CHAPTER 56: A Tense Reunion

CHAPTER 56: A Tense Reunion
Adrian’s POV

As the door shut behind us, I remained motionless. As though he did not give a damn, the man in black leaned against the door. He watched and waited, staring at us like a zoo animal. Despite my heart hammering against my chest, I remained steadfast.

Damien was the first to move. His posture was rigid as he placed himself between the stranger and me. He demanded again, in a firm but controlled tone, "Who are you?" The stranger took a while to respond. Rather, he entered the flat and shut the door.

"I am the man who should have died at Serena's hands," the stranger finally said. Instead, though, she struck a deal. One that is currently coming apart.

I did not understand a word he said. This was not adding up. He was not here to talk, though, that much was certain. Silently, I shifted to the side, trying to put some space between him and the corridor. I needed room to sprint if we had to run for it.

Damien did not retreat. "What do you want?"

The man gave a small smile. "I have a message for you. Evelyn is not there. And you will follow my instructions if you wish to see her alive again."

I felt sick to my stomach. I tried to hide the weakness in my legs. "What have you done to her?"

He stated, "She is okay… for the time being," "But that is up to you."

He meant every word, and I could see it in his eyes. And despite our best efforts to hide it, he somehow knew that we were afraid. On it, he was getting off.

"You are working with Serena," Damien reported.

The man's head hung to one side. "Not precisely. For now, let us assume that our interests are similar. But trust me, boys—I am not a puppet.

I balled my fists up. The questions I had to ask too quickly made my chest churn. Why Evelyn? Why now? How come this guy appeared as if he had been following us all our lives?

"What do you want from us?" I yelled and stepped forward.

He gave me a look. "It was inappropriate for you two to meet. That is the reality. Serena saw to that. And now that the secret is out, we need to control the fallout. The two of you are too valuable to be left on your own.

Damien spoke in a chilly tone. "We are not anyone's property."

The man laughed. "Oh, Damien. That fire. You most definitely got that from your mother. Adrian here—he's the thinker. The planner. But the one who burns is—you-you.

The way he used our names made me cringe. As if he had known us. He seemed to have been a part of our story from the beginning. I detested it.

I demanded, "I want Evelyn back," "Now."

The man shook his head slowly. “Not yet. She’s leverage. And you’ll do what you’re told, or she won’t be coming back at all.”

Then he turned to leave. Just like that. Like he had dropped a grenade and walked away without waiting for the explosion.

After saying, "I will be in touch," he left.

The door behind him slammed.

For a long time, we remained firm. The only sounds were Damien's growl of anger and my harsh breathing.

His eyes blazed as he turned to face me. "We have to find her."

"I know," I said, gripping the envelope firmly once more. "However? We don't know who he is or where he took her."

"We find out," said Damien. "We get started right now. No more standing around waiting. No more quiet.

Slowly, I nodded. "We go back to the beginning."

We rode into town in silence. The tension between us was not just with worry, but with something else—something I couldn't quite put my finger on. For the first time in my life, I felt a strange kind of connection to someone who looked like me, thought like me… even dreamed like me. Damien had changed from being unknown. I was unaware that I had been missing him, but he was a mirror.

We drove up in front of a tiny diner outside the town. The kind where you didn't ask questions. We slid into the back booth, and the waitress delivered two coffees before disappearing.

Damien leaned his elbows on the table. "Let's lay it out. Everything we do know."

I nodded. "We were born on the same day. Raised in various locations. You with Evelyn. I with Serena.".

He nodded slowly. "And somewhere along the line, Serena abducted you, abandoned me, and covered it all up."

"I think Evelyn was trying to right things," I said. "But perhaps she couldn't. Or perhaps she was afraid."

Damien's eyes dropped. "I resented her sometimes, you know. For never letting me know who my dad was. For being always so careful with the truth."

I nodded once more. "I see. I believed she was my adoptive mother. But now I think she was a true mother rather than Serena was."

We sat in silence. The coffee went untasted.

Damien spoke once more. "That man. he knew things. About us. About who we are. He said we were worth something. What does that mean?

I didn't want to tell him, but I couldn't stop myself. "Perhaps we're something more than that. Part of something. Something they planned. Serena and him."

"You think you're. experiments?"

"No. I don't know. Maybe we're pawns in someone's game."

Damien head-shooked. "I'm not one being played anymore."

Me neither. I didn't say so, but it hit me deep as bones.

"We need someone's help," I said. "Someone smarter than us.".

Damien looked at me furiously. "Kieran."

I blinked. "Your—our—father?"

He nodded. "He's been snooping. I can tell. He's already suspicious of Serena. If we go to him, perhaps he can assist us."

A part of me did not want to believe him. Kieran had been cold, furious, locked up in his world. But maybe all that was just part of the chaos Serena wrought.

"All right," I said. "Let's go see him."

We got to Kieran's mansion an hour later. Damien knocked on the door with a hard fist, and after a brief pause, the butler opened it. He was surprised to see us, but remained silent. He stepped aside and let us in.

Kieran welcomed us in the study. His expression altered when he saw us standing together—initial surprise, then confusion, and then, something bordering on guilt.

He got up. "What is this?"

Damien took a step forward. "We know. About us. About everything."

Kieran's shoulders slumped, and he returned to his chair slowly.

"I tried to find out the truth," he said. "But Serena… she covered it all up. I didn't even know there were two of us until a few days ago."

"She's taken Evelyn," I said. "Or someone who is in cahoots with her. We don't know who he is."

Kieran's face darkened. "Victor."

"You know him?" Damien asked.

Kieran nodded. "He worked for me. Years ago. Serena hired him. Said he could help with some business dealings. But there was always something odd about him."

"Why would she hire him now?" I asked.

"Because she's desperate," Kieran said. "You two meeting? That wasn't supposed to happen. She's trying to keep control, but it's slipping away from her."

Damien clenched his fists. "Then we speed its loss.".

Kieran moved forward. "There's something more. Something I haven't said to either of you."

We both looked at him.

He hesitated. "Serena didn't lie just about your births. She's funding something… a project. Off the books. In another country. I only found out two days ago."

"What kind of project?" I asked.

He looked at both of us, his expression serious.

"One who has kids. Twins. Tests. She's tried to replicate whatever she did with you two."

I squeezed the back of my throat. Damien's face turned pale.

"Creating more of us?" Damien queried, his voice cracking.

"Attempting to," Kieran said. "But she hasn't succeeded."

My brain spun. The dreams. The linkage. The strange link between me and Damien—it was unnatural. Or maybe it was too natural, too strong for people like Serena to ignore.

I stood up, chest tight. "We have to stop her."

"We will," Kieran replied. "But we need proof. Evidence."

"I believe I know where to start," Damien said sharply. "At Serena's old house. There is a room that she never lets anyone into. She kept it locked."

Kieran nodded. "Then that is our next step."

We all stood up.

But just as we were turning to leave, Kieran's phone buzzed. He picked it up, read the message, and went pale.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He turned the phone over.

It was a live video feed.

Evelyn. Tied to a chair. A clock on the wall behind her.

00:10:00

A countdown.

And then a voice over the speaker.

"Ten minutes. Come alone. Or you lose her forever."

Damien looked at me.

I looked at him.

And then everything collapsed as the screen went dark.