Castling Deceit

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟸: 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝?

“Who was behind the attack, Smith?” Loix asked while twisting his knife in motherfucker’s thigh.

Smith screamed in agony as the sharp metal cut through his flesh.

“I-I d-don-tt….. knno-ow! I s-sswe-earrr” he replies panting heavily.

“Spit *punch* out *punch* the *punch* truth *punch*, you *punch* moron” Loix growls angrily while repeatedly punching our prisoner.

“Do-ddon-nt…….. k-kknoo-w” the stubborn man wheezes.

“So you won’t answer the easy way, huh? You sure are a loyal servant, Smith” Loix smirks darkly.

“You have a beautiful daughter Smith. Do you think it's right to involve her in our disputes? My guards are eager to roughen her up” Loix says with a sinister look.

Only he and I are the people in this room who know that he’s lying. We don’t hurt innocents, women, or children as a matter-of-fact. It’s just a trick for stubborn ones like these to open up. No matter how loyal they are, they always succumb for their family.

“NO-OOO!!! P-pple-easse d-ddont…. Hu-urrttt h-er! Sh-e’s… i-inno-cenntt. I hon-nest-tly k-knoww…. n-not-thingg. J-jus-st tha-at…… its s-som-me g-ga-ngg wor-workin-ngg un-ndder si-sicil-lian m-maf-iaa. Pl-plea-se sp-spar-re m-my da-auggh-terr!!” he cries pathetically.

See what I’m talking about? Just a sentence is enough for them to spill everything.

“That wasn’t hard now, was it?” Loix exclaimed.

He dropped the knife and wiped his hands with a cloth. He beckoned the guard standing outside.

“Call in the doctor. Make sure the major wounds are tended to. He should not die of blood loss” Loix ordered.

“Yes, Capo” the guard muttered and quickly scrambled off.

“Let’s leave, shall we?” I asked Loix who nodded his head.

“I have an important meeting to attend in a few minutes. I’m going to head out and get ready. Keep an eye on Asher and Micah. They are here somewhere in one of the cells to blow off some steam. Make sure they don’t cause much damage” I announce while walking up the stairs.

“Sure, Dad. I’ll ensure that they don’t cross their time limits” he answers.

Now now…… Don’t question my parenting skills. Following the tragic events of their mother's murder and their sister's kidnapping, each of my children began to exhibit distinct coping mechanisms as they struggled to come to terms with the loss of two of the most important people in their lives.

Heloix just engrossed himself with work and spent most of his time finding his sister. He was deeply hurt by the loss of his mother, but more so by the kidnapping of Estelle. He became more and more distant and cold. He stopped expressing his emotions and became this dark empty shell of his old-self.

Orson buried himself in studying hard and became a very successful doctor at a young age. He has a gentle soul, and though not as cold as his elder brother, he still became distant and spent most of the time in the hospital. He wanted to make his mother proud as she always encouraged his passion for becoming a doctor despite our line of work.

Nerio took his mother’s death the hardest. He was the closest one to Isabelle. They used to cook and bake together. After she was killed, he took the job of being the nurturing person in the family. Kind of what people refer to as ‘mother-hen’. I'm deeply grateful for his compassionate and nurturing nature, especially because the younger boys required the care and support of a family member, which neither I nor Loix were able to provide at the time.