“What is it?” came my harsh reply as I stood by the door, unmoving, eyes clashing with Rayne’s golden brown ones with an intensity I didn’t know existed. Now to think of it, I never paid much attention to her eyes. I could see the specks of gold dotted around them. In those eyes, was the warmth of an everlasting hearth as if they were the wood that could burn with golden flame yet be forever perfectly entire.
I could see glimpses of her shattered innocence, the pain she had endured throughout the years, the burden she had to bear. In all that, she still manages to emerge as a strong woman despite all she’s been through. I should feel concerned or sympathetic but my heart was as black as the darkness within me.
“What—What are you doing here?” Her voice is rasp, soft—scratchy because it hasn’t been used for a while. “And where—where am I?”
I don’t answer mainly because I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this was my second failed attempt to take her life. The first time, I chose to let her rot in the river and now, I deprived her of oxygen. I knew deep down that if I don’t get rid of her, she would ruin me for eternity. And somehow I always seem to falter when I'm given the opportunity.
It makes me wonder what is it about her that makes me want to bend my vile nature and rules to her will?
She confuses me and I hate it.
The sound of the door opening jerks me out of my thoughts. Nellie accompanied by Kamol entered into the room, on sighting me, Kamol remained by the entrance at my side while Rayne’s daughter ran towards her mother with tears flowing down her cheeks.
"Mom called." He says, keeping his eyes glued to Nellie who begins to ask her mother how she was doing and tell her all sorts of emotional nonsense.
I don't react to his words. That woman was fucking predictable. All her actions never took me by surprise. I had been married to the woman for four years. They were the worst years of my life, I tell you.
"She wanted to speak to you about something important and she insisted you give her a call." He adds, looking up at the side of my face as my gaze remains rooted to the face of the woman that's giving me so many problems.
"Do not tell me such things, Kamol. Anything pertaining to your mother is irrelevant to me." I speak in a rigorous manner, straightening out my tie with a hardened jaw.
He frowns but doesn't respond which is a very wise decision on his part. My body still writhed with rage that's forcefully trying to claw its way to the surface and I do not want him to be at the receiving end of it.
Hesitantly, I ask, "Any word from your brother?"
Kamol freezes.
He probably didn't expect me to ask about the well-being of my other son. He is right to be shocked by my sudden....concern. I don't blame him. I barely have time for either of my children since I have.....well.....been an absentee father considering the fact that I disowned them years ago and later revoked it.
Well.....I guess I deserve the father of the year award not that I care.
"We facetimed a couple minutes ago. He's doing okay.....for now." He answers, putting a lot of emphasis on the last few words.
I knew what that meant without being told. It's only a matter of time before he wastes another opportunity doing something abominable that would most likely tarnish my reputation.
Apart from that, I could tell that Kamol wasn't being entirely truthful but I let it go.
"He asked about you, you know?" He says. I feel a tug in my chest—and just as quickly as it comes, it vanishes. Damn, what is wrong with me and feeling emotional lately? I never feel that way. Ever. When I don't respond, he continues. "Both of you are so fucking stubborn."
I ignore that remark.
"Mom? Mom? Nurse! Nurse!!" Nellie begins to hyperventilate, panic skating over her face as she shakes her mother hoping to get her to wake up.
Kamol immediately rushes to her side and places a hand on her shoulder as a sign of comfort. It surprises me that the both of them quickly bonded since they don't know each other at all. "Calm down, Nellie. It's not something serious. She probably got tired or something. You know she hasn't fully recovered yet."
She continued to shed tears, brushing the hair away from her mother's face.
Immediately a couple of nurses barge into the room, I take that as my cue to leave, stepping out of the room, I see Wayne leaning against the wall with two of my men next to him.
"Wayne," At the sound of his name, he stiffens and stands upright. "Make preparations for Rayne to be transfered to my mansion so she can recuperate there. And while she's there, I want the best doctor to attend to her and make sure a background check is done before taking any further action. You got it?"
"Yes, sir."
With that, I made my way towards the elevator in long strides, wanting to get away from here as soon as possible.
****
By the time I got to my mansion, I see Hana causing a ruckus at the gate, demanding to be let in before she did something they would most likely regret. The guards ignored her empty threats and repeatedly told her that she wasn't welcome here and told her to leave before they used deadly force.
She groans in frustration and turns around just in time to see my car come to a halt by the side of the massive gate.
With a scowl planted on her caked up face, she waltzes over to my direction, holding onto her signature chanel handbag like it was some national treasure, her five inch heels clicking against the hard pavement with every step she took. When she got to the passenger’s side of the car, she tapped on the window before taking off her sunglasses.
Reluctantly, I rolled down the window and her irritating pitchy voice reaches my ears.
“You are really starting to get on my nerves, dear husband. Didn’t you see any of my missed calls?”
Silence.
“And the foolish guards you hired refused to let me in. Don’t they know I am your wife and the mother of your children.” She continues her useless ramblings, causing my irritation to expand further.
The former was untrue but I chose not to respond to that.
Tightening my grip on the steering wheel, I speak through clenched teeth, “Get in.”
Hana didn’t need to be told twice before she yanks the door open and makes herself comfortable on the passenger’s seat, brushing her hair away from her face in a way that seemed seductive. I don’t even know why she tries.
“Where are you taking me?” She asks, eyeing me with suspicion but her eyes gleams with excitement as I turn the engine back on and head back to the road.
“What do you want, Hana?” I ignore her question, glancing at her for a split second to see that she had already pulled out a pack of cigarette from her hand bag and a lighter. I flash her a death glare and returned my attention back to the road before us. “You know quite well that I hate when someone smokes in my fucking car and yet you’re doing it anyway. Consequences of that is a swift and painful death, Hana.”
“We both know that no matter how much you want to kill me, you can’t actually do it.” She lit up the cigarette and places it between her red painted lips, smoking it regardless of the murderous look I keep flashing her way.
In a way she is right. The only thing that’s keeping me from putting a bullet through her skull is the daunting reality that she’s my children’s mother. She may not be a likeable person but they love her and I don’t think they would be too happy when they hear that their beloved mother was murdered in cold blood by their evil father and thrown into the Atlantic ocean—never to be found.
That would be the headline of every fucking news. The tabloids would just eat this up.
“That doesn’t mean I can’t find immense pleasure from torturing you until you beg for a merciful death.” Although my expression is calm but the underlying threat behind my tone isn’t too hard for anyone to miss even if that person is psychotic.
“Although I am flattered by the romantic sentiment, I’m here on business, Aran. Our broken marriage can wait.” She declares, turning serious. I have never known Hana to discuss serious matters with me, it always about our annulment and the love she claims she has for me. But I know her all too well to know that whatever she wanted to say won’t be of benefit to me whatsoever.
“It’s about our son, Van.” At least she is being sensible for once.
“What about him?” I ask, with a single brow raised.
“Last week, I paid him a visit,” My eyebrows pulled together in surprise. Since when does my self-centered ex-wife make effort to spend time with her sons? She ignores the look on my face and continues, blowing out a cloud of smoke. “I went there for business and decided to drop by at the school.”
“Where is this going, Hana?” I cut through an intersection. The urge to kick her out of the moving vehicle becomes hard to resist the longer we stayed together in this minimal space.
“He’s dealing drugs, Aran.” She reveals, sounding awfully concerned as she throws what is left of the cigarette out the window.
I loose control of the car for a second and just before I can collide with the other cars, I slam my foot against the brakes and the car comes to a screeching halt by the curb, the impact causing our bodies to lurch forward.
“Goddammit, Aran! Do you want to get us killed?” She yells, checking her body frantically to see if she had sustained any injuries. She blows out a sigh of relief when her skin remains flawless.
“What do you mean he’s dealing drugs?” I raged, veins pulsing in my neck from the anger that went ablaze just by the news.
She frowns and takes out a small mirror from her handbag, staring at her reflection in the mirror as she smoothens down her perfectly styled hair, staring daggers at me every few seconds. “Are you deaf? He’s dealing drugs. What part of that don’t you understand?”
I wrap my hand around her throat and pull her close to my face so she has no chance but to stare into the dark pools of my eyes. The mirror falls out of her grip and lands on the floor.
“Do not make me pluck out your eyeballs. Your presence alone is already draining the life out of me. So if you want to keep those useless eyeballs, you better speak.” I seethe, tightening my hold around her throat, the look in my eyes daring her to speak to me with such disrespect again. “How do you know he is dealing drugs?”
“He—he….Aran let go. I—I can’t breathe.” She chokes. Tears leaks out from the corner of her eyes as she desperately tries to pry my hands away before I crush her windpipe. Reluctantly, I let her go and she draws in air into her lungs.
“I caught him with a few men dressed in suits. He gave them a parcel in exchange for money and when I confronted him about it, he lied and told me it was none of my business.” She rubs the skin on her neck soothingly and picks up the mirror from the floor. “He later confessed after much....persuasion.”
I lean my elbow against the window, clenching and unclenching my jaw from the unfiltered rage that flowed through me from what I just learned. I remember telling my sons not to—under any circumstances—get involved with anything pertaining to drugs. That was the only rule I took serious when it came to them engaging in criminal activities.
I had taken drugs before and was trafficking it at some point but suddenly….I stopped. My father was a drug and alcohol addict. I have seen the way it controls his actions and make him do a lot of regrettable things.
When I quitted, I promised myself not to allow my children to end up like my insane father and I’ve stuck to that promise until now.
“He got mixed up in the global black market. I also found out that he got himself involved in Salvatore’s drug trafficking business.” My head snapped to her at the mention of that name, my anger erupting like a volcano. “Look Aran, I don’t care about your feud with Salvatore, okay? All I want is for my son not to get caught up in it. Do something about it or I will. And we both know my method is going to drag your reputation through the mud which I’m sure is going to last for a few minutes before you do damage control but those few minutes will bring me utter satisfaction.”
She mutters something—probably insulting—under her breath and unlocks the door angrily, stepping out into the cold night air, she slams the door and leaves.
Quickly, I pull out my phone from my pocket and dial a number.
He answers on the first ring.
"Sir we haven't found any leads on the guy who —"
"Put someone else in charge of that. I want you to bring Van home, Kane." I end the call before he can respond and put the phone aside.
I drive towards Salvatore's Warehouse where he conducts all of his illegal dealings, rage quickening my blood and making it impossible for me to see anything except blood red.
By the time I get there, I waste no time in making my way towards his office, ignoring and punching the guards who dared to block my path. I take the wrought iron stairs to the second floor. Quickly locating his office, I kick the door open and see him seated by his desk as he converses with two men who sits across from him.
Ignoring their stares of confusion, I march towards Salvatore, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pushed him against the wall aggressively. He smiles like the sadistic bastard he actually is and that just infuriates me more.
The men try to intervene but a glance at the murderous look on my face had them rushing out of the room like the cowards they are.
"How dare you?! How fucking dare you?" My voice drips with venom.
The smiles wipes off his face and is replaced by an annoyed frown. "No, how dare you barge into my office, Aran?"
“Don't you fucking use that tone with me!" I growl, using my fist to apply pressure on his throat. “Why did you involve my son in your illegal business?”
His face scrunches up in discomfort. He opens his mouth and manages to speak regardless of my knuckles pressing down on his throat. “I–I don't see any problem....in that, Aran.” I take my hands away from his throat but don't let go of his collar. “I offered the boy a deal and he accepted without any hesitation. I don't see any faults in this.”
A wave of fury crashed through me. I slam his body against the wall, much harder this time that it cuts the air away from his lungs.
“I am no fool, Salvatore. If you're trying to spite me just for the fun of it, I assure you that it won't work. You took my sister away from me but this time, I'll make sure to terminate your existence if you so much as touch a single hair on his head.” I glower. My voice turns dangerously deeper as I say the next words. “Stay away from, Van, Salvatore. I am fucking warning you.”
I pull back away from him and walked out of his office, fuming so hard like a deranged animal.
****
I get back to the mansion just in time to see Rayne being taken inside along with Wayne, a couple of my men, Kamol, a doctor and.....Rayne's daughter. The suitcase she drags behind her as she engages in a conversation with my son, a look of awe on her face as she glances around the luxurious surroundings, the rays of the moonlight making everything look majestic and beautiful.
Once my car is parked, I approach them. “What are you doing here, Nellie?”
“Do you have a problem with me being in your home because I clearly remember you barging into my apartment despite my displeasure and refusal.” What a sharp tongue! I know she didn't get it from her mother.
"I don't have the luxury to entertain your silly attitude."
"You may have helped us with almost everything but that doesn't mean I trust you with my mother. I'm not leaving her side until she recovers and when she does we're getting out of this.....awful place." She scoffs and fucking walks away while in the middle of a conversation with me.
Oh the nerve of this brat!
Kamol falls in step with her but freezes on the spot at my words.
“Kamol, to my office. Now!"
———————
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Whattt??! Another chapter again?! I am on a roll.
Honestly, I had so much fun writing this chapter. It made me happy in some way.
What are your thoughts?
Seems like Kamol is in trouble. God bless his soul!
The next chapter is going to be in Rayne's POV.
Don't forget to VOTE, COMMENT and SHARE:)
Love you❤️❤️