Chapter Thirty-Six #2
“Giving up your children is not something that is easy to do. It killed me every single day. I had tabs on Harold, and when I found out that Monty and Maggie had a son, I thought he would stop. He’d got what he wanted. A baby between two founding families, even though it went against Order laws.”
“Kalen isn’t double blood.”
“Harold didn’t know that until after Kalen was born.
Maggie's parents hid her parentage lines well. She was a girl so they didn’t see why anyone needed to know that she was adopted.
Harold had started making plans for Monty to take over and for him and Maggie to be married.
It would be the perfect scenario until his Grandchild could be groomed to take over with absolute control.
The wedding went ahead, but someone told Harold about Maggie shortly afterwards.
So again, he was looking for me. I don’t know why he didn’t just look for another girl within a founding family.
Maybe because he had already threatened me and killed my family and taken everything I had cared about.
He probably thought I’d be the easiest option.
Maybe there weren’t that many girls within founding families.
Maybe he was wiping them out to ensure he was the only founder breaking the rules and to prevent one of the other families from doing the same.
I don’t know, I don’t think we’ll ever know.
But we do know for certain that he’s a dangerous and deranged man.
I can’t even fathom how his brain works. ”
She shakes her head, lost in memories of the past and so I sip my coffee and wait.
“He sent an execution team. I’d been waiting for it. I knew what I did – by killing someone within The Order – would bring them after me, but he left me alone while he worked on the Knox name taking over.”
“How did you escape them?”
“Those mercenaries I told you about. I grew up with them, trained with them. I defended myself. Camilla quickly put a stop to it; no one could get into Australia. I had to go underground, and my friends helped me find a place I could work. An organisation in Australia called Olympia. I worked with them, creating medical advancements that would blow your mind.”
“That all sounds messed up, but honestly why now?”
“One of my friends, the one who helped hide me all these years ago, reached out. They told me that The Order had gotten hold of you, that you were taking over. I freaked out and went straight to Camilla and she filled me in. She said she was working with one of your friends and that you were safe, but I had to see it for myself.”
She sips her own coffee, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
“I know too much time has passed, and both you and Bex have your own lives. I’ve come to terms with that. But I need you to know I did what I thought was best. I just want to be home, to stop hiding, and if you girls will let me, I would like to get to know you both.”
I contemplate everything that she’s just told me.
I want to hate her, but I probably would have done some things the same if I was in her position.
I want The Order to start afresh. Her killing people within the organisation isn’t actually against our laws, it’s against the country’s laws. We sit in silence while I think.
“Killing people within The Order isn’t something an extraction team should have been sent for. You weren’t sworn in, so you’re safe there. I’ll make sure that it gets sorted out. Harold is still out there, and I don’t have the resources to protect you.”
“I’m not asking for any of your resources. I’m asking for your blessing to be here. I have people watching my back, so I’m safe. I don’t want to put you or your sister in unnecessary danger.”
“I would say we have both involved ourselves in danger now anyway, so that isn’t an issue.”
We both smirk, and I’m thrown by the way her lip pulls back in the corner. Mine does the exact same.
“I don’t want to pressure you into a relationship with me, but do you think I could watch you graduate?”
“Okay.” I shrug. A vaguely familiar face in the crowd is no skin off my nose. Her face lights up and I feel relieved.
I’m releasing excess baggage. We may never have a traditional mother daughter relationship, but I can’t keep holding grudges.
I won’t forgive so easily, but there is room to work through it over time.
Besides, with a little perspective, who is the worst maternal figure, really?
Debbie or Laura? Exactly. I know where my priorities lie.
I send a quick text to Sawyer and ask him to look into the hit on Debbie.
I doubt there’s an official one, since Harold couldn’t have gotten board approval for that.
These men must have been privately hired, or owed Harold a favour.
There’s no way Debbie or her mercenary friends would have been any match for our execution teams.
“You can’t go in there,” Camilla objects sharply from another room. Both Debbie and I look at each other and stand. Aadi might be awake. I rush into the other room but discover my father squaring off against his mother, with Jasper standing between them.
“A little help over here, Amelie,” Jasper insists. My father stares at me like he’s seen a ghost. No, he’s looking right through me. Past me.
I turn and see Debbie standing behind me.
“Hi, Marco,” Debbie whispers softly.
“Someone needs to explain to me why there’s a dead woman standing in the room, and why my son sent me a text saying he was drugged!”
Great. This isn’t how I wanted him to find out. Devastation washes over his face as the shock wears off.
“This was all your doing wasn’t it?!” he accuses Camilla.
“Figlio, please. It isn’t what you’re thinking.”
“So this has nothing to do with your vendetta against The Order, trying to weasel your way into a seat? You’re such a manipulating witch!”
“Dad,” I chastise. “Enough. Camilla wants no such thing, nor would she be considered at her age. We’ve agreed to talk about moving things to Australia, but that is it.”
I watch the way I word things around Debbie, but at this point she knows enough.
“This is what she does, Amelie, she finds a small window of opportunity and takes it.”
“As any good businesswoman would,” Camilla spits.
“Not helping,” I say to her but she shrugs. Damn stubborn old woman.
“I won’t go back, I’m out!” My father shouts. “I made a deal and it has to be honoured.”
“Don’t worry,” I placate him. “This has nothing to do with you. I was going to tell you about this after my graduation.”
My father looks at Debbie and to me, and to Bex as she enters the room. Now with clothes on, thank god.
“Where did you think Bex came from?” I ask. He knew she was my sister. He had to have questioned that.
“I presumed she was an orphan. I didn’t know much about Debbie in the years after I left. The time we spent together we didn’t exactly talk.”
I groan and rub my temples. I do not need to hear this. “Debbie can fill you in. I have a headache and a million other things that I need to be doing.”
“What about your brother?” he asks. I point to Bex.
“She drugged him when he found out about Debbie and wanted to come rushing to tell you! Don’t worry, he’ll be good as gold in about eight hours.”
“Drugged him?”
“With all due respect Mr. R, it was that or Camilla was going to smack him over the head, which could have killed him. Serves him right if ya ask me, comin’ here in the middle of the night wasted to tell me how much he despises me. He’s lucky I even looked after his ass.”
I’m grateful that she leaves out the booty call, but he nods along with her.
“I need to leave. Call me later, Dad, after you talk to Chelsea because she needs to know. And Bex, tell my brother not to kill you. Order rules apply on this one.” I wink at her and she laughs.
Undoubtedly, I just gave her ammo to use against him.
The fact that he can’t kill her. He wouldn’t ever lay a hand on a woman but she is going to have fun with this nonetheless.
Jasper and I head out to the car and he gives me a curious look.
He wants to know what happened in the kitchen, and as soon as we pull away I spill my guts on everything that I was told.
I don’t know how much to believe, but it helps that I know she isn’t lying about Harold.
He wanted all founding families dead and a double blood heir to take over and rebuild.
Only problem with that is he didn’t know what he was getting into when it came to me. Maybe if his grandsons hadn’t fallen for me he could have gotten them to do his bidding, but even they were fed up and had already started to find a way to get rid of him.
Which means it’s time for the next item on my list - Laura.
She needs to be dealt with. I don’t care if my guys are with me or against me.
I’m not so forgiving when it comes to her.
Maybe killing her is harsh but I can start by destroying her life from the inside out, so she wishes that I would just kill her.