CHAPTER 2

ARIS.

“They are what?” I blurted out, shock permeating every single part of my body with speed.

“We are your parents,” the woman said with a small smile while the man beside her nodded.

I shook my head because hell nah! This was not happening.

“Grandma, you said they died in an accident after I was born,” I asked Nana, staring pointedly at her.

“I am sorry Aris, I lied,” she said weakly, tears in her eyes.

“No.” I shook my head, hugging her close to my chest. “No Nana, you don't have to apologize.”

She sniffed.

“Go talk with them, Aris,” she murmured as I drew back.

I couldn't speak for what felt like minutes, eyes flickering over to the unknown persons there. But before I could say another word, the woman stepped forward.

“Let's talk outside, shall we?” She asked. I turned to my grandmother, who gave me a tired nod. I didn't speak and just walked out first as the two followed after me.

I went down to the empty supply room at the end of the corridor where I knew no one ever came.

The man came in last and shut the door behind him, staring around the room as I faced them.

“Why are you here?” I asked, quickly backing away when she stretched her hands toward me.

She withdrew it slowly.

“I'm your mother …”

“I heard you the first time,” I cut her off instantly.

She gave a cold smile, as though she was trying to be patient.

“Well, this is your father, Illius Doukas.” She gestured to the man next to her and he looked like he would rather be doing something else other than being here.

“What's your name?” The man asked, eyes sizing me up in a way that made me uncomfortable.

“Aris,” I said.

He nodded dismissively.

“What do you want?” I asked again, feeling rather claustrophobic.

“Come home with us, Aris.”

My brows rose.

Just like that?

“Why?” I pressed. “We just met and expect me to follow you? I have my grandmother to take care of.”

“She is not your real grandmother!” Illius said curtly.

“What your tone,” the woman snapped at him. He looked at her for a bit and then looked away.

She turned to me.

“We are your real parents, Aris, and it is only normal for us to demand that you return home.”

There was silence for a bit.

“That woman stole you as a child and we have searched everywhere for you, but couldn't find you no matter how hard we tried.”

My eyes bulged, anger making the veins of my neck grow large.

“Grandma would never do that!” I snapped. “She may not be my real Nana, but she raised me! And I don't appreciate you telling lies about her behind her back!”

The woman swallowed lightly as anger flashed in her eyes for a bit.

“We can have her arrested, you know that, right?”

I froze.

“The police will investigate the case and prove who exactly is lying.”

Cold shivers ran a marathon down my spine as I glared at her. “You wouldn't,” I said in a small voice.

She gave me a small smile.

“I'm Lena Doukas.”

Something about the way she said let me know she was known for doing anything she spoke.

“So, will you come home with us or would you like a police case?” She asked, a brow raised slightly.

I gasped.

“But… but.. I can't leave Grandma behind! She needs me now.”

“She's not—” Illius began with a hiss before Lena cut him off with a raised palm. He was about to speak up again, but he said nothing. He just took one angry step backward after Lena stopped him.

Her eyes returned to me.

“I understand,” she said. “It's only normal to be filial. What if we pay for your grandmother's bills?”

My fingers twitched at my sides.

Pay my grandmother’s bills?

“And the surgery?” I added, unsure.

She nodded.

“Hm? We would pay, and you'd do your part and follow us back home. Besides, we are your parents, we can't leave you back here.”

“You will pay for everything?” I asked her again to be sure I hadn’t heard it wrong the first time.

“We will,” Illius took over again with his gaze stapled on me. “But you must return with us now.”

My eyes dropped as I contemplated it. If I leave with them now, they will sort my grandmother's bills and also pay for her surgery.

I turned around.

“If you want me to go with you, will you also take care of her other medical costs until she's fine?”

“Don't push your luck,” Illius growled, and I glared at him.

“Then no deal.”

Lena took a step closer to me, her fingers pushing stray strands away from my forehead as she smiled.

“You’re good at bargaining. Well, you have our blood in you after all, what can I say?” She added.

When her hands dropped to her side, she tilted her head at me.

“We'll take care of your ‘grandma’ until she no longer has any need to remain at the hospital, if that is what you want,” she stated.

My eyes lit up with happiness as hope filled every bone in my body.

Grandma would be fine.

She'll get the surgery.

Maybe the appearance of my rich parents wasn't bad after all.

“Thank you,” I said, blinking away the tears that gathered in my eyes at the moment. “I will go with you,” I said hurriedly.

“Good boy,” Lena said. “But you must listen to everything we say once you come with us.”

I nodded.

“I will.”

She smiled.

“Good.”

I began to hurry towards the door because I wanted to return to the ward to tell my grandmother about the decision I had taken. But then, someone gripped my arm.

My head turned.

“Yes?” I asked.

“Where are you going?” Illius asked through clenched teeth. “You will leave with us now,” he added.

My brows rose.

“I have to tell grandma first,” I snapped impatiently.

“You will come with us now and we will handle your grandmother afterwards, Aris,”  Lena said from behind him. “Those are our conditions to this deal.”

“But… but…”

“You told us your conditions, boy,” he said through gritted teeth. “This is ours, respect that too.”

His hands on my arms were starting to hurt. I hissed because he didn't budge one bit, no matter how hard I tried to pull them away.

“Fairs, fairs,” I murmured. “But I already agreed to leave with you. I just need to say a quick goodbye to my grandmother before we go.”

Lena stepped forward, into my line of view, shaking her head.

“Since you agreed, we should leave now.”

They wouldn't even let me bid her farewell properly. Why? Why was I not allowed to say goodbye?

“You are my son, Aris,” Lena continued. “I do not want you to ever return to this place after you’ve claimed the prestigious name of our family. You must come with us without the intention of returning here.”

My eyes widened.

“W- what?! Without the intention of coming back here?” I asked. “But what if I want to see Nana?”

“Either that, or you can stay back and sort out your grandmother’s bills,” Illius answered.

“Listen to your father, okay? Let's return home first.” Lena gave me a reassuring nod, one that felt awfully fake to me.

But I stopped struggling because they were my last hope now.

“Fine,” I said reluctantly. “I will go with you.”  

I didn't return to the ward to bid my farewell to my grandmother.

Instead, I followed them to the finance department. They settled all of our outstanding bills and spoke to the doctor. Afterwards, Lena led to the sleek car waiting outside.

As the car drove off, I thought of Nana. Would she be sad when she learnt that I had just left without even seeing her one last time?

When we pulled up at the house, I stepped out of the car.

“Follow me,” Illius told me in a cold, authoritative voice.

I did.

Lena didn't follow us as we walked into the opulent house and up a spiral staircase to a door. He pulled the door open for me to go through as if he didn't trust me enough to do any of that on my own.

The moment I stepped in, I saw that it was a library. I suddenly felt trapped the minute he locked the door. A strange realization just hit me—I had returned with people I knew nothing about, and Grandma was at the hospital, all alone.

I hoped I had not made the wrong decisions, watching Illius as he took a seat at one of the table.

“Sit,” he said.

After I sat across, he took out a document and slid it to me. I sat slowly, staring at the papers.

“Sign there,” he said, pointing at the empty space at the bottom of the paper. My forehead creased.

I didn't ask anything, instead I lifted the file, wanting to read, but he slammed a palm on it. The sound was so loud that I almost jerked up from my seat.

“Sign it.”

My brows rose.

“Why?”

“Don't question me,” he growled with a death stare.

“At least I should know.”

“You don't need to. Sign it.”

What does he mean?

Normally, I would have signed, but after dealing with loan sharks, I  have learnt my lessons.

In the hard way.

“I can't sign,” I stated. “What if I am signing my life away?”

He said nothing, digging his phone out of his pocket and dialling a number as I watched him.

“Ask the hospital for a refund,” he said the moment someone took the call and my breath hitched.

“What the fuck?!” I yelled.

“It seems you prefer for your grandmother to rot,” he told me in a wickedly calm voice that nearly drove me over the edge.

I stood abruptly.

“Didn't you say I just have to follow you, and you would pay for my grandmother's medical bills?” I demanded in a high pitched voice.

“We will only take care of the bills if you do your part.”  

“And what the fuck is my part?!” I screamed in his face.

He stood too, staring at me.

“Sign. The. Papers!”

My fingers were clenched into fists under the table, knuckles cracking as my nails were digging deep into my palm until it began to hurt.

I wanted to scream.

Walk away.

But I only swallowed.

This was for Grandma.

I was doing it for her.

“At least tell me what it is,”

“A marriage contract.”

“A what?” I gasped.

His pheromones burst around him in a thick fog. My face went ugly from the coldness his pheromones brought. It was as if the temperature in the room had gone down by several centigrades, goosebumps filling my skin.

His brows rose with shock when he realised it didn't affect me.

I tilted my head in confusion.

“You want me to marry a stranger you arranged in exchange for my grandmother's surgery?”

“Isn't her life worth it?” He asked with a hiss.

I knew that.

He didn't have to repeat it because he sounded like a broken record.

“Or should we send you back to go watch her die?” he spat as a thick lump lodged itself in my throat.

If I returned, what was the point? I would be going back to bury Nana, or I would be falling right into the hands of those loansharks.

“Fine,” I said. “Marriage it is then.”

“Good for you.”

“Where do I sign?” I asked, taking a seat and snatching the fountain pen from the table.

“On the line,” he pointed.

I scribbled my signature across the space provided atop the line.

It was done.