Hidden

Chapter 25

Isn’t it weird, Becky thinks bitterly, how the odds keep on stacking against her?

She never asked to be a Armstrong. She isn’t even a real one in the first place.

"So you just ran away?" Freen's question brought her out of her thoughts.

"Yes, I did. I couldn't stay there and be a part of all of that."

"You seem like you regret running away."

Becky blinked, suddenly feeling extremely exposed.

"I do. I left my family. Even if I was adopted, they loved me like their own."

"Then why did you? You could've just stayed and said no." Freen asked, confused.

Becky averted her gaze, looking anywhere but at Freen, "That wasn't an option. Mr. Armstrong and his family who came to visit us on every holiday, my dad's best friend who later adopted me wasn't the man who I pictured him to be. He was a ruthless person who did illegal businesses, all covered up by his influence and power. According to him, apparently seeing my parents die infront of me made me tough. Tough enough to be like him. To do things he did. You saw what happened to Saint. There are many Saints. I could never be like him, I could never intentionally hurt anyone. So I ran." Becky sighs feeling her bottom lip tremble against her will. She just wanted to be free.

Freen reached out taking becky's hand into her's as if to offer comfort, Becky squeezed her hands in response before smiling at her.

"Why do you think he's behind what happened to Saint?"

"Because the man Saint constantly met up with in Phuket, I know him. He's my adoptive brother, Richard...Richard Armstrong."

Freen's eyes widened in surprise, a thousand questions crossing her mind, "If he had a son, why force you to do the business. Why not him?" Freen frowns puzzled.

Becky considered her question, her eyes still a little blurry, "Because Richie was different. Different from the rest of us. We all have two different sides. Like a coin, there cannot be one side without the other. The one who judges and the one with no prejudices. One is the domesticated person, who thinks about what people will say and what's right or wrong. The other lives on instinct.

Untamable.

Only coming out when we turn off our brains. Like with sex or when we're furious. The problem with that side of us is often we don't even know it ourselves.
When do we lose control of the reigns
that we all have inside?

That is Richie. He doesn’t have that control at times. He is bipolar."

Freen's eyes narrowed,  "How can he be two such different people?"

Becky shrugged, "I think everybody can be two people."

"Like Saint? Leading two lives?"

Becky frowns, "No, two people at the same time. In the same moment. But to me, he was always one thing, my brother. The same person who held me every night when I cried myself to sleep. The person who told me stories so I wouldn't think about my mum killing my dad and later killing herself right infront of me. The same person who always protected me from bullies. But our father didn't see him that way. He saw someone who would go off at any minute. So he never wanted Richie to be his successor."

"So when you left..." Freen began.

"He lost the one person who understood him." Becky said before Freen could finish.

"Do you think he got to Saint for revenge?"

"I don't know. I don't have any answers. But I'm gonna get them." Becky said, her lips barely moving, her jaw was so tight