Chapter Thirty-six: Other Side

Aamon’s Point of View

I stared at the phone in disbelief when I saw who was calling me. I was in the middle of a meeting, but when it came to Grace, I would always drop everything to be there for her however I could. In some ways, it was the only way I could keep the ghost of my ex-girlfriend in my life.

“Excuse me, I need to take this,” I said, leaving the room to speak privately.

“Hello, Grace,” I said quietly.

“Aamon, I need your help,” Grace’s voice was a tortured whisper.

“Are you hurt? In danger?” I asked, trying not to panic, wondering what could be wrong.

“Not at the moment, but do you think we could talk? In person? Lillianna showed up at my apartment very upset and passed out on my couch. This is not a conversation I want to have over the phone, and I don’t want to go too far with her feeling like this,” Grace said.

This wasn’t a good idea. I knew it wasn’t. Everything in me screamed to say no, to protect my heart that had never fully healed from Grace’s rejection. It was difficult enough to see my ex-girlfriend from a distance, but to go to her tonight? I was playing with fire and was sure I would be burned. And yet, I agreed.

I drove to Grace’s apartment, and she was waiting for me outside, keys and phone in hand. She was as beautiful as ever, and my breath caught when Grace came into view. Her eyes lit up when she recognized me, and my heart clenched. Maybe she still loved me after all. But if Grace did, why had she walked away?

I parked the car, and she entered through the passenger side door. For a few moments, we sat in silence, both feeling the tension in the air. She filled me in on the conversation with Lillianna, and I was surprised that Grace didn’t seem to care who my grandfather was. I thought she had not known, but maybe Grace always had.

"I was under the impression that you were unaware of my family background," I whispered, feeling both relief and confusion.

“Oh, I knew. It was kind of hard not to while working in the organization. I was shocked to learn I was dating Don Brzezinski’s grandson,” Grace shrugged.

“I tried to keep that side of me away from us…” my voice trailed off. I don’t know if I was explaining, apologizing, or something else.

“I learned what Lillianna did and how Xavier Woods was involved tonight. Were you aware of what happened?” she asked.

“I was. I had to help clean up their mess. It wasn’t easy to do,” I sighed.

She was going to ask about Rei next. I braced myself, knowing what was coming.

“Aamon, why did you assign me to befriend Rei Draven and watch over her in university? Why have you continued to put a detail on her after I quit?” Grace asked.

I could come up with excuses for Grace. I could even lie to her. But I didn’t want to. Not anymore. I wanted to be honest with her.

“Rei is my sister. Step-sister, to be exact. She was raised by a couple with ties to our organization and recommended by a government official connected to our family. When Rei was just a child, her mother was killed in front of her, but she was too young to remember the details," I explained.

“Wait, what? How is this possible?” Grace exclaimed, and truth be told, it did sound preposterous.

“Rei’s father was Casimir Brzezinski. He married my mother and chose not to keep us a secret but to declare us as a family to all. It kept us safe. It was what he should have done with Rei and her mother, Autumn. She was easier to target by our enemies because, without a public acknowledgement, there was no protection,” I explained.

Grace’s face drained of colour as she began to process what I was telling her and how much danger Rei could have been in over the years if we had not been watching over her. Yes, Greg Ravenscroft and his family were unkind to Rei, but they never directly harmed her or the children. The idea of marrying into the mafia appealed to the Ravenscroft family, which is why the union was so quick. But, because Rei was hidden it wasn’t what they had anticipated, grew bored and wanted out. My step-sister was nothing more than a ploy for power and wealth for that greedy asshole.

“Why did Casimir not raise her himself?” Grace asked.

I had asked my grandfather that very question once. The answer was harsh but true.

“Rei looks exactly like her mother did. It would have been too painful for Casimir, and he also wanted to give his daughter a life outside of the family business,” I replied.

“But didn’t Casimir die of cancer? Couldn’t you have brought Rei into the family then?” Grace questioned, perplexed.

“It was my stepfather’s dying wish that we let Rei live her own life outside of the organization but to watch over her. I’ve been my step-sister’s guardian since she turned 18,” I sighed.

Grace asked quietly, "Does Xavier know who Rei is?"

“Yes, he does. So does Lillianna. But your friend didn’t tell you that, did she? I warned them to stay away from Rei after I cleaned up their mess, or there would be consequences. Lillianna listened as much as she could to orders, but Xavier didn’t. He’s been watching over my step-sister from a distance. How you never noticed, I don’t know,” I grimaced.

Grace should have known. I’d trained her myself. She’d caught me every time I was there to watch over Rei or the children. How did she miss Xavier?

“I never saw him as a threat. Xavier looked familiar when I met him playing pool, but it didn’t register that he was watching Rei. I let my guard down,” Grace admitted, horrified.

“Nothing would have happened if he had been a potential threat. Rei and the kids have always been protected. So have you,” I added quietly.

"Why me?" Grace inquired, taken aback.

I whispered, "Do you honestly need to ask me that?"