The silent cries of children and the harsh voices of the proctors were the music inside David Ashton's heart, but his family had no idea.  For them he was the sweetest angel and the best father in the whole wide world.

      David had a routine.  He would wake up each morning with a smile on his face, ate breakfast with his family, kissed his wife goodbye, brought the children to the school, give them their lunch money before they went down, then off to work he went.

      He was one of the riches men in his town, but for years, he fooled his wife and kids.

      He met Moira, a beautiful and sensible copywriter of his advertising company several years ago.  Moira had no idea he was the big boss. She thought he was just working his way to the top. David threatened his employees that if he caught anybody telling Moira the truth, he will make them pay and they are going to regret it.

     Moira had this thing for self-made men.  Like many of those soaps on tv, David overheard Moira saying to a friend that her ideal man was one who strived to make it big, not someone who was already rich. David fell in love with Moira right that very moment and planned an m.o.

     David pursued Moira, posing as a clerk.  After two months of persistent courtship, Moira believed in that too, they became an item. A month later, they got married.  They lived in a small bungalow at the edge of town and had a simple life.

     Years passed, still David did not tell Moira the truth.  He would eat breakfast with the whole family, bring the kids to school, then supervise his many businesses, legal and illegal alike.    He kidnapped children and made them work at his factories.  If they disobeyed, they would get lashed a hundred times. That was how lethal David was.

    When David was tired of his simple life and wanted his family to enjoy the luxuries he already had, he told Moira and the kids he climbed the ladder three steps up.  Moira was ecstatic and loved him more.

    The kids loved their new estate.  It was not one of his mansions yet, but for them it was so grandiose that made them dance for joy.

     HEADLINE: A little boy was found dead by the river bank.  The State Coroner says the boy died of an asthma attack due to inhaling gunpowder.

      "Poor kid," cried Shannon, David's eldest daughter.

      "He has irresponsible parents," said David.

       His children gave him a group hug then said, "We're glad that you and mommy are our parents."

       David's eyes turn misty. God, his kids had no idea that the child died in one of his factories and was thrown by the riverbank by one of his cronies. Moira, who was at David's side, smiled. She too was so proud of her dear husband.

       On his way to work, he almost had a conscience, but when his right hand man Aldan Romero came with the books, he changed his mind.

      "Our products are at the top of the line," boasted Aldan.

      "Now I'm sure we're doing the right thing."

      "Did you have any doubts, boss?"

       He shook his head then said,"No...none at all."

       They went on looking at the figures.

       Six years after the tragic death of the little asthmatic boy, Shannon, then a college student, was working for a non-profit company. She was the company researcher.  Her boss, a tall, but not so handsome man of 26 was really impressed with her work.

     "Shannon, you have been with us for two years now and I have nothing but praises for your work," said Trek, her boss.

     "It's an honor to be in this company. I'm glad that Mr. Pressman chose me when I was only an inexperienced sophomore."

     "But you've removed whatever little doubt he had by proving you can manage to do work of older people."

      Shannon smiles then asked, "Why did you want to see me, Mr. Sanders?"

      "Well, since we all are impressed by your skills, we decided to give you a dangerous assignment."

     Shannon loved adventure and it was evident in her eyes.

     "Hmmm, I think I won't have a hard time convincing you, am I right?"

      She nods.

      "Together, we're going to uncover the mystery behind the little asthmatic boy that was found by the river bank"

      "I remember that boy.   I was fifteen when that happened. I read it on the paper."

      Trek chuckled.

      "Take a hold of yourself, Shannon. You might lose your breath."

      She blushed.

       "Seriously, the boy was not a sole case.  Little girls with no faces were found by that same river bank. Other little kids were found floating on the river. Nobody lived to tell their tale. Somebody has to put a stop to this ruthlessness."

      "I agree with you sir."

      "Now, I'm not your sir anymore.  We're going to work side by side."

      "We're on equal footing? That's okay with you?"

       "It would be my pleasure."

        Trek went on to explain what they were supposed to do.  

        After explaining everything he sighed while saying, "I've been following these cases for years....still, my mind is blank."

        "I've got a hunch."

        "What is it?"

        "I'm not sure....these kids were found dead, but they were never sexually molested.  I don't think they were murdered. They were just freak accidents."

         Trek was all ears.

         "I think they were victims of child labor.  A lot kids get kidnapped almost everyday, yet nobody asks for ransom because the kids come from poor families.  I believe one of those kids were even lashed. I think I can't be wrong."

         Trek agreed with her,"You know angel, I think you're right.  Mr. Pressman really knows talent when he sees one.  After college, you're going to be a great ace reporter."

        "Thank you."

        Shannon and Trek continued to plan what they were supposed to do until it was time for Shannon to go home.

       Shannon could not sleep a wink that night.  Their family was now living in one of David's mansions. She had her own secure Internet connection.  She was allowed access to secret files and did research through her computer. 

      When she found no answers, she laid down her soft feathered bed.  The images of the dead children haunted her.  She really wanted to be the one who would uncover the beast's disguise. She did not have an idea that she lived with the beast itself.

       Breakfast the next morning, yes, all of them still lived together, Shannon was silent.

       "What's wrong, baby?" asked David.

       She wanted to tell her father, but it was a top secret project.  They will never trust her again if she breathed a single word about it.

        "Nothing dad."

        "She's just experiencing premature menopause," said Jake, her youngest brother.

        "No I'm not."

         They had a riot at the breakfast table. The younger kids started to fight. It was the first time that it happened.

         "No fighting!" shouted an angry David. "What's wrong with you guys?"

         "Jake said women wrinkle faster than boys," said Carla, the youngest.

         "That's true."

         "So, it's not even related to Shannon's meno..."

         "Dad!"

         "Just kidding....seriously, that's not true. Look at your mom...she's still as beautiful as ever."

         Moira blushed.  She was almost fifty and yet she looked decades younger. She was so glad to hear the compliment of her husband that she started to joke. Everybody laughed and for a fleeting moment, Shannon forgot her worries.

           Inside a public library Trek was researching things he could not find in computer databases.   Moments later, the girl of his dreams entered. Shannon, clad in a white tennis outfit with her all tied-up smiled as she approached him. His heart was pounding faster and faster.

          "Hi Mr. Sanders."

          "I told you, it's Trek now."

           She had a silly grin.

          "Now I know why we're colleagues."

          "Why?"

          "Jonah told me you liked me, is that true?"

          "No, it isn't."

          She frowned.

         "I love you."

         She smiled again.

         "Let me think about it, okay?"

         "Take your time."

         As Shannon sat down, Alvin, the one that came next to her, entered the library.

         "What are you doing here, Alvin?"

         "I have an assignment about child labor."

         "Why not try the university library."

         "Don't worry sis, I won't bother you and your boyfriend."

         "He's not my boyfriend yet."

         "Ok.....I won't bother you and your future boyfriend, better?"

         Trek thought for a while then said, "You know Alvin, we're also researching about..."

         "I thought it was top secret," complained Shannon.

         "It is....don't you trust Alvin?"

         "You know what I think? I think she wants you all to herself." said Alvin.

         "That's not true," she said, hurting Trek's feelings. "All right, join us."

         The three helped each other and stayed at the library until closing time.

         At Shannon's computer room, Trek, Shannon and Alvin were seated.  Moments later, DANIEL ASHTON's name appeared on the screen.

        "Wow, this Daniel Ashton owns five companies. A factory for cleansers...a toy factory...a gunpowder/firecracker factory...a quilting factory  and a furniture company," read Shannon.

       "It has not been proven that he uses child labor because everytime there's a raid, they see people of legal age working for him...but the locations of where the kids were found are pointing to his factories," read Alvin.

        The three look at each other.

        "I hope you're not related to this Daniel Ashton, guys."

        "We hope so too."

         The three were bothered by that horrible thought.

        Moira was cleaning the master's bedroom when Shannon knocked on the door.  Moira opened it, kissed her daughter on the cheek then let her in.

        "You don't have to do this, mom. We have maids, remember?"

        "It's hard, honey...I don't want to tempt them...all my expensive things are inside this room."

        "Let me help you then."

        "By all means."

        They clean the room side by side. Later, Shannon saw a box.

       "You may open it," said Moira.

        Shannon saw true copies of her birth certificate and her siblings' birth certificates. Then she saw her parents' marriage license.

      "Dad's name is Daniel David Frewer Ashton?" she asked, trembling.

      "Yes dear...why?"

       "Nothing. I just thought he was plainly David Frewer Ashton...I didn't know he had a first name."

      "He just liked David more."

       Carla's voice was heard through the intercom.

       "Mom, are you there?"

      "Yes, honey."

      "Please help me with my homework."

      "Go ahead, mom. I'll do the best I can to finish this job."

      "Shannon, you're an angel, but it isn't like Carla to ask for help."

      "It's advanced mathematics. They're not supposed to be teaching this in gradeshool."

      "You got your answer, mom."

       Moira kissed Shannon's cheek then left the room.

      Shannon looked around the room, then voila! She found a safe that said: DAVID IS THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO OPEN THIS.

     Shannon pondered hard then said to herself, "Dad's birthday is on the 13th of June...so the combination must be 6-1-3." It got rejected. Then she tried 0-3-5, for her mom's birthday, still, it was rejected. She kept on trying until she reached 7-3-8 combination. She sighed. She saw papers. A lot of them. Among them was the copy of the deed of the house...then she found out that her dad owned the building where he met her mother...then she saw her dad's diary. She got that diary, put the papers back in the safe, locked the safe then continued cleaning the room.

       Shannon was in tears while she was reading her father's diary. She did not want to invade her father's privacy, but she wanted to make sure that David was not synonymous to the Daniel Ashton. She thought that by reading her father's diary, all of her doubts about him will be quashed, but on the contrary, it only proved his guilt.

      Alvin and Trek waited for Shannon after school the following day at a nearby burger joint. Handing the two young men the diary, she sat down.  Her thoughts were distant and was startled to hear Trek ask,"How did you find Daniel Ashton's diary?"

       "I think we should go to a secluded place first," she said nervously.

      At one of the empty lots nearby, the three sat down. While Trek was scanning the pages, Alvin asked, "Is Mr. Ashton related to us?"

        Shannon was silent for a while. She took a deep breath then said, "He's more than related to us....he's our father."

       With that, Shannon burst into tears. Alvin forgot his macho image and was misty-eyed too. Trek felt compassion for his two friends. He did not want to be in their shoes.

        All of the Ashton children believed in David and this was a big blow to Shannon and Alvin.

        "How are we going to tell mom?"

         "I don't know, Alvin....I don't know."

          The three hugged each other until it was pitch dark.

           David came home that night while Moira was asleep. David kissed his wife then went to his safe. It has been two days since he placed his thoughts in his journal that he missed his journal so much. Upon opening the safe he was shocked to find it gone.

           "Moira!"

            Moira, still drowsy looked at her angry husband. This was a first. David never got angry.

            David pulled her and with a growling voice he asked, "Where's my diary?"

            "What diary?"

            He hit her hard until she was black and blue then left in rage.  Moira cried. She did not have the slightest idea what changed her darling husband. He never hurt her, not until this moment. She did not know what to feel. She did not know what to do.

             A little while later, David was back.

             "I'm sorry, honey."

             "Get out! I don't know you! You're not my husband! Where is my husband?"

             It was David's turn to cry.

             "Go away. Go a-way!"

              David ran out. Moira continued to cry.

               It was a very difficult decision, but Mr. Pressman, Trek, Shannon and Alvin, left the matter in the hands of the Attorney-General. David got arrested and was charged by the federal court.

               Moira got mad at Alvin and Shannon, but her heart softened when she saw pictures of the dead children.

               On Thanksgiving Day, the first without David, Moira told the children,"Let's remember David. No matter what he did wrong, he was still a good father to you and a good husband to me."

               "We will mom," they chorused.

                They said a short prayer then Trek, who by the way was spending Thanksgiving with them, carved the turkey.

                They were silent for a while for they could not eat.

                "Come on guys. We still have a lot to thank for."

                 So they ate a hearty meal, while forgiving David in their hearts. They just hoped the rest of the world will do to.