Chapter 55 An half brother and an idea
Chapter 055
RAVENNA
I laughed at the absurdity of what he was suggesting. "You must be joking."
"I am damn serious," Damon replied, his expression unchanging.
"No." I shook my head firmly. "Absolutely not."
"You are already doing it indirectly," he pressed. "I just need you to focus on it properly."
"I am there to get revenge against Darius," I clarified, feeling my frustration building. "Not to infiltrate his father's world and gather intelligence. That is spy work. Besides, I cannot do that. I am not close to Darius."
Damon leaned back in his chair, a slight smile playing at his lips. "Let me tell you something? I got you those videos you released at the gala."
My eyes bulged as realization crashed over me like cold water.
"You," I breathed. "You were the one who provided the footage of Richard's acts."
"Yes."
My mind raced back to that video and the night I played it. I had thought Asteria found those files somehow. But it was him, my father working behind the scenes all along.
"If you got those videos," I reasoned slowly, "then you must have access to more. So why do you need me to penetrate their system? Why not just do it yourself?"
"Because it would be easier with you on the inside," Damon explained.
"No." I stood up abruptly. "I am sorry, but I cannot do that."
"Ravenna—"
"I am already an enemy to them," I interrupted, my voice rising. "To Darius and his father both. They are after my life looking for ways to eliminate me. If I start snooping around, gathering information, there will be even more reason to suspect me. And if things go wrong, if I get caught, I will be dealt with permanently."
The room fell silent. I could feel my heart hammering in my chest.
Damon studied me for a long moment. Really looked at me. I could see him processing my words, weighing them against whatever plans he had made.
Finally, he sighed. His eyes dropped to my legs, then back up to my face. "I will not risk your life then. Not for this work."
Relief flooded through me. "Thank you."
"You are my daughter," he added quietly. "I have spent fifteen years searching for you. I will not lose you now because of some vendetta against the Pikes."
I smiled. A genuine smile. "Thank you," I repeated.
"Can I make use of a phone?" I asked after a moment. "I need to tell my friend I am alright. She might be worried about me and could report me missing to the school authority."
"Do not worry about that," Damon assured me. "I already fixed it."
"What do you mean?"
I nodded slowly, unsure whether to feel relieved or unsettled that he had thought that far ahead.
Silence settled between us again. But this time it felt different.
I took the opportunity to really look at him. To study the man who was supposed to be my father.
He had red fiery hair like mine. Exactly like mine. Except his was curly, wild, untamed. Mine was straight, falling down my back in waves. His eyes were ocean blue. Mine were hazel, inherited from my mother. I could see her in my eyes every time I looked in a mirror.
His nose was perfectly straight. His lips were full and pink, set in a face that was both rugged and handsome. He was tall..And muscular. His biceps bulged out from the body-hugging top he wore. His arms were covered in tattoos. Intricate designs that wrapped around his skin like stories waiting to be told.
He looked hot. There was no other word for it. Handsome and young and powerful.
If he was not my father, I thought absently, I would have tried to rizz him.
The thought made me want to laugh and cringe at the same time.
He caught me staring. A teasing smile crossed his face. "You are a grown woman now."
Heat rushed to my cheeks. "How old are you?"
"Guess."
I laughed and shook my head. "Forget about it. I do not even want to know."
He grinned. It made him look younger somehow. Less intimidating.
Before either of us could say anything else, footsteps sounded from somewhere deeper in the house. A moment later, a boy appeared in the doorway.
He was a carbon copy of Damon. Same red curly hair. Same ocean blue eyes. Same strong features. But younger. Much younger. Maybe sixteen or seventeen at most.
He walked past me without a word, grabbed a bottle of water from a small table, and took a long drink. Then he glanced at me and smirked.
"So this is the girl who has been giving us sleepless nights," he commented casually. "Finally got caught."
I bristled. "Who are you?"
He turned fully to face me and flashed a bright smile. "Nobody."
"Theodore," Damon cut in, his tone carrying a hint of warning. "Behave yourself."
"I am always behaving," Theodore replied innocently.
Damon shook his head and looked at me. "This is my son. Theodore. I had him while I was in the dungeon."
Theodore raised his water bottle in a mock toast. "Pleasure to meet you, sister."
Sister. The word hung in the air between us.
I had a brother. A half-brother. Another sibling I never knew existed.
My mind spun. First Asteria. Now Theodore. How many more surprises were waiting for me?
But then an idea clicked into place.
I looked between Damon and Theodore. Then back to Damon again.
"What would you think," I began slowly, "of Theodore registering at the academy?"
Damon raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"He could get close to Darius," I continued, the plan forming as I spoke. "Befriend him, ain his trust and get the information you need from the inside."