The Black Swan Behind (Beauty of Fire)

134 A Grandmother’s Worries

“You’ve done more than enough. No wonder PB loves you so much. You’re the best grandmother a grandchild could ask for.” Emma gripped the wrinkly hand. “Hm.. The stew is delicious. No wonder PB likes it so much.”

“Oh.. Marcel doesn’t really like this stew. He prefers seafood soup to beef,” Lillian said.

Emma frowned, “Oh.. But I think I heard that this is your grandson’s favourite dish so you cook it every New Year’s Eve.”

Lilian nodded, but her face turned sad, “That’s my grandson’s favourite. But not Marcel. This stew is my first grandson’s favourite. His name is Jack. He is Marcel’s older brother.”

“Marcel has a brother? Doesn’t he live in Handway?” Emma asked with a slightly surprised face.

“My Jack doesn’t live here anymore. He already lives in a much nicer place, with his parents.” Lilian answered by pointing up.

Emma almost choked on the piece of carrot she was chewing, knowing what the old woman meant, “I.. I’m really sorry.” she stammered.

Lilian shook her head with a smile on her lips, “It’s okay. Even though they’re gone, they still live in our hearts.”

Emma knew how it felt to be left forever by the person she loved so much. When her mother died, Emma felt like her world was falling apart. It must be hard for PB and Lilian, having to lose that many family members. PB lost his father, mother, and older brother. Now, he had to live alone with his old grandmother.

.....

“I’m sorry, may I know what happened to your family? Was it an accident?” Emma asked carefully.

Lilian shook her head, “It wasn’t an accident, but a cruel fate.” she answered blankly at her half-full bowl of stew, “Marcel’s life has been very hard. His father died of an alcohol overdose, his mother died of cancer, and his brother ... was murdered.”

“Was.. murdered?” Emma’s eyes widened.

Lilian nodded slightly, “He was killed by a gangster who had colonized this street for years. That grandson of mine was trying to save this street from their colony. But that got him killed.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that, Ma’am,” Emma said with a sorry face, “Do the gangsters still rule this street now?”

“No. They’ve lost. The ones who beat them down were my two grandsons. And now, Marcel is the one running this street.” She explained.

“Marcel? How come?” Emma confused.

Lilian nodded, then began to narrate what had previously happened on Redvalley Street before it became the peaceful street it was now. She told the story of an evil group called Apollo who built the illegal business on Bluevalley Street. How that bastard group made all the citizens of Redvalley Street suffer. The condition of her family in the past, especially the suffering of her two grandsons who did not deserve to be experienced by children their age. How her grandsons sacrificed to save the citizens of Redvalley Street. She told her what she knew so far. Although, all she knew was actually only a fingernail from what had really happened.

“So.. PB’s job is to manage this street with his group?” Emma repeated thoughtfully. All of a sudden, all her memories related to that man came back.

Emma remembered the first time she met the man. PB seemed to be surrounded by several big men in all black who looked very obedient to him. Again, Emma remembered that PB was once called ‘Boss’ by the owner of the fried chicken tavern. Did it have another meaning, that PB was the leader of a gangster group?

“Eum.. Can I ask you something, Ma’am? I’m sorry if I’m presumptuous. But I see that PB seems quite affluent, then, why did he let your tavern looks so simple like this? Shouldn’t he at least give this place a renovation so that it can be like other taverns on this street?” Emma asked curiously.

“Oh...” Lilian chuckled, “Actually, Marcel has wanted to do that several times. But I don’t want to change the memories of this place. We’ve suffered a lot in the past, so I won’t be too complacent about what we have now.”

“Gosh.. I was thinking that it was PB who didn’t intend to do it,” Emma muttered, getting a laugh from Lilian.

Suddenly, a knock sounded on the shop door. Lilian immediately went to the sliding door and opened it. It turned out that there were two men and a middle-aged woman standing outside. Emma’s stew wasn’t finished yet, so she was still sitting at the dining table.

Lilian led her three guests into the tavern and closed the door to stop the cold outside air from entering inside. Emma could see that the faces of the three people looked unfriendly, as if they were having a problem.

“Oh.. Please sit down, I’ll get you a warm drink..”

“N-no need, Lilian.” The woman with curly hair prevented her from going to the kitchen. “Actually, we didn’t mean to be here long. We just wanted to have a little talk with you.” The woman continued uncomfortably.

Lilian looked confused because these people each owned a shop on Redvalley Street. They were quite close neighbours to her, “Okay. Is there anything I can help you with?”

One of the men in green knitted hats nodded, “Actually, we want to ask you a favour, Lilian. This is about Boss Marcel. Did you know that he tripled the deposit cost?” the man asked in an uneasy tone. However, he had no other choice but to complain to the old woman, who was the grandmother of the group leader who held the Redvalley Street.

“What?” Lillian looked surprised, “I didn’t know that. Why would Marcel do that thing?”

“That’s right, Lilian. Boss Marcel’s men said, the current conditions are not good. So he has to tighten the guard on this street which causes costs to increase. Actually, we understand it, but...” The curly-haired woman seemed confused as she continued her speech. Of the three of them, she was the one who usually chatted with Lilian the most.

“We objected to this. We already told Marcel. But, he said that if we don’t pay, then he will stop protecting this street. You know.. after Apollo made us suffer, we know that we need Marcel on guard. But in our opinion, he shouldn’t have to increase the rate that much. Seeing how luxurious he looks, we actually feel he can still help us a little bit.” The moustached man added.

“I’m sorry, Yohan. But I don’t understand what you mean. Are you saying that my grandson corrupted your money?” Lilian asked with a frown.

The three guests glanced at each other nervously. They did think that way. With their own eyes, they could see the expensive branded things that were always attached to Marcel Douglas’ body. His expensive luxury cars, even the smell of perfume that wafted from his body smelled expensive. Wasn’t it very clear that Marcel was using money extravagantly? He must have profited greatly from the job of running Redvalley Street.

“We are sorry Lilian. We really didn’t mean it like that. But you know how things are with the shopkeepers on this street. Even though our shop is often busy, we also have big family members. We talk to you because you are the only one who is always listened to by Marcel. We hope you would help us, Lilian. Just like we used to help you when your family was still struggling,” The moustached man added.

Lilian seemed to be playing with her fingers as an outlet for her troubled mood, “I will talk to him. Please, you can respect my guest who is eating.” Lilian said with a glance at Emma. Finally, the three people nodded and left her house.

Emma, ??who overheard all the commotion, felt uneasy. She didn’t like this kind of situation at all. Stuck in the middle of other people’s disputes, know nothing, and have no right to act. It felt so awkward.

“Sorry, you had to hear all that, Emma. I really feel bad for you.” Lilian said with a troubled face as she returned to the dining table.

Emma immediately shook her head, “Don’t mind it, Ma’am. I’m the one who apologized for coming at the wrong time.”

“No, Emma. I didn’t know there was a problem here either. Oh my.. Marcel. That kid... what the hell is going on with him?” The woman muttered to herself. She also noticed that her grandson had been so busy lately that he rarely came home.

After washing the dishes in the kitchen, Emma turned back to Lilian who looked busy with her cell phone at the dinner table, “Still no answer?” she asked.

Lilian shook her head, then took the delicate hand of the beautiful girl who was sitting beside her, “I’m sorry, Emma. You’re a guest here, but you did the dishes. I’m so embarrassed.”

“No need to be, Ma’am. I know you are busy thinking about PB now. Calm yourself. I believe everything will be fine,” Emma said, also worried because Lilian looked like a frustrated person.

Lilian placed her cell phone resignedly on the table, “I’m just afraid something bad might happen to my grandson. After all, he’s still young. He has a very tough job. A lot of people depend on him. I’m afraid he won’t know what to do.”

“It’s too quick to judge. But, from what I can see, from the way he talks and treats other people, Marcel is a pretty mature man. He can handle anything.” Emma said to calm the old woman down.