The next morning Serena walks up and does her regular routine, She cleans up her entire apartment spotless and starts making snacks since today's the day Zen will be coming and telling her about his past.

"I'm glad I'm able to get along with Zen". She stops and thinks with a serious face "Maybe I too should tell him about my past. But then again I guess now it not the time for that, I'll tell him tomorrow, For now i need to be there for him".

After time passes Serena gets more and more anxious, an urge to know his story which would getting more closer to him than before.

Her door bell rings "Oh he's here" she jumps to her door and welcomes him.

She greets him with a huge smile.

"Umm what the hell is this?" he asks with a confused face looking at the table filled with food items.

"I kinda went overboard didn'y I?" She pulls him in and shuts the door. Serena smiles awkwardly "Its just that I'm happy because it's the first time a friend has come over to my new home!"

"Friend?" Zen thinks to himself, he then sighs and tells her "well I guess its fine let's sit."

Both of they sit across the table facing each other. "So shall I start?" Zen asks.

"Yeah go right ahead" she says sitting with a straight posture and with a serious face, trying to be serious.

"Please dont make that face and just be normal" he feels awkward.

She laughs awkwardly "Sorry"

Zen starts telling her about his past.
"My mom and dad got married very young and they had to work their way through alot of things to get the approval of both my grandparents.

They thought my dad wasn't worthy of my mom because he was still a college kid and they thought my mom wasn't really in love because she was just a high school kid. My dad was from England and my mom was from Japan, she came to England to study.

They couldn't manage to get the approval of their parents so they eloped and got married in secret. After a year I was born. When I was 2 years old, every night I would hear my parents yell at each other regarding many things which i couldn't understand as a kid.

When I was 7 years of age we moved to Japan things seemed to be getting better with my parents, After few months I had a little sister named Maya. My dad had a great job and my mom would be smiling everyday they both were happy and I was happy, it was all like a dream, A happy dream.

But unfortunately that dream ended after 2 years, My dad lost his job and my mom was irritated most of the time because of my sister. There was not enough money for us to buy proper food and eat and my little sister would cry day and night which irritated my mom.

My dad would be sitting at home whole day without a job and they would start having a fight. I couldn't bear hearing or seeing them fight. I could see that they were fed up of even looking at each other. I didn't know what to do or how to make anything better, After a while my mom found a job but never did she tell us anything about it.

But we started eating proper food but mom and dad never spoke to each other about any other thing beside me and Maya. Dad suddenly started being out of the house most of the times and so was mom, we had no money for school I couldn't read or write and neither could I teach anything to Maya, She was only learning to speak then.

One day my dad left, he said he was going on a trip regarding a job and he was out for 5 days. Me and Maya would be alone most of the time. After 5 days of my dad's trip I took Maya out for a while and when I came back I saw my dad with another woman.

She wore lots of jewellery and seemed like a rich lady "Is this your child?" She asked my dad, he said responded with a nod.

She walked over at me and said "Don't worry little boy I will keep your daddy very happy something that your mommy couldn't do" I was shocked but I couldn't say a word that time but I was big enough to understand what that meant.

He cheated on my mother and I hated him, I despised that woman because she knew he was married and was still with him. I wanted to run away but Maya and my mother needed me to be there, atleast that was what I thought. When my mother got home I told her everything,

She pulled me into our room and told me to look after maya and not to come out. She went outside to my dad I did not know what conversation but I heard alot of screaming and Maya started crying hearing all that. I covered her ears and held her close to me.

After a while the shouting stopped and mom called us out for dinner, after that night that woman never came to our house and things started looking good again. We would have luxurious food and my sister was put into a schools and so was I, year after year everything was working fine and when I was in middle school I met Lizzy and she got so close to me and Maya.

I often took Maya to her house to play and Lizzy's dad would take us out for treats. When I was 15 years of age, I was out with Lizzy and her dad and Maya we went to eat ice cream, when I was inside the shop I saw my mother I was so happy because during my childhood I was a mama's boy, I told Lizzy that I would be back and I ran towards my mother as I got closer I saw her holding hands with a man I didn't know.

I hid and followed them and I saw her going into his house which was close by. I was shocked and angry. But I didn't know what to do. Liz came looking for me and we went back, when I got home, Maya took me to her room to show her a drawing when i saw the drawing I was in tears.

It was my mother and father and me and Maya together as a happy family I could see the how happy Maya was but I didn't want to be deceived , I told Maya to stay in her room and not come out until dinner time.

She agreed and I locked her room door I went up to my parents room to talk to them but what I heard gave me the biggest shock and it felt like I was falling down a black hole. My dad was going to be married to that woman and my mother was going to marry another man.

The luxurious food we had was the money from that woman and the nights and days that mother never came home was because of that man. I was furious and filled with rage.

Before it was dinner time I packed my bags and left home with Maya leaving a note to my parents saying that I knew the truth and I didn't want anything to do with them.

I ran over to Lizzy's place and told her everything, She told her parents everything but I begged them not to tell my parents that I was living with them. Lizzy parents took care of Maya's school.

They transferred her into Lizzy's school since the principal were their friends. While Lizzy took care of Maya, Lizzy's dad gave me a job at his office so I started working and saving up money.

By the time I was 18 I saved enough money to move out of Lizzy's home. I was gonna stay on rent in one of Lizzy's apartment that they owned, while leaving I wanted to pay them back for Maya's school fee but they told me "What is this? You and Maya are like our own children and this is not something that parents take from their children" I was so happy that I cried so much. I forgot what family actually meant and that was what brought me to tears.

They told me I could come over anytime If I was missing my family and I was overjoyed because i never felt so much love in a very long time. Everything started going well in my new home, Maya and me were very happy and I wanted to get into college to graduate in photography but fate was cruel to me, when I was 19 Maya was 16 years of age, her health started getting bad she would be very weak and got thinner and thinner I noticed these things and took her to the doctor, there I came to know that she had diarrhoea which caused a sickness called Guillian Barre syndrome (GBS).

Her treatment would take alot of money and I couldn't make that much money, I would have to have years of saving which I didn't and the money I saved I already paid that for my college fee.

I was in a terrible situations and I couldn't do anything with Maya's health getting worse and I was so frustrated. I went to meet Lizzy and told her about my situation I didn't want her to help me beacuse they did more than my parents could, but I went there so that I could get the whereabouts of my dad I heard he was a successor to a very rich company, it was that woman's family so I found out their address and went to meet him.

It was big mansion with alot of security I went up to their gate and told them I wanted to meet the successor they refused to let me in and told me to go away, I then told them I was his son and they thought I was lying as I was trying to convince I had no proof and I saw a car wanting to get in.

It stopped at the gates and when the windows rolled down it was that woman, She looked at me and asked the security what was the matter, They told her everything I told them. She looked at me and realised I wasn't lying, She took me in her car and entered the gate "I see you've grown quiet handsome" is what she said but I never wanted to speak with her. She took me to see my father but at first he didn't believe me.

After we had a chat about the past he asked me "What is it that u want boy, want to come back home?"

"I have no home where you are" is what I said "however" I got down on my knees and pleaded "Maya is sick and I don't have enough money for her treatment, if she doesn't get treated she will die. Please I would like you to let her stay here and see to her treatment"

"Why the hell should I, you got some nerve to come back and ask this after you left with your attitude, get out!!"

I was shocked and angry I wanted to punch him at that moment, suddenly he was so proud just because she had a rich wife but I had to beg more for Maya's sake "Please I dont have anyone else besides Maya and I wish for her better health, she means the world to me and she's the only family I have got and she is your daughter after all, please dont blame her for being away from you, it was my decision she was just a little girl, I dont not want her to suffer for my mistake please" I cried and I couldn't stop my tears.

After that he got up from his chair and with a cold voice said "consider this a favor, you better repay back when the time comes". I was so happy my heart felt light, The next day I explained the situation to Maya and she was moved to a hospital with the fees paid, but she didn't know about my parents and I didn't want her to know that time, She wasn't very healthy anyway so she wouldn't have known even if she stayed at my dads place.

After 6 months of treatment she was moved into my dad's home but the treatment still continued, I go and meet her occasionally and we told her that my mom was living with me so everytime I went she would ask why my mom didn't come to meet her. I went back to my normal life only thing that wasn't normal was Maya wasn't with me, The loneliness was killing me.

I went to meet Lizzy and told her that I was leaving the apartment to live with my friend but before that i wanted her to find the whereabouts of my mother. After after few days it was time, I was leaving the apartment and Lizzy came to me and told me about my mother, that she was already dead, The guy who she was with, cheated on her and she took her own life.

It was sad to hear that but I had no interest in going to her grave because I still hated her, After I left the apartment Lizzy and me hardly ever met, we got into different colleges and we were so busy with our life but my father every time he wanted something he would call me and if I refused to do it he would threaten me with Maya's treatment and I had no choice but to play his dirty game that's when I start hitting people and getting bashed up, every one saw me as a criminal without hearing my story but I didn't care because only Maya's life mattered to me."

He sighed "So yeah that's what's been going on in my life till now" Zen looked at Serena.

Serena was silent and didn't say a word, She could see that Zen was on the verge of crying. She got up and went and hugged him.

"Hey what are you doi-
She cuts him off "You don't have to hold it in. If you want to cry go right ahead I wont judge, I know your heart is not made of stone and your really gentle. I know you only push people away so as to not hurt yourself but it's okay. I won't hurt, no matter what. I'm always on your side."

Zen cried but it wasn't because of sadness, he was happy because he had someone who was calming him down and telling him that he didn't have to put on a strong face. He could feel her warmth and he felt a soothing feel from her. Serena on the other hand was happy to see the real Zen who was gentle and loving. Zen stops crying and she lets go of him.

"Are you okay now?" she asks.

"Yeah crying does help, No wonder girls cry so much" he says.

Serena chuckles "yup, and I'm glad your the type of man who doesn't hide his tears."

Zen looks at her and smiles,
She returns a smile back to him.

"So why is your dad calling you up now? What does he want?" She questions.

"He wants me to marry the daughter of the houtsuki family, her parents are the owner of a huge company and you know I dont want to do it" he explains.

"So he's threatening you with maya's life for this reason?" She yells.

"Yeah" he says with a sad voice.

"And your just gonna take all this shit in?" She questions with anger.

"I can't do anything Maya is in his care" he yells at her.

"Man your a pig!!" she insults him.

"What the hell?" he gets annoyed.

"Your the man here, dont let some old bastard put out conditions on you, be the guy you were when I first met you when you go to deal with your dad" she smirks.

"What are you saying?'" He questions confused.

"C'mon get up, get your bike we're going!!" she says while getting up and getting her jacket.

"Go where?" Zen questions.

"To meet your dad ofcourse and give him a piece of our mind!" she says with a smirk.

"But why are you doing all this?" He questions.

"Don't screw with me, I'm your friend and your sister is my sister so get your ass up."

Zen thinks for a while and then a smirk forms on his face "Yeah."

"Time to kick some butt" both of them leave the apartment with evil looks in their eyes and evil smiles with Serena carrying a baseball bat that she had and Zen cracking his knuckles.

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(Note: guillain barre syndrome (GBS) is
disease caused by the infection of diarrhoea and other sicknesses. It affects the nerves and limbs of the body and weakens the muscles)
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