“Daddy?” Addison walked down the stairs with a stuffed bunny in her hand. There was a pout on her face as she walked slowly to him and made him hold her.
“How’s my baby doing?” He asked, touching her cheeks playfully but, her attention was fixed on the bandage that was wrapped around his head.
“Is Daddy hurt?” She asked, touching the thick material on his head.
“Daddy isn’t hurt, my love.” Harriet replied, not wanting her daughter to worry.
“I should be on my way. Iris must be so worried,” Eric said, and Harriet nodded, making a mental note to pay Eric’s wife a visit. She hadn’t seen her since the wedding, and she also thought it would be nice to make a female friend.
She wasn’t a social butterfly and with Tony gone, she had no one except Damien. She definitely needed more friends.
“Extend my greetings to her.” She said and Eric replied with a nod before turning to look at his friend.
“Be careful, Buddy.” He said and Damien rolled his eyes.
“Get going already.” He whined, shooing him away with his hands. Once Eric left, Harriet and Damien played with Addison for a while before she finally fell asleep, joining her brother in the room.
As they walked to the kitchen to prepare dinner, a thought dropped into Damien’s head.
“I’ll have someone go over to your house and get your things. I think it’ll be better for you and the twins to stay here until those two traitors are caught.” He said, and Harriet stopped in her tracks, turning to face him.
“I understand your point but, what about my parents? Don’t you think they’ll harm them if they can’t get to me?” She said and Damien sighed.
He was only thinking about Harriet and his children. How could he forget that Harriet’s family was also at risk?
“I’ll let Jake know. They need twenty-four hours of protection also, Harriet. Until we finally arrest them, nobody should be found outside alone.”
“What about the police? Shouldn’t we report this to them? I mean, they might be able to find them.” Harriet said, but Damien shook his head in disapproval.
“The only evidence we have is gone. No one will believe our claim if we do not have proof and Adrian is also a Daniels, which means that he is as rich and powerful as I am. He can bribe off whoever he wants to. If we want to end this game with him, we have to be thorough…something he can’t escape from or bribe his way out.” Damien explained.
When he opened his eyes earlier, he also noticed that his phone was gone. It had been taken by Evelyn and Adrian since they suspected that he had been recording the conversation.
He and Eric had even tried collecting the security camera’s footage but when they got there, it had already been deleted.
He wasn’t surprised. The building belonged to Adrian and he wasn’t stupid. What he didn’t understand is how he was able to do that in so little time. Even the security officers present claimed to not have seen anything.
Damien understood that his brother was not going to be an easy opponent.
*
*
Back at the Daniels Mansion, Damien’s parents had no idea that their sons were in a serious battle with each other.
“I have been trying to get to Adrian for a while now but his phone has been switched off.” Stacy entered her room complaining to her husband.
“He’s probably out of the country or on a business trip. You know how Adrian is.” He said nonchalantly, pulling his wife in for a kiss to calm her nerves.
“Something isn’t right, Thomas. I can feel it.” She sighed, biting her lips.
“I should give Damien a call.” Stacy said and dialed his number, but just like Adrian’s, it wasn’t available. Panic immediately set in, and she suddenly found it hard to breathe.
“He isn’t picking up either, Thomas, Something is wrong.” She stated, fighting off the tears that were threatening to fall.
“Hey, Hey. Calm down, okay. Give Harriet a call instead.” He said, and she nodded before dialing Harriet’s number. She held her breath as she listened to the phone ring, praying earnestly that Harriet would pick up the phone,
On the fourth ring, the call connected and Harriet’s voice sounded in her ears, causing her to breathe out in relief.
“Goodness, Harriet.” She started but Thomas mouthed to her to not act like she was worried. Nodding at him, she continued.
“I have been calling Damien’s line for a while now. Are you perhaps with him?” She asked, remembering that Damien previously mentioned that Harriet and the twins would be spending the weekend with him.
The line went silent for a few seconds before she heard Harriet clear her throat. “Yes, mother. His phone got spoiled a few hours ago which is why you have been unable to get to him.” Harriet explained, but Stacy could hear the hesitation in her voice.
“Alright. I’ll be there in a few minutes. There’s something important I need to discuss with him,” Stacy said.
“You’re coming here?” Harriet almost screamed but quickly regained her composure.
“I mean…you do not have to stress yourself, mother. Whatever you need to discuss can be done over the phone. There’s no need to go through the stress of coming over.” Harriet said, trying to sound as calm as possible as she stared at Damien, who was racking his brain for a solution.
“Nonsense, my dear. Don’t worry about me. I might as well use the opportunity to see my babies.” Stacy said. She sensed that they were hiding something from her. At first, she didn’t really want to go over to Damien’s house, but after hearing how suspicious they sounded, she was now determined to show up.
“I’ll be there soon, my darling.” She said and hung up.
“You’re coming with me, Thomas. There’s something going on that we aren’t aware of.”
Harriet paced around the house, thinking of a way to stop Stacy from coming over. They couldn’t risk her seeing the bandage on his head. Not only would she worry, she would also investigate until she finds out what happened.
“Should we just tell her about Adrian?” Harriet suggested. She had run out of ideas.
“I don’t know. She might not believe me. Harriet. You know how much she loves and trusts Adrian,” Damien said, shaking his head in defeat.
“We should at least try. The injury to your head should be enough to convince her.” She said, and Damien nodded, agreeing with her.
“With this, Adrian won’t be able to escape if he returns to the house. Mother and father would be on our side.” Harriet leaned on his chest and crossed her fingers, hoping that they would successfully convince the Daniels that their second is an evil jerk.