58. Hades
Hades
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
Two weeks later
I park on our property, and I know something is wrong when I see not only my brothers' cars but Odin's as well.
I have confirmation that it's not good news as soon as Kennedy opens the door to our house and runs up to me, her face set in a serious expression.
"King?" I ask, feeling a stab in my chest.
"No, it's about your grandfather. Odin discovered something very serious."
"Tell me."
"I think they would prefer to do so."
"I want to hear it from you."
"It was Vina who pushed him down the stairs. He may have had a heart attack, but perhaps it was due to fright, because the person who caused his fall was Pam's grandmother."
"What are you going to do?" Kennedy asks everyone, but she looks at me.
"The only thing we can do," I say, "is hand over the footage to the police."
"But from what I understand, that's exactly what your grandfather didn't want, for them to find out that he had an affair for over a decade with the housekeeper. Otherwise, when he fell ill, he would have told you that he was afraid that Vina would do something bad to him. Instead, he preferred to install the cameras."
"Which turned out to be a fatal mistake," Odin says.
"Yes, but she won't get away with it. She's a murderer, and she's going to pay," I say.
We had already found evidence that Vina had been fooling Pam for years, deluding her since she was little that she would be a Kostanidis wife when she grew up. However, despite being sick, that is not a crime.
Odin focused on my grandfather's death and their supposed relationship. Out of pride, and for fear of a scandal, Grandpa remained beside his future murderer, having no idea of the real danger he was in.
I see Zeus talking to the lawyers and I know that they will soon get the unfortunate woman arrested.
Despite the shock of learning that my grandfather's death was not natural, I feel relieved that all our enemies will be punished.
Three days after I “visited” Ryan, he was left at the door of a hospital. Despite being without any documents, by “coincidence,” an anonymous call informed the police where he was, and while he was recovering, still hospitalized, he was arrested. The lawyers I hired for Kennedy say it's now a matter of time before the prosecution moves forward with the case and his trial is scheduled.
When she heard about his arrest, Kennedy came to my office at lunch and said, “I’m not going to ask you what you did to him, but I needed to thank you for keeping your word and allowing me to confront him.”
The newspapers didn't touch on the subject of the mutilation, and I imagine it's because Ryan's family—what's left of it, an older brother and his mother—pulled strings to prevent them from finding out that the idiot doesn't have a dick anymore.
No photos of him have appeared in the newspapers yet, but when the trial takes place, I have no doubt that everyone will see my work of art.
"Vina Marcotte is the greatest proof that appearances can be deceiving," Kennedy says after everyone leaves.
"I never liked her."
"What?"
"I didn't hate her, but I felt some kind of energy in her that didn't match the loyal maid she showed herself to be to the family."
"Then why didn't you fire her? Or at least retire her?"
"Because my grandfather always said she was loyal."
"He was mistaken."
"Yes. It's not a pretty story. From what we can assume from the recordings we watched, he used her."
"Every relationship has two sides. She let herself be used, probably because she hoped that one day, your grandfather would marry her. In any case, it doesn't justify pushing him down the stairs. She could have left when she realized her goals would not be realized. Instead, she chose to become a murderer. What I still don't understand is how he didn't even hint to you that he thought he was at risk. If he placed the cameras, it was because he knew there was something wrong with Vina."
"We are not the type of men who are accustomed to sharing information, Kennedy. After my parents' past was clarified, we were able to open up a little more, but each one of us keeps many secrets."
"Like the trip you took before Ryan was 'found' at the hospital door?"
"Yes, but you have my word that in this particular situation, I did it to protect you."
"I don't care how he fell into the hands of the police, only that he is in custody and will no longer be able to harm another woman."
Kennedy
Three months later
"Hey, it's okay," Hades says, squeezing me in his powerful arms. "Athanasios would never tell you that Ernest's surgery was a success and that he will live a long time if he didn't believe it."
"I know, it just seems like a miracle, you know? I prayed so much, and now being sure that he has been discharged permanently, that he will stay with us, meet our other son, is like a dream come true." I look at King, laughing on his grandfather's lap, and thank God for this miracle.
But as if life wants to show me that not everything is rosy, an employee appears behind us and says, "Mister Kostanidis, the security guard at the front asked me to inform you that Senator Balantine wishes to speak to you and your wife."
"Authorize his car to enter the property but not the house," I say.
I never imagined this would happen, that he would look for me, and I don't know why he’s come, but I need to look the man in the eye at least once.
Hades
“You don't need to talk to him,” I say, feeling my entire face tighten with tension.Marrying Kennedy has made me a relatively controlled man, because in the past I would have gone out and beaten that son of a bitch. How does he have the nerve to come to our house after ignoring his daughter for almost twenty-three years?
"No, I need to do this. To use your words, we all need closure. This will be the only time I talk to him, so let's go."
I already know what he looks like. My obsessive nature, which becomes much more intense when it comes to Kennedy, has made me do research on him. But even if I had never seen the man’s face, I would hate him.
Grin Balantine represents what I despise most in people: an impeccable image that hides a rotten soul.
He seems surprised when he gets out of the car and sees that Kennedy and I are meeting him outside. He probably thought we'd invite him in.
"Good afternoon," he says and looks directly at her.
I want to squeeze the idiot's neck because the man is a born actor. He’s even pretending to be thrilled to see Kennedy.
"What are you doing here?" she asks, getting straight to the point, but before the man can respond, she makes a gesture with her hand, as if telling him to wait. "I don't care what you say, but just for the record, you’re wasting your time."
"Do you know who I am?"
"Yes, I do, in the same way that you knew who I was while I spent part of my childhood sleeping on the floor, being beaten by Riny Marcotte and sometimes even starving."
Kennedy has told me in detail everything she suffered at the hands of her guardian, but hearing it again makes me crazy with hatred.
"I didn't know your life was like that, daughter."
"I'll give you some credit and accept that maybe you didn't know my life was hell, but what kind of man, knowing he's the father of a motherless child, doesn't look for her? And now you call me daughter? I'm not your daughter. I have a father who truly loves me and took care of me."
I realize he has no idea that Kennedy remains close to Ernest and how strong their bond is, or he would have asked about it.
"You got married. You're pregnant again," he says, looking at her belly. "I want to make up for lost time."
My patience runs out. "Stay out of our lives. That’s not a warning—it's a threat. Don't approach my wife or my children, not now or in the future, because next time you might not come out with all your teeth in your mouth. Instead of trying to salvage a lost relationship, you should worry about what the good people of Louisiana will say when they find out you stole from them.”
"Are you the one behind their investigation of me, then?"
"Let's say I got the ball rolling, but I won't stop until I see you behind bars. And don't act clueless. If you came looking for Kennedy, it's because you knew it was me who asked for your head."
"Why so much resentment?"
"You haven't seen anything yet, senator. The daughter you didn't know her entire life is not just my wife and the mother of my children—Kennedy is my heart. Everyone who hurt her will pay. Now, get off our property."
"You had him investigated?" she asks, hugging me and resting her head on my shoulder as the unfortunate man's car leaves our property.
I place my hand on her belly, which is already round. "What I said is true. Everyone who made you suffer will pay."
"I didn't even know he existed or was my father."
"But he could have taken care of you, given you a real family, and he didn't."
"You're still as cruel as ever."
"I never promised to change my personality, wife. The fact that I'm crazy about you doesn't mean I've become a better man. Maybe it has even heightened my worst traits, because there is nothing I wouldn’t do to protect you and our children."