When Ziggy opened his eyes, he knew where he was. He was in the Hamps.h.i.+re hospital lying on one of their private rooms with minor burns in his arms. Every memory from last night came to him and he started shaking angrily over the thought of what happened.Another sabotage happened.
But how did the culprit find out his new lab?
And why was his research the target of this hostility?
Was it because of Huzey?
Was it because of Xhemin and Darryl?
Or was it something related to his own family?
Ziggy was left wondering with all the casualty and mystery that befell on them.
Why were they always the victim of all this mess?
Ziggy was still sucking in his anger when the door flew open and an unexpected visitor appeared from the door.
"Father," Ziggy greeted Director Zhanglou who was looking at him with thorough disgust.
"You call me your father and yet you always chose to disobey me!" Director Zhanglou"s voice hid not his anger. "I already told you to drop that silly research and live in the capital with us. It was time for you to think about our winery than that research for that Diamond Prince!"
"I already told you my stand on that," Ziggy told him with a blank expression. He had been with the same argument with his father for the last three years and yet the conversation never gets old and refreshes every time his father chose to.
"Enough with all of this Ziggorioh!" His father shouted at him angrily. His voice was so loud that even when the door was closed, the hospital staff could hear his words outside. "My patience had long gone dry for you. I am not allowing you to go further from all of this! Look what you had gotten yourself into, do you want to die with that silly research of yours just for that Diamond Prince!"
Ziggy chose not to answer as he knew, no matter what he says, his father will always counter all his words. However, despite his silence, Zhanglou"s fury didn"t subsided.
"Ziggorioh, you had given me nothing but shame for the last three years!" He shouted at Ziggy again, as he didn"t know what to do with his own son anymore.
Before, Ziggy had brought nothing but glory to the Montreal"s because of his achievements in Rivendell but ever since he graduated, he gave them nothing but headache.
First, he had supported that Lagdameo heir, who was one of their business nemeses while he was still trying to get that controversial bridge done and Ziggy"s help paved way for Darryl"s success today. However, when Darryl came back with nothing but achievements, rumored flew in that Ziggy and the Lagdameo heir fought in the Hamps.h.i.+re hospital and such news went against Ziggy as everyone sees Darryl as a person without faults.
Second, Zhanglou hoped for Ziggy"s research to benefit them once it will become successful, but then three years had already past and Ziggy had nothing but scratches and so everyone"s claim that Ziggy was just crazy for attempting to accomplish an ambitious impossible research was all coming clear.
Worst of all, Ziggy had maintained connections with the Diamond Prince, whose entire business were flooded with nothing but controversy.
Right now, Ziggy wa nothing but a useless son to Zhanglou. Unless of course he will change heart and go with him in the capital.
"You had given me no choice this time Ziggorioh…" Director Zhanglou"s mouth twitched in anger as he was to bring out some treats. "Either you come with me to the capital or I will strip you out of all your rights as a Montreal. Even if you have my blood, you had never given me pride at all and so I shall scratched off that Montreal last name from you and right then, you are no longer my son, your mother is not anymore your mother and your brother and sisters had nothing to do with you anymore,"
"Father!" Ziggy could not believe what his father had said. Does he needed to go this far just to control him?
"You left me with no more choice," His father breathed as if a dragon ready to bring out fire. "You need to come to the capital now with me,"
Ziggy looked at his father with his set of watery grey eyes, "I asked that you please take back what you had said father. Let us not set into this path as we are a family,"
"Good that you have thought about us being your family Ziggorioh," His father gritted his teeth and was ready to give a vicious smile of victory knowing his son was about to give in. "The last name Montreal makes you what you are. Imagine yourself without it then you will be nothing but a nameless beggar on the street. Insignificant and useless,"
"Please do not make me choose father" Ziggy begged "I asked you not to do this,"
"You choose Ziggorioh," Zhanglou demanded. He knew Ziggy will not abandon his own family as he deeply loved his siblings. He and his son may not have that connection, but the surname Montreal was everything and choosing a life away from it was something Ziggy could not withstand. He was sure of that, "Choose your family I say, or you will regret it the rest of your life"
Ziggy breathed heavily with all that had been said. His father"s words were like an insatiable fire that swept into his heart—burn it down and left nothing but ashes. He was deeply hurt with the reality that his own father snapped into his face—that being a Montreal means being great and at time when you lose such glory, you can easily be thrown away like a trash.* He thought that the word family was a good thing, was a safe place and meant a warm home you could always come to but after what had been said, the word family become superficial and unreal suddenly. Like it was a dream that he can never have.
After a thorough contemplation, he sighed and let loose of the tension inside him "You are right father, I have to choose my family, or I will forever regret it…"