Never Judge

"Did you follow the boy's advice or did you finally listen to your sister?" Cedric teased. He knew that if Alexi followed any of the boy's advice it would surely end in disaster.

"I followed everything Katerina told me to do. I was the opposite of my usual self." Alexi said as he placed his head in his hands.

"Alexi it doesn't work that fast. You need to wear her down." Miguel said as he refilled Alexi's glass. "Look at me, I waited years for my chance. And -"

"And you still haven't gotten any!" Eric shouted and laughed at his younger brother.

"Love takes time." Miguel said, turning his back on Eric.

"Just keep at it Alexi." Cedric told Alexi. "I think I might be the most qualified here to tell you about love." Cedric said with a laugh.

"Let's talk about something else." Alexi said waving his hand in the air, as if swiping the conversation away.

"Cedric, you seemed bothered." Eric pointed out. "Is it the rumors?"

"What rumors?" Miguel said, leaning forward to hear his friend better.

"A photo was snapped of Adrianna getting into Cedric's car." Ram explained.

"How is that supposed to spark a rumor? You're husband and wife, it's only natural for you to take the same car!" Alexi said quite loudly.

"Idiot! It wasn't one of Cedric's low key cars. It was the Rolls Royce Ghost. The one everyone knows to be the Reyes Heir's car. Plus you gave them special identifiable plates, so people know not to mess with the people in the car." Ram explained to Alexi.

"No, that's a normal issue." Cedric said. For a moment he hesitated if he should tell his friends, it was a personal problem, not something he should normally share. "I think my dad has a mistress." Cedric finally said with a sigh. He might as well tell them, they were practically family to him.

"WHAT!" The boys all shouted in surprise, they all sat up in shock to the news Cedric had just shared.

"My dad has a house in the suburbs. It's not the usual mansion or investment that he would normally purchase, rather it's a simple home, a small one that is only occupied whenever my mom is out of town and when my dad visits." Cedric explained.

"How are you sure that it's a mistress that lives there?" Miguel asked.

"She doesn't live there, she always arrives when mom leaves." Cedric explained with a frown.

"Have you found out who it is and for who long their relationship has been going on?" Alexi asked Cedric.

"We can't figure out who it is. I think your dad is helping him cover it up. I've already asked for Capt. Damien's help and we still didn't find any information out." Cedric recalled what Ian had told him. "As for how long there isn't anyway for me to find out. Dad and Mom have always seemed so in love. I was very shocked when I discovered the house, he was acting very suspiciously when mom first stated to have troubles in Clarin Industries. I don't know if there was any relationship prior to that." Cedric said with a sigh.

"Have you told Ayanna?" Ray asked, clearly concerned about how his wife would react.

"No. I don't want to tell her until I know for sure." Cedric explained.

"Auntie and Uncle have always seemed so in love. I'm so shocked." Eric said in a stunned state.

"Do you need help?" Alexi asked. "I can mobilize my resources without dad finding out."

"Would your resources beat your dad's?" Cedric asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, no. Of course not. How could any of us beat our dads." Alexi said in a disheartened tone.

"But Cedric, Auntie and Uncle, I cannot believe it." Ram said, shaking his head.

Cedric took a deep breath and sighed. He didn't even understand it himself.

"Do you think auntie knows?" Ram asked as he took another gulp of his drink. Growing up, Ram and Veronica had always been left at the Reyes home to play with the siblings, he naturally thought of Priscilla and Emilio Reyes as his second parents.

"I don't think so. She just left for the head office of Clarin Industries this morning. She didn't seem bothered by anything aside from work." Cedric told his friends.

The boys continued to drink in silence thinking of their own worries and problems with every glass they downed. Soon enough all of them were no longer able to walk straight, even Alexi who was considered the strongest drinker among them.

Luckily Cedric still remembered to call for a driver and put on his disguise as they went down to leave.

As they walked across the dance floor, a familiar woman jumped and hugged Cedric, shocking all of his companions.

Cedric's first reaction was to shove the woman who was caught by Alexi.

"Eeeewww. You're that playboy politician!" The woman said as she pushed herself away from Alexi.

"Cedric, who is this?" Alexi asked as he stared at the woman suspiciously. Something about her seemed extremely familiar to him.

When Cedric realized who it was he grabbed Selina by the arm and began looking around for her brother.

"What is your brother's name?" Cedric asked in cold and intimidating tone.

"Helios, his name is Helios. Such an odd name right. My mom and dad are such nerds!" Selina laughed.

Just as Cedric was about to ask a waiter to look for Helios the young man ran up to them with a worried expression.

"Mr. Reyes, I'm sorry about my sister. She kept going on and on about how you are the same person as the guy she helped earlier. She's crazy. I told her you would never go to such a palace and if you did everyone would have known." Helios said as he tried to catch his breath.

"What guy?" Alexi asked from behind Selina.

"Ah, Congressman Sebastian. Errrr. My sister said she saved a man being bullied by a social climber at lunch today. She kept insisting that he and Mr. Reyes are the same person." Helios explained. "I swear sir, my sister is normally a level minded person. As a matter of fact she graduated at that top of her class in Madrid and went on to establish her own business. She just returned from New York this year and is moving her headquarters locally. She's just stressed."

"It's no worry." Cedric said in an attempt to calm the brother down. "No harm done. She's just probably confused." Cedric said as he left.

The other boys quickly followed him out. When they were finally outside Alexi decided to ask Cedric the question that had been nagging him since they met the girl.

"What's your relationship with her?" Alexi asked in a serious tone.

"None. She saved me as Cedric earlier. Lorisa and Anton were trying to get me to pay for a fake dress. She stepped in." Cedric explained. "Do you know her?" Cedric asked, he was wondering why his friend that was supposedly in love with another woman was asking about someone from the bar.

"She's Nurse Jen's long time love." Alexi said bitterly. "Nurse Jen followed her around the world trying to convert her, but Selina rejected Jen again and again. She broke Jen's heart which resulted in her coming home and eventually working for Miguel."

"Then you should thank her." Cedric said with a grin as he got into the passenger seat of his car.