Chapter 81

Zayden

Dressed in a black Armani three-piece suit, he stood before the podium, cameras flashing their lights in all directions.

" You're going to be in the newspaper tomorrow, Zay." Oliver chortled.

I shrugged."I guess I'm getting famous."

My father cleared his throat, and then a drained expression formed on his face. I've known him long enough to know when he was faking an act.

Right now, he was faking it.

" It's with utmost sorrow that I stand before you here today. I should have addressed this issue sooner instead of letting it lie low till now." He began, his eyes looking over the crowd.

" As a citizen of this great country, I must abide by the laws of our land, and an outlaw remains an outlaw regardless of whether he or she is a family member or not." He paused, using a napkin to wipe the sweat off his face.

"The news of my son's crimes must have circulated by now. Some of you have questioned my credibility and the credibility of my assets. The revelation has been a great blow to both me and my legacy. I won't cover it up anymore. Justice must suffice, and I want to assure you all that he would receive appropriate punishment as dictated by the law for his crimes."

The crowd began murmuring, journalists and reporters asking various questions.

" What exactly were his crimes? Can you let the public know?" One of them asked his mic directly in front of my father's lips.

I clenched my fists; he wanted to bring me down.

"He murdered my late wife when he was still young. He had displayed some violent behaviour while he was growing up. He had anger issues, an inability to remain calm in little arguments, he was apathetic and displayed symptoms of a sociopath. I sent him to therapy but nothing worked. I ended up raising a monster, one that went out of control. He unlived my friend's son and murdered a couple of kids in high school. I don't think I can call him my son anymore."

The crowd was in an uproar, microphones and cameras trying desperately to get attention from the man speaking.

" Are you saying you're going to disown him? Will he lose the right as an Heir to your legacy?" Another reporter asked.

Everywhere turned silent, waiting for him to reply.

"My second Son has become the only Heir to my legacy and yes, I no longer see Zayden as a child I raised."

I scoffed, anger and resentment boiling low in my stomach. I stood on my feet and paced the room.

  I'm not surprised, this was what he wanted long ago. The perfect opportunity to get rid of me.

I stopped pacing when another reporter asked another question.

"Do you have evidence to support all claims of his crimes?"

He nodded, the wrinkles on his face glistening with sweat droplets." All evidence has been handed over to the authorities."

" It was broadcast some days back that Zayden Kent was supposed to marry the brand ambassador of Kent Tech after he divorced his wife but on the wedding day, he wasn't there. What do you have to say about that?" Another reporter asked.

He sighed." I have no comment on that."

I chuckled, of course. He is still trying to save face.

" Mr Kent, how is your Company and reputation going to bounce back from this shocking revelation."

" Like I said. The issue will be handled appropriately by the authorities, justice will be served, and we will continue to push forward."

" What about Lillian Ace? It has been announced that she has gone missing some days after the divorce."

My father paused again, his eyes gleaming with an unknown intensity." I won't be surprised if Zayden is responsible. He's obsessed with her, so he may be behind this ."

The reporters began fighting for the audience again as my father took his exit. The camera followed him till he got into a limo with a couple of escorts behind him.

I switched off the TV or I might end up smashing it.

Yeah sure, I'm obsessed with her. But he had some nerve saying I kidnapped my wife.

The press would surely make this into a nice story and the whole world would paint me red.

" Well, that was unexpected." Oliver sighed.

I kept pacing the room, my whole body vibrating from anger. He not only set me up and wants me behind bars, but now he has completely ruined my reputation.

    

He had this carefully planned out but he better watch his back.

He dragged Lillian into this and that was unforgivable.

" We have to work fast. The faster I end this, the faster I can get Lilian back."

Oliver nodded in agreement and we finalised our plans. All I had to do was wait; my patience was running out, but I'll wait.

The hours felt like an eternity, so I couldn't sleep at all. I stayed awake all through the night till it was sunrise.

Oliver gathered all the evidence we had and I placed a call to my lawyer. Once I turned myself in, my father would do anything to keep me behind bars for as long as he wanted, and that's when my plan would kick in. 

I got a tracker implanted under my tooth, I don't trust my dad. Anything could happen; besides, I need to keep Oliver updated about my location in case we have to switch to plan B.

I can't afford any loopholes. Everything has to be perfect.

  We both went into the garage and just as we were about to climb into our separate cars, I called him.

" Hey, thanks a lot." Oliver was the only one on my side and I was grateful for that.

He shrugged." That sounds romantic."

I gave him a disgusted look." You better not be gay."

He chuckled."I like pussy and boobs  more than you do."

I sighed." I'm serious. I couldn't have gone this far without your help. I'd probably be somewhere going berserk by now."

He snorted." Yeah yeah, whatever. You owe me big time."

A smile crept on my lips."Anything in Particular you want in return?" I raised a brow waiting for his response.

He eyed me, his eyes calculating. I know that look in his eyes all too well.

" Anything or anyone except Jade." I frowned.

I have caught him talking on the phone with Jade longer than he should. He's been stalking her and staring at her photos like a horny lunatic." She has a boyfriend. She's off-limits."

He shrugged." Who said they can't break up?"

I only shook my head and we both stepped into our separate Mustang.

I was headed to meet up with my lawyer first and then head to my father's penthouse while Oliver would change location to continue the search for Lillian.

  He was going to head for Bridgeton where the van was last spotted. If the van was still in that location, he would look around for any clues. As much as I wanted to go with him, it was impossible.

I wouldn't get past the checkpoint before the cops got on my tail.

Slipping on a mask that covered half my face, I turned on the ignition.

Conor my lawyer, was already at the Fair before I got there. I had chosen this location because it was filled with people and kids which was the hardest place for the cops to search for me.

" Make sure everything is ready before tomorrow." I told him, handing him a suitcase that contained all the evidence we had managed to gather." Don't mess this up."

He nodded." You can count on me. I've never lost a case, not once."

" It's not about how many cases you've won, it's about who we are up against," I told him, my voice stern.

He looked me in the eye." I don't lose, I have never and will never."

" Good."

I turned to take my leave.

In the next hour, I got to my father's penthouse. I took the elevator to the top floor, where he was sitting on the balcony sipping on expensive champagne.

I had a camera placed everywhere in his house.

The door was left open like he knew I would come.

I stepped into the luxurious suite, my eyes scrutinizing the place thoroughly.

He had a wine glass twirling in one hand and a revolver in the other hand as he stood over the railing.

" What's a prestigious man like you doing with a revolver? Scared that the monster you raised  might come to slit your throat?" I chuckled.

He turned to face me, a lazy smile dancing on his face." Welcome, Zayden, or should I say Reign."

I cringed at the mention of that name."Don't call me that?" I snarled.

He raised a brow, obviously pushing my buttons." Why, isn't that your birth name?"

"I didn't ask for my name to be changed or for my existence to be wiped out." I countered, matching his intensity.

He placed the wine glass on the glass table." Wiped out? You should be thankful that the only people who know who you truly are,barely remember you. I changed your name to save you, you wouldn't have been a free man up till now."

I scoffed." Save me? Or to save yourself. I've never been free, we both know that."

He picked up the wine glass again and took a sip. I remained quiet, making sure to choose my words carefully.

" You see, you've been stubborn up till now. If I hadn't quarantined you, the company would have fallen. Every single thing I worked hard for would go down the drain because of you." He explained. His brow was twitching, he was slowly letting anger take control of him.

That was exactly what I wanted, for him to take the bait.

I slowly took a step closer to the man I once saw as a father."You locked up a kid and erased every single thing about him. You went as far as changing my name so the world won't remember if he ever existed. How did that help you?"

He shook his head." You won't understand, I did what I had to do."

He dipped his hand in his pocket and brought out a phone.

Fuck!

"I've covered up for you long enough. It's time you faced the consequences of your actions. I gave you enough time to live your life to the fullest, now it's time to embrace your fate." His fingers tapped on the screen swiftly.

Looks like it's going to be Plan B after all. I remained standing, waiting for him to make the call.

It wasn't even up to five minutes; the police siren began echoing in a distance.

He probably had them stationed not too far from here.

" Don't worry, you won't get executed. You'll just have to get used to living behind closed walls for the rest of your life."

He flashed me a smile, and the door burst open, the cops flooding in.

" Hands above your head, Zayden Kent. You're under arrest for the murder of Laura Kent, Tristan Smith and the kidnapping of Lillan Ace."

Slowly, I lifted my hands, my eyes never leaving my father. The cops came up behind me, pointing their rifles at me.

My hands were brought behind my back and put in cuffs.

I looked up one last time to take a look at my father.

A fragment of memory flashed before my eyes. That look in his eyes as he stared at me, his lips hiding a faint smirk.

I've seen that look in his eyes before. I recognised that expression on his face,I remembered clearly how I dreaded that look.

My shoulders sagged in defeat as reality dawned on me.

It all made sense now.

The look in his eyes says it all. I didn't murder my mother. It wasn't me that put a knife in her chest.

He did.