Never Judge

Ian chuckled as he passed his phone over to Guan Ming, he had been watching a livestream set up by an independent reporter.

"You're doing?" Guan Ming asked as he looked curiously at Wu Jun and Han Ai who were still struggling to get past the reporters crowding them.

It was clear from Han Ai's expression that she was about to explode.

"Things are about to get much worse." Eric chuckled as he, Francesca, and Ram rejoined the group.

"What do you mean?" Katerina asked as Eric kissed her on the forehead and pulled her onto his lap, making her squeal in surprise.

She glared at him to let go, but Eric didn't care. He knew the reporters wouldn't even glance at their direction when an even bigger story was unfolding itself outside.

"Han Ai is a very popular performer, she has sung many times." Eric grinned victoriously as he watched Katerina smile.

"They will call you non-stop for a comment." Ram reminded Eric as he rolled his eyes, knowing that they would also be calling Ram.

"And I won't answer any of their calls." Eric shrugged.

"Did you release the information on Wu Jun?" Guan Ming asked as he recalled that Ian had left to settle things on that end.

"Not yet, no, let Han Ai have tonight." Ian's lips curled to show a malicious smile. "Tomorrow, they will wake up wishing they had gotten on that plane."

"What plane?" Cedric asked as he glanced at Ian.

"I offered him a ride home together with my threat if he helped Han Ai. He didn't help Han Ai, but he didn't accept the plane tickets, probably because they were economy." Ian chuckled as he imagined Wu Jun's shock the next day.

"We should go." Cedric said as he rose from his seat and offered Adrianna his hand to help her get up.

"It's still early." His wife said with a pout, but she still stood up with him.

"The fun part is over." Cedric told his wife. "Plus both you and the kids could do with some rest." He nodded at the sleepy figure that sat on the chair.

The twins had long fallen asleep and were being watched over by two nannies and several bodyguards.

"Oh no, he'll throw a fit when we wake him." Adrianna said as she shook her head.

"I got him." Cedric told his wife as he picked Yoyo up in his arms. The young boy didn't complain as he made sure that his face was still covered with his mask.

"We'll speak tonight." Ian said with a nod as Cedric and his family left.

The rest of their group stayed till the end of the program before leaving.

When Ian, Nicole, and Tristan finally made it back to Cedric's Mountain View Mansion where they were staying for the time being, Nicole surprised Ian by telling his driver and guards to leave.

They were silently seated in the car with only Tristan's soft snores being heard.

"What are you keeping from me?" Nicole asked, her tone was steady and didn't show hints of anger or worry. But Ian knew better, he knew she was trying to cover up whatever she felt.

"Dangerous things." Ian admitted. He might not want to tell her what exactly he was doing, but he also didn't plan on completely lying to her.

"How dangerous?" Nicole asked as she bit her lower lip, anxious to find out.

"You know that there is always a reason for my actions." Ian said as he avoided answering her question. Even though he didn't know exactly how dangerous what he was actually doing, all he knew was that the Rajas had means to make things difficult for him if he were caught.

Nicole looked down at their son as she gently stroked his hair.

"I'm doing this for him and for the other kids. I want what Cedric wants for them, a world where they wouldn't need to fear the monsters we couldn't deal with." Ian explained as he took Nicole's free hand and held it tightly.

"Cedric is crazy." Nicole hissed, she was vocal about not agreeing with Cedric on most of his plans. A lot of them were dangerous and risked too many people.

"Not really, he gets the job done." Ian said with a shrug. He understood the way Cedric attacked a problem and came up with a solution. "This is for them." Ian said as he placed his hand on Nicole's belly, she was due in a few months.

"Promise me you'll warn me if things get too dangerous." Nicole said as she looked down at his hand. "Promise me you'll get out before there is a risk of me losing you."

"Yes." Ian lied.

Nicole nodded as she moved to step out of the car carrying Tristan.

Ian was quick to take the little boy from her as he shook his head not wanting to start a fight by scolding her.

When they walked in the front door, Ian glanced at Cedric's office.

"I'll join you upstairs in a bit." Ian said as he kissed Nicole on the lips and handed Tristan to one of his bodyguards.

Nicole nodded as she wordlessly walked up the stairs, with the bodyguard close behind carrying Tristan in his arms.

Ian wasn't sure if Cedric was still up, but knowing his friend, the man was probably going over every plan they had formulated.

He knocked on the door before pushing it open.

As he expected, he found Cedric hunched over his laptop with a cup of coffee.

"Let's make this quick before both our wives have our heads for working too much." Cedric told Ian as he waved his friend over.

"You know?" Ian asked as he pulled a chair closer to Cedric's desk.

"Congratulations on your marriage, even if your wife has no idea." Cedric laughed as he kept his eyes on his laptop.

"I'll tell her in time." Ian muttered under his breath, making Cedric laugh.

"I'll make sure to take everyone as far away as possible when she finds out." Cedric said as he turned his laptop around showing Ian details of the new complex plan he had come up with.