The Lost And Forgotten Memories

      “Oh, look, Daddy!” Julian sneers ironically. “This little kid is threatening us with a knife.”       “Yeah, he must lie in a bed, suck a pacifier, and listen to the songs of his beloved mommy, but he pretends to be tough with a knife in his hands,” Norman shakes his head.       “I am not kidding, bastards!” Edward hisses through his teeth, squeezing the knife in his hands. “One more step before I kill you!”       “Don’t get ashamed, boy,” Julian smiles slyly. “You are too little to play with these toys.”       “But you and your father are psychos, who actually MUST NOT have a gun!”       “Edward, throw the knife now!” Victor demands loudly.       “It has always been funny to watch kids pretending to be adults,” Norman smirks contemptuously.       “And I have always been for justice!” Edward says confidently. “I hate that bastards like you may walk carelessly.”       “Listen, puppy, give me the knife before I turn you into a piece of meat,” Julian demands evilly. “I understand that you love playing with the fire with your naked ass. But don’t mess with the Potters. If you go to prison, you, scumbag, will never leave it. No matter how hard your pals and family try!”       “You are powerless, Potter! And you can do nothing to me!” Edward smiles slyly. “Because you are a coward. A daddy’s sonny, who does everything as he wants.”       “I WILL SHOW YOU WHAT A COWARD I AM, YOBBO!”       “GET BACK!” Edward shouts and points the knife sharply at Julian. “ONE MORE STEP BEFORE YOU’RE DEAD!”       “Edward, stop it!” Victor demands harshly. “Throw the knife!”       “Listen to the adult man, baby,” Norman advises with a sly smile. “Your mommy will get a heart attack if a policeman puts handcuffs on you and puts you in prison.”       “I will not calm down until you, snakes, are in prison,” Edward hisses through his teeth.       “Alright, kid, you played a little – that’s enough!” Julian exclaims. “Give me the knife, and I will kill you and your whole gang, including THIS CRAZY DOG!”       “I TOLD YOU NOT TO MOVE, MOTHERFUCKER!” Edward shouts loudly, pointing the knife at Julian. “Don’t dare to come to me, my brother, my friends, or the Seymours.”       “Listen, boy, didn’t your mommy teach you that you must respect older people, a gun is not a toy, and murdering is a hard sin?” Norman sneers evilly.       “Ha, you can’t tell me about sins!”       “Come on, Father, why are you surprised?” Julian crosses his arms over his chest. “There are no intelligent people here! The gal loves speaking to some shit, and this deadbeat found pals among stooges. And the Seymours definitely liked speaking to them.”       “Oh, pardon, I forgot that you came from the elite trash!” Edward says confidently. “We, educated people, are so far from you!”       “Hey, reject, you will eat the ground now!” Julian says rudely. “Father and I educate someone like you easily – we hit them on their ass and their head against the wall!”       Julian quickly comes to Edward, who, holding the knife with both hands, points it at his opponent’s chest, while, Terrence thinks of the pistol and tries to find it, looking around the whole living room.       “If you touch me with a finger, you will regret it!” Edward says rudely. “If you hurt my close people, I shall kill you!”       “Alright, kid, the adults will teach you to respect older people and not to meddle in their business,” Norman replies confidently.       “Come on, try! Prove how brave and sassy you are without a gun in your hands!”       “I SHALL KILL YOU, FUCKING PARASITE!” Julian hisses through his teeth. “KILL!”       When Julian tries to attack Edward again, the guy goes back sharply.       “Are you kind of brave, huh, Potter?” Edward sneers evilly, wraps the knife skillfully in his hand, and, holding it tightly, points the gun at Julian with his head proudly raised. “Do you want to do your best for your daddy to keep being proud of you?”       “AR-R-R, I WISH YOU DIED, MILKSOP!” Julian screams at the top of his lungs.       Meanwhile, Norman moves his eyes to the pistol lying on the floor and wants to take it. But Terrence notices it much earlier, runs to the sofa quickly, falls on his knees, grabs the gun, and sharply moves it at Potter, getting up at the same time.       “How far are you going, honorable?” Terrence asks in a much ruder, lower voice.       “Oh, look, here’s one more sassy guy!” Norman sneers evilly.       “It’s clear about this one – everyone says he loves pretending to be sassy,” Julian replies confidently. “But this one must eat his snot and suck a pacifier!”       “I see you really underestimate us and our strength,” Terrence notices, keeping Norman and Julian in his sight and coming to Edward slowly but confidently, while the guy still keeps the knife pointed at the Potters. “You thought you’d deal with us quickly!”       “We were sure that you’d show no mercy this time,” Edward adds. “So, we prepared very well.”       “Do you naively think you can stop us?” Julian smirks evilly. “NEVER! I WILL DESTROY YOU AND ALL THESE PEOPLE!”       Julian moves off sharply, but Edward and Terrence point the knife and the pistol at him immediately.       “We told you not to move!” Terrence throws rudely.       “Terrence, Edward, stop it now!” Victor demands excitedly. “Let the knife and the pistol down!”       But Terrence and Edward do not hear Victor and are doing their best for Julian and Norman not to come to Daniel and Peter standing behind them, Anna, Maximilian, Lillian, Darwin, Oliver, and two more policemen, who also keep their cold guns pointed at the criminals.       “Wow…” Norman smirks evilly. “You just look… Two idiots with the same faces decided to play frightful saviors.”       “Everybody has already appreciated your attempts to stand up for each other, this gal and her mother and father,” Julian replies rudely. “But you will die anyway!”       “But I don’t think so!” Edward exclaims. “Thanks to us, the Seymours are safe and sound now. That’s our main mission.”       “We will kill them anyway, even if we have to kill you, this actor, these beggars, and your dog,” Norman says with his head proudly raised and throws his evil look at Sammy barking loudly and growling. “THAT CAN’T THE FUCK CALM DOWN YET!”       “I wish he bit you to the fuck, vipers!” Terrence throws rudely.       “Listen, bastards, stop this show now and give us our guns!” Julian demands coldly. “This worthless chicken, her naive and stupid father, and her mother, who constantly cries and meddles in everyone’s business, will die anyway.”       “I think I told you to stop insulting Anna and her parents with my pretense,” Daniel gets enraged. “At my FUCKING HOUSE!”       “I will keep calling this shorty as I want and treat her AS SHE DESERVES!”       “No, scumbag, you WILL show respect for her with MY pretense!” Daniel comes to Terrence with a sharp step, takes the pistol from him, comes to Julian, and puts the muzzle of the gun to his forehead, while Anna shakes slightly and closes her mouth with a hand. “Or I will shoot at your head. Choose the easiest way.”       “Oh, come on?” Norman sneers evilly. “But you will be put in prison. For twenty years or your whole life.”       “I DON’T CARE! I give a fuck about going to prison for many years. About being released at the old age or actually dying in the cell. But I will be quiet that that scumbags like you will not dare to hurt my girlfriend.”       “You can stop trying, bastard, you will not make her come back to you,” Julian replies confidently. “Even if you sacrifice yourself.”       “Whatever happens between us, I am ready for anything for this girl! Even to kill!”       “Kill a hundred people! The title of a cheater is with you now!”       “There are cases when cheaters get forgiveness. But nobody forgives bastards, who mock women and bring them to despair.”       “If you’re weak and ready to bend under these disenfranchised creatures, it doesn’t mean everyone must bow to them!”       “Nobody is guilty of your hate for them! And you will never be forgiven for what you did. Even if you stand on your knees, scream loudly and beg for mercy.”       “I DO NOT NEED ANYONE’S FORGIVENESS!” Julian screams at the top of his lungs. “I NEED REVENGE! Revenge for being hurt and humiliated and ruining all my dreams!”       “If a girl doesn’t love you, you can’t make her be with you!”       “YOU MUST NOT TEACH ME, BRAINLESS DEADBEAT!”       Julian tries to take the pistol from Daniel, who starts resisting, and gives him a couple of strong slaps. However, Perkins gets a strong one back immediately.       “I will destroy you, asshole, DESTROY!” Julian hisses through his teeth. “YOU WILL NOT HIDE FROM ME!”       “Wait, sonny, I will help you now,” Norman says confidently. “I will just take the knife from the kid.”       Norman comes confidently to Edward holding the knife and Terrence and Peter standing on both sides of him. But then Sammy starts barking loudly at Potter, closing the men with himself, and striking a fighting position.       “OUT OF MY WAY, DIRTY SHIT!” Norman throws rudely and strongly pushes Sammy aside with his leg.       Sammy gets sharply thrown two meters aside, whining quietly in pain.       “Sammy!” Peter gets horrified loudly with his widely open eyes.       “You messed up with the wrong people, honorable,” Edward hisses through his teeth and wraps the knife in his hand again. “You don’t know what we can do.”       “COME HERE, MILKSOP!” Norman screams at the top of his lungs. “I WILL TEACH YOU TO RESPECT OLDER PEOPLE!”       When Norman wants to attack Edward, Terrence starts to fight with him hand in hand.       “Do you think you can defeat me?” Norman smiles slyly and hums quietly. “You can only be sassy on the screen, one-role actor.”       Norman pushes Terrence off himself and wants to give him a strong slap in the face, but the man grabs his opponent’s hand in time.       “Huh, is this everything you can do?” Terrence scoffs ironically. “Yes, you and your sonny are old enough to fight cruelly. Our cowardly, former fatty is worthless at all. He’s really out of breath!”       “What did you say?” Norman gets furious. “WHAT DID THE FUCK SAY?”       Norman takes the first thing that he finds on the table under the stairs and throws it strongly at Terrence, whom Edward takes aside in time, taking him tightly under an arm. The failure does not stop Potter, and he attacks both of the MacClife brothers, one of whom still has a knife in his hands. Peter also helps them, and Sammy is doing his best. The policemen try to catch the criminals, and Daniel takes it on Julian with pleasure, not caring about the pain in his hands and legs. While Anna is standing aside alongside Maximilian and Lilian and cries quietly, as she watches her beloved man tolerate a strong pain and magically avoid the bullets that get into him from the pistol. Which her offender gets after Perkins falls to the sofa.       “I WILL SUCK THE STRENGTH OUT OF YOU!” Julian roars with evil, trying to put the pistol against Daniel’s forehead but meeting the hard resistance from the opponent lying on the sofa and holding the gun above him. “I WILL!”       “Don’t dream, bastard!” Daniel hisses through his teeth. “DON’T DREAM!”       Daniel strongly hits his foot against Julian’s groin, getting some time to get up quickly from the sofa. Getting through the burning pain and strong tiredness, Potter points the pistol at Perkins and takes a shot, but the man jumps sharply aside and throws something that he finds on the table under the stairs at him. The criminal dodges it and takes a few more shots at the policemen, who try to catch him and start to use a cold gun. And Daniel uses the moment, running to Julian and striking him down in a jump.       “You, motherfucker, will go where you belong anyway,” Daniel says in a low voice, putting the pistol to Julian’s pistol.       “No, you can pretend to be a hero as much as you want,” Julian hisses through his teeth. “But YOU WILL DIE BEFORE ANYWAY!”       Julian rolls sharply onto the back, slaps Daniel strongly in the face, and rudely pushes off the policemen, who try to place handcuffs on him. Then, Potter starts a hand-in-hand fight with Perkins and tries to take the pistol from him, which the guy grabs with both hands. Sammy runs to help him with a loud bark, but whines quietly from pain when Julian pushes him off rudely with his foot.       Some time later, Daniel wins the fight with Julian and is about to strike him down, so the police get him arrested. And Edward, Peter, and Terrence are about to make Norman give up. But at a certain moment, Potter, Jr., manages to use a chokehold on Daniel from behind and puts the pistol to his temple, using the fact that the guy gets confused for a moment. And Norman grabs Edward rudely by the hair and puts the knife to his throat. When Terrence tries to help his brother, he feels a sharp blaze against his throat. And the same thing happens to Peter when he tries to save both of them. While Anna is crying bitterly, Maximilian and Lillian try to comfort their daughter, but they feel how their hearts are beating from excitement and horror. Sammy is barking deafeningly and running from one side to another. The policemen understand that the situation is much harder than they thought. And the four men look at each other and try to resist, but they barely hold a shout down when they are pulled strongly by the hair.       “You’re dead, bastards!” Julian hisses through his teeth, holding Daniel tightly by the hair and keeping the pistol tightly put against his temple. “Assholes! How much time we’ve wasted because of you!”       “You know you’ve lost!” Terrence says confidently. “But you’re playing time! So, you don’t get caught!”       “YOU did lose!” Norman says rudely and puts the knife tighter to Terrence’s throat, holding him tightly under his arm. “Your first, last song is sung!”       “Our song hasn’t even started!” Edward exclaims.       “Accept the loss, pathetic bodyguards of the Seymours!” Julian replies coldly. “Learn to lose!”       “We will not lose while we can stand and fight!” Peter replies confidently, holding Sammy by the collar.       “Nobody will leave alive!” Norman throws rudely. “NOBODY! YOU ALL WILL DIE!”       “Julian and Norman Potter, give up!” Victor demands confidently, keeping his pistol pointed at Norman and Julian. “Let the guys go! You have no place to run, and resistance is futile!”       “You can do nothing, Mr. Policeman. You are wasting time for nothing by trying to catch my son and me.”       “We will have to shoot if you don’t give up at your wish,” Darwin says loudly and confidently. “Either you let the young men go, put your guns on the floor, and raise your hands, or we open the fire!”       “CONE ON, SHOT!” Julian screams. “You would do us a favor if you shot at the four bastards! And we will deal with the Seymours.”       “Please, Julian, Mr. Potter…” Anna begs loudly, in a heartbreaking way with tears in her eyes. “Let the men go! Don’t hurt them…”       “These bastards will die because of you, nasty gal,” Norman says and, grabbing Terrence rudely by the hair, moves the knife sharply to Edward. “These three stooges and your deadbeat, who you are worried about as much as you are about your father and mother.”       “Stop, the Potters!” Maximilian raises his voice. “Leave the innocent guys alone!”       “Accept it, people,” Norman smiles slyly. “The winners are my son and me!”       “It’s not an end!” Daniel throws irritably and tries to get out of Julian’s grip sharply. “NOT THE END! YOU WILL NEVER WIN! I WILL NOT LET IT HAPPEN!”       “SHUT THE FUCK UP, ASSHOLE!” Julian roars, putting the pistol tightly to Daniel’s head and grabbing him painfully by the hair.       “IT’S MY HOUSE! I CAN DO ANYTHING I WANT HERE!”       “So, you will die in your hole!” Julian makes Daniel look at everybody here by force. “Look at this gal and your pals the last time! You will NEVER meet them again!”       “No, don’t do this!” Anna screams desperately with widely open eyes. “Please! I’m begging you!”       “You will have to see it, petite bitch. Watch your sweetheart die because of you!”       “No, Julian! Please, don’t harm him!” Anna sniffs quietly. “I will not bear it!”       “He will die along with this gang!” Julian glances at Edward, Peter, and Terrence, who seem quiet outside. “They will not stay alive!”       “Hey, everyone!” Norman exclaims loudly with his head proudly raised. “Watch us get rid of these bastards easily! Watch what a wish to play heroes may lead to!”       “NO!” Anna screams at the top of her lungs with horror in widely open eyes.       The deafening bark of the excited Sammy outstands the heartbreaking cry of Anna, who is in despair because she is powerless and cannot save Daniel, Peter, and Edward. The guys also want to help each other, but they can do nothing to Norman and Julian, who are threatening them with the gun. But the Potters’ plans do not come true because the hall door opens at some moment, and an unexpected guest runs into the living room as fast as a meteor, shouting loudly:       “Enough, Father! It’s time to pay for what you’ve done!”       Everybody moves their eyes to the young man and opens their eyes widely.       “Ryan?” Anna wonders truly.       “What are you doing here?” Daniel wonders.       “I know nobody called me here,” Ryan replies confidently. “But I am going to reveal these two bastards.”       Nobody says anything more because a policeman runs into the living room, breathing heavily, comes to Victor, and points at Ryan when he says:       “Mr. Johnson, Mr. Johnson! We could not stop him! He came here against our will! He was warned but did not listen!”       “Alright, alright, I got it,” Victor raises his hand. “Come back to your place. I will deal with it.”       The policeman nods hesitantly and leaves the house quickly, while Victor moves his eyes to Ryan, who seems super confident.       “What’s wrong, sir?” Victor frowns slightly. “Who are you, and what do you need?”       “I came to tell you everything about all the tricks of my father and brother, Mr. Policeman,” Ryan replies confidently. “I want to make them pay for everything they have done.”       “What did you forget, punk?” Julian explodes. “Why didn’t you want to examine your fucking books at home?”       “Don’t scream at me, Julian,” Ryan replies confidently with his head proudly raised, coming closer to Julian. “I will no longer let you and Father mock Anna and her parents! From now on, I am at open war with you!”       “Ah, you, little yobbo!” Norman gets kind of green from anger. “So, were you spying on us?”       “I had to, Daddy,” Ryan smirks evilly. “You would never tell me something.”       “Did you also agree with the Seymours? And these four bastards?” Norman looks at everybody with evil in his eyes, pointing the pistol at every one of them. “Was his appearance a part of your fucking plan?”       “I agreed with nobody.”       “But, Ryan…” Daniel shakes his head. “How did you know we’d have a meeting?”       “At first, I heard the talk of my brother and father about this meeting. And the Seymours warned me. And then I found a piece of paper with this address in a trash can.”       “Did you sort the trash out for that?” Norman sneers with mockery. “Taking an example from this shorty?”       “That piece of paper was the only thing in the can,” Ryan raises his head proudly with a sly smile. “So, I decided to make a surprise.”       “So, did you, shorty yobbo, overhear us?” Julian gets enraged. “And told everything to these vipers!”       “Yes, I did!” Ryan says insolently. “I listened to every single word of yours. I tried to take a note of every little thing. Everything that could help me prove that you are nasty, poisoned snakes.”       “Oh, oh, since when have nerds become tough?” Julian scoffs evilly. “First, this blond four-eyed one, and now you.”       “Still waters run deep, brother. You and your dad did underestimate me and shouldn't have considered me worthless.”       “Ha, what would you do? What could the nerd, who is obsessed with mathematics and physics, do?”       “I can do many things! I can tell you everything I managed to find. Yes, Julian, I found the dirt. And I am ready to go against my family, which has never loved me.”       “Ha!” Norman smirks contemptuously. “What can you do, mammy’s boy?”       Norman pushes Edward, Peter, and Terrence rudely on different sides and comes confidently to Ryan. While MacClife, Sr., steps on something and is about to fall to the floor but keeps his balance thanks to the instant reaction of his brother, who takes him under an arm.       “You will do nothing to Julian and me, kid!” Norman threatens Ryan with a finger with widely open eyes. “You are a coward! A worthless, cowardly asshole.”       “Oh, come on, Daddy?” Ryan scoffs contemptuously, crossing his arms over his chest. “Aren’t you afraid? Aren’t you afraid that I may blow your Adam’s apple?”       Julian pushes Daniel sharply aside and comes to Ryan. While Perkins falls to the floor but gets up quickly and comes to Terrence, Peter, and Edward. Then the men let each other know that they are fine and glance at Sammy.       “Are you serious, brother?” Julian smirks ironically. “You? Dared to threaten Father and me?”       “I am ashamed to call you like this,” Ryan throws coldly.       “Hey, short boy, one hit is enough for me to knock you out and decorate your fucking face! You can do nothing to me. Because nerds hold nothing heavier than a pen, a notebook, or a textbook. Their arms are weak. And their legs barely stand.”       “Are you trying to seem strong and frightful by humiliating people? Though, you’re actually an insecure coward!”       “ARE YOU CRAZY, SON OF A BITCH?”       “Yes, you and Father always thought I was a timid, invisible, and hesitant nerd, who cared only about his studies. And you got overwhelmed by the fact that I dared to be rude to you.”       “Are you challenging us?” Norman wonders.       “My goal is to bring you to clean water and tell everybody how the whole world hurt you.”       “Get out of here before I get wild, my sonny,” Norman replies rudely and points the knife at Ryan sharply. “You have five seconds. Or you will stand in the line alongside the Seymours, their bodyguards, and that dog.”       “No, my dear daddy!” Ryan throws bravely. “I’m no longer going to be silent! I will not let you mock the innocent people. It’s time to tell everybody how many years you pretended to be the friends of the Seymours and lied to them!”       “We know everything, Ryan,” Peter replies confidently with both arms crossed over his chest. “Your father and brother revealed their real sides.”       “I knew they’d get sick of pretending to be good, early or late,” Ryan says confidently. “And I was sure it would happen at this meeting. Today, in the morning, I saw Father take a knife and a pistol, which they kept in a safe. I always knew that they had the guns for defeating the Seymours someday.”       “So, were you in my office?” Norman gets wild. “YES?”       “So, as you rushed to deal with the Seymours, the safe was open. You didn’t lock it.”       “IDIOT! HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NO TO THE FUCK COME TO MY OFFICE?”       “I did warn you, father!” Julian exclaims. “You must’ve locked the office with a key and hidden it! And I told you that this boy could easily plan something against us. But you waved your hand and said Ryan wasn’t a threat! AS IT TURNED OUT, HE IS A THREAT!”       “Oh, my gosh!” Ryan smirks ironically, putting his hands on his hips. “As it turns out, you have brains, Julian! Wow! Sometimes a person without an education may have brains. It’s clear that you learned just something at school.”       “Oh, oh, look, the kid is speaking! He was silent for more than twenty years, but now he has a voice!”       “You’ve called yourself very sly and been sure that you’d foresee everything. But alas… You are a bad fox. But you’re an excellent rat! And I got all the brains and cunning.”       “If you don’t close your mouth, I swear I will cut your fucking tongue,” Norman threatens with evil in his eyes. “YOU SPEAK TOO MUCH, I SEE!”       “Yes, yes, I know you’re wishing me to die every day and regretting the fact that you let me be born.”       “I agree with you! Your birth was my greatest mistake!”       “Not surprised. If you had a chance to turn time back, you would’ve done your best for me not to be born.”       “Having one son, of whom I am madly proud, is enough for me! I don’t need a fucking milksop like you!”       “Do you love Julian so much just because he is the same cad as you? You despise a good child, but praise the snake to God!”       “IT’S A HUMILIATION!” Norman explodes. “A MAN MUST BE A MAN! NOT A MILKSOP THAT KISSES THEIR MOMMY ON THE LIPS!”       “That’s what YOU think!” Ryan throws rudely. “Any good parent is ashamed of the child that goes over people for their goals and thinks that beating women is fine!”       “You say it because your beloved mommy educated you,” Julian replies coldly. “She always kissed you, hugged you, and comforted you when you cried from pain… Because of her, you became a shame to men. Someone like a girl!”       “Nobody would dare to call you men! You are snakes that live in this world for nothing! You don’t have goals except getting much money and revenging those, who go against you! And your attitude toward me has never surprised me.”       “There is nothing to love and respect you for!” Norman exclaims confidently. “You have always been a pain in my ass! I want to burn from shame when someone asks me about you!”       “You know, I also try not to talk to everyone about my father. If Mother had married another man, I would've called him a father.”       “How annoying and non-educated you are,” Julian throws rudely and points at Edward sharply. “The same as that kid! You two are fucking cowards, but pretend to be sassy!”       “So, Potter, does the truth hurt you?” Edward smiles slyly. “Do you know Ryan is right?”       “These people are madly insecure and afraid of those, who are stronger,” Ryan says confidently. “Look how they’re nervous, understanding that they’ve been caught in a crime. They’re afraid to die in prison.”       “Don’t even think of putting us in prison and becoming the owner of our house,” Norman bellows. “THAT IS THE HOUSE OF JULIAN AND ME! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT FOR THAT!”       “Ha, leave your house and money to you!” Ryan sneers contemptuously. “I need nothing from you!”       “Oh, yeah, we see it!” Julian laughs evilly. “If you really didn’t need our house, you’d take your stuff and get out!”       “I’m going to! Your father can give you an inheritance! So, you choke yourself to the fuck! I will take no cent from this bastard!”       “Wonderful! You’d die sooner if you were outside and had no money or home!”       “Don’t worry about it! I will find a way to earn money for a house, food, and everything I need. I was recently offered a very good job.”       “Then, get out of our house!” Norman demands loudly. “So, I don’t see you! I am sick of seeing you every single day! And cursing March, 25th of every year! Curse the day of your birth! The day when what will always be a shame of mine happened!”       “What a rat you are, Norman Potter. How can you live quietly after everything you have done? Would you feel better after killing the Seymours and getting everything they have?”       “None of your business, short yobbo!”       “I… I am ashamed to call you my father,” Ryan shakes his head. “I can’t believe it… I’m ashamed of my father, who has never loved me and acted like he had just one child.”       “Why should I the fuck love you?” Norman resents loudly. “You have never given me anything good! You have been a shame to me all your life! I shook every time men asked me how you were doing. It was fucking disgusting to show love for you. The mammy’s boy, who only did what SHE thought was right.”       “I didn't suffer from a lack of your attention. Mother’s love was enough for me. The love of the one, who surrounded me with care. My mother did her best for me not to feel I didn’t have a decent and caring dad. And she asked me not to be mad at the bastard, who did dirty tricks to everyone.”       “How do you, kid, dare to talk to me like this?” Norman gets wild and grabs Ryan tightly by the collar. “DID YOU FORGET THAT I AM YOUR FATHER?”       “Ha, did you just recall it?”       “I see you, kid, have become too rebellious! YOU DID THE FUCK GO INSANE FROM YOUR STUDIES!”       “You went insane! A long time ago!”       “YOU DARED TO TEACH ME, MILKSOP?”       “Enough, Daddy, you will no longer shut me up! I am no longer going to be silent and watch the suffering of those, who I do care about! From now on, do not even try to close my mouth!” Ryan points at Norman with his finger. “Because I will be speaking very loudly! Screaming about you being a viper! Soon, everyone will know Norman Donald Potter is a nasty bastard, who must be in a mental hospital!”       While everybody looks at each other surprisingly, the dumbfounded Norman tries to terrify Ryan with his burning look for two seconds, even though the guy does not get shyer. And then the man slaps his younger sonny strongly in the face. The guy grabs his cheek and rubs it energetically, but he raises his head proudly one second later and looks at his father with greater contempt.       “COME ON!” Ryan screams. “SLAP ME AGAIN! COME ON! BEAT ME TO DEATH! You can ask your beloved sonny to beat me! As well as he did it to poor Anna!”       “Do not make me wild, little parasite,” Norman hisses through his teeth. “OR I WILL KILL YOU!”       “Leave all these senseless threats with you.” Ryan comes closer to Norman, literally looking into his soul with his cold look. “Remember, motherfucker, the more you attack, the louder I will speak. And the more determined my actions will be. I WILL NO LONGER LET YOU TREAT ME LIKE A DOORMAT!”       “Oh, God, Ryan…” Maximilian wonders truly, shaking his head with rounded eyes.       “He’s always been so quiet and shy…” Anna notices. “But now Ryan is kind of obsessed with an evil spirit…”       “It seems like this boy is going to shake up everybody here…” Lilian assumes thoughtfully.       “Wow…” Julian scoffs contemptuously and crosses his arms over his chest, looking at Ryan like something disgusting and nasty. “I think someone wanted to join the party of these brave four. Since you agreed with the Seymours, you will give your life for it.”       “You and your father do dream of watching people suffer and die,” Ryan notices rudely. “You two were laughing so hard when talking about how you bullied Anna and threatened Mr. Seymour with a knife. You proudly told him how you made the poor girl stand on her knees in front of you. How you insulted and humiliated her when she barely opened her mouth and did something wrong. How much pleasure you had when saying you felt wonderful at the sight of the girl lying at your feet and waiting for your commands like a doggy.”       “This gal got what she deserved! She FORCED me to educate her! Because she does the fuck not know how a GOOD woman is behaving!”       “After such a Spartan education, any girl may spend years coming to herself. Years! Anna was madly lucky that she was saved in time! If not for these guys, she would’ve died! BECAUSE OF YOUR FUCKING FAULT!”       “This gal thought she could do anything! She was used to the fact that her mother and father did not educate her seriously.”       “You can educate in a good and bad way, in case you didn’t know. I’m not surprised that you don’t have a girlfriend and haven’t gotten married by the age of thirty-five, and everybody ignores Father. Women run from you like fire. They don’t care about your money. They don’t wanna be birds in a golden cage that would only be able to make a sound with permission.”       “If a woman wants, she will stand on her head to put on jewelry and expensive clothes.”       “Yeah, Mother got in touch with a hater of women! He wasn’t happy with her and hated all the women, whom he considered guilty of his trouble. And he’s teaching you the same! He's using your hate for Anna, who once did a very smart thing by refusing to be with you.”       “Why should I have loved and respected the woman, who didn’t consider me a man?” Norman wonders. “Nobody asked me if I wanted to marry your mother! Father and Mother made me do that. Though, I told them a million times that I didn’t want to live with the daughter of a general, who acted like a man. You know, Father befriended him! They wanted to become relatives since childhood!”       “Ha, you say your parents made you and Genevieve give birth to children,” Maximilian smirks evilly. “That you didn’t want them.”       “Wrong, sheep! I dreamed of sons and loved them when they were born. Genevieve wasn’t worthless in this case and didn’t give to girls. But only one son of mine met my expectations. The second one turned out to be a betrayer, who succumbed to his mother’s influence.”       “You’ve never loved Julian truly,” Anna says confidently. “You like him just because he supports all of your dirty tricks and makes your orders immediately. You don’t need your sons, you need a benefit that they can give. You look for a benefit in anyone. Women for serving you and giving birth to sons, and men for helping you do dirty tricks.”       “That’s correct, Anna,” Ryan nods confidently. “This man only cares about money and benefits. He doesn’t love Julian and uses him for his goals. I’ve never wanted to be a part of his tricks, and eventually became the object of hate for him. If I were a stinker, Norman Potter would remember that he had one more son. And he’d love Mother if she were a silent slave.”       “What kind of shit do you say, weirdo?” Norman protests. “I love my son and am proud of him and all his successes! Unlike you, he has achieved a lot and become a very successful man.”       “Come on! Successful man?” Ryan laughs loudly, contemptuously. “And what has he reached? No wife, no children, no home! He doesn’t even think of moving. He’s worried about his job, just like a chicken cares about its egg. Oh, yeah! You two are madly afraid of losing your business and becoming beggars. Afraid to become those, who you despise and hate as much as girls and women.”       “No reasons to respect them!” Norman glances at Terrence, Peter, Edward, and Daniel. “These assholes are a wonderful example of what real men MUST NOT be!”       “You add everybody, with whom Anna has ever spoken, to the list of stooges and beggars!”       “She only speaks to them!” Julian throws coldly. “She doesn’t have brains and hangs out with some poor assholes.”       “So, bro, are you still mad because you lost your last chance to get married?” Ryan smirks evilly. “You had such grandiose plans for your future with this young, beautiful, and positive girl, but she hit you on your head.”       “She could’ve had everything!” Norman replies confidently. “But she wants young and handsome guys! With gorgeous bodies! And she doesn’t care that he’s got two last cents in his pocket!”       “You won’t believe it, but true love is not about a bag of money. Though, how would you know it if you’ve never loved anyone, and you only have those, who are ready to lick your ass to the gloss?”       “Ha, as if you, shorty, know everything about it!”       “Of course, he does, he's dating his books,” Julian scoffs evilly. “He gets not less pleasure than from sex with a gal!”       “You and your daddy need nobody! You’re egoists! You only care about your wishes and your comfort. You, Julian, actually give a fuck about your father, and you, Daddy, would keep ruining the lives of Anna and her family.”       “Stop saying bullshit!” Norman demands. “I AM SICK OF HEARING YOU!”       “And you hate women to death. You’ve always wanted to make a desired woman obey you and close her mouth. So, she just serves you like a disfranchised servant and is an incubator for children, whom she would raise by herself. Mother complained many times that Father never helped her with Julian and me when we were kids. When Grandfather on the mother was alive, he helped her sometimes. But after his death, she had to hire a nanny because you thought that feeding a child and changing diapers was a lady’s work.”       “Any man wants his woman not to argue with him. Nobody wants to be henpecked!”       “Don’t talk about all men in general,” Daniel replies rudely. “For women, marriage is not just a deal that gives them a financial cushion and a chance to die next to their close people. It’s a guarantee of happiness and safety. A guarantee of not being abandoned in hard times when she needs help.”       “You better shut up, beggar!” Norman throws loudly. “If you are kind of so good, why did you cheat on Seymour and spread the legs of another gal?”       “Anyway, if Anna had been unhappy, she would’ve come back a long time ago.”       “And I understand why you decided to cheat. Not everyone would love to be with this worthless, stupid gal, who wasn’t taught to be obedient by her parents.”       “We all understand women didn’t please you because your late wife kept you and your older sonny on the leash and decided everything for you. That great woman had a strong will and knew what to do. And Anna is not guilty of hurting you so much, and the fact that your sonny could not accept her refusal with dignity.”       “Do not remind me of that woman!” Norman growls irritably. “I will never forgive myself for succumbing to my father and marrying Genevieve. Not acting like a real man! And I hate myself much more for making the greatest mistake of my life. Letting Ryan be born.”       “You love nobody!” Ryan screams. “NOBODY! Even your imitable Julian! And especially, my mother! Though, she wanted to do something nice for you and hear just one good word.”       “I would’ve made myself accept this marriage if she hadn’t made me feel ashamed of men! But I am madly happy I finally got rid of the control of that man in a skirt! I could finally do whatever I wanted without asking that general for permission.”       “So, Norman, remember?” Ryan sneers evilly. “Do you remember what you did to her?”       “Wives of generals, marshals, and colonels often whine that their husbands are too harsh and scream at them every day. But nobody talks about men living with daughters of generals and colonels feel!” Norman laughs contemptuously. “And that idiot wondered why nobody wanted to marry his young, beautiful daughter. Because she must’ve been educated as a woman! Who would like to live with a man in a skirt?”       “I’m starting to understand why you killed her four years ago.”       Everybody gasps quietly in horror.       “What?” Anna frowns slightly.       “What do you mean ‘killed her?’” Lillian wonders.       “I guess we were all surprised that the healthy woman died so early,” Ryan replies confidently. “So, there is a simple explanation: Mother didn't die of natural causes. Father poisoned that woman by adding a great dose of strong poison to her cup of tea.”       Everybody opens their eyes widely, being overwhelmed by this confession, and cannot say a word.       “You are slandering me!” Norman explodes with a heavy breath. “IT IS A LIE!”       “Lie?” Ryan pronounces surprisingly. “And you, bastard, dare to deny it?”       “You can’t prove anything!”       “I can, daddy, I can,” Ryan nods confidently and raises his head proudly. “And I will do it. The Seymours will deal with your sonny, but I will be happy to put you in prison.”       “It’s a very serious charge, sir,” Victor says confidently. “Are you really sure that this man poisoned your mother?”       “I am sure, Mr. Policeman. I know all the truth about how my mother died!”       “Ha, did you just wake up?” Julian sneers evilly. “You used to be happy with the information that your mom died from a heart attack!”       “Yes, I didn’t think Mother’s death could be forced. But on the day Anna was beaten, I talked to Mr. and Mrs. Seymour, these men, and their girls. These people made me think better and start my own investigation. And I started it. Secretly.”       “And what can you tell us, punk?” Julian crosses his arms over his chest. “What kind of shit would you tell us?”       “What?” Ryan puts his hands on his hands. “Let Norman tell us about the thing, with which he poisoned Mother! The substance named strychnine.”       “Strycho what?” Daniel frowns slightly.       “Strychnine. It may be a cure in minimal doses, and it may be one of the strongest poisons in the world in large doses. I spent a lot of time finding out everything about it: use, doses, symptoms of intoxication, etc. I found out something from the Internet and was told something by the professors at the university.”       “Strychnine?” Peter asks. “That’s the strong poison! It may often be used as a poised decoy for animals. And it’s the strongest stimulator and works as a coffin. But a certain dose might be fatal.”       “Absolutely correct. Strychnine was really used as a tonic or a cure for some hard poisoning for a long time. But now it’s rarely used because this substance is so dangerous. Five milligrams are enough to kill an adult person.”       “Ha, and what?” Norman hums contemptuously, crossing his arms over his chest. “Did you decide to show your knowledge and prove that you know everything?”       “Tell us how you poisoned Mother with strychnine? How she was dying in torture! Tell us how my close person eventually died from a choke and stopped breath. Because she could not breathe in or breathe out and was in strong convulsions. For a long time. Strychnine was killing her slowly, and you did NOTHING to help her. You just watched her get worse and worse.”       “You did not see it!” Julian recalls rudely. “And you cannot know what happened to your mommy!”       “And I’m sure that Father did his best for nobody to know the real reason for her death and find out that he killed her. Or he was told the truth, but Daddy hid it from me. He was afraid that I’d love to put him in prison if I knew the truth. So, he used my shock condition and said that Mother died from a heart attack! That’s all! No problems!”       Looking at each other, everybody in the living room shakes their heads and whispers about something, understanding that they were right when they thought that the story of Genevieve’s death was kind of suspicious.       “What a twist…” Terrence shakes his head.       “So, did you poison Genevieve?” Lillian concludes with horror in widely open eyes. “She didn’t really die of natural causes?”       “It happened for a reason,” Maximilian adds coldly. “We did suspect that you, scumbag, had to do with the death of Ryan’s mother. And there was a motive to kill her.”       “I always knew he never loved her,” Ryan says quietly. “But I didn’t think my father would dare to put her in the grave.”       “Ha, did you all go insane?” Norman hums loudly. “This boy goes crazy from his studies!”       “Come on, Daddy, confess! With the pretense of so many witnesses and the police! Confess that you have become a killer and lived quite well with it for four years!”       “How do you, yobbo, dare?” Julian gets wild. “HE IS YOUR FUCKING FATHER!”       “I don’t care!” Ryan raises his voice. “I’m revealing you two with the pretense of witnesses and the police, so you pay for what you have done in your worthless life.”       “Ha, and how can you prove it? To blame someone, you need proof! But you don’t have them and will not do!”       “Don’t worry, brother, I’ve already foreseen everything and collected the information that I will obviously give to the police. And I am ready to testify right now and tell the police to open a case for the planned murder of my mother.”       “I would like to know how you can prove that I killed your beloved mommy,” Norman crosses his arms over his chest.       “First of all, I have a capsule with strychnine.” Ryan puts his hand in the inside pocket of his coat, takes a small, glassy capsule that he shows everybody, and looks contemptuously at Norman, who rounds his eyes and gets too nervous after seeing this thing. “Remember? You haven’t gotten rid of multiple capsules that you have in a drawer on your table. I have a feeling that you wanted to kill someone else. Maybe, me, Daddy? What if you wanted to add strychnine to my cup of coffee or tea?”       “Were you going through my stuff?” Norman gets wild. “WERE YOU GOING THROUGH MY STUFF? YES, SNOTTY BOY?”       “It’s almost impossible to get strychnine easily because it cannot be sold freely. And even if you can buy this poison, you can get only small doses. But you found it with the help of a man, whom you paid good money for quite a big dose. It would’ve been enough to poison several people. And I wouldn’t be surprised if you wanted to poison Mother, me and the Seymours. And if you or Julian wanted to poison Anna's ex-boyfriend, it wouldn’t also be a surprise to me.”       “So, could this scumbag poison us?” Maximilian concludes.       “I was afraid that they could do it today,” Ryan confesses. “But luckily, they didn’t take the capsules.”       “Ha, how do you know it, nerd?” Julian smirks evilly.       “I counted the capsules before this meeting. And when I counted it after you left, the quantity remained the same. Thus, you didn’t plan to poison.”       “My God…” Lillian shakes her head, getting white with horror.       “Damn, who cares about it?” Norman resents, gesticulating actively. “Do you care about what I have? I have the right to have everything! Even drugs!”       “Oh, Daddy, you better watch your mouth,” Ryan laughs evilly. “The police are here and hear everything. What if they think you really have drugs at your home. Yes, I found nothing like that, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you really had something.”       “Having capsules with strychnine doesn’t prove that I killed your mommy!”       “Maybe, I show everybody your chat with the man, from whom you bought strychnine? Or let them listen to the voice record that I made two days ago when you were talking to the same man and mentioned my mother and the fact that she died from strychnine?”       “WHAT?” Norman explodes. “DID YOU CHECK MY COMPUTER, SON OF BITCH?”       “You’ve always thought you were very sly and smart,” Ryan replies with a quiet smirk. “Though, everything has always been open. You didn’t set up passwords on your computer and phone. And I remember your email and password from it by heart. You only had brains for such easy passwords as ‘qwerty’ or ‘12345.’ And I remember your birthday and the birthdays of those you know. I didn’t spend even five minutes guessing the password, opening your email, and checking out your inbox that has so many interesting things.”       Everybody starts looking at each other and whispering, being shocked by Ryan’s words.       “Here’s a sly fox,” Daniel says thoughtfully.       “Listen, this guy is really smart and sly,” Edward notices with a sly smile. “And he didn’t betray us. He did promise to find out something about his mother.”       “Yeah, but you suspected him of agreeing with them!” Peter exclaims.       “So, I believe there’s one more reason to punish this bastard,” Maximilian replies confidently.       “Of course, I knew that Norman never loved that woman and just played love for her,” Lilian says thoughtfully. “But I couldn’t imagine that he’d think of killing her…”       “I can’t believe that Mrs. Potter became a victim…” Anna shakes her head. “Poor woman…”       “AH, YOU, MOTHERFUCKER!” Norman yells, being green from anger and being terribly mad that the attempt to deny his fault will lead to nothing. “SPY! BETRAYER! SCUMBAG!”       “So, at first, you did a bad thing, but now you hit your chest, saying you didn’t do that?” Ryan rounds his eyes.       “CURSE YOU, KID! I WISH YOU THE FUCK DIED!”       “I did warn you, Father!” Julian recalls rudely. “I said that this cad could be dangerous for us. I told you to set passwords on your computer and phone and change your email! But you didn’t listen! YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE THE FUCK TOO SMART AND SLY!”       “SHUT UP!” Norman screams irritably. “I DON’T NEED YOUR FUCKING NOTATIONS!”       “But don’t scream at me! I am not guilty of you being so stupid!”       “I SAID, SHUT UP! IF YOU SAY ONE MORE WORD, I SHALL HIT YOU ON YOUR HEAD!”       “Oh, Daddy got nervous…” Ryan chuckles evilly. “He's taking it out on his beloved sonny. Oh, oh, oh…”       “CLOSE YOUR MOUTH, KID!”       “Besides, you’ve never deleted old e-mails. That’s why I found the emails that you’ve had for five years! I must confess that I needed time to read them and pick up those that would compromise you.”       “Ha, did you really read all those emails?” Julian smirks evilly.       “There were hundreds of them. But to put my father in prison, I was ready to read them for days and nights. And it was worth it.”       “Didn’t your beloved mommy teach you that reading someone’s letters and getting through their stuff is bad?” Norman asks rudely.       “This time, I had to do this. It was done for a good thing – to learn the truth about Mother’s death, find proof, and report you to the police. You, asshole, must pay for what you did to her!”       “Nobody will do this! Nobody cares about that man in a skirt, who died four years ago!”       “Since you’re about to be put in a cell, the police will be interested in examining all your tricks. And I’m sorry about not doing it earlier. What’s happening now wouldn’t have happened if I had put you in prison a few years ago. If I had told myself not to fall into depression and to find everything out.”       “Never…” Norman hisses through his teeth, pointing at Ryan with his finger. “Hear me, never… You will never turn on my computer. I WILL SET UP PASSWORDS THAT YOU WILL NEVER GUESS! AND YOU WILL NO LONGER HEAR MY TALKS! I WILL BE SMARTER THE NEXT TIME!”       “Ah, Daddy, Daddy…” Ryan laughs evilly, shaking his head and looking at Norman contemptuously. “You woke up too late. You should’ve thought earlier.”       “I SHOULD’VE LISTENED TO JULIAN! SMART MAN! HE QUICKLY BIT YOU THROUGH!”       “And if you thought that I just opened the email, typed a password, checked out the inbox, and closed it, you can be disappointed. I copied all the letters, messages on the phone that you often leave at your office, and some notes. I made a couple of printouts and scans and collected a bunch of voice memos of your talks with your sonny, friends, and other people.” Ryan smiles slyly with his head proudly raised. “I did find the perfect dirt.”       “So, were you watching your father and brother and collecting the information for a long time?” Anna asks hesitantly.       “Exactly. Yes, I was afraid to suffer and was silent, pretending to be a nerd, who didn’t care about what his father and brother were doing. But I’ve never stopped watching them. I’ve always been aware of what they thought about.”       “RAT!” Norman screams. “I HATE YOU!”       “Rats are you and your sonny.” Ryan raises his head proudly and looks at everybody confidently. “You have always hated the Seymours and aimed to speak to them only for their benefit. And after the situation with finances, you got much madder and started to take revenge. Not only on Mr. and Mrs. Seymour. You also got Anna involved in it. After Julian suggested it, wishing to mock her.”       “You’ll never prove anything, brother!” Julian smirks ironically, crossing his arms over his chest. “What’s the point in saying all of it about Father? Even the police will not believe you! They need proof!”       “I said I thought about everything.” Ryan puts his hand into the inside pocket again with a sly smile and takes the black flash drive with a thin chain and a compact voice recorder that he shows confidently to Julian and Norman. “Here’s everything I need. The flash drive has all the messages, chats, scans of papers, and more interesting things. And the voice recorder has all the talks that can prove how you treat the Seymours and Anna’s ex-boyfriend and the fact that Father had to do with Mother’s death.”       Norman rounds his eyes and starts breathing heavily enough from excitement, shifting his weight from one foot to another, while his eyes are running from one side to another, and everybody looks at him and Julian with contempt.       “This is how you loved Genevieve,” Maximilian hisses through his teeth. “So, do you remember her every day during dinners with Julian? You miss her? Consider her a wonderful woman?”       “She shouldn’t have made me whipped and thought that she controlled everything at home,” Norman gets enraged. “She must not have become a man and made me someone like a woman! That general got what she wanted!”       “How could you do that? How could you deprive Ryan of the person, who loved him so much? Wasn’t it easy to get divorced if you felt so bad?”       “Serious? Divorce from that chicken to let her find someone else and make him a woman? I saved men from it!”       “My gosh, poor Mrs. Potter…” Anna says with pity in her eyes. “She was such a good woman…”       “Poor woman, my heart squeezes when I imagine her torture before death,” Lillian adds with wet eyes and puts her hand on her heart. “Oh, God, poor Genevieve… She did not deserve all of that…”       “Do not pity that bitch!” Norman replies rudely. “And thank her father for teaching his daughter NOTHING! Confusing her with a conscript of the army!”       “Shame on you for saying it!”       “Are you serious, Mr. Seymour?” Ryan wonders. “My father hears this word for the first time!”       “Erm, excuse me, sir…” Victor pronounces thoughtfully, addressing Ryan. “Erm… What’s your name?”       “Ryan Potter, Mr. Policeman,” Ryan introduced himself.       “Yes, Mr. Potter… Could you give me the flash drive that you talked about?”       “With pleasure!” Ryan gives the flash drive to Victor, while Norman rolls his eyes up with both arms crossed over his chest.       “And yeah, be nice to go with me and testify.”       “I will do everything you say.”       “BASTARD!” Norman screams at the top of his lungs. “ONE MORE MOTHERFUCKER, WHO MESSED UP EVERYTHING! THAT HAS BEEN A BURDEN ALL MY LIFE!”       “We are not powerless now,” Peter says confidently, crossing his arms over his chest. “So, honorable folks, you will have to wear a prison robe and meet friends among your cellmates for at least twenty or thirty years.”       “Yeah, if you meet a man named Michael MacClife, give him a greeting from us,” Edward adds with his head proudly raised. “And wish him to die soon.”       “By the way, does someone want to listen to the record of the talk of Father and his friend?” Ryan asks loudly. “Hear the honorable Norman Potter make a full confession.”       “Turn it on, Ryan,” Maximilian nods confidently. “We all want to hear a confession of this scumbag!”       Ryan quickly turns on the record on the voice recorder. Everybody can hear Norman’s voice talking to someone on the phone. They hear nothing special for the first few seconds, but at some moment, they hear the name Genevieve and start to listen to it much closer. While Sammy moves his head on different sides and sometimes makes very quiet sounds, as he is next to Peter.       “Ah, yeah, Genevieve… She is now somewhere in heaven, watching her beloved Ryan. Yes, yes, that mammy’s boy still cannot take her death and naively believes he was deceived. But his beloved mommy has been dead for four years. She died. She died when I added strychnine that you gave me to her tea…”       Lillian closes her mouth with both hands with wet eyes and shakes her head, while the others look at each other.       “Ah, my dear friend… I’m so thankful to you for saving me from that man in a skirt. The past four years have been the best of my life. That woman didn’t let me and Julian take a step. She must have lived by MY rules! But that tomboy always treated me like I was her slave. That woman was the daughter of the general! That old bastard educated her like this and then wondered why nobody wanted to marry his daughter. Oh, I shouldn't have agreed to make the dream of my father of becoming a relative of his friend come true…”       Norman clenches his hands into fists so that his chuckles get white, understanding how much every single muscle of him is tense.       “Huh? Yes, yes! Ryan still believes that Genevieve died from a sudden heart attack. No, no, he doesn’t know that her death was actually caused by a great dose of strychnine… Yes, that kid still cannot come to himself after the shock and doesn’t even ask himself if what he was told was the truth. And it was good for me! What if he wants to put me in prison! Hey, did I tell you how I poisoned her? No? Wow! It’s been so many years, but I haven’t done it… Listen then! That woman was a huge fan of tea and could drink it all day long. On that day, I said I’d give her a cup. Genevieve agreed with pleasure. So, I did it and added the strychnine from the capsule. And then I gave it to my wifey. She drank it for a few minutes. And I supported a talk all that time. And in ten minutes, she felt a little worse, but she didn’t care about it. And then she got worse and worse. Pain, cramping, inability to breathe, photophobia, blue skin, the body that can bend and cannot unbend… That woman was dying in strong torture for a few hours.”       While the women and the men shake their heads with horror in their eyes, imagining all these terrible things, Sammy whines quietly, looks at everybody with a sad look, and inclines his head.       “I pretended that I was trying to help. I showed excitement and fear that didn’t let me think of calling a doctor. Genevieve begged me for help, but I pretended that I had a panic, and our phone didn’t work. Though, I turned it off on purpose. But at some moment, I told her everything I thought about her. Said how she ruined my life. How she made me ashamed of all the men in the world. How she made one of my sons a cowardly asshole. Genevieve tried to mind, but she could barely speak. But she said something about love and respect. And after asking to take care of Ryan, my exhausted wifey died. Of course, I called an ambulance! And I pretended to be devastated when a doctor said that the woman was dead. Also, I had to play drama at the funeral. But when she was finally buried, Julian and I drank a whole bottle of wine from happiness! Huh? What? No, Ryan didn’t know it! He was stuck at the university on the day of her death! But my younger sonny almost cried when he heard about his mommy’s death. He could easily faint from being too emotional. I don’t know, when Julian and I told him about Genevieve’s death, Ryan went to his room and didn’t leave it for a few hours. He was crying bitterly, as Julian said.”       Meanwhile, Maximilian and Lilian throw a dumbfounded look at Norman, not believing that this man could commit the murder, which he does not regret at all.       “Why should I have the fuck cared about his state? I would be happy if his mommy took him with her! And yeah, I don’t consider him my son! I only have Julian! He meets all my expectations! And to be honest, I sometimes think Ryan is not my son. That Genevieve made him with someone else and made me provide for him. What? Do you suggest I poison Ryan? You know… I can think about it… But a little later. Julian and I have a more interesting business. Yes, I mean the Seymours. We will destroy those two bastards and their worthless daughter in two days… What, what? What’s going to happen to that beggar? I don’t know, friend! I will leave him to Julian. Since the deadbeat stole the girl from him, my son will decide what to do to him. Yesterday, he bought a new knife. Moreover, that bastard and his pals beat my son strongly when they tried to protect the gal. Julian still has tons of bruises and limped for a whole day…”       Next, Norman says goodbye to his friend warmly, and the voice record stops. The tense silence settles in the air for a few seconds, during which the men and the women look at each other with dumbfounded eyes, while Norman realizes that Ryan did not bluff, and he no longer any anything.       “I don't know what to say…” Lillian pronounces in a shaking voice. “Gosh… That’s… Terrible!”       “So, could Ryan have died from the poison, too?” Anna gets horrified.       “Nasty snakes…” Daniel says with contempt. “One kills a person without regret and drinks wine. And another beats the girl to half-death and rapes her psychologically.”       “So, Potters, we’ve caught you!” Maximilian throws with contempt in his eyes. “Now nobody will dare to say we’re slandering you.”       “VIPER!” Norman screams at the top of his lungs, pointing at Ryan, while he gives the voice recorder to Victor, who gives it as well as the flash drive to Oliver and says something to him. “THANKLESS PIG! I WAS FEEDING AND DRESSING YOU! I PAID FOR YOUR STUDIES… AND THAT’S WHAT YOU THE FUCK DID!”       “How could you, bastard, do this to your father?” Julian resents. “He’s done so much for you!”       “How could this motherfucker kill my mother?” Ryan shouts. “Why couldn’t he just get divorced from her? Why did he kill her?”       “You must the fuck have said, ‘thank you’ to him for letting you live in his house and feed on our money!”       “Don’t worry, Julian, now I can get out of home with a quiet heart,” Ryan says confidently. “I have done what I must have done. Now nothing holds me in the house of the killer of my mother and my older brother, who almost put the innocent girl in the grave! I was overwhelmed when I saw the consequences of the hits and didn’t believe that you did that. But I was much more horrified when I found out how my mother actually died.”       “You will pay me, asshole,” Norman hisses through his teeth, comes to Ryan sharply, grabs him by the collar, and shakes him strongly, setting his bloodshot eyes on him. “I WILL DESTROY YOU, PUNK! YOUR BIRTH IS THE GREATEST MISTAKE IN MY LIFE! YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN BORN IN THIS WORLD!”       “YOU should not have been born!” Ryan shouts with despair. “Because of you, I stayed alone! ALONE! You have always treated me like an unnecessary thing! Hated me, despised me, laughed at my successes, mocked and haven’t tried to act love and care for me. You only care about Julian! And I’m forgotten!”       “You’re a shame to any father! A cowardly, worthless, ugly, and non-educated bastard! A fucking mamma’s boy, who always kissed her ass!”       “You are a shame to any son or daughter!” Ryan moves Norman’s hands off himself sharply and pushes him off rudely, breathing so heavily that his nostrils are inflating strongly. “And you know, I would close my eyes to it. I was used to this attitude. Yes, it was unpleasant, but I didn’t feel unhappy because my daddy gave a fuck about me. Mother compensated for my father’s care. But I will never… I will never forgive you for depriving me of my close person. The one, who loved me truly and was glad about my successes.”       “Yeah, there is nobody to be happy with your gold medals and red diplomas,” Norman sneers evilly.       “I will never forgive you for murdering my mother. Hear me, NEVER!” Ryan grabs Norman sharply by the collar and shakes him strongly, setting an icy look in his eyes. “YOU KILLED HER! KILLED MY MOTHER!”       “YES, I DID!” Norman screams. “That bitch paid for daring to think she was as important as a man.”       “BASTARD!” Ryan screams at the top of his lungs. “I WILL DESPISE YOU UNTIL THE END OF MY LIFE! I HATE YOU, NORMAN POTTER! HATE! CURSE YOU AS WELL AS JULIAN! I WISH YOU TWO DIED, MOTHERFUCKERS!”       “Alright, shorty,” Norman pronounces coldly, pushes Ryan rudely off himself, and grabs him painfully by the hair. “I do not wish to see you in my house anymore! YOU, KID, WILL TAKE YOUR STUFF TODAY AND GET OUT TO THE FUCK! LIVE AS YOU WANT! AND DO NOT COUNT ON ME!”       “WITH PLEASURE!” Ryan screams and steps sharply away from Norman. “I AM EVEN READY TO CHANGE MY LAST NAME NOT TO REMEMBER THAT NORMAN POTTER IS A KILLER OF MY MOTHER!”       “I give you my permission! You wouldn’t be a pain in my eyes!”       “I am rejecting you as a father and Julian as a brother! I AM DONE! From now on, I am not related to your family! Forget that I exist! I AM NO LONGER ONE OF THE POTTERS!”       “GOOD RIDDANCE, FREAK!” Julian screams loudly. “YOU COULD DO AT LEAST SOMETHING GOOD FOR US!”       “It’s the first time when you REALLY made me happy!” Norman says confidently.       “Wonderful!” Ryan throws rudely. “If I have a chance, I will obviously strike you out of all my documents. I don’t need a father like you! I DON’T NEED IT! DON’T NEED! I HATE YOU, BASTARD! YOU ARE A KILLER! THE KILLER! KILLER! DIE, ASSHOLE! DIE!”       Breathing heavily enough and barely holding down a wish to shed a tear, Ryan turns around sharply and goes aside to calm down a little, while Lillian and Anna come to him to try to calm him down a little.       “Oh, God, poor guy…” Victor whispers, shaking his head with horror in widely open eyes.       “So what, the Potters, do you see that you have no place to run?” Terrence asks with both arms crossed over his chest. “You are bitten through and pinned to the wall.”       “Fighting, biting, or snapping is worthless,” Peter adds confidently, keeping his cold look on Julian and Norman. “And you can’t run away. If you open the door, the police will be waiting for you.”       “It’s too early to be happy, idiots!” Julian throws rudely. “Even if this boy betrayed us, we will not recognize our fault.”       “You and your father will have to do it,” Daniel says confidently. “Your game is over.”       “Norman and Julian Potter, we highly recommend that you give up,” Darwin encourages quietly. “We will not leave until we drive you to the station. Let’s not waste our time and make everything harder.”       “Giving up means pronouncing your loss!” Norman exclaims with his head proudly raised. “And we, the Potters, will never confess our fault! We will bring any case to an end! IN ANY WAY! WHOEVER STANDS IN OUR WAY!”       Norman grabs the pistol from a small table near the sofa, which has been there since Ryan showed up, and points it at everybody by one, and Julian takes his knife from the same place.       “And remember, scumbags, if someone else comes here, we will kill all of them,” Norman says rudely. “None of you will survive until tomorrow!”       “Resisting doesn’t make sense when you’re pressed to the wall,” Ryan says rudely, coming to Norman confidently. “It’s starting to remind me of some circus.”       “You, kid, will join them, too,” Julian replies with a sly smile. “We will not let you live. Especially, after we found out that you, scumbag, spied over us!”       Julian comes to Ryan quickly and tries to put his knife against his throat, but the guy immediately does a perfect arm grip, grabbing it tightly, and gives his brother a strong slap in the face, which makes the man shake sharply.       “No, bastard,” Ryan pronounces in a rude and cold voice. “Do not even dream. I am not going to be your toy to beat. If you touch me with a finger, you will regret it. I SWEAR, ASSHOLE!”       “If he does not kill you, I will do it!” Norman threatens. “WITH GREAT PLEASURE!”       Norman points the pistol at Ryan and takes a confident shot, which the guy avoids by falling sharply on the floor, rolling aside, and getting up quickly. And while the surprised Potter looks at Julian, the guy looks around the living room quickly, sees a deep, glassy bowl placed on the table near the stairs, takes it, and throws it at his father with a shout. But the man dodges, and the bowl gets into the window, leaving the cracks and breaking into thousands of pieces. Norman takes a shot at Ryan again, but the guy hides behind the sofa, while this bullet almost gets into Terrence, who squats down in time. Then three more bullets almost get into Daniel, Edward, and Peter. And when one more bullet almost gets into Sammy, Rose saves him by taking the dog aside sharply.       After looking at each other and nodding confidently, the four men decide to help Ryan. While Daniel and Edward attack Norman from behind and try to take the pistol from him, Terrence and Peter have to deal with Julian, who runs to them to get a knife into one of them. They give serious and strong hits with legs and hands, use tight grips and chokeholds, try to defend themselves and each other, and have to fall many times, roll on the floor, hide, and use everything they see. While Maximilian, Lillian, and Anna go aside and press themselves closer to each other, Sammy helps the men in all ways but has to be very careful not to hurt his paws with sharp pieces. The policemen unsuccessfully try to get Norman and Julian arrested and even start to shoot at them. However, they dodge easily, and Potter, Sr, starts to shoot at everybody he sees.       At some moment, Daniel distracts himself for a moment to take a breath and gets struck down by Norman, who grabs him by the collar and throws him so that the man hits the back of his head against a corner of the sofa before falling. And while he winces from pain, Potter, Sr., falls over him, gives him a few strong slaps, and pulls him strongly by the hair. Biting the bullet, Perkins gives him painful hits on his groin and chest with his legs and knees and does not give up even when the man squeezes his throat tightly. And later, Ryan and Terrence help him out: one uses a chokehold for Norman from behind and pushes him aside along with another. Even despite having by far not perfect physical data, Potter, Jr., holds on so hard and, even being out of breath and red, does not let himself relax. MacClife, Sr., does not care about the blood under his nose and slight scars on his arms. And Daniel does not complain about a slight burn on his skinned elbows or strong pain in his whole body. Meanwhile, Edward and Peter also meet failures at times. So, after falling to the floor, MacClife, Jr., accidentally hurts his wrist with pieces of glass. That’s why it starts bleeding, but it does not give discomfort to the guy, who winces slightly, gets up sharply, and keeps fighting. As well as Rose does it after a strong hit against the corner of the sofa with the bridge of his nose. He just touches his nose, which gets a little blue, looks at the blood on his hand indifferently, and starts fighting with Julian hand in hand fearlessly.       But no matter how perfect the friends’ physical data is, it’s getting harder to control the situation. Despite all the bruises, blood, and pain in the whole body, the Potters manage to strike Daniel down and throw him so that he hits his face against the back of the sofa and hurts his cheek and forearm with pieces of glass. Then Julian and Norman strike down Edward, Terrence, and Peter, who get several painful hits on the whole body and start to make mistakes due to nervousness. The policemen and Ryan suffer somehow, but they do their best to help the men. And Anna is crying quietly and shouting loudly in horror when the Potters start to threaten Terrence, Edward, and Peter with their guns, not letting them take a step.       “So, we played catch-up, and it’s enough!” Norman exclaims with a sly smile, putting the pistol against Terrence’s temple and grabbing him rudely by the hair.       “We’re not going to waste time anymore!” Julian hisses through his teeth, putting his knife against Edward’s throat and grabbing Peter painfully under his arm. “YOU WILL DIE NOW!”       “NO!” Anna screams in a heartbreaking way. “DON’T DO THIS!”       “SHUT UP, PETITE BITCH! DON’T MEDDLE WHEN MEN DO THEIR BUSINESS!”       “Let the men go now, bastards!” Ryan demands confidently. “Don’t dare to touch them with a finger!”       “SEW YOUR MOUTH, SHORTY!” Norman screams at the top of his lungs and pulls Terrence sharply down when the man tries to break up. “STAY HERE, SIX-FOOT-TALL COLUMN!”       “Oh, look how much this kid wants to save his brother,” Julian laughs evilly, pulling Edward sharply down and putting the knife tighter to his throat when the guy wants to help Terrence. “DO NOT MOVE, MILKSOP!”       “Where are you going, the main protector of the deadbeat?” Norman resents, painfully grabbing Peter by the hair when the man gives a start sharply.       “YOU BETTER SHUT YOUR FUCKING DOG UP!” Julian sharply points the knife at Sammy barking loudly. “MY HEAD HURTS BECAUSE OF HIM!”       “I hope it will tear apart,” Peter throws rudely.       “SHUT UP, BASTARD!” Norman orders.       “No, Mr. Potter, Julian, please, don’t do this!” Anna begs with tears in her eyes.       “You two must be in a mental hospital!” Ryan exclaims rudely. “Prison will not change you!”       “Alright, Julian, stop wasting time!” Norman roars. “End these bastards!”       “NO!” Anna screams at the top of her lungs with widely open eyes. “PLEASE, DON’T DO THIS!”       Terrence, Edward, and Peter, who seem quiet outside, swallow up nervously and unsuccessfully try to break free.       “STAY HERE!” Norman screams and slaps Peter strongly in his face, making Sammy start to growl with greater aggression. “YOU ARE TOO BRAVE, I SEE!”       “STOP RESISTING, PUPPY!” Julian explodes, puts the knife tighter to Edward’s throat, and squeezes it strongly so that the guy can barely breathe.       “Relax, rooster, you will die along with your brother.” Norman puts the pistol tighter against Terrence’s temple, while the man tries to break free and help Edward out.       “Please, stop…” Anna begs loudly with pity in her eyes. “Let the guys go…”       While the terribly excited Terrence and Peter look at each other and Edward, who tries to catch some air, Anna is crying bitterly and puts her nose in the shoulder of Ryan, who hugs her tightly with the hope of calming her down. Sammy whines with pity, barks loudly, and runs nervously in front of Norman and Julian. Lillian and Maximilian being shocked shake their heads, as they hug each other tightly, and the policemen have to stand in the same places because the Potters are threatening them with the pistol and the knife. Meanwhile, Daniel comes to himself more or less and, still sitting on the floor, looks around. He opens his eyes full of horror widely when he sees Norman and Julian keeping his friends under the gun. He sees how Potter, Sr., slaps Peter and Terrence in the face again when they try to break free again, and his son keeps his knife tightly put against the throat of Edward breathing heavily enough.       At this moment, Daniel realizes he can no longer risk the lives of his friends and wants to do his best to bring this case to an end all alone. And after thinking about Anna’s words about him being able to do nothing without the men, Perkins decides to prove that it’s not the truth. So, not wasting time, he gets up sharply and comes to the Potters quickly.       “No!” Daniel shouts with despair. “Let them go now!”       “Oh, the deadbeat has been found!” Julian exclaims.       “Let the guys go! Don’t dare to hurt them! DON’T DARE! I WILL CUT YOUR THROATS!”       “Do you think you can stop us?” Norman smiles evilly. “NEVER! THREE BASTARDS WILL DIE! AS WELL AS THEIR SMELLY DOG!”       “I shall roll you into the asphalt if something happens to them,” Daniel threatens with a heavy breath. “I WILL NOT FORGIVE YOU FOR IT AS WELL AS FOR ALL THE MOCKERIES TOWARD ANNA!”       “We give a fuck about your threats, bastard!” Julian says confidently, puts the knife tightly to Edward’s throat, and wants to run it over it sharply. “NOTHING CAN STOP US!”       “Let’s start with the youngest ones,” Norman smiles slyly and puts the pistol against Peter’s throat, pulling him painfully by the hair. “This blond freak and this kid.”       When Norman wants to pull the trigger, Sammy starts to bark excitedly and growl, telling him to leave Peter alone.       “No!” Daniel screams, breathing heavily enough. “If you want to kill, kill me! But don’t hurt them!”       “Don’t worry, deadbeat, you are in the line,” Julian promises confidently. “When we deal with these bastards, we will kill you.”       “Stop! Let everybody go! But I will stay. With you.”       Everybody moves their overwhelmed looks to Daniel, and Sammy makes a quiet sound, as he looks at him questioningly.       “What?” Peter, Edward, and Terrence get horrified.       “What are you saying, deadbeat?” Julian throws rudely.       “Let these people go!” Daniel demands confidently. “All of them! Nobody should suffer.”       “Ha, are you kidding?” Norman scoffs evilly.       “You are just playing time with the hope of saving your pals and the Seymours,” Julian adds.       “If you let them go, I will stay with you.” Daniel raises his head proudly, looking at Julian and Norman confidently. “Face to face.”       “What are you talking about, coward? Your pants are wet! You can do nothing without your pals!”       “I am not kidding, Potter,” Daniel says in a rude, low voice. “You and your father let everybody go, but I stay. No gun. No support.”       “What?” everybody in the living room pronounces.       “No…” Anna shakes her head sharply with tears in her eyes, starting to breathe heavier from excitement. “No, no, no… Don’t dare to do this, Daniel! Don’t dare! They will kill you!”       “Daniel, do you understand what you are saying?” Maximilian gets horrified.       “Yes, I do!” Daniel replies confidently, not moving his eyes off Norman and Julian. “Leave me alone.”       “Wait, are you serious?” Ryan frowns slightly.       “If these motherfuckers want blood, they can make me a victim. I am ready to sacrifice myself for your lives.”       “No!” Peter, Edward, and Terrence shout excitedly.       “I will not leave!” Peter exclaims confidently.       “Me too!” Edward and Terrence exclaim at the same time.       “It’s going to be worse for you if your pals get out of here,” Norman sneers contemptuously.       “But on the contrary, Father, why not?” Julian smiles slyly. “It would be easier for us to kill this bastard.”       “Kill me!” Daniel says coldly, raising his head proudly. “Do anything you want to me. Just let all these people go.”       “Gosh, Daniel, wake up!” Victor gets horrified, coming to Daniel, taking him by the shoulders, and half-turning him on. “Think of what you’re saying! Since we all can’t deal with these two, they will surely kill you if you stay alone.”       “I’ve decided everything. Your lives for mine.”       “Don’t do what we did not agree about.”       “Take everybody away, Mr. Johnson. While we have a chance to save everybody.”       “It’s madness, Daniel!” Ryan pronounces loudly and excitedly. “These bastards will quickly get you exhausted and kill you without problems!”       “I will not let them hurt you. It’s my duty.”       “Yeah, not by risking your life!”       “I am ready to sacrifice myself if I have to.” Daniel moves his eyes aside. “You’ll see what I can do without my friends’ help.”       Sammy starts to whine quietly, as he looks at Daniel breathing a little heavily and being excited with pity in his eyes. The dog comes to him and nuzzles his nose in his hand with the hope of changing his mind. And Julian and Norman, forgetting about Edward, Terrence, and Peter, look at each other with sly smiles, while the excited men look at their friend with widely open eyes.       “So, sonny, I think this is really a perfect idea,” Norman says thoughtfully. “Since the deadbeat decided to die first, we are even happy with it.”       “Yeah, let’s pity the deadbeat and let him make his last wish,” Julian laughs evilly.       “Alright, I shall die,” Daniel pronounces quietly without aggression. “Kill me, but don’t dare to hurt these people.”       “Gosh, is he giving up?” Lilian wonders in a whisper, looking at Maximilian.       “No, no, he can’t do this,” Maximilian shakes his head. “God, don’t let it happen!”       “And don’t try to change my mind,” Daniel says quietly and swallows up nervously, breathing heavily enough and understanding how strongly he is shaking. “I am doing this for you all.”       “No…” Anna shakes her head with horror in her eyes, realizing more and more that the situation is real and forgetting about any offenses. “No… I don’t believe… No… My God…”       Sammy shows his protest by barking loudly and excitedly.       “Go…” Daniel pronounces in a quiet, shaking voice. “Please, leave. Leave me alone.”       “No, Daniel!” Anna cries loudly, not holding down the tears that roll down her cheeks. “Please, don’t do this! Don’t dare! It’s insanity!”       “The Potters accepted my suggestion,” Daniel notices quietly. “So, you all can leave.”       “No, you can’t do this! You can’t!” Anna, sniffing quietly, rushes to Daniel, turns him on her, and takes him by the forearms, as she looks at him with wet eyes full of unbelievable despair. “Please, change your mind… Don’t do stupid things.”       “I should have done it a long time ago. I shouldn't have played time ‘till the end.”       “For God’s sake, don’t sacrifice yourself for these stinkers!” Anna sniffs quietly. “If something happens to you, or you die, I will never forgive myself for it.”       “If these stinkers want meat and blood, they will get it,” Daniel replies without emotions. “Everything they love.”       “No, Daniel, no! Don’t dare! I won’t let you! You won’t give up on these snakes at your wish! Never!”       “I will, Anna,” Daniel pronounces without emotions. “I will prove that I can do many things all alone.”       “Shut up, Daniel, SHUT UP! DON’T DARE!”       While Anna closes her face with both shaking hands and starts crying bitterly, and Sammy tries to comfort her, Peter, Terrence, and Edward run to Daniel.       “Daniel, did you go crazy?” Peter gets horrified. “What are you the fuck doing? Where are your brains?”       “Don’t even dare to think about it!” Terrence adds excitedly.       “It was all a mistake, lads,” Daniel says with despair, shaking his head. “I shouldn’t have dragged you into this fight.”       “Quiet, Daniel, breathe deeper,” Edward pronounces quietly. “Don’t go crazy. We’ll find a solution.”       “I was sure that these scumbags would press us to the wall! And I minded your participation in this event from the beginning.”       “It’s okay, buddy, everything is not lost,” Terrence says confidently. “We’re still alive, and it’s the most important thing.”       “I shouldn’t have listened to you. You shouldn’t have meddled in this case.”       “Listen, bro, we understand that you’re a little tired and don’t know what to do,” Edward says confidently. “But your idea is not the solution to this problem.”       “I can’t watch all of this anymore. I can no longer put you in danger and make you deal with what happened because of me.”       “We can’t leave you in trouble,” Peter says confidently. “If something happens to you, it’s gonna be our fault. Our mistake.”       “Too many people have suffered because of me. And I can’t let more people become victims. I’ve gotta end all of this by myself.”       “How? The Potters have a knife and a pistol! You must not yawl! If you miss a moment, they will kill you!”       “Don’t worry about me, guys, I can solve it.”       “No, please, listen to the men!” Anna exclaims loudly and desperately. “You can’t deal with them alone! God must not let them put you in a hospital again with brain damage! It will obviously lead to the consequences for the second time!”       “I don’t care about me,” Daniel replies quietly. “I only think of you. I promised to protect those I’m responsible for. I promised to take at least one responsibility in my life.”       “Daniel, please…”       “It’s time to prove that I’m no longer a little boy that gives a fuck about everything.”       “If you stay alone, you’ll be dead!” Anna shouts with despair. “One against two – it’s a loss!”       “Even if I can’t do this, I’ll die quietly. Not regretting the fact that I didn’t even try.”       “No, Daniel, NO! You will not do this! YOU WILL NOT DO IT!” Anna sharply moves her crying, begging gaze to Terrence, Peter, and Edward. “Terrence, Edward, Peter! Say something to him! Wake him up! I won’t be able to live if these cads kill Daniel! Please, guys! I will not bear it! I don’t want it!”       “Don’t worry, Anna, we will not leave!” Terrence promises confidently. “We won’t also forgive ourselves if we give him to these bastards.”       “No, guys, you will not stay!” Daniel cuts off sharply.       “Yes, we fail it sometimes, I agree!” Peter exclaims. “But we’ve reached our main goal – the Seymours are alive. We protected them.”       “I know, but if you don’t stop, the cost may be too high.”       “The situation is still under our control, Perkins,” Edward tries to calm down. “The Potters won’t run with a knife and a pistol forever.”       “Leave, guys, I’m begging you. Take care of the Seymours.”       “If we leave, we leave all together!” Terrence exclaims.       “Don’t listen to him, lads!” Ryan says confidently after coming to the men. “Look, these assholes already have gloss in their eyes!”       “We will not leave, Ryan,” Edward promises with his head proudly raised.       “We’d better die than leave our friends in trouble.”       “No!” Daniel rounds his eyes full of horror. “Don’t dare!”       “Shut up, Perkins!” Terrence says harshly. “Turn your fucking brain on! Stop doing some shitty things!”       “I’m doing this for your salvation!”       “No, man, you’re really crazy!” Peter shakes his head. “Seriously, Perkins, you’re a brainless idiot!”       “Yes, I am! Because I wasn’t much harsher toward you!”       “Wake up, Daniel!” Peter shakes Daniel by the shoulders and then grabs his face, while Maximilian and Lillian come to them, and Sammy whines quietly with pity in his eyes. “Do you the fuck understand what you’re doing? Nobody needs your heroism! Everybody wants all of u to be alive and healthy!”       “Listen, I shall do what I think is right.”       “Hey, we understand that you turned off your brains and followed your emotions. But please, try to brace yourself and rate your strength soberly.”       “If I don’t do what I should, we will never get rid of the Potters,” Daniel replies with some despair in his voice.       “Fuck, I’ve got nothing to say!” Peter sharply goes aside and squeezes the bridge of his nose, breathing heavily enough. “Only an idiot could go to the home of a wild animal at their wish!”       “I have no choice, Peter. I must deal with these bastards.”       “NOT THIS FUCKING WAY!” Peter breaks into a cry. “An attempt to go to meet your inevitable death is one of the stupidest things that someone can do. You’re supposed to hate your life too much to come to the killer and say, ‘Shoot!’”       “He’s right, Daniel!” Ryan exclaims with horror in his eyes. “It would be stupid to give yourself to death so easily.”       “I didn’t say I’d give up on them easily,” Daniel says quietly. “I just wanna deal with them alone.”       “Don’t do this, dude.” Ryan puts his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “They’ll kill you sooner than destroy this house!”       “No, Ryan,” Daniel shakes his head. “Your father and brother need at least one victim. And let me be the one.”       Sammy whines with greater pity, as he looks at Daniel, who is madly afraid to risk like this but understands that his wish to save his close people is way stronger.       “Yes, Sammy, I know you’re worried, too,” Daniel says quietly. “But this is the only way to end this shit."       Sammy whines again and touches Daniel’s leg with his paw, wishing to make him change his mind so badly.       “No, no, Daniel, I’m begging you, don’t do this!” Anna begs in a shaking voice full of despair, taking Daniel’s arm tightly. “I don’t want…”       “I have to,” Daniel replies quietly. “It should’ve happened in the beginning.”       “Don’t worry… We can do this… The Potters will not run away. We should just believe in the best and stay together.”       “It’s all over…” Daniel pronounces without emotions. “To you, Anna… To your parents… To Ryan… To Peter, Edward, and Terrence… And Sammy… You’re all free.”       “No, Daniel, for God’s sake, don’t do stupid things,” Lilian begs with pity in her eyes. “Don’t succumb to your emotions and tiredness. Use your brain!”       “I didn’t want the men to be a part of all of this from the beginning. I tried to persuade them not to meddle in this case, but they didn’t listen to me.”       “Please, dear, brace yourself.” Lilian takes Daniel’s hands softly. “We need you. We can’t solve it without you.”       “I can’t sacrifice anyone, Mrs. Seymour. Every single death will be my fault.”       “You can’t deal with them alone, get it!” Maximilian exclaims. “With them, you’re holding on somehow. If not for the guys, the Potters would’ve killed you a long time ago.”       “The men have the girls, who will go crazy if something happens to them.”       “And your sister?” Anna wonders. “Who will take care of Cassidy if the Potters kill you?”       “Exactly!” Lilian exclaims. “If Cassidy stays alone, she will start to take drugs again, meet a bad company, and die somewhere on the street.”       “That’s why I will hold on,” Daniel replies quietly. “For my sister. I will get no one else involved in this case for her.”       “Don’t say it like you forced us to do it,” Peter says confidently. “We did it at our wish. We’d do anything for our friends. I’d die for my brothers.”       “It’s a matter of honor for us,” Terrence adds confidently.       “Mrs. Seymour is right: you’re in despair,” Edward notices with sadness in his eyes. “I felt all the same when we couldn’t deal with Wainwright. But if the lads and you hadn’t been with me, I wouldn't have survived. I’m here thanks to you. And we’re here for you, Anna, and her parents.”       “Go away, guys, please…” Daniel begs desperately with pity in his eyes. “I can’t take this anymore…”       “Stop, brother, please…” Peter shakes his head.       “Take care of Anna, Mr. Seymour, and Mrs. Seymour. I’m sure you can comfort and protect them.”       “Dude, no…” Terrence begs. “We need you.”       “Listen, Daniel, you need to calm down,” Victor replies confidently with sadness in his eyes. “It’s hard for all of us now. Nobody thought it would be so hard. But I promise that Julian and Norman will pay for everything they have done.”       “Why are you doing this, Daniel?” Ryan wonders. “What do you want to get? Who are you trying to prove something to?”       “Don’t think that we’ll feel relief if these bastards kill you,” Maximilian adds quietly and looks at Daniel from head to foot. “Look at yourself! You’re all in blood and bruises! Anna is right – if you end up in a hospital because of them with a head trauma again, you will die.”       “I repeat, I don’t care about me,” Daniel replies without emotions. “Now I mainly think about the others.”       “Don’t ask for trouble, Daniel. You can’t deal with two psychos. Psychos with a gun.”       “If I take the gun, they won’t be dangerous.”       “Gosh, look at my daughter!” Maximilian glances at Anna, who is shaking strongly from fear and crying bitterly in Ryan’s hug. “Look how she’s worried about you!”       “And look at your friends!” Lilian exclaims, pointing at the excited Edward, Peter, and Terrence looking at Daniel with pity in their eyes. “Don’t want to lose you, too!”       “Doesn’t your heart squeeze when you look at these people?” Maximilian takes Daniel by the shoulders. “For God’s sake, Daniel, wake up! Don’t lose your mind!”       “You will not save anyone in this case,” Ryan adds. “Stop pretending to be Batman!”       “Maybe,” Daniel pronounces quietly. “But… If I have to die… I want to be quiet… I don’t want to… Regret… And… Hate me…”       “No!” Anna, Ryan, Edward, Terrence, and Peter cry, and Sammy barks excitedly.       “Don’t dare, Daniel, don’t dare!” Anna keeps shouting with tears in her eyes. “I will not let you go!”       “And if I die…” Daniel pronounces hesitantly and looks at everybody with sad eyes. “Take care of my sister… Please…”       “No, you won’t die! I’d rather let Julian beat me again than watch him and his father kill you!”       “No, Anna! I won’t let it happen! The one, whom they will defeat, is me!”       “Please, Daniel…” Anna takes Daniel by the shoulders and shakes the man, not holding her tears down and breathing heavily enough. “You can’t do this to me!”       “I’m sorry… But I have no choice.”       “YOUR DEATH IS NOT THE ONE!”       “And your death would be unfair!”       “Please, Daniel…” Anna sniffs quietly, while tears roll down her cheeks. “Don’t do this… For me. I don’t need these victims…”       When they watch Anna, some people start to think that she is about to kiss Daniel. And it’s the truth. The girl does not think about any offenses and wants to tell everyone about her feelings for him. Moreover, the man’s friends and the girl’s parents are waiting for this with impatience. But when Anna breathing heavily and being white from horror and excitement comes a little closer to Daniel, who seems quiet outside, everybody hears a rude voice of Norman, who manages to charge the pistol and talk about something to Julian:       “Hey, freaks, how long are you going to play this snotty scene? You say farewell to this bastard for as long as women!”       “You will pay for this! Anna screams loudly with tears in her eyes, turning sharply on Norman. “Hear me, PAY! I shall do my best to make it happen!”       “So, girl, are you afraid to lose your sweetheart?” Julian smirks evilly. “Are you shaking because you will cry over his corpse soon?”       “SCUMBAGS! I curse you! CURSE! I hate you two! Hate! I CURSE THE DAY WHEN YOU CAME INTO OUR LIVES!”       Maximilian presses Anna, who is literally choking, to himself and caresses her head.       “Get out of here before we change our mind!” Julian demands rudely. “Or we will shoot at all of you! Those, who are less lucky, will die first! And those, who are luckier, will become our last victims!”       “You will not get off it, poisoned snakes!” Ryan says confidently. “We will find a way to punish you!”       “Do not hope, kid!” Norman bellows. “Your beloved is waiting for you in heaven.”       “Even a life sentence would be a too soft punishment for such a cruel murder of my mother! You must be in the grave! YOU must be there, not her! YOU SHOULD’VE CHOKED FROM A RAT POISON!”       “Alright, stop wasting time!” Julian throws rudely. “We will now deal with this rat and then do it to you.”       “You will not give our brother to you, assholes!” Peter says confidently in a low voice.       “Over our dead bodies!” Terrence raises his head proudly.       Peter, Terrence, and Edward close Daniel determinedly with themselves so that he is standing behind them. Two moments later, Sammy closes the four men with him and barks loudly, and then Anna, Ryan, Maximilian, and Lillian come to them.       “If you want to get his skin, kill all of us first,” Edward challenges.       “Oh, shit…” Norman laughs evilly. “It’s so hilarious to watch your crowd of sheep…”       “We don’t forgive those, who try to harm our close people,” Peter says confidently.       “The world may be destroyed by a tornado, a tsunami, or a meteorite,” Anna adds. “But no natural disaster can kill the love of the person and their wish to do much more for someone than for themselves.”       “Of course, you speak beautifully, but it will not help you,” Norman says confidently.       “Relax, folks, go outside…” Julian says with a sly smile. “Breathe in some air. And we will deal with the deadbeat. When you’re back, you will admire his corpse. And then we will give it to this dog. I guess he’s never seen as much meat as he is going to see soon.”       “None of you will hurt this man!” Anna says confidently. “NOBODY! Only over our dead bodies!”       “Don’t worry, my sweetie,” Norman smirks evilly. “You will meet your sweetheart in heaven. And you will be together forever. Your mommy and daddy will be near you. Your pals. And the dog.”       “Don’t dare to get close to him! DON’T DARE!”       Sammy barks loudly several times and starts to growl quietly at Julian and Norman.       “We will stand by him as well as he stands by us,” Maximilian says with his head proudly raised.       “You will not dare to hurt the innocent guy,” Lilian adds.       “Oh, how hard the Seymours are defending their would-be son-in-law,” Julian laughs evilly. “They decided to accept the fact that this gal only falls in love with poor stooges.”       “Yes, we were wrong about him. But now we believe this guy is the best one of those our daughter has ever dated.”       “But he will always be a stooge to us!” Norman says rudely. “A pathetic beggar that has ruined our plans a million times and stole the gal from my son!”       “I chose him by myself!” Anna says loudly.       “Alright, stop saying some bullshit!” Julian exclaims. “Say farewell to the deadbeat and get out of here.”       “We said we wouldn’t give him to death,” Ryan replies confidently.       “Stop, please,” Daniel pronounces quietly with his head down. “Go away…”       “No, I will stay here!” Anna says confidently, turns on Daniel sharply, and takes his wrist. “I won’t leave you with these psychos!”       “Me too,” Terrence, Peter, and Edward pronounce confidently with their heads proudly raised.       Sammy barks determinedly two times.       “I will stay, too,” Ryan says confidently. “I want to deal with these scumbags for the death of my mom.”       “No, don’t dare to stay…” Daniel begs with despair. “I insist that you all go out.”       “We’ve said everything, Daniel!” Terrence replies confidently. “We will go nowhere – that’s all!”       “Leave… Leave me… I will deal with them.”       Sammy makes a very quiet sound with pity in his eyes, not stopping to look at Daniel and barely touching his leg with his paw.       “I’m sorry, Sammy, but I have no choice,” Daniel says with despair, shaking his head. “I have to do this.”       Everybody shakes their heads with horror in their eyes, Sammy whines with pity, and Anna does not stop crying bitterly and shaking strongly, as she keeps her mouth closed with both hands.       “Fuck, why are you like girls?” Norman resents. “GET OUT OF HERE! If it’s not empty here, in a minute, I will kill this deadbeat before your eyes.”       Daniel throws a look full of despair and fear at Norman and Julian and then looks at the others.       “Go,” Daniel pronounces quietly, looking at everybody with widely open eyes full of fear and despair.       “No, Daniel, don’t do it…” Anna whispers in a shaking voice with tears in the eyes. “Begging…”       “Don’t waste time. I wish everything ended soon.”       “I don’t wanna lose you…” Anna takes Daniel tightly under his arm, looking at him with eyes full of tears and pity. “You can’t give up so easily and die…”       “Now it’s my time to meet my enemy face-to-face.”       “Why? Don’t you wanna live anymore?”       “Don’t leave the lads, Anna. I trust them completely and know you’d be safe with them,” Daniel looks at Maximilian and Lillian. “Mr. Seymour, Mrs. Seymour, you, too. The guys will do everything you may need.”       “For God’s sake, Daniel, change your mind,” Lilian begs with pity in her eyes. “You can’t do this.”       “I have to, Mrs. Seymour.”       “Please, Daniel, don’t do stupid things,” Peter begs with pity in his eyes. “We will do this, you’ll see it. It’s gonna be over soon.”       “Nope…” Daniel swallows up nervously and looks at Edward, Peter, and Terrence. “Edward, Peter, Terrence… If something happens to me, take care of Cassidy. Help my sister heal and make her life better. And you, too, Ryan. Be next to the men and the Seymours and help them. Although we barely know each other, I know you’re a trustworthy guy. You can do anything.”       “Don’t sign your death sentence,” Ryan says confidently. “We’re begging you…”       “Please, Daniel, calm down and brace yourself,” Victor begs with pity in his eyes. “I promise it will be over soon. Just don’t succumb to the panic.”       When Sammy whines with pity again, Daniel squats down in front of him and pets his head, while the dog nuzzles his nose in his face and licks his nose shyly.       “Protect these people, buddy,” Daniel says softly with sadness in his eyes and cracks a slight smile. “Protect them the way you’d protect your owner.”       Sammy makes a sound full of greater pity and inclines his head, while Anna is not shy of crying bitterly and is pressing herself closely to Terrence, who hugs her tightly and caresses her head.       “HEY?” Norman screams at the top of his lungs. “HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO SAY FAREWELL?”       Anna, Peter, Edward, Terrence, Ryan, Maximilian, Lillian, and Victor look at each other with a scare in their eyes, and many of them swallow up nervously. While Daniel gets up on his feet and nods when they look at him in a begging way.       “Go…” Daniel pronounces quietly. “Go…”       All these people stay in the same place for a few seconds, hoping that Daniel will change his mind. Choking from tears, Anna walks from one side to another, and at some moment, she grabs the man’s arm tightly and nuzzles her nose in his shoulder. It breaks Perkins’ heart and makes him feel like someone is slowly cutting him with a knife. Her heartbreaking shouts cause a burning pain in his chest. Make him think about whether he should do all of this. Make him obsessed with a strong wish to hug his ex-girlfriend tightly and press her to himself, saying that everything is going to be alright.       “FUCK, IT’S BEEN TOO LONG!” Norman resents, grabs Daniel painfully by the hair, takes him aside sharply, and puts the pistol to his temple. “GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I SHOOT HIM!”       “I SHALL STAB HIM IF YOU DO NOT THE FUCK GET OUT!” Julian screams, putting the knife against Daniel’s throat.       “Out, everybody!” Victor orders with reluctance, while Daniel watches everybody with a heavy breath. “You, too! Come on, come on! Darwin, Oliver, make sure everybody has left.”       Everybody in the living room comes to the exit very hesitantly. At some moment, some of them turn back and look at Daniel with eyes full of pity, while he finds the courage to smile falsely and cannot quietly see all these looks full of pity. Anna does not move, wishing to stay here, but Lillian and Maximilian take her softly under her arms and take her away against her wish, despite the girl’s quiet protests. Peter, Edward, and Terrence are also forced to leave, no matter how hard they resist it. And Sammy wants to stay, but he has to follow the blond, who holds him by the leash.       A few seconds later, the living room gets empty. While Daniel getting sharply white is doing his best to hide that he is scared now, Julian and Norman smile slyly, look at each other confidently with their heads proudly up, and laugh evilly.       “Wow, what a noble act!” Julian scoffs ironically. “Sacrificing yourself to save the others! Though, you have been told a million times that you will not save those people.”       “I know,” Daniel replies quietly, turning on Norman and Julian. “That’s why I will do my best for you not to come to them.”       “Without your henchmen, you are like without your arms.”       “Think what you want. I give a fuck.”       “You’ve lost, man, accept it,” Norman says confidently. “Nobody will cover you.”       “I can stand for myself,” Daniel raises his head proudly. “Even against such poisoned snakes like you and your sonny.”       “As your blond pal said, do not underestimate people,” Julian smiles slyly. “You are playing with fire, trying to go against us.”       “I have to put on my Superman outfit when some assholes dare to hurt those, who mean a lot to me.”       “Oh, yeah, we see that you love it,” Julian smirks contemptuously. “You love being a hero.”       “It’s alright, you will spend a lot of time in prison. Pay for all your crimes: from violence toward Anna, your wish to kill her parents and the planned murder of Ryan’s mother.”       “That kid will pay a lot for having a long tongue,” Norman says confidently. “We will not leave him alone, even if he rejects us.”       “I wonder how many innocent people you have killed?” Daniel asks in a low voice, clenching his hands tightly into fists. “How many people have become disabled or died because you hate those, who don’t lick your asses?”       “A little time before these people cry over your dead body for two minutes and then die,” Julian smiles slyly.       “Yeah, how hard they were crying and shouting when saying goodbye to you!” Norman laughs evilly.       “And how the gal was shaking and afraid! I can beat my arm that the shorty would rather keep tolerating hits and insults, so we do nothing to you, your pals, and her mommy and daddy.”       “Do not even dare to think about it!” Daniel replies coldly, threatening Norman and Julian with a finger. “You and your sick sonny will no longer dare to come to her. I am ready to be next to her all day, all night, and protect her from such nasty scumbags like you.”       “Oh, my gosh…” Julian laughs loudly and starts walking around Daniel, who does not let him stay behind. “At first, you did a dirty trick, but now you've decided to make amends. Your coincidence tortured you when you found out how that gal suffered. She did not want to see you and was in her room all day. Though, now, the shorty was ready to hang on your neck and suck you before her parents’ eyes.”       “My main goal was not a wish to get her back. But a wish to do my best for her to live a quiet life again. In which there would be no place for such snakes like you.”       “I have dreamed of doing my best for you to leave her life forever for ages.” Julian turns on Daniel sharply and raises his face with the knife, the sharp of which gets into his throat. “I would’ve killed you much earlier. If that chicken had rejected me because of falling in love with you. I would’ve gotten you out of the ground and torn you, motherfucker, apart.”       “If you hadn’t been such a bastard, she would’ve probably paid attention to you,” Daniel replies coldly. “But you wouldn’t have lived together for a long time. The meaning of happiness is different for you. Anna doesn’t care about a big wallet and contacts. She needs love and care. She wouldn’t have truly loved you if you’d given her gold jewelry, furs, and other shit.”       “This gal would’ve been mine anyway!” Julian throws rudely. “I give a fuck about whether she loved me! That gal belonged to me! ME! I DECIDED IT! Seymour should’ve been MINE!”       “Do not forget that she could file for divorce at any time.”       “I would’ve terrified her and lapped her in the face a couple of times, and she would’ve immediately gotten stupid things out of her empty head.”       “Everything in the world has a limit. She would have found a way to get off you. Anna knows people very well. She quickly realized that she would’ve become your slave, who would have no rights at her husband’s home.”       “She is a woman!” Norman throws rudely. “A woman has no right to decide what to do! There is a father, a brother, a husband, or any male family member!”       “Listen, which century do you live in? Hey, you! A woman has the same rights as a man. She is no longer a shadow of him. Not a disenfranchised slave. And slavery was abolished many years ago.”       “I personally made sure about what would happen if you didn’t tell your woman where she belongs and threaten her.”       “Even if you became whipped because of your wife, it doesn’t mean you should take it out on all the women.”       “I AM NOT WHIPPED!” Norman explodes. “I AM A MAN! A MAN, THE WORD OF WHO CANNOT BE DISCUSSED!”       “Do you dare to call yourself a man after you added poison for animals to the cup of your wife?”       “If that bitch hadn’t threatened Julian and me with a whip and would’ve known who she was, she would’ve stayed alive.”       “You are mad because one was controlled by his wife, and another was rejected by the girl,” Daniel notices with his head proudly raised. “You are unhappy and want everyone to suffer.”       “If that gal had loved me or given me a chance, she would’ve lived like a queen,” Julian replies. “I would have given everything to Seymour if she had been mine. But she refused! Even if she was single at that time. That petite bitch accepted sighs of attention from all the beggars! She never cared about provided ones!”       “She doesn’t need your clothes and jewelry, Potter. Anna needs love and care. And you don’t know what this is! And you naively believe you can subdue her with money and gifts. Which you must make with all your heart. Not to make someone get off you.”       “Any woman would sell her soul for expensive furs and clean brilliants,” Norman replies confidently. “Seymour one hundred percent envied women, who had it all, and was angry that you didn’t have money for something that wasn’t bought at the flea market.”       “If Anna wanted, I would give her anything. I often bought her jewelry, which she wore with pleasure. And she didn’t care how much they costed.”       “Yeah, and how many credits did you get?” Norman sneers evilly. “How many people do you have debts for? And which property did you mortgage to make that shorty happy?”       “No credits. You want to think that I’m a beggar, but it’s not true. And this house is also mine.”       “Not a house, but a fucking hole!”       “Yeah, your house is shitty!” Norman throws rudely. “I guess you were a designer. Only one idiot could come up with such a tasteless design.”       “But I love every single corner of my house!” Daniel says with pride. “And Anna liked everything when she lived with me.”       “That gal has always gotten attracted to shit. She’s always been a princess, but she’s always dreamed of being a pauper.”       “I guess she did not care about cleaning the house,” Julian sneers evilly. “Seymours does everything bad! She can do nothing!”       “Anna can do everything!” Daniel protests in a low voice. “And the time she lived here was the best in my life.”       “Yeah, you, two filthy people, found each other.” Julian contemptuously runs his finger over the table near the sofa covered in dust and sees a thick layer of dust that makes him wrinkle. “Ugh, fuck! The layer of dust is thicker than the glasses of that blond freak!”       “And spiders started to make a web in the corners,” Norman adds, pointing at the corner under the stairs where it’s possible to see a small web.       “Yeah… You brought Seymour here with the hope that she’d clean everything for free, but you failed it. And you’ve never had money to call a cleaning service! It’s only enough for bread with mold.”       “And the girl is a worthless housewife. She was not taught to cook and clean! But she is perfect at shaking her ass for beggars and talking about clothes and hair with women.”       “Yeah…” Julian scoffs evilly. “My mother could do much more than that brainless chicken.”       “Shut up,” Daniel hisses through his teeth, clenching his hands tightly into fists. “Close your fucking mouths!”       “Julian is telling the truth,” Norman says insolently. “That gal cannot do even the simplest things. For example, she cannot make coffee at all. Again, she gave us some shit, which we could not drink! I almost cleaned my stomach when I took a sip.”       “By humiliating someone and making them feel worthless, you cannot get better for everyone.”       “That girl must get her brains washed now. If she is an armless idiot at the age of thirty, nobody will get married to her. She has six years to learn just something and not to make people ashamed.”       “If any scumbag puts girls under stress and constantly criticizes them for good and bad things, none of them will take it. A girl will go crazy or kill herself.”       “A woman must constantly be educated,” Julian replies rudely. “If she does a command, she deserves a little thing. If she’s stubborn or stupid, she will get a hit in the face with a leg.”       “I’m grateful to my parents for educating me right. Not letting me become an asshole that must be beaten twenty-four hours per day.”       “Oh, yeah, another weak one that bends under a woman!”       “At least your brother is lucky. The guy did a good thing by listening to his mother and realizing that you were nasty assholes.”       “I DO NOT HAVE A BROTHER!” Julian roars. “I have never considered that snotty smarty a part of my family! He has always been a stranger to me!”       “If not for his mother, Ryan would've become a real man,” Norman adds rudely. “But that bastard went against me. ME! NORMAN POTTER!”       “Not so much to lose!” Daniel smirks evilly.       “You speak too much, plucked peacock,” Julian says rudely.       “Really?” Daniel rounds his eyes and puts his hands on his hips. “I think you and your father speak too much! Why don’t you kill me, huh? You wanted to get rid of me quickly! But instead, you are trying to prove that it’s worthless to argue with your words.”       “Ha, do you want it so badly?” Norman asks with a contemptuous grin. “Why? Huh? A sense of fault for your ex? Or a sense of fault for your blond pal, who almost died because of you?”       “It’s none of your business!” Daniel replies rudely.       “Do you think dying is the best solution? You think you will be forgiven if you die?”       “Here’s my advice, Mr. Potter: do not read everything you see in newspapers and on the Internet. They may write so much shit that could make you speechless.”       “But there is a part of the truth about everything,” Norman notices confidently. “So, I am sure that you have to do with your pal’s suicide attempt. I am sure that you even wanted it. But that guy was a weak one without pride and forgave you generously. And he was shouting as hysterically as your sweet Anny.”       “People always care about their friends. He cares about me, and I care about him.”       “Yeah, sometimes people surprise me.” Norman comes closer to Daniel with a proud look and puts the pistol against his forehead. “For example, I don’t understand how a fucking nerd and a self-confident rooster could be friends. That blond should not be a part of your gang. He belongs to the rejects. Fucking nerds. Like Ryan.”       “Don’t judge someone by their appearance.” Daniel sharply steps back from Norman with his head proudly raised. “The blond seems to be a harmless guy, who cannot protect himself. But he becomes very brave and confident when the case is about himself and his closest friends.”       “He is so sassy just because he has his pals and that fucking dog by his side,” Julian says confidently. “Without them, that freak would pee his pants.”       “Don’t dare to insult my friends, Potter,” Daniel replies rudely. “Respect them as well as Anna!”       “Respect the assholes, whom you befriend?” Norman scoffs evilly. “Ha, I am not even going to respect the actor. He pretends to be great, though that idiot has reached nothing to get such a great title.”       “Do not underestimate his work! My friend worked very hard to deserve respect in the show business.”       “Ar-r-r, fuck, I’m getting sick of these worthless talks,” Julian rolls his eyes up, growling irritably. “It’s time to kill you and deal with the other bastards.”       “Come on then!” Daniel puts his hands aside. “Try to kill me!”       “You can do nothing without your pals,” Norman hums contemptuously. “You are as worthless as that fucking shorty.”       “Yeah? We will check it now. YOU WILL SEE HOW WORTHLESS I AM!”       Daniel runs to Norman determinedly and smashes his fist strongly against his jaw, making him feel the taste of blood in his mouth. Next, he hits him on the underbelly with a leg and pushes him so that the man hits himself against the corner of the sofa and falls to the floor like a stone. Julian tries to get the knife into Perkins with a loud and irritating growl, but the man grabs his hand with the gun and starts a hand-to-hand fight. It lasts for a few seconds – until Norman still sitting on the floor near the sofa with a noticeable bruise under his eyes takes off the safety catch, points it at Perkins, and takes a shot with an irritating cry. However, Daniel pushes Julian rudely off himself, falls down sharply, and rolls on the other side of the living room, while his opponent manages to jump aside from the bullet. Getting red from anger, Norman takes a few shots with a loud growl, while Daniel runs around the whole living room and hides behind some things to avoid a wound. The bullets eventually get into different things and damage them, and one of them breaks the window.       “Catch him, Julian, catch!” Norman shouts, pointing at Daniel with the pistol. “Don’t let him go!”       While Julian chases him, Daniel takes something heavy and throws it at him with a shout, but the man dodges it easily, Norman shoots at Daniel several times, but the man shows a brilliant reaction again and runs away from the bullets as fast as a meteor.       “You will not hold on for a long time without your pals!” Julian throws rudely.       “With them or without, I shall destroy you two, scumbags,” Daniel hisses through his teeth with a heavy breath.       “We will see it, deadbeat!”       Julian rushes to Daniel and tries to get the knife into him, but his opponent pushes him off too painfully and sharply, so that he gets struck down. Perkins himself runs aside, falls down, does a forward, and gets up quickly, not knowing how long he will hold on if he runs so fast. Then Norman attacks him suddenly and tries to strike him down, but Daniel pushes him strongly against the wall, so the man hits his head and loses his balance. Julian attacks again but meets a failure again because Perkins grabs his hands easily, puts them behind his back, and pushes his opponent on one of the small tables, which falls down as well as he and everything that is lying on it.       At some moment, Daniel stops his eyes on a soccer black and white ball that has been placed under the stairs for a long time. Not thinking too much, the man takes it quickly and hits his leg confidently against the ball on the side where Norman and Julian. So strongly that Potter, Jr., screams from pain and falls down, closing half of his face with his hand. Again, Norman starts shooting at Daniel, who runs quickly aside, takes a few small cartons placed under the stairs, and tries to protect himself with them. But two bullets go through the cartons and almost get into Perkins. Later, the man finds his ball and hits his leg against it as strongly as possible, getting into Norman’s pistol, which gets out of his hand and falls to the floor with a crack. Then Daniel gives Potter, Sr., a couple of strong slaps in the face and throws him to the stairs, against the railing of which his opponent hits his forehead. Julian tries to get the knife into his back, but his enemy smashes his fist against his nose, grabs his hair painfully, and throws him on the sofa, from which that guy falls down with a nosebleed and a bruise under his eye.       Again, Daniel has to fight off Norman, who gets up quickly, takes his pistol from the floor, points it at him, and shoots several times. The first bullet leaves a crack in the window when Daniel squats down. The second one gets through the table near the stairs. The third one gets into the back of the sofa. And the fourth one shoots the wall. All this time, the man hides easily behind everything he sees or rolls on the floor. And when he gets close to Norman, he sharply grabs his hand with the gun and raises it up. Since Potter takes a shot at this moment, the bullet cracks one of a few light ceilings on the chandelier that shakes slightly. Julian attacks Daniel from behind again and wants to get the knife into his back. But Perkins hits Potter, Jr., painfully on his knee with his leg and slaps his father in the face so strongly that the man falls to the floor.       Daniel gives Julian a painful hit on his temple, pushes him aside sharply, and does not wait for him to attack him, starting a hand in hand fight without any fear. And when he strikes Potter, Jr., down, he runs to the rubbish under the stairs, grabs a heavy stick, and starts to fight off Norman. Who later strikes it out of his hands and forces him to start running. Potter, Sr., shoots at him several times with pleasure, but he always meets a failure. And when Julian attacks Perkins, the guy brings his opponent closer to Potter’s father, puts them against each other, and strikes them down sharply. When falling, Norman raises his hand up and shoots two times accidentally: at the ceiling and one of the lamps on the chandelier, which fades away and breaks immediately into little pieces. By this moment, Daniel starts to breathe a little heavily, understanding that it’s hard for him to get rid of these furious people all alone. Nevertheless, he does not let himself relax and bans himself from a wish to relax and lie.       “You will die anyway!” Julian says rudely. “NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU RUN!”       “Ha, you can’t even shoot me!” Daniel scoffs evilly. “You’re wasting your bullets!”       “It’s alright, you will not hide from us! YOU WILL PAY FOR RUINING ALL OUR PLANS!”       Norman sits up quickly and shoots at Daniel, who jumps sharply aside, falls on the floor, does a forward, gets up on his knee, and moves his eyes to the broken window, into which the bullet gets. Julian uses the moment successfully and falls over the man, wishing to beat him strongly. But he gets a very strong hit on his lower abdomen and doubles over in a strong pain, while Perkins gets up in a jump. In order to distract Norman, Daniel takes everything he sees and throws it furiously at him, running furiously around the whole living room.       “Give up, deadbeat!” Norman demands, pointing the pistol at Daniel. “You have no place to go.”       “I will not give while I am alive!” Daniel exclaims with evil in his eyes. “NEVER!”       Not thinking about keeping everything at his house safe, Daniel easily gets up the coffee table, which fell down on the side, and throws it at Norman and Julian with a loud shout. The two jump aside in time, and the table does not break down and just gets thrown on another side of the living room.       “So, maybe, you are not as worthless as we thought,” Norman smirks contemptuously. “But you will get exhausted and give up early or late.”       “Never!” Daniel throws rudely.       “We will see it, bastard!”       Norman shoots at Daniel again, but the man saves himself by doing a leftward and getting up quickly. His knees and elbows are skinned after many falls and rolls, but he does not pay attention to it and keeps fighting as if his life depends on it. And Julian being furious because of permanent failures throws his knife at Perkins with a furious shout, but the man manages to run to the fence that separates the kitchen and the living room, grabs the chair, and, turning his face aside, closes himself with it. In the end, the sharp thing gets into its pillow, and the chair gets thrown at the Potters and hits Julian’s arm painfully enough.       “AH, FUCK!” Julian screams, grabbing his arm sharply. “IT HURTS!”       “If you throw a table at my son again, I SHALL THROW A CLOSET AT YOU!” Norman threatens rudely. “YOU GOT IT, DOG?”       Norman starts shooting at Daniel again with an irritating growl, but never reaches anything near the opponent. Perkins catastrophically lacks time to catch a breath and have a rest because Julian being green from anger attacks him by slapping him in the face and hitting him on his lower abdomen. Getting through the pain, Perkins starts cruelly fighting with Potter, starting to miss hits at times due to the strong tiredness. Nevertheless, the young guy still has a chance to get a victory over them, even in this case.       “WAKE UP, WEAK BOY!” Norman screams at the top of his lungs. “WHY CAN’T YOU THE FUCK DEFEAT HIM?”       “AS IF YOU’RE NOT WORTHLESS!” Julian screams irritably. “A FUCKING SNIPER!”       “HEY, MILKSOP, SEW YOUR MOUTH BEFORE I SHOOT AT YOUR HEAD!”       “DON’T SCREAM AT ME, ASSHOLE!”       “HAVEN’T YOU GOTTEN YOUR ASS KICKED FOR AGES? I SEE YOU’VE BECOME TOO SASSY!”       Daniel successfully uses the dispute between Julian and Norma and smashes his fist against Potter, Sr.’s temple, making him fall to the floor and hit his nose against one of the stairs. That’s why his nosebleed gets stronger. But the man, ignoring this fact, grabs Perkins by the legs and strikes him down easily. The guy hits his forehead against the same stair and wince from a strong pain. However, Daniel gets up quickly and jumps aside immediately when Norman grabs a stick lying somewhere in the corner of the living room and throws it at him strongly.       

***

      In the end, it gets through the window glass and breaks it. It scares everybody, who is now outside and waiting for a sign. The policemen, who are close enough to the window, have to jump aside, so pieces or the stick do not get into them. Anna being scared and white screams out loudly with tears in her eyes, while Terrence has to press her tightly to himself to calm her down a little.       “It’s insane!” Anna exclaims with despair and sniffs quietly. “When will it all be over?”       “Gosh, something terrible is probably happening there,” Lillian assumes with anxiety, keeping her hand on her heart. “The window is broken, and the bullets crashed everything. The Potters are about to destroy the entire house.”       “Damn, Daniel is crazy,” Edward shakes his head, putting a hand on his forehead. “Does he really think that he can deal with them alone?”       “He is doing fine so far…” Ryan notices thoughtfully. “But how long will he hold on? These two may get him so exhausted that he won’t be able to raise his hand.”       “Damn, we shouldn’t have left,” Peter claps himself on his forehead, breathing a little heavily. “Why did we actually listen to Perkins?”       “Yeah, I’m also starting to regret listening to him…” Terrence swallows up nervously. “It all was wrong…”       “You must come back there now and help Daniel, guys,” Maximilian says confidently, putting his hand on the shoulder of Edward standing next to him. “The Potters will suck all the energy out of him.”       “What are we gonna do?” Anna makes a loud sob and sniffs. “Will we watch them kill Daniel, Peter, Terrence, and Edward?”       “You must surely not go there, Anna,” Victor replies confidently. “It would be better for your parents and you to stay here.”       “But I can’t watch all of this quietly!” Anna sniffs loudly. “I can’t stay here when nobody the hell knows is happening there!”       “We understand it, Ms. Seymour, but you are not allowed to be there,” Darwin replies confidently. “By deciding to meddle in this case, you might become a victim.”       “But the guys are risking because of me! I can’t let anyone suffer because of those stinkers! I won’t forgive myself if something happens to one of these four. I will not!”       “Don’t worry, Anna, it’s gonna be fine,” Edward says softly, hugging Anna around the shoulders. “Nobody will suffer.”       “Gosh… It’s insane… Insane!”       “Calm down, friend, calm down.” Edward hugs Anna tightly when she presses herself to him as close as possible and caresses her head softly. “It’s gonna be over soon.”       Sammy barks quietly, as he stands next, while everybody can hear how some things break and the sounds of permanent shots at Daniel’s house.       “We’ve gotta come back to the house, guys,” Terrence says confidently. “We can’t stay here and shake at every single shot or sound of things breaking in the house.”       “Yes, yes, guys, go there,” Victor nods, clapping Terrence on the back and Ryan on the shoulder. “Go together. You, Terrence, you, Edward, you, Peter… And you, too, Ryan. Take the dog with you. Daniel needs all of you.”       “You are right, Mr. Policeman,” Ryan agrees confidently.       “And when they are powerless and struck down, one of you should let us know it,” Darwin says confidently. “If it’s hard for you, we will send some policemen to help you. In the worst case, we will have to open the fire.”       “Oh, I think it would be much easier if we…” Peter wants to say, looking around and running his hand through his hair.       But Peter has to fall into silence sharply because everybody hears a deafening shot at Daniel’s house and the man’s shout full of pain. It makes all of them get frozen, become silent, and start to think of the worst thing – Norman and Julian wounded Daniel. Or killed him.       “NO!” Anna screams with widely open eyes.       “Daniel!” Peter, Terrence and Edward shout.       “It was him…” Terrence gets very nervous, looking at everybody with horror in his eyes. “That was Daniel screaming…”       Sammy whines with a great pity and inclines his head. And one more shot and Daniel’s shout make everybody, who is standing in front of the house, much more scared.       “Daniel!” Anna and Peter shout loudly with horror in their widely open eyes.       “Fuck!” Peter swears with a heavy breath.       “No, no…” Edward shakes his head sharply, grabbing his hair tightly. “I don’t believe it… It can’t be the truth…”       “They killed him?” Anna makes a loud sob and grabs Peter’s arm tightly, while he looks at Daniel’s house with horror in his eyes. “Killed? Yeah?”       “No, no, no, no…” Terrence jabs, putting his hand on his forehead. “Not this! Not this! Not this!”       “Daniel is dead, yeah? Please, don’t be silent! Tell me something! He died or not?”       “Find out what’s happening and tell me,” Victor asks Darwin.       “Yes, Mr. Johnson,” Darwin nods confidently and quickly comes to the policemen standing in front of the windows of Daniel’s house.       “They killed him…” Anna shakes her head. “Killed! KILLED! THEY KILLED HIM!”       “God, don’t let him die,” Maximilian begs quietly, putting his hands together and bringing them to his mouth. “It would be unfair if those snakes killed Daniel.”       “Hold on, Daniel, hold on…” Terrence begs with despair and grabs his throat with a hand. “You must survive…”       “Damn, why did we let him stay alone?” Edward wonders loudly. “I was sure that it would lead to that!”       “If only he didn’t die, if only he didn’t die…” Lillian begs with despair in her closed eyes, while Maximilian hugs her around the shoulder. “Please, God, please… Protect Daniel… Don’t let him die.”       “No, not that…” Anna shakes her head with tears in her eyes. “I don’t wanna lose him! I don’t!”       Sammy whines very quietly, having pity in his eyes when looking at Anna crying bitterly and closing her face with both hands, while Ryan hugs her tightly.       “Why, Daniel, why?” Ryan wonders. “Why did you give up on the killer and the violator!”       “Please, tell me that’s not the truth,” Anna makes a quiet sob. “That they didn’t kill Daniel! Please, someone! Tell me he’s alive! I’m begging! Don’t be silent!”       “Please, brother, hold on…” Peter begs quietly. “Hold on! You can’t die! You can’t give up so easily! It’s not about you! You’re a strong man!”       “No, no, those scumbags can’t get a victory,” Maximilian shakes his head. “They can’t! THEY CAN’T! I will never accept it!”       “Gosh, they will kill us now,” Lilian makes a quiet sob.       “No, they will not!” Peter protests confidently with his head proudly raised. “We will do our best for those bastards not to dare to hurt any of you! To go to prison. They will not go unpunished. They will not! We will not let it happen!”       Sammy loudly barks two times with a proud look, while Peter, Edward, Terrence, Anna, Ryan, Lillian, and Maximilian silently beg that their guesses about Daniel being shot to death are false. And some time later, Darwin comes to Victor after finding out something from his colleagues.        “What’s going on?” Victor asks tensely.       Victor listens to what Darwin tells him for a few seconds, and then both of them come to Anna, Lilian, Maximilian, Ryan, Edward, Peter, and Terrence.       “Thank God!” Victor exhales sharply.       “What?” Peter pronounces excitedly. “What about Daniel?”       “Be happy, people. Daniel hasn’t been shot.”       “He’s alive?” Anna asks hesitantly in a shaking voice. “They didn’t kill him?”       “Yes, Mr. Perkins is alive and fighting with the Potters,” Darwin says confidently.       “Are you not lying to us?” Anna sniffs quietly. “Please, tell us the truth!”       “It’s true, Anna,” Victor confirms confidently. “Daniel is okay. But I was told that he didn’t look good. A lot of blood on his face and arms.”       Terrence, Peter, and Edward exhale sharply with great relief and whispers something under their noses. The first one closes his face with both hands and raises his head up. The second one turns his back on everybody, grabs his hair, and looks up to the gray sky, and the third one puts his hand on his forehead, and runs it over the top of his head to his forehead.       “Damn, I was really scared…” Edward pronounces in a low voice.       “Me too…” Terrence confesses.       “It’s madness…” Peter shakes his head.       “Thank God, thanks…” Anna thanks in a quiet, shaking voice, putting her hands together and bringing them to her mouth with closed eyes. “Thank you…”       “How happy I am, gosh…” Lillian pronounces with relief, putting her hand on her forehead.       “Oh, if only nothing happened to him…” Maximilian wishes with anxiety in his soul.       “I hope he won’t give up so easily,” Ryan expresses hope. “If Daniel suffers because of them, it will be terribly unfair.”       “Alright, guys, we can’t waste time!” Peter exclaims, looking at Terrence, Edward, and Ryan. “Let’s come back to the house before he’s really killed.”       “Yes, guys, we’ve gotta go!” Edward agrees. “Losing Daniel would be too much!”       “Go, go, guys, Sammy,” Terrence hurries the men up. “Ryan, go with us.”       “I will come to you when we disarm them,” Ryan addresses Victor and Darwin.       While Terrence, Edward, Ryan, Peter, and Sammy get ready to take a step, Anna shakes her head sharply, not moving her tear-stained eyes off Daniel’s house, from which everybody can hear the loud sounds. Then she catches the men quickly and closes their way with her body.       “Stop, guys!” Anna exclaims excitedly and shakes her head. “I can’t watch all of this quietly. And wait for them to kill him.”       “Don’t worry, Anna, it’s going to be okay,” Victor replies confidently, putting his hand on Anna’s shoulder. “We just need to wait.”       “No! This nightmare must be stopped immediately!”       “The guys are going there to do this.”       “No! It’s gonna last for a long time!”       “Gosh, Anna, what are you talking about?” Ryan frowns slightly. “We don’t understand you.”       “I must end all of this. Alone.”       “What?” everybody gets horrified.       “No, daughter…” Lillian pronounces in a shaking voice with tears. “Don’t say you are going to go there.”       “I can’t be a coward and let the men do everything for me, Mother,” Anna says confidently and sniffs quietly. “Nobody must suffer because of me. And I mustn’t let them put themselves in danger.”       “No, Anna, don’t even think about it, hear me!” Edward exclaims excitedly, taking Anna by the shoulders and turning her on him. “You will not go there! Even if the Potters make you do it.”       “I will, Edward! And nobody will stop me!”       “Gosh, Anna, do you understand what you say?” Ryan gets horrified with his widely open eyes. “Is what my sick brother did not enough for you? Do you want them to beat you to death?”       “No, I don’t. But I don’t also want to lose my dear person, who has lately experienced too much. I don’t wanna see him put himself in danger because of me. I don’t want to see him suffer. I must help him and save him from those people.”       “Daughter, for Christ’s sake, don’t do reckless things,” Maximilian begs with pity in his eyes. “You can do nothing against Norman and Julian. They’re much stronger than you.”       “I’d rather let them deal with me than Daniel,” Anna replies confidently and blinks her eyes two times to move tears off her eyelashes. “I won’t let them hurt him!”       “No, Anna, don’t dare!” Peter exclaims excitedly, taking Anna by the shoulders and turning her to him. “You’re a weak girl, who can’t deal with two dangerous men. With the guns, just saying.”       “Don’t stop me, Peter. I will do it anyway. No matter how hard you all mind!”       Anna turns around confidently and wants to run to the house, but Terrence catches her quickly, takes her by the shoulders, and turns on himself.       “Where are you going, crazy?” Terrence gets horrified. “Wake up! Turn your mind on!”       “I know what I’m doing,” Anna says confidently.       “No, Anna, you’ll go nowhere! You will stay here and wait for everything to be over.”       “Please, Terrence, stop…”       “Fear God, daughter!” Lilian exclaims with horror in her wet, widely open eyes. “What you are doing! The Potters will destroy you!”       “I won’t forgive myself if I don’t at least try to save the one, without whom I can’t imagine my life.”       “Don’t dare to come back there, Ms. Seymour,” Darwin says confidently. “Those people will not pity you. Nobody will stand by you. And you cannot do this alone.”       “I must help Daniel!”       “The young men will help him.” Darwin moves his eyes to Peter, Edward, and Terrence and asks them to leave with a gesture. “Look, they are leaving!”       “No, guys, stay here!” Anna begs excitedly. “I shall go alone!”       “No, Anna, we will not let you go,” Victor says harshly. “It will be over soon. Just do not succumb to panic and fall into despair.”       “I promise we will catch those stinkers early or late,” Darwin promises confidently. “May the young people do what they should do.”       “I will do everything,” Anna replies excitedly.       “Yeah, but are you gonna do this?” Maximilian wonders. “You can’t meddle in a fight with two tough men! And your words will be an empty sound for them!”       “I don’t know, Dad… But I shall save Daniel. In any way.”       “No, Anna, do what you want, but we won’t let you get in trouble,” Peter says confidently, taking Anna by the wrist. “As Daniel asked us to take care of you, we have no right to betray him.”       “We’d do that without his plea,” Edward adds. “Because you’re our close friend.”       “Forget everything he asked you about!” Anna exclaims with wet eyes. “Forget! Because I can no longer act like a coward. Wait for being saved and protected… Yes, I am done! It’s time to show up and face my fear!”       “That’s not the case when you can show courage. The case is about your life.”       “But the case is about Daniel’s life! The life of the one I love! I can’t let him die! He’s saved me a million times, but now it’s my time to save him.”       Sammy makes a very quiet sound with sadness in his eyes and touches Anna’s leg with his paw, as if he understands that her wish may lead to some sad consequences.       “No, Sammy,” Anna says confidently. “I am going there.”       “No!” Edward, Peter and Terrence protest.       “Forget it, Anna, forget!” Ryan exclaims. “You will not go to those snakes!”       “Stay here, guys,” Anna says quietly. “Take care of my parents.”       “No, Anna, don’t do this!” Lillian and Maximilian beg with horror in their eyes in unison. “Daughter, don’t do it! It’s madness! They will kill you!”       “Sorry, Mom… Sorry, Dad, I must do it. It’s my duty.”       “For God’s sake, daughter…” Lilian begs with despair and tears in her eyes. “Don’t go… For your mom and dad…”       “It’s gonna be okay. I’ll be back soon.”       Anna runs to Daniel’s house so fast that Peter cannot catch her when he runs after her.       “Anna, stop!” Peter shouts, while Edward and Terrence run after him. “Come back now!”       “Anna!” Terrence and Edward shout with horror in their widely open eyes.       Sammy starts to bark excitedly and runs from one side to another and not stopping to do this when Peter grabs him by the collar.       “Anna, my girl…” Lillian pronounces with tears in her eyes in a shaking voice.       “My God…” Maximilian whispers in despair. “My daughter will die…”       “Gosh, what’s she doing? What’s she doing?”       Lilian nuzzles her nose into Maximilian's shoulder, who hugs the crying woman tightly and caresses her head tenderly.       “Go, men!” Terrence orders.       Edward, Terrence, and Peter want to go after Anna, but Ryan catches them quickly and stands in front of them.       “No, guys!” Ryan protests. “I shall go after her! And you wait here and take care of Mr. and Mrs. Seymour.”       “Gosh, Ryan, what are you doing?” Lillian gets horrified. “You can’t fight! Norman and Julian will pity you!”       “You know me bad, Mrs. Seymour. Now I will kick the asses of my father and brother! Besides, I madly want to give my claims to these two. Especially Norman. That old bastard, because of whom I lost my mother.”       “They’re dangerous, Ryan,” Edward warns excitedly. “After all your stories, they will defeat you.”       “They should catch me first!”       “No, Ryan, stay here,” Peter replies confidently. “Now you’re their number one enemy. As well as Daniel.”       “I have what to tell those two bastards, who ruined my whole life and deprived me of my close person.”       “We understand you, Ryan,” Terrence says quietly. “But you will not deal with them, even if you have Daniel’s help.”       “I will.”       “Okay, let’s go there all together,” Edward replies confidently.       “No, guys, you better stay here. To some extent, Daniel is right: you shouldn’t meddle in what you don’t have to do with.”       “But Daniel is our friend!” Terrence exclaims. “Our brother! We can’t leave him in trouble and watch those scumbags wish to kill him.”       “Wait here. I’ll make Anna come back to you and help Daniel get rid of those bastards.”       Ryan turns around quickly and runs to Daniel’s house after Anna, while the others slightly shake their heads with horror in their eyes. A few seconds later, Sammy starts barking very loudly and excitedly and tries to break free from Peter’s grip.       “Sammy!” Peter exclaims, pulling Sammy on himself. “Sammy, where are you going? Heel! Heel, I said!”       Sammy keeps trying to break free with a loud bark.       “Stay here!” Peter orders. “Knowing you’d get shot by those bastards would be too much!”       But Sammy keeps barking loudly and demanding that he is allowed to go with greater insistence.       “Samuel, calm down, I said!” Peter cries harshly. “You will go nowhere!”       “Listen, Peter, maybe, you should let the doggy go to the house?” Victor frowns slightly. “Samuel is very smart and could surely help the guys.”       “No, Mr. Johnson, I can’t do this! Helene will go crazy if something happens to Sammy. If her dog suffers or, heaven forbid, dies, she will kill me.”       “Let him go, Peter,” Maximilian advises quietly. “I’m sure that Sammy can do this.”       “I’m afraid, Mr. Seymour,” Peter shakes his head. “While Helene is not near, I am responsible for Sammy.”       “Hey, maybe, you really let Sammy go there?” Edward frowns slightly. “Huh? Pete? The long-eared will find a way to help Daniel, Anna, and Ryan.”       “Yes, Rose, let him go,” Terrence nods confidently. “Sammy knows what to do.”       Peter says nothing and just looks aside. And at some moment, Sammy whining with pity touches the man’s leg with his paw and makes him look at him.       “No, Sammy, I’m begging you…” Peter begs with sadness in his eyes and squats down in front of Sammy. “Think of Helene. About how she’s gonna suffer if something happens to you. And I don’t wanna lose you. My friend with a tail.”       Sammy starts to whine with greater pity, lick Peter’s face, and snuggle his nose in it.       “Oh, okay, okay…” Peter exhales sharply with a slight smile. “I shall let you go. But promise that you will be careful and will not let them kill you.”       Sammy barks confidently two times, puts his paws on Peter’s shoulder, and presses himself against him. The blond takes the dog in a touching hug with a slight smile and holds him for two seconds before he steps back and pets his head, getting up on his feet.       “Go, buddy! Good luck to you!”       The happy Sammy barks again and runs to the house faster than a hurricane and enters it with a pet door, while Peter watches him with anxiety in his soul, and the others watch the dog with a stopped heart while waiting for any sign to finally get the two dangerous criminals arrested.       

***

      Daniel keeps fighting off Norman and Julian so hard, running away from them, rolling on different sides, and throwing everything he sees at the opponents. There are noticeable bruises and a little bit of blood on his face, and his clothes are torn in some places so that they may only be thrown. He has to give his everything and show a brilliant reaction to get saved from a bullet wound or a knife wound. And Julian and Norman get more and more enraged because of their permanent failures, but they do not give up on their wish to get Daniel exhausted, while he is losing his energy fast. Potter, Sr., shoots at everything he sees, and his son throws the knife at his opponent at some moment, but the guy manages to step aside sharply.       “WHY ARE YOU SUCH AN ARMLESS MORON?” Norman screams with evil in his eyes.       “AS IF YOUR ARMS ARE STRAIGHT!” Julian bellows. “OFF THE MARK!”       “STUPID, WORTHLESS, AND TALENTLESS BASTARD!”       “DO YOU MEAN YOURSELF?”       “YOU, THE FUCK! YOU’D BETTER CATCH HIM WITH YOUR HANDS! YOU ARE THE FUCK ALWAYS SASSY WITH A KNIFE!”       “YOU CANNOT DO WITHOUT A PISTOL!”       “We will see what you will do when I take them from you,” Daniel says rudely, breathing a little heavily.       “YOU WILL NOT GO AWAY FROM US, SON OF A BITCH!” Norman screams. “EVEN IF YOU JUMP ON THE CEILING!”       Norman shots at Daniel again, but the man falls sharply on his knees, dogging from the bullet that gets into the desk lamp placed on the table near the stairs and breaks its ceiling into a few pieces. One more failure of his father makes Julian, who takes the knife after throwing it at Daniel, get much more enraged.       “AR-R-R, BASTARD, WHEN WILL YOU THE FUCK DIE?” Julian growls irritably. “WILL WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH YOU UNTIL THE EVENING?”       “If you want to jump here like monkeys, it’s okay,” Daniel replies confidently.       “FUCK, WHAT A UNSINKABLE SHIT!” Norman says rudely. “DIE THE FUCK NOW!”       Norman takes a shot at Daniel again, but the guy jumps sharply and rolls aside. The bullet gets into something iron near the stairs and then ricochets into the chandelier, which shakes slightly and breaks the second ceiling and one of the light bulbs. While Daniel breathing heavily looks up, Julian runs to him as fast as a bullet with a loud growl, strikes him down easily, falls over him, and tries to beat him as strongly as possible. Perkins uses the rest of his strength to resist, but such an active fight gets the man exhausted and makes him think that it would be great to get the help.       “Alright, now I will surely destroy you, scumbag,” Julian hisses through his teeth. “I WILL KILL YOU!”       Julian gets the knife from the pocket of his coat and tries to put it into Daniel’s chest, pressing his opponent tightly to the floor. But Perkins grabs the hand with the cold gun in time and holds it above himself, obeying the instinct of self-preservation that makes him forget about tiredness. However, Potter does not give up and becomes much more determined, while Norman laughs evilly, crossing his arms over his chest with a proud look.       “Come on, sonny, do this!” Norman encourages confidently. “You can kill this scumbag! The deadbeat is exhausted! He can barely walk and breathe.”       “Don’t even dream…” Daniel pronounces slowly in short pauses. “I will not give up on you! I WILL NOT GIVE UP!”       Daniel breaks free for two seconds by hitting Julian painfully between his legs with his knee, throwing him aside and getting up sharply. But he does not have time to realize how he gets into a trap again when Potter hits his nose with an elbow, turns around sharply, gives him a slap that makes him fall to the floor, and hits the back of his head against the stairs.       “DON’T DARE TO MOVE, BASTARD!” Julian screams. “YOUR LUCK IS OVER!”       With these words, Julian sharply twists Daniel’s arm so that the man screams loudly in pain.       “So, asshole, it hurts?” Julian sneers evilly. “HURTS, ASSHOLE?”       “I wish you died, bastard…” Daniel pronounces with a heavy breath through his teeth. “Burned in hell…”       “I wish the same to you, the Seymours, and your pals.”       Julian twists Daniel’s arm much more, making him wince strongly from pain, scream loudly, and try to break free unsuccessfully.       “Come on, Julian, break all parts of his body!” Norman encourages evilly. “Stab him! So, nothing is left of him! May everybody see a big bloody piece of meat.”       Julian laughing evilly keeps Daniel’s arm twisted for some time and then presses his face sharply to the floor, while the guy winces strongly and tries to break free so hard. Of course, Daniel breaks free at some moment by hitting his elbow against the opponent’s solar plexus, rolling onto his back, and slapping him strongly in the face. But two moments later, he gets another strong slap in the face and gets struck down sharply. Potter raises the knife up above his victim and lowers it sharply to get the blaze into the heart. But Daniel grabs the gun again and, feeling a strong tension in every single shaking muscle of his body, tries to move it off by force. A little later, Norman wants to help his son deal with Daniel. But when he takes a few steps, Anna runs into the living room as fast as lightning, sees what’s happening before her eyes, and shouts loudly with widely open eyes:       “No! Stop! Stop it now!”       Daniel sharply moves his widely open eyes full of horror to Anna, opens his mouth, and gives much more effort to get out of Julian's grip.       “Anna!” Daniel shouts with despair. “Anna, go away! Leave! Come back to the guys! Now!”       “Close your mouth, bastard!” Julian throws rudely and slaps Daniel strongly in the face.       “No, Julian!” Anna begs loudly. “Stop! Let him go! Let him go, I’m begging you!”       “I did ask you to stay with the men!” Daniel exclaims with a heavy breath. “Why didn’t you listen to me? Why?”       “FUCK, SHUT UP!!” Julian screams at the top of his lungs and, using the fact that Daniel turns to the side, smashes his fist strongly against the small of his back.       “NO!” Anna cries with tears in her eyes, not being able to watch Daniel shouting in pain and wincing strongly. “JULIAN, STOP!”       “SHUT UP, SHORTY! WOMEN DON’T MEDDLE IN MEN’S FIGHTS!”       Julian turns Daniel sharply onto his back and tries to put the knife in between his throat and chest, but the guy grabs the gun with a growl and gritted teeth.       “PLEASE, STOP!” Anna begs loudly, bringing her hands put together to her mouth, and sniffs quietly.       “So what, girl!” Norman laughs contemptuously and comes to Anna slowly with his head proudly raised. “Did you come here to watch your sweetheart die?”       “Leave all your ideas, Mr. Potter,” Anna demands confidently enough. “Forgive us for the inconvenience.”       “Are you kidding me?” Norman smirks evilly. “I have been waiting for this for many fucking years! WAITING FOR THE DAY I WOULD REVENGE FOR EVERYTHING!”       “And what would you get? Satisfaction? Happiness?”       “It would give me what I want. But you, my girl, will not understand it. Because you are too stupid and young. You cannot get everything I feel.”       “You feel nothing, Mr. Potter! You don’t want to feel. You are sure that revenge and evil are absolutely fine. And you don’t know that everything may be different.”       “Did you come here to tell me something kind and light? Hoping that you would change my mind? Ha… A typical act of any brainless woman!”       “Revenge, jealousy, and hate are the way to nowhere. A way into the wilderness, which you can’t leave without the help of someone.”       “I repeat, you, brainless chicken,” Norman replies confidently, coming closer to Anna. “I will never give up on my plans. Never.”       “No…” Anna shakes her head. “I promise my parents and I will forgive you and your son for everything. And Father and Mother will take off the report from the police. But stop hating and revenging! Let’s live in peace! Please…”       Norman scoffs loudly and keeps his head proudly raised when starting to walk around in circles in front of Anna, who tries to keep the man before her eyes, while Daniel watches her with widely open eyes full of horror and tries furiously to get out of Julian’s strong grip.       “Do you really think you can wake up the light feelings up inside me and make me love all the people in the world?” Norman wonders. “Forget your wish to become a heroine and save the deadbeat, shorty.”       “Please, Mr. Potter, let him go,” Anna begs with pity in her eyes. “Don’t hurt him… He’s guilty of nothing…       “This bastard has ruined the plans of Julian and me a million times. If he had not stood in our way, he would have stayed alive!”       “If you want, you have a right to do anything to me. I will overcome anything. But please, don’t hurt this man.” Anna sniffs quietly. “I can’t live without him…”       “M-m-m, is this how you are speaking?” Norman smiles contemptuously. “Some time ago, you didn’t want to hear about him and probably wanted him to die.”       “I have never wished anyone to die! Even those, who I don’t like or hate!”       “Yeah… If you were not in love with this beggar, you would not have hysteria! You would not scream like crazy when seeing the knife in front of his throat or the pistol against his temple!”       “You will never understand it!” Anna says confidently. “Because you are a cad. The scumbag that dared to kill his innocent wife with no shame.”       “Don’t hope that this asshole is doing all of this just because he wants to get you back. He is just afraid of your mother and father. So, that’s why he is licking their asses so hard. But he does not the fuck need the stupid and armless you.”       “Don’t tell me your opinion. I don’t care about it.”       “You know, I do not care about your talks. So, and you and I are even, my girl.”       “Just let this man go and leave all of us alone,” Anna demands determinedly, looking into Norman’s eyes confidently. “Now!”       “Listen, as you didn’t want to stay outside, I can commit a double murder. Death at the same time. To you and your beloved deadbeat. My son will kill this bastard, and I shall kill you,” Norman confidently points the pistol on Anna. “And nobody will stop us.”       “NO!” Daniel screams at the top of his lungs, trying to get out of Julian’s grip much more furiously. “DON’T DARE! Move the pistol off her! Or I will turn you into dust! As well as your nasty sonny!”       “CLOSE YOUR DIRTY MOUTH, BASTARD!” Julian explodes, slaps Daniel in the face again and squeezes his throat tightly with one hand, setting his eyes full of evil at him. “WE GIVE A FUCK ABOUT WHAT YOU SCREAM!”       “GET YOUR HANDS OFF!” Daniel forcefully moves Julian’s hands off his throat and squeezes his wrists tightly. “I WILL NOT LET YOU HURT HER!”       “Try to stop me,” Norman challenges with an evil smile, holding the pistol with both hands and pointing it at Anna, who does not show her fear. “Come on, son of a bitch. Don’t let me make a hole in the head of this bitch.”       “DO NOT DARE TO HURT HER! IF YOU TOUCH HER WITH A FINGER, I WILL BURY YOU ALIVE!”       Banning himself from thinking about tiredness, Daniel tries to get out of Julian’s grip, giving him strong hits with his legs and feet. But Potter, feeling his superiority over his opponent, Potter beats Perkins in the face and hits his fist against his solar plexus. That’s why the guy screams in a heartbreaking way and gets temporarily deprived of the opportunity to breathe.       “NO!” Anna screams, shaking strongly, and closes her mouth with both hands. “STOP, JULIAN!”       “Watch, girl, watch your sweetheart die in the war,” Norman says with his head proudly raised, turning Anna on Julian and Daniel and putting the pistol against the back of her head. “You wanted to see him suffer so badly…”       “JULIAN, PLEASE!” Anna begs with despair.       “Your sweetheart will no longer save you. My son will deal with him. And nobody will stop me from shooting at you.”       “Shot!” Anna challenges fearlessly, turns on Norman sharply, and raises her head proudly. “Shot at me! Now!”       “No, Anna, no!” Daniel screams excitedly. “Don’t dare! Shut up! Shut up now!”       “Come on, Mr. Potter, what are you waiting for?”       “I understand…” Norman smiles slyly. “Life will not be good for you if this bastard dies. He was the only one to agree to tolerate you for such a long time and even let you rule his house.”       “Yes, I will have no reason to live without him!” Anna says confidently and sniffs quietly. “If you kill him, you can kill me.”       “No!” Daniel screams. “Run, Anna, RUN! I WILL KILL YOU, BASTARDS! IF YOU DARE TO SHOOT AT HER!”       “You better shut up and watch me deal with the one you betrayed easily,” Norman smirks evilly. “The one, who should have belonged to MY SON!”       “NO-O-O!”       Daniel screams so loudly that he almost loses his voice and starts to cough at times. However, it’s a little stupid thing for him now because Norman is about to shoot at Anna, who does not even try to resist. But when Potter, Sr., confidently wants to take a shoot, Ryan runs into the living room as fast as a hurricane and fearlessly hides the girl behind himself. And pulling the trigger does not do anything.       “WHAT THE F…” Norman gets enraged, tries to shoot two times, and checks out something on the pistol. “Fuck, patrons ran out! JULIAN, GIVE ME MORE!”       “I have no them, Father,” Julian throws his hands up. “It was the last ones.”       “WHAT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THE LAST?”       “I told you not to shoot without thinking! BUT YOU DID NOT THE FUCK LISTEN TO ME!”       “Fuck!” Norman throws the pistol on the floor, slowly moves his enraged look to Ryan, runs to him sharply, grabs him under his arms, and shakes him strongly. “IT’S BECAUSE OF YOU, PUNK! WHEN YOU CAME HERE, EVERYTHING WENT WRONG!”       “And what are you going to do?” Ryan smirks insolently. “Without your gun, you are like without your arms! As well as Julian is without a knife! You wanted to kill that man so badly that you forgot the stock of patrons isn’t endless.”       “YOU ALWAYS RUIN EVERYTHING, SHORTY! SINCE YOU WERE BORN! IF NOT FOR YOU, OUR LIFE WOULD’VE BEEN MUCH BETTER!”       “My life would’ve surely been MUCH better if I had had another father. I would have agreed to accept ANYONE!”       “I CURSE YOU! I HATE YOU, MILKSOP! HATE! HA-A-ATE-E! I WISH YOU DIED!”       “STOP YELLING, NORMAN POTTER!” Ryan explodes. “Stop the war that nobody but you and this bastard needs! STOP! ENOUGH! CONFESS THE FUCKING PROBLEM AND GO TO GET CURED!"       “Get out of here before I turn you to dust! AND DO NOT DARE TO STAND BEFORE MY EYES!”       “DO NOT EVEN DREAM, SCUMBAG!” Ryan clenches his hands tightly into fists. “I WANT REVENGE, TOO! FOR WHAT I WAS DEPRIVED OF! FOR THE ‘HAPPY’ FUCKING CHILDHOOD!”       “You will do nothing to me.”       “Wrong, scumbag. If you want rudeness, YOU WILL GET IT!”       Ryan gives Norman a very strong slap in the face without hesitance and almost strikes him down. Then he does it again and strikes his father down, looking at him with a cold look from above, breathing heavily, and clenching his hands tightly into fists.       “This is for my mother, bastard! FOR HER SUFFERINGS! I, SCUMBAG, WILL DESTROY YOU! DO MY BEST FOR YOU TO DIE IN PRISON UNTIL THE LAST DAY OF YOUR LIFE! I WISH SOMEONE ADDED RAT POISON TO YOUR WATER, TEA, OR COFFEE! SO, YOU SLOWLY DIE IN THE SAME TORTURE!”       “Wow, our nerd is starting to come to himself after his mommy’s death and getting a voice,” Julian scoffs evilly. “Four years later!”       “And this voice will no longer be gone! I will not leave it unpunished! I WILL NOT!”       “Listen, boy, get out of here. Otherwise, we will easily organize a triple murder!” Julian smiles slyly. “The death of the worthless shorty, her ex-boyfriend, and her potential hubby! That’s going to be fun!”       “Ryan!” Daniel pronounces loudly. “Ryan, take Anna away from here now! Tell the men not to move their eyes off her!”       “I won’t leave you!” Anna says confidently. “I won’t leave you with these scumbags!”       “He’s right, Anna!” Ryan replies quietly, turning to Anna. “You came here for nothing. Come back to the lads and stay with them.”       “No, Ryan, if I leave, I will only do it with him!”       “No hurt, friend, but you’re really crazy! Was what Julian did to you not enough for you?”       “If it saved the lives of my close people, I would tolerate insults, humiliations, and hits until the end of my life! And for that man, I am ready to die.”       “Leave, Anna, I’m begging you. Your parents are madly worried about you, and the men are sorry about not holding you. Please, think of them and come back.”       “I shall only leave with Daniel!”       “You can do nothing! Fighting with men is not for girls. If you start a fight, you…”       Ryan has to fall into silence because Norman, who comes to himself quickly and gets up, grabs Ryan by the collar with both hands and shakes him strongly, making him horrified with just one look.       “Hey, you, shabby puppy, who the fuck let you speak to older people like this?” Norman hisses through his teeth. “YOU STILL HAVE MILK ON YOUR LIPS! IF YOU’RE SO SASSY, I CAN EASILY SEND YOU TO YOUR MOMMY!”       “And what would you do to me?” Ryan asks with his head proudly raised. “Poison me as well as Mother? And then smile widely, while I am suffering and dying?”       “I should’ve done it on the day you were born! If I had known that you would’ve grown up into a scumbag, I would’ve done my best for your mother not to give birth to you. Or for you to die as a newborn.”       “There are only two scumbags here – you, Mr. Potter, and your sonny!” Anna says bravely. “And Ryan is very lucky that his soul isn’t as poisoned as yours. Lucky that he was educated by such an amazing woman like Mrs. Potter.”       “I should’ve sent this snotty boy to your mommy and daddy, so they raise you two as worthless idiots. You two are worth each other. Everyone would believe it if someone said you were brother and sister.”       “I would’ve better lived with the Seymours!” Ryan exclaims with despair. “I would’ve better thought that Anna’s parents were my father and mother and this wonderful girl was my sister. I would’ve been madly grateful to you if you had given me to the Seymours! I would’ve had a loving family! I would’ve been surrounded by my father’s love. I am sure that Mr. Seymour would have loved me like a son.”       “I once suggested that Father send you to those bastards,” Julian confesses rudely, pressing Daniel’s head tightly to the floor. “But your mommy immediately started a scandal. Though, my father agreed and was ready to kick the stray out of OUR HOME with pleasure.”       “Sorry! VERY SORRY! Maybe, my life would’ve been much better if I had lived at their house.”       “If not for your mother, I would’ve personally kicked you out MUCH earlier! Because of her, Father and I had to live with you! BECAUSE OF HER!”       “Yeah, why didn’t you kick me out after Mother’s death?” Ryan puts his hands on his hips. “Why did you the fuck suffer for four more years? Got super busy celebrating her death and forgot me? Or were you obsessed with a plan of revenging on the Seymours?”       “From today on, you have no right to live in our house,” Norman says confidently. “Enough, Ryan! Take your stuff and get out wherever you want!”       “I promise you will never see me. And you can forget that I was named Ryan Preston Potter after I was born. I will change this dirty last name and forget that I am connected to the two bastards.”       “I doubt that you will have time to change your last name,” Norman smirks contemptuously. “Because you will die along with these two scumbags, who RUINED OUR LIVES!”        “You will not dare to hurt her.” Ryan hides Anna behind his back and looks at Norman confidently, who kills him with a look. “And your sonny will not kill this man.”       “Ha, who will stop me from killing this bastard?” Julian smirks contemptuously. “You?”       Julian raises the knife up above Daniel with an evil laugh and tries to get it sharply into his chest. But the growling man grabs the gun with both hands tightly and tries to move it off unsuccessfully, suffering from a strong tiredness. Every single muscle shakes from a strong tension, and it’s hard for him to breathe due to nervousness. Nevertheless, he is motivated by Anna. Who, not thinking about the consequences, wants to run to him and help him somehow. But Ryan takes her by the wrist in time, presses her to himself, and hugs her tightly, while she tries to break free so hard.       “Asking for trouble, girl,” Norman smirks evilly. “First, you will not be able to fight with strong men. Second, when they solve their problems, women must be silent and stand aside.”       “Stop, I’m begging you,” Anna begs with despair and pity in her eyes. “He’s almost exhausted! A little bit before Julian kills him!”       “Of course, this deadbeat was holding on well, but his domination was temporary.”       “Yeah, your sonny is trying to stab that guy, but what will you do to Anna and me?” Ryan asks. “Your patrons are gone!”       “It’s alright, I shall destroy you and this gal.” Norman looks at the whole half-destroyed living room. “Find… Norman Potter never gives up… He always finds a solution…”       And while Anna and Ryan look at each other, Sammy runs into the living room a few moments later as fast as a bullet with a loud bark. He immediately attacks Julian to save Daniel, who has a dying breath as if he took a long hurdle race, sinks his teeth into Potter’s arm, and pulls him aside so hard, while the man starts to scream in pain from sharp teeth.       “A-A-A-A, LET ME GO, FUCKING DOG!” Julian bellows and shakes his arm sharply in the hope that Sammy will let it go. “LET GO! AR-R-R! I WISH YOU DIED, PIECE OF SHIT!”       Daniel breathing heavily barely finds the strength to sit up, uses a chokehold on Julian from behind, while his opponent starts to choke, catch the air, and try to break free furiously but unsuccessfully.       “Thanks, Sammy…” Daniel thanks. “You’re a gem!”       Sammy growls quietly, as he is still holding Julian’s arm tightly with his strong teeth.       “C’mon, buddy, thanks… Now help Anna and Ryan and take them away if you can.”       Sammy lets Julian’s arm go and whines with great pity.       “I will do this, I promise… Help them, please…”       Sammy makes a sound and runs to Ryan and Anna a little reluctantly but confidently, while the two hug each other tightly and look at each other with horror in their eyes.       “THE DOG HAS COME HERE!” Norman gets enraged. “SO, MAY EVERYONE COME HERE THEN! TO DIE ALONG WITH THAT DEADBEAT AND YOU TWO!”       Norman wants to say something else, but Sammy sinks his teeth tightly into his arm with a loud bark and strikes him down easily, while he screams at the top of his lungs and tries to get loose.       “Run, Anna!” Ryan exclaims, stepping back from Anna. “Being here is dangerous for you! Come back to the men and your parents!”       “I will not leave you and Daniel!” Anna exclaims confidently.       “Don’t worry, we’ll solve this problem.”       “I wanna help! It’s my duty! I feel embarrassed that everybody always hides me behind their backs, and I use it like a coward.”       “Because you’re powerless in front of these bastards.”       “Please, Ryan…”       “A-A-A-A, FUCK, LET ME GO!” Norman screams at the top of his lungs, while Sammy keeps holding his arm with his teeth and pulls him at some moment so that he falls to the floor. “LET MY ARM GO, SMELLY PIECE OF SHIT!”       Ryan runs to Norman shortly, rolls him onto the back, and gives him a few strong slaps in the face, while Sammy growls with evil in his eyes or backs loudly at Potter, Sr., While Anna watches what’s happening with horror in widely open eyes and shakes at every single hit that Daniel or Ryan get from Julian and Norman. By the way, Perkins does not choke his opponent for a long time because the man breaks free a few seconds later and throws him aside. Daniel gets up quickly enough and hits Julian on his whole body several times with his fists and knees, breathing heavily enough but trying not to think about losing almost all his strength. And when his opponent starts to get up, despite the pain, Perkins runs aside, takes a small gold candlestick from the table near the sofa, and tries to hit him on the head when he gets attacked. But Julian grabs this thing with both hands and tries to grab it to hit Daniel on the head as strongly as possible.       Later, Norman runs to help Julian after throwing Ryan aside and hitting Sammy with his leg. He grabs Daniel rudely by the collar and pushes him sharply to the table near the sofa, on which there are many little things that have not been damaged yet. But they, however, fall to the floor along with the man and the table. Then Ryan and Sammy barking loudly run to help him out. The young guy does not refuse to slap Julian in the face and the solar plexus with his fist, and the dog starts barking loudly and growling at Norman, who tries to hit the dog with the candlestick but meets a failure due to the perfect reaction of the retriever, who grabs the hand with this thing and makes him let it fall to the floor. Moreover, Anna sometimes takes everything she sees and throws it on Julian or Norman and getting into their faces or heads multiple times and making them feel pain. Daniel successfully prevents an attempt of the latter to attack the girl by striking him down incredibly easily, raising above him, and giving him a few strong hits on the face with his fist. Ryan is successfully fighting off Julian, who definitely did not expect that such an unsporting man like him could beat so hard and fight so well. And Sammy tries to help everybody: he growls at one, grabs another, or throws something heavy on their heads after getting up a few stairs with something in his teeth.       At some moment, Julian wants to deal with Anna after she throws something in his head as strongly as possible. But when the man takes a few short steps, Daniel stands in his way, and then Ryan does the same. The two strike him down together and give him multiple painful hits on his whole body. The men keep winning for some time, but later, it happens that Julian grabs his brother by the hair and throws him to the stairs, against the stair of which he hits his face painfully. Then Potter easily strikes Perkins down, presses him tightly to the floor, and smashes his fist against his stomach, making him scream loudly. Meanwhile, Ryan gets up quickly and runs to Anna, to whom Norman comes confidently with the candlestick, and who goes backward as she throws everything she sees at him. The guy takes the girl aside and attacks sharply his father, who tries to hit him on the head but eventually gets a hit in the jaw with a fist and lets the candlestick fall. Although Norman gives a few strong slaps to Ryan, it does not impact the man, who keeps fighting cruelly, being confident about himself and his strength.       But if Ryan is much stronger than Norman, Daniel gets problems with Julian again. This time, Potter is fighting off his opponent with greater evil, seeing well that the guy does not have the strength and might give up at any time. But Daniel resists his enemy as hard as possible, biting the bullet and sparing no energy not to let the knife, which is raised above his chest and is a few centimeters from him, get into him.       “Yeah, motherfucker, you have a little time,” Julian hisses through his teeth with an evil laugh. “I will kill you, fucking deadbeat. You will die… Now… Now…”       “Oh, no, bastard…” Daniel pronounces irritably, breathing heavily enough. “I will not give up… On you!”       “We will see it!”       Julian, showing his contemptuous grin, makes much more effort to get the knife into Daniel. But the man is as stubborn as a donkey and insists on what he wants. He looks terribly white and is literally drying from exhaustion but uses every single centimeter of his weak body as hard as possible literally to the pain as if he is doing hard work. Because of such strong tension, Daniel starts shaking more and more and feels a little headache. Though, Perkins does not care about it. Now, when his life is at stake, the man is ready to sink his teeth into a chance to survive, and the adrenaline that is bowing in his blood helps him hold on to some extent. And Ryan is fighting with Norman much more cruelly with his legs and feet. Both of them have the same strength and a lot of energy. Though, Potter, Sr., feels less confident without a pistol, and an old enough age also lets him know about it. The father and the son are literally cutting each other’s throats and fighting like real enemies, who have hated each other for ages and dreamed of revenge, giving strong hits on everything and trying to strangle or hit each other on the head against something.       Sammy does his best to help Daniel and Ryan somehow. But he can only protect the latter one against Norman. While Julian gets a much stronger hate for Daniel than for Anna. Any resistance makes Perkins tolerate strong hits in the most sensitive places that force him to scream from unbearable pain, wince strongly, and get a breath issue. So, the dog tries to help at least one, taking Norman away from Ryan at some moment to let him catch his breath.       “It’s okay, doggy, I can do this,” Ryan says confidently, breathing heavily enough and putting his hands on his knees. “You better help Daniel. He’s doing very bad… He’s about to lose his strength… And make Anna leave! Do what you want, but make her come back to the men.”       Sammy barks loudly two times, runs to Julian as fast as a bullet, and tries to take and pull him away from Daniel literally dying from a lack of energy. But the furious Potter pushes him away with a leg very strongly with bloodshot eyes, making the dog whine with pity. However, he comes to himself quickly, shakes something off himself, and comes to Anna, who gets down on her knees.       “Sammy, boy…” Anna pronounces in a shaking voice, petting Sammy’s head.       Sammy whines much more painfully with sadness in his eyes.       “It won’t obliviously end well…” Anna makes a couple of sobs. “Ryan has never been able to fight so well and will hardly hold on for a long time. And Daniel actually has no strength. He’s about to give up, Sammy! Daniel’s on the edge! Julian is about to get him exhausted!”       Sammy nuzzles his nose in Anna’s face and licks her nose shyly to comfort the crying and shaking girl somehow.       “I don’t wanna lose him, get it,” Anna confesses with pity in her eyes, caressing Sammy’s face with both hands. “I love him. Very much. But I’ll lose Daniel when he lets that stinker kill him. I don’t want it, Sammy, I don’t want… My heart is bleeding. If that man dies, I will have no meaning of living. I don’t need this world without him.”       Sammy whines with much greater pity and presses himself closer to Anna for a few seconds. And then he carefully takes a sleeve of her dark gray denim jacket and pulls the girl to the side of the door.       “No, Sammy, I won’t leave,” Anna says confidently in a shaking voice. “I won’t leave Daniel. I must be with him. I must save him. Though, I don’t know how.”       Sammy barks quietly, looking at Anna as if he says, “No, Anna, please, leave. And I will do my best to help Daniel and Ryan and punish the bad people.”       “I feel so bad…” Anna pronounces in a shaking whisper with tears in her eyes, petting Sammy’s head and yanking his ears softly. “Because I have to watch all of this. And the worst thing is that I can’t meddle in their fight. Because I’m a girl, who nobody will pity. Oh, God, why do I take it all? Why?”       Still sitting on her knees, Anna closes her face with both hands and keeps crying quietly and bitterly, while Sammy whining with pity does his best to comfort her and make sure to leave. A little later, the girl sniffs quietly, takes the dog in her hug, and presses him to herself with a shake in her body, while he quietly accepts this gesture, wagging his tail amicably. And at some moment, Anna looks around the living room slowly and sees Ryan and Norman fighting hand-to-hand, and Julian trying to get the knife into Daniel being exhausted and white and wishing to give up. The girl’s heart squeezes badly, giving her unbearable pain. A much stronger pain than the one she felt when Julian was beating her cruelly.       “No, Sammy…” Anna pronounces quietly, steps back from Sammy, and shakes her head. “I can’t… I can’t stay here like a column. I’ve gotta try to do nothing to save them. I must try to help at least one of them. Otherwise, it’s gonna last forever.”       Sammy makes a weird sound and looks at Anna questioningly, as if he asks her, “But what can you do?”       “No, no, I’m not gonna meddle in a fight… And I can’t beat them… I should do something that wouldn’t harm me but would defeat these stinkers immediately. But what can I do? What?”       Anna looks around the living room again and pays attention to Ryan, who throws Norman on the sofa with one hit with his left hand and makes him roll from the sofa to the floor. And then the excited girl, breathing heavily, looks at Julian, who screams and growls loudly as he tries to get the knife into the chest of Daniel, who holds the cold gun above him with shaking hands, while his face gets green and covered with little drops of sweat.       “We can’t stay aside…” Anna shakes her head, thinks for two seconds, and scratches Sammy’s hair, while the dog wags his tail amicably. “Sammy, please… Help Ryan deal with Norman and be next to him. But I will find a way to save Daniel from Julian.”       Sammy whines with pity, as if he is warning Anna about a danger that may threaten her.       “Don’t worry about me, I will do it,” Anna promises quietly and determinedly and grabs Sammy’s face softly. “We can do this, Sammy! Just don’t give up and watch out to protect yourself.”       Sammy starts to whine with a greater pity.       “It’s okay, boy, don’t be afraid. You must fear what you’re afraid of. You’ll never know until you try. Since I came here, I must end all of this. I believe it’s gonna be okay.”       Sammy keeps making weird sounds for two seconds before he licks the girl’s cheek shyly and puts his paw on her hand placed on her knee. She cracks a slight smile, pets the retriever’s head, and makes a gesture with a confident nod to say he can go. Sammy barks quickly and rushes to help Ryan, while Anna gets up and looks around in search of something that would help her save Daniel. While Julian makes more and more effort to deprive his enemy of the rest of his strength, silently noticing that the man is very close to stopping to resist his death with an evil laugh.       “Damn, there must be something that would help me!” Anna blunts under her nose, looking around with a heavy breath. “What can I use? And how? Help me, God, help… I must save Daniel… I must neutralize Julian…”       Anna grabs her hair tightly with widely open eyes.       “Think, Anna, think… Time is going! If you don’t come up with anything and keep standing here, Daniel will die! Use your brain… Fuck… Fuck!”       A few seconds later, Anna glances aside and sees a high, glassy, crystal vase that looks like a beer on the bar table.       “The vase…” Anna pronounces quietly. “What if I try to hit Julian on the head? If I decided to try to do this, it would be a real risk… I may fail it… Kill him or hit him barely… But on the contrary… I’d rather pay for the consequences than let this scumbag kill my dear person. It’s time to stop being a cowardly bunny. I promised the guys to save Daniel. And I will do it.”       Anna exhales sharply and goes confidently to the kitchen to grab the crystal vase, trying to get rid of all the doubts and making herself believe she can do this. Meanwhile, Ryan gets Norman so exhausted that the man literally creeps on his knees from tiredness. All his attempts to hit the guy do not give him anything good. Sammy does his best to help the young guy and does not let Potter relax. So, while the man has a hand-to-hand fight with his father, the dog grabs the candlestick lying on the floor, goes a few stairs up, waits for a good moment, and throws the thing on the head of the opponent, who falls to the floor with a deafening shout.       “A-A-A, FUCKING DOG!” Norman winces strongly, grabbing his head. “MY HEAD!”       Ryan rolls Norman on his stomach immediately, presses his face to the floor, and puts his arms behind his back. But the guy does not hold his father for too long because the man pushes him aside easily and gets up. Potter tries to run away, starting to regret his decision to start this game. But Sammy goes down shortly, catches the opponent, grabs his arm tightly, and strikes him down with a quiet growl, while the man screams from pain, while the sharp teeth get deeply under his skin. Ryan rushes to his father and holds him for some time before he realizes that the man does not try to run or resist the dog that is holding his victim tightly like one of his favorite toys and makes growls full of pleasure at times.       “Good, doggy, good boy!” Ryan encourages with a slight smile. “Good job!”       Sammy growls quietly and shakes his head, holding Norman’s arm tightly, and Ryan smiles shyly at him.       Understanding that he has lost all his strength, Daniel silently starts to say goodbye to all his close people and weakens his grip more and more, letting Julian win. While his opponent starts to laugh loudly and evilly and smiles slyly as he waits for the guy to stop resisting at all.       “Yeah, motherfucker, you will pay for everything now!” Julian sneers evilly. “For daring to stand in my way and stealing my woman from me!”       As he does not have to press Daniel tightly to the floor, Julian grabs the knife with both hands and starts to laugh hysterically, raising the gun above his chest and watching his powerless victim, whom nobody can help now. While Anna reaches the table near the kitchen and grabs the crystal vase.       “C’mon, Anna, go!” Anna gets ready. “You can do this. You can do this. For Daniel’s salvation. For saving the one, without whom your life would have no meaning.”       Anna exhales sharply and comes to Julian confidently from behind, while Daniel opens his eyes widely after seeing her. The girl hits Potter silently and determinedly on his head as strongly as possible. The vase immediately breaks into many pieces that fall to the floor. Daniel barely manages to close his eyes tightly, cover his face with both hands, and turn it aside, so the pieces do not get into him. And Julian shakes slightly in surprise, feeling a strong pain in the back of his head, weakening his grip sharply, letting the knife fall on Daniel’s chest, and grabbing his head. He looks at his hand and sees a thin blood line, feeling weakness, dizziness, stuffiness in his ears, and nausea stronger and stronger, and realizes that his vision is getting bluer. He looks into the distance with dead eyes for two or three seconds, then falls to the floor with rolled eyes and closes them.       At first, Daniel stares questioningly at Julian, who falls unconscious next to him, and slowly moves his scared eyes to Anna holding a part of the vase in her hands. The girl looks at him hesitantly and moves her eyes to the part of the vase and Potter lying unconscious, not knowing whether she killed him or just knocked him out. The dumbfounded Perkins barely realizes that she has just saved him from death. Also, Anna’s act shocks Ryan , who saw everything from start to end.       “Oh, damn…” Ryan shakes his head, looking at Anna or the unconscious Julian with widely open eyes. “Anna… You…”       “I should’ve done it…” Anna says with a heavy breath and looks at the part of the broken vase in her hand. “I had no choice…”       “But… You… Could kill him… Or get in serious trouble…”       “I know… That was a risk… A great risk…”       “Is he… Alive?”       Anna says nothing and looks at Julian, who is unconscious.       “Yeah, I guess he’s alive…” Anna pronounces with a heavy breath. “Breathing… But unconscious.”       “Oh, my gosh…” Ryan exhales sharply.       “Julian…” Norman pronounces quietly, moving his dumbfounded eyes to Julian. “Julian, sonny, can you hear me? Julian!”       When Norman barely moves and tries to get up, Sammy starts to bark loudly, and Ryan presses his father’s head tightly to the floor.       “What did you do to him, little bitch?” Norman hisses through his teeth. “YOU KILLED JULIAN! ASSHOLE! I WILL PUT YOU IN PRISON! YOU WILL DIE IN PRISON!”       Norman tries to get up again, but Sammy grabs his hand tightly with his teeth, not letting him go anywhere. So, the man only has to growl irritably when looking at the unconscious Julian with anxiety in his soul.       “I’m calling the policemen now!” Ryan announces confidently. “So they catch these two. Doggy, watch these vipers, please.”       Sammy barks loudly and confidently, pressing Norman growling quietly to the floor with both paws, and Ryan gets up quickly and runs to the hall door. Anna stands in the same place with a part of the vase in her hands, then goes aside, and exhales slowly with closed eyes, being proud of her at the realization that she did what she wanted. And Daniel being absolutely powerless is lying on the floor with closed eyes and breathing very heavily and unevenly, not having the strength to get up or even move his fingers. Perkins tries to sit up one time but falls to the floor with a quiet moan like a stone. Every muscle is still strongly tense and shaking, the sound of his heart beating crazily echoes in his head, and tears show up in his eyes at the sense of relief and the thought that everything is finally over.       Meanwhile, Ryan opens the door and runs quickly outside. The terribly excited Lillian, Maximilian, Peter, Terrence, Edward, Victor, and the policemen are still there and turn sharply on the young man when he shows up on the doorstep.       “Oh, God, Ryan!” Lillian exclaims with her widely open eyes, holding Maximilian’s hands tightly.       “It’s all over!” Ryan announces, looking at all the policemen with his head proudly raised. “You may arrest them, policemen! Julian and Norman are neutralized, will run nowhere, and will not resist.”       “Are you sure?” Maximilian frowns slightly.       “Please, go to the house now and place handcuffs on them before you lose a chance.”       “Faster, guys, faster!” Victor orders loudly. “In the house now! What are you so slow?”       Victor, Darwin, Oliver, and all the policemen immediately go to the house, getting their guns ready just in case. Ryan lets all of them go by stepping back from the hall door and runs to Maximilian and Lillian, to whom Peter, Edward, and Terrence later join.       “What happened there, Ryan?” Edward asks excitedly. “Tell us everything!”       “What about Anna?” Lilian asks anxiously with tears and horror in her eyes. “They did something to her? Please, Ryan, don’t keep silent. Tell us the truth!”       “Hide nothing, Ryan!” Maximilian exclaims. “What did those stinkers do to Anna?”       “Please, Mr. Seymour, Mrs. Seymour, calm down,” Ryan says softly, touching the shoulders of Lilian and Maximilian. “Anna is fine. She is absolutely okay.”       “Thank God!” Lillian and Maximilian exhale with relief and hug each other tightly.       “And Daniel?” Peter shows anxiety.       “Yes, Ryan, what about Daniel?” Terrence asks excitedly.       “Did those bastards hurt him?” Edward asks with suspicion.       “No, no, guys, don’t worry,” Ryan shakes his head. “Daniel is okay, too.”       “Wasn’t he really shot?” Peter specifies.       “No, luckily.”       “And where’s he now?” Terrence asks.       “Lying on the floor, powerless. Daniel lost all his energy after fighting with Julian, who tried to get the knife into him.”       “So, didn’t Julian wound him?” Lillian asks hesitantly.       “No, he didn’t.”       “But how did he save himself?” Maximilian wonders.       “Anna saved him. If not for her, Julian would’ve killed Daniel a long time ago.”       “What?” Terrence, Peter, Edward, Lillian, and Maximilian get surprised. “Anna?”       “Saved Daniel?” Terrence rounds his eyes.       “She hit Julian on the head with a vase and knocked him out,” Ryan says. “He is now unconscious but alive.”       “Christ, my daughter could’ve killed him!” Lilian gets horrified.       “No, she didn’t kill him. He will wake up soon.”       “Oh, my gosh…” Lillian puts her hand on her forehead. “What did that girl think of?”       “But I’ve gotta confess that she did a very brave thing,” Maximilian adds. “I didn’t think Anna would wish to get into the fight. After what happened to her.”       “Listen, let’s go to the house!” Ryan suggests confidently. “We can go there now! Anna is there and will tell you everything.”       “Wait, did she stay there along with those two bastards?” Terrence frowns slightly.       “I left your doggy with Julian and Norman.”       “He is okay?” Peter expresses anxiety. “Didn’t he suffer?”       “No, no, he’s okay. That doggy is a good fellow! He did really help Anna and me.”       “Thank God!” Peter exhales with a slight smile. “I was so worried that something would happen to Samuel!”       “I knew Sammy wouldn’t betray,” Maximilian smiles slightly. “He easily dealt with Julian the last time and kicked the two of them now.”       “That’s right! Norman was running after him as fast as a hurricane!”       “The same thing happened to his sonny, who actually feared dogs,” Edward says confidently.       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which everybody laughs shyly, and Ryan looks at the policeman, who goes by him.       “Alright, people, let’s go in the house,” Ryan suggests cheerfully. “You will see everything now.”       Ryan turns around sharply and goes to the house, while Edward, Peter, and Terrence run after him, and Maximilian and Lillian go quickly but quietly hand-in-hand. While some policemen easily put handcuffs on Norman and get him up along with a loud bark from Sammy, at whom he growls irritably.       “Ar-r-r, fucking trash!” Norman hisses through his teeth. “I WISH YOU DIED! YOU BIT ME TO BLOOD!”       Sammy starts growling scarily, showing his sharp teeth, while the policemen take Norman away.       “CLOSE YOUR MOUTH! MY HEAD HURTS BECAUSE OF YOU!”       Meanwhile, Ryan enters the living room and goes somewhere aside, and then Peter, Terrence, and Edward show up and get horrified when they see what this wonderful and comfortable place has become.       “Oh, lads…” Edward pronounces thoughtfully, looking around.       “I see…” Terrence shakes his head. “Half of the living room is destroyed… There are pieces and broken things around, one window is broken, and a second one has many cracks and bullets… And I see the bullets in the walls… The chandelier has a few broken domes…”       “Half of everything must be replaced!” Peter exclaims. “Maybe, even a full repair is required!”       While Peter, Edward, and Terrence being shocked look around and swallow up nervously, Maximilian and Lillian enter the living room, see Anna, and come to her with an exhausted but true smile.       “Anna, daughter…” Lillian exhales with relief.       “Mother…” Anna smiles tiredly. “Father…”       Anna takes Lillian in a strong hug, which the woman accepts with pleasure, and Maximilian embraces both of them and caresses his daughter’s head tenderly. The Seymours hold each other for a few seconds before they step away and share a much wider smile.       “God, daughter, you scared us!” Maximilian exclaims, caressing Anna’s cheek. “We almost went crazy when you ran to the house!”       “Ryan said you saved Daniel from Julian,” Lillian adds excitedly.       “It’s the truth,” Anna nods confidently.       “Gosh, it’s insane! You could’ve easily killed him or gotten in trouble because of him!”       “I should have done it. I should’ve saved Daniel. His energy was almost gone, and he was about to give up. My heart was bleeding when Julian was getting him exhausted. I love him too much to lose him. So, I couldn’t stay and do anything.”       “Gosh, weren’t you afraid?” Maximilian wonders. “That bastard could’ve done something worse to you than he did the last time!”       “I know…” Anna cracks a slight smile. “But I would’ve better risked it and tried to do something at least once, than stood aside like a freaking coward. Risking and sacrificing for your beloved person is not a sin. A sin is when you try to do nothing and cover it with your fears and weakness.”       “Oh, Anna, my girl…” Lillian exhales sharply.       Lillian and Maximilian hug Anna again with much wider smiles and press her close to themselves, hardly believing that the bad things are finally over. Meanwhile, the policemen take away the furious Norman to the door and go by Terrence, Peter, and Edward crossing their arms over their chests.       “BASTARDS!” Norman screams with bloodshot eyes. “I CURSE YOU! I WISH YOUR PAL DIED AS WELL AS THE SEYMOURS FAMILY! DIE YOU ALL! I HATE YOU, FREAKS! AND I HATE THIS LITTLE SCUMBAG RYAN! YOU ALL ARE SNAKES! DIE, MOTHERFUCKERS, DIE!”       Norman shamelessly splits at Peter, Terrence, and Edward’s faces and on the floor. The young men just turn their faces upon, deciding to say nothing to Potter, smiling slyly with their heads proudly up and watching the policemen take him away. When he leaves, the three look at each other with a slight smile and move their eyes sharply to Sammy after he barks loudly two times and runs to them quickly, wagging his tail amicably.       “Sammy!” Peter exclaims with a wide smile. “My boy!”       Peter gets down on his knees, pets Sammy’s head, and scratches his hair, while the dog wags his tail happily and licks shyly the tip of the blond’s nose.       “I was so worried about you,” Peter confesses shyly and hugs Sammy tightly for two moments.       Two moments later, Edward and Terrence also get down on their knees and start petting and scratching Sammy with slight smiles.       “Nice, buddy, good boy,” Edward encourages, slapping Sammy slightly on his back.       “We knew you wouldn’t betray us,” Terrence adds.       Sammy barks two times with a proud look and licks the tip of the noses of Peter, Edward, and Terrence, making them laugh shyly. And two or three seconds later, Anna comes to the men with a shy smile and lets them know about her:       “Lads…”       “Anna!” Terrence, Peter, and Edward pronounce, turning sharply on her.       The men get up on their feet and happily attack Anna with tight, amicable hugs.       “Are you really okay?” Peter expresses anxiety, taking Anna’s hands. “We were worried! We almost went insane!”       “I’m okay, guys, don’t worry,” Anna smiles shyly and steps back from Peter, Edward, and Terrence after hugging every one of them.       “Hey, did you really hit Potter on the head to save Daniel?” Terrence wonders.       “Thank God, I did it.”       “Gosh, I can’t believe it!” Edward exclaims excitedly.       “You know why I did it. I know it was a risky thing, but I couldn’t stand aside when that stinker was trying to get the knife into him.” Anna moves her eyes down for a second. “Life in this world without Daniel wouldn’t have any meaning for me.”       “You rock on, friend!” Edward takes Anna’s hands. “Do you understand that you saved Daniel? Saved! Saved him from death!”       “I just told myself I must’ve done it,” Anna confesses shyly and pets Sammy’s head when he comes to her. “Sammy tried to make me sure not to do this, but I didn’t listen. I told him to help Ryan and quickly found a way to help Daniel.”       “I am shocked! I don’t know what to say!”       “You surprised not only Daniel but also all of us!” Terrence exclaims. “The lads and I are shocked! Ryan is shocked! And your parents are!”       “We got overwhelmed as well as we did when Natalia saved Terrence and me,” Edward notices confidently.       “Listen, I didn’t know Ryan could fight so well,” Anna confesses cheerfully. “Did you have time to teach him something? Huh, guys?”       “Us?” Terrence rounds his eyes. “C’mon!”       “We didn’t actually know that Ryan would wish to come here,” Edward adds.       “And shake everybody up!” Peter exclaims.       Sammy barks two times confidently, and Anna pets his head again with a slight smile.       “Sammy helped us well, too,” Anna notices confidently. “You must’ve seen how he was torturing Julian’s father! Norman literally wanted to run away.”       “As Ryan said, he was running as fast as a hurricane,” Terrence smiles shyly.       “Now, he will go where he and his sonny must be,” Peter adds confidently.       “It’s still hard to believe it,” Anna shakes her head. “It seems like this battle hasn’t ended yet.”       “Agree. But it’s all over now. Forever.”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Peter pets Sammy’s head because the dog presses himself against him.       “Thank you for your help, guys,” Anna thanks with a shy smile. “I don’t know how to thank you.”       “C’mon, we did almost nothing,” Edward waves his hand shyly. “I think the lads and I were unnecessary here. Perkins was kind of right: we had nothing to do here.”       “C’mon, guys! If not for you, this nightmare would’ve never ended.”       “I think Daniel played a more important role in it,” Terrence replies thoughtfully.       “His role is invaluable. I must admit it.”       “Don’t leave him without thankfulness, Anna,” Peter advises confidently. “He deserves it more than Edward, Terrence, or me.”       “I won’t, I promise,” Anna nods with a shy smile. “I’m madly grateful to him for everything he has done. And I was madly worried because of his risky actions.”       “We’re glad to hear it. And these words will definitely warm our buddy up.”       Sammy barks quietly, and Anna says nothing and keeps smiling shyly.       “And I’m madly grateful to you, too,” Anna breaks the silence two seconds later. “Thank you so much again. I owe you forever, guys. Count on me in everything.”       “Thanks, Anna,” Terrence thanks amicably with a slight smile. “And thank you so much for saving Daniel. We don’t wanna lose our best friend. Our brother.”       “Despite nothing, I can’t deny that Daniel is a wonderful and loyal friend,” Anna smiles shyly. “You’re really lucky to have such an amazing friend like him.”       “That’s right,” Peter agrees amicably. “He’s got many demons, but he’s always been a cool friend.”       Sammy barks confidently, and Anna, Edward, Terrence, and Peter smile shyly at him and each other. Then the men hug the girl amicably again to thank her for the bravery that she showed.       “Okay, I’ll go to talk to Ryan,” Anna says thoughtfully after yanking Sammy’s ears softly. “He needs support now. After he found out how his mother died.”       Anna turns around and comes to Ryan, who is talking to Lillian and Maximilian about something. Two seconds later, Sammy barks quietly, and the men look around, seeing many policemen, who are doing their job.       “Listen, where’s Daniel?” Edward frowns slightly. “Someone saw him?”       “I dunno…” Peter replies thoughtfully, looking around.       “It’s weird…” Terrence pronounces thoughtfully.       After walking around the living room and looking around, Terrence, Peter, and Edward notice Daniel lying on the floor with closed eyes and breathing heavily. To be clear, MacClife, Jr., notices him first, claps his brother and friend on the shoulder, and points at the side where their exhausted friend is lying. Then, not thinking too much, the three come to him shortly.       “Hey, Daniel, how are you?” Peter asks, squatting down and clapping Daniel on the shoulder.       “Why are you lying in a bunch of pieces?” Terrence asks.       “Guys?” Daniel pronounces tiredly in a hoarse voice, looking at his friends lazily. “Oh, fuck! How it’s good you’re here…”       “Yeah, dude, you look like a train drove over you…” Edward shakes his head.       “I care about it much less…” Daniel closes his eyes for a second.       “Fuck, Perkins, you’re crazy!” Terrence resents, putting a hand on his forehead. “You scared all of us to the heck!”       “We thought those bastards shot at you,” Peter adds. “You know how frightened we were when we heard a shout and a shot!”       “Is it all really over?” Daniel asks in a low voice. “Please, tell me it’s all over… If it’s not, kill me…”       “It’s over, man,” Edward replies with a slight smile, squatting down and clapping Daniel on the shoulder. “You can exhale.”       “Oh, thanks, MacClife…” Daniel pronounces in a lower voice. “You really made me happy…”       “Yeah, you will not survive another fight,” Terrence pronounces thoughtfully and squats down, as well.       “Oh, guys…” Daniel slowly exhales with closed eyes, looks at the ceiling with his dead look for a second or two, and swallows up nervously. “I almost died here… It was cruel. Too cruel. My whole fucking body hurts…”       At this moment, Sammy comes to Daniel and, whining quietly and wagging his tail, nuzzles his nose in his face.       “It seems like I’ve run a cross-country in five hundred meters two or three times…” Daniel adds in a low, hoarse voice, still breathing heavily. “Or five or ten kilometers. I’ve been lying and dying from tiredness for ten minutes… Or more… I dunno.”       “We see that hell happened here,” Edward replies thoughtfully.       “How many efforts I had to give for that asshole not to get the knife into me… That was a few millimeters from my chest…” Daniel tiredly runs his hand over his pale green face. “I thought I’d handle it… But that bastard was much stronger… Because I didn’t have the energy to fight with him and his father.”       “Did you think you’d strike them down for two seconds?” Peter wonders. “One against two armed folks!”       “I would’ve held on if I hadn’t to… Keep the knife above me. It took much more strength than running in the living room.”       “Shit, Perkins, you’re crazy! Why’d you the fuck make us leave? If we’d been with you, you wouldn’t have brought yourself to this!”       “I asked you to leave ‘cause I didn’t want to sacrifice your lives.”       “So, was it right to sacrifice yours?” Peter wonders loudly.       “I know it was a crazy act… I know I could’ve died. But I had no wish to let you keep tolerating hits and being their hostages.”       “Good job!” Edward exclaims. “A miracle saved you! A great luck!”       “Saving the others’ lives was more important to me. I cared about mine much less.”       “Yeah, Perkins…” Terrence exhales sharply. “It seems like it will never be possible to strike a wish to be brave for others.”       “You all would’ve done the same. You wouldn’t have cared about how many people you would’ve had to fight against if the case had been about your close person.”       “Shit, we’re three idiots!” Terrence claps himself on the forehead. “We shouldn’t have listened to you when you asked us to leave. We shouldn’t have listened to Ryan when he ran after Anna.”       “Sorry, guys…” Daniel exhales slowly. “I really did a stupid thing… But I realized it when Potter tried to get the knife into me and didn’t give me a chance to break free…”       “Okay, what’s done is done,” Edward exhales sharply. “Let’s not talk about it. But now, let’s stand up from the floor.”       “Good idea…” Daniel tries to sit up slowly by force, but he lies on the floor powerlessly again because his arms are so weak that they cannot hold his weight. “But no… I’ll better stay here…”       “Okay, we’ll help now,” Peter says confidently and gets up quietly. “C’mon, c’mon, Perkins, get your ass up!”       As Daniel cannot really reach the sofa due to his lack of strength, Terrence, Peter, and Edward help their friend get up, holding him under his arms. They have to bring Perkins to the sofa, on which he falls exhaustedly with a quiet sigh. Sammy comes to the man shortly and puts his face on his laps, while he leans his head back with closed eyes, still breathing heavily and suffering from weakness in his body and strong pain in his arms.       “Oh, fuck, how bad I feel…” Daniel moans quietly, running his hands over his face. “Everything hurts…”       “Say, ‘thank you’ for actually being alive,” Peter notices, putting his hands on his hips. “If you’d been here alone, those two would’ve turned you into a big piece of bloody meat.”       “Ugh, Peter…” Daniel slightly winces and puts a hand on his forehead. “Be pleased not to say anything that has to do with blood. I do feel bad… If someone talks about blood. I’ll clean my stomach.”       “But it’s true, buddy,” Terrence notices confidently. “Those two would’ve killed you if nobody had been here. You’re very lucky to stay alive after all of that.”       “Now I feel like a half-dead rat much more.”       “It’s fine,” Edward says quietly. “After the fight with Wainwright, I was twirling in hellish pain for a few days.”       “Damn, I got a headache…” Daniel doubles over and rubs his temples energetically with both hands. “I guess I overworked…”       “From tension,” Peter assumes.       “Oh… I would’ve died if not for Anna. If she hadn’t…” Daniel falls into silence for two seconds, gets frozen sharply, rounds his eyes, and looks surprisingly at Edward, Peter, and Terrence. “Stop… Anna! Guys… She… She saved me?!”       “Aha,” Terrence nods confidently. “Potter was lying unconscious, and the policemen. She hit Potter on the head with a vase when he wanted to get the knife into me.”       “We got overwhelmed when Ryan told us about it,” Edward confesses, putting his hand on his heart. “None of us thought Anna would find the courage to do that.”       “I can’t believe it…” Daniel shakes his head. “I can’t believe I stayed alive thanks to that girl.”       “Yes, Perkins, you did!” Terrence exclaims.       “Yeah, but I asked you to watch her.”       “Sorry, Daniel, but we couldn’t hold her down,” Peter shakes his head. “We tried to stop Anna, but she ran here quickly. Neither her parents, Ryan, Mr. Johnson, his colleagues, nor me.”       “It’s interesting…” Daniel rubs his hands and locks his fingers tightly. “My goal was her salvation, but she eventually saved me.”       “But you’ve completed your mission. Anna and her parents are alive, and the police have finally gotten the Potters arrested.”       “I’m really shocked… Deeply.”       “But it’s true, old man,” Terrence notices with a slight smile. “Anna ran here to save you from those bastards.”       “Oh, yeah, nothing would’ve prevented her from this!” Edward adds confidently.       “You know how scared she was when you shouted, and we thought you were killed!” Peter exclaims. “Anna screamed louder than everybody and was ready to fall into hysteria.”       “Really?” Daniel frowns slightly, looking at his friends with mistrust.       “Really,” Edward, Peter, and Terrence pronounce confidently with a slight smile.       Sammy confirms the men’s words by barking confidently and loudly, while Daniel cracks a smile, feeling that these words warm him up so nicely.       “Hey…” Peter pronounces thoughtfully. “Why did you scream like crazy if you hadn’t been shot?”       “No, nobody shot at me,” Daniel explains quietly and scratches the back of his head. “When Potter’s daddy shot and didn’t get into me, I turned unsuccessfully and fell onto the pieces that literally hurt my whole back. It was super hurt, and I couldn’t hold myself down.”       “The pieces got in the back?” Edward frowns slightly.       “Maybe. But I fell to pieces twice.”       “That’s why…” Terrence pronounces thoughtfully.       “Hey, can you look at what I have on my back? It hurts fucking strongly!”       Daniel, overcoming the weakness, gets slowly up, turns his back on his friends, and raises his jacket and shirt. Edward, Peter, and Terrence can immediately see that half of their friend’s back is covered with small bloody scares, and some small pieces are stuck in it.       “Oh, oh…” Terrence rounds his eyes.       “Shit, dude…” Peter gets horrified.       “So, everything’s so terrible?” Daniel frowns slightly.       “Your back is covered with bloody wounds,” Edward explains. “But they are small and are supposed to be gone soon. And there are small pieces in some places.”       “Pieces? On my back?”       “They didn’t get in deeply. We can easily get them out with a tweezer and treat your wounds, so they don’t get dirt.”       “Okay, when everybody leaves, I will take everything we need to treat wounds. Yours must be treated, too.” Daniel moves his eyes to Edward’s arm, on which there are many wounds, his face that is also covered with small bloody tracks, and Peter and Terrence, who have wounds. “You all suffered a lot because of these bastards.”       “Yeah, but my wounds aren’t deep,” Edward notices thoughtfully, throwing a look at his arm full of scars. “It doesn’t hurt at all…”       “Mine, too…” Peter says quietly and barely touches the bridge of his nose. “But the bridge of my nose hurts a little. I hope my nose won’t get blue…”       “Hey, has someone examined Sammy?” Daniel frowns slightly, looking at Sammy. “What if pieces got into his paws or something yet.”       “Right, I’ll take a look!” Peter squats down and calls Sammy to him with a gesture. “Sammy, come to me! Give me your paws!”       Peter closely examines Sammy’s paws and him for a few seconds, while the dog just wags his tail with his tongue out.       “It’s okay, no wounds or pieces!”       “And it’s amazing,” Edward notices. “He was running everywhere!”       “He’d hardly be so cheerful and funny if he had wound,” Terrence assumes thoughtfully.       “That’s right!” Peter agrees, pets Sammy’s head, and gets up. “However, bruises and scare aren’t important now. The most important thing is that we got what we wanted.”       “That’s good!” Daniel raises his hands. “I’m done with heroic actions for a while.”       Sammy barks loudly two times, making Edward, Daniel, Terrence, and Peter laugh shyly. And while the men keep talking about something with tired smiles, Anna discusses something with Lillian and Maximilian, and Ryan has a conversation with Victor and Darwin, the policemen put handcuffs on Julian, who has come to himself, and get him up. And when they start taking him to the exit from the house, the excited Potter starts to scream loudly and get loose, making everybody pay attention to him.       “No…” Julian pronounces with widely open eyes in a shaking voice. “No, not the police! NOT TO PRISON! I DON’T WANT TO GO THERE! NO! NO!”       The shaking Julian looks around with a scare in his eyes, sees Anna, and runs closer to her.       “Anna…” Julian pronounces with pity in his eyes. “Anna, sweetie, please, save me… You’re the only one to help me! Please, honey, don’t let them put me in jail! I DON’T WANT TO GO THERE! I DO NOT WANT!”       “Your game is over, Julian,” Anna says confidently with her head proudly raised. “You will go where you and your father belong.”       “No, please, don’t do this to me!”       Julian comes much closer to Anna and falls on his knees in front of her, looking at her with pity in his eyes, while the policemen come to him and raise him up. And the girl comes closer to the man determinedly, while the others watch what’s happening tensely.       “You can’t do this to me,” Julian jabs, shaking his head sharply. “I DO NOT DESERVE IT!”       “After you almost beat me to death?” Anna wonders in a low voice. “Or after you almost killed everybody along with your father?”       “You’ve got a stoned heart! You’re too cruel and unfair to me!”       “I have a stoned one? So, don’t you have? So, are you good, sweet, and fluffy?”       “THAT IS UNFAIR!” Julian screams loudly in despair. “I DON’T WANT TO GO TO PRISON! I DON’T WAIT TO PAY FOR WHAT I DIDN’T WANT TO DO!”       “Come on!”       “I swear that’s not my idea! My father came up with it! He must pay for everything! I DO NOT HAVE TO DO WITH THAT! He made me mock you! I DID NOT WANT IT!”       “Enough, Potter!” Anna raises her voice. “I will no longer believe all your false words!”       “I was just doing what he told me. I swear, killing your whole family was his idea, not mine.”       “Yeah, but mocking me was your idea!”       “No, you got it wrong! Father made me beat you! He wanted you to die! But I didn’t want it!”       “Are you going to make me sure that I am deaf? Or that I missed something?”       “Please, Anny, forgive me!” Julian begs with despair.       “Don’t call me like this!” Anna cuts off sharply. “My name is Anna! And I hate when people call me Anny!”       “I swear I will get better and no longer treat you so disgustingly. Just give me a chance!”       “You’ve gotten a million chances!”       “It will be the last one! I promise I will no longer disappoint you. I will never hurt you! Never raise a hand against you! I will not succumb to my father! I will be the one you’ve always dreamed about!”       “I don’t need you for anything!” Anna says confidently in a low, rude voice. “I will never respect you after everything you have done to me and my family.”       “I love you, Anna…” Julian confesses desperately in a strongly shaking voice. “With all my heart! Even after you rejected me! I have never stopped loving you! And I was waiting for you to pay attention to me someday.”       “You don’t know what love is, Julian. Your nasty actions toward me cannot be called love or just simple respect. You don’t respect women! Your father hates them and taught you to do it.”       “No, no, that’s not true, I swear! I treat women very well! But Father does not! He hates them! Because of Mother, who controlled him in everything and did not let him feel like a man. That man has always been afraid to become whipped. He is ashamed to confess it to his friends. It’s a humiliation to him.”       “Yeah, and you watched, listened to him, and thought that it was right. That girls and women are dust and dirt.”       “No, no, that’s not true. I’ve always told Father that he’s doing the wrong thing by hating all the women because Mother subdued his man’s power.”       “Do you think you will avoid what’s waiting for you if you blame your father for everything?” Anna crosses her arms over her chest. “No, Julian! Accomplices of crime people can’t be excused and are also prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”       “Please, Anna, don’t let them put me in prison,” Julian begs with despair and pity in his eyes. “I swear I will gold you and make all caprices come true. You will be rolling in money and riches! You will have everything you want. I will give you everything I have. I will work hard, so you have everything.”       “Alas, Potter, you will no longer need everything you and your father have earned over the past years.”       “NO! I DO NOT WANT TO BE A BEGGAR! I DON’T WANT TO COUNT EVERY CENT! I DON’T WANT TO BE A DEADBEAT!”       “Your fears and your thoughts are super powerful things. If they unite, you may sometimes run into what you are even afraid to think about.”       “Please, Anna, save me!” Julian begs with pity. “Save me from prison! You’re the only one, who can help me. Please, tell the policemen to let me go.”       “Yeah, I know what’s going to happen next!” Anna puts her hands on her hips. “You will pretend to be good to lull me and make me believe you and relax. But then you will show your worst side and start to insult, humiliate, and beat me much harder. And beat me so hard that I will not survive.”       “No, no, sweetie, I will no longer raise a hand on you. I swear on my life. I swear on the grave of my mother. I will no longer do what I did when I was in a state of affection. When you made me mad.”       “You’ve promised it a million times! To me and my father! You were pretending to be an innocent lamb and trying to make yourself shed at least one freaking tear to make everybody think you were really sorry. But everything started over and over, and you never thought of stopping. And you don’t blame yourself for that. Your education or your disgusting character. You blame the others.”       “Now everything will be otherwise, sweetie… I swear, darling…” Julian runs to Anna again and falls on his knees, and the policemen come to him, get him up, and try to take him away by force. “I will do everything for you to love me. For everybody to start to consider me a good man.”       “I will not even ask you if you are ashamed of everything you do. But your mother is ashamed of having such a nasty sonny. She is twisting in the grave because of all of your actions!”       “Please, Anna, trust me!” Julian begs loudly. “I swear, if you trust me and give me one more chance, everything will be otherwise. I will prove to you and your parents that I can be different.”       “Oh, yeah! Getting hits for a reason and without and being terribly afraid that I could be beaten at any time! That’s what I have always dreamed about!”       “You’ll have everything: money, gold, brilliants, furs, personal assistants, and services of the best professionals. You will be my queen! I swear I will hide no cent from you and will give you everything! I’m not greedy! For my beloved girl, I am ready to refuse a lot, so she is happy and needs nothing.”       “I don’t need your money, Julian,” Anna says coldly with her head proudly raised. “I need nothing from you. And I don’t need you! If you were a multibillionaire included in the list of the richest people in the world, according to Forbes, I would not agree to be with you. I don’t need a rich but nasty, mean, and heartless bastard, who could only command, insult, and beat.”       “Don’t you want to live in luxury and not to know what a lack of money is? You grew up in by far not a poor family! You are used to living like a princess! With me, your life would not change.”       “I’d better be a naked and hungry pauper than live with the one, who would treat me like a doormat. Though, I do deserve love and respect for me!”       “You have never lived in poverty and don’t know what that is. A whipped man is the only one that can be worse.”       “Enough, Potter! You know well that I have never loved you and have never been interested in you. And now, after everything I had to experience because of you, I do not want to know you.”       “But I love you!” Julian exclaims loudly with despair. “And I want to be only with you!”       “Stop talking about what you don’t know!”       “I have loved you since the day we met for the first time. Yes, you were a child, but I was sure that we were destined to be together. And as long as you grew up, I made much more sure about it. I worked like crazy to provide for a beautiful life for you. I didn’t sleep for hours, didn’t eat, didn’t drink… It’s all for you! For you, I made a lot of great sacrifices and ruined my health!”       “It’s your problem. You can’t make anyone love by force. Love exists or not! No third way!”       “You’d love me if you gave me a chance! You’d love living with me and feeling like a provided lady, who all your friends would envy.”       “Love is not a good you can buy for a million dollars. It’s a princess thing you can’t find on the shelves with expensive clothes or one-hundred-carat brilliants. You can get it from the one, who wouldn’t let you out without a scarf, gloves, and a cap in the cold weather.”       “Anna, sweetheart…”       “I’m not one of those, who live with a man because of money, Julian. I don’t care how many banknotes he has. I care about how he takes care of me, how much he appreciates me, what he’s ready for me, and what he would sacrifice for me. If I fell in love with a beggar, who would take care of me like a queen, I’d obviously stay with him.”       “You will love me, I promise! I swear you will be my queen in all senses! Just save me from prison! All you want – everything in this world will be for you. I can love and be tender! Give me a chance to prove it. You will not be disappointed! You will regret running from me.”       “Go to hell, cretin!” Anna hisses through her teeth, clenching her hands into fists. “We’ve got a different meaning of the word ‘happiness’. I don’t wanna be rich by sacrificing my health.”       “Please, Anna…” Julian whines. “Give me a chance… I don’t want to go to prison… They’ll kill me there…”       “You know… Everybody was bullying you for a reason when you were a child. They were right when they gave you bad nicknames related not only to the fact that you were fat. I’m sure that they knew about your nasty character. Maybe, you lost weight and still limit yourself so hard, but your character hasn’t changed. You are an absolutely false, pathetic actor!”       “No, no, honey, please, don’t say it,” Julian shakes his head sharply with wet eyes. “It’s a mask. I’m not as terrible as you think.”       “I realized what you really were shortly. And I am so happy that the others did it, too. That I’m not a slanderer for them.”       “Please, sweetie, forgive me…” Julian begs, putting his hands together and bringing them to his mouth. “I am really sorry about what I have done.”       “Stop, Julian!” Anna cuts off sharply, waving her hand. “Stop playing this drama!”       “NO, ANNA! YOU CANNOT DO THIS! I DON’T WANT TO DIE! DON’T SEND ME TO THE GLUE FACTORY!”       Julian runs to Anna and tries to touch her. But she breaks free sharply at first and then slaps Potter strongly in the face, making everybody shake and look at each other surprisingly.       “Don’t dare to come!” Anna demands a little louder. “You will tell your tales to your cellmates!”       “I LOVE YOU!” Julian screams hysterically. “I WILL KILL MYSELF IF YOU DON’T SAVE ME! IF YOU ARE NOT WITH ME, I WILL HAVE NO MEANING IN LIVING!”       “Don’t make it worse if you don’t want to go to a mental hospital, not prison.”       “YOU ARE HEARTLESS! THEY WILL KILL ME IN PRISON! I WILL BE THERE WITHOUT MY DAD! WITHOUT YOU! ALL ALONE!       Julian starts yelling hysterically and slapping the back of the sofa with his hands. He looks like a little, capricious baby that got hysterical. The man resists the police so hard, hiding from them in the whole living room. While Daniel, Peter, Edward, and Terrence standing not far cannot hold down their chuckles but do their best not to laugh too loudly.       “I don’t believe it, u-u-ugh!” Terrence exclaims with his head proudly raised, showing a thumb down. “More emotions! More drive! People should cry hysterically!”       Sammy barks confidently two times.       “Ugh, what a fucking actor! Underact or overact!”       “Yeah, he can’t build an acting career,” Edward agrees confidently.       “Ha, I will play better than this psycho without a warm-up!” Daniel says confidently with his head proudly raised. “I’ll play so that everybody is overwhelmed!”       “With such a pathetic play, Potter wouldn’t get a confession in the show business,” Peter says with both arms crossed over his chest. “Unless the award ‘Golden Raspberry’ in the nomination ‘Worst Actor.’”       Edward, Terrence, Daniel, and Peter laugh shyly, and Sammy barks quietly again, as if he supports them completely.       “HELP ME, A-A-A-A!” Julian screams hysterically, still running away from the policemen. “DAD! DADDY! HELP ME! PLEASE! THEY WANNA KILL ME!”       “Yeah, Potter, you should be in a mental hospital, not prison,” Anna shakes her head.       “PLEASE, ANNA, HELP ME, I AM BEGGING YOU! I DON’T WANT TO GO TO PRISON! I DON’T WANT TO BE A BEGGAR!”       “Oh, my God…” Anna rolls her eyes.       “I WILL GOLD YOU, SWEETIE! I WILL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING I HAVE! JUST DON’T LET THESE PEOPLE TEAR ME APART! PLEASE, ANNA, FOR GOD’S SAKE!”       Julian tries to run to Anna again and take her hands, but she pushes him off herself rudely and glances at a full cup of cold coffee that was moved to the bar table at some moment. While Potter follows the girl in hysteria, she runs to the table, grabs the cup, and pours a little bit of coffee over the man’s head and the rest of it over his face. While Julian dries his face with disgust and looks at his clothes, everybody whoops in approval, and someone even applauds.       “Yes!” Terrence whoops cheerfully. “He deserved it!”       “You’re my hero, Anna!” Daniel exclaims.       “Awesome!” Peter smiles widely. “Hit him between his legs!”       “Get it, poisoned snake!” Edward gloats.       Sammy barks happily, while Lillian and Maximilian share a look with shy smiles.       “Aw, my girl!” Maximilian exclaims in approval.       “How can’t we be proud of such a wonderful daughter?” Lillian adds confidently.       By this moment, Julian dries coffee that got into his face, but notices that his hair loses its sharpness and gets the smell of it. And then he shamelessly looks at everybody, who is laughing at him, while Anna cracks a slight smile at them.       “WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?” Julian screams excitedly with a heavy breath. “I AM NOT A CLONE!”       “So, Potter, are you thinking of the past?” Anna smiles slyly. “When everybody was insulting and humiliating you for your weight and terrible character?”       “No, Anna…” Julian pronounces, moving his eyes to Anna and shaking his head. “Don’t let them laugh at me… Please… I WILL NOT BEAR IT!”       “Don’t even hope to pity me,” Anna throws coldly. “I don’t care about what you want! You should think better before doing something! Think about the others, not yourself. About what they may feel if they’re hurt. And don’t dance attendance upon your dad, who got mad at all the women in the world!”       “But I love you! What would you tell me to do with my love for you? Because of you, I haven’t paid attention to other women for ages!”       “I don’t care, Potter. I do not love you, have never loved, and will never love a bastard like you!”       “NO! YOU MUST BE WITH ME! WE MUST GET MARRIED! YOU SHOULD GIVE BIRTH TO A SON FROM ME!”       “I never lie in these cases. When I don’t love someone, I say it immediately.”       “MY FATHER PROMISED YOU TO ME! HE PROMISED!”       “And yeah…” Anna falls into silence for a second, crosses her arms over her chest, and comes closer to Julian. “My heart belongs to another man. And you know it well.”       “Don’t say it, please…” Julian pronounces in a shaking voice. “You’re hurting me.”       “I only love one man,” Anna says much quieter but very confidently. “The one, who is ready to do everything for me and appreciate me for what I am. The one, who doesn’t try to make me his perfection. Doesn’t insult me, humiliate me, or raise a hand on me.”       “WHY DID YOU PREFER THAT POOR BASTARD?” Julian explodes. “WHY DIDN’T YOU LET ME KILL HIM? EVERYTHING WAS GOING SO WELL!”       “Because I got everything I dreamed about! For this amazing man, I am ready to change completely. And do my best for him to feel comfortable.”       “I COULD GIVE YOU TWO TIMES MORE!”       “Yeah, two times more humiliations! Two times more bruises! Two times more traumas! Two times more sufferings!”       “I can be better than this deadbeat!” Julian jabs excitedly. “I have everything, but he has nothing!”       “I repeat, I will never love you! You are disgusting to me! I have always been terribly afraid to be next to you and wanted to run when seeing you from afar. And I suffered because I was made to speak to you and your family.”       “I swear on the grave of my mother, I will get better! Better! Just tell the policemen to let me go, and you will be the happiest, provided woman in the world.”       “Alright, Potter, close your mouth!” Anna sharply crosses her arms over her chest. “I am sick of hearing you!”       “PLEASE, ANNA!”       “Take him away,” Anna addresses the policemen when they come to Julian with her head proudly raised, keeping absolute indifference on her face.       “What?” Julian rounds his eyes. “No! NO! N-O-O-O-O-O-O-O!”       The policemen take Julian under his arms quickly, while he starts resisting and breaking free.       “Let me go! NO! I DON’T WANT TO GO TO PRISON! I DON’T! I WILL CUT MY THROAT! NO! NO, ANNA, DON’T DO THIS! I will get better, I swear! Give me a chance! I love you! LOVE! YOU ARE THE MEANING OF MY LIFE! IF YOU ARE NOT WITH ME, I WILL DIE! NO-O-O-O-O!”       Meanwhile, Lillian and Maximilian come to Anna frowning strongly and watching the policemen take away the hysterical Julian with her icy look and hug their daughter. And Ryan joins the Seymour family, not hiding his wide smile.       “Ryan…” Julian pronounces desperately in a shaking voice. “Ryan, brother… Please, help me… Please… Don’t leave me!”       “So, fat ball, did you remember that you had a brother?” Ryan sneers evilly. “You say, ‘Ryan, help!’ after saying without your daddy and getting arrested.”       “Please, Ryan, help me out! I promise I will be a good older brother to you if you save me from these people. Nobody will dare to hurt you. Anyone to dare to do this will have to deal with me! I swear! I swear on the grave of our mother! I’d do anything for you! Just save me! PLEASE, I AM BEGGING YOU! I NEED YOU!”       “Ha, never!” Ryan hums contemptuously, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why should I save the bastard, who almost brought the innocent girl to death? Or your daddy, who killed my mother shamelessly!”       “We are brothers! Siblings! How can you do this to me? I was the one to make Father sure not to kick you out after Mother’s death! And I asked him not to do this before you found a home and a job!”       “I can’t remember that!”       “It’s true, brother! I persuaded him! Because I felt sorry for you! I didn’t want you to live like a homeless man on the streets!”       “Do you think I will believe in these stories? Don’t tell me that your daddy loved me!”       “Loved… Very much… But he was jealous of you and Mother. Because you were always attracted to her and didn’t pay attention to Father! But if you had given him more attention, he would’ve loved you, too.”       “Stop telling stories, Julian! Nobody will believe in your kind of true regret! If you are acting as the one to suffer, be true! Don’t overact!”       “Please, Ryan, save me from prison! I don’t want to go there! I will be killed there! I will surely kill myself there!”       “Go to prison, scumbag!” Ryan demands loudly. “You and your daddy are expected there! I promise you will not miss there. You will find many friends. And Daddy will have fun, too.”       “NO, RYAN, NO!”       “Norman is waiting for you outside! Go to him now.”       “No, no, bro, don’t do it! DON’T LEAVE ME! DON’T LE-A-A-AVE! NO-O-O-O! A-A-A-A-A!”       “Take him away, dear policemen! We no longer want to see his nasty, insolent face!”       “PLEASE, BRO, HELP ME!”       The policemen barely pull Julian to the hall door, while he is resisting so hard. At some moment, Potter throws a furious look at Daniel, Peter, Terrence, and Edward, who watch him with slight smiles on their faces and their arms crossed over their chests.       “YOU, FOUR BASTARDS!” Julian explodes “YOU WILL PAY ME FOR EVERYTHING! I WISH YOU ALL DIED, DOGS! I HATE YOU! HATE!”       Julian tries to run to the men sharply, but the policemen pull him down shortly and take him to the exit by force, while Daniel, Edward, Peter, and Terrence keep calm and do not react to all of this.       “I hate you all!” Julian throws rudely. “Especially you, fucking deadbeat! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING! AGAIN! I would’ve turned you into a piece of smelly meat if the girl hadn’t saved you at the last moment. YOU ARE THE FUCK LUCKY! But remember, scumbag, even a cat loses its nine lives someday. So, someone will surely kill you. As well as your pals and your dog.”       Edward, Daniel, Peter, and Terrence say nothing and just chuckle quietly.       “STOP LAUGHING, ASSHOLES!” Julian screams at the top of his lungs. “I CURSE YOU ALL AND WISH YOU TO BURN IN HELL! I WISH A TRAIN CRUSHED YOU!”       A few seconds later, Julian leaves the house by force along with two policemen. While Daniel, Terrence, Peter, and Edward being proud and confident but terribly exhausted do not think they should say something and watch him silently.       “Let’s pretend that we heard nothing,” Edward smiles slyly. “Or that it was just a barking dog.”       “Yeah, a stray dog,” Daniel says confidently.       “Woof, woof, Potter! Woof, woof!”       “Right, woof, woof!” Peter chuckles kindly. “Which means ‘Have a nice time in prison, pensioner!”       Sammy barks loudly three times, and Daniel chuckles quietly and yanks the dog softly by the ears.       “The fluffy told him our wishes,” Daniel smiles tiredly but truly.       “So what, gang, it’s all over!” Terrence exclaims cheerfully and smiles widely. “We got what we wanted!”       “Thank God!” Victor exhales with relief. “Although we almost got victims, our efforts were worth it.”       “Sometimes we have to apply many efforts not to let something bad happen,” Daniel replies thoughtfully. “I would say, too much.”       “The important thing is that everybody is safe and sound, and the criminals are caught,” Victor says, clapping Daniel on the shoulder.       “Do not worry about their fate,” Darwin adds confidently. “It’s going to be our work.”       “Thank you, Mr. Austin,” Edward thanks amicably.       “No, thank you. Thank you for your courage.”       “Great, lads,” Victor smiles slightly. “Although many things went wrong, you did a great job anyway.”       “Thanks a lot, Mr. Johnson,” Terrence thanks confidently.       “We did everything we could,” Peter shrugs.       “You’re good fellows,” Victor encourages with his head proudly raised and pays attention to Sammy, who barks quietly. “You worked well, too, doggy.”       Victor shakes Daniel, Peter, Edward, and Terrence by the hand with a slight smile, claps them on the shoulder, and pets Sammy’s head, while the dog wags his tail amicably. After talking to them a little, the captain of the police goes aside to discuss something with the policemen, Darwin, and Oliver. At some moment, everybody comes together in groups: Daniel is talking to Lillian and Maximilian; Terrence, Peter, and Edward are playing with Sammy, and Anna gives some attention to Ryan, who comes to her, feeling not quite comfortable because of what happened.       “You know, you surprised all of us,” Ryan confesses shyly. “I never thought you’d do that. You were always so shy and quiet…”       “Sometimes feelings make us do untypical things,” Anna sighs quietly with sadness in her eyes.       “Although you risked a lot, I can only encourage your bravery.”       “Honestly, I wanted to do something like that to your brother a long time ago. I bravely wanted to tell him everything I thought of him. I used to tolerate Julian and tried not to pay attention to his character for my family that wouldn’t have believed me. But after what happened, I don’t wish to hear or see him. I realized I should’ve spoken loudly and openly.”       “You’re so brave, friend,” Ryan smiles shyly. “I was also silent for many years from fear of those two psychos. Though, I’m very sorry for being a coward and not helping you for ages. Who knows… Maybe, you wouldn’t have tolerated this nightmare if I’d been braver.”       “Please, Ryan, don’t blame yourself for anything.” Anna caresses Ryan’s shoulder with a slight smile and hugs him amicably, while he answers her back with pleasure. “It didn’t depend on you.”       “But I should’ve tried to protect you. That was my duty. We’ve been friends for ages…”       “To be honest, I was shocked when I saw you here,” Anna confesses shyly. “After so many years that we hadn’t communicated.”       “I wanted to visit you when you were in the hospital, but I was busy at the university. Though, I always thought of you and wished you to get well.”       “I’m glad you showed up and openly let the Potters know that you were by our side.”       “I’ve always been by the side of the Seymours. And I wanted to stop Julian and Norman a long time ago. But I was terribly afraid of those people. Though, I watched them closely.”       “But you once told my mother about Julian and asked her and Father to protect me.”       “It’s true. I was scared when I heard the talk of my brother and father about you showing up, leaving your boyfriend’s house, and moving into your father’s home. I was afraid they could use it and the fact that your father suspected nothing until a certain moment. He blindly believed Norman and Julian were holy.”       “You’re right… Father always thought they were angels, and those two were pretending very well. I thought Mother was almost the same, but now she realized many things. I saw the other side of them and discovered so much about them. And… Maybe, I even helped them learn to show their feelings openly. Listen to other people…”       “Anyway, they’ve always wished you the best, and your mother tried to save you from the marriage with Julian.”       “I know, Ryan,” Anna nods with a slight smile. “We didn’t just understand each other and wanted different things. But now everything changed. We… We started to hear each other and listen to our wishes. Now we know what every one of us feels much better.”       “I’m glad for you and your family. And I’m happy this story has finally ended.”       “Hey, what pushed you to do that? It’s hard to go against your family, tell the truth about them, and start a fight with them without fear. You surprised me nicely by becoming so brave and determined.”       “Julian’s actions pushed me to that. I wanted to strangle him because of everything he did to you. And after talking to Daniel, your parents, and your friends on the day you were beaten, I decided to do something. Moreover… I didn’t use to think about what happened to my mother. The past four years have been a daze. I was grieving and couldn’t accept the fact that she was gone. But now I decided to brace myself and find out everything.”       “Did you suspect your father did it?”       “Sometimes I thought about it. But I didn’t wanna believe it was the truth. Though, I had to do it when I heard his talk with that man… Who got the poison for him. I barely understood that it would’ve been good to record it.”       “Listen, buddy, I’m very sorry about your mother becoming a victim of her own husband,” Anna expresses pity with sadness in her eyes. “She was an amazing woman and didn’t deserve it.”       “If I’d known it earlier, I could’ve saved her from death. If I’d been more curious, Mother would’ve been alive. And I could’ve put my father in prison if I had braced myself and found out the reason for her death, which Julian and he were silent about.”       “Anyway, your mother is proud of you. I’m sure that you didn’t disappoint her.”       “Maybe…” Ryan shrugs and glances aside. “I can be called a mommy’s boy, but, I still can’t accept her death four years later. I never forget Mother and often view her photos… Besides, I sometimes… Talk to her… With the hope of being heard and getting help or advice.”       “She hears and sees you when you need it,” Anna smiles shyly. “Your mother will always be your guardian angel. Wherever you are. Maybe, she is gone, but she will always be alive in your heart. In your memories.”       “Thanks for the good words, Anna,” Ryan thanks with a slight smile, caressing Anna’s shoulders softly. “Anyway, I have to live with it. Mom is dead, and I can’t help her anymore.”       “You did the important thing – you proved the fault of the killer.”       “I know. And I’m very glad the Potters will stay in prison for a long time. So, you can live a quiet life. And your parents can keep doing their business.”       “You’re right. My heart will calm down.” Anna cracks a slight smile. “And I’m very glad I can do anything I want. To speak to my girls I terribly missed.”       “It’s all thanks to Daniel. You need to thank him and let him know that you appreciate the efforts of that man. He almost died because of you. And his friends did very much to help you two and deserved to be praised.”       “I know,” Anna smiles shyly. “I don’t know how to thank them. Peter, Edward, and Terrence could give a damn about this case and spend this day with the girls. But they fought like their lives were under threat. Maybe, it seems that they didn’t do too much, but it’s not true. We would’ve been dead without them.”       “These men are very good. They can befriend and don’t leave friends in trouble. I saw how much they were worried about Daniel when standing outside. The guys did wanna come back and help him so badly…”       “They’re like brothers. The brothers, who would tear anyone to dare to hurt one of them.”       “Great…” Ryan cracks a slight smile. “I wish I had the same friends. Sometimes I need someone, with whom I can talk about something… Whom I could always ask for a piece of advice.”       “I think the guys would be happy to befriend you. You’d quickly get on with them if you decided to befriend them.”       “Who knows, Anna, who knows…”       Ryan glances aside and notices Lillian and Maximilian talking to Daniel and not stopping to smile at him widely. Two moments later, they take the man in a tight hug, which he accepts with pleasure, and the woman shares an amicable kiss on the cheek with him. However, even if Perkins is very nice to Anna’s parents, it’s easy to see that his smile is exhausted, and his eyes are red and dead.       “Your parents are literally in love with Daniel,” Ryan smiles slightly. “Mrs. Seymour is about to kiss him too much from happiness.”       “I think my parents understand that he’s not as terrible as they thought,” Anna replies quietly.       “You’d… Erm…” Ryan bites his lip slightly. “Better talk to him… The guy was trying so hard… He was ready to sacrifice himself for you… It’d be bad not to thank him after everything he experienced.”       “You’re right, Ryan… Absolutely right…”       While Anna watches Daniel with some sadness in her eyes, he is talking to Lillian and Maximilian, who do not stop thanking him for saving their daughter.       “Oh, God, Daniel, you’re our guardian angel!” Lillian exclaims excitedly. “Maximilian and I are madly grateful to you for saving our daughter.”       “We’ll never forget it,” Maximilian adds confidently.       “Thanks a lot, Mr. Seymour,” Daniel replies shyly. “I’m glad I kept my promise.”       “We owe you from now on!” Lilian exclaims and takes Daniel’s hands. “Ask us for what you want! We’d do anything for you. Even the impossible.”       “Yes, Daniel, feel free to do it,” Maximilian adds. “Whatever happens to you, you can always count on us.”       “Thanks, I shall remember it,” Daniel nods. “It’s nice that you appreciate my efforts. And now I’m absolutely quiet because your daughter is safe.”       “But you scared all of us to death when you decide to fight with those two stinkers face-to-face.”       “And how much Anna was worried about you!” Lilian puts her hand on her heart. “She almost went insane when we heard the shot and your scream. We thought she’d get hysterical.”       “I know, I’m sorry…” Daniel exhales slowly. “I just didn’t want those two to kill one of you or your daughter… And I was worried about my friends, who don’t have to do with this story. I… I didn’t want them to suffer and die because of me.”       “Real friends never leave you in trouble. Your friends proved that friendship was very important to them, and they cared about you with all their hearts.”       “I tried to persuade them not to help me, but they didn’t listen to me. And I was madly nervous because of it. Though, I’m grateful to them for that. It would’ve been much harder without them.”       “You shouldn’t have asked them to go outside,” Maximilian notices confidently. “They wouldn’t have let you get close to your death.”       “I know, Mrs. Seymour. I nearly died and could give up from a lack of energy. It was very hard to fight with Potter holding a knife in his hands. I spent much more strength keeping it above me. In the worst case, he would have wounded me a long time ago…”       “Although we’re shocked by what we had to experience, we’re very glad everything ended,” Maximilian replies with a slight smile.       “I won’t bear another fight. My gasoline is gone.”       “Anyway, Lillian and I highly value your braveness, resolution, and ability to keep your promises.”       “We’re proud of you, Daniel,” Lilian confesses with her head proudly raised. “You met all of our expectations.”       “Nice to hear it,” Daniel smiles shyly.       “I think Anna values it highly, too,” Lillian smiles mysteriously. “Max and I watched her and noticed that she let her feelings go out in a critical situation.”       “Yeah, after what happened, she won’t be angry at you,” Maximilian smiles shyly. “Anna forgot about the offense when you expressed a wish to sacrifice yourself and made us briefly think the Potters killed you.”       “I believe Anna saw everything she needed. No need to do and say something else. It’s enough.”       “Now I will guess nothing,” Daniel replies thoughtfully. “May everybody calm down a little, have a rest, and come to themselves.”       “You’re right,” Maximilian agrees confidently. “Still, don’t lose hope. Lillian and I truly believe that Anna will be back with you someday. It’s our dream. We don’t doubt that you’re the perfect partner for her.”       “And we will not hide that we’d like to see you not only as a boyfriend of our daughter but also as her husband,” Lillian smiles with a mysterious smile.       “Let time decide everything,” Daniel smiles shyly and moves his eyes aside for a second. “I did what I could. And now I will just wait…”       “I think we all need to have a rest and put our minds in order,” Maximilian assumes.       “You’re right…” Daniel runs his hand over his white face and massages his temple. “I got so excited and overworked that I got a headache…”       “Not surprised!” Lilian exclaims.       Two moments later, Terrence, Edward, Peter, and Sammy come shyly to Daniel, Maximilian, and Lillian and look at them as if they are asking for permission to join the conservation.       “Guys, thank you all so much for everything you’ve done for us,” Maximilian thanks with a slight smile. “We don’t know how to show our thankfulness to you.”       “We don’t leave our friends in trouble, Mr. Seymour,” Peter replies confidently. “When they have a problem, we try to solve it.”       “Daniel and Anna are lucky to have such wonderful friends like you,” Lillian smiles shyly. “It’s a super rare thing at the present. Many people befriend for a benefit. But when trouble happens to their friends, they get out quickly.”       “No, it’s not about us!” Terrence shakes his head. “If we befriend someone, it’s true. Friendship means a lot to us. We’re ready for everything for our friends.”       “All your friends should appreciate you. And your girls must care about such wonderful guys.”       “Don’t worry, Mrs. Seymour, our girls value us endlessly and stay by our side at the easiest and the hardest times. And they give us a lot of energy. When we’re in despair and don’t know what to do, the girls always support us and help find a solution.”       “I hope they understand they own the real treasure,” Maximilian says confidently. “Priceless treasure.”       “Thanks, Mr. Seymour,” Edward thanks amicably. “It’s nice for us to hear it.”       “We’re grateful to you four for your bravery, loyalty, and resolution that you showed in saving our daughter,” Lillian says confidently with a slight smile. “From now on, Maximilian and I owe you forever. If you need something, we will do everything we can.”       “Thanks, but I think Daniel deserves much more praise,” Terrence replies shyly. “He must get praise. But we will be standing aside shyly.”       “No, guys, don’t be shy,” Maximilian shakes his head. “You all are good fellows. We have owed you since the day you saved Anna from Julian and didn’t let him beat her to death.”       “Standing aside when our friends feel bad is not about us. Nothing and nobody can scare us when the case is about our close person.”       “And we stand for justice,” Peter adds confidently. “When a criminal is in prison, and innocent people keep living and enjoying life.”       “Anyway, thank you all so much,” Lilian thanks gently. “Daniel, Peter, Edward, Terrence… We will never forget everything you have done for us.”       “Thank you so much, Mrs. Seymour,” Daniel smiles shyly.       Sammy barks very shyly and quietly, making Lillian and Maximilian move their eyes to him, smile slightly at him, and pet the dog’s head or yank him softly by the ears.       “Don’t worry, Samuel, we didn’t forget you,” Maximilian says amicably.       “You’re a precious doggy,” Lillian adds with a slight smile. “Thank you so much for protecting our daughter and the men.”       “I think someone deserves a big piece of meat.”       Sammy barks two times, amicably looking at Maximilian and Lillian with his tongue out and wagging his tail, while Daniel, Edward, Peter, and Terrence look at each other with a shy smile.       “Oh, gosh, what a wonderful doggy,” Maximilian smiles shyly. “So smart, obedient, and good. He literally understands everything people say.”       “Maybe, he does,” Peter smiles mysteriously. “Animals feel all the same as people. We just express it differently.”       “I’m sorry that we can’t understand him.”       “Sometimes my friends and I think we kind of understand Samuel when he tries to say something by barking.”       “I think he also understands what we say,” Lillian notices amicably.       “We can say we’ve found the key to understanding,” Edward shrugs with a slight smile.       Lillian, Maximilian, Edward, Peter, and Terrence smile shyly and keep talking about Sammy, who sometimes gets their attention to get some caress. At some moment, Daniel leaves them quietly, goes aside, and starts walking around the half-destroyed living room tiredly and looking around with a sad look. And a few seconds later, Victor comes to him with a folder in his hands.       “My colleagues are going to leave,” Victor says confidently. “We have done everything we needed here, and now we should come back to the police station and work with papers.”       “I hope they will not find a way to run away, just like it happened to Wainwright,” Daniel expresses hope.       “No, no, don’t worry. This time, they will not run away. We will be watching them very closely before they get a final sentence.”       “I wish they got a long enough sentence.”       “I hope so. But I think it will happen because we’ve got enough proof. Anyway, now everything doesn’t depend on you, the men, Anna, and her parents.”       “If you need something else, let us know it. Bringing these people to prison for a long time is very important to us.”       “We will work on it. And you, Daniel, have a good rest and put yourself in order. You’ve gotten yourself exhausted over the past few days and don’t look like yourself.”       “Yeah, we can relax now,” Daniel smiles tiredly. “I think my mission has been successfully completed.”       “Worry about nothing. Have a rest, spend time with your friends, take care of your sister, get ready for the wedding of Edward and Natalia and Terrence and Raquelle…”       “Don’t worry, Mr. Johnson, I have something to do. I shall find a way to distract from thoughts about Anna.”       “Here’s my advice, man,” Victor pronounces confidently, clapping Daniel on the shoulder. “Don’t lose hope. I don’t doubt that Anna didn’t leave it unnoticed. And she began to think about whether she did the right thing.”       “I don’t know…” Daniel shrugs. “Let everything happen as it wants… If she wishes to break up. I will respect her decision. I shall accept it and forget it somehow. A breakup with a girl is not the end of the world. It’s hurtful, but not fatal.”       “Listen to what the people tell you, Daniel. Don’t ignore their words! You’ll realize that everybody is right when it’s time.”       “Time will show it, Mr. Johnson. Let’s not guess. I don’t want to talk about it at least now.”       “Alright, I got it. But remember, someday it will surely get better. Besides, you’re not alone: you have friends, who are like your brothers and sisters, and a younger sister. Despite all your mistakes, they’ll always be by your side.”       “I know,” Daniel smiles shyly. “If not for them, I’d go crazy.”       “Give them a lot of attention and don’t withdraw into you, no matter how much you want it.”       “Alright… Thanks for the support.”       Victor says nothing and just nods with a slight smile. Two seconds later, Daniel turns around slowly and leaves. Then Lillian and Maximilian come quietly to the captain of the police.       “The guy is worried…” Victor notices with sadness in his eyes. “He is afraid that he lost your daughter once and forever.”       “Yeah…” Maximilian nods. “Daniel tries not to show it, but we see how bad he feels.”       “Anyway, he did the right thing by not waiting for everything to get better by itself. Your actions always speak louder than all your beautiful words.”       “Ah, I wish he was my son-in-law…” Lillian sighs heavily. “Daniel is the one my daughter needs. With him, Anna would be happy and safe.”       “Give her time, people. To come to herself and realize that her nightmare is in the past.”       “We are not going to press Anna and will accept her decision, but I’d also like him to be my son-in-law,” Maximilian confesses confidently. “Daniel is a wonderful man. I’m sure that he would be an amazing husband and father if he wanted it in the future.”       “With that man, Anna would not be deprived of love and care and have to save money for everything,” Lilian adds. “That guy can earn a lot of money… Not greedy… Educated… By far not stupid…”       “All in time,” Victor says confidently. “But trust me, this is not the end of their story. Not the end.”       “I hope, Mr. Johnson… I hope…”       While Maximilian, Victor, and Lillian keep talking about something, Daniel is walking slowly in the living room. At some moment, he takes a couple of pillows from the floor, shakes off all the pieces, and puts them on the armchair. Then the man looks around, not being happy to have a long cleaning because he is about to fall on the sofa due to the strong exhaustion. And a few moments later, Ryan comes to Daniel a little hesitantly, and Perkins turns on him because he feels that someone standing behind him.       “How are you?” Ryan expresses anxiety. “Too bad?”       “More or less,” Daniel pronounces quietly.       “You’re lucky that those scumbags didn’t kill you. You were in the situation when you couldn’t avoid it.”       “I know, but everything ended well luckily.”       “And I’m really glad. And I’m glad you’re okay.”       “Hey…” Daniel pronounces a little hesitantly and glances aside. “I’m very sorry that your mother became a victim of Norman.”       “Thanks, but nothing can be changed,” Ryan replies quietly with sadness in his eyes.       “Anyway, I understand you. I understand what it’s like to live without a family.”       “Are your parents also dead?”       “Yup, they died when I was twenty-two. Both died of heart attack. Father was first, and Mother was second.”       “Sorry…”       “Thanks… But now I stopped feeling lonely ‘cause I recently found my younger sister, who I thought was dead for many years.”       “You have at least someone…” Ryan sighs quietly. “But I stayed all alone. Mother is dead, and my father and brother died in my mind… I have nobody…”       “Hey, what are you gonna do after your brother and father got arrested? Will you stay in their house or leave, as you want? I think you can now stay there.”       “Nope,” Ryan shakes his head. “I don’t want to live in the house of my mother’s killer and the violator, whom I will curse all my life. And I really have no rights to it.”       “And where will you go? You don’t have a house! And a job!”       “I’ll think about it… I won’t get confused.”       “If you want, you can ask me for help in searching for the home. I could ask someone and find cheap variants… And actually, ask me for anything. I think I owe you ‘cause you helped all of us well and played a major role in this story.”       “Thanks, Daniel,” Ryan smiles shyly. “You can also ask me if you need it. As well as your friends.”       “Okay, we’ll remember,” Daniel pronounces amicably with a slight smile. “Thanks, Ryan.”       “And yeah, don’t worry about Anna: everything is not lost. We all saw her real emotions for you. She risked saving you from my furious brother.”       “I was nicely surprised that she showed that courage and didn’t get scared. She hit your brother on the head so confidently…”       “You were just near, and she felt safe. That girl needed a little to shoot a couple of movements from taekwondo.”       “Anyway, I’m grateful to her for saving me. If not for Anna, I would’ve been dead.”       “So, think about it. Don’t you think it may mean something?”       “Maybe, it does…” Daniel shrugs. “But everything can change.”       “Nevertheless, I personally think you made amends for sure.”       “I did what I could,” Daniel pronounces amicably.       Ryan smiles slightly and shares a handshake and a slight clap on the shoulder with Daniel.       “I don’t say, ‘farewell’ to you,” Ryan says thoughtfully. “Maybe, we can meet again someday. Never say never.”       “It’d be great,” Daniel cracks a smile. “If you want, we can go somewhere to drink beer or something else.”       “We’ll talk about it when I solve my problems. But now I’ll go to say goodbye to everybody… And leave…”       “Good. Goodbye, Ryan.”       “Goodbye, Daniel.”       Ryan turns around and leaves somewhere, while Daniel watches him with a slight smile on his face, crossing his arms over his chest. Then he glances aside and starts walking around the whole living room again.       “Excuse me…” Ryan pronounces shyly after he comes to Lillian, Maximilian, Edward, Terrence, and Peter. “I’d like to say goodbye to you and say I’m leaving.”       “We haven’t expressed our sympathy for your mother,” Lillian pronounces with sadness in her eyes, caressing Ryan’s shoulder softly. “We’re madly sorry that Genevieve died in this way.”       “Yes, Ryan, we’re very sorry,” Maximilian expresses sympathy.       “Thanks a lot,” Ryan nods. “For making me wake up and find out the truth. Without you, I wouldn’t have found out that my mother died because of my father.”       “Your father and brother will pay for everything,” Peter replies confidently. “This story is over for us.”       “I know… And I’m glad everything ended well.”       “Thank you for helping us,” Terrence thanks with a slight smile. “We appreciate what you did and are glad you didn’t betray us.”       “I just did what I should have done. Julian and Norman should’ve paid for everything a long time ago.”       “They will, for sure,” Edward says confidently.       “We just need to make the charges official. The policeman, whom Mr. and Mrs. Seymours talked with, asked me to go to the police station with him and testify. So, I will go there now.”       “Let’s hope for a harsh sentence for these two.”       “We will care about it,” Maximilian promises confidently. “Lilian and I will ask our familiar lawyers for help, who will not let everything happen as it wants.”       “I wish it happened!” Ryan expresses hope.       Sammy barks confidently two times, and Ryan pets the dog’s head, seeing that one looks at him and asks for a caress. At some moment, Daniel comes to the broken window, through which he looks with both arms crossed over his chest, seeing the policemen, including Victor, Oliver, and Darwin, talk about something and get into the cars. However, he does not have to stay alone for a long time and think about something because Anna comes to him slowly and very shyly later. Feeling someone’s pretense, the man half turns at first, but then turns his whole body and lowers his crossed arms.       “Thank you for everything you did,” Anna thanks with a slight smile. “I highly value your efforts and your wish to sacrifice yourself.”       “Thanks for helping me,” Daniel smiles shyly. “If not for you, I would hardly be alive now.”       “I couldn’t stand aside. So, I decided to help you a little.”       “You risked.”       “I know, but I believed I’d do that.” Anna moves her eyes down for a second. “You can… Think it’s my thankfulness. You didn’t betray me and kept your promise.”       “I must confess that it was hard… We got a little damaged during this fight. But in the end, kindness took a victory over evil and saved everybody’s lives.” Daniel shrugs. “Just like it happens in any tale with a happy ending.”       “These are my favorites,” Anna smiles shyly. “And this story has ended well thanks to you, Daniel. Thanks to your bravery and resolution. You weren’t afraid to risk and were ready to sacrifice yourself to save us.”       “You’re also a fine fellow. I believe you behaved worthily. Though, I was worried that you were too brave toward the Potters.”       “I just felt quiet ‘cause you were next to me. I knew I was safe.”       “This case proves you can be brave and determined.”       “Maybe. And I got sick of being silent. I wanted to tell them everything I kept inside for ages.”       “Anyway, I will let nobody hurt you,” Daniel replies confidently. “No matter what happens, you can always count on my protection. I’ll do my best to help you. Even if I have to sacrifice myself.”       “I hope you’ll never have to sacrifice yourself. I want it less than anything. I mean, I don’t want at all… I… I will never forgive myself if you suffer because of me.”       “I’m always ready if I have to.”       Anna smiles much wider, not thinking about her offenses at Daniel by this time. After keeping a short look, the girl comes to the man slowly but confidently, puts her hand on one of his cheeks, and kisses him tenderly on another. He looks at her with widely open eyes full of surprise and is literally afraid to move, barely understanding what has happened. And the girl steps back and smiles at him again.       “Thanks again,” Anna thanks softly. “I will never forget it.”       Anna caresses tenderly the cheek of the discouraged Daniel, who is blinking his eyes amazingly, with a slight smile on her face. Then she turns around slowly and comes to her parents, while the man watches her with his mouth open. Lillian and Maximilian do see this cute moment and smile widely, starting to think that there is hope that their daughter will be with Daniel. But when Anna comes to them, they say nothing about it. Edward, Peter, and Terrence start to whisper to each other excitedly, being as happy with what’s happening as children. And Sammy barks quietly, starting to wag his tail much more actively. Not thinking a lot, the men come to Perkins cheerfully with wide smiles, while he looks into the distance and tries to understand the meaning of this cute kiss, which made his heart tremble nicely.       “Hey, Perkins, are you alive?” Edward asks funnily, clapping Daniel on the shoulder.       “We’re here, dude!” Terrence adds cheerfully, waving his hands in front of Daniel’s face and clicking his fingers two times. “The Earth is calling Daniel! He-e-ey!”       Daniel shakes his head sharply, clears his throat quickly, and looks at his friends as if nothing happened.       “What?” Daniel rounds his eyes. “What made you so funny?”       “So, you say everything is over?” Peter smiles mysteriously, putting an arm around Daniel’s neck with his head proudly raised. “Oh, yay, we saw it! We made sure that the case was hopeless.”       “So hopeless that Anna kissed you,” Edward chuckles kindly. “Herself! At her wish!”       Sammy barks confidently two times, while Daniel keeps looking at his smiling friends surprisingly.       “So!” Terrence exclaims. “Why are you staring at us? Don’t ya think it’s getting warmer?”       “What do ya mean?” Daniel wonders.       “As if you don’t know!” Terrence, Edward, and Peter exclaim with wide smiles.       “Hey, stop smiling!” Daniel claps Edward and Terrence on the shoulder and Peter on the head. “Why did you get so excited? You’re about to finish it in unison!”       Sammy barks confidently, amicably wagging his tail.       “Come on, long-eared! Calm down, guys, breathe deeply. Don’t be so nervous. It was just a thankful kiss on the cheek! Can’t a girl thank me for the help in this way?”       “Stop pretending to be an idiot, Perkins,” Peter laughs quietly, shaking his head. “You aren’t a little boy! You’ve got experience. So, you should understand what is clear to everyone but you.”       “What do you need from me?”       “Get it, you, stupid bonehead!” Peter ruffles Daniel’s hair, still keeping his arm wrapped around his neck. “Don’t ya really understand what it means?”       “It means nothing, Rose!” Daniel protests, steps back from Peter sharply, and goes aside. “It was just an amicable kiss!”       “Blah, blah, blah,” Edward rolls his eyes up, putting his hands on his hips. “We saw how amicable that kiss was! So amicable that Anna would’ve had the pleasure to continue it!”       “And if you didn’t notice it, Anna had wanted to kiss you since you asked all of us to leave,” Terrence notices. “And she did it, at last!”       “Aha! Seymour looked at you like she really wanted to do it! If the Potters hadn’t told us to leave, that girl would’ve kissed you surely.”       “Oh, c’mon, calm down!” Daniel gloomily says, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest. “Don’t make a big deal out of it! You are like children, who admire everything they see for the first time.”       “And you’re like a stubborn donkey that insists upon something too hard!” Terrence exclaims. “It’s clear, dude! Don’t you really understand anything? Or are you a slowpoke, who hasn’t understood anything yet?”       “Any girl can kiss a man on the cheek to thank him, say goodbye or greet him!”       “Yeah, but not as tenderly and sensually as Anna!” Edward notices confidently.       “It’s a sign, dude!” Peter exclaims excitedly. “The sign that you can get her back!”       “Calm down, guys,” Daniel says quietly. “Don’t get so excited because of this stupid thing.”       “Stupid thing?” Terrence wonders loudly. “Is that kiss a stupid thing to you?”       “We were absolutely right!” Peter adds funnily. “That girl melted after you saved her and her family!”       “And she saved you from Potter! Saved you, dude! Who would’ve thought Anna would be so determined?”       Sammy barks confidently again.       “You see, even Sammy agrees with us!” Edward notices.       “Okay, damn you!” Daniel raises his hands. “Have your opinion! But I’m not gonna have my head in the clouds, not thinking that I may run into a bummer someday.”       “Okay. But later, don’t say you were an idiot.”       “If Anna comes back to me, I will do something that will blow your mind!”       “Let’s better do it without a risk and just bet,” Peter suggests.       “Bet?” Daniel turns on the men with a sly smile. “M-m-m… Aren’t you afraid to lose and do what I want?”       “No, buddy, you will do what we say,” Edward smirks with his head proudly raised, pointing his finger at Daniel. “The guys and I are one hundred percent sure about our victory.”       “Okay… And what will you do if I am right?”       “Erm…” Edward moves his eyes aside for a second. “I don’t know yet! We’ll come up with it later! When our brains get clear after what happened today.”       “You’re too self-confident, MacClife,” Daniel crosses his arms over his chest. “Just like you two!”       “Yes, we are!” Peter raises his head proudly. “We’re looking forward to the moment when you make our wishes come true.”       “I’m dreaming of having a lot of fun!” Daniel puts his hands on his hips. “No concessions!”       “You know, we won’t also pity you.”       “Get ready to lose and get overwhelmed by what’s waiting for you, Perkins,” Terrence adds confidently.       “We will see it, bros.”       “Let’s wait for one month,” Peter suggests. “If nothing happens in one month, you’ll win. If something happens, we’ll win.”       “Okay!” Daniel smiles slyly. “Deal!”       Sammy barks loudly and confidently, and Daniel, Terrence, Edward, and Peter give each other a five and shake the dog by the paw when he gets their attention.       “Oh, seems like everybody’s left…” Edward says thoughtfully, looking around and seeing nobody from those, who were here.       “Yeah, there are no police cars,” Terrence notices, looking through one of the windows. “Everybody’s left.”       “I still can’t believe it’s all over,” Daniel replies tiredly, coming to the hall door and locking it. “This fight took all of my strength.”       Daniel returns to his friends and sighs heavily, looking around the half-destroyed living room with sadness in his eyes.       “Fuck, how long I’ll have to clean everything!” Daniel gets horrified, grabbing his hair tightly. “I’d be happy to fall on my bed, but I have to get rid of this bullshit.”       “Yeah, if I didn’t know the truth, I’d think mammoths were running here,” Peter shakes his head.       “And I need to take Cassidy from Terrence and Raquelle’s home… And my car… Oh… Fuck… Someone, kill me…”       “Anyway, Raquelle, Helene, Natalia, and Cassidy are together now,” Terrence says confidently. “They’re talking about something with the servants, for example. About us…”       “And they can’t wait for Anna to join them,” Edward adds.       “She’s now able to speak to the girls,” Daniel shrugs. “Nobody will dare to ban her from it.”       Sammy barks quietly.       “Yeah, Sammy, we’re also very glad the girls can spend time with Anna again,” Daniel smiles shyly.       “Not just them,” Terrence smiles slightly. “We can relax, too. And give more attention to the band. Now nothing stops us from coming back to performances.”       “Yeah, I will get rid of all of this at first…” Daniel looks around the living room again. “And try not to go insane…”       “We could help you clean everything up here,” Peter suggests thoughtfully. “We’d do it faster together.”       “But you’re tired as fuck!”       “And what? It’s easy for us to help! And I think we should help because… We broke something.”       “Yeah, buddy, sorry about destroying half of your things,” Edward apologizes shyly.       “Fuck it, guys,” Daniel waves his hand with a slight smile. “I didn’t use half of what was broken. And I can’t remember how I got some of them.”       Daniel grabs a thing from the floor that remains whole, looks at this for a second or two, walking slowly around the living room, and puts it on the table under the stairs.       “Erm, if something means a lot to you, we’ll get money and buy it,” Terrence says thoughtfully.       “No, guys, don’t think about it,” Daniel replies confidently. “The ones, who must pay damage, are only those two bastards.”       Daniel looks around again, paying special attention to everything that was ruined during the fight.       “Oh, shit…” Daniel moans tiredly. “You just look around! There are bullets in the ceiling, walls, and glass, one window is broken, and the others have cracks… Two domes on the chandelier are broken…”       “Fuck…” Peter pronounces thoughtfully, rating the living room silently.       “I guess I’ve gotta schedule an unplanned repair. Restore everything slowly ‘cause I’d go bankrupt if I started to do everything at once.”       “You can save money for workers and ask us for help,” Edward replies with his head proudly raised. “I’ve personally got a great experience with it.”       “Did you pronounce yourself a professional at repairing houses after you barely started to repair your nest?” Peter laughs shyly.       “I have golden hands! I can do everything! And my house is becoming perfect.”       “Hey, I have a question!” Terrence exclaims. “Why have you never called us to help you with repairs? You’re about to go to an altar, but you can’t bring Blondie to your housing!”       “C’mon, bro, how I could let such an important man dirt his hands in cement! And you can’t actually help me with repairs.”       “What?” Terrence crosses his arms over her chest. “But why?”       “Because you’ve never done it! You’ve never changed a lamp or hammered a nail.”       “Not truth! I repaired and changed everything by myself when I lived in a rented apartment!”       “Yeah? And how many fingers did you lose?”       “None of them! You can count!” Terrence shows the palms of his hands to Edward. “These hands of gold can do anything! Maybe, my hands look incredibly soft and tender and seem aristocratic, but they’re freaking skillful.”       “Ar-r-r, shut up, Terrence…” Edward exhales sharply. “I’ve got no strength to deal with you.”       “I dream of not hearing you for at least five minutes.”       “And I am sick of your face.”       “Oh, listen, save your arguments for later,” Daniel says tiredly. “You better save your energy for cleaning and going home.”       “C’mon, dude!” Peter exclaims. “Consider it a chance to change something at your home and make this place much better.”       “I liked everything about it. Repair is a forced thing. I can’t leave everything like this.”       “Anyway, you could sacrifice a whole house for such an important case.”       “Right. That’s why I’m not upset because of the half-destroyed living room. I’ll restore everything slowly.”       “And it became the reason why you could find something interesting that you’ve probably forgotten about,” Peter notices cheerfully. “I personally see a lot of things for the first time!”       With these words, Peter grabs a soccer ball from the floor, throws it up several times, and hits it with his head two times. Sammy gets immediately excited and runs funnily to the blond with a loud bark.       “Wow, soccer ball!” Edward exclaims happily. “I remember me playing my ball with boys when I was young!”       “Sammy, c’mon!” Peter exclaims cheerfully and throws the ball to Sammy, who hits it with his nose in a jump with a loud bark.       “Listen, we should find a good place and arrange a couple of friendly matches,” Edward suggests confidently. “Call all the men, break into teams, and find out who’s stronger.”       “As Daniel used to play soccer, he’ll show a couple of tricks,” Peter smiles widely and hits the ball with his legs two times.       “Aha, teach us to perform a penalty!”       “Hey, MacClife, join!” Peter hits the ball that Sammy rolls to him. “Look how good Sammy and I play!”       “Gimme a pass!”       “Hey, I am a striker!”       “Okay, I’m gonna be a protector!”       Edward happily starts to throw the ball with both hands or knees and give it to Peter or Sammy. Watching the men, who sometimes make happy whoops and are literally ready to start to run in the whole living room, Terrence laughs quietly and looks at Daniel, who puts his hands on his hips and looks gloomily at the youngest guys from their gang.       “A little bit before they destroy this living room to the fuck,” Terrence shakes his head.       “Hey, babies, stop torturing my ball!” Daniel demands loudly. “Or did you decide to destroy everything? So, I have nothing to restore!”       “Join us, men!” Peter suggests cheerfully. “Look how cool it is! Who’s gonna take the corner?”       “Hey, stop thinking of taking the corner! Put the ball where you found it! Destroying everything here to the fuck would be too much!”       “C’mon, Perkins!” Edward exclaims funnily. “You better show us your talents!”       “Okay, idiots. I will look at you when you accidentally step on a piece and start moaning that you feel hurt ‘cause it’s in your foot.”       “Oh, old man, don’t be so gloomy.”       “Peter and you found a ‘very good’ time and place for running in the living room with a ball and pretending that you can play football. Watching a match on a TV or playing a ball with friends and knowing all the rules doesn’t mean being called good players.”       “Okay, we at least had some fun!” Peter exclaims, throwing the ball from one hand to another.       “Okay, guys, end it all!” Terrence orders confidently. “Let’s really save it for later, so we quickly clean everything here. We’ll have many chances to run with a ball.”       “Oh, look how adult and serious you are,” Edward chuckles kindly.       “Aha, but when you give them a reason, nothing will be left of seriousness,” Peter adds with a shy laugh and throws the ball at Edward, to whom Sammy runs with a loud bark.”       “You really chose not the best time and not the best place,” Terrence puts his hands on his hips.       “Relax, bro, don’t be so gloomy,” Edward says funnily. “And you, too, chocolate. Catch the ball!”       Edward throws the ball to Daniel, and it almost gets into his face, but the man catches it in time.       “Okay, stop joking!” Daniel orders confidently, throwing the ball on the sofa. “Let’s clean everything up and go home.”       “Yeah, but first, it would be great to treat the wounds and get the pieces out of your back,” Terrence recalls.       “Oh, right! We’ve gotta work on the wounds!”       “Then bring here a tweezer, alcohol, cotton, peroxide, and everything we need,” Edward says cheerfully.       “Okay, I’ll bring everything here… I’ll also grab a tablet for myself. Otherwise, my head is gonna explode from pain…”       Daniel turns on the side of the bathroom where the medications are placed. But after taking a few steps, he stops and turns on Terrence, Edward, and Peter, while Sammy gets busy with the football, rolling it on the floor and starting to play with it.       “Guys…” Daniel pronounces with a slight smile and says nothing for two seconds. “Thank you so much for helping me. I wouldn’t have done it alone, without you.”       “We just did our duty,” Terrence replies with a slight smile. “Real friends don’t leave you in trouble.”       “You did very much to end this story. Your help was invaluable. Thanks to our efforts, we saved the Seymours and kicked those nasty, sick bastards.”       “The power of four,” Edward shrugs with a shy smile. “We are stronger together!”       “And… I’m glad you didn’t leave me. Even after I had persuaded you not to meddle in this case a million times.”       “We wouldn’t have refused to help,” Peter adds. “Even if you had wanted to find a reason to fight with us, we wouldn’t have left you.”       “I know,” Daniel smiles slightly. “Even if we had failures, I am grateful to you anyway. The Seymours were right when they said I was madly lucky to befriend all of you. It’s the truth. I… Never had such cool friends. Who really wanna do something for me. Who are ready to get and give.”       Sammy comes to the men and barks loudly.       “Sammy is also happy to have you,” Terrence says amicably.       “And know you adore him,” Edward adds.       “And he’s madly happy that you’re safe and sound,” Peter says amicably. “As well as us three.”       “And I’m happy to have you, bros!” Daniel exclaims cheerfully. “You’re the best, guys! Best!”       Sammy barks two times and comes to Daniel smiling shyly, who pets the dog’s head with pleasure and yanks him by the ears. Then the pet stretches out and licks his nose, pressing his front to his chest and making the man laugh shyly.       “You, too, Sammy, you’re the best, too.”       Edward, Terrence, and Peter also show some caress for Sammy, while he is enjoying it with pleasure. At some moment, the four men hug each other tightly and share claps on the back or head, exhaling with relief at the thought that nobody suffered. And then the dog barks loudly and starts to jump in front of them, elevating the friends’ mood and making them smile tiredly but truly.