At Dia's Studio. "This is Max, my fiance. Max, this is..." "Dre."The taxi driver interrupted Dia. He looked at the Max guy. To Dre, Max stunk of wealth and charm. His aura was elegant and his form well-built. Nature was quite generous to him. "Nice to meet you."Max reached out his hand to Dre who took it in his firm but rough palm. Max was quick to fight his hand free, though he was quite formal about it. "Is that even the right thing to say?"Max chuckled but Dre on the other hand didn't say a thing. He looked calm and collected. His face was calmer than Max's. Several thoughts rippling in his mind. "I don't know how this is supposed to seem, two brothers meeting for the first time after several ordeals, or odds."Dia started, looking from the first guy to the other. They were seated on three dinner-like chairs; Dia beside Max, and Dre opposite the both of them. 

    Rowe's apartment. Max's Room. "Max, you obviously haven't been yourself  few days. Hope all is well?"Claire stood at the door to Max's room, holding unto the edge of the door, unwilling to close the door nor make it close itself. Who knocks on the door of her son's room, opened it and met him with such question but Claire. Max quit punching his iMac, the new one he had just gotten. He needed new softwares for some of the technical functions he was playing around. "I'm fine mom."He looked back at his laptop, resuming his work, with the expectation that his mom would close the door behind her and walk away. But instead she walked into the room and let the door close itself. "You don't want us to talk?"She argued, sitting on the fancy swan chair towards the window to the left of the room. Max closed his laptop and shot her the resignation stare,"You asked a question mom,

      Bellevue, Washington DC."She can't possibly be the talk of the Town."Zoe argued, seated on the one seater chair opposite the two seater in the middle of a large sitting room. Her eyes were keen on the person she had directed that to."This ain't Seattle, Zoe. This is Bellevue, 16 mins away by car, 36 by train, 3hrs by legs and an hour by bicycle."Alex said, feeling the wave of his own wit rippling in his mental ken. Zoe only looked at him, wondering how jobless a person could be to had crammed the distances as though twas some business. Well, that was how Alex was. If you're just getting to know him, he takes his time learning things he didn't need. And trying out things that could hurt him. Which was one of the reasons he played Dia. The mistake he wished he never made. "And what's that supposed to me, Bellevue's Lord?"She teased, giving no regards to the deliberate stray he had made earlier. She

    A shabby apartment.  "Eyyo, Dr Dre." One of the five men dressed in black suits, blue shirts, no-tie and black shoes said, one of his arms leaning on the small sofa at the center of the shabby sitting room.  "Hey! What do you want?" Dre asked, looking at the fellow who had just spoken. He looked away from the fellow to the other one who had just walked to the wall where the television was hung. On that same wall was the frame of his dead mom hung, "Don't touch that mate." Dre stood up, meaning to make an advance towards the guy.  "Easy, big fella." That henchman turned and walked off the wall. The three other were seated in the big sofa opposite that which Dre was now occupying.  The five men who seemed to be formal, had knocked on his door five minutes ago and he had gone to attend to them. Only for them to barge into his house and boss around.  He was availing the

      Two days Later. By the River.  "You probably know why I sent for you. You're a smart lady." Claire started, occasionally looking towards the river. That was a great view. She didn't know why she hadn't heard of that place before now. But that wasn't the point. She looked back at the smiling lady to whom she had directed the question, "I do not mean to disappoint, ma. But I do not have an idea why you sent for me." Dia answered, looking Claire in the eyes, tracing the disappointment recently splattered on sides of the woman's face.  And seriously, why should she know why Claire had sent for her? She had only received a call from Albert and he had handed the phone to Claire. And Claire had said she wanted to speak with her in private. That she should think of a very private place. And she, Dia, had chosen that usual spot of hers. Wasn't that all? "Dia, don't be the smart girl to me. We all know that I know