Breaking Daylan

Chapter 15

- Julian Paris -

"Some lose all mind and become soul: insane
Some lose all soul and become mind: intellectual
Some lose both and become
accepted."

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Three years ago...

I never thought adoption would be in my future. I was a natural trouble maker with a knack of ticking off the wrong people. The orphanage grew fed up with my rebellion and would get physical to shut me up, and it did do the trick for a little while. I wouldn't say I was an angry, brooding, hateful type, but experience can sure make you that way.

When an esteemed family like the Paris' wanted to adopt me, I didn't think it was real. It had to be some cruel trick the caretakers were playing, raising my hopes up only for them to plummet while they watch in snickering enjoyment. But as I'm riding in a limousine with Andre and Ariel Paris, it was most definitely not a joke.

Andre has light brown hair gelled to perfection with strong features, green eyes, and clean cut with not a hair out of place. Just his very presence radiated pure power that I had the urge to beg him for forgiveness for no reason. His wife, Ariel, was one hundred percent Asian. She flaunted the milky white skin against dark, pretty much black hair perfectly. Something about her told me she wasn't just some trophy wife though. Her eyes were a light, yellow brown, almost golden when caught in the right lighting. She had full lips and a cautious expression on her face. Like I was going to be able to do any damage. Andre looked like he would tear me apart if I even looked at his wife wrongly.

"So Julian, we hope you will enjoy your stay here. We normally speak French, our native tongue, so I'm sorry if things get confusing." Andre explained as we pulled up to a mansion. Yeah... definitely a mansion with its arching doorways, windows as tall as me (5'11) and perfectly kept lawns.

This was really my new home. I was a Paris.

⚡️

It's been three months at the Paris Manor, and I don't know whether it has been a blessing or not. Everyone was so... systematic. There were bodyguards everywhere and an entire room of weaponry along with a training facility.

I had been enrolled in Darlington Preparatory and since then been living my life as the supposed "long lost Paris son." I guess I could resemble the two. I had the dark hair trait that could come from Ariel along with the almost golden eyes although mine leaned more towards copper. I was also pale, though not in the kind where Ariel was smooth like porcelain, just the kind that got me sunburnt in fifty degree weather without the sun even being out.

I quickly learned most of the time I was disclosed from things and completely kept in the dark. And even more weirdly, Andre had me train to shoot, hand to hand combat, and wield and throw a knife with ease. I had caught on the shooting thing pretty easily, but the knives not so much. I trained three hours a day, alternating and shifting between the three until I collapsed from exhaustion or my mentor believed I improved enough. He never thought I improved enough.

I was sitting on the couch in my room reading when a servant scurried in to give me The Talk. No, not the whole sex thing. I am well rehearsed in how the plug goes into the socket; this was the talk that was going to finally give me some answers.

The servant took me over to Andre's study, an off limits at all times room that I've seen glimpses of. Once I was inside, my eyes widened. One wall was devoted to screens upon screens. One was trained on the front door, another in front of our main bedrooms (mine and Andre's). Another screen showed a map littered with marks. One was of France and the other America. Exes were strewn about along with bright multi-colored dots. In particular, two silver dots stood out since they weren't dots at all but rather stars. One was on the orphanage and the other in Crest.