Michael watched his sister sleep for a few more moments, the feeling of helplessness in him rapidly taking the form of intense rage and spite against the Grey Family that had abandoned them in their time of need. With a controlled exhale, Michael dropped the bottle on the bedside table and crossed to the door of the room with a few long strides. He gave Ariana one wishful look before closing the door behind him.
His father who had been waiting outside the room, stood up straight to look him in the eye steely and Michael's face hardened into an imperceptible frown.
'Here we go again...' he thought.
"Where did you get that medicine?" William asked in a quiet yet stern tone.
Michael leveled his father with a dry look. "You really want me to answer that?"
The older man sighed exasperatingly. "Fine. Let me rephrase: how did you get the money to pay for that medicine?"
"I got a job," was his reply as Michael started making his way back to the door of his room.
"I know where you work son," William replied in a very flat tone. "Vito's is a restaurant. They're not going to pay you enough to buy an eight thousand dollar drug in a month!"
His son shrugged lightly and placed a hand on the door knob. "I got another job."
William's larger hand closed around that of his son slowly and the young man turned to look his father in the eye. Instead of the anger and frustration that would normally be present in any other parent at the blatant disregard from their child, all Michael saw in his father's eyes were weariness. Weariness and nothing but pure concern for the well-being of his son. This was not the face of a man who was going to look a gift horse in the mouth. It was the face of a man who had been beaten down by his friends, family and life itself consistently, and had refused to give up, for the sake of his children.
The expression on Michael's face softened just the slightest bit, a very poor reflection of the admiration swelling in his heart for the man in front of him. He placed his other hand around that of his father and gave him a tiny smile.
"I'll be fine Dad. Don't worry about it," he said and disappeared back into the solitude of his room.
Behind the door, Michael waited for a few seconds until he heard the fading foot steps of his father leaving the hallway. He sighed and walked over to his bed, pausing at his desk to check an email sent by one of his college classmates. He didn't bother checking the sender and just archived the message. There weren't a lot of people who knew or gave a damn about him in school anyways.
Another flash of anger surged through Michael as he remembered the encounter he had with his cousin just hours earlier. Mentally he berated himself for having acted out so emotionally. He should have known that a member of the powerful Grey Family would have impressive martial arts skills amongst many other things.
His hand came up to touch his chest where he could still feel the pain from the kick. There were rumors of rich and influential youngsters engaging in body modification to enhance their physical capabilities. Maybe there was some truth in those stories, considering how unnaturally strong Victor had seemed during their brief exchange.
Suddenly Michael froze.
'That smug bastard had said that he had some sort of business here, hadn't he? As a second generation member of the Grey Family, the only way he would be moving around without an escort would be if whatever he was doing here would likely bring problems for Grandfather...'
The southern sector of Whitewood City where Michael and his family lived was the least developed in the entire city. Most of the illegal activities in the province tended to occur around this area. Whatever Victor was willing to hide from Grandfather was surely going to be something that would damage the Grey Family's reputation.
Without wasting another moment, Michael grabbed his jacket and the video recorder that hung on a nearby rack on his wall. He lifted the glass panel in his window and slipped out, using a hidden retractable ladder that he affixed to his room's window years ago to climb down and sneak away from the house.
In the society he lived in now, the Grey Family was basically untouchable thanks to their nigh all-encompassing wealth and sphere of influence. But such high status brought with it equally high risks of scandals that would be very damaging. If there was even the slightest chance that he could expose one of the heirs to the Grey Family's fortune engaged in illegal activity, Michael was willing to do whatever it would take. He would show that old man that called himself his Grandfather just how much of a Grey he truly was.