Kris sat in the darkness of his penthouse, the only light coming from the dim streetlights outside and the occasional flicker from the TV he hadn't bothered to turn on.

He held a half-empty bottle of whiskey in his hand, his fingers gripping the neck tightly like it was a neck he wanted to squeeze. Who's neck? He wasn't sure.

The bottle clinked against the glass table as he set it down and leaned back, eyes heavy but wide open. The doorbell rang.

He glared at the door, his jaw tightening. Whoever it was could turn right back around and leave. He

wasn't in the mood for visitors-especially not the fake-friendly neighbours who had come earlier, offering their "sympathies" when he knew they were only there to get some scoop to leak to the press.

He'd kicked them out, and then he'd turned off his phone to stop the endless flood of calls coming from acquaintances and business partners.

The doorbell rang again, more insistent this time. Kris's irritation flared. Whoever it was clearly didn't know how to take a hint.

"Go away," he muttered under his breath, though he knew they couldn't hear him.

But the ringing continued.

Gritting his teeth, he stood, dragging his feet toward the door. His head was spinning from the alcohol, and the weight of his emotions made each step feel like a struggle.

When he finally reached the door, he yanked it open with more force than necessary, ready to snap at whoever had the nerve to disturb him.

His anger ebbed slightly when he saw it was Alden standing there.

Alden raised an eyebrow. "Is that disappointment or relief I see on your face? I can't tell."

Kris didn't answer, just turned his back and walked into the living room, leaving the door open behind him.

Alden took that as an invitation and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

"You're drunk," Alden observed, his eyes sweeping over the bottle of whiskey on the table, the empty

glasses of beer scattered around, and Kris's disheveled appearance.

Kris scoffed, dropping onto the couch. "Your observation skills are sharp tonight."

Alden ignored the sarcasm, crossing his arms as he stood in the middle of the room. "I came to check on you."

"Don't worry," Kris snorted. "I'm not suicidal."

Alden's expression hardened. "Don't even joke about that, man."noveldrama

Kris shrugged, picking up the bottle and pouring another drink. "How am I doing?" he repeated mockingly.

"I feel like the guy with the worst mother in the world. How about that?"

Alden sat down on the couch across from him, watching him carefully. "I can understand how you're feeling-"

"No, you can't," Kris cut him off sharply, his words slurring slightly from the alcohol but laced with raw emotion. He downed the whiskey and slammed the glass down on the table. "Your mom is a sweet angel who wouldn't hurt a fly. My mother? She's a murderer. She killed her own grandchild, Alden. My child. And apparently, she's involved in drug and human trafficking too." His voice broke, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air. "Don't tell me you understand, because you don't. Nobody does."

Kris's voice cracked as he continued, "She killed my unborn child, Alden. And I defended her. I defended that woman! It's my fault. It's all my fault."

Alden leaned forward, his tone firm. "Don't say that, Kris. It's not your fault."

Kris shook his head. "Yes, it is. Thalassa told me she was pregnant, and I didn't believe her. I threw her out. In the middle of the damn night. If I'd just believed her... if I hadn't been so stupid... my mother's goon wouldn't have found her on the street. He wouldn't have beaten her. We wouldn't have lost our child."

His voice broke on the last word, and for the first time, Alden saw the tears shining in Kris's eyes. He wanted to say something, to tell him he wasn't to blame, but he knew it wouldn't make a difference. Kris was drowning in guilt, and no words could pull him out.

They sat in silence for a while, the only sound in the room being the ticking of the clock on the wall and the occasional clink of the whiskey bottle as Kris refilled his glass.

After what felt like an eternity, Alden spoke again. "Have you gone to see her?"

Kris's head snapped up, his expression filled with fury. "Why the hell would I do that?"

Alden met his gaze steadily. "Because you have a lot of anger inside you right now. You need to vent. To get it out. Otherwise, it's going to eat you alive."

Kris stared at him for a long moment, the muscles in his jaw tightening, but he didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. The idea of seeing his mother, of facing her after everything made his blood boil. Alden glanced at his watch and sighed. "I'd stay and drink with you, but I've got a date with Luisa." Kris forced a small, bitter smile. "Go on then. At least one of us deserves to be happy."

"What did you find?" Linda Miller asked the man standing in front of her cell.

"I didn't find anything incriminating on her, Mrs. Miller." The man responded regretfully. "Her sheets are clean." "Then you didn't dig deep enough." Linda hissed.

About a week ago, she ordered an investigator to dig into Thalassa's life in New York. She refused to believe that Thalassa had amassed all the influence using legit means. She must've gotten involved in some shady deals, but now the

no

investigator was telling him a

different thing.

"I dug deep, and she isn't involved in anything illegal." The investigator insisted.

Linda was irked. "Well, then why the hell did you even come here when you don't have any useful information for me."

"I said I didn't have any incriminating information about Thalassa Thompson, not that I don't have any information at all."

"So you do have some information? What is it?"

"I looked up Thalassa's hospital

records in New York because I wanted to see whether she has had any addiction issues that you could use against her. I was surprised to find her records tightly under wraps. Only someone with something to hide would want to keep her records Sowell hidden. So I paid my way around and used my connections to get those records, and I found something I think will interest you very much."

Linda's ears instantly perked up. "What did you find?"

"A secret she has been keeping from the world for the past three years."