The voice was so thick and authoritative that I felt a shiver run down my spine.
Ansell stood up, which allowed me to look at the man who had entered. He was talk with broad shoulders and had many cuts on his face, indicating that he had been a part of many fights.
His eyes, a mirror of Ansell’s deep green gaze, seemed to hold secrets and shadows that only a man of his ilk could know. It was unmistakable; those orbs were a legacy passed from father to son.
But it wasn’t just the eyes that drew my focus; it was the very air around him that seemed to be under the weight of his presence, it was dark and dominating, just like Ansell’s. He was taking every step as if he owned this place.
His eyes were fixed on me all the time and I didn’t come to know when I scrunched more into the wall.
I know I haven’t done anything wrong but there was something in him which was asking me to stay away and not to mess with him if I love my life.
There was pin-drop silence all around which was only cut occasionally by the taping of his boot against the floor, each tap a heartbeat in the tense atmosphere.
“William’s sister?”
I gulped when he addressed me as William’s sister. He knows me.
“So, this is where you busy” he tilted his head to meet gaze with his son for the first time, “Huh?”
Ansell was standing straight in front of his father. They both stare at each other, having a conversation through their eyes. It was a look that spoke volumes, I realised why Ansell seemed so reticent about his own home. His father’s presence held a weight that no child should have to endure.
But now it doesn’t seem like Ansell is scared of him anymore. Maybe he was never scared, it was just a normal day in his life. He was looking back into his father’s eyes with qual ferocity, not willing to back down.
“Why are you here?” Ansell asked straightforwardly, his hands tucked in his pants pocket.
“So? Can’t I visit my children?” His father asked him back.
“We would have been glad if you did that before. We don’t need you anymore ” Ansell didn’t even hesitate for once before saying this to his father in his face.
The man, whose name is still unknown to them, Drew a deep, sharp breath as if he were controlling himself.
“I want to have a conversation with you” his eyes flicked down to me for a second before they went back to his son before adding. “In private”
Ansell tilted his head toward the room attached to the dungeon. His father’s eyes once again moved toward me .
“She can’t move from here” he asserted confidently.
Both of them then walked into the room and closed the door. I turned my gaze away when Ansell was closing the door, Hoping to deflect any suspicion that might arise. I wanted to show him that I wasn’t interested in him or his father.
Though my body felt devoid of energy, I still wanted to hear their conversation. I knew I could draw something deep and helpful from them. Mustering enough energy, I slowly crawled to the room, and thanks to the glass of water, I was feeling alive again.
With much difficulty, I reached the room, as it was not so far, and sat with the support of a wall beside the closed door. I have to press my ear against the wall to hear them.
“Leave her, she is not at fault”
I was surprised to hear such words from the mouth of his father. I couldn’t believe that he was thinking we’ll of me.
But why? He doesn’t even know me personally.
The brief moment of optimism was shattered by Ansell’s fierce retort.
“But her brother is” Ansell shouted, asserting his point louder and clearer than his father: “You may not love your daughter but I love my sister a lot and I could do anything for her”
I could hear nothing else but silence, which followed Ansell’s words.
“And now she knows everything about us” he continued, “our gang, our work, our secrets, our hiding places. And don’t forget, she is a lawyer by profession”
As much as I am scared of getting into this mess again once I get free, sometimes I think about fighting against him once again through legal procedure after getting tight security.
“So now you will be scared of that little girl?” His father said. It seems like he was challenging his own son.
“I am not scared of anyone” Ansell retorted.
“Kill her if you think she could mess up”
My heart shrank in my chest as I heard the words of his father. How easy it is for him to say that. It was my mistake to think that he was better than Ansell, even for a second.
“I will do as I see fit with her. You wanted me to take on the responsibility of the gang, and I have! Now all I want is for you to stay away from my matters” Ansell said this time his voice was low and it was difficult for me to catch his words but it seemed like he wanted to end the conversation as soon as possible.
“I would have stayed away from your matters if you hadn’t captivated a girl like that” his father said.
The personality of the man seems quite confusing. I struggled to piece together his motives and intentions, unable to draw a clear conclusion about what he truly wanted from both me and his own own.
“Isn’t it something normal for you?” Ansell asked his father.
“It is, but only as long the girl is not becoming any of our weaknesses. It’s better to cut off the things that weaken us” practically as if discussing some normal topic and not about taking someone’s life.
Are people nothing more than insects for them who could they crush anytime they want?
“She is not my weaknesses” Ansell’s voice held conviction, as if he were trying to convince himself as much as his father.
“She is!” This time his father shouted and I almost flinched at my place from the sudden outburst: “And if any other mafia gang came to know about it, you don’t even know what would happen to her and then our gang, which I have built with so much hard work, blood, and sweat”
“You are concerned about the gang only. Have you ever considered the well-being of our family?” Ansell asked, his voice a bit soft and sentimental.
“Oh, come on! Sentimental and emotions have no place in your profession. That’s a lesson I have been teaching you since the very beginning” his father spoke as if there was no demarcation between personal and professional life , there wasn’t even a hint of remorse in his voice.
“Congratulations to you, father. I have become exactly the way you wanted” Ansell’s voice quivered momentarily, a hint of vulnerability breaking through before he steadied himself.
“I have transformed into a monster, a cruel being so far removed from my former selft that I can no longer recognise who I once was” he paused for a second before adding, “You won and my mother’s teaching failed”
“That’s really nice to know because it will actually help you in the future ” I could imagine how happy his father was to know this.
“I wanted you to take up the responsibilities so that you could expand my empire, not get crazy behind a girl, and take it towards doom. You already know William has gotten the punishment for what he did to Desy, now you need to move on from all this and focus on the work at hand”
“It is not a point. I am sure there is something hidden behind your intention of coming here and asking me to free Leonara. Your actions are always calculated, and driven by your motives, and you don’t waste your time on matters that don’t serve a purpose. You wouldn’t care wether she lived or died. She means nothing to you” Ansell’s voice was so stern as if he were spitting out the facts.
“Indeed she was nothing to me until she was just William’s sister but now she has become much more than that for you, which I see as a danger for the gang ”
Again, a heavy silence hung in the air and it felt weird and scary.
“And if it is tough for you to kill her then I will do it for you” his father offered calmly, his words a sharp jolt to my senses.
My breath caught in my throat as my eyes widened. I have to place my palms over my mouth so as not to make any voice.
“Don’t! You will not even think about hurting her” I could hear the anger in Ansell’s voice.
Suddenly I could hear the laugh of his father. Which sent shivers down my spine. It was becoming painfully clear that both father and son were psychotic. They have disturbing tendencies that could scare the hell out of anyone.
“As if you are making her sleep on the bed of roses” his father’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
“She is mine. I can do anything with her and I can guarantee you one thing: I won’t hesitate to kill anyone if her thoughts cross someone’s mind, even if that someone is my own father” Ansell threatened him.
“Look at this, the madness in your eyes confirms my suspicions. I am convinced now that the girl deserves the same fate as her wrenched brother” his father’s words dripped with a venomous intensity.
“Don’t!” The voice of Ansell was telling me that he was trying to suppress his anger, “or I will make you meet the same fate as William’s”
“Whom are you fooling, Ansell? You and me both know that it was not you who killed him”
A loud gasp escaped my mouth.
What?
It was not Ansell who killed William. The who killed him?
“Rather it was…”