Date Written: December 31, 2017
************************************************************
*Third Person's POV*
Grayson can't help but be agitated the more seconds tick by with Damien grinning in malice. He could feel his other side pacing in his mind restlessly, wanting nothing more than to reach out and slit his throat open.
Of course he couldn't do that. He'll be dead before he could even take a step out of this oaf's office, and he surely doesn't want to make an enemy out of Damien's alliances in Europe. He knows how strong their forces are and he doesn't want his company, nor his family, to be targeted by just an irrational move from him.
Looking at Damien again, he growled in anger as he bared his fangs at the fox. "Stop grinning! I'm not looking for teeth to buy!" He gritted as Damien burst out laughing. The nerve!
"Chill, Grayson. Chill" he snickered that has him clenching his fists tighter.
"That's it!" He exclaimed frustratingly and stood up. He had enough of his crazyness and he should be there with his son, aiding him and not sitting here with the crazy baboon!
He ignored his irritating laugh behind him before Damien spoke.
"I heard Fernando's house is in a wreck. Probably with blood in the canvas too?" He could feel the evil grin at his voice. He froze in his spot as his whole body tensed.
Damien grinned, knowing that he got his attention. "You know Jaken? Aaah yes of course. He was suppose to be the heir of the company after your granddaughter is married to Zach. Seeing as sadly that haven't happened yet...it should be interesting" he mused, his grin widening as Grayson tensed even more.
"What will happen now that...she didn't turn out the way we lead her to?" He snickered at his words as he noticed the way blood is oozing out of Grayson's clenched fists. "Of course, she shouldn't be our concern. My grandson is taking good care of her" he continued with a smirk.
Damien took slow tentative steps that could resemble a fox playing with his toy as he nears Grayson's tensed form.
"What we should be concerned about is...what about Jaken? I heard Alexandrielle got a claw out of him" he smiled evilly.
In a flash, Grayson has his claws wrapped around the oaf's throat. Its sharp edges cutting through the skin of Damien's throat, enough to draw blood but not enough to actually kill. If only he could sink it deeper.
"What.are.you.implying?" Grayson gritted out as his whole body shook in restraint not to let his other side take control. He knew that once he does, this whole room would be bathed in Damien's blood with his limbs and organs decorated in the whole place.
Damien let out a cough of blood before grinning again; his teeth tainted with the crimson liquid. He had always loved riling people up.
"Don't you know now? Your granddaughter, Alexandrielle, had turned into a half-dead dominant" Grayson instantly paled at his words. His mind buzzed with all the memories of his haunting dreams of what a monster Alexandrielle will turn. He knew he should've prevented it, he knew he should've kept her away from the Harrisons despite the deal but he wasn't able to. At that time, he thought he was just dreaming; just a plain dream with no meaning at all. He even thought that Aria is the one connecting with him through the dream, haunting him for not being able to protect her and for treating her ideal grandchild so badly.
He wish he could've just paid more attention. He wish he could've taken it more seriously so that now, nothing like this would've happened. He can endure Damien and his goons targeting his life than risk his granddaughter. Now, he hopes he's not too late to put things right...it has to!
Damien watched the look of horror and guilt filter through Grayson's eyes that gave him so much satisfaction of kicking at this wounded animal.
He ripped Grayson's claws off his neck, ignoring the skin being ripped off and the blood that spewed out as he straightens and meet Grayson with an evil smile.
"That's not the worst of it all, Grayson" he mused. "Besides the damage that have happened in their property, do you really think any of them might've survived?"
Grayson's heart thundered in his chest in dread. 'No no no no no! It can't be. He's lying. He should be! He's always good at lying' he chanted at himself, denying what his mind is conjuring up the worst scenarios of his family dying in the hands of someone they should've loved.
"They have Zach" Grayson swallowed the lump in his throat as he repeated his answer. "They have Zach. He is strong. I know he can withstand her even in her state. I know he can help them" he continued with certainty, willing himself to believe his conviction.
Damien laughed at him with a shake of his head. "Are you that naive, Riley? Are you even keeping in tabs with your family at all? Zach abandoned her after the Dominant's gathering because she bedded with her first. Do you really think that Zach would still want her after being betrayed like that?"
At that moment, Grayson couldn't help but let dread consume him. No amount of denying, chanting, and convincing he does to himself can sway the fact of what Damien just casually spewed out like the words are mere stones themselves. He hates how he always makes a point straight to the heart.
"Poor, Grayson. You must be in so much pain right now" he heard Damien coo sarcastically that has him having an urge to roar at his face.
"Let me at least ease your pain a bit...console you" Damien grinned at him as he pats his back in a fake comforting manner. "Fernando and his wife is far as I know, alive. Yeah beaten here and there but at least breathing, right?"
'What about Jaken?' He asked internally in panic as Damien opened his mouth to answer his unspoken question.
"Jaken, however...didn't make it." The bastard even had the nerve to fake pout! "According to my birdie-" Damien motioned his dick, laughing as Grayson looked away uncomfortable. "-he died in Alexandrielle's hands while healing. It looks as if, Jaken found himself wounded when she turned and did a great damage at him and his father before she was contained. Unfortunately enough, Alexandrielle managed to be free from the container they put her in and killed him when they were unsuspecting"
Grayson's legs gave out beneath him as he collapsed on the floor. He's mind and body went numb as grief kicked in. He could feel the burning at the edge of his eyes and he knows that tears will fall soon if he couldn't get a grip of himself right at this moment. The least he could do is be weak in front of this jerk!
He slowly stood up with a wobble as he gripped the coffee table to steady himself. He feels his heart shattering over and over again as pain tugged at his heart mercilessly.
Damien put a hand on his shoulder in mock condolence. "This is why I called you here for. To pay my condolence to you. As per our deal years ago, don't you think I was right all along that you should hate her? Seeing as she's the bastard child, she also killed your sole heir."
At that moment, Grayson was struck with freezing water. His eyes opened in realization after so many wasted years. How could he just see this now when everything's too late?
His mind reeled back to the day he lost his everything...
*Flashback*
"Aria!!! Plea-please...no...n-no!!" He watched helplessly as her body fell down to the ground in slow agonizing motion.
"Noooooo!!!!" He roared in pure despair and anguish as he struggled and thrashed against the blaze-coated chains tied on the wall. He continued to thrash as his heartbeat thundered in his chest. Tears are running down his face as he screamed in anger and pain.
"Aria!!" came out his agonized wail as he slumped on the floor; hearing the last of her heartbeat pass away while he couldn't do anything to save her. How he wish he could be at least there with her; holding her hand, whispering comforting words to her, telling her that everything will be alright even though he knew that he will lose her.
He continued to wail in agony and loss until his bounds are freed from its restraints. He stood up shakily, his legs shaking as his whole body trembled with the heart's wrenching pain. He helplessly looked at the lifeless body in front of him. His knees caving in as another round of emotional torture invaded him.
"Aria..." he choked on a sob as his chest contricted in pain. He could feel his heart breaking in millions, his body leaving him, his mind in torture, and his soul being ripped out of him.
Tears pooled beneath him as he struggled to get up, to reach her. He need to hold her. He need to be beside her. He wants to deny that she's dead, she has to be alive! She has to! She can't leave him and Fernando in this world without her. Aria is a selfless person and she never abandons anyone, especially not him and their son. Aria is not cruel like that!
A gut wrenching sob escaped him as he crawled towards her limp form, ignoring the cuts on his skin as he lets himself bleed with her.
"Aria please don't leave. Please stay. You have to be alive" he sobbed as he took her bloodied body in his.
An agonized wail left him when he saw her pale face, drained of her life's color. Her lips in a blue-ish haze as blood was splattered among her flawless, goddess-like face.
He let out a scream of pure, unfiltered pain as he came to a stark realization that she's dead. That she left them for good; never coming back.
"Aria...h-how co-could y-y-y...y-you?....h-h-how c-could...you l-lea-ve like th-this?...wh-why?...why?..Aria p-please c-come back to-to me-me, love...please..." he begged her as he carressed her pale cold cheeks that has him sobbing even harder. Gone was the woman he loves, gone was the woman who completes him, the woman who brings sunshine and joy to his gray life, the very woman who has him on his knees whenever he misbehaves, the woman who he chases all around when she's upset, the woman who scolds him and smack him at the back of his head when he eats some of her chocolate, the woman who is imprinted in his heart, the woman he and his other side will kill just to have her, the woman that holds his heart in her delicate hands, and the same woman who became one with his soul, heart, body, and mind.
"Aria..." he sobbed even more as he filled the whole place with his music of pure agony, pain, grief, and sorrow.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
He could feel Damien's presence as he approach. He should be angry for killing his wife but right now, he's numb. He had shut his self out from the whole world as his chest holds an empty void in it, never to be filled again.
He ignored his son's wail to get to him or in his mother's arms. He remembered Fernando's look of confusion when he saw his mom's pale, dead face in the coffin a moment ago. He remembered him looking at him saying "Dada" as if asking him what happened to his mommy.
At that moment, Grayson couldn't help the grief as he passed him to his nanny as he kneeled on the grass, his chest being ripped as it pains over the loss of the love of his life. The only good thing that ever happened to him.
"Dada! Mommy! Dada!" He could hear Fernando in the background, struggling in his nanny's hold as he continues to watch the patched ground where they lowered his wife's body.
"This is not yet done, Grayson. My wife is still not found and your wife's death doesn't pay for it" Damien hissed beside him as he just continued to watch the patched ground.
"I will seek retribution from you or else I'll target your company and destroy it to the ground" he heard him continue but he's just too numb to care.
"In the future, if ever you'll have an addition to your family which is a female, arrange her to my sons or my future descendants. That will be the only solitude we'll have to keep me from destroying your company. Even then, my retribution stays to the day both of us exhale our last breath" with that, he walked away with Grayson not having any choice but to follow.
The only thing in his mind is at least protect what he has now than dwell on what's already lost.
*End of Flashback*
As far as he could remember, Damien has been so keen on having him hate Alexandrielle the moment she was born. And he succeeded. Did he actually fell for his trap? Did he actually became a pawn the moment he agreed to the deal? Was he being used all these years? Is him hating Alexandrielle a part of his plan, a part of this sick twisted game of his? Was he this blind all along that he literally dug his remaining clan's grave with his own claws? How could he be so stupid?!
"What will happen now that Fernando has no one to pass the company to? I could always lend you my help. After all, we became friend these last few years." Grayson met him square in the eye, masking his hatred for this man as he came into a decision to not let himself be a pawn anymore. He had made himself wiser as a plan was conjured in his mind.
"Say what you want" was all he said as Damien grinned in victory while he smirked in triumph in his head, knowing that he'll bring this oaf down soon enough.
Two can play this game.
************************************************************
AN: Pretty long, huh? What'dya think of Gramps now? Do you still hate him? Hmmmm...
-❤M.A_011