Aurora woke up, finding the other side of the bed empty. She gasped, realizing she had slept with William while at work. Her boss was going to be furious for abandoning her duties.
As she staggered out of the room, she paused, spotting William. His eyes were teary, his lips trembling as he stared at her in disgust and anger.
“Will?” Aurora whispered. Her gaze fell on Karin, who stood beside him. The smirk on Karin’s face made Aurora’s brow crease in confusion. Behind William stood her boss and a few other workers, their eyes filled with disgust.
What was going on? Why were they staring at her like that?
William yelled, accusing her of cheating. Only then did the realization sink in. The man she had slept with last night wasn’t William-it was someone else, and Karin had known it all along. She had been set up.
Broken, her heart shattered, her body trembling as William hurled hateful words at her in front of her boss and the other workers. She couldn’t even defend herself; no one would believe her. The weight of the betrayal crushed her. She felt disgusted and ashamed of herself.
“William is mine,” Karin had whispered in her ear after everyone had left. Aurora realized she should have been more cautious about how Karin looked at William whenever they were together, but she had ignored it.
Aurora left the place to start over. She had no formal education, making it extremely difficult for her. To make matters worse, she found out she was pregnant-with a man she knew nothing about.
FLASHBACK ENDS
____
After hearing her story, Cassius understood why his mother never mentioned his father.
Aurora explained that she had caught a glimpse of his face on the night they spent together. She had searched for him but found nothing.
“Hearing how Tatiana met you reminded me of myself. Sometimes fate can be cruel, but it leads us down the right path. There’s no happily ever after without misery,” she said.
Cassius smiled at her words. Everything indeed happened for a reason. “My father. Would you still recognize him?” he asked.
“His face is etched in my mind like a scar. Even after all these years, I would still recognize him,” Aurora replied, her voice barely audible.
Cassius nodded and pulled out his phone. He opened a picture of Silence-the one Hudson had managed to find. Clutching his phone tightly, Cassius silently prayed that what was on his mind wasn’t true.
But his instincts told him otherwise. When Valentino had described Silence, the word “father” had echoed in Cassius’s head. He had tried to ignore it, but his mind wouldn’t rest.
“Is this him?” Cassius asked, handing the phone to Aurora. As she zoomed in on the picture, her lips parted, and her face fell in shock.
“It’s him,” she whispered. “This is the man I met that night. This is your father.”
—
‘Silence is my father.’
The reality of those words crashed down on Cassius as he stared coldly at the middle-aged man standing before him.
‘He works for no one. He works alone. No one commands him. He gets what he wants, how he wants, and whenever he wants it. He plays with his enemies in a unique way, destroying them before they even realize it. He’s like a secret legend in the mafia world… just like his name, Silence.’
Valentino’s words echoed in Cassius’s head. The man’s eyes testified to those words. The man standing before him was dangerous.
If Silence was planning to ally with Maximus, did that mean Cassius was about to go up against his own father?
“Oh, sweet heavens… Are you so thrilled to meet me that you don’t even know what to say?” Silence asked, breaking Cassius’s thoughts.
Composing himself, Cassius gritted his teeth. “Why are you here?”
“Does it matter?” Silence replied in a thick voice. “You’ve just stepped into the lion’s den, Mr. King. Are you not afraid?”
With his gaze coldly locked onto Silence, Cassius said, “Nothing scares me.”
—
Hudson ran his hand through his hair, Cassius’s words echoing in his mind. Cassius had given himself up, just to meet Silence. Hudson knew he could trust Cassius, but he couldn’t shake the worry gnawing at him.
He should have gone with Cassius, but Cassius had insisted he stay with Indigo.
No one knew what Maximus was planning; he had been unusually quiet lately.
Hudson’s gaze shifted to Indigo, who was still unconscious. His blood boiled. He tapped something on his phone, and the screen displayed Tristan’s footage. The bastard was chained down by his arm and torso. Hudson pulled a box from his pocket-the poison.
Cassius had told him to use it on Tristan if he didn’t return soon.
—
“W… what do you mean Cassius didn’t return with you?” Tatiana stuttered, panic evident in her voice as her eyes filled with tears.
“They all disappeared. Maya wasn’t even there-they knew we were coming. And Cassius knew he was walking into a trap,” Valentino responded, and Tatiana felt her heart sink.
“What does that mean? Why would he do that?” she almost yelled.
“He gave himself to Silence. We don’t know the reason,” Jaxon replied, and Tatiana’s face filled with horror.
“Silence?” Aurora’s voice came from behind, worry swirling in her gaze as she approached them with light steps. “Did you say he gave himself to Silence?”
Cassius had told him the name of the man, the day she told him about his father.
“Yes, Aunt. I don’t know what he’s planning, but I’m sure he’ll be safe,” Jaxon said, trusting in Cassius. Even if the man stepped into fire, he knew Cassius would have a plan.
Valentino scrutinized Aurora’s expression. “You know Silence?” he asked.
Aurora nodded. “He’s Cassius’s father.”
The three of them were stunned, especially Tatiana, who stepped back and sank into a chair. Her breath became uneven, and she began to panic, her emotions spiraling. Her head spun with confusion.
“Tatie,” Aurora quickly took her hands. “Look at me.”
Tatiana snapped her teary eyes to Aurora.
“You’re pregnant, remember?” Aurora’s calm voice seemed to soothe her.
Valentino and Jaxon exchanged a look upon hearing the news.
“I need to help him… He can’t be out there alone. I need to find him. I need to find my husband,” Tatiana said, shaking her head, her voice trembling.
“He’ll be fine. I can assure you of that,” Aurora said, gently caressing Tatiana’s hair until she slowly calmed down. Tatiana had confirmed the pregnancy that morning, though deep down, she felt it was the worst possible timing.
“So if Silence is Cassius’s father,” Jaxon began, his voice shaky, “is he an enemy or a friend?”
“He better be a friend, or we’re all screwed,” Valentino muttered, beginning to walk away.
“Why do you keep saying that? Can’t we beat him? He’s not a god,” Jaxon snapped and for the first time, he saw Valentino’s eyes flashed with fear.
“Have you seen him destroy an enemy?” Valentino snapped back at him with a question. “He is like a shadow–you won’t see him coming, you won’t know what he thinks, you won’t know when he strikes. He literally destroyed an entire clan without using his men. He is the most calculative and cunniest man alive. I was born and raised in the mafia world and i’ve heard tales about him. Mark my words, if this motherfucker turns out to be an enemy to us. We’ll all fucking die.”