Hidden Behind the Veil (Complete)

Chapter 16

Alex woke up momentarily startled to the sound of a gunshot. Even after being the son of a gangster, guns still had that effect on him. He sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes sleepily.

Must be dad trying out his Double-barrel.

He pulled on his slippers and slowly got out of bed. Once he exited his room, he took the right side of the corridor with rooms on either side. Alex rarely stepped into this side of the house except when he went into the library, and after the incident of the diary, it had been quiet some time since he walked here. He reached the end of the corridor and took the door to the left. Once again, he found himself climbing a staircase. It wasn't as grand as the one close to the glass fountain, but it had been furnished to excellence. Every landing (4 in total) was decorated in a different tone and taste. Italian, French, Arab and Chinese. Different architects had been hired to design each of them. Although the inhabitants were the only ones to use this staircase, yet dad's taste for architecture didn't lose it's power.

Alex passed a Chinese portrait of a red dragon and now reached the top. He had set foot in the living room. Alex saw two brown double-sofas and a coffee table on the left side. It was the simplest room of the mansion, and quiet rightly as well, as there was very little of living required in the house.

He continued forth and took a left (the library happened to be on the right). Another set of stairs with yet 4 new tastes. Indian, African, American and Vietnamese. Finally he reached the huge wooden door at the top of the staircase and pushed it open. As he had expected, father was there on the Terrace. His thick lips held a cigarette in place while his hands were busy in holding the Double-barrel gun. He was wearing black sunglasses although it wasn't really sunny.

"Ah here you are, Alex. I was just talking to Chris about teaching you to shoot. You know, just to up your level a bit, now that you've learnt hand-to-hand combat. I am sure-"

"Dad for the last time... I am not learning to use any gun."

"Don't be a coward, son."

"A coward is the person who needs a gun to feel safe. I don't."

Arthur's eyes were blazing with fury at Alex's response. He looked away, possibly to contain his anger. And Chris had to fill in.

"Ah Master Alex you're still in your pyjamas! I believe you came to ask me for breakfast, didn't you? What do you want? The usual, Two eggs and 4 slices of bread. And what about an orange juice to go with it? Or tea might sound better?"

For a moment, Alex's attention had diverted. Chris was right in guessing his reason to come up here. He wanted his breakfast that was for sure. But he was momentarily stunned by the realization that Chris probably knew him better than his father. Not that his father could tell what he likes in breakfast, he might not even be able to tell the time when he wakes up.

"Would we happen to have any Apple pie? I've grown quiet fond of it in the last few weeks. My friend's mum, she makes the world's best pies I tell you." Alex said while lighting a cigarette for himself.

"Sure sir! I will immediately ask the chef to make some for you." Chris bowed slightly and Alex just couldn't resist.

"You know." Alex exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. "You don't need to do this with me. This bowing and calling me 'Sir'. You're a friend to me."

Chris quizzically looked at Alex and finally said.

"As you wish, sir!" Alex's eye brows shot up and Chris got the point. "I mean, Alex." And with that, Chris exited from the same door that Alex had used to enter.

For a moment, Alex considered going back to his room. But the prospect of descending all those stairs just after waking up was not very inviting. So he sat in a white metal chair close to dad. For a moment, silence descended upon the environment. Alex wanted to make conversation with his dad. He didn't wish to join the business, but that didn't mean that he was not interested in spending some time with his father.

"So..." Dad broke the silence. "This new friend of yours..."

Alex looked up at his dad. Was he really having a simple father-son conversation up in the terrace in an early morning?

"Yeah! School friend. She's new to school actually." Alex took one last puff and the burning end of the cigarette glowed redder. Then he extinguished it in the ash tray.

"Ah! She. That explains a lot." A teasing smile played on his father's lips. It was a trick statement, and Alex being very inexperienced in conversations like these found himself in an awkward position to reply.

"She's just a friend. Just visited her once at her place."

"Once might be an understatement, Alex. I've seen you take your Mazda-RX out for a drive quiet often nowadays. I am your father, I can see through you." Dad glared at him in a way that made him feel uncertain as to what he was feeling.

"But I like it, really." He continued. "It's part of growing up, this." He became silent for a few seconds. Then he looked Alex in the eye and said, "You remind me of me, Alex. Back in the day, when I used to be a free bird. Breaking the rules. Mending them, when required. I suppose she's aware about your family business, is she?"

Alex was lost for words. What was he to tell him? That he is yet to reveal his true identity to Violet? He made a split-second decision.

"Er... Yeah! I told her."

"And she's fine with it?" Dad's eye brows furrowed.

"Yeah..." Alex looked down at the floor. He couldn't hold the other's gaze when he lied.

"Remember Alex, never establish ties on the basis of lies."

It seemed a little odd for a gangster to be teaching moral values to someone. But he was Alex's dad, and maybe that's why he knew Alex was lying. Alex nodded.

"Tell her the reality, Alex. She has the right to know."

This lighted a fire inside Alex. Who was his father to tell him about letting people know the truth? He was the same person who hid the truth of Alex's reality for 17 long years. He had lied to him. Or maybe he hadn't. You can't really categorize "hiding the truth" as "telling a lie". He wanted to say so much to him. He wanted to ask so much. What was he hiding? What was Alex's reality? What was the truth that's not even mentioned in the diary? But could he bring himself to accepting that he had invaded on his father's personal possession?

In the end he stood up.

"Tell Chris to bring the breakfast to my room." And he began walking towards the door. Just as he had touched the handle, his father interrupted.

"What's her name?"

"Violet."

That was the last thing his father asked, as if it was the most unimportant thing of the whole conversation.

He descended all those stairs back to his room and then finally busied himself in staring at the walls again. Should he tell Violet about who he is? What will she think of him when he tells her? But he had another challenge in front of him. The inter-regional Tournament finals. And it was to take place a week later. The stakes were ever so high, and his mind was ever so confused. He needed to focus now.

-So guys? What do you think about the new parts of this mansion? Your guesses on what's going to happen now? If you have any queries or suggestions, then please let me know through your comments or PM me :) 

Tentative date for next update: 23rd August, 2016