"That is true.  Especially as he knows everyone.  What a scary thought to be face to face with that."

"Fear was the least important thing to hinder her.  She kept at him you know insisting that since he did think you were a h.o.m.os.e.xual that she should have you.  If you were more inclined to your feminine instincts shouldn't you be with your mother? He laughed, I can imagine not much unlike a good Bond villain as he had the advantage again and he kept insisting that even an idiot like you had the last name Wong.  The only thing she ever did right was bear him a son. Idiot or not he would make you into a man. Sheng Mei was with you at the time so she witnessed the whole thing. Your maternal grandfather had to pull her away as she cried." Nadius's rubbed continued in soothing circles.  "Russians have some of that with men too. We want our men to be strong and not weak. But I truly didn't understand the meaning of what Conrad was saying until we had our daughters. You know holding those two made me understand that without them I would be nothing. You know there's no name for a parent that loses her child."

"She didn't lose me, Nadius.  I was right there all along. But, according to the new information that you've told me I've always suspected.  Since I had no use to him as a son, dad made sure I was sharpened to hurt the woman he had grown to loathe the existence of." Henry scoffed as he slowly regained his composure. "But I'm sure there was more as she was another who wanted pain. I was just the sword they sharpened between tourneys.  I'm nothing more than a weapon to them in their battle to silence the other."

"I'm sure someone would pay you a lot of money to re-enact some dramatic scene at a medieval people, but this is real life and nothing to make light of.  I don't doubt your father oftentimes had mixed feelings for you as you've confirmed. But do not be the fool to their game. For Mingxia, you were always just that little three year old boy she had left behind hoping you would remember her.  You never aged in her eyes. Neither did her want for you to remain as a child." Nadius nodded as he spoke. "I heard from your father that he knew that he didn't have a chance to have you if he tried to play fair. Everywhere men are treated inferior to the women in terms of parenting potential.  It wouldn't have matter if your father had a Phd in child psychology, your mother had him beat. To throw dirt was a final last resort for him. Above all things he worried that she would come after the company and decimate it until there was nothing left for you. Worse, what if the Crawford tried to get you into politics--the dirtiest game there is.  Mingxia was deemed to be a poor mother by the idea of all who knew she existed. It wouldn't matter if she hired the best lawyer in the city, there was no coming back after some time. She was desperate in her way too as she wasn't a citizen of this country either. They could throw her out whenever and she didn't really have many resources here that she could turn to.  If there would have been an opportunity for her to take you, China was her best course so she did it. But you know, Conrad would not cede that easily. He wanted you to have everything at your disposal and it is true that you're extreme privilege is due to his meddling."

"I heard the reason I left my school for Canada was due to that.  You all were worried that because my mother was on the parent teacher board that my teachers would have helped my mother over him?  I was sent to Canada secretly to avoid the kidnapping attempt?"

Nadius's expression was uneasy as he considered his answer.  "My intention was to have you away from all that. I can't say for sure what your father was thinking because I truly have never cared.  I'm only respectful to him because he is my wife's brother. But, perhaps. No one can say for sure. Sheng Mei did think it was not proper for a child to be pulled out of his routine and be sent off to a cold place where he didn't know anyone.  No one liked the idea. You are right too though that your mother was very influential at that school. She used the money donated to make the school give her more information than a parent should have got. It would have been very easy for her to get help through the inst.i.tution.  You two are both very personable so they would have thought they were helping a good little child to a good home. The sympathies of women are very easy to predict."