Hatred.

"Welcome back."

Alex stepped out of the helicopter, only to find Aglaya greeting him. The sound created by the rotating blades was too loud, but he read her lips.

A 7 hour flight made him want to stretch his limbs around.

"Did you get my mission report?"

Unlike the other families, the Smirnov family treated him like any other assassin. While they were not allowed to ask him directly about the mission due to his mother, he was happy to submit a mission report anyway.

"Yes. It was well-written."

It had to be. He had spent two hours pointing out the details.

"I have the list for you."

She extended her hand and showed him a file.

"All of their missions?"

"All of them."

Alex took it from her hand. After opening it up, he was convinced.

'Abel Curran. A-A.'

'Megan Curran. A-A.'

Their missions details from the training camp, and performance reports.

"I want to thank you for everything."

She was unbearable at times, but she was amazing at her work. Without her, Alex might have been able to save Laura, but she would have died sooner or later.

Her response was a sweet smile, like always.

"No need for that. We are partners."

'Oh, right.'

"Can you come with me to my room? I have something to tell you."

His expression gave her the message. This was serious.

"Sure."

When they got in, he sat on a chair and invited her to do the same.

"Tell me. What do you want to talk about?"

If you take explicit interest in his life, he tends to keep his distance from you. If you go too far, he will counter attack.

"I had a conversation with my mother."

He recounted the event without sparing any details. She listened to his words with rapt attention, all the while keeping a serene expression.

"She wants me to come back. My next mission with the Smirnov family will be my final mission as the member of the four major families."

She nodded.

"So what do you want to do now?"

"Nothing. I'll complete my mission and return to the Kramer family."

She stood up from her seat.

"Understood. When do you plan to leave?"

"Straight after my next mission."

Next month then.

"Fine. I'll have to speak with father."

'Speak to her father?'

Alex panicked.

"Are you going to tell this to him?"

"I don't need to tell him. He already knows."

Sylvia had called him yesterday. His calls were untouchable, so she wasn't able to listen in on their conversation. Now, she knew the context.

"Then what are you going to speak to him about?"

Her grin extended ever so slightly.

"I will be leaving the Smirnov family."

Jaw drop.

"Taking responsibility. Remember?"

She teased him with those words.

He took a deep breath in.

"Wait a minute. Why would the Smirnov family give you up?"

She was probably the second most important person in the family.

"I have an agreement with the collective. As long as I have prepared a suitable replacement, I can leave whenever I wish."

Don't get him wrong. She was a welcome addition to the family, but he was expecting her to be like Zhao Mei.

"And what about my mother?"

The last hurdle to beat. Sylvia Curran herself.

Without even wasting a second, she answered.

"You brought in two orphans to your family because they could be useful to you. If you compare me to them, it is like comparing diamond to coal."

Fair enough. But still-

"You won't get a better recruit than me, Alex."

She wasn't wrong.

"If you don't want me to go, just say it."

She asked that question with grit.

"Give me a reason."

"The Smirnov family no longer needs me. There are around 20 more people that are willing to fill my shoes, and I am tired of working at this place. Is that enough?"

He spared a minute to process all of this, and then let out a sigh.

"If you have made this decision, then I will gladly welcome you. But at the risk of offending you, I want to make myself clear."

She was ready for every reason he had.

"Being obsessed with me is not a valid reason, and it will never lead to anything. I hope that you get that."

Her help was appreciated, but this was not a joke.

"If you are in this for thrill and entertainment, then see yourself out."

----------------------------------------------

Talinn, Estonia.

"Of course she did that."

Ronald Curran was on the phone with Maxim Smirnov.

"Well, at least we could make something out of the situation."

The bright side. After all of this, all he could do was look at the bright side of things.

"How are the kids doing?"

"Right now, they are on a break. After a week, the new missions will begin, and the training camp will continue."

He took a sip from the glass in his hand.

"Are they any good?"

"They are. Your son is the carbon copy of you, while my children are also starting to improve at a rapid pace. As for the Zhao kid and the greenhorn girl, they aren't too bad either."

As usual, he was harsh towards them.

"I'll hang up then. Take care of them."

Liam and Lucas were by his side.

"Is Alex bothering you this much?"

The exhaustion on his face was enough to show them what he was going through.

"He is just a child. My problem is with your mother."

He wanted to bring Alex as well. But Sylvia's opinion was different. They had a big fight, and she left to stay at the Kramer family for a while.

"I had to give up on him out of anger. And now, he is going to go back to the Kramer family."

While Lucas was pitying his father, Liam had his cold expression up.

One was feeling Sympathy, while the other was projecting his hatred. Even if he was the calm one, to see a weakling like him create such a mess was frustrating to him.

He could see why Megan was against Alex now. A nobody had risen up to challenge them, and created an embarrassing situation for their family.

To him, that was unacceptable. Even if he wasn't interested in these affairs, disrespect to the Curran family was a big negative.

Sooner or Later, he would have to do something about it.