Chapter 15 – Wren #2
“Monsters aren’t born, Val. They’re made, created by circumstances or people’s actions,” I said calmly. “All I wanna know is what turned you into the cold-blooded killer you are today.”
He clenched his jaw, his brows knitting together, accentuating the scowl on his face. “If this is an attempt to salvage what’s left of my soul—my humanity—then you’re wasting your time. There’s none left.”
I shook my head, unconvinced that he was beyond saving.
“I don’t believe you.” And with that, I sank into the chair in front of his desk.
“If that’s true, then I would’ve been long gone by now.
Dead and forgotten. Because no one else has pissed you off in the last couple of days more than I have, yet, here I am, still breathing. ”
He stroked his jaw but said nothing, and his eyes didn’t leave mine either.
“I don’t have anything better to do with my time,” I said, shrugging my shoulders as I relaxed in the chair.
Somehow, I wasn’t half as scared as I was when I first walked in here. Nor was the tension as thick as it was seconds ago.
He kept a straight face and began, his voice low and steady. “When you’re born into a life of crime and violence like I was, you tend to lose yourself trying to find the version of you that could thrive in chaos.”
I listened.
“The Bratva is an organization known for its cruelty and ruthlessness. We have rivals, enemies here and there,” he continued. “I learned from childhood that in this world, weakness would only get you killed and loyalty was non-negotiable.”
Still didn’t say a word.
“What you saw yesterday was a fraction of my daily activity. It was a loose end that needed tightening.”
I knew it. The man wasn’t as innocent as I thought.
“Doing what I do comes at a great cost, one you’re not ready to hear about today.”
I drew a deep breath. “So, I was right. You weren’t born a monster; circumstances turned you into one.”
His lips curled into a faint smirk. “What you call monstrosity, I call order. Without men like me, your world, everything you hold dear, would be consumed by chaos.”
A scoff fell off my mouth. “I highly doubt that. Kind people would rule and maintain order.”
He chuckled softly. “The world doesn’t reward kindness, Wren. It devours it. That’s why kind people aren’t the ones in power. They lack what it takes to do what’s necessary.”
As crazy as it sounded, I saw the sense in his words.
Val continued, “People like me, on the other hand, aren’t afraid to get our hands dirty so the rest of you naive citizens can pretend the world is clean.
” He leaned in, eyes boring into mine. “The world hangs on a delicate balance: good and evil. Day and night. Yin and Yang. The need for light can never extinguish darkness completely.”
I paused for a while, watching him in silence. Deep down, I hated the fact that a part of me understood his twisted analogy.
“So what, you’re okay with being the monster that brings ‘order’ to the world?” I air-quoted the word.
He didn’t respond at first, but his smirk did. Then, slowly, while reclining in his chair, he asked me, “Do you still believe there’s a shred of humanity left in me?”
I swallowed hard. “Yes. Because I’m still breathing.” My eyes never left his face. “I’ve pushed you to the wall more than anyone else, but you never even punished me. If that’s not humanity, then I don’t know what it is.”
It just hit me now, how much of my attitude this man had tolerated. Maybe I meant something to him after all—why else would he have been so lenient with me all the fuckin’ time? The look on his face the night he saved me from that assassin flashed in my head.
Beneath his unreadable expression, I saw something—a glimpse of fear. Fear for my safety. It was almost imperceptible, but I caught it.
“Answer me this, Val.” I drew closer, holding his gaze with my arms on the table between us. “Why did you never fight back all those times I pushed you to the edge?”
He was quiet, watching me, fingers absently drumming against the table’s surface. After a short while, he answered, “Because you’re the one thing I don’t wanna break.”
My brows drew together, breath hitched in my throat, as my lips parted, but nothing came out. I was speechless—stunned and confused. Yes, I knew there was a shred of humanity left in me. But I wasn’t expecting such a powerful response.
His words rattled through me, and my brain went blank for a moment. It was one thing to assume my importance to him, and it was an entirely different thing to hear him say it.
I sat there frozen in place, stuck between shock and something I was yet to name. He’d caught me off guard and stripped me of any clever retort.
The silence that followed was awkward, and it seemed to stretch on forever.
Finally, he broke it. “Anything else? I’d like to get back to work now if you don’t mind.”
His confession, the weight of his gaze, and now the politeness in his tone cracked something open inside me. An emotion stirred a flutter in my chest and weakened my knees.
“Uh….” I cleared my throat, fingers scratching the back of my head as I avoided his gaze. “That’ll be all.” I rose to my feet.
After lingering for a second or so, I turned around and left his study in silence and shock. This time, I didn’t slam the door behind me, just closed it gently.