Never Judge



"You have the real information on him! Now go do your fucking jobs!" Al heard his father's voice echo through the hall as Ian walked him towards the elevator. 

Ray had dismissed him and asked Ian to make sure that his son ate his dinner and went to bed. 

"Don't worry, Uncle Ian, I understand." Al said with a nod. 

He was sure that his Uncle would be worried that Ray's image would diminish in front of the young man. But Al understood, it seemed that his father's men didn't anticipate the urgency of the matter.

Add to it the fact that they had clearly missed out something big in their investigation.

The next day, when Al woke up, he moved quickly.

He was very excited to speak to Cara. 

In all honesty, he wanted his friend to be free, but he had to consider other factors. If it had just been on their friendship and on Al's feelings towards her, Cara would have long been released.

"Young Master, your father said you should have breakfast first before speaking to Miss Cara." One of the maids said as Al skipped happily through the hall.

"Alright." Al was in too good a mood to be distracted from his goal that day.

When Al arrived at the dinning room, he wasn't surprised to find his father in deep conversation with his mother.

Based on her expression, she wasn't too happy.

"Good Morning, Aldrich." His mom greeted him, making Al straighten his back and glance at his father.

The only time his mother addressed him as Aldrich was whenever he was in trouble, and clearly he was in trouble now.

Ray gave his son a sad smile and gestured for him to sit next to Ray.

"Good morning Mom, Dad." Al nodded as a maid served Al's favorite breakfast food before him. 

Something was off and Al couldn't put his finger on it.

"Your mom found out about last night." Ray sighed as soon as the maid was out of range.

"I told you Raymond Lawrence, your son is too young for this!" Ayanna Lawrence hissed, taking care not to wake the whole house up. "I understand showing him the inner workings of the Mafia and Gangs, but making him maim and torture another person!" 

"Mom! Dad didn't make me do anything!" Al said as he defended his father. "He told me that if I couldn't do it, I could say no at any time." 

"Son." Ayanna said as she looked her son in the eyes. "The fact that your father even thought you were old enough to even watch the torture of another person is already too much."

"Mom, I don't need you to keep treating me like a child." Al argued.

"But you still are. You're fifteen, Al. You are supposed to be enjoying your childhood and teenage years, not being groomed by your own father to be a merciless killer." Ayanna hissed as she glared at her husband.

"Mom, I'm old enough!" Al raised his voice.

"No you are not!" Ayanna answered her son in a stern tone.

"Enough!" Ray said, slamming his hand on the table, silencing both mother and son. "It's done, Ayanna, we cannot turn back time and I'm sorry I didn't consult you on this darling."

Ayanna said nothing as she glared at her husband. 

"The truth to the matter is, Al needs to know these things, he cannot keep following the path we set when he was a child. He needs to be ready." Ray told his wife.

"Next time, at least tell me about it." Ayanna said, dropping the matter. 

Al smiled at his father as he returned his attention to the breakfast that was served before him.

It wasn't long till Eric came downstairs followed by his mother. It seemed Al's aunt Katerina had stayed in her room in the mansion.

"Good morning, Ray, Ayanna, Al." Katerina greeted as she and her son joined them at the table. "I see you're done fighting your husband." She teased Ayanna who simply glared at her.

Al wasn't surprised that Katerina was aware of what was happening in the household. 

She was Ray's lawyer for both his legal and illegal affairs. 

It wasn't publicly known, but as far as checking all the contracts and deals went, it was his aunt Kat that saw to them.

"Are you coming with me to talk to Cara, Eric?" Al asked as he shifted the topic. He knew that his mom would not be too happy to discuss the argument.

"Yes, let's go, I'll eat after we get Cara down." Eric told Al with a nod.

Al quickly finished his food and stood up to join Eric. 

"Al!" Ayanna called out before her son and his cousin could leave the room.

"Yes mom?" Al asked as he turned and smiled.

"Don't forget, she's just a girl. She thinks with her emotions right now." Ayanna reminded him before letting Al and Eric rush off to speak with Cara.

Al and Eric were running up the stairs when they bumped into Cara's father, Peter Jao.

"Woah, in a rush for something boys?" Peter teased them, making Al smile. 

"We're off to talk to Cara. Do you think she will take the news well?" Al asked, eager to hear good news.

"I think it will not be as bad as the past few days. Anyway, good luck." Peter told Al, not keeping them any longer.

When they reached Cara's room, Al paused and took a deep breath.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Eric asked his cousin, genuinely concerned if Al was ready to speak to Cara again.

"I'm sure." Al said with a nod. "I just need to gather my composure." He said with a wink.

He didn't want Cara to think he was desperate for a good outcome.

"You know, all you have to do is to be honest. I'm sure if you start telling her the truth things will be much better." Eric told his cousin.

"In our world, the truth is more dangerous than lies." Al sighed as he knocked on the door, waiting for Cara to invite them in.