𝐕𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

Chapter 39 : Games of the Past

Alexander

The night sky hung like a velvet shroud above me as I leaned against the cold marble of the balcony railing. The air was crisp, almost biting, as it swirled around me, carrying the scent of the city mixed with something far more sinister—the scent of impending doom. The revelations from Delaney had left me reeling, a storm brewing inside me that threatened to tear apart everything I had carefully constructed over the years.

I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breath, but all I could see was the image of my father, stern yet caring, his eyes hiding the secrets that had eventually destroyed him. And my mother—Catherine—her memory had always been a distant, blurred figure in the recesses of my mind. But now, she was so much more. She was the key to everything. The darkness that had swallowed my family whole, the darkness I was now sinking into.

Delaney’s words echoed in my mind, each one a dagger piercing deeper into my psyche. My mother’s death wasn’t an accident. She was murdered. And it wasn’t just some random act of violence; it was calculated, orchestrated by the very people she had been trying to protect us from.

And then there was Vivian. The woman who had slithered into our lives, pretending to be family, pretending to care for me, all while tightening the noose around my father’s neck. I had always sensed something was off about her, but I never imagined the depth of her betrayal. She was a predator, a puppet master who had manipulated us all.

But now, I know the truth. And with that truth came the burden of vengeance. I would make her pay. I would make them all pay.

I turned my gaze towards the city, the skyline illuminated by the soft glow of distant lights. It was almost ironic—this city, so alive and vibrant, yet hiding so many secrets beneath its glittering surface. Just like my family. Just like me.

Scarlett’s face flashed in my mind, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and confusion the last time I saw her. She was innocent in all of this, yet I had dragged her into a world she never asked to be a part of. I couldn’t let her become another casualty of this war. But the thought of pushing her away, of losing her, was unbearable. I needed her. She was the only light in the darkness that was slowly consuming me.

But could I really protect her? Could I keep her safe from the monsters that lurked in the shadows? Or would I, like my father, fail to protect the one I loved most?

I clenched my fists, my knuckles turning white. I couldn’t afford to fail. Not this time.

Pulling out my phone, I scrolled through my contacts until I found her name. Scarlett. Just seeing her name on the screen was enough to calm the storm within me, if only for a moment. But as much as I wanted to hear her voice, to reassure her that everything would be alright, I knew I couldn’t. Not yet.

Instead, I sent a quick text to one of my most trusted men, instructing him to keep a close eye on her. I couldn’t let her know the full extent of what was happening—not until I had a plan, not until I was sure I could keep her safe.

As I slipped the phone back into my pocket, my mind drifted back to Delaney. He had known all of this, kept these secrets for years, watching as I stumbled in the dark, trying to piece together the fragments of my shattered life. I wanted to be furious with him, to demand why he hadn’t told me sooner. But I understood. The truth was a dangerous weapon, and in the wrong hands, it could destroy everything.

But now that I knew, there was no turning back. I would use that truth to dismantle everything Vivian and her cohorts had built. I would bring them down, brick by brick, until there was nothing left but ashes.

But first, I needed answers. Real answers. And there was only one place I could get them.

The drive to my father’s old estate was a blur, the city lights flashing by as I sped through the streets. The mansion loomed ahead, its towering presence a stark reminder of the life I had once known, the life that had been ripped away from me.

As I stepped out of the car, the cold night air bit into my skin, but I barely noticed. My focus was on the task at hand. My father’s study. It was the one place in the house that had remained untouched after his death, locked away like a time capsule, holding the secrets of a man I had barely known.

The door creaked as I pushed it open, the scent of old leather and tobacco filling my nostrils. The room was exactly as I remembered it—books lining the walls, the massive mahogany desk in the center, papers strewn about as if he had just stepped out for a moment. But he wasn’t coming back. And now it was up to me to finish what he had started.

I moved to the desk, my fingers tracing the edge as I tried to imagine what he had been thinking in those final days. Had he known they were coming for him? Had he been afraid? Or had he accepted his fate, knowing that there was no escape from the darkness that had engulfed him?

As I rifled through the papers, something caught my eye—a small, leather-bound journal, hidden beneath a stack of old letters. I opened it carefully, the pages yellowed with age, the ink faded but still legible. My father’s handwriting stared back at me, and I felt a lump form in my throat.

The entries were brief, almost cryptic, but as I read through them, a picture began to form. My father had been on to something—something big. He had uncovered a network of corruption that went far beyond anything I had imagined. And at the center of it all was Vivian.

But there was more. His last entry, dated just a few days before his death, mentioned a name I hadn’t heard before—Lucian Blackwood. I felt a chill run down my spine. The surname was the same as Vivian’s. Could this Lucian be connected to her? Was he the one pulling the strings from behind the scenes?

I snapped the journal shut, my mind racing. This was it. The key to everything. I had to find Lucian. He was the missing piece of the puzzle, the one who could lead me to the truth.

But as I stood there, the journal in my hand, I realized that I was in deeper than I had ever imagined. This wasn’t just about revenge anymore. It was about survival. My father had tried to take on this network, and it had cost him his life. I couldn’t afford to make the same mistake.

I had to be smarter, more careful. I had to be willing to do whatever it took, even if it meant crossing lines I had sworn never to cross.

The darkness was closing in, and there was no escape. But I wasn’t afraid. Not anymore. Because I knew that in the end, only one of us would be left standing. And it wasn’t going to be Vivian.

As I left the study, the weight of the journal heavy in my hand, I knew that the time for playing it safe was over. It was time to confront the shadows of the past, to face the monsters that had destroyed my family.

And as I drove back to the city, the moonlight casting eerie shadows on the road ahead, I knew that I was ready. Ready to embrace the darkness, to become the very thing I had feared for so long.

Because in the end, the only way to destroy a monster is to become one.

And I was ready to do whatever it took to protect Scarlett, to avenge my parents, and to finally bring the truth into the light. Even if it meant losing myself in the process.

The shadows were closing in, but this time, I wasn’t running. This time, I was going to fight back. And I was going to win.