CHAPTER 166 — ASKING FOR BRIELLE

DARIUS.

"Where is Brielle?"

This was Darius's first question when he entered the room where his alleged uncle waited for him.

They exchanged no niceties and stared at each other with an intensity they hadn't felt in a long time. The entire universe was hanging on a thread, and one small, unnoticed event could ruin it all. Not to mention that Darius' blood was boiling with barely suppressed rage.

"Good day to you, nephew. How are you doing?" The older man before him responded with a devious smile on his lips. “Could you kindly take a seat? What do you want to drink? Or eat? I can have..."

"Where is the woman in your custody?" Darius demanded once more, cutting short whatever his uncle was about to say next. He did not want to hear them.

"Relax, boy."

"Don't tell me to fucking relax!" Darius tightened and unclasped his hands. "And cut the pleasantries. I want to know where my woman is right now!"

"Fine then." A slight sneer was playing over the older man's lips. "Since you don't want to sit and drink, that's your loss. I had brought some of my treasured wine here tonight, but you...”

“Where the fuck is Brielle."

"You want to do this rough, right?"

What the hell was this man saying? As he thought about this, Darius became even angrier. At the same time, he stared the older man down, noticing the likeness between him and his father. Everything, from the nose to the eyes and cheekbones, was eerily similar. Indeed, the man before him was his blood.

Darius's chest clenched in agony as he remembered his late father and his mind flashed back to the day he died. He was so enraged that he wanted to approach the older man, grab him by the neck, and squeeze the life out of him.

Since he entered through the gates of the blasted estate, he had been fighting so hard not to let out his pent-up wrath. It was for his sanity and because he was here to hear what the old guy had to say while fostering peace.

Peace. The term sounded strange, for Darius knew deep down he didn't want it. He tried to kill, maim, and destroy everyone who had touched Brielle.

He shook his head slightly and folded his arms. Darius spoke slowly. “I did not come here to waste time, Mr Draken. What do you want?"

"Mr Draken? I suggest using the word ‘Uncle’ instead. Uncle Draken. It doesn't sound too horrible, right?"

Darius said nothing.

"You're a tough one, my boy. Exactly like your father." Draken murmured, then turned back and headed to a table with boxes of cigarettes. He grabbed one up, lit the drug, coughed and puffed at the smoke, and returned to glare grimly at Darius.

Darius, never one to back away from a stare-down, eagerly consented, and the two men looked each other down with unyielding eyes.

Similar to a predator and prey relationship. Neither moved an inch. Neither spoke. Until…

"Are you going to keep me standing here like a fool, or will you attend to me?" Darius inquired, then backtracked without hesitation. Standing in front of one of Draken's renegade guards, he raised his left hand and snapped the man's neck, killing him instantaneously. Blood splashed everywhere, turning the floor red.

Draken's face trembled in shock. His eyes widened significantly, and a surprised expression crossed his face. Then came the frown.

Good. Darius was attempting to convey a message, and it appeared he had.

The other guards in the room took out their swords and prepared to strike, but Draken waived them off.

The older man wiped the astonished look off his face and replaced it with a sneer before softly clapping his hands together. The sound was followed by sarcastic laughter as he complimented Darius' quick reflexes.

"Oh, my. Such raw power." He told Darius while smirking. "You are truly quite the man they say you are."

'Oh, I am so much more.' Darius was inclined to say this out loud, but he kept silent.

"Hmm… I can see you're likewise a stubborn man." Draken spoke and indicated something understandable to one of his men. The man bowed and departed. "But I am more stubborn, you see."

Darius raised his brow at the older man's comment, expecting him to clarify.

"What are you…" His remarks were cut short when he heard a loud, piercing, anguished scream that echoed throughout the mansion. A scream that sent shivers down his spine and caused him to stumble backward.

It was Brielle. That voice was hers. Somebody was torturing her. Oh, goodness! The knowledge hit him like a ton of bricks, sending waves of fear pouring into his chest.

"No. No. Let her go..." he stuttered and returned his sight to Draken, who wore an arrogant sneer.

"What the hell are you doing to her?" Why…" Again, he was interrupted. "Since you don't want to sit and talk things out amicably, maybe I would entertain you with Brielle's screams before you go."

"You wouldn't dare!" Darius yelled, cracking his neck.

"Oh, but I would. You see, buddy, you are on my turf. My territory. Don't think because you killed one of my men..." He pointed to the dead body in the center of the room. "...you have the power. Boy, you do not!"

Darius breathed in and out. Everything about this circumstance irritated him, yet he needed to remain calm. If not for anyone's sake, then for Rocky, who’d said to him earlier - ‘You need to calm down and talk things out, master. Don't approach him angrily. It may cost you more than you bargained for.’

“I see your mind is not even here, and that's fine," Draken said again, and the tone was not just mocking but also filled with satisfaction. "I have an appointment by 1 pm, and since you don't want to talk, I guess we'll postpone this meeting till tomorrow."

"Wait, what?" Darius asked, but it was too late. The older man was already leaving the room. "If you want to take your woman back with you, hale, hearty, and alive, then you just have to come here tomorrow." He stopped at the door. "Then we would agree on a truce. Is that fine with you?"

At first, he was silent. He didn't want to respond to the older man. But suddenly, Brielle's screams echoed again, and Darius said in a scarcely discernible tone. "Yes. I will come tomorrow."

"Good, that's settled then." Draken and his guards left with those final words, and the door clicked shut behind them.

Darius stood motionless, facing straight ahead, not blinking, not breathing. The only sounds were muted sobs from inside the mansion, interspersed with the distant pounding of his heartbeat, which resonated throughout the room.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" He cursed, then hit the wall next to him. Hard!