Ch-46

•~• Aziel’s POV

Davian's eyes widened, shock and confusion fighting for dominance as he locked eyes with me.

There was no mistaking the recognition in his gaze—the moment everything clicked into place in the bastard's head.

I glanced at Ryan, who stood beside him, ski mask still on, silent and waiting for my orders.

He was my most loyal man, the one who led the others the night Davian was taken. I only ever called on him when things got out of hand.

Like when I needed to get out of marrying Shoshana Bates, I had Ryan and the other guys stage an attack convincing enough for me to fake getting crippled from the aftermath.

“Can you turn on the lights?” I said, my voice low. “It’s kind of dark in here.”

“Yes, boss,” Ryan replied immediately, pulling a small remote control from his pocket.

He pressed a button, and the room blazed to life in blinding brightness. Davian groaned, instinctively shielding his eyes with his arm.

I smirked at his discomfort.

“Much better,” I muttered, adjusting myself in the wheelchair. “Now we can see each other clearly.”

“You can leave us now.”

Ryan nodded wordlessly and exited the room. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving just the two of us in the small space.

When Davian finally dropped his arm, he blinked rapidly, his eyes adjusting to the harsh light before his gaze locked onto mine.

“You planned this,” he said, his voice laced with disbelief.

I tilted my head. “Of course.”

He frowned. “But why…?”

“You acted like you had no idea what was going on when that car ambushed us that night,” he said, his voice strained.

“You even got fucking hit on the head with a gun just to prevent them from taking Solane. So how the hell are you the one behind all of this?”

I smirked, my eyes narrowing. “Well, all of that was part of my script. I mean, think about it—you were heading to an outing with me and my wife, a car suddenly veers in, blocks the road, and out of all of us, you’re the only one taken…”

I leaned forward slightly, voice cool. “Wouldn’t it have looked suspicious to the cops if the rest of us came back home unscathed?”

Davian clenched his jaw, frustration radiating off him. “But why? Why go this far? What did I ever do to you?”

“What did you ever do to me?” I echoed, scoffing. “Well, for starters, you're screwing my mother.”

Color drained from his face. He shook his head quickly, trying to backpedal. “Nathaniel, whatever’s going on between me and your mom, I can explain—”

I cut him off, my voice dropping to a low growl. “Don’t. You don’t have any explanation for that, and frankly, I don’t care.”

I leaned in slightly, eyes cold. “Also, don’t call me Nathaniel. I’m so fucking tired of hearing that name when it’s not even mine.”

Davian froze. He looked lost, his brow furrowing as he tried to connect the dots. “What?”

I leaned back in my chair, staring straight at him as I dropped the truth. “Nathaniel Grant is my twin brother. He’s the one in a coma—not me. I’ve just been pretending to be him for the past five years…because that’s what my mother wanted.”

His eyes narrowed, confusion still written all over his face. “So you’re the other one…Aziel.”

I smirked, mildly amused. “Mmm… Aziel Grant. Older by three minutes—but hey, it still counts.”

He blinked, trying to make sense of it all. “But… why? Why would Melissa lie to me?”

I let out a dark chuckle. “You really think she’d trust a gigolo like you with a secret like that?”

His confusion twisted into frustration. “So what, you kidnapped me because of my relationship with your mother?”

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. “I told you already, I couldn’t care less if you and my mother are screwing each other.”

Davian frowned, thrown off by my bluntness. “Then what is this about?”

“What this is about… is that you messed with someone you shouldn’t have.” My eyes bored into him, cold and unwavering.

“Who?” he asked warily.

I let the silence stretch a beat longer before I said it, voice low. “My wife.”

Davian’s eyes widened, his entire body freezing for a second. “Wait—Solane? I swear on my mother’s grave, I’ve never had any sexual relationship. You have to believe me.”

“I believe you,” I said, tone clipped. “She’s got standards. And you? You’re the kind of man she wouldn’t even look at.”

He shifted, clearly uneasy. “Then what the hell did I do?”

My smirk faded. “You know who she really is.”

I saw the shift in his eyes—the exact moment the truth dawned on him.

“Her real name,” I continued. “Irene Lancaster. Only child of Zane and Celeste Lancaster… And that she married me for revenge.”

I leaned back, letting the silence hang heavy between us, watching him choke on the truth.

“How did you find out?" He finally asked, barely hiding the strain in his tone.

“Let’s just say I happen to know a lot of things… like how you were the first physiatrist her parents hired to help her recover after my mother pushed her off that cliff.”

I fell silent, watching the impact of my words settle on him, then went on a few seconds later.

“But they fired you fast—because instead of doing your damn job, you overlooked her fragile state and started hitting on her. And now here you are, blackmailing her… because you know her secret.”

His face reddened, voice rising. “If you know all this, then why haven’t you said anything to your mother? Why the hell am I the one held up here and not Irene?...”

“She’s the one trying to destroy your family—I just wanted to make a little money. I wasn’t trying to get involved in your drama!”

I smirked. “You see, for people like me, when they fall too deeply in love with someone, they stop caring—even if that person pulls out a knife one day and carves your heart out.”

“…You’d still want to protect them from everything. I could explain it all day, but a gigolo like you would never get it.”

“His angry expression shifted to one of disgust. “You’re sick,” he said.

“I know. But I’m not just sick, Davian—I’ve completely lost myself. That’s what happens when your mother pushes the woman you love off a cliff and kills your unborn child in the process.”

I paused, my gaze hardening as I locked eyes with him. “But you don’t understand how it could change someone, do you?”

I dropped my legs from the wheelchair, letting them touch the floor.

“Oh God…” I exhaled as I pushed myself up to stand, the sharp ache in my legs reminding me just how long I’d kept this lie going.

Davian’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull. “You... you can walk?”

I smirked, taking slow, deliberate steps toward him. “Of course I can walk. That’s actually another reason I had you kidnapped…”

“…If you'd started treatment with me, you would've figured out pretty quickly that I was faking the whole 'unable to walk' thing.”

“...You don’t know how hard it is to sit in that damn chair for hours... not to mention planning your kidnapping and getting hit in the head with a gun. But it’s all a sacrifice I’m willing to make to see my mother ruined.”

I paused, crouching down in front of him. His eyes flickered nervously.

“I won’t say anything,” he pleaded, his voice shaking. “I won’t say a word. Just let me go, and you’ll never see me again.”

I chuckled darkly, my gaze unwavering. “And why would I believe a single word that comes out of your mouth? You’re a gigolo, a chronic blackmailer. I can’t trust you.”

I snapped my fingers, and Ryan, who had left earlier, stepped back into the room. I extended my hand, and without hesitation, Ryan dropped a gun into my palm.

The cold steel felt heavy in my grip as I raised it and pressed the barrel to Davian’s head, watching the panic dance in his eyes.

“I’m sorry but I can’t risk you leaving here alive after everything you know.” I said, my voice low, steady, and final.

Davian swallowed hard, his voice trembling. “Please... I swear I’ll disappear. I won’t say a word. Just let me go.”

I scoffed, pressing the gun harder against his temple. “You should’ve thought about that before you tried to blackmail Irene.”

His voice cracked as he continued to beg, “Please, Nathan—I mean, Aziel. You don’t want to do this. You’re a good guy.”

I scoffed again, shaking my head. “No, I’m not. Good people don’t kidnap others. They report scum like you and my mother to the police, wait for some judge to find you guilty, and then let you face the consequences of your crimes…”

“...But people like me? We don’t wait around for the police or some judge. We take matters into our own hands, because no one knows the pain better than us.”

“...So we wait for the perfect moment to strike, making sure people like you suffer and burn to ashes, just like you deserve.”

“Please... You really don’t have to do this. Killing me will drag you into a darkness you might never come out of.”

Silence.

His words hung in the air, and I felt them reverberate in my mind. I clenched my jaw, staring at him, his eyes wide with fear.

“I was already dragged into that darkness the moment I found out my mother pushed Irene off that cliff,” I said, my voice steady but cold. “What’s the point in avoiding it now?”

I pulled the trigger.

The sharp crack of the gunshot rang through the room.