ÈGOÏSTE |18+ [English Version]

chapter 41. "Reality."

I love books. I love that moment when you open it and are immersed in another reality. It's as if you're escaping the world into a story far more interesting than your own will ever be.

© Elizabeth Scott

On behalf of Edmund:

Sometimes we try to escape from reality, but without realizing it we get lost in this world, mixing reality and virtuality, and then we don't know where we are...

I lived my life the way my father taught me from childhood, he didn't show me the world through rose-colored glasses, he always showed me reality. When I grew up I began to understand that the world is not what I imagined it to be, everything here is much worse and scarier...

There is always someone above everyone, we are all just puppets in the hands of the puppeteer. I have seen many things in this life, deceit, hypocrisy combined with duplicity, fraud, murder, selling people out and all the horrible things in this world.

Evil rules the world, for then why is everything so bad? Underage kids go to brothels, teenagers shoot up behind the school, to the point where they get gasoline in their veins, guys steal, adults traffic people and sell drugs, the rich from excess money grab for everything from hunting an endangered species of animal to the entertainment of murdering a human being... People build gold mountains, bathe in money and build empires, but no one understands that rich or poor, you'll still end up underground...

I love my father, but, I know very well that he is not who he says he is, although we were close especially when I lived with him, but he hid a lot from me, he almost never took me with him on the "important" business he went to every Saturday, I was afraid to admit to myself that I have a father who is in the black market, who does bad things to others to become superior.

I knew he was cheating on my mother, and I think she knows it herself. Don't believe that a rich man will be faithful to one, his wife. That just doesn't happen, especially when the wife is no longer a young girl.

My father always liked young girls and the younger they were the better... That's probably why I was lost, I locked my feelings away, I was scared I might be in his shoes, I wouldn't want that...

I sat on the couch, leaning my head back and closing my eyes, snippets of last night, yes, I wished madly for Joanna, but, I did not, because as much as I did not want to remember my father's words, but he was right, enough to get to your goal and you start looking for another, probably I was just afraid to lose Jo, because I had never experienced feelings of love and I knew that most likely after one night I might become cold to her. Especially since she was my wife and I wanted to spend more time with her than I had been allotted...

While I was thinking, someone's hands laid on my eyes, I smiled, taking her gentle hands I kissed them and looked into her brown eyes, she really was a child at heart and I was getting high from it, that she was not like everyone else...

- What caused your beautiful smile? - I asked her.

- I talked to my parents," she sat down next to me and I hugged her.

- Really?

- Yes, my mom called me and I talked to her and then to my dad.

- And how are they?

- They're fine...

- Why are you getting sad now?

- I cheated on Henry, my only best friend, and I think I'm a horrible person.

- Come on, he'll understand.

- Do you really think so?

- You're not to be resented, little birdie. - I ran my hand down her cheek.

- It's been a very stressful couple of days... I'm sorry if I've been acting weird. - She looked at me, and I took her by the chin and kissed her softly, each time the kiss deepened, our tongues intertwined again, Joanna moved to my lap and we continued to kiss, I pulled off her shirt and I showed the view of her beautiful lush breasts, she blushed and tried to cover it with her thin hands, but I forbade her.

- You are perfect, don't you dare hide such beauty from me. - I pressed my lips to hers, and she parted her hair, and I inhaled its fragrance...

- Edmund," she paused, and running her hand over my beard, she asked, "do you feel something for me?

- I definitely feel something for you," I answered, and continued kissing Joanna.

***

- Uncle, have you lost your mind? - Tony couldn't come to his senses.

- Why are you so surprised? Did you really believe that Edmund could marry, so and so to Joanna?

- What's that got to do with it? You've ruined Joanna's life!

- Not at all, on the contrary, I saved her.

- And how did that manifest itself?

- Anthony, look, Joanna is not Alfred's natural daughter.

- What? - Surprised, the boy asked again.

- Yes, it happened, when Alfred married Isabella, they had a wedding and a man from the criminal world was invited to it.

- That can't be true!

- Don't interrupt," said Oswald, and went on, "well, I don't want to tell you who this man was, but he was the godfather of almost all America. Of course he was very fond of Iza, and when the evening was over he just stole her away and raped her, as he used to do with all girls, wives, and brides. Alfred couldn't do anything because he was already on the verge of bankruptcy and then this Mr. X, gave him a case in his business, he put his mind to it and started working for him, time went on and it turns out Isa was pregnant and they realized it wasn't Alfred's baby, understandably, that he didn't know about it and Alfred and Iza gave their word that they wouldn't tell anyone about it, but Joanna was growing up and she looked just like her biological father, one day at one meeting when Alfred brought little Joanna to dinner with his partners she accidentally poured a glass of red wine just on him, on her biological father, Mr. X, did not pay attention to the girl, but it was after this incident that he paid attention to her and saw himself only small and in female form, the genes took the advice, he did a DNA test and it turned out that she was his daughter, a scandal began, Isabella and Joanna disappeared from the country for a while, but Mr. X, could not accept it and so he blocked all the bills Alfred, then he was left absolutely destitute and I gave him a helping hand.

- But, why did you marry Edmund?

- To save Joanna from death...

- I don't believe you. - You've certainly kept the truth from me, Joanna's no one you want to save, and what's all this nonsense about Mr. X anyway?

- It's my business to tell you, in order that you keep your mouth shut and in no way let Edmund break up with Jo... - Said I and walked away, leaving my nephew in utter bewilderment...

Anthony is a smart guy and understandably so, because everything I just told him is just a game of my imagination, in fact it was not like that and I "married" my son too for a reason...

From the author:

Hello there, my good people. How's the chapter?

I know something really weird is going on, but I think it has to be, because in the next chapter you'll learn the whole truth from Oswald...

In the meantime, write your opinion in the comments. ❤❤❤