Chapter 14
Fourteen
X ANDER
My heart raced in my chest as I perched on the edge of my seat, awaiting her answer. The photo of the two boys—our sons—had dominated my thoughts since I saw it. It shocked my system, a reality I had never thought possible.
However, amidst these swirling emotions, I had overlooked two potential threats that Nerine had perceptively noticed at the hotel. Anger bubbled up at my carelessness, fueled by the fear and anxiety that now seemed like a persistent presence in my life.
Was this to be my future? A life filled with constant danger and the unrelenting need to protect my family at all costs? The thought sent shivers down my spine, like a nightmare worse than any I had experienced in the past two years. And now, with answers to my questions finally within reach, I struggled to accept the possibility that everything I knew could change in an instant.
A part of me resisted, holding on to the past and denying the reality of my newfound fatherhood. Yet, another part of me overflowed with immense love for these two beings I had never encountered—my sons.
I turned to Nerine, taking in the sight of her as she squirmed in the seat before us. Defiance flickered in her sapphire eyes, but beneath that, I noticed her trembling fingers and quivering bottom lip. She was afraid, despite her efforts to maintain stoicism. If I touched her thigh, it would shake under my hand.
But she needed to stay composed. We all did. Lowering our guard would be deadly in this moment of uncertainty and danger.
So we pressed on, pursuing the truth and nothing but the truth. Surviving in this world required that we confront and fully expose our fears, no matter how bloody or painful they may be. Our ultimate aim was to protect those boys at all costs.
"Nerine," I said, my voice low and urgent. "We need your answer. Reveal everything. If those boys are truly ours, they will find them soon. And as we both know, they hold the key to striking at the Angelos family—a weapon our enemies would not hesitate to use against us."
“Why do you think I’ve kept them hidden?” she snapped, her eyes blazing with anger. “And what the hell do you mean by ‘if the boys are truly ours’? Of course, they’re yours.”
“Nerine,” Theo said her name, soothing her in a way that contrasted with his usual tendency to ignite her anger. “We know they’re ours.”
It seemed as if I was the actor in that role as of late.
She took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling with the weight of her words. The tension in the room was palpable as Theo raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical. Nerine's voice quavered with anger and frustration as she spoke.
"I can assure you, they are under constant surveillance and protection," she said, her tone tight and controlled.
Theo scoffed, his jaw tightening.
"Like you were?" he asked, his sarcasm dripping with venom. “Solon didn’t do a great job of that. They couldn't even stop that damn book from being published, could they? It led us here. What makes you think..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Nerine exploded in anger. "Look, I get it, okay?" she shouted, her fists clenched at her sides. "That book is a disaster."
I glanced at her, surprised by the intensity of her outburst. I had assumed she had written the scandalous book that caused all this chaos, but apparently, I was mistaken. She looked just as upset about it as we were. I caught Theo's gaze and knew he was thinking the same thing.
"I can't help but wonder what your sisters and mother thought of the book," Theo said slyly, raising an eyebrow in contemplation. "Considering some parts were rather... scandalous. And that's saying a lot coming from a fucking sexual deviant like me."
Anger ignited in Nerine's eyes at his taunt.
"Yeah, I imagine they're all embarrassed," I agreed with a sigh. "Especially Fiona, at her age."
"Fiona!" Nerine practically growled her name with pure bitterness.
I waited a moment before speaking again, gently leaning toward Nerine.
"What's up with Fiona?" I asked, my curiosity getting the best of me.
"Fiona's the one who wrote the damn book!" Nerine cried out, her voice filled with rage and frustration. "I want to strangle her!"
My jaw dropped. "You're kidding..."
Theo let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair.
"Fuck," he muttered under his breath.
Nerine glared at us, shaking her head.
"Does this look like the face of someone who’s joking?" she asked, pointing at herself.
“Fiona genuinely believed that no one but herself would read it. How the heck it went viral is beyond me."
Even though the situation was serious, Theo and I couldn't help but laugh at Nerine's words. She looked at us as if we had completely lost our minds.
"What's so funny?" she asked incredulously.
"Can you believe this?" I said to Theo, still laughing uncontrollably. "She thought nobody would read it? That was some spicy stuff." I shook my head, chuckling.
"Do you remember that double penetration scene?" I asked, trying to catch my breath between fits of laughter.
"Oh my god, I can't believe Fiona wrote that!"
Once again, we broke into hysterical laughter, unable to control our amusement at the absurdity of it all.
"It's not funny," Nerine huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and scrunching her face into a pout. "She blew up our lives with this damn book! Why is that hilarious?"
Theo chuckled, and I couldn't help but join in. "Can you imagine Fiona's expression when she saw it climbing the charts?"
"Oh yeah," I added with a nod. "She must have been freaking out."
"Stupid kid," Theo laughed.
"You know," I said, wiping tears from my eyes, "It's a good thing."
Nerine looked at me as if I had lost my mind.
"How could you possibly think that?" her tone was one of frustration.
I turned to face her, my expression serious.
"Don't you see?" I asked. "She did us a favor. It brought us to you. We wouldn't even know we had sons if she hadn't written that book, Angel," I added. "You were keeping them from us. Or did you conveniently forget that?"
Her shoulders slumped, and guilt and shame washed over her face. For a brief moment, I almost felt sorry for her. But then I recalled the choices she had made and the consequences of those choices we were now facing.
"Now," I growled, leaning in closer and gripping her chin firmly, forcing her to meet my gaze. "Don't make me ask again," I warned. "Where the hell have you hidden our sons?"
But instead of stalling or fighting back as I had expected, Nerine sighed heavily and spoke the only word that mattered: "Phoenix."