My heart's racing.He looks like he's seen a ghost, and perhaps that's exactly what I am to him. I don't even know if he found out about Ferdinand's deal with Hans, or if my presence here is a shock to him. I guess that shouldn't matter right now. I'll find out soon enough if the latter is the case. I wasn't expecting him to be here. I never in a million years would've guessed that Ferdinand would bring me to an event Damien would be attending. Perhaps he didn't know, but why do I feel like this was a set up? He didn't mean to introduce me to anyone, or rather, that wasn't part of the plan. I'm not an idiot, mom told me that he always planned on having a daughter so he could marry her into the Keller family. And I don't think he gave up on that plan.We stare at each other for a long time. Well, it feels like a long time, but it's probably only been a few seconds. I'm the first to look away, because I can't stand the intensity of his gaze. I can feel his hatred—or is it something els
Devon pours himself a drink first.I sit and wait patiently for him to start talking. I know he's doing this on purpose, he doesn't want to tell me anything. But I'm determined, and I'm not leaving until I get answers.He sinks into the couch with a groan, and I'm really trying to stay calm. He sips his drink, then sets the glass on the coffee table between us. He says, "Where do you want me to begin?""When you left town with Aaron, Ferdinand's was the first place you went, right?" I figured that out by myself. It's pretty obvious, where else would they go? Ferdinand was the one who sent them money to leave in the first place.He nods. "That's right. He took us in, showed us around the city. Aaron was excited to see him, he thought he was dead. He had fond memories of him, in fact he would tell me when we were younger, about parties and presents. I thought he was crazy. Or making it up. All I knew was poverty and I didn't think people lived different lives. My mother always told me t
Damien watches Amelia walk away, and every step she takes is a blow to his soul.Ethan watches him with an unreadable expression. Damien doesn't meet his gaze. He knows what his cousin is thinking, and he isn't going to go down that road with him. He doesn't need anyone's opinion; he doesn't expect anyone to understand."We have to go," Ethan says, interrupting his train of thought. "We're going to be late."They should never have come. If he had known Amelia would be here, he would've declined the invitation. But a part of him came to life at the sight of her. Her words stung; that conversation was the hardest one he ever had. Her pain was palpable, and so was her hatred towards him. Him. The deepest, most vulnerable part of him would take her in his arms, but Damien Eric Jameson Keller is anything but vulnerable. He can't afford to look weak, not before his opponents and especially not before his family, which is why he decided to have her killed in the first place, even though his
The smell of disinfectant tickles my nostrils.I hate how hospitals smell, and this doesn't stem from my childhood. I was a fairly healthy kid, I rarely fell ill. Perhaps it has to do with my mother. When she passed out a few days after Aaron was convicted, I was desperate. I didn't know what to do. They told me she was really sick, and I had to wait outside her room the whole day, waiting for her to wake up. I don't know what I would've done if she didn't. I remember feeling terribly anxious and afraid. What would I have done without her? I shake my head to get rid of these thoughts. I'm ready to go, but they're still keeping me here for some reason. Felix is gone, I don't know where he is. I haven't seen him since I got here. It's not that I want him around me; I know that he's probably already told Ferdinand about this and I'll have to deal with him when I get back. He must have followed me, which means he saw me with Devon. I wonder if that'll implicate him in some way. I'm mad
Devon rushes into his office and locks the door behind him.He sits behind his desk, then starts looking around for the bottle of scotch he kept in one of the drawers. He can't find it, which pisses him off. He slams the drawer shut and sits back, willing himself to calm down or he's going to lose his shit.That old woman, she said her name was Bertha Johnson, didn't want to cooperate at first, but Devon always finds a way to get someone talking. He threatened her, but when that didn't work, he promised to help her get what she wants. And when she talked, she fucking talked. He had a hard time believing her, but there was no way he couldn't. She knew exactly what she was talking about, her story made sense. He knew a small part, but now he finally pieced everything together.The story is too fucking crazy to be true.He needs to make calls, get people investigating this immediately, but Sam will be in his ass about this, because people need to be paid for their work, and the company c
Mom just shut down.As soon as I confronted her about it, she walked out of my room without offering me any explanation. I didn't go after her; it would be a waste of time. I can't understand why she won't just tell me. What's the worst that could happen if she did?I didn't realize that I fell asleep. I wake up and it's morning. I feel a deep ache in my bones, but I'm better. I shower, paying special attention to my hair because my head still hurts a lot, then get dressed in jeans and a black top. I wonder who bought all these clothes for me. They're exactly my size.I leave the bedroom and realize that the sitting and dining rooms are empty. It's around ten, which means that everyone's already gone. My mother must be in her room, that's where she always is, but I won't go to her, not until she opens up to me about all this. I'm disappointed and angry at her, I won't deny it. I kept secrets from her, that's true, but I'm still hurt that she'd not want to share this with me.One of th
Fury is burning in her eyes.Damien doesn't know why he followed her here exactly; all he knows is he couldn't resist her pull. Ferdinand was watching him, almost like he expected him to follow her. He walks a little further into the room and closes the door."So you're following me now?" she asks, jutting her chin out."You're the one in my private area, not the other way around." His response catches her off-guard. She blinks, her mask of confidence slipping for a moment. She turns around, facing the large window, observing the moving bodies below.What the fuck am I doing? He's asked himself this question about a hundred times since he saw her watching him with wide eyes. No, he's been asking himself that since he received the news that she would be joining Ferdinand, and instantly decided that he would show up. He got the invitation earlier, but he hadn't planned on going. He didn't have time to waste on drinks with John Herbert and the others.But when he heard that she would be
I can't wait for this 'meeting' to end.It's been going on for three hours, and so far, they haven't discussed anything of importance, just trivial matters. John Herbert—he's the one who sent the invitations—just talks about horse racing and bets, nothing that will contribute to this war Ferdinand keeps talking about. They're drinking the finest wine and having a grand time, whereas I'm sitting far away from the group and thinking about what happened.Damien.I don't understand him. When I saw him, all I wanted was to get away from him. I didn't expect him to follow me, and especially not to kiss me. It was brief, but it was a breath-taking kiss. I can't imagine why he would do such a thing. Just yesterday he said he would kill me if he had the chance, now he kissed me and demanded to know why I didn't tell anyone about Adam. The time for questions has passed long ago. Nothing makes sense, and I need alone time to reflect and think about what I'm going to do about this.I don't need t