The Judgement Of Divinity (TMOE #2)

Chapter 9: Connect the dots

Lucius pursed his lips as he watched the servant leave, wishing he would not have to face Damien's devastating glare again, but he couldn't look away forever.

So he drew a silent breath, turning his head and using every inch of defiance he had in his body to glare back.

"Someone sent you here to do their bidding, I assume?" Damien's voice was as commanding as the last time they'd spoken. "Who was it?"

Regretfully, Lucius would have little success with threats at the moment or he would have made up a lie about reinforcements.

"No one sent me," he therefore muttered, and Damien laughed through his nose.

"You came here on your own volition? Not very bright then." He leaned back against a table with his arms folded. "So, who are you?"

Lucius clenched his jaw. As things were, his best option was by far the worst in his opinion.

"Lucius," he replied, hesitating before continuing. "I'm a friend of Anthony."

Damien scoffed.

"And why would a friend of Anthony break into his organisation's headquarters?" His phrasing of friend offended Lucius, implying the idea was highly unlikely. "Doesn't sound very friendly, does it?"

"I..." Lucius averted his gaze. "... It's complicated."

"I imagine." Damien's voice turned dry, and his eyes narrowed. "What exactly is your relation to him?"

Lucius wanted to sigh. It was such a sore subject at the moment. What was his relationship to Anthony, anyway?

"I used to work for him, and we got to know each other in the meantime."

Damien's intense glare remained.

"What kind of work?"

This caused Lucius to hesitate, but he couldn't risk Lucia's identity to be blown by claiming he'd worked with that part of Anthony's life as well.

"I was in charge of guarding the storage down by the harbour. "His voice was lower than intended. "My group and I."

Damien's eyebrows arched in an offended stare.

"You're that lowlife criminal who stole from us?"

"Ah, so you heard about that." Lucius grimaced, having figured as much. "Still, he hired me for a reason and I did my part without issues."

"He really has no regard for orders or reputation, that one," Damien muttered, staring into nothing as if talking to himself. "First the Lucia incident and now there's a Lu—"

He interrupted himself, a now exasperated stare falling on Lucius' face again.

"Oh... You're a Cromwell too, aren't you?"

Lucius didn't feel the need to reply, and much like he expected Damien continued anyway.

"Mr. Featherstone did say there were two of you." His lip curled enough for Lucius to feel insulted, but he actually let out a sigh. "And that he'd seen you with Anthony."

A victorious smile began to spread on Lucius' lips but Damien glared him down again.

"Didn't think you were low class filth though. One would think a Cromwell could do better than that, but then... Perhaps it's a dying family name for a reason." Damien shook his head. "Haven't met a single capable one after all."

Lucius was not amused.

"Hurtful."

"I don't owe any politeness to an intruder."