Hollywood Zenith

He freshened up and went toward the training ground. He had been diligently training in the morning and seeing improvement in his fighting style.

Today he was set to practice Taekwondo under master Kang. He was already proficient, and his master praised his learning ability.

Same with other styles, with Samuel\'s unparalleled learning ability, he would have a grasp of any move if he once saw it.

They did their usual routine, and at the end, Kang pulled him aside for a short talk.

" I have never seen someone as talented as you. If you give in more effort, you could compete in the competition." Kang praised Samuel. He had many disciples over the years, but Samuel became his number one only in a few months.

" That would be hard. I never intended to learn to compete."

" Why? It is a good career choice. You are also learning other fighting styles to make you a unique fighter."

" You have met my family; what do you think they will do if I ever decided to fight? They would drown in worries. Besides, my learning to fight is more toward training my mind than my body. A healthy mind can\'t reside in a dirty body. Right?"

" Right, right. I also retired due to my wife\'s nagging. That\'s right! I called for you to tell you something."

" Yes?"

" We will be leaving for Seoul soon. Eun-Jung is pregnant, so we have to cut the trip short."

" Eh? Congratulations! But have you told anyone about it?"

" Not yet. Knowing Mary, I am sure she would make a fuss. Like your parents, I wanted to keep it a secret."

" I can understand, but they will ultimately throw a farewell party. It is best to tell them now; if they find out later, who knows what Aunt Mary would do. They have become so close over a short amount of time."

" Maybe you are right. I should mention it during breakfast."

" Yeah, that would be ideal."

" It always amazes me. Whenever I talk with you, I feel like I am talking with an old friend. Have I mentioned it before?"

"Every time."

" If you ever visit my country, visit me, alright. I will see your progress then. Also, call me if you ever need directions in your training. But with others here, I doubt you will ever need it."

" I can\'t believe you think that. Have you forgotten that you have held the number title for ten years? I will make sure to pester you every chance I get."

" Haha, you are right. Let\'s go clean up; breakfast should be ready by now."

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

When Samuel approached the main villa, he saw a middle age woman standing at the entrance. He remembered every face he met and knew everyone inside the estate, but he was certain that he had seen her for the first time.

As he stared at her, she made a beeline toward and hugged him. It was unexpected but sensing no harm, he let it happen.

" Ma, Let me look at you! Aren\'t you a cutie?!" The woman held his face with both hands and started overserving him.

Samuel was confused, but just then, he saw his mother exiting the house.

" Mother! When did you get here? You are squeezing him!" Laura peeled the woman off of him. Samuel noticed that she called her mother.

" Shut up! I am so upset with you. You are hiding my grandchild! I had to personally visit to meet him. Does it make sense?"

" I-i was going to introduce you to him in the future. It\'s just that we have been busy lately."

" Lies! It\'s been months already. You also never called me. I have to hear about the engagement from the news."

They started fighting a verbal battle but stopped when Samuel made a small noise. He felt awkward looking at such a reunion.

" I am her mother; you can call me grandma Eleanor! Right, let\'s go inside. I heard you were training or something." Eleanor wrapped her arm around her mother and introduced herself. She had a cheerful personality and reminded Samuel of the Old woman Hana whom he met in Japan.

"It\'s nice to meet you; I am Samuel. Please call me Sami, as that\'s what everyone calls me."

" Yeah, Come, I see you are quite dirty."

" Mother! Stop pulling him. You haven\'t changed a bit."

" How would you know? You never visited me."

" Why would I ever do that? It was hard to keep you away," Laura retorted but understood that she had misspoken. But it was too late.

" I knew it; you hate me! My sons also don\'t talk to me that much. Now, I only have you, Samuel."

Eleanor clung to Samuel again, to which Laura could only grumble. She knew about her mother\'s nature, but she could not defend herself due to an earlier accident.

Eleanor followed Samuel around; apparently, everyone knew about her arrival except for Laura and Samuel. She told them that she wanted to surprise them, so they kept it a secret.

After the shower, Eleanor took it upon herself to tidy Samuel\'s hair. She said she wanted to pamper him as he was her first grandson. They spent quality time together, bonding over stories about his mother, but Laura was listening. She took Eleanor away when she was about to expose embarrassing stories about her.

Shortly after breakfast, Kang disclosed the news about her wife. He also expressed his desire to move back, which everyone supported.

The whole family congratulated the couple and decided to hold a small celebration party.

" That is not necessary. I don\'t want to trouble you." Eun-Jung said.

" Nonsense! We would love to; coincidentally, Eleanor is also here. It will be good to throw her a welcome party too." Margaret said.

" I love to attend it. It has been a long time since I spent with everyone here." Eleanor accepted the proposal.

While everyone was chatting happily, one person was gloomily watching her plate.

The most heartbroken about the news was Mary. They were quite close, and she would surely miss her.

Eun-Jung, who sat beside her, noticed it and nudged her lightly.

" What happened? It\'s not like we will not meet in the future."

" Hmm."

" Come on, don\'t be sad. It will be hard for me to visit, so you are always welcome to visit me instead, right honey?"

" Yeah, Mary, you are always welcome." Kang supported his wife, but Mary was still sulking, so Eun-Jung asked what she could do to cheer her up. She suggested some last-minute shopping, but Mary declined her.

" If it\'s a girl, you can name her Mary, right?" Mary said in a low voice. Her childish request amused the couple, but Peter was the one who laughed at the idea.

" Why would a teacher do that? What if she grows up to become like you?" He joked.

" What? Is there anything wrong with me?" Mary asked angrily.

" There must be; that is why every man avoids you like the plague." Peter hit her sour spot.

" Y-you" A fight ensued, but Peter only defended himself while Mary punched him relentlessly. Her weak punches were not doing anything, so she began looking for a weapon.

Only when Elders intervened did the fight stop. Soon, everyone focused on the task, and Samuel went to prepare for the Academy.

When he reached the Academy, he was shocked that Eleanor followed him.

" Grandma, Why are you here?" Samuel also noticed a couple of fresh faces following behind her. They must be their guards.

" Can\'t I accompany you? It\'s been ages since I visited this Academy."

" It\'s not like that. It just they don\'t allow people inside without valid reason."

" Don\'t worry about it. I know the dean. Let\'s go; you will be late for your class."

They passed the gate without stopping. Usually, the guards would have stopped her from entering, but from the looks of it, they must have known about her arrival.

They arrived at the classroom, and Samuel found his teachers waiting for him. He had been skipping classes lately, so he quickly apologized to his teachers.

" It\'s alright, but it can\'t go on like this. I will have you attend more in the coming weeks," Melanie asked. She had some idea about her student but didn\'t know the detail surrounding his constant disappearances.

" She is right. The auditions are around the corner. We have much to teach you. By the way, who is the lady?" Christopher asked Samuel, pointing toward Eleanor. That\'s when Edith entered the class.

" Eleanor, You can\'t barge in here like you own the place!" Edith exclaimed as soon as she saw Eleanor. She looked pissed seeing her.

Mixalis, Edith\'s assistant, looked at Eleanor in awe. He couldn\'t believe that he was meeting another famous figure. He knew about Samuel\'s connection with the Morgan family, but seeing the Lady of Morgan\'s house in the flesh was a surreal experience for him.

" Che, you are grumpy as ever. Didn\'t the board of directors approve it?"

" You made a huge donation. What did you expect? Those money-hungry goblins would never miss such an opportunity."

" That is the point. I am here to see my grandson\'s performance. Samuel, carry on. Don\'t mind us."

Samuel decided to follow her direction as he focused on his lecture. Time was of the essence, and he couldn\'t waste any more of it.

Melanie began showing a few examples, and he began to imitate and follow her lead. Christopher supported from the side, pointing out his mistake from time to time.