Chapter 92 Ninety Two

Chapter 92 Ninety Two
OWEN WINTERS 

I sat in my office going through files, the Norman's had finally come to their senses because they asked for an alliance. I was finalizing the documents when my phone buzzed. 

I looked at the caller ID and it surprised me.

Why was Dylan Xavier calling me? Irritated, I answered the call waiting to hear what he wanted to speak to me about. 

“I'm sure you're surprised I'm calling. I just called to brief you on the conversation I had with your father,” he said bluntly.

I sighed wondering what father said and discussed with him about the threat, Ari Xavier. I hadn't even informed him about my encounter with her yet.

“Go on.”

“ Well, he says not to do anything rash because as of now, Ari has the upper hand against the Winters and all their allies in Paris. You should see him to talk more… I'll be hanging up now…”

“Wait!” I heard myself stopping him. He needed to know what happened between Ari Xavier and I, how she paid me a visit and asked for an alliance.

“What is it?” He asked, waiting for an answer.

I breathed in then let it out heavily. I ran my fingers through some files, then said, “Ari Xavier paid me a visit.”

There was a long pause at the other end of the line and I knew he wasn't expecting that. 

“She did? Why?” He inquired and I poured out every detail not skipping a thing.

“She came into the office without being detected and asked me for an alliance directly. It felt tempting, but I declined knowing what I was in for, and she threatened to make us feel her wrath…”

“An alliance, you say. And you declined?”

“Yes,” I answered feeling somewhat proud of my loyalty towards the Xavier's, but the next thing Dylan said struck me hard in the chest.

“You fool, you would have agreed!” He sounded annoyed for some reason and I wanted to know why.

“How?”

“You would have agreed for the time being, then our plan would've been a lot easier — you don't know who that woman is!” He reprimanded.

I felt ashamed for not thinking of such plans, and Ari Xavier knew I wouldn't because when I switched on the news, I knew I had fucked up.

“I'll call you back,” I muttered hanging up while staring at the big screen in front. 

Ari stood dressed in black, her eyes staring into my soul from the screen. She looked pleased and that was scary.

“After my father was brutally murdered by his own cousin, Dylan Xavier, he abandoned me to fend for myself without even batting an eye. The cruelty of a brother is more painful than of a stranger and we all know that-” 

I bit my lips in anxiousness, my brows creased, wondering where this was heading to.

“I worked so hard over the years to get to where I am, and some people got it on a silver plate. Although I amassed such heights, I humbled myself and went back to my roots — to meet my father's cousin, the closest relative I had, but what did he do?” Her expression changed from being calm to a disgusted one. Her eye lid flickered, and her lips curled in utter disgust.

“He shut me out and even threatened me. So now I have come for revenge, not just to pay back what he did to me all these years, but to others he had shown such cruelty, and to the Winters-” her eyes sharpened as though she knew I was watching. 

“Your loyalty to the Xavier's is unbreakable and so you shall suffer. To cut the long talk… I declare war against the Xavier's and all their allies and to show that I'm not joking, I left a little present for you… Owen Winters.”

I switched off the TV hastily, my mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. She had a little present for me?

Amy?

No, if the present was specially for me then hurting Amy meant hurting both Dylan and I, so she was out of the equation. 

“I should go to father,” I muttered, standing to leave. 

I technically swam my way to Winters estate. Dylan called on the way and I answered without hesitating.

I spoke before he did, “Did you really abandon a little girl?” 

He scoffed and I knew the answer, but he replied anyway.

“Left her with mother since she was alone at the mansion. My mother needed company, and Ari was best.”

That meant she babbled nonsense on the news just to seek out sympathy. 

“Where are you?” He asked, his voice sounded rather worried.

“On my way to my father's, why?”

“When you get there, ring me up, let's discuss, I'll be coming to Paris anyway,” he said and hung up before I could say anything else.

The gate opened and I sped in rushing towards the mansion not even minding that I almost hit a truck of whatever the fuck it carried.

Reaching the mansion, I stopped the car and ran out taking quick strides towards the door. I flung the door open and walked in.

“Father where…”

My voice trailed as I saw the horror of my life.

Father's head on a silver plate. His head was freshly cut because blood filled the plate and dripped down staining the white cloth on a table. His body lay lifeless on the ground. 

I stumbled back, holding my breath for what seemed like a minute, somewhat praying my eyes were playing tricks on me.

The present.

Ari Xavier's present was father's head. My mind blacked out for a moment as memories flooded me. The man I had always called father and thought to be immortal lay dead, his head separated from his body.

I looked at the head on the plate once more, his eyes were wide open, and those blue irises stared at me, piercing my heart every second that passed, accusing me.

The wall clock ticked. The sound of blood dripping on the white cloth and onto the floor made me nauseous. 

I clenched my fist as fresh tears filled my eyes. 

Father was dead.

Some men came in and gasped at the sight of the great don of the Winters — the one who Paris feared more than anything.

“Close the gates. The don is dead.”