Chapter 124
MIRO
I pressed the elevator button and when it opened, I found about three men in it standing with a little boy of like six. All wearing suits. From the similar tattoos on their necks, I could tell they were mafia but from the wary looks the men gave me, I could tell, they felt threatened.
Not caring, I entered, moving to the back and as we rode the elevator down in silence, the little boy craned his neck around and smiled at me. I smiled back, giving him a wink but the man he was holding hands with, turned his face forward.
As soon as we landed, they rushed out of the elevator like I was a plague and I found that somewhat amusing and satisfying. Exiting the elevator, I headed to the private casino where my father and his inner circle met once in a while but just as I was about to turn a corner where I'd see them, my enhanced hearing picked up on their conversation.
I froze.
From what I could hear, Mr. Cresswell seemed to have just arrived and was asking the circle about the game.
"My son defeated eight champions in under two hours." I heard my father say with pride which brought a smile to my face. "I never knew he could be such a good cash machine, I would have paid attention to him years ago." My smile faded.
"Well, good thing you're paying attention to him now." Mr. Caine said, pouring himself a drink. "He seems eager to please you."
"He better be if he wants my affection as a father." My father chuckled. "Where have you been, Robert? You missed the game and a lot of good money."
Mr. Cresswell sighed. "My wife wanted some extra attention and I couldn't resist. Besides, with the money I made on Ryn today, I am so satisfied."
A sliver of silence settled at the table.
"You're acting like a traitor, Robert." Someone said and the power in his voice made me know that, that was Mr. Blackwell. "Why?" Mr. Cresswell laughed. "Because you thought your son could beat Ryn Ashmore? Oh, please." "He was supposed to." My father answered, "What happened to your boy, Eric?"
"I have no idea but Adam's being punished as we speak. I can't have a son who can't even beat a girl."
"Me neither." Mr. Caine piped up. "Konan is also going through severe punishment. A hundred lashes to the back. I promised him that if he didn't win the event."
"Are you
all being serious right now?" Mr. Cresswell scoffed. "We all know Ryn is not just some girl. We know how she came to be what she is. It's going to be hard for anyone to take her down especially when she finds out who she really is."
He poured himself a drink. "I for one, think we should be her friend and draw her closer. Ryn is currently staying with me. That way I can keep an eye on her and she doesn't need to suspect me."
"Are you sure that's the only reason?" My father asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. "We all know you had a thing for Ryn's mom, and Ryn looks just like her mother."
"So, what are you suggesting?" Mr. Cresswell replied, his voice hinting a hostile edge. "You think I'd seduce my daughter's
best friend?"
"Lydia will skin you alive." Mr. Caine laughed.
"No. Rather, 1 feel Ryn will seduce you." My father said, "Her mother had that allure with all of us and now all our sons are affected one way or another by Ryn. History is repeating itself."
"It's called the Siren Effect." Mr. Cresswell replied. "It's part of Ryn and her mother's genetic makeup because of what they are. It's why they are extremely beautiful. No matter where they go, they'll attract the attention of the male species, whether good or bad." "I wish we could kill her." An angry voice piped up and I recognized it to be Dutton's voice. "She and her parents have taken too much from us!"
"I agree." Konan's father said.
"Unfortunately, we can't." Mr. Blackwell said. "Or we would have done that the moment her parents died. The only thing we can do is break her spirit."
"But we can't even do that! She keeps coming back stronger." Konan's father interjected. "..and I blame you for that, Finn."
"What did I do?" My father asked.
"If your sorr hadn't become her backbone, we would have triumphed over her by now. Your son is a problem."
"I agree. Dutton cut in.
"Look, guys, I have tried my best to make him see reason, but he will not. I have never seen him like this since Elizabeth and you know once my son sets his mind one way, it's hard to steer him away. If you use force, the monster in him comes out and we all know what happened the last time we pushed Theon too far."
Another silence.
"I try not to think about it," Mr. Caine said. "You created a monster, Finn. I mean where we all tried and failed with our sons, you actually succeeded."
"I know." My father sighed. "And sometimes, I regret it."
Silence.
"I think at some point, Theon went mad, you know? Lost his sanity. His soul. Elizabeth came, pieced him together, and then tore him apart. Since he came back to life, I have no idea who that boy is. I have no idea who Theon is and I shouldn't admit this, but sometimes, he scares me."
Silence again.
"Theon is delicate." Mr. Blackwell finally said. "We can't afford to upset him, but we need some discord between him and Ryn. Together, they are just too powerful."
"Trust me. I'm right on it." My father said, then his voice went low and I couldn't hear anything, so I figured it was high time to show myself. Taking a deep breath, I walked into the space and straight for them. When they saw me. They signalled to my father that I was around.
I took a seat with them and ordered a round of drinks.
"I thought you'd be busy." My father asked.
"Nah, Dad. Those girls weren't doing it for me." I said, looking everyone in the eye. "What are we talking about?" I asked innocently.
"We're talking about your brother and his obsession with that Ryn of a girl."
"Oh." I frowned. "I hate that little bitch. I wish I could lay my hands on her neck and snuff her life out."
C
+5
Silence settled on the table, and when I raised my head, I saw my father beaming at me. I guess my lies worked. I need them
to trust me.
"I didn't know you hated her, too."
"Trust me, she gets on my nerves. Although, my brother and her are not talking like before. Some new chick entered the picture."
"Ahh yes." My father grinned. "Chelsea."
I turned to him in shock. "You know her?"
"Of course I know her. Ever since she poisoned Ryn and almost killed her, I have been fascinated with her work. She's a really good Alchemist."
"You need to know she's married to my brother now."
"I know." My father smiled. "Who do you think gave her that idea?" AUTHOR'S NOTE: Major thanks to McKenzie Katrina, Summer Carter and Ines Almeida-Meade for the gifts. This chapter is dedicated to you. You guys are best. Love you. If you have read to this point, please be patient with updates. I'll try my best to post two chaps per day. Sometimes, the system of this app keeps chapters under review for almost twelve hours. As I type this, the previous chap before this is still under review so I can't even post this chap first until that one is approved. Totally out of my hands. So please, stick with me. Thank you for making this journey worth it.