Chapter 98
Chapter 98.
The claws of truth.
Adam's POV.
The truth had claws.
And it was digging into me, deep into my soul. Clawing away every emotion buried deep inside of me.
Victor’s words still echoed in my skull like the ticking of a bomb, sharp and cold. "The woman you think is your mother... isn’t."
That was it. That’s all he gave me. No elaboration. No comforting lies. Just that ragged shred of truth that splintered everything I knew about myself. And then he walked away like it wasn’t earth-shattering, like it wasn't a big thing.
I sat in the library for hours after, unmoving, the dusty scent of old books pressing into my lungs, trying to calm the storm within me. I didn’t cry. I didn’t yell. I didn’t punch walls or curse the universe.
I simply existed. Until that wasn’t enough anymore.
I needed answers, more than what I knew. Or more than what I think I know.
And this time around u won't take shàllow minded answers anymore.
I found Victor again in his office by noon. The man looked like he hadn’t slept in days, hollow-eyed and gaunt under the low light. His hands trembled slightly over a stack of unopened letters, but when he saw me, he let out a low sigh.
"Adam," he muttered, voice already weary. "I've said enough, besides I have more on my plate than this."
"No. No, you said something. Not enough. You gave me half a noose and expected me to walk away. I want the full damn rope, besides this matter is more important than anything you're going through right now."
His jaw tightened. "Knowing the truth won't give you peace. Sometimes, it's better to live in the illusion, that have been projected for you."
"It’s not your decision to make. Who is she? Why lie? Who the hell am I?"
The silence stretched between us like a chasm. Finally, he looked away and muttered, "Come back tonight. Six. I’ll tell you everything, everything you need to know."
\---
Evening felt like a lifetime away.
I wandered the mansion like a ghost. The portraits on the wall mocked me with their certainty, faces framed in gold, names I’d memorized from history lessons and whispered family lore. Bloodlines. Inheritance. Truths.
Mine was a mystery.
At five-fifty-eight, I was already at his door.
At six o'clock sharp, Victor let me in.
His eyes held the weight of too many years and far too many regrets. He didn’t sit. Neither did I.
"Her name…not that needed.," he began. "She was my childhood love, I always wanted her but fate never gave me what I wanted. She was from another bloodline, a rival bloodline. Quiet. Soft-spoken. But with eyes like wildfire. But I had an affair with her."
My breath caught.
"You were the result. She gave birth to you, but because she didn't want war between my family and hers she gave you to me. Your... 'mother' was in love with someone. So she gave you up, to avoid war between I and her lover.”
The words landed like hammers.
So I was a lie. A cover-up. A child born from heat and then hidden in frost.
“What's her name” my eyes bloodshot.
Victor stepped forward, unsure, maybe trying to offer some pathetic comfort. I stepped back.
"Tell me her name, if not I would not rest till I wreck havoc on everything you built. Victor!!!!"
"No. I told you, I won't tell you. For now, hold on to the ones I have spoken to you. But know this, Adam, some truths cut deeper than lies."
“I am not taking any bullshit, spewing out of your mouth, What's her name?.”
He went mute, deep down he knew that I have always been persistent, even the devil would spill Secrets to avoid my persistent nature.
“Her name is……..” victor paused, his eyes searching, checking if I'm fit to withstand the truth he's about to spill.
“Is what…..?” I growled, my patience wearing thin.
“Her name was Stella Valeryk, Aurora's mother.…..”
POV: Damian
Pain changes a man.
Not always with screams or scars. Sometimes, it creeps in slowly, like a poison in the bloodstream. You think you're strong. You think you’ve moved on. Then one name, one thought, undoes everything.
Aurora.
She didn’t choose me.
And that thought alone had me pouring whiskey like it was water and sucking on smoke like it might burn away the ache. The room reeked of alcohol, sweat, and regret.
I stared at my reflection in the darkened glass. My eyes were bloodshot, lips cracked. Not a prince. Not a lover. Just a man who lost.
But it wasn’t over.
No. Something in me snapped. A fuse blew.
I wasn’t the kind of man who took "no" and walked away.
She belonged with me. Even if she didn’t know it yet.
The phone buzzed on the table. An unknown number. Normally, I’d ignore it. But tonight... I answered.
"Hello?"
A distorted voice replied, "I can help you get her."
My heart paused.
"Who the hell is this?"
"Doesn’t matter. What matters is, I know what you want. And I know how to give it to you."
"What do you want in return?"
A chuckle.
"A simple deal. Your loyalty. Your silence. And your willingness to cross lines."
"What lines?"
"The kind you’ve already been thinking about."
Silence hung.
I knew I should’ve hung up. But I didn’t. The devil was already whispering, and a part of me was listening.
"Where do we start?" I asked.
"Atta boy," the voice purred. "We start with a fire. One she’ll never forget."
Click.
I stared at the screen, my breath heavy, chest pounding. I had no idea what I’d just agreed to.
But I knew one thing for certain.
I was going to win her back,no matter the cost. Even if it meant selling my soul to the devil, I would.
Even if it meant burning down the world to do it, I would.
Even if it means going to hell and back, I'm ready to take what I want.
Never again would, I give up my happiness for anyone.
I did it before, I'm not doing it again….