Chapter 203 - The Islet Mystery 19

Ryan moved closer to Shiela, and he wrapped his arms around her, interlacing his fingers in her abdomen. He buried his face in her shoulder as he listened, finding it hard to conceal his emotion. Shiela no longer had to pretend; Ryan was no longer leaving any room for everyone to question the status of their relationship.

"What's happening with you?" she whispered as she turned and glared at him, earning themselves the attention of everyone.

Ryan fidgetted when he realized they were making a scene, and he apologized. "I'm so sorry. I am so emotionally weak that I get restless every time I hear a touching story."

"And you'll have Shiela's bones broken at the end of this sharing!" Cherry quickly commented with a concealed amusement, feeling thrilled at their display of affection.

Ryan laughed, and Shiela turned red. Seeing her discomfort, he drew her head towards him and pressed a kiss on her temple.

"Please, let's resume," Ryan then waved a hand for Ajie to continue, but he nudged Allie, instead.

Allie gave him a quick stare as she hesitated but eventually, she cleared her throat and started speaking. "I always admired the thoughtfulness and generosity of what I called Mr. Dioko. Who would ever think that the time will come that he would introduce himself as my biological father?"

"I was allowed entry to all of the secret chambers of the underground factory because the people there were mostly my neighbors and relatives. Not one of them would suspect an innocent child wandering around the premises since I was in elementary to gather pieces of secret information, and I grew up mastering the details of their dirty secrets."

"Every day, I witnessed the killings, the riots, and domestic violence this illegal company has brought about. What hurt me more was that the workers, as well as those ruined families, were all my friends and relatives. Every day, my conscience haunted me until I finally decided when my best friend, Dino, promised to take care of everything. If I didn't decide to put an end to this crime, how many more people this syndicate would affect? How many more children this drug will destroy?"

"I ran away to save my loved ones. I had to die in their knowledge,  in order for them to live. I left my parents, my husband, and my daughter, only to realize that I fell into the enemy's lair. While I was away, I worked for Hayri. He did not know I was the one he was hunting down for revenge..." Allie was already brushing her tears after she gave out the full picture of her experiences, including her engagement with Hayri.

Everyone brushed their tears with Allie, and Shiela, the ever noted cry baby, was already sobbing in the arms of Ryan. More than anyone else, she could relate the most to her story because, in a way, this same syndicate and conspiracy connected them. She admired Allie for being so brave, and she thought she needed her strength to be able to overcome her fear.

When everyone calmed down, Mr. Dioko raised his voice to continue the story. "I was on the brink of bankruptcy when I asked help from my closest business partner, Mr. Rivera. He offered me great financial support until my business stabilized again. I thought I would be paying them back, but one day, a certain Mr.& Mrs. Te came to see me."

Shiela got startled, and she felt Ryan stiffening in discomfort also. Mr.& Mrs. Te was the parents of Ryan Paul Te, whose photo in the news article showed as Ryan Neil Yu. Why did Ryan use a different name? This question troubled her again, but Mr. Dioko's voice disrupted it.

"They told us that they owned the money and not Mr. Rivera. They said they would be using the basement of my factories and make it into a drug lab. I refused, but their answer was simple, they would require my son's life. And they were not kidding when they said it; they even showed an example of shooting me on my shoulder. A few hours after, the news came to me that a gunman tried to kill Hayri by shooting him in the same location as mine. I understood then it was their warning."

Mr. Lopez got horrified, and he sprang in his feet in utter shock."Dioko boy, you never told me about this. Why didn't you approach me? I wouldn't be this successful if it weren't because of you."

Mr. Dioko smiled sadly, and he tapped Mr. Angelo's shoulders to show his gratitude. Then, he answered, "I also want you out of this. You are precious to me."

Mr. Lopez suddenly cried in his anger and pity at the thought that Mr. Dioko had to endure this ordeal alone. They were good friends, and he felt too hurt that he was not there for him when he supposedly needed him the most. 

They all sniffed in their tears as they saw how the tough image of AJ&J Builders cried. Mrs. Lopez hugged her until his sobbing ebbed down. Then, Mr. Dioko continued.

"To compensate for my sins in conceding to their plans, I multiplied my charitable activities. I want my son more than my life. To spare him from this evil world, though I explained to him the real situation, I grew businesses in foreign lands in his name, including Gretel Shipping Lines, under the management of my friend, Gregorio. What's under my name were only those factories tarnished by those illegal movements."

"I placed Hayri away from this as much as possible. This shouldn't be his world. I wanted to see this day where he is making his name in a clean, business industry."

This declaration of a father's love moved everyone's heart, including Ryan. His father was no longer a human with feelings. Greed and desire for more fame and riches dominated in his system and those prison bars did nothing to change his heart. Though Mr. Dioko was his target for revenge, he couldn't help but see the difference in their personalities. And even if a sense of admiration sprang now in his heart, he should not allow this to rule his emotion.