belongs to your late mother!"

As Sharlynn listened to her uncle's long sentence, it sank in. She had to take back what was rightfully hers.

"You must stand tall at Julian and Odette's wedding. If necessary, you should also bring a husband to replace Julian!" Sharlynn stared at her uncle intently. His words seemed to mean something.

"But?" Sharlynn said quietly.

"Leave it to Uncle. I'll arrange it!" Keenan's persuasion finally got Sharlynn to follow him.

Keenan took the wheel of Sharlynn's car while Richie followed the vehicle to the Eisenhauer family mansion. Heinz, Rolanda and Odette were away when they arrived at the villa. A maid said the three were out preparing for Julian and Odette's wedding. Failed plan Keenan berates Heinz and reminds him of Sharlynn's whereabouts.

With a heavy heart, Sharlynn had to be left. Locked in the room, the girl felt more comfortable.

***

The car had just arrived at the Kaufman mansion. When he exited the vehicle, Keenan forced Richie to follow him.

"Richie, I want to talk to you. Seriously!" he ordered.

Keenan entered the mansion with an angry expression on his face. He ignored the greetings of several maids there, which made Adriana, who happened to see his arrival, even more curious. Meanwhile, Richie seemed to follow Keenan with a questioning look.