The Judgement Of Divinity (TMOE #2)

Chapter 42: Now they know

He locked eyes with Damien.

"But I guess you love being hated by your sons."

Damien didn't acknowledge the statement, instead pushing Lucius forward with the help of Derek, and Lucius had to turn all his effort into keeping from fainting. The steps up to the platform were few, but they still made him dizzy, and his shallow breathing forced his vision to sway.

Before Damien could address the audience however, someone else spoke first, and a glimmer of hope appeared in the crowd.

"Lord Hargreaves, what is the meaning of this!?" Bahman shouted through the murmurs of others, looking more infuriated than ever. "Lady Cromwell is still recovering, why would you force her—"

"Not 'her', Mr. Featherstone," Damien cut him off. "Which is one of the reasons."

Lucius saw his chance. The only, small possibility for him to get away unharmed was winning over the people again, and that meant giving them the kind of sob story they'd want to hear. The kind Anthony had suggested for him to make up.

"Haven't you put me through enough, Lord Hargreaves?" he asked with a trembling, whimpering voice he fortunately didn't have to fake much. His nerves were already in shambles. "After everything you've done to me, and after everything that happened at the party, can't you please just... Stop?"

"You speak of what I have done to you?" Damien had to laugh, though not at all amused. "As if you weren't behind all of it from the beginning, Lu—"

"Why would I do something like that!?" Lucius hurriedly interrupted. "The— The people there... They didn't deserve such a thing. There were so... So many innocent people. I would never put them in harm's way no matter how much you hurt me!"

The claim took effect, and Damien frowned as the spectators turned to each other for theories and taking sides.

"I've done you no harm. You're the one who schemed against me, just so you could avoid marriage and run this town without me."

It was Lucius' turn to have an empty laugh, and he pulled up the sleeve of his injured arm.

"Is this your idea of 'no harm', Lord Hargreaves? You let your henchman snap my shoulder just to intimidate me. To make me step down from my position, but if you think I'm going to run and hide and leave this town in the hands of someone like you, you're gravely mistaken!"

Damien gritted his teeth, and Lucius happily turned his gaze away from what had to be a spine-chilling glare in his direction.

"You got that from the explosion! And you have no claim to this town! You never had! You—"

"And did I get this from the explosion!?" Lucius threw away all his remorse as he turned around and pulled down his shirt to reveal his other shoulder. "Did it somehow burn your organisation's emblem into my back!?"

This proved very convincing to the audience, and Damien sent a brief, accusatory glance in Derek's direction while Lucius kept up his momentum.

"You've only been after my position from our very first meeting." His voice cracked at the right place, and he even threw in a clenched fist against his heart. "I thought perhaps we could make it work if we married, but you only grew more abusive, and I— I've been lost on what to do. And now someone's gone so far as to try getting rid of me by blowing me up."

He broke into low sobs, and Damien looked as though he could strangle him then and there.

"You were behind the explosion! If anyone tried to get rid of someone, it was you!"