Never Judge

Cedric massaged his temples as the guards took Henry out of the room, dragging him as he laughed like a mad man.

It seemed that this was his true end goal, to create cracks in their friendship, to make their group doubt one another. Of course there was no way for Cedric to have prepared against an attack such as this.

He still needed to figure out if Henry was lying or telling the truth.

"Don't." Cedric said as he noticed that Ray was about to say something.

"I wasn't going to question Ian, I know very well that that's what the Rajas want to happen." Ray told Cedric as he got up and walked towards the door.

He stopped in front of the door as he placed his hand on the door handle.

"Are you coming or will you keep trying to run all the plots and plans in your head all alone?" Ray asked.

Cedric got up and sighed as he followed Ray out the door.

They entered the next room, which seemed to be suspended in time as no one spoke a word. Ian sat as everyone observed him.

It was clear to Cedric that despite Henry's words they all still believed Ian was innocent above all else.

"I didn't-" Ian began to say as he noticed Cedric and Ray had entered the room.

Cedric raised a hand and shook his head.

"I believe you didn't know about that. I still trust you, and I think everyone in this room trusts you." Cedric told his friend. "You've been through too much in life, this is not another burden I want to add on your shoulders."

"I still worry that his words hold some truth to them." Ian frowned as Nicole reached out and held his hand in hers.

"What do you think could be true and could be lies?" Ray walked towards Ayanna and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, seeking comfort from her.

"I won't deny that it was my grandfather that paid for and supported Henry, that's the very reason why even in poverty, Henry still catered to me and my family." Ian explained. "What I need to know is if my family was truly involved with the Rajas in the past."

"But your family stood up against them." Nicole pointed out as she looked up at Ian.

Ian gave Nicole a proud smile as he slowly nodded.

"Will you stay with Cedric and the others while I go home?" Ian asked her.

Nicole nodded as she held his hand tightly.

Ian bent down and kissed Nicole on the lips before letting go of her hand.

"I'll be back, I need to confront my father." Ian said as he walked out of the room, leaving everyone stunned.

Ian knew that he had nothing to prove, he knew that Cedric and his friends would believe that Ian had not betrayed them. But he needed to know, he knew their family history was steeped in secrecy.

On the drive home to the old Lim mansion in the old part of the city, Ian dialed his father's phone number.

"Ian? I thought you were busy today, why are you calling?" His father asked, surprised that Ian would give them a call.

His family had long understood that his work took up so much of his time, adding on to that having a wife and child, he rarely called home.

"Dad, where are you?" Ian asked as he passed the entrance of the old city.

"At home, why?" He asked his son.

"I'll be there in five minutes, I need to talk to you about something." Ian frowned as he spotted some of his old rivals chatting along the street, leaning against their sports cars.

He gripped the steering wheel and shook his head. They would fall into his hands soon.

"Alright, you sound worried. Please drive safe." His father said as he dropped the call.

Within a few minutes Ian watched as several guards opened the gates that led into the newly renovated mansion.

For years their home had been dilapidated and badly maintained, but when Ian finally managed to get the Lim Group back up and running, life had become much better.

He drove up to the entrance where he was greeted by several maids.

Ian decided to simply leave his car in the driveway since he didn't expect anyone else to arrive.

"Ian!" His sister, Samantha, shouted in excitement as she ran up and hugged her older brother. "What are you doing at home? I thought you had to be with Cedric and the others today?"

"I need to talk to dad. Where is Karina?" He asked as he looked around for the older of the two.

"She's in the office at a meeting." Samantha explained.

"Well, I think you should come, this has to do with one of our family's many secrets." Ian said with a sigh as he walked through the old mansion that had been passed down through the generations.

His father's office was on the first floor at the other end of the vast hall.

"Our family has always had many secrets." Samatha sighed. "What is it this time?"

"It involves the Rajas." Ian said as they stood in front of the office doors.

"What?" Samantha gasped. She, like everyone in their family, knew the history of what had happened. She, like all of them, was told that they had escaped that time by laying low and rising at the right time.

Ian pushed the doors open to find his father seated behind the office desk, reading through some documents.

Everyone in the Lim family worked for the family business, including his parents.

"Dad, I need to ask you a question about grandpa's secrets." Ian announced as soon as the doors behind him shut.

"You and I know that grandpa had many secrets, so I'm not sure I can answer all of them, but I'll try." His father said with a nod.

"Was our family a founding member of the Rajas?" Ian asked, to which his father bit his lower lip and frowned.

"Why are you asking this now, Ian?" Ian's father asked as he looked his son in the eyes.

"I guess I have my answer then." Ian turned to leave, but his father spoke up, stopping him in his tracks.

"It's not what it seems, let me explain." The older man said with a sigh as he stood up and gestured for Ian and Samanatha to sit across him on the couch.

Ian already knew that things were about to get a lot more complicated than he expected them to be.