By the time Al finished explaining to Camilla why he had to fake his own death, the woman had finally managed to calm down.
Zimo had also returned with refreshments and some snacks for them.
"No wonder you had Zimo with you today," Camilla said as she looked at the young assistant and thanked him.
Zimo nodded and smiled at Camilla.
"I still don't fully trust you, by the way," Camilla added as she glared at Al.
"I understand Auntie Camilla." Al knew that with the number of changes he had undergone over the past month, it would be difficult to recognize him, especially for Camilla who hadn't seen him in years.
"I have a welcoming gift for you." Guan Ming said as he waved for Yu Zimo to approach.
The young man came over and handed his boss a thick folder.
Guan Ming nodded and thanked his assistant, before turning to Al and handing him the folder.
"I know that what you need the most right now is information," Guan Ming said as Al opened the folder and studied its contents.
He was shocked to find information on Colin and his allies in China.
It had detailed profiles containing their last known locations, all relationships that Al could use to his advantage, background information, as well as the name of the people Guan Ming assigned to monitor them.
"You're lucky your cousin called when he did." Guan Ming commented as he watched Al go through the documents. "I was planning to fly back to Capital City and personally hand this information to your father."
"You knew?" Al asked as he looked up and glared angrily at Guan Ming.
How could this man sit on such valuable information? Al had always been under the impression that Guan Ming was a loyal friend to his father and his friends.
Guan Ming sighed and shook his head.
"Don't misinterpret me, young man. You have no idea what your father and I have been through together." Guan Ming said as he glared intimidatingly at Al.
Al couldn't help but admit that he felt embarrassed for judging Guan Ming so hastily. The man had offered to help and Al jumped into conclusions that he was sitting on valuable information the entire time.
"Your father never mentioned the issue of Colin to me," Guan Ming explained. "He said he had planned to send you over to explain to me what had happened, unfortunately, you died."
"My husband started to gather the information after we returned home." Camilla explained in a calm tone.
Al was surprised that she knew about Guan Ming's underworld business. She seemed to be more involved than his own mother was.
Then again, Ayanna Lawrence already had too much on her plate as the Vice President of Reyes Group.
She was actually ecstatic when his cousin, Emilio, finally started to learn the ropes. It meant that she could hand over more of the work to him and spend more time with her friends and family.
"I know it's different." Camilla said as she smiled kindly at Al. Her demeanor towards him had suddenly changed, Al suspected that it was because of how he had reacted to Guan Ming having the information.
"My mother did not involve herself with dad's underworld dealings," Al explained as he handed the documents over to Angelo.
"It's Ayanna's preference," Camilla said with a nod. "The thing is, I was her brother's assistant for a long time. I was involved with some of the underworld dealings and I honestly enjoy it."
"Yeah, I don't see my mom getting her hands dirty with these things," Al said with a shrug.
"But that girl, Cara, she was more than willing to jump into the fray for you." Camilla gave him a teasing smile.
"Aunt Camilla, I'm twenty one years old, marriage is not in my plans just yet," Al sighed and shook his head.
Camilla Ming was just like his other aunts, a little bit too interested in his relationships and how he managed to screw them up.
For the first time since his false death Al frowned.
"You miss them, don't you?" Guan Ming asked as he remembered that Al had never been separated from his family like this.
He might have undergone his own form of poverty training, but unlike Emilio, Al still went home, Al still spent time with his family.
It was Al's real first time away from them.
Camilla frowned and simply nodded.
"I do," Al admitted. "I wish that I didn't have to do this, but we've tried everything, Aunt Camilla."
Camilla frowned and simply nodded.
She had worked long enough with the members of the Reyes family to understand the pain that they go through.
They might be the richest and one of the most popular families around, but she knew that they had a heavy burden on their shoulders. It was especially difficult for the eldest children of those families.
So much relied on Emilio, Al, and Tristan, and everyone expected them to step up and take responsibility. Everyone expected them to be better than the generation before them.
"My husband and I will do everything to help you," Camilla swore as she reached out and held Guan Ming's hand.
To Al's surprise, Guan Ming smiled at Al and nodded.
"You have all my resources at your disposal, I'm sure you will need them," Guan Ming promised his friend's son. "I'm sure you still have people back home working for you. I will give them permission to tap into the database we have here."
"Thank you, Uncle Ming!" Al said as he smiled at the older man. "This is way more than I expected."
"I want you to be home with the people you love by the end of the year."
Al couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by everything.
He never thought that contacting Guan Ming would get him this much support. He had actually believed that the man would immediately send him home as soon as he realized who Al was.
"Thank you, I'll solve this as quickly as I can." Al swore as he smiled brightly at Guan Ming and Camilla.