Justice In Shadow's Eye

Chapter IX: Recollection

- - 3rd Person's POV: - -

Hurriedly, Cleo returned back to the resort as soon as he possibly can, he's sure that by now Alex is looking for him...

Before he could arrive, he started to calm down and hope for the best that his older brother is not having a panic attack right now.

"The worst that could possibly happen is if he had started on a search party right? But that shouldn't happen... I know he's not that paranoid." He thought to himself to help him ease his mind.

When he finally returned, he saw Alex with his phone trying to contact someone.

"Alex?" He called him.

"Cleo! There you are! I've been looking all over for you! I almost called a search party to find you! Where did you even go anyway?" His brother replied with a stressed tone that can be obviously heard.

Good thing the search party didn't come true.

Cleo: "I'm sorry, I was fascinated by something and my curiousity got the best of me so I decided to check it out and during that I may have lost track of the time... But I'm okay! I promise!"

Alex: "Are you sure?"

Alex approached his younger brother as he examined every visible spot he has, fortunately Cleo was able to avoid any wounds from that demon he fought.

Alex: "Well... It seems that you're not injured, but I still need to observe you..."

Cleo: "Fine whatever! You're acting just like father now."

Alex: "There's nothing wrong with making sure that the people I care is safe."

Cleo: "Oh god you sound just like him too."

Alex looked at Cleo's hands.

Alex: "Hey wait a minute, where's the umbrella I gave you?"

Cleo's eyes widened, he had only realized about that.

"Crap! I must've dropped it back there!" He thought to himself.

Cleo: "I kind of lost it."

He admitted.

Alex: "You what? Cleo that umbrella was expensive, how did you even lost it?"

Cleo immediately made up an excuse to avoid being caught.

Cleo: "...Well I was holding on to it tight and I kind of placed it somewhere to the area I went it and I forgotten about it, but we don't need to go back for the umbrella! We can replace it soon right?"

Alex: "Well yeah but-"

Cleo: "Then let's just replace it okay! It's not that big of a deal."

Alex: "Fine, we can forget about that, I'm just glad that you're safe."

Cleo smiled and nodded as he returned back to their cottage along with his brother, from that point on he made sure to enjoy their remaining time of vacation until to its very last hour.

A few days have passed and Cleo along with Alex finally returned to the mansion, with some of their attendants waiting for their arrival.

Soon, Cleo was the first one to enter back to their home as their butlers and maid took care of their luggages.

Alex headed straight to his bedroom to take a little rest while Cleo wandered off around their luxurious abode which soon led him standing before their family's exhibition hall.

He observed and looked at all the decorations, sculptures and paintings the foyer had and began to reminiscent of the days where he was a child, a child who was easily fascinated by things that appeared extraordinary for him.

One by one Cleo gazed upon the art pieces his father has brought home as well as ancient sculptures from the auctions he used to attend to and their portraits of the whole family, each of them having their respective portraits made by a prestigious artist.

In a moment's time, Cleo looked fixedly at the huge crafted family photo made by the same artist, in the painting there was him and Alex as children sitting in a red royal settee along with their father who sat ever so elegantly.

As Cleo spends more time looking at these pictures, the more gloom formed within his heart, thinking that it was best to stop before anything else happens, he soon left the room and wandered someplace else.

Feeling distraught after those flooding memories, Cleo had then realized that his stresses were coming back again, he was so unfocused that he was surprised to see himself standing before the door to his father's office.

A part of him wanted to stop himself from entering the room but another side tempted him to do so...

"Oh what's the point, I've already been wounded, stopping myself now won't do any good" he thought.

With his decision being final, he held the handleset knob and pressed it, just as he thought, his father didn't lock it.

When he pushed the door open, he was met by the same room he used to head when he wanted his father's attention and the nostalgic atmosphere that soon spun around his mind.

On the table set aside stood some picture frames with their pictures all together much of the same in their exhibition hall but cleo didn't bother looking at them, instead he proceeded to approach the main office's table and saw a lamp, a clock, some files and-

"Wait a minute" Cleo went to the other side of the table as he noticed some odd looking folders resting above it.

He knows snooping around his father's private stuffs is wrong but this one looks strangely important.

He looked at the first folder and saw some proposals... Proposals of which are not signed.

"That's weird... Father never leaves folders like these outside, especially this one since it's clearly urgent."

Cleo began to suspect something about these papers.

Something that he does not like.

- - End - -