Chapter 6: Aunt Paula

Tears brimmed in Nora's eyes. She curled her lip in a scornful smile. "You hit the Campbell Corporation's eldest son and wound up in prison. Did you ever think about us?" Luciano's voice shook. "What… what happened to you?" "After Hugo Campbell got out of the hospital, he had his men rough us up. Then my dad lost his job, someone scammed him out of our savings, and when he was desperate, he fell for another scam, which left him buried in debt. The money we'd saved for a house was gone. We lost everything. Crushed by the debt, he chose to take his own life." "The second my dad stepped off the rooftop, the person he most wanted to see before he died was you. You promised him that once you got into college, you'd come back after you graduated and protect our family for the rest of your life. But when it all fell apart, where were you? My mom went to the prison to find you. They couldn't even find your name. We even thought you died in a car crash. Luciano, you bastard! Our family raised you all these years. What did you ever do? You made my dad die without peace!" Boom! Nora's words made Luciano's head ring.  He trembled, realizing tragedy had come crashing down because of him.  Regret clawed at him. Hatred for himself roared up. He clenched his fists. His breath grew ragged. His knuckles popped, and his eyes went bloodshot. "I'm sorry." At last, his fury spent itself. He stared, hollow-eyed. Thud! He dropped to his knees, hard, facing Roger Powell's black-and-white portrait. Head bowed, Luciano asked in a trembling voice, "Uncle Roger owed money. Was there no other way? Why choose to take his own life?" Holding back tears, Nora let out a cold laugh. "A way out? You mean, go to your wife? When we had nowhere to go, we did think of asking the Holmes family for help. In my mom's view, we were in-laws after all. How did they treat us? My mom begged them again and again. She almost knelt in front of Marilyn Holmes's mother. However, they kept their distance, acted superior, and never helped us. Sure, we shouldn't demand anything of others. But your mother-in-law never should have called the men in our family useless. My dad was already depressed. He couldn't bear to see my mom humiliated. A year ago, he jumped off the building." At that, Nora's tears burst free, streaming down her cheeks. "Now you know why I don't want to know you? You're not fit to be my cousin." "I…" Luciano's chest clogged. He struggled to breathe. "Don't say a word." Nora's tears pattered on the floor. Nora sprang like a furious leopard and shoved Luciano with her palm. Her voice tore out. "Get out! You don't deserve to stand here. Why did you come back? Get out!" Her nails bit into his forearm. Blood beaded up fast. Luciano said nothing. He knew what he felt did not amount to a tenth of the pain shredding Nora's heart. "I… I'm sorry." Those words sounded pale and useless, but he had nothing else to give. He stayed kneeling like a statue, not moving at all. Ring, ring, ring! Just then, the phone rang. "Nora, someone smashed up the shop, and your mom's heart condition flared up!" Nora answered the call. The voice on the other end made her almost break down. A year ago, disaster ripped through their home, her father committed suicide, and the family fell apart. Her mother, Paula, chose to rebuild, taking the rest of their money to open a small diner. With Nora's help, the business was stable. They even managed to hire a staff. Still, Paula insisted on handling the diner. Nora worried about her heart and tried to forbid it, but her mother's stubbornness won out, and she kept stopping by every few days. The caller was the female staff member Nora had hired to mind the shop. If it hadn't been urgent, she would never have said it like that. "What happened?" Luciano's gut lurched, but the voice on the phone was too faint for him to catch. Nora didn't answer. Reeling from the blow, she stumbled out the door. Afraid something would happen to her, Luciano rushed after her. On the street, Nora flagged down a taxi. Luciano moved to get in, and she shoved him back, hard. Cooper had been waiting outside. Seeing that, he jumped out of his car. "Mr. Griffith, what's..." Luciano shot him a glance and cut to it, sliding into the seat. "Follow that taxi." Cooper barked at his driver, "Follow that taxi!" The car sped forward. Brennan, who had seen them bolt from the apartment complex, piped up from the front with a snide twist of his mouth. "Hey, Mr. Luciano, just out of prison and already fighting. Did you scare your wife off?" "That's my cousin. Say one more word and I'll kill you." In a foul mood, Luciano glared at Brennan. The sudden menace rolling off Luciano made Brennan's heart jolt. He was used to strutting around, but for a moment, he went quiet. He stammered, "S-so what if she's your cousin. I have a cousin, too." "Shut up!" Cooper snapped as well. He had just lectured his son for ages. It looked like he didn't listen. Then Cooper turned to Luciano. "Mr. Griffith, did something happen?" "It's nothing. Don't worry about it," Luciano said. He had no mind for small talk. Cooper's driver handled the wheel with skill. They caught up with the taxi in no time. When Luciano reached the diner, the place lay in ruins, tables overturned, shards on the floor. The customers had long since fled. Nora crouched on the tiles, sobbing, "Mom, hold on! The ambulance is almost here!" On the floor lay a woman in her forties, plainly dressed, her brows faintly mirroring Nora's. Paula's face was chalk-white, her breathing was barely there, and she looked incredibly weak. Luciano hadn't expected his aunt to be so sick. He tamped down the killing rage in his chest and spoke to Nora in a soft voice. "Auntie's in bad shape. Listen to me. I'll guide you." Nora stared at him, stunned. "You… you have a way?" "I picked up some basics of medicine and first aid in prison. We can't wait. Let's try." His answer came out rough and vague, but time was against them.  Nora dared not hesitate and nodded at once. Luciano drew a slow breath. "Did Auntie take her heart medication after the attack started?" A woman in her fifties sighed nearby. "I gave Paula a Cardiology Capsule, but it doesn't look like it's working." "Thank you," Luciano said, sending her a grateful look. Luckily, Paula took a Cardiology Capsule, or she might be even worse. He wasted no more time. "I'll say what to do, and you follow me step by step. Do exactly as I tell you."