The speed at which Silas rose from his seat made all the water can and glass on the oblong table shake.
“Nonsense!” He roared like a mountain lion. His eyes dead on Sia’s as his teeth gritted in sheer anger. “Are you arraigning me for an attempted murder?” He asked.
Silas’s mother pleated her forehead in a frown. The news is as shocking to her as it is to Silas. Well, not that she hasn’t planned for such before but she’s yet to execute it.
Strings of doubt rose inside her and she somewhat wondered if Silas took a step without letting her know.
“Don’t give me that befuddled look, Silas .” Sia yelled. “You hired someone to smother me in my house last night. It was you!”
Silas scrunched his brows, confusion eating him up. He wondered if his mother made an attempt without informing him. He looked over at her and their gaze crashed.
‘She did this without informing me!? Fuck!’ He mumbled inwardly.
James began rounding the table with short strides.
“Are you saying the person you saw in your room last night was hired by Silas?” James threw the question at Sia.
“My son can never taint his hands with blood. Never!” Silas’s mother butted in.
“Oh, yeah he did. No one else would have except Silas.” Sia stated, meeting the burning glares of Silas’s mother.
“Why do you say so?” James asked. “What evidence do you have?” He added.
This time Estrella butted in. She stood up and glared at Silas and pointed a finger at his direction.
“Because he abuses Sia. He admitted it himself that he’ll r*pe Sia to death. But it appears he wants to keep secret this time by sending someone to do the job.”
Estrella’s is not a member of the family but her voice commands attention and the weight of her words made it hard for anyone to drift their gaze from her. She’s strong and confident.
James was amazed by her temerity to meddle in the family meeting but would love to stick to the rules guiding this meeting.
“And you’re?” He asked Estrella.
Shifting her fiery eyes toward him, she yelped, “I’m Sia’s friend.”
James offered a lopsided grin. “I must admit you’ve guts. But for the success of this meeting, we frown at having a non family member chime into the ongoing conflict.” He said before riveting back to the topic.
James strode toward Sia and said.
“You don’t have a tangible evidence, Mrs. Monson. How do you expect me to believe your words?”
Sia let out a disdainful chuckle. They seemingly find it hard to believe her but downright believe Silas’s claim that she jinxed Mr. Monson?
This family never ceases to amaze her. Sia tilted her brows and asked.
“You don’t believe my words? Do you think I’d stand here and lay such accusations with having experienced it first hand?”
James pursed his lips. “I don’t believe lame words. I believe evidence, Sia Monson. Do you evidence?”
Huffing, Sia said, “No. It was an unexpected event.”
James shook his head. His lips pursed tightly. “Until I lay my hands on a solid evidence, I won’t believe your words.”
Estrella wanted to talk but Sia shot her a glare, as sign that she shouldn’t talk again. So she thinned her lips in a straight line. She suspects that Silas will come back again and this time, he’ll rid off all atom of evidence.
“Very well then, Mr. James. I might get an evidence soon.” Sia stated as she rose from her seat.
She knows getting an evidence will be hard. She’s dealing with the devil and he’s quite smart.
“Until then shall I voice my final verdict.” He told Sia.
Sia beckoned on Estrella and they both exited the chambers angrily.
The moment Sia slammed the door of the chamber shut, a long stretch of silence took over. James settled on the head seat and took a once-over on Silas and his mother’s faces.
However, Silas and his mother regard themselves with fiery eyes. Both gritting their teeth. As the power tussle surface between Sia and Silas, it also surface between him and his mother.
James cleared his throat to draw everyone’s attention and drone on.
“If her claims happens to be true, that means Silas violated the family’s rule. No matter how much you’d want to rule the family, murder is not among the tactics to get by it. But for now, I won’t lay accusations.” He stood up and smoothed the invisible crease on his suit with his hands. “This is where this meeting ends. Thank you.”
James walked off followed by other elders. Silas’s mother dashed off the room in her wheelchair considering the heated look Silas sends her way.
Does he think she’s the mastermind behind the onslaught? She wondered. She was already in the car and instructed the driver to roll off the building when the back passenger’s seat she was in fluttered open.
Silas writhe his head when they eyes met. The twitching of his jaw is enough evidence he’s gritting his teeth hard at the moment.
With a voice as frosty as winter night, Silas ordered the driver to give them some privacy and clenched in to the car.
“What games are you playing?” He questioned her, keeping his face ahead.
“And what’s that supposed to mean, Silas?” Her voice held anger for the seeming accusation her son is pulling on her.
Silas dived his fingers on her throat and clenched it hard. Her heart went in an overdrive as his grip on her throat tightened.
Silas inched his face so close to hers, his spittle spattered on her nose, lips, and eyes when he talked.
“I know you have a hand in this attack. You want to kill her but trust me I’ll tear everything down if anyone touches her. She’s mine. I’ll do this at my own pace until I subdue her to become mine. Don’t even think you can take that from me.” He growled.
His mother couldn’t talk except the series of coughs she let’s out. Silas’s grip numbed her mind. When he let go, she coughed hard and took harsh breaths to fill up her lungs.
“You’re forgetting I’m the reason you’re where you are, Silas.” She croaked, brushing her hand on her aching throat. “Don’t make me expose you and we lose everything we ever wanted. You lose having her like you’ve always wanted. I mean it Silas.”
Silas was more than threatened by her words that he cringed inwardly. His mother mightn’t mean this threat she pulled but he can’t take any chances in losing everything so he relaxed himself.
“We’ll see some other time, mother.” He mouthed and got off the car, slamming it shut.
Meanwhile, Sia and Estrella went to a Russian restaurant to eat. When they got there, they nipped on the first meal course which was Solyanka soup brimmed with various type of meat, beacon, ham etc.
When they finished nipping the soup, Sia excused herself to use the restroom.
When she released the contents from her bladder, she washed her hands and glanced at herself in the mirror.
She was in the hallway heading back to their table when a man stormed out from the men’s restroom.
Sia’s eyes and his met instantly.
“Raymond!” Sia called and her eyes moved down the gauze wrapped around his neck.
Sia’s gaze lingered longer on his neck than it should. She wondered what actually happened to him that warranted such gauze around his neck.
“What happened to you?” She asked, not able to shift her gaze from Raymond. At some point, Sia wondered if he has a hand in her attack last night.
“Were you stabbed?” She asked again. This time her eyes moved to meet his and Raymond knot his fist, rage brewing inside him.