This person is older than him but all of them treat each otehr like they were of the same age.

He can see that what she had just said ticked Timothy off and Xander as well.

"Don"t get too offended by what she had just said. That girl, she had lost her parents seven years ago. A month before we met her for the first time."

Everyone looked at him.

"Though their deaths weren"t simply just a tragic accident but instead it was a.s.sasination covered up to look like an accident."

Everyone"s eyes s.h.i.+fted, seeing this Ashton continued, "I understand that you hated your parents but for someone like her to hear such words when she herself have lost them."

"I think I"d support her words even more. What was the reason behind the abandonment? Was it really just as you have thought? Or was there a deeper reason behind it?"

"Let"s... just end this here. We came here to cheer you all up not to make a depressing atmosphere," this time it was Xander who chose to stop it.

The both of them have that thought as well. What was the real reason? Why were they abandoned?

But up to this day, after seventeen years, they still got no answer. Just the fact that their parents runaway from the duty of being a royal.

Running away that they didn"t even have the power to bring all their children.

"It seems I have made a mistake by making that remark. I suppose I should apologize? I"m really sorry for going out of line."

Just as the air became stiffling, Amber"s voice was heard.

When they looked at her, she had this apologetic smile that was very genuine.

"Why don"t you go and sit around the living room instead? I shall start fixing the dinning table," she then suggested as Aldger went straight to the living room with the cups and the coffee.

The air didn"t instantly lighten but it slowly did.

"I apologize for speaking in such a way in front of you," Timothy finally found his voice after Amber sat down for a good few minutes.

"Please don"t, I myself didn"t think much when I said those words. But please do understand, I would stand by my words. Hate the reason behind their disappearance."

Timothy just smiled and Amber returned it with a smile as well.

"That"s right, it was I who made our parents abandon you. So please stop hating them, please let them rest now."

She added in her mind and the light in her eyes have disappeared. Something only Ashton have noticed.

Amber was stunned when she felt a warm palm on top of her head. She looked up at him and jsut shook her head.

She had to face all these after all and for her the sooner the better. She"d rather face them now at least when she meet them the next time, it would hurt a little less than now.

Her heart is currently being squeezed, the moment she saw them and much more when she heard the hatred in their voices.

She actually thought she can face it head on with less pain, but no matter what, hearing and knowing are two different things.

The other five thought that Ashton was just comforting her due to her parents but the other three knew better.

"By the way, I have been wondering, why are you wearing a mask?"

Brian finally asked, this was something that have been bugging not just him but the ohers as well. Even Blake who asked this from the moment he met her again.

"Oh, that"s right."

Amber was prepared that they would surely ask about it so the glue removal have been with her.

After applying it, she pulled the mask down but it remained on the lower part of her face. So it still hid the lower half only showing the upper half that has a scar on it.

Depite being men, they couldn"t help but to gasp over the hideous scar that have covered half of her face.

"Was it too shocking? Well you need to be careful over the girls surrounding you. They can be too much of a jealous creature. Hurting others like it was nothing."

She commented upon seeing the look in their faces.

"When did you get it? We have heard from the others that you actually looked like a doll," Harvey commented as confusion filled his eyes.

A peculiar doll like girl was how the others described her.

"In our graduation party that we must attend, it so happens that a relations.h.i.+p ended and the girl said it was because of me."

She shrugged as if what she was talking about was not connected to her at all.

And seeing the nonchalant look on her face, they couldn"t bring themselves to have the feeling of pity towards her.

Instead they thought she was amazing to actually not have a single shred of hatred in her heart when talking about her face being disfigured due to some jealousy that was really not her fault.

Amber excused herself to the bathroom to re-apply the glue on the mask. As she press it back on her face, half of her face was disfigured.

But once seen as a whole, those who know very well of Patrick Price"s wife, would instantly see the resemblance.

That is why she didn"t show her face as a whole, for surely her brothers would recognize it. It may not be now but surely they will have some doubts.

The only Price outside of Price Empire was her after all. Nathalie Price.

"Wow, I don"t know how to describe what I just saw. She must be too strong," Mathew commented.

"She had always been, the moment I met her up to this point, she had been facing everything head on. She was a very strong person," Ashton replied.

"By the way, what"s your plan now?" Harvey looked at him seriously.

Ashton currently has a tarnished reputation in Celestial Country, from what he did ten years ago because of Madison and now because of Carl.

"For now I"ll step foot in the underworld. I will make sure that no one will use it to keep bending the laws. And the weapon company would prosper more over there compared to this place."

"Are you sure about this? I mean are all four of you sure of this?" Brian asked looking at him, Blake, Devon and Aldger.

"Don"t worry, atleast this time we have more idea of what we are going to face. Plus weapons were somehow something we really are fond of," Blake replied with a smile.

The other five could see it, that compared to the past, these four have matured tremendously after what they have just experienced.

"But are your families okay with this?" Xander asked referring to Blake and the other two.

"Well, of course not. We, the young masters, were imprisoned after all but they won"t be able to do anything. What we have just experienced made us understood how this world works."

"Creating justice over the most unjust world. What guts, well, let us know if you need any help. We"ll do what we can," Timothy chuckled and said.

"Ho, you already said it. We will make sure to take you up to your offer," Aldger placed his arm on Timothy"s shoulder.

After they bid everyone goodbye, the two of them stood on the doorway.

"Have I made it difficult for you?" Amber opened her mouth.

"No, if the relations.h.i.+p between the two of them and me would crumble over such a simple thing. Then the bond was not strong enough."

"Somehow I couldn"t stop myself from commenting when I heard him say those words. I"m such a bad sister," she chuckled.

"But seeing them healthy and well. My heart was filled with happiness. I really did miss them."

Tears of happiness flowed, no matter how painful the meeting is, seeing them doing okay was more than enough to energize her even more.

Ashton just handed her a handkerchief. He didn"t comment either for the tears that she shed today was that of her genuine happiness.

It was good tears.

*****

"The reason behind the abandonment?" Xander commented as he and Timothy drove back to where they currently live.

They have decided to live separately from the entire Price Empire. They knew that they are just being used after all.

All those kind smiles were all just facade, they treated them well in order for them not to go against the inheritance.

But the fact that they brought them up was also a shackle, that they must not do anything against the Price Empire.

"That was the first time isn"t it? That someone told us to hate the reason and not those two," he then added.

"What"s more, it came from a complete stranger."

"The four of them, you have noticed didn"t you? How much they have changed, I have an inkling that somehow this is connected to that Amber Wood."

Timothy finally spoke.

"And the path they plan on taking, I can feel that they actually have confidence over it," Xander added.

"Shall we up our own games already as well?" Timothy asked glancing at him.

Xander gave an approving smile.