Chapter 16 #2
His enemies know he would never use their families against them.
Until they turn eighteen, that is.
Then he has no qualms about killing off their sons or arranging marriages for their daughters to ensure good relationships between Mafia gangs.
He always collects his debts.
The only reason he even knows about Actaeon is because Conrad sent him a letter with Magdalena’s pregnant photo, gloating about his victory and how Gael would never find them.
Based on his journals, he wanted to hide what he did to Gael’s daughter, but his narcissistic nature couldn’t stand keeping his mouth shut.
The fucker was a perverted idiot who I would have killed over and over again if I had the chance.
Also, when Lachlan gave Magdalena’s body to Gael, he requested an autopsy that showed she had just given birth. And since there was no baby in sight, he didn’t believe the story that the child had died.
“You expect me to give my brother to you so you could kill him?”
He finishes his cigar and presses it into the ashtray on my desk. “Killing him would be an easy way out now, wouldn’t it? First, he will suffer, and then I’ll think about what to do with him.”
A humorless chuckle slips past my lips, a warning that Gael has a lot of nerve to come to my domain and threaten my brother’s life.
“Oh, is that so? Well, Gael, I’m sure you don’t hear this often, but you can fuck right off with that particular proposition of yours.
I won’t give you my brother.” A muscle on his cheek twitches at that.
I imagine anyone rarely, if ever, speaks to him this way, and under any other circumstances, I wouldn’t have.
I respect the man despite everything and feel for his pain.
I can understand his point of view. “If you’ve come to me, it means you couldn’t find him on your own, and it will stay this way.
He has nothing to do with the past. Everyone involved in the kidnapping and abuse of your daughter is dead. I took care of that.”
“And in this, you left me no choice. He has to answer for what his father did to my daughter.” I don’t miss how he doesn’t call Magdalena my brother’s mother. “It’s as inevitable as sunrise and sunset.”
“I’m Conrad’s son too. I was alive, eighteen years old, when he did what he did. Why don’t you retaliate against me instead of my brother?”
“Sometimes we must pay for the sins of our fathers. Such is life, cruel and unfair.”
Actaeon has never been a perfect child, but I raised him, and he’s my brother. I would never allow anyone to hurt him.
“Why not me?” I repeat once again.
I never understood why he didn’t go after me all those years ago.
“Because you showed me that you are your mother’s son. And, besides…no offense, Orion, but Conrad hated you. He had no attachments toward you.”
“He’s dead. He won’t care that you killed his beloved child.”
“My daughter is dead too, and I won’t rest until I get my payback for her death.”
We both rise and face each other. “Sooner or later, I will find him. You can’t keep him hidden forever. He’s not your son. He is not and never will be a Wright.”
If only he knew I never raised Actaeon in lies or pretended to act like his father.
Honesty above anything else, that’s the motto of our sibling bond.
Actaeon knows what happened to him and how he came into this world, because I knew learning later on might have been catastrophic to his psyche.
He knows everything except who his grandfather is. He believes his mother was an orphan found by Conrad on the streets.
“Except he is a Wright to me. I’ve given him that right. I would never allow you to hurt him, and if you want war, there will be war. I’m not alone in this world, may I remind you of the little fact that you tend to forget?”
Gael laughs, hooking his thumbs in the waistband of his suit pants.
“Ah, yes. I’m aware of the Wrights and their family ties with the Scotts.
Who, in turn, have all kinds of connections with various murderers and Mafia syndicates,” he hisses through his teeth.
“You have three months until he turns eighteen. After that, if it’s war you want, it’s a war you’ll get.
” He clicks his tongue. “Might want to rethink that idea. You got married and seem to love your wife. I’d hate for her or your future children to become collateral damage in all this. Trust me, it’s a heavy burden to bear.”
I straighten. “Do not speak about my wife, Gael.”
While I feel for his pain, my sympathy goes only so far. If he’s not careful, I’ll snap his neck.
“Relax, Wright. I don’t touch women. I’m not like Conrad.” He snaps his fingers. “I’m only stating facts. Give him to me, and we’ll handle it between us. If he’s a man, he’ll take any punishment I give him.”
“Punishment for being born?”
He claps his hands. “I’ve wasted enough time. You got my advice, suggestion, or warning, depending on how you prefer to see it. I don’t give a fuck. I expect him to be on my doorstep on his eighteenth birthday. The time has come to pay off the debt your family owes me.”
He spins on his heel and strides toward the door, but my next words stop him in his tracks.
“He has Magdalena’s eyes. Your eyes.” He looks over his shoulder, his gaze unreadable and body tense.
“He’s his mother’s son too, Gael. You don’t have to accept or acknowledge him.
You have a right to hate him. You have no responsibility toward him.
But you can’t hurt him. An eye for an eye doesn’t work here.
Because Conrad won’t care one way or the other. ”
A heavy silence falls between us, and he half turns to face me, a calculating expression settling on his features.
At this moment, I understand why they call him one of the most cunning men among the crime lords.
“Does he know about me?” He must read the answer on my face as he continues.
“That’s what I thought.” A beat passes. “My daughter would have been my heir. She was brave, smart, beautiful, and very cunning. A character trait that’s a must when one deals with Mafia rings.
A fighter who I know tried her best to survive, and I’m sure Conrad didn’t manage to break her spirit.
She would have been the first woman to lead our cartel, but instead, all I have is her grave.
” He exhales and composes himself once more.
“Let’s make a deal, Wright. Tell him the truth and see what he does.
His choice would prove to me whose blood running through his veins is stronger.
Or there will be war. Although I’m not sure who in their right mind would want to fight for a coward.
” Dropping this on me, he resumes his walk and in a second is gone. Meanwhile, I’m contemplating his words.
Telling Actaeon the truth would be like waving a red flag in front of a bull. He would accept the challenge and most likely go to Gael, ready to play whatever games the old man deems fit.
Despite what my baby brother believes, I know about his tendencies and what he does in his spare time.
Or where he learned all his skills.
Gael and Actaeon would set this world on fire with their combined fury. They are similar yet so different in their hatred.
Both yearn for Magdalena in their own way, and never have the chance to get justice for her.
Actaeon gathers his toys from the sandpit and runs to me, grabbing my hand, and though it still feels weird to have this five-year-old following me around everywhere, there’s no way I could let go of him.
Eros suggested giving him up for adoption to protect him, and keep an eye on him from a distance.
I couldn’t do it, though.
His mother’s face wouldn’t leave my mind, haunting me in my sleep, and thinking about the probability of Actaeon suffering if got into a bad family didn’t sit well with me.
I owed it to Magdalena to raise him, even if I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing.
Hiding him from the press and the world is a challenge in itself.
I’m glad I have Eros and my cousins on my side to create a peaceful life for him.
“Orion.” He tugs on my hand, and I stop, lifting my chin at him. “Do you love me?”
I’m not sure what love is, but I’d protect and die for the little guy.
Not that the truth would ease his mind, so I say what he expects.
“Yes. Of course.” I ruffle his hair as he leans close to me, wrapping his tiny hands around my knees.
“Is everything okay?” Since his existence is a secret, he studies at home with private tutors who have all signed the nondisclosure agreements.
Once he reaches third grade, I plan to send him to one of the most prestigious private schools in the world, where no one would ever touch him.
My brother will get the best education, and I have already set up his trust fund.
That’s the only way I know how to atone for the sins of our father.
He nods, his hold on me tightening. “I love you too, Orion.” He tilts his head back. “I’ll always protect you.”
This earns him a laugh from me. “I don’t need protection, little hunter.”
“I will,” he insists stubbornly before giving me a toothless smile, “because you’re the only one who loves me.”
Actaeon would do anything for me, which means he’ll abide by Gael’s condition.
I won’t allow it.
My brother is not alone in this, and he won’t face his grandfather’s wrath on his own for something he had no control over.
The phone ringing interrupts my thoughts, and I grab it, seeing Leon’s name flashing on the screen. “What’s going on?” I ask right away because the family butler never calls me.
He clears his throat, and I hear worry in every word he utters. “Diana is gone.”
I freeze. “What?”
“She’s gone. She sneaked out without letting anyone know, and she disappeared.” Thousands of scenarios run through my mind at this, and I’m ready to chase Gael to demand where my wife is, when Leon stops me as he says, “She’s been to your wing. She has seen everything.”
Matilda and Leon were the only people who knew what happened all those years ago.
They kept my secrets; their loyalty was so strong.
They were the ones to clear the mansion right before the fire, helping me to protect Actaeon’s identity.
To everyone else working at the mansion, Actaeon is Rush and Rafael’s cousin on their mother’s side.
Matilda might act stern with him, but she took care of him when he was little.
“I’ll handle it.”
“Orion, I don’t think she’ll be able to—”
I hang up on Leon and grab my jacket, leaving my office with one single thought in mind.
I need to find my wife and remind her that I tried giving her a choice.
A choice she refused to take.
Which means we are bound to each other forever now.
Monster or not, I’m hers, and she’ll just have to accept that.
And if I have to hunt her down to drive the point home?
So be it.
This time around, Diana won’t escape me.