Is this destiny?

~ Los Angeles, the Cliffside Villa ~

Ron came into the study, to talk to Sarah and Aiden.

He had everything figured out, but now that he is facing them, Ron is not sure where to start.

Ron feels guilty for coming here to talk without Zula, but this is his problem and as much as he does not want to exclude her, he feels that he is relying too much on her help. That is why Ron decided to talk with Sarah and Aiden first, and once he figures out the next steps, then he will share it with Zula. He is confident that Zula will understand.

"Is this related to your stepmother?" Aiden decided to jump-start the topic. They are sitting in silence for a few minutes, and only things related to Julia Heine can put such a troubled expression on Ron's face.

Ron pressed his lips into a line and nodded.

"Tell us, what is going on…" Sarah urged him in a comforting tone.

Both Sarah and Aiden know that Ron's stepmother (aka Julia) hit the rock bottom. She is hiding from the law, out of money, and has nowhere to go. She sleeps under a bridge and eats at a local community kitchen which provides one free meal a day. They found out that two times she slept with men in order to earn extra cash. All this means that Ron should make his move soon because the woman might end her own life or someone else will do it for her and Ron will lose the opportunity for vengeance he is planning for a long time.

Ron took a deep breath and started talking: "I was going through the reports, and I know that it's time for me to deliver the final blow, but… I'm not sure if I want to do it anymore."

"Did you forgive her?" Sarah guessed.

"No. And that is the problem. For years, she tortured me and the only thing on my mind was to get stronger so that I can return her the suffering she inflicted upon me. I had nightmares and I was in hell. At that time, I was all alone and no one believed me. But things changed. I belong to this family and I am happy. I feel that my life here with Zula, is on the right track and I fear that if I do to Julia what I planned, I will regress into that state of madness and… I don't want to ruin what I have. But at the same time, we spent a lot of effort in monitoring her and planning. If I back off now, it would be a waste of everything we did so far and I would be ungrateful to all the help you provided me with."

Aiden waved his hands. "Don't worry about us or what was done so far. When the operation stretches, the circumstances change and you need to adapt. That is normal. Do not think of what was done as a waste, because without it, you would not be here. If I understood you correctly, you are saying that you want her to be punished, but you don't want to dirty your hands." 

"That is not exactly what I meant, but… maybe… I don't know." Ron admitted. "That is why I'm here. Can you give me some advice on this?"

"Let's analyze the current situation." Sarah suggested. "How much we see, unless someone comes to help her out, she will not make it, and it's just a matter of time before someone slits her throat and we find her body in a ditch. No matter if you intervene or not, her end will not be good. Ask yourself, if you let go of your vengeance, will you regret it?"

Ron exhaled. That is the same question he is asking himself. If he lets off Julia, will he regret it? But Ron does not have an answer to this question. Ron thought of asking if Sarah and Aiden have any similar experiences. "Did you ever let go of someone? Did you regret it? Or do you always teach a lesson to the people who wronged you?"

Sarah wanted to say that they always punish people who try to act against them, but then she remembered Meili. "That depends on their offense and if they were successful. Some people are not worth getting your hands dirty. If your anger disappeared and you managed to move on with your life, then your stepmother can't hurt you anymore. If you want to cause her pain, the biggest thing you could do is to show her that you are one of her victims who managed to escape her grasp and that you are happy. Imagine: Julia is in a sorry state and she sees you coming out of a Rolls-Royce, in a sharp suit with Zula holding onto your arm… and Julia is not able to get close to you. Wouldn't that be perfect revenge for a woman who thought that she can control you?"

Ron listened to Sarah's words and thought about how it makes sense. The biggest thing for Julia was to be in control, and if he shows her that she can't touch him, that will be the fiercest blow he can give her. Ron's attention moved to the part where Sarah mentioned that he is one of her victims. "What about the other boys?"

"What about them?" Aiden asked. "Do you want to give them an opportunity to get closure?"

Ron liked that idea. "Can I?"

Aiden smiled. "You can do whatever you want. You are in control now, and we will support you no matter what you decide. You moved on, but did they? Remember that giving people what they want when they didn't ask for it, allows you to make friends."

Ron agrees with Aiden, but… "I don't know if they want to get even with Julia or are they fine pretending that it didn't happen."

"The only way to find out is to give them an opportunity to act." Sarah advised Ron. "You know who those other boys are. Get in touch with them and find out what they want. Feel free to use resources of the Army of Chaos..."

…

Two days later…

…

~ Springfield, Minnesota ~

In an abandoned warehouse, on the outskirts of Springfield…

Ron and Zula are facing three boys.

The youngest one is Jason; he is fifteen years old.

The oldest one is Marshall; he is nineteen years old.

The middle one is Colin; he is seventeen years old.

All three of them are nervously glancing around. They were picked up by a van and brought here without much explanation. They didn't want to come, but all of them got a message from Ronald Heine that said how he knows their secret and that he will expose them if they bail out of this. They had no choice because each of them has a dark secret which should not be known by anyone.

Marshall, Colin, and Jason know who Ron is. It is a small town, and they know Ron from school and that about a year ago he disappeared. In addition to that, everyone is buzzing about recent changes and how young Mr. Heine is taking over Heinelurgy from his father with the help of the White corp.

"Why are we here?" Marshall asked Ron reluctantly.

"You know why you are here." Ron responded. "Each of you was molested by my stepmother."

Three boys exchanged glances full of fear and confusion.

"How do you know about it? Do we need to talk about it in front of strangers?" Jason asked while gesturing toward Zula. No one should know about it, and now Ron is mentioning it so bluntly in front of five people! And there is a girl present as well!

Colin widened his eyes in horror. "Did you bring us here to shut us up? So that we don't tarnish her image further? I will not say anything..."

Ron can understand their anxious behavior full of hostility. If someone approached him like that a year ago, he would act in the same way. But he is not here to threaten them. "Zula is not a stranger. She is my girlfriend, and she is actively involved in this. Let's not go into details about Julia Heine. I am aware that none of you wants to mention that woman, and I know that because I am one of you. Julia is the reason I ran away from home and I want you to know that with the help of my girlfriend, I exposed her."

Zula smiled. She likes it when Ron talks about her as 'his girlfriend'.

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