IDENTITY: SEVEN

"Are you sure?" Sky asked me as we watched Richard Osaka leaving by the door. He walked towards his luxurious car with his two bodyguards. The place was still filled with cheers and applause, which irritated me.

******

30 minutes earlier...

I was on the sofa, and in front of me sat one of the people I despised the most Richard Osaka. Behind him were his two bodyguards, with one of them being the person Sky saw at the police station handing an envelope to the Police Head.

Lola Vemine left to prepare snacks for the unwelcome guests. Richard was just like most wealthy individuals—prideful, overly confident, and believing that everything could be bought with money.

"You're Alex Rischon, right?" he asked in a low tone. I could feel the sense of authority in his voice as if you'd rather follow him than go against him.

"Yes," I responded seriously and briefly.

"You might be wondering why I talked to you because I was looking for a scholar, and luckily, my daughter recommended you."

Trisha recommended me? Tsk! And he even emphasized the word 'luckily.' What does he think I am, unfortunate?

"Why me?"

"Well, she said you're the less fortunate."

Less fortunate? You'll be less fortunate if everyone learns your dirty secrets.

"Well, thanks for the compliment, Mr. Osaka," I sarcastically replied. I could feel that he was insulted by my words, so I flashed a smile to annoy him even more.

"So...are you willing to be one? This is a one-time opportunity. I rarely give out scholarships," he reminded me, as if trying to emphasize that I couldn't possibly get a scholarship.

I don't want your filthy money.

"It is indeed a great offer, Mr. Osaka, but I have a question."

Here we go. We're about to face each other.

"What is it?"

I instantly changed my cheerful face into a serious one. In that instant, I felt the air getting heavier between us. He was still smiling, but I could sense the hidden anger within him.

"What did you do to Maica?" I asked, clenching my fist. He was still smiling, but the concealed anger was starting to seep through.

"What are yo—"

"Sorry," I interjected, followed by a forced laugh. "Where did I pick up that question? By the way, not to disappoint you, Mr. Osaka, but your offer is too much for me. And I don't think my conscience can handle it if I accept."

My conscience can't handle accepting your offer, especially since you're the leading suspect in Maica's disappearance.

"Is that so? How sad. Well, I respect your decision, Alex, and I know for sure that you have reasons behind your refusal." Then he displayed another disgustingly sweet smile.

"Thank you for understanding, Mr. Osaka," I said, returning the smile.

"Well, I think I have to find someone as worthy as you, Alex," he bid farewell, stood up, and offered his hand. Despite feeling disgusted and angry, I took it, and we shook hands. Still, wearing our masks of deception.

"Okay, Sir," I replied.

After our handshake, they left promptly. Lola arrived at the right time with a puzzled look on her face. "Are they leaving?" she asked after placing a tray of snacks on the table.

"Yes."

"Is that so?" she said in disappointment. "What a waste of the snacks I prepared," she muttered, and I looked at the snacks she had arranged. I felt sorry for her. I sat back on my chair and let out a sigh. "Are you okay?" Lola asked, concerned.

"Yes, Lola." I closed my eyes, trying to forget that man's face. I stood up and walked towards the door. From here, I could clearly see him, pretending to smile at the people admiring him.

******

"I would rather stop studying than be supported by filthy money," I replied to Sky's earlier question.

"Why don't you two have snacks?" Lola Vemine invited us while sitting in her usual chair. Sky and I approached the sofa and sat down. In front of us was a pitcher of orange juice and a blueberry pie that Lola always baked for me every birthday. I took a slice of the pie and a glass of orange juice. I didn't delay and took a bite of the pie. As expected, it tasted incredibly delicious. It felt like I could eat three whole pies.

"By the way, Alex, did you accept Mr. Rick's offer?" I paused in my eating.

Oh no! Because of my anger, I forgot about Lola Vemine. I promised her I would accept the scholarship so she wouldn't have difficulty supporting my education, but I just wasted the opportunity. Stupid, Alex.

I stopped, wearing a frowning and guilty expression. "I-I'm sorry, La, but I declined Mr. Osaka's offer. I'm really sorry."

I felt Lola Vemine's hands grasp mine, which surprised me. "It's okay, Alex." When I looked at her, all I saw was a genuine smile on her face. There was neither a hint of disappointment nor anger. Just a sincere smile that she always wore.

"But aren't you having a hard time?" I asked with concern.

Lola looked at me again and then tapped my hand, which she still held. "When you came into my life, Alex, I immediately considered you my grandchild. I don't have any other expenses, so your school fees are just fine with me."

I was shocked and teary-eyed as I looked at Lola. I had never felt loved like this before. It felt so new that I wanted to stay like this forever. "Thank you, Lola."

******

"I'm in Sky's room now. Sitting on the sofa, contemplating how to bring justice to Maica's disappearance. I strongly feel that Rick is involved because Maica's body hasn't been found yet. Or perhaps they disposed of Maica where no one could see.

"So, what's the plan?" Sky asked me while busy reading the newspaper.

I furrowed my brows. "What plan? I thought we agreed not to meddle with other people's business. You said that yourself."

"I know, but remember what I told you earlier," he pointed out, referring to Rick's influence over the police.

"I know he manipulated the police, but we can't do anything about it. All we can do is wait for the findings of their investigation," I argued.

The whole room fell silent after my statement. I just looked out the window again. It was already night, and some people were awake. Even our neighbors were up. They were the night people, preferring to be awake at night rather than in the morning. Nocturnal, so to speak.

The noise from the concert in the plaza, just a few meters away, added to the liveliness of the night. Actually, Maica and I planned to attend that concert, but the unexpected happened. That explained why I didn't like the ambiance tonight, especially for Maica's mom.

"You heard that?" Sky suddenly asked.

"Yeah-"

"Shh," he cut me off and immediately stood up. I, not knowing what he was doing, felt nervous. He remained silent for a few seconds, staring at the floor as if trying to listen to something. Suddenly, he looked at me, startling me. "Something's wrong downstairs," he whispered, then stood up and walked towards the door. Scared and not wanting to be left alone in the room, I had no choice but to follow him.

What is this guy up to again? Is this a prank? If this is a prank, he's in big trouble. What is he hearing? I heard nothing unusual except for the neighbors' noise and the concert.

We stopped walking, and I didn't know why. He looked at me and signaled not to make any noise, which I agreed to. I noticed we were near the stairs, but it seemed like Sky had no intention of going down. Sky shuffled a few inches towards the railing and peeked at whatever was below.

After a few seconds of peering, he looked at me, but what puzzled me was that, even in this situation, he still had his emotionless face while I was wide-eyed with fear and confusion.

"There are two people downstairs. I don't know who they are, but they're armed. Let's just pray that nothing bad happens to Lola Ve—" A gunshot echoed throughout the house, startling both of us. Now, I could see fear and surprise on Sky's face.

I didn't realize I had started running downstairs. I knew it was a wrong move, but I couldn't control my body. It seemed to be moving on its own. I wanted to stop, but it refused to obey. I stopped only when I saw two men in the kitchen, one wrapped in a black outfit and an elderly woman lying unconscious. The two men looked at me, seemingly surprised when they saw me. But they didn't know that I was even more shocked when I saw Lola Vemine unconscious.

My body moved on its own again, and I quickly ran towards Lola. Contrary to my thoughts, the two men seemed not to want to leave. I noticed the man lifting his gun and pointing it at me. A loud gunshot echoed through the area, which made me stop running. I just stopped and stood there. I was waiting to feel pain and see blood. But I didn't feel or see anything.

For some unknown reason, the two men suddenly flew off, immediately losing consciousness. I didn't know who or what caused it or didn't care. The critical thing was Lola. I quickly approached her and checked her body for any possible wounds from the gunshot we heard earlier. But I saw none. Not even a drop of blood.

How come she doesn't have any wounds? Based on how close she was to those two earlier, I'm sure that bullet wouldn't miss!

"Alex, are you okay?" Sky greeted me as he turned to face me. I nodded in response, though in truth, I really wasn't okay. "Do you have your cell phone with you?" I nodded again. I couldn't utter a word because my body was too shocked by what happened. I almost died earlier. "Call the police. I'll make sure they won't escape."

For the last time, I nodded. All I could do was nod, and I couldn't blame him. As he left, I quickly took my phone and dialed 911.

"Hello? This is the Emergency Hotline. How can we serve you?" a man asked from the other end of the line.

"He-Help."

******

We were in the living room now. Sky and I were with Lola Vemine, who was still unconscious. The medical team was currently checking Lola Vemine's vital signs, while the police were handling the two men whom I had no idea how Sky managed to defeat. Other police officers were examining the crime scene.

"Excuse me, Sir," a female paramedic called me. I looked at her, and she smiled. "I just need to check you, Sir, for possible complications," she requested.

"Sure," I almost whispered in response. At least now I could speak. But still, my body, even my voice, was trembling. The staff took her penlight and pointed it at my eyes. She then checked my pulse rate.

"Your eyes are dilated, and your pulse rate is fast, Sir. Don't worry because it's normal for people who have experienced extreme shock. Everything will return to normal once you calm down and recover. However, this shock can lead to anxiety and depression. So, my advice is to have a check-up in case you feel an anxiety attack," she explained.

"Okay. Thank you very much." The woman smiled at me and excused herself, heading towards Sky.

"Excuse me, Sir," another man called, but he was coming from Lola's direction. I looked at him; he had the same aura I felt from the woman earlier. "Are you related to the victim?"

"Actually, she's my guardian. Why? Is she okay?" I asked, concerned.

"You don't have to worry, Sir. Her vital signs showed normal, and there are no evident injuries so far. Maybe tomorrow, she'll wake up, but she might experience PTSD, like anxiety or shock, which is normal for people who go through such incidents," he explained, and I nodded.

"Thank you very much."

"You're welcome. Just call if you have any problems. Our service is open 24/7," he informed me.

"Okay." I glanced at Lola, who was sleeping peacefully on the sofa. I never expected this to happen, especially to Lola. Whoever ordered those two men indeed harbors resentment against me or Lola. But only one person could be behind this. "Richard Osaka."