O'Neil was finding it hard to contain his rage, confusion and worries. This was the worst that could happen to Francesco and he blamed himself for it. He wished he had anticipated it. He wished that he could foresee what his so called godson was going to commit to. He had trusted Vincenzo. He had trusted him and he had messed up. He knew this boy was going to learn the hard way that if he made his father chase him, he was going to go down. Francesco had told him to back off. No one got away with saying no to Francesco. Not even his own son. Even he didn't feel so confident saying no. Francesco now had gone after his son to bring him home only for his son to lead him to one of the places Francesco didn't have good memories of.

O'Neil recalled the days he slept over at Francesco's house. The best days were when his father wasn't home. The house was a lovely and huge place. It had its own rooftop garden where they slept on in the summer. He recalled sleeping on the roof top watching the stars. It was just them. They were teenagers. So they were still quite close. That was the closest he had gotten to Francesco and what went on in his mind. It had become harder to read him. Right now he didn't know what Francesco was going to do but he could take a good guess. It wasn't going to be pretty.

O'Neil was looking at his watch waiting for his son to bring Adele down as his memories of that old house came back to him. On that roof top if anyone saw two teens chilling out and sleeping they would have thought it was a dream. They could have anything they wanted. Paulo only bought the best and hired the best. But no one knew of the pain his sons endured. Francesco endured it the most. He was the eldest. He woke up in the middle of the night with nightmares. O'Neil wasn't a heavy sleeper so at times he stayed awake just checking the star patterns and trying to remember their names and count the shooting stars when Francesco woke up all shaken up.

"What is it?" He recalled asking. He didn't know why he bothered asking. Nightmares were part of his life.

Francesco gave him a look "What do you think?" He then went to wash his face at the water fountain while whispering under his breath "I wish he dies. Why can't he just die?"

O'Neil had followed him "Just kill him. Why not? Then the Don comes to collect of course and you fear that he might kill your mother or rather make me kill her. But I would speak to my father. He can protect your mother. If you make him swear it he won't break it... O'Neil's don't break their words. Ever." O'Neil was the only one beside Constanzo who dared mention Francesco's mother. His mother was sacred to him. He knew she was the main reason he put up with the beatings and emotional abuse at the hands of his father. He wanted to protect others but not himself.

Francesco had chuckled "Sure. Your kind kind keep their word but you make it sound like there is many of you... There is only one O'Neil family. Your kind are exterminated."

O'Neil had argued "I have distant cousins... We are not extinct. Come on. I will help."

Francesco was drinking his water while shaking his head "I want him to die but ... I can't kill blood."

O'Neil could see it. Francesco was a man loyal to family. His father was blood unfortunately. O'Neil had asked "What if they do something really bad? Blood deserve to die if they betray you..."

Francesco had argued "You know. Death is freedom. Death is too merciful on a traitor. Don't you think?"

O'Neil didn't think he agreed. He didn't want Francesco to put up with the monster at his house. Francesco always had bruises. His father beat him to a bloody pulp some days that made O'Neil's blood boil. He was witness to it once. Constanzo running his mouth again and Francesco shielding him making O'Neil's heart break to pieces. Francesco had pushed him inside a cupboard to wait while he dealt with the issue and had locked O'Neil inside. Once Paulo was gone, only Francesco had limped to open the door. O'Neil had a fear of confined spaces so he had panicked and hadn't managed to break the door. That was why he had added the box exercise in the survival camp rule book so at least his kids learnt to break a cupboard door it locked inside. He had trained himself months later and had over come the fear with Francesco's help of course.

Once out O'Neil had whispered while kneeling next to him "You know. You need hospital. You need to marry a doctor if you are going to let the guy rule as long as the Don." He had tried to help patch him up with Constanzo who felt so guilty he couldn't even look at Francesco.

Francesco had said "I won't let him. I will over throw him. You wait."

Francesco had said "I think I will marry a doctor. It's just a hunch."

And he had gotten married to Adele. Of all the girls he could marry he had picked a girl who was clueless to Francesco's life but apparently she had a calming effect on him. He didn't see it. She certainly had an irritating effect on O'Neil. The woman was so hysterical and had made out Tristan to be a demon for Vienna even though Adele herself had not given birth to a saint herself. The kid had so much to learn and it wasn't too late for him to learn the lesson of a lifetime... "Never to mess with your father, Rule one."

The door to his room suddenly opened and Sancia walked in to his surprise. He said "Oh you are not Adele..." He was expecting Adele. He had asked Tristan to get Adele for him. He wanted to speak to her beforehand.

Sancia closed the door soundly and narrowed her eyes "Of course I am not her. If I ever faint like her I would ask my father to disown me...."

O'Neil raised an eyebrow "She has fainted? Well even better. Then I can just go to him and say your wife is unconscious." He then walked to the exit.

Sancia walked towards him and blocked his path "Be serious. Do you really think you can resolve Francesco's problems? You cant."

O'Neil said "It's not his problems. It's everyone else's. It's my problem too. You were there. You know what' urgency there is."

Sancia said "Let them resolve the conflict. Stay out of it. That is what Francesco would want. He even didn't want our children to ever have connections to his... All because he doesn't want you to get involved and get hurt."

O'Neil argued "He doesn't want the reckless gene there... But Adele's genes will suppress ours."

Sancia crosses her arms over her chest "How can you joke about this?"

O'Neil said "Sadness is a fact of life." He then took a step closer to her and embraced her in his arms "As long as you live I would laugh. But when you are gone, I will weep..."

Sancia sighed "So.., You will weep in my funeral and won't let me see you sad? I take the wish to the grave."

O'Neil said "Precisely. Darling why are you so cold?"

Sancia said "That was my sense of humour. The only one you get."

O'Neil said "That's my girl." He then kissed her on the lips and then pulled away. "After I die, you will laugh in my memory. You promise me."

Sancia said "Don't talk like that. You won't die today. I just called my father to send some back up for you... Francesco must be in a fit of rage... You won't go unprepared."

O'Neil said "Rage can be an understatement." He then kissed his wife again. He needed to get some motivation before going into battle. Francesco was going to be unstoppable if he wished it. So he had to be unstoppable too.

After O'Neil was done he made his way outside to search for Tristan and Adele. His wife was shaking her head "If I behave like her I hope my father disowns me."

O'Neil ignored his wife. Adele was fragile but she was Francesco's love. She was the only one who had given his life meaning and purpose. Even her unconscious body could help.

O'Neil entered a room and saw Angelo giving Adele a drink as she was laying on a bed while others in the room were watching silently. It was a good job he was there or Francesco was not going to be happy with other doctors touching his wife in the mood he was in now. Viggo, Clarisa Vienna And Tristan were standing there. O'Neil said "Everyone Out. I like to speak to Adele in private."

Vienna looked at Tristan.

Tristan whispered "It will be ok. Let's go."

When they went outside Tristan stood behind her and held her waist "Look outside the window. It's a nice view from a few storeys up. In a few years I bet the space around here will turn to apartments. It's a very expensive area. It's too good an opportunity to pass up. Just like how the area around your grandfather's old house is now full of apartments.

Vienna sighed "I can't believe this. So my father and my grandfather are fighting... Vincenzo could get hurt? How could this come to this? My father banned from my grandfather from contacting us and I never understood why but I won't ever make my father and grandfather end up in the same place. What was Vincenzo thinking?"

Tristan said "We learn through our mistakes Vienna. This is an inevitable part of life. We have to make mistakes to learn the hard way or we won't learn at all. Don't you think I have made mistakes? I have made plenty. I am sure I am doing so much wrong that only my father can see or your father can see actually. Our fathers are more intelligent than you can imagine. Fathers guide their children. That's what they do. You can bet on it I would be in Vincenzo's place in no time. The people we trust can hurt us and get us into trouble. So we only should trust family... Immediate family."

Vienna asked "Your Uncle is immediate family. Don't you trust him?" Vienna waited for a response and his silence was all she got.

Tristan asked "Do you want to get some coffee while my father talks to your mother?"

Vienna decided not to pursue her question. Maybe his uncle Jackson had given Tristan a reason to be mad at him. She said "I don't know. Would your father hurt my mother? I can't believe he asked your mother to leave the room too."

Tristan kissed the side of her head "No. my father has no reason to hurt your mother. My mother could have stayed if she wanted to. My mother is not keen on interfering in your father's affairs."

Vienna asked "Why not?"

Tristan asked "You really want me to answer this question?"

Vienna said "Yes."

Tristan said "She fears your father and death. She always told me nothing good can come out of any interference with your father's affairs. A father's love of his children is greater than love of anything else including love of revenge. No one is immune to your father's wrath except his own blood."