Eight months later.
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Adam fumbled, getting into his pants. His feet missed, and he almost fell, hitting his head on the dresser. Putting on his shoes was just as chaotic. He was losing time with all his misses and near falls. Worried about the time, he snatched the shirt from the hanger and ran out of his room, then down the stairs, trying not to fall as he hurriedly buttoned his shirt. He danced around a cleaning lady as she was moving a large vase from the shelf.
"Young sir!" The woman called after him.
"Sorry!" He shouted over his shoulder.
"Dad! We're gonna be late!" He shouted as he burst through the door.
Logan and Carl looked up from the laptop in front of them, bewildered.
"Mr. Jordahl, seems I've kept you longer than necessary." Came a voice over the phone's speaker.
Logan chuckled anxiously. "It's alright. My son's just a little too excited." He said, shaking his head at his son. "Uh... Mayor, we'll...make adjustments and have the updated plans sent to your office in two days." He turned to Samantha's father, who nodded in confirmation.
After the call ended, Logan and Carl spoke briefly about the intended changes and assigning additional responsibilities to specific members of the team working on the plans. As he exited the office, Carl patted Adam on the shoulder reassuringly.
"Your mom's not going anywhere." Logan said, walking to the boy.
Logan, very carefully and deliberately, slowly unbuttoned the boy's mismatched buttons and buttoned the shirt again. He settled the collar slowly, looking into his son's bright eyes, which reflected his own excitement. Grabbing hold of the boy's shoulders firmly, he gave him a gentle shake. "Let's go meet your mother." He smiled.
The flight to Solna could not have been slower for Adam and Logan. The two kept checking their watches or looking out of the windows.
"I never realised how far Europe was from California." Logan said, glancing at his watch again.
"Yeah, it's a good distance away." Adam added absently.
"Let's watch something." Logan suggested as he closed his laptop and moved to the couch.
The moment the streaming app opened, several videos about the Olíveira Group and Nicholas dotted the screen. Logan tried to quickly bypass them, but Adam stopped him. "Dad wait." Some of the videos were months old, while others were as recent as two weeks ago.
Adam flipped through video after video—general news, celebrity news, business news—all in multiple languages and about ongoing investigations into Nicholas and the Oliveira Group. The scandal behind Nicholas included allegations of human and drug trafficking, child abuse, extortion, racketeering, associations with organised crime, bribery, accounting fraud, and tax evasion. There were warrants out for Nicholas' arrest in multiple countries. Several celebrities, socialites, government and military officials, and business people were also implicated.
The Oliveira Group suffered major setbacks as their partners and associates cut ties. There were also rumours of infighting among the family members, with many of them calling for Raul to step down. Their staple enterprise, shipping, was rapidly falling apart as multinationals cut their contracts. On the other hand, the firm Luciano had bought saw an immense increase in business, significantly raising the company's value. His grandfather's position as head of the family was even more secure now.
It was strange at first when Luciano agreed to let the boy go with his father, albeit with some conditions. But thinking back on his grandfather's actions, he had threatened the Oliveiras before they left the mansion. He did the same thing Mom did.
A new video surfaced when the boy refreshed the home page: 'Nicholas Oliveira caught!'. He's alive? He was caught entering Aruba with fake documents. The question of which country would take him to trial first was debated in the video.
"I was wondering what your grandfather would do to him." Logan said knowingly.
"You knew he was alive?" Adam asked, surprised.
"I suspected. I didn't think your grandfather would have killed him in front of that many people and not expect someone to talk."
"...He looked like he was used to doing that sort of thing." The boy said thoughtfully, remembering that day.
Logan chuckled. "No one is above the law, Adam. And your grandfather has a lot to lose; he wouldn't take a risk like that."
If everything his cousins had told him was true, his grandfather no doubt had a few skeletons in his closet. Adam looked at his father pitifully. Too innocent for wealth.
"Here." Logan took the controller from Adam and put on a BMX competition. Father and son continued watching bike and motorcycle tournament videos until they fell asleep.
They landed in Stockholm just before midday the next day. Adam and Logan practically ran from the plane to the car waiting for them. The hours were down to minutes, minutes which turned into steps. Adam found himself counting his steps the moment they entered the hospital. In about seventy-five steps.
Seventy-six steps later, a hundred and thirty steps.
One hundred and thirty-one steps later, a hundred and ninety steps.
One hundred and seventy-three steps later, Aurora wasn't in her room; she was in rehab. The nurse offered to show them the way. Two hundred and fifty steps.
Two hundred and fourteen steps.
Adam watched his mother step down from the treadmill and approach Sophia, who tilted a tablet for her to read. The two shared a playful exchange before they were interrupted by Logan. Logan hugged and kissed his wife. When the kiss ended, Aurora pressed her forehead against his, and they whispered affectionate words to each other. Logan kissed his wife again before he released her, and the pair turned to their son. Aurora gave her son a wide, teary smile as she opened her arms to him.
The boy dashed towards his mother. Aurora caught her son, holding him in a tight embrace as she laid her head on his.
Adam squeezed his mother as tightly as he could. "Mom!" he cried.
Aurora tilted his face up to hers and kissed him repeatedly. "Micino, my love." She whispered, then hugged him again.
The two held onto each other, revelling in the warmth of each other. The boy took several deep breaths. Fresh flowers. It was her; he wasn't dreaming. Adam buried his head further into his mother's embrace. He was home.
Logan hugged his wife and son. "You guys are making me jealous." The pair laughed and looked up at him. Logan looked at the faces of his family and held them tighter.
"Let's go home."
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