Diabolus: The Lost Phoenix

Chapter Thirty Four

BEVERLY WOODS

"James? Where's your respect, you ungrateful child?!"

He stands up from his chair and I have to lift my head up because of his height. It doesn't matter that he's bigger, stronger than me; with the look on my face and not turning away, showing him, that I'm not afraid of him, I feel how I'm getting proud of myself. And honestly, behind all that anger, I see a flash of fear in his eyes. A realisation, that I already know the truth.

"That doesn't answer my question. Who are my parents?"

As much as he tries to be the same angry, brave man he imagines himself as; he draws his eyes away from me, and they stop somewhere behind me. Eye contact is one of the proofs that a person is honest with you, that he's avoiding nothing and telling the truth. James gives himself away without even knowing he is.

"Who is she?"

He points his shaky finger at Avery, who straightens herself immediately; feeling the most uncomfortable from all of us. And I understand her, of course I do. It's better to not know who your parents are, than to know that a man like James could be your relative.

He's heartless, cruel and overbearing. But I'm not scared of him. I'm not leaving before he tells me the truth.

"That is Avery. My sister, Avery."

"What do you mean she's your..."

As he draws his eyes back to me, I realise there's a way to play dirty. He knows nothing; and I know too much to fool him.

"Yes, James, I already know the truth."

I take a step closer to him as he looks at me, the anger slowly disappearing from his eyes. When I lift my jacket up, making it look involuntarily, for him to see a knife in its leather case, attached to my belt, he takes a step back. Now disgust fills up his eyes, as if he was seeing a monster; not his daughter.

And it's okay. I prefer being a monster than someone he would call a daughter. I will do nothing to him; I would never, but yet it's enough for him to believe I could. One thing that Kai taught me, is how to play with enemies. And now, James is my enemy.

"What happened to you?"

"I want to hear the truth from you. Tell me everything about the adoption."

As I get too close to him, he stumbles, falling back on the chair behind him. I thought that I got him, that he will finally tell me the truth about my real family; but suddenly, his smile stretches out to both sides of his face, before laughter fills up the tense silence between us.

"Adopted? Who told you that you're adopted?"

"Tell me the truth, James."

"You were never adopted, Beverly."

Uncomfortable with this situation, he had filled his eyes with the same emotion he was more at ease with - raw anger. The unmoving gaze is accompanied by deliberate slow breathing, like he was fighting something, but from that immobile look I can tell he's not lying; as much as I don't want to believe him.

"You're lying."

"No, I am not."

"What about a DNA test? If you're so sure about your words, why don't we get a proof of them?"

I am watching him without turning my head, my heart is hammering but I keep my posture calm with no hint of hesitation. Constance held her breathe, daring not to make a sound. Each second seemed to last an eternity as she lay perfectly still listening to the footsteps of the intruder, which had muted the pounding of her pulse. Tension holds my breathing, daring not to make a sound. Each second seems to last an eternity as I watch those angry eyes, which had muted the pounding of my pulse.