"You..." Alandria began in gritted teeth then her attention diverted.

It was so quiet...

Fernando!

She looked to her right to see two of Dr. Bertram's men down...along with a sitting Fernando. He had his hand on his stomach...and he made a painful grimace.

"Noooo...." Alandria cried as she ran towards him.

Fernando gave out a weak smile. She helped him rest against the balustrade and even though she did not want to see it, she did. His shirt...was tinted red. He was badly hurt and Alandria knew he was suffering.

"I...I...." Alandria did not know what to say, "You stay here...I..."

She ran towards Zayden and the tears fell on her cheeks. Zayden's eyes were closed. She touched his face...it was warm and bruised.

"Why are you doing this?" Alandria asked, her eyes burrried in Dr. Bertram's amused one, "JUST WHY???!!!"

"Lower your tone girl!" Dr. Bertram said, "Well, you are also going to die anyway, so I might as well tell you."

Alandria was filled with rage by that time. She could feel the veins popping in her temples, but she composed herself and listened.

Slap!

He slapped Zayden the next moment and Zayden's eyes fluttered open. He then cut the ropes that tied him and let the young man fall down. Zayden's tired body just slumped on the ground.

"You need to know the truth too son" Dr. Bertram said and Alandria instantly glared at him.

She couldn't help herself and hugged Zayden. She held him like a baby in her arms...a lifeless one.

Zayden's eyes were half open and they fixed themselves on her.

"I...I couldn't save you..." Alandria moaned, the tears falling down.

"LISTEN TO THE STORY!" Dr. Bertram yelled.

*What the hell is wrong with this guy?* Alandria felt her brain say *Does he know that the ear is an important organ??*

"Speak" Alandria whispered.

She felt so exhausted...mentally and physically.

"I have always been good friends with the Connor's. Zayden knows that. Unfortunately Mr. and Mrs. Connors separated and I felt very compassionate. I felt sympathetic to your mother and mind you, she was a kind and gentle woman. I knew that I would make her happy. I knew it. But she swore she only loved your father! That I was only a friend."

"Even after the divorce?" Zayden said, looking at Dr.Bertram in a confused way.

"Your father...and her...wanted to get back together, but then she was diagnosed with cancer" Dr. Bertram continued, "So she said it was futile for her to get back together after finding out. I was there that day, at the chalet...and you were still asleep."

"What?" Zayden gasped.

"Let me narrate it to you..." Dr. Bertram began....

Dr. Bertram was sitting on the edge of the bed and Zayden's father too.

"She won't survive Mr. Connors" Dr. Bertram said, looking at him, "I will leave you two."

"But you said!" Mr. Connors started, "You said she was going to be cured! You said you knew what to do!"

"Unfortunately this is an advanced case. The cancer has already invaded the crucial organ. It's liver cancer and we cannot correct the chemical balance. No one can do anything. My apologies" Dr. Bertram replied and went away.

He went outside, but sat by the door. He wanted to listen to them.

"My love...Elizabeth" 

"Honey..." Mrs. Connor whispered as her ex husband sat next to her.

He planted a kiss on his forehead.

"I love you John"  she said in a weak voice, "I...wish this was different. And you..."

She put her white hand on his jawline then caressed his face.

"You look so much like him...like...Zayden...you have to take care of him" Mrs. Connors said with tears in her eyes, "Take care of our son."

"Without you..." John began, "I feel I will break apart. It was a mistake...all of it. Everything. I shouldn't have started all of this. I began to trade with mafia and I lost you in the process. It's my punishment."

"No. It is not" Elizabeth continued, "Promise me. You will get out of this and you will never let anything happen to him. Zayden is the only one who can...clean the name of this family again."

"I promise... if only...I" John was devastated, "If only this sickness would leave you alone...we would be together...I would create a new world...for you and I...and Zayden!"

Elizabeth eyes started to close and John knew. He had lost her forever.

"Why didn't they go and see another doctor?" Zayden asked weakly, "Why did they trust you so much?"

"That was their mistake" Dr. Bertram said with a smirk, "Your mother had liver cancer. That was true. But I lied about one thing. The chemical balance could have been corrected. But what was the use  if after doing so she would be back in your fathers' arms..."

"So you let her die..." Zayden said in a throaty voice. Alandria felt his body shake and the next second he lunged on the doctor with a cry of rage.

"Zayden!" Alandria cried.

Too late. Zayden was thrashing at him on the ground, but he was so weak that Dr. Bertram just had to pin him on the ground and he was lifeless, his eyes staring up at the man who let his mother die knowingly.

"Let him go!" Alandria yelled.

She ran towards Dr. Bertram and knocked him on his temple with all her force. Her fist hurt, but she did not care. She just winced in pain.

"Fuck off!" the doctor barked.

"No!" Alandria cried, kicking him in the stomach.

No one expected that. Not even Alandria. Where was all of this courage coming from?

Dr. Bertram cursed loudly and sat in pain, his hand clutching his stomach.

Alandria was left staring at the scene, her shoulders heaving.

"Now I can die in peace" a voice sounded.

Alandria turned around. Fernando was sprawled on the floor, giving her a half smile.

"You grew into that fierce lady I wanted you to become" he continued, his face covered in sweat and his eyes red.

"No! No! No! Don't you die on me here!" Zayden yelled as he crawled towards Fernando and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Fernando!" Alandria cried as she ran to him, "You stay with us! You'll be fine! You will be ok!"

"Boss...I..." Fernando whispered.

Zayden took a deep breath and sat on the ground and pull Fernando to him.

"Boss...thank you...for everything you have done for me. Alandria you too."

"No!" Zayden cried, "You can't! Please! You have a family Fernando!"

"And they are alive thanks to you" Ferando whispered, "Thank...you..."

Fernando's eyes closed themselves slowly.

No! This could not happen! Fernando could die! It wasn't fair!

"Fernando!" Alandria cried, "Answer!"

"Damn it!" Zayden clenched his fist as he looked away.

Never had he looked more in pain. His body shook out of frustration and the tears flew down his cheeks one after the other. At last he let out a sob. It was agony.

"No..." he cried, but quickly stopped.

He looked behind him, got up slowly and walked towards Dr. Bertram in rage.

"I will kill you! Back off!" Dr. Bertram warned, backing off from him.

"Oh please, I beg of you!" Zayden furious eyes fixed themselves on his doctor as he marched towards him, "I'll still kill you after taking a bullet. One does not die immediately after being shot."

"I will shoot!"

"FUCKING SHOOT THEN!" Zayden bellowed, advancing towards him "SHOOT! SHOOT DAMN IT! SHOOT ME!"

"Go away!" Dr. Bertram fearful eyes suddenly hit Alandria.

"DON'T YOU THINK ABOUT IT!" Zayden yelled.

Dr. Bertram then fired at him. Alandria closed her eyes only to open them two seconds later.

"Zayden!" she cried.

She looked in front of her in utter shock.

Dr. Bertram stood still, with a healthy looking Zayden in front of him.

"You can't dodge it twice!" Dr. Bertram yelled.

"Exactly!" Zayden replied as he sprinted towards him as lightning and kicked him in the balls before punching him.

Dr. Bertram fell down and Zayden immediately stamped on his hand holding the gun. He let out a loud moan of pain but Zayden didn't let go.

Alandria eyes opened wide suddenly. There were red light reflecting on them. She ran to the balcony to see at least 20 police cars lined up.

"The police is here!" she cried.

Who called them? What would happen now?

"Fuck off!"

She looked to her right to see Zayden push Dr. Bertram away. They were now in a physical fight and the gun was on the floor. Zayden punched the doctor who retaliated with a kick in Zayden's chest. Suddenly Dr. Bertram lunged towards the ground and grasped the gun. He did it so fast that it escaped his hands and as he tried to toss it back in his hand, he slipped on a piece of wood on the ground and crashed against the wooden balustrade.

A cracking sound was heard...the doctor looked at Zayden in anticipation.

"HEY!" Zayden cried, but too late.

The wood cracked under the pressure of Dr. Bertram and he fell on the other side. Zayden ran to the edge of the roof to see the man on the ground, blood oozing out from his skull. He was not moving.

The policemen quickly ran towards him and looked up to see Zayden.

"Oh no..." Alandria moaned, "They will think..."

"Crap..." Zayden whispered with quivering lips.

"Leave Zayden!" Alandria ran towards him, "I am sure there is a secret passage or something here that allows you to leave."

"There is" Zayden acquiesced, "In my room. There's a door next to the bed. It'll give to an underground passage. Take it and go back!"

"Ok...wait what?" Alandria gasped, "And you?"

"It ends here Alandria" Zayden said in calm tone, "For me."

"But! But! You need to go! Your dad!" Alandria cried, "You need to find him!"

"My dad is dead." Zayden said and Alandria looked at him in shock, "He killed him."

"How do you know? Maybe he was lying!" Alandria cried, "Let's go Zayden!"

"You were supposed to hate me Alandria"

"Is that why you did all that masquerade with Nurse Nia? So that I can hate you and you can come here to let him kill you?" Alandria cried.

"Yeah..." Zayden smiled, "You really are witty aren't you?"

"But Zayden..."

"Go now! You have no business here! Don't ruin your life! You were never here! You were sleeping soundly in your room tonight! GO!"

"No!" Alandria cried, "I can't leave you!"

How could he ask her that?

"I'm sorry..." Zayden said he he hugged her, "I know I hurt you...but I had no other options. He told me to come and meet him here and in exchange he will let my father go. My life against his...but the truth is...my father isn't here. He must have killed him."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW??" Alandria moaned, "He could have been lying!"

"GET OUT ALANDRIA!"

"HANDS UP! NOBODY MOVES!" a battalion of police officers had emerged on the roof and held their guns at the two teenagers.

Alandria's heart beat faster. Oh no...they were toasted...

"Yeah captain..." one of the policeman spoke in his microphone, "I got three injured on the floor and two teenagers fooling around."

"Roger that" a voice replied, "Arrest them, I have a situation down here. A man...fell from the roof."

"Is he dead?"

"No, badly injured though" the voice replied.

"WHAT ARE YOUR NAMES? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" another police officer with a thick mustache yelled.

"I'm Alandria Shiffer...." Alandria said in a trembling voice.

"...and I'm Zayden Connors" Zayden continued, "She has nothing to do in this."

"We'll decide that boy" the first police officer said, "Well..Alandria Shiffer and Zayden Connors, you're under arrest. Take them away."

Author Note: Not the kind of ending you were expecting right? More mysteries remain unsolved! It's not over! *wink* See you in court....um...I mean the next chapter! Hehehe!