Whispers of Deception

Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

T he moment the door clicked shut behind Mr. Stevens, Augustus turned to his father, his jaw clenched tight. He could feel the words bubbling in his throat, a raw mixture of anger and frustration. He had kept his mouth shut for most of the meeting, but now that they were alone, the restraint snapped.

“You really expect me to just leave her?” Augustus’ voice cut through the tense silence, sharp and defiant.

Damien sighed, his fingers rubbing his temples as if trying to soothe a headache. “Augustus?—”

“No, Dad,” Augustus interrupted, his tone hardening. “You’ve got to be kidding me with this. You want me to walk away from Lilia? After everything? How is that supposed to help anyone?”

“It helps you,” Damien shot back, his voice calm but firm. “And whether you like it or not, you are the priority here. We can’t afford any more missteps.”

“I’m not just some business deal you can fix, Dad!” Augustus’ frustration boiled over, the words coming out harsher than he intended. “This isn’t about damage control—it’s about Lilia. You’re asking me to abandon her when everything is falling apart.”

“You’re not abandoning her. You’re protecting yourself,” Damien said, his voice dangerously low. “Do you understand what’s at stake here? The police are circling like vultures, and the media has already painted a picture of you as the perfect villain. If you keep clinging to Lilia, you’ll make their job easier.”

Augustus paced the room, trying to burn off the restless energy surging through him. He couldn’t believe they were having this conversation. “And what? You think if I just disappear, all of this will magically go away? They’ll forget about me? About us?”

“No,” Damien said, his gaze sharp and uncompromising. “But it’ll make it harder for them to find something to pin on you. This isn’t just about the media or rumors anymore, Augustus. They’re building a case. If you stay tied to Lilia, they’ll dig deeper, and they will find something.”

Augustus stopped pacing, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. “Lilia didn’t kill Willow, and neither did I. They can dig all they want—they won’t find anything.”

Damien took a step forward, his eyes narrowing. “You think the truth matters to them? To the police? To the public? You’re naive if you believe that, Augustus. They don’t care about the truth—they care about a story that fits their narrative. And right now, that story involves you and Lilia having a motive for murder.”

Augustus flinched at the word “murder,” the absurdity of it gnawing at him. “We didn’t do anything wrong.”

“And yet, you’re the ones in the spotlight,” Damien countered, his voice growing cold. “You and Lilia have secrets, Augustus. Secrets that can be twisted, used against you. The police know that, and they’ll exploit it. They don’t need hard evidence—they need doubt. And as long as you keep seeing her, you’re giving them that doubt.”

“Are you even hearing yourself?” Augustus’ voice cracked with disbelief. “You’re asking me to cut her off. Like she’s just—what? A liability?”

“Yes,” Damien said, his voice sharp as a blade. “Because she is. You don’t see the bigger picture here. The more you’re associated with her, the deeper you’re both going to sink. This isn’t a high school drama, Augustus. This is your future. One wrong move and you could lose everything.”

Augustus took a step closer, his eyes blazing with defiance. “I don’t care about all that. I care about Lilia. You’re asking me to betray her when she needs me most.”

Damien’s face darkened, a rare flicker of frustration breaking through his usually stoic demeanor. “I’m asking you to think like an adult. To stop acting like this is some love story where everything works out in the end. This is real life, and it’s about survival. You may care about her now, but when they come for you, when they threaten to take your life away, what do you think will matter more? Your feelings for Lilia, or your freedom?”

Augustus recoiled as if struck. He could feel his pulse hammering in his temples, his father’s words settling deep into his gut. There was a bitter truth in them—one he hated to acknowledge. But that didn’t make them right. He clenched his fists, his voice low and thick with anger. “I won’t turn my back on her.”

Damien’s lips thinned into a hard line. “You’re making a mistake. You think she wouldn’t do the same to you if it came down to it? When things get bad enough, self-preservation always wins. She’ll look out for herself, and you’ll be left holding the bag.”

Augustus shook his head, the disbelief written all over his face. “You don’t know her like I do.”

“And you don’t know how this world works,” Damien snapped. “You’ve lived your entire life in comfort, protected from the harshest realities of the world. But this—this is the real world, Augustus. And it’s unforgiving. If you think loyalty and love will save you from what’s coming, you’re a fool.”

Silence stretched between them, the words hanging heavy in the air. Augustus felt a swell of conflicting emotions rising up, his heart battling against the cold logic his father was throwing at him. He wanted to scream, to rage, to tell his father that he was wrong about Lilia. But the truth was, deep down, he couldn’t shake the fear that Damien might be right.

“Stay away from her,” Damien said, his voice final, like the sound of a gavel hitting a courtroom bench. “If you want any chance of getting through this, you need to cut ties with her. Let the lawyers handle the fallout. You stay clean, and you stay quiet.”

Augustus stared at him, his mind racing, his heart pounding. He wanted to fight, to argue until his father saw reason. But Damien was done talking. His eyes bore into Augustus’, hard and unyielding. There was no room for debate.

Without another word, Augustus turned on his heel and stormed out of the office. His father’s commands echoed in his mind, but so did the image of Lilia—alone, caught in the same nightmare he was trapped in.

He couldn’t abandon her. He wouldn’t.

But as he slammed the door behind him, the suffocating weight of his father’s warning settled deep in his chest. The future felt darker than ever, the path ahead littered with choices he wasn’t sure he was ready to make.

And at the center of it all was Lilia—just out of reach.