Forget Me Not

The Last Gamble

As Sarawat, Tine, and Man pursued Thierry, more assailants opened fire. The trio navigated through the mall, determined and relentless. Thierry's expression turned grim; he hadn't anticipated this level of resistance. He realized too late that he had underestimated the CDO agents, never imagining that his plan for revenge could backfire so spectacularly.

"Get rid of them!" Thierry barked at his men, frustration creeping into his voice. He couldn't believe that just Sarawat, Man, and Boss had managed to dismantle his entire squad.

Spotting a subway entrance ahead, Thierry urgently directed his men to head down it, hoping to shake off their pursuers. His eyes narrowed as he noticed Sarawat closely following them, the briefcase containing the nuke securely in Tine's grip.

◇─◇──◇─◇

"So, Dad, Uncle Wat and Uncle Man are pretty badass." Asnee, couldn't help but point this out to his mother who was watching the news, speechless. He added, "I'm guessing, him and Uncle Wat and Uncle Man don't really sell vacuums."

Pear nodded, "I guess not..."

◇─◇──◇─◇

Mil was frozen, eyes glued to the television as the faces of the criminals were broadcasted across the nation, courtesy of Dim and the CDO. His entire body shook when he recognized one of them—his uncle, the man he had idolized for years.

Phukong, still processing the shock of discovering that his brother Sarawat was an undercover agent, noticed Mil's distress. "Do you know the old man?" he asked cautiously.

"He's... my uncle."

"Your uncle?!" Phukong glanced back at the screen, but the chaotic scene made it hard to see anything clearly. Still, the situation was evident. "Your uncle is an arms dealer?"

The way Phukong said it struck a nerve with Mil. He had known his uncle his entire life, and the man on the screen didn't match the image he had in his mind. "He isn't what you think he is!"

"Really? Because from what I'm seeing, he's being chased by the CDO on national television for threatening to blow up a mall!"

"You don't know him the way I do!" Mil shot back, frustration and disbelief clouding his voice. "You know what, maybe you should go."

Phukong looked at him, feeling the sting of those words. "Yeah, maybe I should." He stood, gathered his things, and walked to the door.

Mil, overwhelmed by the sudden revelation of his uncle's true nature, didn't even glance in his direction. Phukong's hand hesitated on the doorknob, realizing quickly that he was waiting for Mil to call him back. But when he looked over his shoulder, Mil was still staring at the television, completely absorbed. With a sigh of annoyance, Phukong stepped out and closed the door behind him, leaving Mil alone with his thoughts.

After a moment, acceptance began to seep in, and Mil had no choice but to call his mom. It only took one ring before he heard her trembling voice on the other end. It was clear she had seen the news too. "Mom... please tell me that's not Uncle Thierry on the news!"

But all he heard was a loud sob. His own mother couldn't even form words to console him. Hot tears welled up in Mil's eyes. "Mom!"

He felt so small, like a child begging for someone to lie to him. He couldn't believe it. The uncle he had adored, emulated, and worshiped for years had turned out to be a monster in disguise. There was no doubt left in Mil's mind—his uncle was a wanted criminal, not just in the country, but maybe across the world. Uncle Thierry had made connections in foreign lands, acquiring much of his wealth overseas. It all made sense now... he had been supplying weapons to dangerous people.