Noa's POV

"So, you both got married already?!" Raella exclaimed happily, giving me a hug, "I am so happy for you both!"

"Thanks, aunt," I replied, still flustered over what they caught us doing. "So, what brings you both here?"

"Oh, we just wanted to check up on Damiano here, but since you are here... he's in good hands."

"That's very kind of you, sir," I replied. "I am the one who is in good hands, rather."

"If that's the case, my wife and I have something to do, so..."

I looked at Damiano in shock. There was nothing to do...

"Right, sorry to disturb your... moment."

I turned red all over again. This was a joke to them, huh? I paused. I was acting unusual. The Noa I am never gets flustered. I get people flustered, not the other way around! I looked at Damiano, who had a smirk on his face. I returned a smile at him, then faced back at Raella and Jamson.

"So, when is the wedding?" they both asked.

"At the end of the year," Damiano and myself said it in unison. Jamson and Raella exchanged puzzled faces.

"You know, with the whole familial situation, we wouldn't want to begin planning while there are so many problems."

Jamson nodded. "Very well."

Damiano escorted Raella out and Jamson asked to speak with me privately. I ignored my rapid heartbeat and followed him. 

"I won't be long, but I just wanted to say," Jamson got straight to the point. "Please take care of him."

I widened my eyes, "You are not... dying, are you?"

"..."

Jamson fell silent for a moment, which told me that he was saying all these words because he might die soon - perhaps even before the wedding.

"You once suffered a stroke?" I asked.

"Twice."

"Sorry. But to have survived two strokes... that's incredible."

"But I don't think I can survive the third one."

"Is there another stroke?"

"I went to the doctor, and he said it's not looking good. He said there is a high risk that a third stroke could occur and I could die instantly."

I nodded. "If you don't mind me asking, who is your doctor?"

"Doctor Wayne Linkser."

"Thanks," I said. "But, does Damiano know?"

"Not yet. I have been singing the same death song for years now and nothing has happened. At this point, he might not even believe you."

"Perhaps you made him feel like you don't want to be alive for his sake."

He paused.

"I don't mean to be rude, but he also has feelings, though he doesn't show them. Perhaps, he has been scared too, but didn't want to show it."

He nodded, in fact, agreed with me. "Thanks Noa, guess I never saw it."

Which, is not average in-law experience according to me. It needs to start with some hatred - almost some familial enemies-to-lovers style. Jamson never had a problem with me from the beginning, but I found it strange as to how welcoming he is. No wonder him and Raella have been 'friends' for such a long time.

After our chat, I escorted Jamson out, and he hugged his son goodbye, got into the car and they drove away. I looked at Damiano, before pulling out my phone. 

"Princess?"

"Babe, could you please look up on Wayne Linkser?"

"The family doctor?" Damiano asked, surprised. "What did my Dad make you do?"

"Nothing, I just feel like something's wrong with this doctor."

He nodded. "I will send the guys to look it up."

"Thanks prince."

"Prince?"

"Hey, you call me princess, so?"

Selene's POV

Ramiro and I walked out of the opera, hand in hand, which I didn't mind for the first time. I guess my thoughts were all over the place. From the opera, to the self doubts, guess I really never went to operas for fear that they make me overcome my worst thoughts about myself.

"I'm sorry."

I looked at Ramiro, "What for?"

"I didn't mean for the opera to make you feel all those negative emotions-"

"I'm glad you brought me here," I interrupted, a smile on my face despite my reddened face. "I wouldn't have known how it feels like to have someone speak to you personally through music. So, thanks Ramiro."

Ramiro smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes as it always does. I rested my head on his shoulder as we walked to the side.

"I guess I just feel tired sometimes," I continued. "I sometimes wonder if the decisions I am making towards getting revenge are even worth it. Perhaps I really am playing with fire."

"Sel," he spoke softly. "I don't care how much negativity you have received all your life, but to me, you are worth more than that, always. I love how independent and strong you are, despite the challenges. Whenever Alaina tries to throw punches at you or your employees, you always stand up for them, no matter what."

I glanced up shortly to see a soft look on his face, which made me blush for the first time.

"And in all honesty, I love you for that."

We both stopped in our tracks.  Despite the busy parking lot, my feelings were putting me on a chokehold and I wasn't sure what my thoughts were leading me to. But one thing was sure.

I did what I did because I wanted to.

Closing the space between us, I pulled Ramiro by his tie and kissed him. As if he anticipated this, he brought me even closer, and I wrapped my hands around his neck, without caring as to how many people were watching us, in which applause and cheers could be heard from around us. After some time, we broke off and looked into each other's eyes.

"What are you doing to me, Selene?"

"I could ask you the same," I said, "You make me feel emotions I never knew existed in me before."

Just then, I saw a glimpse of Cybric Flash News Cars coming to where we were. Grabbing Ramiro by the hand, we ran to the car and hid inside for a while, hoping they don't catch sight of us. I looked through the rear view mirror before taking time to catch my breath. I chuckled, thinking about what just happened. It wasn't something I ever saw myself do in public, and sure I knew that our faces were soon going to be on the CFN but that didn't matter.

"Should I bring you to operas more often for me to get this?"

"Haha," I replied teasingly. "Let's go before CFN gets a photo of us in the car."

Just before then, one of the workers caught sight of us, and was about to send the whole horde to us when they got stopped and diverted their attention to another couple. Taking it as our opportunity to escape, the couple that was engulfed with the entire CFN was Damiano and Noa. They caught sight of us and gestured us to quickly drive off since they were going to keep them busy for a while.

Driving off, I pulled out my phone to see notifications from CFN about the marriage of Noa and Damiano, which came as a surprise to us as well. I knew it was bound to happen considering what happened in... a day.

"Just after that, I saw a message that came from Noa an hour ago."

Noa

Do you know Doctor Wayne Linkser?

I don't know, but the same sounds oddly familiar. I got Damiano to do some digging,

but let me know if you come across something.

I turned to Ramiro. "Do you know Doctor Wayne Linkser?"

Ramiro nodded, "Awarded as best doctor of Cybric for years now. But no one in Cybric, whether North or South lives a clean life, or at least, some I have seen and known."

"Mafia? Organ smuggler?"

"Organ smuggler," Ramiro replied. "He tends to say that there is no hope for the patient by simply making them get sick by giving them the wrong medication on purpose, lures the family into giving their family member's organs for 'the greater good' but in fact, sells them to underground doctors, who are part of the mafia."

I stared at Noa's message again.

"But the name sounds oddly familiar."

Indeed, Wayne Linkser sounded like a name I heard during phone calls. Phone calls regarding Alaina's health. It then clicked. Ramiro was right - it was only after they stopped using Wayne's services did Alaina's health return back to normal.

"So he deliberately ruins the health of his patients just so he can smuggle their organs," I muttered, glancing at Ramiro. "He used to be Alaina's doctor. Can scare him in the name of losing his medical license to gain more alliances on exposing the M family."

"And I know the right place we need to be."

"Tomorrow night at La Cybric Convention Centre."