Chapter 21 NO MERCY.
\~~~DAMIEN.
Lisa ushered me in gently, stepping aside as though I were royalty.
“He is upstairs in the room,” she said softly. “Should I make you tea while you wait for him? Or do you prefer coffee?”
She clasped her hands together, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her dress.
I didn’t even look around the house.
“You will get me your husband now, and this instant,” I said coldly. “You must be joking if you think I am here for tea.”
She flinched slightly, but she didn’t retreat.
“How about you settle down, then?” she offered quickly. “I will get him for you. But I should still get you something. You are my in-law and…”
My brows creased as I finally looked at her properly.
Really looked at her.
And that was when it hit me.
She looked…
Familiar?
Not in the way that made me remember a place or a conversation.
No, that was ridiculous. I had met countless women in my life. Faces blurred together over the years. It was normal for familiarity to play tricks on the mind.
But her eyes…
That was what stopped me.
She acted shy, and nervous. Her fingers twisted together, her shoulders slightly hunched, and her voice carefully soft. But her eyes told a different story.
Eyes never lie.
You can fake a smile, fear, and respect. But the eyes always betray the truth.
And Lisa’s eyes were sharp and full of mischief.
They flickered with something dark and alert, something that didn’t belong to a woman who claimed to be timid and afraid.
I studied her for a second longer.
Then I dismissed the thought.
What harm could a heavily pregnant woman possibly cause?
“Your husband, Lisa,” I said calmly. “I don’t want to repeat myself.”
She nodded immediately and turned away, her steps light as she climbed the stairs.
It didn’t take long before Ryan descended moments later, displeasure written clearly on his face. His jaw was tight, his shoulders stiff, and his movements careful.
“Uncle,” he said, stopping in front of me and bowing his head.
No matter how much he hated me, no matter how much he wished me dead.
I was still his uncle.
And his survival depended on me.
Oh, it must suck to be him.
“You could have asked me to come,” he said, clasping his hands together. “I would have.”
I didn’t respond immediately.
My eyes flicked to Lisa, then to the little boy standing beside her by the stairs. The child clung to her leg, watching me with wide, and curious eyes.
“Follow me,” I said simply.
Ryan hesitated, then nodded.
We walked out of the house together, the door closing softly behind us. The air outside was heavy, warm, and thick with tension.
The moment we were out of sight, I moved.
I crossed the space between us in one stride, grabbed him by the collar, and slammed him against the wall beside the gate. The impact knocked the breath from his lungs.
“W… what are you doing?” he gasped, his hands coming up instinctively.
“I should be asking you the same,” I said, my voice low and lethal.
His fingers wrapped around my wrist, trying to push me off him. He struggled, pushing, but my grip tightened instead.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?” I asked, leaning in.
“I… I have no idea what you are saying,” he said quickly, panic creeping into his voice.
For a moment, I held him there, studying his face. Watching the sweat bead at his temples and watching his pupils dilate.
Then I shoved him away and stepped back.
“Serena’s apartment was broken into yesterday.”
The color drained from his face.
His eyes widened instantly, shock rushing through him so fast it was almost believable.
“W… what?” he stammered. “Serena? How… I mean… is she okay? Hope she wasn’t attacked? I mean…”
He swallowed hard, his throat bobbing.
His reaction was immediate, raw, and unfiltered.
For a brief second, I thought he truly had no idea.
That he hadn’t sent anyone.
That he wasn’t involved.
But then again, Ryan had always been good at pretending to be harmless, playing the victim and hiding behind emotions when it suited him.
But one thing he had never been able to do was hide his emotions from me.
I watched him closely.
If this was an act, it was the best performance he had ever given.
“She wasn’t hurt,” I said slowly. “Nothing was taken.”
He frowned, confusion flashing across his face. “Then… Why break in?”
“That is what I came to ask you.”
His brows furrowed deeper. “You think I did this?”
I took a step closer.
“I think you have a motive.”
His jaw tightened. “You took my fiancée. Humiliated me in front of my family and announced your wedding like it was nothing. Yes, I am angry. But I am not stupid.”
“Anger makes people reckless. And what? Your fiancé?” I raised a brow.
“I would never risk Serena’s safety,” he snapped. “Never.”
The words came too fast and too sure.
I tilted my head slightly. “You already did.”
That hit him.
His shoulders sagged just a bit.
“She was never safe with you,” I continued. “Not with the lies or the secrets and certainly not with the life you were hiding from her.”
Silence fell between us.
Then he scoffed bitterly. “You think you are better?”
“I know I am,” I said calmly.
His fists clenched at his sides.
“I didn’t do it,” he said again, quieter this time. “I swear.”
I studied him for a long moment.
Ryan was many things.
A liar, a coward, and a cheat.
But he was not calculated enough for this.
Whoever broke into Serena’s apartment wasn’t there to steal. They were there to send a message. To test boundaries. To see how close they could get.
And that required patience, control, and experience.
Ryan had none of that.
“Listen carefully,” I said. “If I find out you are lying…”
“I am not,” he cut in. “Uncle, I swear.”
I leaned in, my voice dropping to a whisper.
“If anything happens to Serena,” I said slowly, “I will not ask questions next.”
His eyes flicked back to the house, where his wife and child waited.
Fear finally took root. “I understand,” he said hoarsely.
I straightened and stepped away.
“Good.”
I turned to leave, then paused.
“And Ryan?”
He looked up.
“Pray whoever did this is not connected to you,” I said quietly. “Because, oh, I will find them.”
“And when I do, there will be no mercy.