Chapter 33
Ihave a weird feeling today. Cain left without saying where he’d go. Not that he ever says anything, but today is different. He hasn’t come back yet.
And then, as if he heard me, he barges into the mansion, banging the door in his wake. I blink in surprise.
“Landon?” he yells.
He’s covered in dirt and blood. Is it his own? His dark blonde hair is messy, appearing darker than usual, almost as if it’s damp.
“Where the fuck is he?” he continues, marching inside. My heart beats faster.
Behind him, a strange man is following. He looks to be a bit younger than him, in his late twenties maybe.
He’s muscular, but not overly so, with a military-style buzz cut on the sides and longer, messy hair on top, falling in loose waves across his forehead, giving him a sharp yet effortlessly rebellious look.
“Chill, man,” he says with a smile.
Contrary to Cain, he looks calm and easygoing—and definitely cleaner than him.
“Shut up!” Cain yells to him. “Why the fuck did you follow me here like a stray dog?”
“I was feeling generous. I wanted to make sure Cinderella got home safe.”
Cain turns around and drives a punch into his face. “I said shut up!”
I gasp unintentionally, drawing their eyes to me. I don’t think they had noticed me until now.
“What are you doing here at this hour?” Cain snaps.
At least I just prevented a dogfight.
“I was waiting for you.” My voice comes out shakier than intended. I want to be confident and secure, but this has pushed me off the edge.
“It’s almost midnight. You should be in your bed,” Cain spits.
“Jeez, what are you? Her daddy?”
“Adam, shut the fuck up.”
Adam? As in Adam that Cain mentioned the other day?
Cain is restless. He takes out his phone and tries to call someone, but after a few attempts, he throws it against the wall, smashing it into pieces.
I wince.
“Can you stop acting like a savage?” Adam asks Cain. “You’re scaring her.”
Cain, breathless, looks at me, his gaze dark as if he wants to murder me, too, like an animal who wants to break free from its cage.
Slowly, Adam walks closer to me. What is he doing?
“I’m Adam,” he says with a smirk, extending his hand to shake mine.
My gaze flicks to Cain, unsure what to do. If I give him my hand, he might snap and kill him right in front of me. His eyes fix on me, and he’s waiting.
But I give my hand anyway.
“I’m Kate?ina.”
“You’re the reason my big brother has gone soft, huh?”
“Your what?” I squeal, my eyes darting instantly to Cain.
He rolls his eyes. “Took you long enough.”
“You and Cain are actual brothers?”
Adam widens his eyes and turns to Cain. “You never mentioned your baby brother to your girl? Shame on you.”
“I never mention you at all,” Cain growls.
What happened between them?
Then, Landon appears in the hallway, all hurried and tense. He looks dirty and sweaty. What the actual hell has happened?
“Boss?” He freezes when he sees Cain.
“Ah, just the man I’ve been dying to kill,” he mocks and walks up to him.
He grabs him by the collar and pins him against the wall. “I told you if he brought backup, I’d make you bleed. And not only did he bring it, but you left me behind to die like a dog, and you ran like a fucking coward!”
“I thought they had you,” he stutters. Then he looks briefly at Adam. “I saw him grabbing you and hiding you behind a container, so I came here for backup.”
“You didn’t check. You didn’t stay. You fucking ran.” He shoves the gun under Landon’s jaw. “So now, you die like the useless coward you are.”
Landon doesn’t talk. He clenches his jaw and locks his eyes on Cain’s.
“Cain, no!” I screech, shaking in fear.
He doesn’t look at me but doesn’t pull the trigger, either.
I grab his arm, trying to pull it down. “Please, Cain, don’t do this. Be better than this,” I beg.
I may not trust Landon, but I never wanted him dead.
“Kate?ina, get out of this room. You won’t like what you’ll see,” he grunts through clenched teeth, his glare fixed on Landon.
Landon doesn’t react; he just looks back into Cain’s eyes, as if waiting for his demise.
“I’m not leaving.” He doesn’t react. Instead, I can see his fury rising. “Cain,” I whisper to draw his attention. It works. He darts his eyes to me. “He’s the one you trust the most. I know you’re angry with him, but it’s not worth it.” He breathes more forcefully. “Please.”
I know how hard it is for him to step back. I know how hard it is for him to allow someone to double-cross him, even unintentionally. How difficult it is for him not to consider it manipulation or failure.
Eventually, he steps back, his eyes narrowed and still focused on Landon, his jaw tight.
“You owe her your life,” he says, the gun in his hand still pointed at Landon.
Landon lowers his gaze, and his jaw tics.
“Get the fuck out of my sight,” he says quietly. Landon turns to leave, but Cain talks again. “Landon?”
“Yes, boss?”
“This is your last chance. Fuck up again, and I’ll butcher you with my own hands—and I will take my time with it, and I will enjoy it.”
He nods once. “Understood.”
“Leave.”
Landon turns his back and leaves without another word.
“Phew! That was intense!” Adam jokes.
Cain rolls his eyes again and turns to me. His gaze is weird. It is soft through the strands of hair that fall on his forehead and blend with his vision as if he’s worried about me, but at the same time, it’s furious, as if he blames me for manipulating him into sparing Landon’s life.
“Thank you,” I mouth to him, but he doesn’t react.
“Well … that’s awkward.” Adam claps his hands once. “I’ve done my part, so I should get going.”
Suddenly, Grayson walks into the room, seeming distracted.
“Here you are all,” he says brightly with a warm smile. This man seems so calm and gentle that he could even make the angriest man on earth feel at peace.
“Great, now we’re all here,” Cain says with a broad, fake smile. He shakes his head, runs his fingers through his hair, and takes out a smoke.
“What happened to you?” Grayson asks Cain.
“Spare me your scolding, old man.” He exhales the smoke.
“That means you’re fine,” Grayson jokes. I can’t help but let out a soft chuckle.
“Do you need anything from me, Miss R??i?ková?”
“No, Grayson, thank you.”
He turns to Adam and furrows his gray, bushy brows. At first, he’s hesitant, scanning his face thoroughly as if trying to find something familiar to him.
“Do I know you?” Grayson asks Adam.
Adam exhales, a soft smile adorning his clean-shaven, chiseled face. “I certainly do.”
“Who are you?”
“God, what a fucking circus!” Cain chuckles sarcastically.
“You used to call me ‘trouble,’” Adam says with a genuine grin on his face.
Grayson’s green eyes widen. “Adam?”
So they do know each other.
“The one and only.”
Grayson marches towards him and gives him a heartwarming embrace, the kind a father and a son give each other.
Cain looks angry, his hands shaking, as if he can’t contain himself.
“You’ve grown into a man,” Grayson says, holding Adam’s face in his palms.
“It’s been too long,” Adam says.
Not only do they know each other, but there’s a past between all of them. I wonder what it can be.
“Will you stay?” Grayson asks.
Adam’s eyes move to Cain’s, as if he’s asking for permission. “No, I was just passing by.”
“There’s no such option. You’re staying,” Grayson insists.
Cain crosses his arms and leans against the wall without taking his eyes from them, his cigarette dangling from his lips. He doesn’t look at me at all. It’s the first time I’ve felt I’m invisible to him.
“No, no, Grayson,” Adam answers softly. “I have to go, anyway.”
Grayson smiles, but I see he’s trying to hold back his tears. “Will you ever come again?”
Cain scoffs, and Adam briefly looks at him.
“I will,” Adam reassures him, patting his shoulder.
Grayson hugs him again and pulls away. He walks up to Cain and cups his face, not caring about the blood on him.
“It’s nice to see you two back together.”
Cain doesn’t reply, but his brows are smoother now. They’re not as arched and angry as they were a while ago.
Grayson glances back at Adam. “I’ll be waiting for you.” Then, at Cain. “I’m sure both of us will be.”
Grayson walks away, probably returning to his room.
And now, there’s silence. No one is talking. Cain is smoking, Adam is standing across from him, arms crossed, and they’re exchanging venomous glances.
“So …” I say in a stupid attempt to break the ice.
But then, Eleanor walks in. “I’m going to my room, Mr. Manson. Do you need anything else from me?”
His brows arch as he inhales his smoke, utterly unbothered.
“Great. Have a great night,” she says lightly. Her dark eyes drift briefly to Adam, but then she walks away.
“Will I meet everyone in your circle today?” Adam jokes.
“Charming.” Cain gives a fake smile.
Adam returns the scorn and turns to me. “So, Kate?ina. I hear an accent. You’re not from around here, are you?”
“No, I’m from Czechia.”
“So, how long has he been driving you crazy?”
I look at Cain from the corner of my eyes.
“Aren’t you a bit nosy?” Cain asks.
Adam raises his brown eyes. “I guess I hit a nerve.”
They don’t say another word, but their looks could kill. I hope they won’t pull out their guns and kill each other or beat each other to death. That wouldn’t be a pretty sight.
I mean, Cain is very tall, but Adam is big and robust, like a soldier. He’s a little shorter than Cain, but he looks stronger—even though I doubt anyone is stronger than Cain.
“You know I’m curious—” Adam says again.
“Curiosity killed the cat,” Cain cuts him off.
“I haven’t seen much of your staff today, but honestly, it was more than enough to figure out the whole circus.”
“Meaning?” Cain asks with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
“Why do you still keep her?”
Who’s he talking about?
“Revenge,” Cain replies drily.
Are they talking about Eleanor?
“That’s low of you.” Adam crosses his arms, making him look bigger.
Cain scoffs and turns completely solemn. “Saint Adam to the rescue of the abominations that deserve a fate worse than hell.”
What?
“I’m just saying. You could have simply killed her.”
“Oh, no, no, no. Death would be too kind.” He tosses the cigarette on the marble floor and steps on it. “Don’t start crying to me about how rough you had it. You don’t get to compare anything to hell. You were invisible, while I was his favorite toy to break.”
So, Adam was in the house when all this happened.
“Of course the golden heir didn’t get a front-row seat to the torture show. That honor was reserved for the bastard son.”
“What?” I squeal, unable to hide my surprise, drawing both gaze on me. “Aren’t you your father’s son?”
“I was a walking disgrace for his name and reputation,” Cain snarls. “I’m not his son, just the bastard tagged with my mother’s fortune. He never wanted that shit to see daylight.” He’s breathing heavily, running his fingers through his hair.
I lower my eyes in embarrassment, as if it’s my mistake or I’m the one who caused his memories to resurface. “You’re dead to me. Stay the fuck away from me, or I’ll make sure you end up that way for real,” he says solemnly.
Adam stays quiet. He’s calm and composed, keeping his brown eyes fixed on Cain’s.
“I’m sorry, Cain,” I say quietly under my breath.
“Go to your room, Kate?ina.”
I stay motionless for a while, unsure of what to do. Should I listen to him? I don’t want to leave; I want to stay by his side.
“But …”
“Don’t make me repeat myself.” He nails his eyes on me. “Go. To. Your. Room. Now.”
I dart my gaze to Adam. He seems calm and unwilling to leave.
But I bite my tongue and walk away, leaving them to stew in their mess, hoping they remember what family is supposed to mean and don’t end up tearing each other apart.