Olivia stared at the screen, her expression one of pure confusion.

Elsa looked at her daughter earnestly. "I know this is hard to believe, but it's the truth. It was a secret experiment done by your great-grandmother. It doesn't actually cause us any harm, but if anyone finds out, they'll be curious enough to try and kill us to learn the results. We don't want to be lab rats in someone else's experiment."

Olivia shifted uncomfortably. "But we already are," she complained, her face full of bewilderment.

Elsa shook her head. "No, Liv, we're no different from others, except for our blood color and those episodes of seizure. And even those don't happen all the time."

Olivia interrupted, "Only when I'm too emotionally overwhelmed or randomly, for no reason."

Elsa's brow furrowed. "Randomly?" she asked curiously.

"Yes, I had one today, and my hand is still shaking a bit," Olivia explained.

"But why?" Elsa asked, more to herself than to Olivia.

"You're supposed to have the answer," Olivia said. "Anyway, how long do the seizures usually last?"

Elsa sighed. "The seizure lasts a maximum of 5 minutes or you might pass out for a few hours but tremble can last for days, but they're not common. I've only had five in my whole life - once when your dad died, when my mom died, and when you left."

Olivia tried to steer the conversation away from the sensitive topic. "So was the experiment successful?" she asked.

"No one knows," Elsa replied. "I don't even know exactly what my grandmother did to herself. All I know is that the seizures are a normal thing for us. But tell me, how many times have you had them?"

"Twice," Olivia said shortly, then elaborated. "The day Dad died, and then today."

Elsa fell silent, lost in her thoughts.Then she looked back at Olivia.

Elsa's voice lowered as she stressed the importance of secrecy. "You have to keep this a secret for your life, Olivia. Unless you, me, and even your future children are in danger, no one else can know about this."

Olivia suddenly turned around, a realization dawning on her. Yes, Kalvin was there, looking at her.He looked away as their eyes met but surely he heard something.Why the heck communication systerm placed in the bridge?

"I think someone already overheard us," Olivia said, turning back to the screen with fear in her eyes.

"Who?" Elsa asked loudly, her confusion evident. Then, a guess crossed her mind. "Kalvin?" she asked, her voice strained.

Olivia nodded, confirming Elsa's suspicion.

"We can't let Bell know!" Elsa shouted, her concern palpable.

Olivia tried to remain calm. "Don't worry, we won't be back for a few days. Let's see what we can do after that," she said cautiously, glancing over at Kalvin, who was staring at her with a look of wonder.

"Okay, I'll do anything to protect you. Try to keep him quiet as long as you're on the ship. We'll see what to do after he's back here," Elsa said, her mind racing with possible solutions.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Olivia let out a breath, closing her eyes for a moment before reopening them. She had to refocus on the original topic she had wanted to discuss with her mother, but the sudden revelation and Kalvin's presence had made the situation even more complicated. It wasn't a good idea to do two heavy conversations one after the other but they had only a few hours left.

Olivia let out a breath. "Mom," she said, her voice serious.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Elsa replied gently, sensing the seriousness in Olivia's tone.

"What I really wanted to talk about was Turner's death," Olivia said directly as if she was bracing herself, afraid of uncovering another dark family secret.

"Oh, I see," Elsa said, surprised as she realized she had misunderstood Olivia's request. All that explanation about the genetic disorder had been unnecessary. Olivia had a right to know the truth anyway.

Elsa took a deep breath, gathering her courage. This was the conversation that was hardest for her to have.

Olivia's voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry I freaked out last time...I was just...terrified, you know? But you're free to tell me everything."

Elsa nodded in understanding. "I know how hard it must be to find out your mom isn't what you thought she was," she said, her own voice tinged with emotion.

"But I want you to know, I never wanted to abandon you. I truly loved your father. After his death, I just felt so empty at home. Work was my way to escape reality," Elsa explained, tears forming in her eyes. Her voice trembled with the weight of her words.

Olivia could feel her own tears welling up. "I know it wasn't fair, but I understand," she said, her voice nearly breaking.

"I'm so sorry," Elsa whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. Olivia nodded, tears flowing down her face as well.

"When I realized I was pushing you away, I tried to get back to you, but you were already 16 and four years had passed since your dad died. You were so angry with me, and rightfully so," Elsa said, her voice cracking. "Since then, I've been trying to be the good mom I've always wanted to be, but I feel like I keep failing. You left the medical sector the last time I tried to talk to you about Dad"

Olivia, also crying, nodded. "I'm sorry I pushed you away. I was too angry. I should have given you a second chance. I love you, Mom," she whispered through trembling lips.

"I love you too," Elsa whispered, wiping away her tears.

Elsa took a deep breath before continuing. "In Turner's case, I was the one who said the pen drive needed to be kept, as it held the last memories of Penny's husband. I knew she wanted that. But that caused more problems. Diane found out about her father's pen drive a few months late and tried to start a riot. You know she was shot by Penny. She grieved over it for years."

"We thought the problem ended there, but no. Dianne has made a copy of the video and sent it to Turner in case she dies like her father."Elsa paused a moment to catch her breath.

Elsa continued, her voice heavy with guilt and sorrow. "We found it out a few weeks after Dian's death, credits go to the Bell. Also, he could find out where Turner was hiding. Jupiter was threatening to take revenge on my family if anything was exposed."

Elsa paused, her expression pained. "I was so scared. I know I shouldn't have been, as Jupiter has no real authority to do so, but he's notorious for killing people in secret. So when Bell told us about the mission, I joined him, thinking it was the only way to protect you."

Olivia's eyes widened in horror as Elsa's words sank in. "You...you killed Turner yourself?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

Elsa nodded fresh tears in her eyes. "I was too afraid of losing you, so I even tried to kill the kids. But Bell stopped me. If it wasn't for him, I would have..." She let out a shaky breath.

"Bell suggested we put the kids in prison for life instead. But they escaped anyway. We tried to find them, but couldn't. Eventually, we convinced ourselves that they were just kids and wouldn't be able to do anything," Elsa explained, her voice barely above a whisper.

Olivia turned her head slightly to look at Kalvin while Elsa was wiping her eyes. This revelation must have been even more terrifying for him than it was for her. Didn't he know it was Bell who led the mission to capture them? Didn't he see Bell's face back then? Was he stupid enough to think the Chancellor of the Medical Sector would lead such an operation while Bell was there?

"So that's it, Olivia. I'm so sorry you had to hear this about your mother. I know there were better things I could have done, but I was just so scared."Elsa said looking at Olivia.

Olivia took a deep breath. "I understand, Mom. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was blinded by anger before."

Elsa allowed a small smile to form. "So we're good now?"

Olivia returned the smile, her expression emotional. "We're better."

Olivia finally had the genuine mother-daughter talk she had wanted for years. Kalvin, who had been present for the entire exchange, no longer heard a word they said. He was lost in his own thoughts, the weight of what he had overheard weighing heavily on his mind. Could it really be Bell?