The Lethal Heptagon

CHAPTER IX

[Dante]

"The cameras caught Dante snapping pictures of all the pages of the file," Raven reported to my father. "I've gotten his phone, check it out." She handed him my phone.
"Since when?" My father lamented and continued, "among the three you are the most obedient one Dante. I am disappointed." He gave me back my phone. "Remove your SIM card."

Raven gave me a pin and I swiftly removed it without any complain. My father deftly grabbed my phone and hurled it to the ground. He then retrieved a gun with a silencer and aimed it at me. My instincts prompted my legs to take two quick steps back, but I believed my father wouldn't go as far as to harm his own son though. Suddenly, I heard a muffled shot, and I realized it had been aimed at my phone.

"Give me your ICloud account and password. I can't trust you anymore," my father demanded, removing the silencer. He then cocked the gun as if blowing out the candles on a birthday cake and left it on the table.

     After I reluctantly handed over my account and password, his computer operator quickly scanned it and discovered that I hadn't sent the pictures there. He promptly signaled this to my father.

     Furious, my father slammed the table. "Fine, I told you that you won't know about your mother, and that's final. Next time, don't push me, or I'll aim at you," he warned, glaring at the useless phone on the ground. "You'll receive a new iPhone tomorrow, but don't ever enter my office again. Leave."

I left the interrogation room without a backward glance, leaving Raven and Lander sitting there. The place resembled a police station's interrogation room, painted in navy blue with a simple wooden table and four chairs. I didn't understand why Dad had one, but I wasn't about to ask. His first rule always echoed in my mind like a wizard's incantation whenever I dared to defy him.

I pocketed my SIM card and headed to see Lucas. I walked thinking on how easy father had been with me, he was always fond of taking offenses till the edge and imposing detrimental punishment on us. But that day, he wasn't very furious as usual, maybe because his birthday was just in two days from then.

I knocked Lucas's door. It was already late, eleven in the night, but I wanted to see that he had successfully received the images I sent him. At the moment, I heard strides approaching and he opened.

     "What happened over there?" he inquired.
"Nothing, dad just gave a shot to my phone. That's all."
"Ah, that's very generous coming from him," he chuckled and then gave me his phone, "see it here."

"So you received it," I confirmed.
"I have to admit you are a genius. You just got all the fucking information spilled," he praised.

We walked to the balcony, my eyes fixed on Lucas's phone. I was so engrossed in the information I had unearthed that I almost bumped into the wall near the door. My eyes widened with each revelation, much like when I was captivated by shocking scenes in the books I read.

"So, my mother is Trix Darwell? Who is that?" I asked, astonished.
"I don't know." He shrugged. "My mother, according to this, is Melanie Strone and Lander's is Teresa Darwell."
"So we're not triplets? And who are all these women?" I spoke through clenched teeth. "Wait... if these are their maiden names... then it implies... no, no, no, no!!" I shook my head in denial.

"Trix and Teresa are Father's sister." Lucas finished. "I know Teresa, she is the aunt that took care of me in Claudial, and yes she is his sister... but, I have never heard of Trix or Melanie." Lucas groaned.

"No wonder father hid this secret." I cursed my curiosity internally.

For sometime I regretted knowing that information. Why would they? I couldn't find an answer for that.