Draw a Blank

3. Coincidence

It's still chilly at night at the start of this summer. The remnants of the snowflakes quickly melted under the sun, but the coldness evaporated through the ground and flew into the air. Whoever felt this cold, would immediately slip into their thick blankets and fall asleep. But at the Glourham Mansion nestled in the depths of the West District's forest, night activities were still tight.

Sitting in a work chair with soft and plush fabric, Luken Vaughan glanced once more at the documents on his desk. He wore three layers of formal business attire. Between the heating flames, he still felt cold, so he allowed his mouth to take a sip of the expensive cigar.

An informant stood at his desk saying, "Allen Walker is noted to be working as a barista at a coffee shop called Kembang Pesta in the Southern District. He's been working there for three years."

The smoke from the cigar billowed in the air as the stick was removed from the mouth, but Luken still didn't say anything.

The informant again said, "I can't say for sure what Allen Walker has to do with the auction. But surveillance camera footage caught him and two other people coming out of a compartment in the hotel warehouse."

"You said his father's name was Rayyan Walker?" Luken asked another question.

"Yes, Rayyan Walker was a millionaire who owned a martial arts club a few years ago before his death. The club was called Studio Walker and it was closed a long time ago."

Studio Walker was a famous martial arts club ten years ago and has spawned many of the best boxing athletes who made the country proud. However, this club just collapsed since the owner tragically died at the club with his wife. According to the news, they left behind a very young son, but no one knows where he is after that.

So the little boy the family left behind was this Alen Walker?

"He's not part of the Night Owl?"

"No, sir."

Luken's brow furrowed. He still wondered what Allen's purpose at the auction was, and was Allen really after his life? This informant has been working for almost a full week and he still hasn't found any leads.

If it was true that the boy was after Luken, there must be someone behind all of this. Even though Nick said the boy looked innocent by the looks of it and couldn't possibly have a trace of blood, Luken didn't really think so. Maybe someone did push Allen to cut Luken down that night or maybe he was under threat.

Luken couldn't take this lightly, especially in today's cruel times. Rabbits can even turn into lions if they are cornered.

In the past Luken had too many enemies and had experienced many attempted assassination methods up to this point. Anything can happen, as well as the arrival of Allen Walker, whose information is still unclear.

"... Investigate Allen Walker's financial situation."

"Yes?"

"Investigate all the smallest possibilities you can come up with. I need to know what the purpose of attacking me is before someone behind the scenes shows up and realizes he failed to kill me."

Then, Luken chased the informant away. Inside his warm and cool room, all his adrenaline was racing and he felt a bit of an unusual suffocation. Just by hearing that person's name again, he had a suffocating feeling, the kind of feeling that wasn't very comfortable to remember.

Currently, apart from documents containing Allen's information, on the table there were also several surveillance camera recordings that the informant had previously obtained. In the tape caught two other bell boy with Allen in the warehouse. They looked so good at avoiding the point of the camera that Luken couldn't see his face clearly.

With this, could the two people be involved? And was there really someone behind Allen who wanted his life?

However, whoever this person was, he must be strong. If he could conceal himself this well in a strict auction setting, moreover being able to access the blind area without being noticed, naturally he couldn't be underestimated.

Luken seemed to have to increase the vigilance of his men.

"So he's not awake yet?" Damian said at that time, as they arrived at the headquarters to discuss the auction loss and the cancellation of the contract with some of the loss-making goods investors.

All losses are borne by the Black Dragon, according to the terms of the agreement. Even though there were one or two groups whose names would be on the list of offsets, but the name Black Dragon would of course cost more than all of them.

The purpose of this weapon auction was practically aimed at certain investigations, apart from bringing together several groups of investors from several districts and countries, Black Dragon also wanted to find its enemy who was sleeping and deliberately baiting himself.

The guess was right.

At first, attacks were only carried out to deceive and innocent victims had to lose their lives. The Night Owl's name was immediately dragged to the forefront. In fact, the relationship between the two mafia groups has been very harmonious in the last five years.

"He's been in and out a few times. It's hard to say how he's doing, because at any moment he could become unstable." Nick looks at his computer and displays an article about surgery for a patient with a leaky stomach.

"Man, he can just live it's a miracle." Damian shook his head in amazement.

Of course what he said was true. Allen had suffered very severe injuries. He had to undergo several surgeries to repair every damaged organ. This afternoon, Nick even returned after waiting for Allen to undergo a third operation to fix his bad perforation problem. Not to mention the damage to other organs. If he wasn't disabled after he came to his senses later, it might be a miracle from a god.

Luken, who had been silent for so long, finally asked, "You're going back to the hospital?"

"I think, yes. Who else would accompany him there if not me?" Nick said half sarcastically.

Luke didn't answer.

"So, how is the development of the information you got? It's certain that he's just a victim, right?"

It was Damian who replied, "Even if he's innocent, what are you going to do to him? Keep him in this place? He'll probably report us all to the police before he can say thank you."

Nick declined to comment.

“That is if he is indeed proven innocent,” Damian continued. "What if he is after Luken's life or has something bad to destroy the Black Dragon?"

Finally, Nick, who had been busy looking at the dazzling white screen, got tired and turned around. "Black Dragon is not a children's organization. Just taking care of one enemy in its own cage, will it take a lot of energy? After all Puppy is injured, what could he possibly do?"

"Puppy?"

"I mean, yes, Allen Walker."

Nick had almost forgotten that the name Puppy was just something he'd picked up the day before. Surely the kid had a name, and it was Allen Walker. For his young and pure face, Nick did not expect that the child was already twenty-two years old. It's still young, but it's not enough to be called a child anymore.

Apart from Luken, even Nick and Damian knew when they heard the boy's last name, there was an uneasy history behind it. It relates to Luken and his buried past.

"I'm going back to the hospital," Nick said, packing his bag.

"It's late, I'll take you." Damian stood up, followed Nick who didn't care about him, and headed for the door.

"Tell me the progress."

Damian stopped when he heard the calm but meaningful words of the order. Without looking back, he chuckled, then pushed the door open again, chasing after his lover who had disappeared around the corner of the Glourham Mansion hallway.

Luken had not moved since the departure of his two trusted companions. Outside the mansion's courtyard, it was never deserted of guards and lights flashed everywhere as if there was a party going on. Luken took a thick cigar stick out of its silver case. At that moment, his memory was again disturbed by the presence of a name that stopped in his head and the cigar was gripped until it shattered even before it caught fire.

At the hospital the next morning, Nick gets word that Allen's condition is improving. He was still very weak, breathing with the help of a ventilator and several different tubes attached to his body. This time, Nick was able to sit by the bed in peace.

"Eat something a little."

Nick turned to the source of the voice, almost forgetting that Damian had been with him all night. Actually Nick had forbade it, but the man was as stubborn as ever.

The ICU room usually only allowed two visitors, but with Damian's power and strength, no one dared to stop him from entering.

"You have a lot of work and you are still here?" asked Nick tiredly.

"There have been a lot of people in the mansion since that incident. I can delegate tasks to anyone."

Damian Ackerley was an important top brass in Black Dragon, he was second only to Luken. Everyone knew he was very down-to-earth and frivolous, but everyone respected him as much as they did Luken.

"Then, will you come home with me?" Nick lifted his eyes to see Damian's smug and arrogant gaze, but there was a warm feeling that only he could feel.

Without answering, Damian's fingers stretched across Nick's tired pale cheeks. Di rubbed his thumb on the smooth skin, so the owner closed his eyes asking for more.

"You know what? This child is probably Rayyan Walker's biological son," Nick said lowly and weakly, closing his eyes.

"Mn."

"Once I found out, I couldn't just be indifferent."

Damian was reluctant to comment, but when Nick mentioned Rayyan's name, his eyes caught sight of a weak little mound lying soundly in the treatment ward.

"Do you think Luken would be merciful even though he's Rayyan's son?" He asked.

This question made Nick a little stunned. It wasn't at all wrong to assume that Luken even still had a grudge for that person. "But what's wrong with Allen between them? He's just a kid."

Indeed, Allen was just a kid ten years ago.

His coming into Luken's life was a strange coincidence, but Luken couldn't possibly be cruel to someone he wasn't involved with. Allen came at the wrong time. After Nick found out his identity too, he was a little worried for his safety, but on the other hand also questioned whether this kid was really that innocent.

“I don't have the courage to discuss this matter with him,” Damian said gloomily.

"I can take care of this kid if he doesn't want to."

Damian was shocked. "Luken may seem unconcerned, but you know, he must have a plan behind him. It might just be to get rid of this kid."

"Why does he need a plan? With his strength, he can do it any time, right?" Nick glanced at him. "Unless he has something holding him back from doing that."

"What are you trying to say?"

Nick didn't answer immediately and smiled mysteriously. He stepped away from Damian's touch, turning to Allen to fix his blanket even though it wasn't necessary.

"Damy, Luken is trying to rise up. So why don't we help him?"

After a while, Damian understood what this lover meant. "Are you crazy? You want to make this kid die?"

Nick looked at him strangely. "I told you if Luken wanted to do it, he would have done it from the start."

Damian fell silent, thought about it again and felt that it was quite reasonable.

"Besides, we still need this kid to know what his purpose was in attacking Luken that night." Nick stood up from his chair. "I don't think bringing him to the Black Dragon is bad."

The real fact of this unexpected event is that Allen is the son of Rayyan, who is the enemy that Black Dragon hates the most, especially Luken. Luken's relationship with that person in the past was very good, until finally a great tragedy occurred between the two and almost split the entirety of this great organization.

Even so, there is a slight facial resemblance between these two fathers and sons. They both had pretty pale faces, but of all the pale colors, their lips were a luscious red and with peach blossom eyes and a charming high bridge of nose.

"Rayyan is the person Luken hates the most." Damian tried to get Nick's idea out of his mind.

"Who knows? Have you ever read Luken's heart? He's very cold and hard to approach."

After all it was a vendetta a decade ago. Has Luken still not forgotten?

Nick glanced at Allen again, who was peacefully asleep not knowing that danger would come his way at any moment. Everyone loves beauty. Honestly, Nick really liked this kid's face from the first time he saw it. And that face seemed to attract someone to take good care of it.

"If this kid proves to be innocent, the losses will still have to be made up for by the Black Dragon, right?"

tbc.