Chapter 219

"Our strength grows out of our weakness." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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"Gina." Heaven watched her friend as she crossed the distance between them. She had never seen Gina look so serious and angry before, and it made her feel nervous.

From the way she walked, Heaven expected a slap, but Gina ended up wrapping her arms around her friend.

Heaven let out a breath of relief and hugged her friend back, but then Gina spoke in her ear. "We need to talk." Thankfully, she didn't sound angry. It sounded more like she wanted to scold her about something.

Heaven could only guess what.

"Alright." She responded.

"I'll wait for you upstairs." Gina said pulling back and then she left.

Heaven sat next to Klara and in front of Roshan and his father. The resemblances still threw her off, and she would have guessed that they were brother's if she didn't feel the power emanating from his father.

Darius Golchin.

Most people knew who he was because of his extensive wealth and business. She could already see all the gold that adorned his clothing, especially the heavy golden belt. He dressed no less than a royalty.

"You must have heard about Zarin. We are sorry." Roshan apologized.

"No! Please don't be. It is not your fault." Heaven felt even more angry now that his parents had to apologize for him.

Klara was awkwardly silent. Probably feeling more guilty than Roshan.

Darius sat relaxed, expressing no feelings. Heaven wondered if he was here for Zarin, and if so, what did he plan to do? Even if he was ancient, what could he possibly do?

He looked up at her, knowing exactly what she was thinking. She almost forgot he could hear her thoughts.

"I'll go make us some tea." Klara said, standing up. She left in a hurry, almost as if she had to make it quick. It was strange.

"Father!" Roshan said with clenched teeth, looking angry.

Heaven understood that Darius had somehow compelled her.

"I think it is better she doesn't hear if we want to speak the truth here." Darius explained himself calmly. "Heaven have many questions, and it is good if she gets some answers to help her."

Questions?

Darius turned to her. "Deep down, you have many questions about your grandfather and you want answers. Don't you?"

Heaven remembered that she had wanted to talk to Roshan about her grandfather but forgot when the whole thing with Zarin happened. She had wanted to gather all the information she could about the devil so she would be prepared for whatever the outcome would be.

"I wanted to know what it is like to be with the devil. I know you joined him once before."

Roshan frowned. "Are you thinking of joining him?"

"No. But you taught me to be prepared for any outcome. I just want to know about him and his kingdoms."

"Don't even think of that possibility." Roshan warned, looking more serious than usual. "It is easier to fight him from here than if you join him. Once you go there, it is very hard to come back. His kingdoms are made to trap you without you even realizing it. You will think that you are on vacation in paradise. He isn't the devil for no reason. He can find darkness in the brightest of hearts."

Darius nodded in agreement.

"So is Zarin not coming back?" Heaven asked, feeling a little scared of this revelation.

Roshan averted his gaze, but she caught the fear and doubt in his eyes before they turned away.

Oh Lord!

"But you two came back." She said in desperation.

"We joined your grandfather because we made a deal. We thought the payment to join his cause wouldn't be a problem. We would work for him a hundred years, then we would be free. But we got lost, and we stayed with him for another hundred years. That is how good he is." Darius explained.

Two hundred years?!

"Your grandfather wants people who willingly join his cause. He could just compel everyone, but then the sin will not be theirs. It will be his. That is why he gives everyone the choice to join him. You have to know that the choice is ultimately yours, so don't let him fool you into making that decision. As long as you truly want to stay here, you have nothing to fear." He continued.

Roshan somehow didn't seem to agree with him. "The choice is yours, but it won't be easy. You will be tempted to make the wrong choice."

"You shouldn't scare her."

"I am preparing her." Roshan corrected. "The devil is not someone to be underestimated. Don't think of him as your grandfather because he cares for no one. He has killed…" He halted, as if realizing he was saying too much.

"Well, if you are going to prepare her, you might as well tell her everything." His father commented.

"Please go on." Heaven urged with heart beating wildly. What did her grandfather do? "I want to know."

"I just want you to understand the seriousness of this." He began. "Your grandfather shows no mercy to those who provoke him. Even his own family. Only once did a few demons go against him, and he killed the whole family. The whole bloodline was wiped off the face of earth. He chased the last one of them down to the oceans. After that incident, no demon in their right mind had dared to provoke him."

Why was he telling her this?

"We have many people we care about." He added. "You have to be careful with your choices."

Now she understood. He was warning her that her family could be in danger if she made the wrong choice. Heaven already knew that. If she followed the devil, her family would do anything to save her and then they would be in danger. And if the story Roshan was telling was true, then they would be in real danger.

"If you go to your grandfather, I won't help your family to save you. I will try to make them understand that it was your choice." He said and she could tell it was hard for him to tell her that.

"Thank you." She said, but realized that her voice broke. She didn't realize how much his words actually affected her.

She was thankful that he wanted to help her family, but she couldn't deny that she felt hurt. Roshan had always been close to her heart, and this hard demeanor of his made pained her.

But what did she expect? He wasn't saving his son. Why would he save her? Especially if she chose to go to her grandfather. She wouldn't be worth risking anyone's life for.

"I'll go see where Klara is." He said standing up and leaving without meeting her gaze.

Heaven felt tears prickle her eyes. God! What was wrong with her? She was not going to cry.

Darius stood up from his seat and came to sit next to her. "Don't cry." He said putting a gentle hand on her shoulder, as a tear that fell down her cheek. "He is just talking. He doesn't mean that. He is taking out his anger toward his son on you, and he is being harsh because he doesn't want you do to the same mistake. He doesn't want to lose another child."

Heaven nodded, wiping the tear away from her cheek. She felt stupid. "I know." She croaked.

"We care about our children so much that we would be willing to risk our lives for them. But Roshan feels bound since he has another child to care for and protect as well."

Darius had a calming voice as he explained to her, and she suddenly understood Roshan's struggle even more. He had to be wise and calm when he probably just wanted to run to save his child. The fear she had seen in his eyes was real. He feared to lose his son forever.

"Is there anything I can do?" She asked.

"There isn't much any of us can do. We can just talk to him and hope."

"What can I do to not let myself be tempted?"

Darius was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "Be you." He said surprising her.

"You are full of love and light. Even when you have the right to hate, you choose to love. When you have the right to ignore, you choose to care. That is your weakness, but also your biggest strength. So be you, because you are everything your grandfather stands against."