In the coming days days, Dan no longer had the time to pay attention to Ariana's situation(both at work and home), due to the frequent assassination attempts on Ryan's life. However, he did keep in mind, the promise he had made to her in the car as he raced to the Hudson's Company.
Probably because of his guilt in respect to the way he had coerced her into agreeing to be his woman and also because he was also trying to prove that she had made the right choice in agreeing, he had promised her his full support in getting back her birthright.
Fortunately, she also didn't turn out to be a stubborn person who obviously had no true ability to speak of, yet insists on not accepting what is considered 'handouts' from someone who could help her.
In fact, Ariana herself was aware of the extent of her personal ability and also knew that although she would be able to accomplish her goals without any external help, that would only be in the unforseeable future and after overcoming countless obstacles which would no doubt be thrown her way by her restless stepmother.
So rather than taking the long and difficult path, when presented with an opportunity that guaranteed a shortcut to accomplishing her goals, she would of course grab onto it! After all, the earlier she could get rid of that woman and also see the remorseful look on that father of hers' face when he is booted out of the company and realises he is left with nothing, the better!
She wanted those pair of adulterers and murderers to kneel down in front of her mother's grave and beg for forgiveness!
Furthermore, she and Dan were just using each other; he wanted her body and she wanted the power, resources and convenience he could offer her on her path to vengeance, and even if she still wasn't sure of the fact that he was one of the aristocratic family's son, she knew that even if he wasn't, judging by the respectful demeanour the usually arrogant men of her father has shown to him on the day they had met, she knew he was definitely not a commoner...
...
--At Blood Gang's Secret Base--
Dan slouched lazily against the chair and studied Ryan who sat across him with his head buried in the documents he was browsing through.
A playful smirk appeared on his face as he said to him.
"You really are broad-minded, aren't you? You barely look disturbed at the fact that your biological father and brother wants your life."
Ryan only threw him a faint glance in return and spat out seemingly unintentionally, before burying his head back to the information his subordinates had sent.
"That is also your father and brother."
Dan's eyes took on an indifferent look as he sneered at Ryan's words but he made no further comment, and instead pretended like he hasn't heard him.
This was because to him, he had only one relative left alive in this world and that was Ryan. Those so-called father and brother.... Heh.
He would rather not have them!
Ever since he could remember, he knew that those pair of dogs have never considered him family and the feeling was mutual. To them, he was an indelible stain on their family's stellar reputation.
As if!
Was he the one who made that man unable to control his lower body and mess around in his younger years? Or was he forced to sleep with is mother? The answer was no!
They were both grown-up adults and took what they both wanted from each other!
His mother, Mary Collins who was an exceptional beauty had been a model when she had met Anderson in his youthful years.
As a unspoken rule or common occurrence in the modelling industry, models would usually look for a powerful patron or backer in order to get access to superior resources due to the fierce competitiveness between fellow models.
And Mary had set her eyes on Anderson after meeting him in a fun party thrown by a scion's profligate son had thrown and truly, she had succeeded in becoming his mistress owing to her gorgeousness.
They both spent a delightful and debauched time together, but unfortunately fun time always had to come to an end and it was time for them to say their goodbyes. By then, Mary was already a well-known model as a result of the resources that had come her way from her association with Anderson.
Unluckily for her, few months after she and Anderson has parted ways, she discovered to her horror that she was pregnant! Even at that moment, Mary had no intention of looking for Anderson but had instead gone to the hospital for an abortion. This was because she knew her place and have always understood the fact that Anderson only considered her as a plaything.
Moreso, she had always been aware of the fact that he had a wife and children already, even though that still hadn't deterred her from becoming his mistress. So, even if she gave birth to the child in her stomach, she knew he had no value whatsoever to him and maybe it might even put herself in danger as she knew how ruthless the man could be when his interests is at risk, in the mean time they were together.
However, things didn't go according to plan as she had been told that her body condition didn't allow for abortion at the hospital. Left with no choice, Mary could only grit her teeth and leave the modelling industry after paying the contract termination fees.
With the money left after settling everything, she had left Nova City and moved to a small town where she rented an apartment.
In this way, she had raised Dan until he was 13 after which she was diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer. Knowing she had little time left, she had no choice but to drag Dan, who had still been a cheerful and bubbly teenager then, along to find Anderson.
If she also had a choice, she definitely didn't want to leave her son with Anderson but she was an orphan and had no other relatives she could entrust him to after her death. And leaving him alone to his own devices won't also work as the outside world can be very cruel to a thirteen year-old orphan.
Even if Dan had been a mistake from the beginning, as she watched him grow day-by-day in her stomach, her love for him had also grew. She only wished he could live a comfortable life after her death, so even if she knew that her and Dan appearing in front of Anderson will definitely throw a wrench into the Anderson's family harmony in the future, she had still made that choice.
Of course, this was all what Dan had found through his investigations.
In other people's eyes, his mother might be a homewrecker and a disgusting mistress but to Dan, she was the only person who had made him feel the warmth of family apart from Ryan.
This was also the reason he sometimes threw parties and invited models, it was because he wanted to see his mother's shadow through them...