We Are His Second Family

“The big problem I’ve been waiting for has finally come to my university.”

Cj is just sitting on his chair, massaging his temples due to the stressful news. In front of him are his cousins, Kristine, Andrea, Sean, and Ron.

He immediately called all of them right after he heard the commotion that occurred at the cafeteria.

What’s more stressful than that, the news reached him when it’s already done.

“Be careful what you wish for. You shouldn’t have waited for it,” said Ron.

“Even if I don’t do that, she will eventually come,” he finally looked up. “Lorenzo is still here. There’s no way Alexandra would leave this place alone. She’s like Lorenzo’s shadows. Wherever he is, she’s there…”

“According to you, she’s been bullying the students here, Commoners to be specific, turning them into her playmate,” Andrea said. “So why are you still accepting her then?”

“I need to stick to my false character, a Commoner. If I reject her enrollment, she would only be suspicious of me. Believe me, I wanted to do that. Badly."

“Oh?” Sean smirked as if he heard something amusing. “I thought it’s because you and she were a thing—”

“Let’s not mesmerize the mistakes I have done in my past, shall we?” Cj glared at him.

That made him more amused. The others only smirked at it. Even they want to tease Cj as well, however, now is not the right time.

“Why do you have to act as a Commoner?” Kristine asked while chin is resting on her palms. “I still can’t understand what you’re trying to do here. What’s your main objective?”

“I want to create a place where discrimination isn’t existing. School is a place of learning that’s why I decided to create this place,” he answered and sighed. “and yes, I know, that is not what’s happening now. Even I wasn’t expecting that reaching my goal could be this hard. I thought I would be able to do it in a snap of a finger. Mafias are trying to ruin my plan.”

“Of course, it would be hard. Even the war of differences lasted for almost a century! This university? How old this is anyway? Four? Five? Lee University has still a long way to go!”

He winced to that fact. “…If only I have the power as strong as mama’s and papa’s…they successfully promoted peace between the three worlds…”

“Wow…now that I’m seeing the university’s situation? I just realized what they did was really hard. Promoting peace in here is already this hard huh? What more to the world? Not one but three?” Kristine's eyes sparkled. “I can’t help but venerate them! How the hell did they do that? Why don’t you ask them, by the way? Ask for some advice!”

“I already did that. And they said it’s too impossible for now to do the same thing as what they did before.”

All of their brows furrowed deeply.

“Impossible? If those words came out from the founders' mouths then there’s no reason for this university to keep up!”

“It’s too impossible for now,” Cj repeated emphasizing the words ‘for now’. “I won’t be able to accomplish what I want to accomplish if the top tier world is in chaos.”

“Oh, right,” Ron nodded repeatedly, he finally understood what the founders are trying to say. “Mafia World is a big mess. People are becoming more rebellious as the day passes by. If the highest world is in chaos, the two worlds under it would be affected too—just like the situation now.”

“So the peace in this university will only be possible once the peace in the three words has finally come back?” Andrea asked with her blinking eyes. “Just by thinking of it, it sounds too impossible. It’s so hard to bring back everything from where it used to be. On top of that is auntie Rowena! She’s not going to come back, isn't she?"

Cj didn’t answer it. It would only make him more stressed.

“I didn’t know the problem in our world is as complicated as this…I only felt it when we were asked to leave Amare for our safety…” Kristine quietly said. It’s almost like she’s having a conversation with herself.

“It’s time to care for our world’s quandary. We are Lees, we can do something about this. We can’t just be in a daze and let the elders do their thing. They will eventually meet their limits just like what happened to mom.”

“That’s why we’re here…” Sean said, sounding unalive. He’s there against his will so the attitude is highly predictable. “Why is Lorenzo here anyway? He’s the reason why we’re here. If only he’s not so dedicated in learning no one will force us in studying here!”

“I doubt that guy is here to learn," Ron said. "Why is he here, Cj? Do you know anything about his agenda?"

“He’s looking for us,” Cj answered without looking at any of them.

“Huh?”

“He’s looking for Lees."

“Huh?!” the question marks beside their smart heads became bigger. Cj may have rephrased his answer, it’s still incomprehensible. “Looking? For us? But we’ve been walking in front of his eyes?”

“The Lees he’s looking for is different,” then he realized that explanation is more complicated. His eyes flicked up, thinking of a more comprehendible explanation. “Uh…same but different?”

“Elaborate!” Sean demanded.

“He’s mad at the Lees he’s looking for. That is why he’s here…to gather any information that could lead to them. However, I’m not giving him anything and I don’t think he’ll find the Lees he’s dying to meet.”

“Huh?!”

It’s not a surprise but a continuation of their confusion. The more Cj tries to explain the situation, the more he’s turning it into a complicated one. Does he even know that?

“Lorenzo is ignoring what his eyes have been seeing all this time. We are right in front of his eyes but he’s neglecting that idea because he once came from our family. He grew up with us,” he explained. "He sees the Lees—the family where we came from as also his family. We are his second family. Little did he know, we are also the ones he’s looking for.”

“What the fuck?” Sean cursed wearing his priceless reaction. “That’s that most complicated explanation I have ever heard in my entire life!”