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"I didn't work hard for nothing. I worked day and night, so my sons have the freedom to explore what they want and have opportunities to pursue them. You and Luke… were the reason I am who I am today. So don't be hard on yourself. Your old man got your back. Understand?"

Maynard smiled reassuringly at his son, patting Asher's back before leaning back comfortably. Meanwhile, Asher could only watch his father enjoy the wine straight from the bottle quietly. This wasn't the first time Maynard would utter such cheesy remarks.

Back then, Asher would find it utterly annoying. He thought Maynard was just being Maynard, careless, sometimes irresponsible, and simply jolly. Someone who would spew nonsense. But now Asher wanted to believe his father meant everything.

"How?" he blurted out under his breath, making Maynard's brows raise. Maynard was still chugging the wine with his eyes on Asher when Asher asked, "how can I get the freedom if I think it's not for me?"

"What do you mean, son?" Maynard hissed, swallowing the wine down his throat.

"What if the reasons you are you today aren't what they were?"

Maynard cocked his head to the side, confused. "You mean my sons wouldn't meet the expectations they believe I have for them? Haha. Son. Trust me. It's not that I don't have expectations from you guys, but more than the achievements you think that matter, what matters to me is that you live a life happier than yesterday."

"They said parents always force their dreams on their children." Maynard rested his feet over his leg, resting his arm over the back of the bench. "I agree with that. You know, Ash, your old man might seem greedy for power. But there was a time in my life that all I wanted was freedom to live my life on my own terms."

"If you think our Quinn family is strict, they were even more during my time. Perhaps that's because I am the only son. So, everyone's hope was on me." He smacked his lips, maintaining his cool as he recalled that time in the past. "I can't blame them, to be honest. Conrad kept telling me to not take things for granted and learn early, but I didn't listen to him. I've grown cocky and because I was stupid, I lost many things, and people — destroyed some lives as well. If only I listened to him, I would've understood early on that I can't have the best of both worlds. I had the chance to, though, but I took all those chances for granted."

"That is why I am pushing you guys to do whatever you guys want and what makes you happy. Though you have to keep in mind that freedom is a double-edged sword, especially if you used that freedom and privilege to wrong someone," he continued. "You'll eventually wake up from what blinds you, and realize how awful you've become."

"Don't be like me, Ash." Maynard shook his head mildly. "Don't take your father as an example. I am the most awful person, but I will take the gratitude for giving you such a luxurious life."

"Who said I ever look up to you as my role model?"

"What did you say?" Maynard nearly spat the wine that was already in his stomach.

"Why are you getting riled up? You just said we shouldn't look up to you because you're a bad person."

"I know, but what you said still stings!"

With that, their topic slowly shifted to another, with Maynard complaining about how his oldest son never once looked up at him. He would understand it if Asher's mind changed now that he was an adult, but he couldn't take it if Asher never aspired to be his father.

But then again, Maynard couldn't remember any memory where Asher expressed his admiration to his father. Luke was different and very sweet when he was a little kid, but now, he was just rebellious. Even so, the atmosphere between Asher and Maynard was warm.

Although Maynard's voice could be heard at the venue, Asher didn't mind. The latter somehow enjoyed the company of his father and Maynard's comforting words.

The question: what would happen if Maynard found out that Asher wasn't his son? Wasn't answered. Asher didn't dare to ask as well. However, the answer to that didn't matter at the moment. Asher simply wanted to cherish this moment of enlightenment, throwing the things that had been clouding his judgment at the back of his head to forget about them for a moment.

**********

[ Back to the Quinn Residence ]

Asher's graduation celebration went smoothly. After the incident with Mister Tong, no one spoke about it. However, everyone was cautious about what to say. Therefore, Asher had to face continuous praise and compliments when he and Maynard came back to the event. Fortunately, they didn't stay for long because Maynard drank quite a lot.

Asher was sitting quietly in the dark. Almost all the lights in his room were turned off. The only source of the light inside was the lamp on the side table of the bed. A subtle smile was dominating his face; he drank quite a few as well, thanks to his father. However, he was happy.

For some reason, he felt happy. Or rather, he was happy because he wasn't thinking about his parentage.

"Right… I should give her a call," he told himself, bending over to pick up the phone on the coffee table before him. Asher leaned back comfortably, wanting to give Cosette a brief call to make sure she got home safely. Even though she was with her father, he still wanted to make sure she got home. Also, he wanted to tell her something funny since they were friends.

However, just as Asher was about to call Cosette, his phone rang. His eyes fell on the unknown number on the screen, and all the smile lines plastered on his face faded. There was only one person who could call him with such a strange number.

Mister Devilsin.