Is this destiny?

Chapter 1232 - Oscar Visits Marcus (1)

Oscar and Elanor are in the back of the car, heading to the mental institution owned by Dr. Siltanen.

Oscar decided to visit his brother, and Elanor said that she will join him.

Elanor admires Oscar and she saw him doing many ruthless things in more than three decades they are together, but she also knows that Oscar has a soft spot toward his brother and that Marcus has the capability of taking advantage of that. Elanor will not allow Oscar to face his brother by himself, and even though Oscar asked her not to join him during the visit, just being close by will be enough for Oscar to stay firm (that's what Elanor hopes).

They are aware that Jeff put Marcus and Lukas in the mental institution as part of retaliation because Marcus tried to usurp Jeff's newly acquired position as a master.

Jeff didn't show his vicious side only to his relatives. Jeff dealt without mercy with his friends, acquaintances, enemies and anyone else who dared to act against him in this wave of attacks which was led by Marcus.

Oscar was unsettled while watching Marcus and his associates attack assets of the White family in an effort to show Jeff as incompetent. Oscar (and Elanor) offered their assistance to Jeff more than once, but Jeff said that he has it under control. Jeff warned his parents to stay away, with an explanation that their involvement will be interpreted by others as his weakness.

Now that everything is over, Oscar swells with pride whenever he remembers what all Jeff did. And he also admires teamwork that Jeff and Aiden showed while collaborating with their chosen partners and friends. It was executed… perfectly. Oscar has to admit that he would not be able to pull of such a feat. They repelled all attacks no matter what their form was with almost no damage or casualties. Amazing.

The new generation is taking over, and Oscar sees a bright future in front of them. His biggest regret is that he was not capable enough to create such a future for his children.

Oscar's unfocused gaze is directed through the window and he is doing breathing exercises in an effort to calm his mind. He is going to see his brother and he can't show that his mind is troubled.

"Why are you so sour?", Elanor scolded Oscar. She knows what he is thinking about, because he is thinking about that for the last few weeks. "If you are feeling this down now, how come you didn't handle Marcus earlier?"

Oscar gave a side-glance to Elanor. This usually supportive woman he adores can turn into a thorn in his side when it comes to their children.

"You know that he is…"

"Yes, yes…", Elanor interrupted Oscar. "I've heard it all before. He is your brother. You could not be ruthless, you wanted to give him a chance, you-this, you-that, and now what? I told you numerous times that Marcus has an insatiable thirst for power and that he will not stop. He was only waiting for the right opportunity to strike while getting stronger by the day. And I also told you that if you don't take care of him, it will be a burden that our boys need to handle. Now suck it up, be a man and own your mistake."

Oscar sighed. He knows that Elanor is right. His father, Don saw the same qualities in Marcus that Elanor just described, and that is one of the reasons why he gave the position of the Master to Oscar instead of his firstborn. But Oscar always felt as an impostor, like he took something that should belong to his brother. That is why he couldn't be ruthless to Marcus and that is why he rushed to give the position to Jeff… Because he felt that it does not belong him.

Because of Oscar's guilty conscience, his boys suffered unnecessary hardships. Well, Jeff mostly, but Aiden was in it as well. And if Jeff failed, all of them would be hurt because Marcus would not spare anyone who might jeopardize him.

Oscar is finding comfort in knowing that Jeff (and Aiden) did great. They repelled Marcus and his associates, found the moles in the organization and turned this whole situation from a potential disaster in an absolute gain for the White family and for the White corp. As a bonus, no one doubts that Jeff is capable and everyone in the organization is ready to follow him without questioning his authority.

"Over the years, I've put both of our boys through many trials and now when I look back at their repeated flawless performance, I feel that I didn't have any right to do so.", Oscar said with sadness in his voice. He turned to look at Elanor who was unable to hide her surprise. "I was unworthy to test them."

Elanor hugged Oscar. "You are doing great. I only wish that you tell our boys how proud you are of them."

…

Oscar and Elanor were personally greeted by Dr. Siltanen.

"Mr. White… it's an honor to have you in my humble institution.", Dr. Siltanen said while shaking Oscar's hand.

He greeted Elanor and gestured down the hallway. "Please, come to my office to discuss the current situation."

"Can we see Marcus and Lukas?", Oscar asked without moving toward where Dr. Siltanen directed them. He can see that this doctor is trying to leave a good impression, but Oscar came to see his brother, not to socialize.

"Yes, of course. But it will be beneficial for everyone if you are aware of their condition. It can help to prevent… incidents.", Dr. Siltanen explained with a smile.

Oscar and Elanor exchanged glances and followed Dr. Siltanen.

"I hope it's OK that I call them by their first names to avoid confusion…" Dr. Siltanen told them how both Marcus and Lukas were violent and delusional when they arrived. "They still suffer from hallucinations and heavy paranoia, but their violent outburst reduced significantly under our treatment."

"Hallucinations?", Oscar asked. He knows that Marcus is unstable with violent tendencies, but this is unexpected.

"Yes. Your brother says that your father and grandfather are talking to him. And you." Dr. Siltanen paused while letting this information sink before continuing: "Your nephew says that Gods are visiting him."

Oscars' eyes shifted. "They see living and dead relatives and Gods? Is there anything specific about it? Any patterns?"

Dr. Siltanen smiled bitterly. "Mr. White, it is normal for people to try to make sense out of things around us, but your brother and nephew are different. There is no pattern. We have them under twenty-four hour surveillance and you can see that during their episodes there is no one else in the room. They are talking to themselves, but in their mind it's real. In addition to this, Lukas wets his bed regularly and Marcus has manic episodes where he breaks everything that can be moved. That is why Marcus has in his room only a bed which is attached to the wall and a television which is high on the ceiling, outside his reach, and the rest are soft things..."

Oscar listened to Dr. Siltanen and he understood that something is off, but he could not put his finger on it.

"Is there a surveillance video of their episodes that we can see?", Oscar asked.

"Of course…"

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