Hollywood Zenith

"You can\'t go back."

"Okay."

"I know it\'s har-- What are you really okay? "Gerald was surprised by Daniel\'s reaction; he thought his spoiled grandson would resist more. He didn\'t want to admit it, but Daniel\'s upbringing was something he resents.

"Did you hear what I said? You will not be able to go back? Are you still confused?" Gerald doubled down but seeing no reaction from Daniel gave him slight relief.

He never replied, but that silence told Gerald everything he needed to hear. He simply exhaled and changed the subject.

On the other hand, Daniel didn\'t care where he would end up; with constant threats looming over his head and the ultimate betrayal he witnessed, nothing mattered to him. He had one and only one purpose: Revenge.

It took him a few days to recover; he never told anyone what transpired on that dreaded day; he kept it all inside, just like those raging flames he saw during the incident.

Gerald couldn\'t find the courage to ask him; he felt helpless about what would come. He took Daniel to the only place that he deemed to be \'safe\'. He had made the appointment beforehand, but sending his only grandson to that place was hard to swallow. After all, he was a proud individual who never begged anyone for anything.

Gerald and Daniel arrived in front of a vast estate; a dozen guards were posted outside the humongous front gate overseeing the ongoing traffic.

"They substantially increased the security of this place." Gerald thought and took a deep breath.

On the other hand, Daniel was silent throughout the journey; he watched the situation outside. He could vaguely recognize some places he used to visit with his so-called \'friends\', but now it didn\'t matter. He instantly recognized the estate; it was hard to ignore the big initial carved outside tall walls.

"Rothschild Estate. I never thought the old man would hand me over to these people. "Daniel thought. It was all the same for him; he just had to survive, even if the place he was sent to is Hell.

The meeting concluded after a few hours of discussion; Gerald argued for the war to stop, his family had already taken a substantial hit, and he would place Daniel in their care as a \'hostage\'. He thought of alternatives, but there were none; Gerald had zero value in the deal; he was no longer the head of his family. On the other hand, Kester would never negotiate; he would only make it worse.

That only left the other party; Rothschild was not a ruthless bunch, and no one wanted a war at their hand, even if it was a one-sided massacre.

"I leave you here for few years, after everything calms down. I will come and get you, alright?" Gerald said to his grandson.

"Okay." Daniel responded with a single phrase.

"I know it is hard for you but you have to understand we don\'t have any choice at the moment. Olivia-" Gerald said in a low tone, feeling guilty, but Daniel cut him off.

"I said it is Okay, beside there is nothing for me at that place." Daniel replied in a tone that was devoid of any emotion.

"I am sorry, if only I noticed beforehand, I w-"

"What\'s done is done; no use crying over spilt milk. I will be fine," said Daniel. He left Gerald without looking back; he understood his Grandfather. Peace was never an option, only power mattered in this cruel world, and he was adamant about obtaining it by any means necessary. Even if he had to work with his enemy.

He quietly walked inside the estate, determined to make everyone for his sufferings.

----------------------------------------------------

Daniel stood before the head of the Rothchild family, Kenneth. Kenneth was simply sitting in his study with Arthur standing behind him. Kenneth scanned Daniel and sighed. He had already heard everything from Gerald, and although he understood the circumstances, he was hesitant after seeing the boy himself.

"Arthur, you take care of him. He has the same eyes as... you know what I mean, right? And Daniel, from now on, you will be Oscar. You will follow Arthur around. Ask him for anything that you need." Kenneth declared he didn\'t want to deal with it right now, and he had a lot on his plate. Daniel only nodded in reply to give him affirmation.

"Alright, leave it to me. Boy follow me from now on. I will tell you how we do thing around here." Arthur took Daniel out of the room.

A few days passed as Daniel got accustomed to his new environment.

He saw with his own eyes what happened inside the \'enemy\' territory. He was startled to see the mix of people present inside the compound. There was no harsh restriction as he expected, he thought he would be monitored constantly, but that never happened.

Everyone treated him warmly, and there was no discrimination as he had expected. He witnessed the harmony between the so-called \'elites\' and their \'servants\'. Never in a million years would he have expected such a scenario.

Hanson Family had strict rules regarding their attendants inside their mansions; although they were not mistreated, they were always beneath the family. But here, you never see such a scene. It was so absurd for Daniel that he decided to ask Arthur about it.

He never talked to anyone, but he took the lead to quench his curiosity this time.

"That, It is simple if you think about it. Because they are family." Arthur gave a short response which Daniel didn\'t expect.

Seeing the confused expression on Daniel\'s face, Arthur decided to elaborate further.

"I know how the Hanson family deals with its people, and I have witnessed it, but the problem lies deep inside your family\'s dealings.

What will you say is the motto of your family? Everyone household, small or large, have some sort of motto that holds them together. It is not limited to homes; it could be a group or more than one person, and it is a belief that contains two or more individuals.

What do you think that is for Hanson? "Arthur asked.

"I can\'t say for sure but we take huge pride for being a Hanson. Elders always taught us that. But now I don\'t know after what happened." Daniel answered.

Arthur smiled.

"Pride, huh?

Today, when we use the word pride, we usually mean something very different from what the term has traditionally meant historically. Today, we often think of "pride" as high self-esteem or a sense of self-accomplishment. We essentially believe in "pride" as just meaning feeling good about ourselves, which is not at all what the word pride meant historically.

Pride, at its core, is the belief, to some extent or other, that you are better than everyone else, that you have a unique and more advanced knowledge of the truth of things than most others do. "

"But isn\'t it good thing if you are better than someone and you know it. "Daniel asked. For the first time, his ideals were challenged, so he went out to defend them.

"Look at all the problems this has caused in the world today. In most cases, wars are fought over ideals held as being more important than people.

Take a look at so many issues in the world. What government is better? What should be legal? Is technology bad or good? . The list goes on, and it\'s pride that makes people feel like their answer to these questions is enough to dismiss the needs and feelings of others and, indeed, to dismiss their life in some cases.

Pride is that part of us that says we already know, so it\'s okay to be lazy about justice. We don\'t need to consider the pros and cons of the alternatives when we have already cornered the truth. If someone disagrees with us, it\'s not because they might see a reality we are unaware of; it\'s because they are blind or stupid. It\'s because they are being too prideful and ignorant to see it our way. "

"But what that has to do with what\'s happening here?" Daniel asked.

"Here, we don\'t look at another person to weigh their worth in gold; we don\'t judge people by their origin. Hanson may control their people through fear and greed, but we tend to have a different approach. Happiness doesn\'t always come from luxury; sometimes, belonging could make someone much happier than the former.

Ironically, while pride is that part of us that makes us believe we know everything, it is the same thing that keeps us ignorant. If we already know something, there\'s no need to learn more, right?

The most prideful people tend to compare themselves with others, and they are the ones that don\'t consider themselves good enough unless they are better than others at something. Conversely, once they feel they are better, they feel no need to continue improving except to make sure they are staying ahead of their peers.

Contrast this with humility. Humility, at its core, is the belief that no matter how much you think you know, there\'s always something you don\'t know. It\'s the understanding that even your most cherished beliefs could be wrong, and it goes with the willingness to change those beliefs if it seems clear that they are wrong.

Humble people seek to find alternative truths. If there is a disagreement between two options, the most humble people looking for a third option that all parties can agree on.

Humble people seek to learn as much from the fool as from the sage. They see everyone as an expert on something, even if that something is simply what it\'s like to be that other person. As a result, humility often leads to greater understanding and wisdom. "

"I understand." Daniel answered.

"I also speak for the hatred that you carry around in you sleeve. I know what happened to your mother was wrong but believe me I never seen someone come out of that pit of fire unscathed." Arthur suddenly changed the topic to Daniel.

"What do you know? I need to do this for my mother." Daniel said in a somewhat loud tone. He was surprised at first, but he made his intentions clear.

"I know, boy, believe me, I know. "He proceeded to stare straight into Daniel\'s eyes. Daniel started to feel suffocated; Arthur was releasing a little bloodlust, but it was so potent that all the strands on Daniel\'s back were up, his whole body began shaking, and only one thought remained.

The thought of running away. His mind was screaming about the danger, but his body was not reacting.

Arthur slowly retracted his aura and exhaled, calming his mind. On the other hand, Daniel had a frightened look plastered all over his face.

"W-what was that?"