Chapter 25



𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕥𝕙 𝕝𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕒𝕘𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕥

Lucas POV (𝕊𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕥)

"You have to go through with it!"

"I can't Damien, I just can't! I'm in love with her. I have always been in love with-"

"Don't you understand?" They will kill Lydia! Is that what you want? You have to do this Lucas, Please, for Lydia sake."

I pulled my arms away from Damien and walked to the other side of the room. The crappy hotel already smelled bad enough, now my sister's life was being held over my head. How was I supposed to choose between them? How was I supposed to decide between the two most important persons in my life?

"Come out of this Lucas," Damien said beside me. When had he crossed over to my side of the room? I needed to think. I couldn't just give in, just let them win?

"I have to find a way, I have to find a way to outsmart them, I have to-"

"Lucas wake up! Don't you see you are fighting a lost cause?" Damien howled into my face, shaking me vigorously with his hands - which had somehow found their way to my shoulder. Grabbing the hands he used to jerk me, I peeled them off my shoulders and stared into his eyes.

"Damien, look at me." Tears were beginning to gather in his eyes. I felt bad for him because I knew how much he loved Lydia.

Dropping his hands, I clasped the sides of his face with my palms. "Damien listen to me. I will find a way to end Laura. I will find a way to outsmart her. I'll save them. I'll save them both.

"What if you can't?" Damien sobbed, his voice a wave of turmoil. "What if you fail? I don't think I can lose-"

"You won't lose Lydia and I won't lose her," I swore fiercely, my heart burning in determination.

"How do you know?" Damien asked, his eyes trained on me with tears embedded beneath them.

"I know because I have a plan."

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Unknown POV (𝕊𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕥)

"Did you get the information we needed?" Laura asked the moment I walked through the door. I smirked as I approached her figure. The woman was too impatient.

"Is that how you welcome your man?" I asked, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her flush against me. Gosh! There was no way I was ever getting over the feelings of her warm curves moulded against mine.

"You know I missed you. Now can you tell me if he's going to carry out the mission as expected?" Laura inquired as she tried dodging the kisses I was peppering around her face and neck.

I sighed, releasing her from my gasps. "He plans to betray us."

"Betray us?" Laura shrieked, panic settling in her eyes. "I thought you said he didn't have it in him?"

"Well, it seems I wildly underestimated Lucas. Thank God we still have his sister." On hearing this, Laura expression changed. When I saw it, I instantly knew she was keeping something from me. "What is it? Why is your face like that?"

She swallowed. "It's about his sister."

"What about her?"

When she refused to meet my eye, I gripped her chin with my fingers and forced her to look at me. "Is she dead?"

Laura squeezed her eyes tightly, refusing to face my heated stare. "Speak woman!" I thundered and she quivered in fear.

"She-" She paused, licking her lips, then raised her eyelids to gaze at me beneath fake lashes. "She escaped this afternoon."

My grip on her chin tightened. "The fuck you say? Did you know what it took me to get that girl here?" I roared in fury.

"It wasn't my fault I swear, one of the guards-" Releasing her chin, I picked up the flower jar at the centre of the table and flung it across the room. A loud curse came from across me as the vase made an impact with the wall, nearing colliding with Momma.

At the sound of her curse, everyone froze, head bowing low in respect "Is this how you handle issues now, boy?" I wisely kept silent, and Momma began to slowly walk towards us.

"Son, am I not speaking to you?"

I raised my head to meet her gaze. "I was pissed, Momma. I am so sorry."

Momma moved around me to Laura. On reaching her, she placed her right hand gently on her face and inspected it. "What exactly are you sorry about, Son?"

I turned to them. This was a tricky question and it needed a tricky answer. "I am sorry for the way I behaved, minutes ago."

"Hmm. So what do you say to the person affected?"

Another trick question. The damn woman.

I walked towards them. When I got in front of Momma, I picked up her hands and kissed them, then turned to Laura and placed my hands on her reddening chin. Drawing her to me, I kissed her sweetly but deeply. When we came up for air, I whispered, "I am sorry for hurting you love. It will never happen again."

Behind me, Momma smiled. "Good boy. Now, come sit here and tell me all about Lucas plans. You shouldn't bother about the girl. When we get the documents from him, we'll send him his sisters body. Or what he will presume is hers."

I walked over to the green couch closest to me and sat down. "How would we do that, Momma. He will take one look at her and know she isn't the one. Moreover, he would want confirmation that his sister is alive before handing over the documents."

"Never mind that boy," Momma said as she settled into the couch opposite from mine. "I already have premeditated recordings. As for him recognising the body to be fake, I have the perfect girl for the job. Now tell me, how does he intend to betray us?"

Laura stood up and went for the bar. She knew Momma loved to chat with a glass of scotch in her hand. It was a strict tradition she didn't joke with. I settled into the couch and explained the plans I just discovered to my mother, hen watched as her face settled into an expression of awe. She was impressed.

"This boy is more resourceful than I thought. Too bad he doesn't have you on his side." My lips curled into a smirk. I loved it when Momma praised me. It meant she was finally becoming proud of me. I couldn't wait to rise above the shadow of my sister.

"So what are we going to do now, Momma?" Laura asked as he handed Momma her drink and came to me.

"It's simple. We'll let him come, snatch the document away from him, the serve his battered sister to him in a plater." Momma took a sip of her drink and grinned. "But before then, when is he supposed to make her sign it again?"

"Tomorrow," I replied and brought out my cigarette.

"Good. Send Eunice. We can't be too sure."

I beamed in deep satisfaction. Soon, our revenge would be complete and we would finally regain what was stolen from us. What rightfully belonged to us. Destroying them all in the process.

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Unknown POV (𝕊𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕥)

I ran through the thick forest. It was almost as if the trees were alive - for they kept moving in every direction I leapt. Running used to be fun for me, we'd run around the compound as kids till our legs became sore and breathing became hard. But as I sprinted through the forest, my legs sore and my ribs, broken, I was convinced running was the worst thing that could ever happen to a man.

I wanted to stop. I really wanted to. But I knew if I did I might never find my brother. I needed to find him. I needed to stop him from destroying her life. He needed to know I had escaped. I was saved.

Saved? You are not saved yet, Lydia.

I spotted a light far ahead and hope washed over me. That was a shelter, it had to be. I dragged my feet quicker, running through the pain, tugging my weight until I got to the porch of the cabin.

"Help!" I yelled, my voice cracking from lack of hydration. How I had survived until this very moment was a miracle. I hit the porch with my weakening arms, desperate to get a response.

"Please, help me." Tears began to flow down my eyes as I felt my hope draining, taking my strength along with it. Just when I thought no one was ever gonna come out, the door opened and I raised my head.

"Oh, Child!" An elderly looking woman let out as she raced down the steps to me. Although I couldn't see her face, I managed to catch the scent of her hair.

Rose.

My eyes heavy, I finally began to give in to the darkness. And just as the world began to fade, I couldn't help but mutter, "Evelyn."