Chapter 160 Dad?!
Darius sat near the table with his back resting against the chair while the quiet inside the room stretched longer than he liked. The silence in the building felt different from ordinary silence. It was the kind that made a person feel watched even when no one stood in the room.
His eyes drifted once more to the wall.
Darius exhaled slowly.
"Someone went through a lot of trouble just to mess with my head," he murmured under his breath.
He leaned forward slightly with his elbows resting on his knees.
He had already tested the door earlier. It had not been locked. He had stepped outside and even spoken to the guards stationed there. One of them had mocked him for banging on the door before even trying the handle.
After that he had returned inside the room and chosen to stay there.
Not because he believed the guard when the woman said the boss would call for him shortly.
He stayed because wandering around an unfamiliar building filled with armed guards without knowing the rules sounded like the fastest way to get himself killed.
So he waited.
His patience had limits though.
The sound of a knock interrupted the quiet.
Darius looked toward the door.
A moment later the door opened and a guard stepped inside carrying a tray of food.
The scent reached him instantly.
This meal looked far better than he expected. Pieces of roasted meat sat beside vegetables and bread while a bowl of stew rested near the center of the tray.
The guard placed the tray down on the table without speaking.
Darius watched him for a moment before leaning forward slightly.
"You know," he said while looking at the food, "for a place that enjoys locking people inside rooms you do provide a decent meal."
The guard said nothing.
Darius picked up the spoon and stirred the stew once before tasting it.
He nodded slightly.
"Not bad."
The guard remained standing near the door.
Darius looked up at him again.
"So tell me something."
The guard did not react.
"How long exactly am I expected to sit in this room waiting for your mysterious boss?"
The guard raised one eyebrow slightly.
"No one asked you to sit in this room."
Darius let out a quiet breath.
"Oh really?"
The guard nodded.
"You could have explored the building."
Darius leaned back in his chair.
"I am aware of that."
The guard tilted his head slightly.
"Then why are you sitting here?"
Darius gave him a flat look.
"Because every time I step outside this room your colleagues stare at me like they are deciding which part of my body they would break first."
The guard shrugged.
"They were doing their job."
Darius rolled his eyes.
"I knocked on the door earlier asking questions and none of you bothered responding."
The guard smirked faintly.
"You could have just walked out."
Darius pointed at him with the spoon.
"You are purposely trying to irritate me, right?"
The guard's expression remained calm.
"You chose to confine yourself in this room."
Darius shook his head slowly.
"I did not confine myself."
He leaned forward again and took another bite of food before continuing.
"I chose to avoid wandering around a building full of strangers who seem to enjoy insulting their guests."
The guard looked amused by the comment.
"You are not a guest."
Darius swallowed his food.
"Then what am I?"
The guard did not answer.
Darius watched him for a moment before speaking again.
"You know what the problem with the guards stationed here is?"
The guard looked mildly curious.
"What?"
"They are unbelievably rude."
The guard's lips curved slightly as if holding back a laugh.
"Your opinion is noted."
Darius pointed toward the door again.
"The two men outside earlier treated me like I was a complete idiot."
The guard shrugged.
"You did spend several minutes banging on a door that was not locked."
Darius sighed heavily.
"I am surrounded by comedians."
The guard turned toward the door.
Darius took another bite before speaking again.
"If your boss plans to keep me waiting all day then you might want to bring another tray later."
The guard paused near the door.
"You seem comfortable."
Darius nodded.
"The food helps."
The guard opened the door.
"Enjoy it."
Then he stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
Darius watched the door for a moment before looking down at the tray again.
"Rude and annoying," he muttered quietly.
He continued eating slowly while his thoughts wandered back toward the photographs on the wall.
Eventually he finished most of the meal and leaned back in the chair while staring at the images again.
His gaze rested on the photograph of his father.
The longer he looked at it the more unsettled he felt.
Someone here knew exactly who he was.
Someone had gone through the trouble of gathering those pictures and placing them inside this room.
The thought stayed with him.
The door opened again.
Darius turned his head immediately.
He assumed the guard had returned.
He was already preparing another sarcastic comment.
"So you decided to come back after all?"
The words left his mouth casually.
Then he saw the man standing in the doorway.
The rest of his sentence disappeared.
The spoon slipped from his hand and struck the tray with a quiet metallic sound.
For a moment he could not move.
His eyes shifted from the man's face to the photograph hanging on the wall behind him.
Then back again.
The resemblance struck him instantly.
The same eyes.
The same jawline.
The same presence that had once defined every memory from his childhood.
His chest tightened as disbelief flooded through him.
Slowly he stood up from the chair.
His eyes remained locked on the man in the doorway.
The room felt strangely smaller.
His gaze flicked once more toward the photograph before returning to the man standing there.
The word left his mouth almost involuntarily.
"Dad?"
The man looked at him quietly before speaking