Pieces Part 1

Problem Magnet

Mario says at the restaurant,

Amber's fiery outburst hung heavily, her emotions unleashed like a cyclone. Her voice was a thunderous declaration that reverberated as she confronted Louis, her father.

"I already know. You know just as much about him as you know of me," she cried out passionately, her eyes locked onto Louis, who stood there, his expression a mixture of sternness and concern. "All you do is read reports and make assumptions. We are humans. There's more to us than what you hear playing the game of telephones. Even if they aren't there every day, I notice!"

Mario, who had been trying to mediate the situation, attempted to interject, "Amber, why must you do this, all for that boy—"

But Amber pressed on, her voice unwavering, "Sorry, Mario, but I... I can't help it. I know better, but he is not who they are trying to make him out to be. He may not be ready for me yet... But I don't care. I know he is innocent; I would travel to the ends of this hell, from this earth to the moon and back for Maurice Bian."

As Amber's words echoed through the room, Albert, an observer until now, couldn't help but comment with a wry tone, "Oh, here we go."

Louis, however, had heard enough. He rose from his seat with a palpable sense of resolve. "Mario, I left her in your hands, hoping she would see the scholar in you to lead by example. But as it seems, you have taken a bite of the forbidden fruit too," he remarked with a hint of irony, a reference to Adam and Eve, a subtle foreshadowing that they were both now fallible. "Co-habiting with Eve. I can't allow this plague to continue, Daughter. You will be departing this city and going to school abroad."

Amber's world seemed to shatter at that moment, her eyes wide with disbelief. "What? You can't!" she protested desperately.

Louis remained steadfast, his voice unwavering. "You are 17; I can, and I will. Albert, please take her to her room NOW!"

The loyal confidant Albert stepped forward to escort Amber away from the confrontation. "Well, madam, you have done it this time," he remarked with exasperation and resignation.

Amber continued to walk, her heart heavy with the weight of the decisions that had been made, uncertain of the future and how her unwavering belief in Maurice would shape her path.

I said in the East Estates, "Wait, she is still alive?"

Mario blows smoke and says, "Yep, and you will help me get her back."

"Wait, you... wait a minute. So, you let your father send her off, and in less than 24 hours, plan to get her back? Why didn't you say something at the restaurant?"

Mario hesitates, "Well... to be honest... My dad scares me."

My facial expression contorted into surprise and discomfort as I listened to Mario's confession. The words he had just uttered had unveiled a vulnerability I had never expected from him, and the weight of his family's expectations hung heavily in the room.

Mario began to explain, his voice tinged with regret and self-reflection. "I've always been the star of the family," he admitted his words carrying the burden of his past perfection. "It's my duty never to bring shame. And until now, I've been great at it."

He paused, his gaze cast downward as water welled up in his eyes, a reflection of the pain he was wrestling with. "But now," he continued, "Father has found me unpleasant, and though I want to blame Amber for revealing my secret..."

My heart ached for him as I watched him struggle to find the right words. Mario's voice quivered as he admitted, "I've never been so free."

He went on, his voice carrying the weight of his confession. "Until now, I put the burden of confronting my dad on her because I was too scared to stand up for myself. Now she has lost that same freedom she gave me."