Rafael rushed into his room, but he was met with Leonard, who had a gun aimed at him.
“What are you doing, Leonard?” Rafael’s eyes widened as he watched his brother’s finger tighten around the trigger, his face contorted in anger.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Leonard asked, sweat cascading down his face as his chest heaved.
“Are you really going to shoot me?”
“We’ll find out,” Leonard smirked.
Rafael scoffed and began to laugh lightly. His laughter grew louder, filling the room. When he finally stopped, his face turned icy cold.
“Idiot,” Rafael muttered.
Leonard’s face contorted in confusion and fear, though he tried to hide it. His grip on the gun tightened.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? What the heck has gotten into you? You are Rafael, my weak brother, and yet you stole everything from me. Everything!!!”
Rafael sighed and gently tilted his head back. He returned his gaze to Leonard and said, “What is it, brother? Do I smell jealousy?”
“Jealous? Why the fuck would I be jealous of you?”
“Exactly, Leo! Why the fuck would you be jealous of me? You had everything: cars, a house, girls, respect, attention, and so much more. So why would you be jealous of your weak brother?”
Leonard’s eyes darted in confusion. He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Yeah, you’re my worthless brother… but you’re gradually stealing everything from me, and I can’t let that happen. I can’t let you steal my spot. I should be the one father looks upon as his next heir. The one who is going to run his empire next.”
Rafael’s smirk widened as he laughed again. “I never stole anything from you, brother. I just became myself. You said I was an embarrassment to you, so I decided to become stronger. What now?… Are you scared? Scared that I would ruin you?”
“Stop talking,” Leonard warned.
“Or what? You’re going to shoot me? Tssk… you better do that now ’cause you’re going to regret it if you don’t.” Rafael paused, his head held high. “But first, allow me to break this to you… Maximus, the man you’re trying so hard to impress, is not our father. Our mother had been cheating on him with Tristan for many years. We are Tristan’s sons, not Maximus’s heirs.”
“What the fuck?” Leonard stepped back in shock, trying to digest what he had just heard. He shook his head. “That’s a fucking lie. There’s no way that could happen…”
“Mother never left our side. Even though she’s out, she always comes back, either at night or the next day. When was the last time you saw Mother?” Rafael asked, confusion etching Leonard’s face.
“She’s dead, Leonard… Maximus killed her. He sent our uncle-or should I say, our father-into the hands of the Kings. He’s being tortured. As good as dead,” Rafael said.
“That’s a lie. You’re saying all this just to distract me from killing you right now. That’s a lie!” Leonard yelled.
‘Fuck. He’s not falling for it, Rafael… think!’ Rafael gritted his teeth.
‘If you don’t end him… he’ll end you. If he doesn’t do it now, he’ll do it soon,’ Silence’s voice echoed in his head.
Leonard felt his heart breaking into pieces. The news felt like a nightmare. He recalled the day he caught Odessa and Tristan in an indecent manner when he was young… but decided to ignore it.
It all made sense to him now. His eyes teared up as he tried to breathe. His grip on the gun slowly loosened.
“I told you, Leo, that you should shoot me… or you’ll regret it,” Rafael said, and Leonard gazed at him, confused. “I’m sorry for doing this.”
With a swift movement, Rafael pulled out a gun and shot Leonard right in the left chest.
___
Hearing the gunshot, Silence smiled. “And he did it,” he muttered, grabbed his jacket, and left the room.
Catelyn and Isabella both jerked in unison at the sound of the gunshot.
“What was that?” Isabella’s eyes darted around.
“Stay here, I’ll check it out,” Catelyn whispered and left the room.
___
With teary eyes, Rafael gazed down at his trembling hands, disbelief and horror swirling in his mind. He had shot Leonard. The shock gripped him, freezing him in place as he slowly looked down at Leonard.
“Leo?” Rafael’s voice cracked.
Leonard’s eyes, once sharp and full of life, now dulled with pain. “R… a… fael… I… don’t… want to… die… why…?” he gasped, each word barely a whisper, a plea.
Rafael staggered back in horror, unable to comprehend what had just happened. What had he done? How had it come to this?
“What have I done?” Rafael whispered to himself, his voice thick with anguish. The silence that followed was deafening, filling Rafael’s ears with the weight of what had just transpired.
Leonard was gone. He had taken his last breath.
What had he done?
What had done?!
The door suddenly creaked open and Silence got his hand, dragging him out of the room.
___
With a growl, Valentino smashed one of the men’s heads against the wall. As if it wasn’t enough, he did it over and over again until the man’s brains splattered against the wall.
Those who saw this had their eyes widened in horror. They pulled out their guns, ready to shoot, but were shot from behind instead.
Jaxon’s eyes snapped towards Valentino. “You need to use a gun.”
Valentino chuckled. “Are you worried about me?”
“I don’t want you to die on me, big guy.”
“It’s fun killing them with your bare hands. Fucking awesome,” Valentino grinned, then signaled one of his men for a gun. One of them stepped forward and handed him a massive gun that left Jaxon’s lips parted in disbelief.
“W… what… the heck?” he mumbled, then heard more of their enemies approaching from the hall.
“They’re here, and there are many of them,” Jaxon whispered.
“Stay behind me,” Valentino smirked and stood in front of Jaxon.
“I want to shoot too…” his words were interrupted when Valentino began shooting wildly at the men, whose bodies scattered with each bullet.
“Haha… I haven’t done this in so many fucking years!!”
Jaxon sighed. Why did Cassius have to stick him with this guy?
The shooting stopped within seconds.
“Wait, that’s all?” Valentino frowned, his face turning serious. He shifted his eyes to Jaxon. “It seems too easy. Too few men.”
“Which means…” Jaxon raised a brow.
“Something is wrong, and I think Cassius knew it before coming here,” Valentino muttered, darting his eyes around. “What the heck is Mr. King planning?”
___
Cassius stepped over the dead bodies, a wolf growling behind him.
He lifted his hand, signaling his men to halt.
“I’ll go in alone,” he said, and the men looked at each other in confusion.
Cassius opened the door, stepping into the dimly lit, empty room. His hand casually tucked into his pocket as he looked around.
“I’m not here for hide and seek. Show your goddamn face,” he said coldly, and immediately a red dot appeared on him as men began to emerge from the darkness, surrounding him.
Cassius didn’t flinch, his gaze cold as he waited for the man he came to see. He wasn’t only here for Maya… he was here to meet him.
Silence emerged from the shadows. Each of his steps was powerful, a dark smirk playing on his lips as he advanced toward Cassius.
Their blue eyes locked, and Cassius tried his best to contain his emotions. Silence grinned, staring at the full-grown man who impressed him beyond his imagination.
Silence muttered, his thick voice resonating through the room, “Goddammit… you’re indeed my son. What are you going to say meeting your father for the first time…
Cassius King.”