“One day, I got a call from father when you were not at home” she began, her voice shaky.
“He asked me to meet him, and I got excited because he was never good to me. You know that he always wanted a baby boy and never loved me because I was a girl and couldn’t take his business forward. After mother only you were with me. Whenever he came home, he only asked for you, never for me. So, that call made me do happy that I went to meet him, forgetting the fact that he is very selfish and takes every step after calculation. I didn’t know that I was becoming a pawn in his game”
She hiccuped, struggling to maintain her composure.
“I went to meet him, and he hugged me” she continued, her voice quivering. “For the first time in my life, he asked me how I was. I was happy to hear those words from his mouth, but my happiness died the next moment when he told me about his motive for calling me there”
She paused and her eyes flicked to William for a second before continuing.
“He wanted you to take up the responsibility of our gang. He asked me about your weaknesses and why, despite all your training and capabilities, you were not ready to accept such a significant role for which many are willing to die”
She gulped, visibly anxious.
“I knew that the reason behind all this was Leonara. You loved her more than anything and were ready to give up your world for her. You were aware that she would never accept you if she learned about your true profession. Only she was the one who was taming you without her being aware about that ”
She paused for a second, her eyes flickering at me, before going back to her brother.
“But I didn’t tell him about her because I knew that he would go after her and try to hurt her, which I didn’t want because I knew how bad it could be for a girl and our father was so selfish that he would not think twice before doing anything to a girl. So, I told him that I didn’t know anything about your personal life because you never shared it with me”
She closed her eyes. I thought Desy was more wrong than she already was.
“I couldn’t live with the guilt of any person getting hurt because of me, that’s why I kept most of the things with myself but little did I know that father has already planned things which were going to create in our lives ”
She opened her eyes, tears glistening in them.
“I thought that when I told him I didn’t know anything about your personal life, he would let me go. But that wasn’t the case. Although he was unaware of Leonara, he knew about William anyhow” her gaze shifted to William and me, and William’s hand, which had been resting on the small of my back, curled into a fist as he listened intently.
“He told me that he saw William in some casino and witnessed the way you fought for him” Desy continued, her voice trembling. “He conducted a background check and learned that William is your best friend, and you would do anything for him. After trying everything to persuade you to take up the responsibility, the last option he saw was to exploit your weaknesses, which, according to him, were me and William ”
Silence followed her words as everyone tried to discern what she said. Her voice caught in her throat, and she took a deep, shaky breath through her open mouth.
Ansell’s fist loosened as she looked down and cried. I am sure he must have understood the rest of the story but still, he kept silent, giving Desy enough time to tell everything.
“He wanted his blood to take over his responsibility because he was getting old and the enemies were attacking him, making him weak. The only person who could save the gang was you, because you had that ability. So make sure you do that. He was ready to go to any level. He.. ” she hiccuped as she drew deep breath. “He… Asked me to put the charges of rape on William”
She cried, looking down, her fist grabbing her clothes do tight that her knuckles turned white. Her son echoed throughout the whole hall.
Ansell, whose own voice likely caught in his throat, swallowed hard. His shoulders slumped, and he took a small step back as if trying to find his balance adjust the overwhelming revelation. The weight of what he had just learned seemed to press down on him, as seen in his demeanour and the tension in the room.
I am sure he is now guilty of everything he did, and I can’t figure out whom to blame for this.
Desy?
Ansell?
Their father?
“Before asking me to do that, he didn’t even think about me, his own daughter, let alone William”
She hiccuped. I could tell was deeply hurt by what her father asked her to do. Fathers are meant to protect their kids and he himself asked him to do such a heinous crime.
“I… I… Denied it and stood up to leave the place but before I could leave, he asked me if I wanted to meet my mother. That stopped me in in my tracks. I was stunned to learn that mother was alive, and even more so when he told me he had kept her captive at these years, and he could arrange a meeting ”
She hiccuped, overwhelmed with emotions.
“I was so happy at that moment, and all I wanted was to meet my mother, and he took me with him. I was so happy to meet my mother after 18 years that I completely forgot about the fact that the would use this as a way to reach his goal. I wasn’t sure where he was taking me, but I trusted him blindly because I was left by the desire to meet my mother” Desy continued. “He brought nme to a desolate house, heavily guarded from all sides”
Her eyes shifted to her mother, who sat there, her own eyes filled with tears.
“Inside that house, I found her, tied to a chair” Desy said, her voice breaking. “Her condition was so vulnerable that, at first, I couldn’t recognise her. But then the pictures and the love in her eyes assured me that she was our mother. At that moment, I couldn’t stop myself from running to her and hugging her tightly. She was equally happy to see me, and we cried our hearts out”
My heart clenched and my throat choked as the told me everything.
“But our moment didn’t last long” Desy said, her face paling. “His men pulled me away from my mother while I thrashed in their hold, and then suddenly, I heard a gunshot that froze my body in place”
A long silence followed her words as all the eyes were on her.
“My eyes squeezed shut with the sound of the gunshot and I couldn’t feel any pain. I thought he had shot my mother” she explained, her voice trembling.
I listened intently, feeling as if I were there with her.
“I wasn’t ready to witness such a horrific scene” Desy continued. ” My heart was thumping loudly in my chest, ready to burst out and it felt like I would also die. But then, I heard the soft voice of my mother calling me, and I knew she was okay”
I exhaled the breath I hadn’t realised I had been holding all the time.
“My eyes slowly opened, and I saw her in her place ” Desy went on. “I released a deep breath of relief when I saw that she was fine”
She paused, her emotions still evident.
“Father had just fired the gun into the air to threaten me” Desy said, her eyes flicking to Ansell. “I was utterly terrified at that moment because you never let me into such situations, and everything was new to me”
Her eyes flicked to Ansell.
“He then placed the barrel of the gun on her head and asked me to to do as he had said, otherwise, he would kill her”