The Secrets We Hide

Chapter Three

The tall, burly man sat at his desk, the sound of a ticking clock filling the room. The barber had shaved the man's hair close to his head, with the thick layered hair on the top standing out in contrast. He had styled his hair into a wild, tousled look. His muscles were bulging out of a white tight t-shirt which was tucked into some dark black jeans. His eyes were cold and unwavering as he listened to the conference on his computer screen. The man was emotionless. Not a flicker of light lingered in his eyes.

The warmth that used to radiate from his eyes faded away after the death of his beloved wife and son. He changed his friendly and approachable nature to a guarded and uninviting persona. Alec had transformed himself from an ordinary CEO of a small company to a respected and influential figure. He was now the owner of one of the largest conglomerates in the UK. He took his regular business and merged it with the family business that he had declared he would never come near again. The promise he had made to his dying mother evaporated like the mist in the air when they accused him of killing his wife and son.

It didn't matter which day it was, his thoughts would always linger on the day they threw him into an interrogation room. He didn't think that anything could get worse when he was told that his wife and son had died in a car crash, but how wrong was he? He still remembered DC Denvers' stern gaze as he accused him of killing his wife for his mistress. The mistress that was non-existent. Just the thought of Malia made the blood in his veins run cold. The bitch that had ruined his life had disappeared into thin air. The police had accused him of hiding her away to save his true love. He remembered his bitter laughter vibrating through the air at DC Denver's words. He never even touched the woman, yet she had spoiled his life. For what?

Alec remembered the cold, white walls of the cell, the tin toilet with its rust-stained bowl, and the squeaky mattress barely thick enough to call a bed. He felt the aching in his chest grow with each passing second, the chill in the air going unnoticed. He clenched his eyes shut, recalling his wife's sweet smile and the sound of his chubby child's hearty laughter. The memories were like a weight on Alec's shoulders, never bringing him joy and instead filling him with a deep sense of pain. The pain was so intense at the time it brought him to the brink of suicide.

Alec remembered the moment his cell door swung open and there stood his saviour. The man he hated, the man he swore he would never be. How did fate played him for a fool? He was shocked to find his older brother Derek standing in front of him. He still remembers the feeling of utter desperation that made him drop to his knees at that moment. Derek was never one for emotions, but seeing his brother in this turmoil broke the man.

Derek and Alec had similar features, but their personalities were the polar opposite. Derek was dark as night. Their domineering father brought him up to be emotionless and analytical. For Derek was the heir to the family Mafia. He was a man that instilled fear into his followers and was cruel to his enemies. Derek was a force to be reckoned with. They brought Alec up in the same environment, but his mother was much softer in her nature. She wanted something more for her son; for she wished he would live a life beyond the Mafia.

When their father died, Alec requested to leave the Mafia life behind him. He was reluctant to agree, but his mother begged him to let him aspire to do something else. Derek, with a heavy heart, agreed with his mother's request and watched on as his brother went to university and met his wife, Vivian. Even though Derek had never interacted with his brother, he kept tabs on his life. He watched on the sidelines as his brother developed his business and made a home with a family that wasn't him. Although he missed his brother, he was happy with what he had achieved.

When Derek's spies had informed him what transpired with his brother's life. He knew he could not let him rot away in prison. It wasn't the life he deserved. Derek didn't have to ask his brother whether he killed his wife because he knew how much he doted on his family. His brother was soft and didn't have the killer instinct to kill the people that he loved. So when Derek heard of his brother's plight, he dropped everything and went to save the only family he had left.