Chapter 228 - The Islet Mystery 44

Hayri almost fell to the side and hit his head on the wall as the floor plummeted down in a vertical drop. He felt his mind shut for a moment, and the next thing he realized was that the floor transformed into a rectangular space and became a lift. His eyes got wide in shock as he held Chloe closer to himself in a protective pose, only to realize later that all the while, Ryan was holding them.

The lift stopped and opened to a room filled with musical instruments. In the middle was a sleek black, grand piano with an opened lid. The bench that was placed a bit away from the body of the piano and the music sheets dangling from the holder, indicated that someone had just been using it.

Ryan pulled out a chair for Hayri to sit down. The sharp glints of his eyes glaring at him were enough to tell Ryan that if only Chloe were not there, he would have smashed his face to the floor.

"What is this drama all about? Where is my family?" Hayri roared at him and refused to sit down.

Ryan acted as if he felt unthreatened by his provoked aura. He smiled and sat calmly at the piano bench. "I bring you here because we need to talk. I understand your anger, but I need you to calm down first and open your mind to what I'm going to say."

Realizing that he wouldn't gain anything in losing himself to anger, especially that he was on Ryan's territory, Hayri decided to play along. He sighed and walked forward to the chair and sat down, adjusting his hold at Chloe to a more comfortable position.

To Hayri's further annoyance, Ryan turned to the piano and positioned his fingers above the keyboard. Was this man crazy? Hayri was already dying to know the truth, but here was Ryan, toying with his emotion. Hayri was about to snap in anger, but he noticed the subtle shaking of Ryan's knees. He glanced at his face and saw tears trickling down his face as his fingers danced across the keyboard. 

In the next second, Ryan seemed to have lost himself into the full and rich sound of the beautiful music coming from the tips of his fingers. Hayri may have been gritting his teeth in anger, but as the soft music flowed, it pierced into his soul. There was only one conclusion to the message the music implied, Ryan was under stress. He was afraid, confused, and hurt.

"As the son of a father who served behind bars, I am expecting that of all the people surrounding me, it is you who can understand me better," said Ryan as soon as he ended his piece. When Hayri did not reply, he continued.

"I love music. It is the only way I can pour out my complicated emotions. I hired Andrew's band for a single purpose, to use him for my revenge. Do you still remember how I insisted on pushing him as the suspect?"

Hayri froze in hearing this when he recalled Chloe's loss during the cruise. "So it is you who did it on Chloe? Ryan, why?"

Anger seemed to swallow Hayri up at the thought of how he manipulated them into believing all his lies. Who would have thought that behind his cheerfulness and thoughtfulness, was a wolf ready to devour all of them?

"It is because of your sister who sold our secrets to the crocodile and your father, who drowned my father further to the vortex."

Hayri stared dumbfounded at the revelation. He couldn't believe that after the years of silence from the rest of the syndicate leaders, there was a plan brewing to crush them down. This was what he was too afraid of. This was why he was so against his father's plan to become a state witness. The day had finally come...

"Don't worry, Hayri. Because of your kindness, because of the special bond I witness in your family, I change my mind."

Hayri stared at him further, confused about what he really meant.

"Come with me first." Hayri heard Ryan spoke and saw him entering again the 'magic' lift that blew his mind a while ago. He followed him like a robot, having too many unanswered questions in his mind.

As soon as the door closed, the lift descended and stopped to another level below. Ryan stepped out ahead, and with Hayri following, they walked towards a room. Ryan then knocked on the door, but no one opened. Hayri wanted to ask who was inside, but his heartbeats were already drumming in his ears. He would have been less nervous if Chloe was not with him.

After a few minutes of waiting, Ryan picked up his bunch of keys and opened the door. The moment the door opened, Hayri's eyes widened in shock as the frightened screams from the group inside the room pierced into his ears. They huddled together in fear, and when Ryan turned on the light, their eyes flew wide before the ladies squealed, and Ryan broke into a broad smile.

"Hayri! Ryan!" came the shrieks of Cherry and Jane as they rushed to hug Ryan and Hayri. Hayri hesitated because he still did not know what Ryan's real motive behind all these.

"What's happening? I thought we would already die after being suctioned into the whirlpool. The drop was too high, and I even feel that maybe, it was how those who jump in the  'Leap of Faith' feel."

The Leap of Faith is a waterslide in Atlantis The Palm, Dubai, which offers a daring and adventurous almost-vertical drop. This 60-foot body slide propels riders at tremendous speed through a clear acrylic tunnel submerged in a lagoon filled with amazing marine life.

Ryan laughed and tossed his head backward before he replied. "But you have not propelled into a shark-filled lagoon but the underground level of my house."

They looked at each other as they began to put the pieces together. They realized that everything Ryan showed in front of his father was just a deception. As to the reason why he chose them over his father remained a mystery. Nevertheless, they were so grateful at how their fate turned into another way around.

"Ryan, do you also keep the three?" Jane dared to ask after her nerves calmed down. She meant Allie, Ajie, and Shiela. When they found out about Allie and Ajie's loss, they did not mind Shiela at all because they knew that Ryan was so extra careful of her.

"Yes, Ry. All this time, I am thinking if Shiela is with you. What happened was too fast, but I just assured myself that surely, you could not wander your eyes away from her."

Ryan's face dropped. "I hope so. However, I can no longer connect my call to the one I assigned for them. I just hoped daddy did not get them ahead of me."

Their overwhelming joy suddenly burst out into a pang of fear and worries. They were glad they were safe, but the uncertainties of the safety of the three dissolved their momentary happiness like fleeting bubbles.