Chapter Four

[Roman’s POV]

“Don!” I turned toward the maid standing at the entrance. I walked not wanting anyone inside. She was breathing heavily, her face pale. At the same time, I noticed a faint blush on her cheeks. She really had the guts to blush in a situation like this?

“Miss Ava has been transferred successfully to the hospital.” She paused, struggling to catch her breath. “The doctors said she’s in a coma.” My jaw tightened. Ava was in a coma? I hadn't expected it to be this serious.

Ronn had really gone too far this time. Speaking of him...

“And Ronn?” Her eyes immediately dropped to the floor what was she looking at. My mood turned sour which she felt as her body began to tremble slightly. Good she should feel that I'll take no nonsense from anyone especially a mere maid.

“We don't know where Master Ronn is.” Silence. The silence irritated me more than anything. My fingers slowly curled into a fist.

“You don't know where my son is?” They were completely incompetent. Useless fools.

“How on earth did he go missing when there are countless maids in this house?”

“We've searched his room, the hallways, and the entire house, but we couldn't find him.” She swallowed. “There are guards searching for him outside.” I was starting to get fed up with this entire situation.

“Don't come back without him.” She immediately turned and hurried away. I stared down the hallway.

Ava was in a coma. Ronn was missing. And I already knew where this was heading. I turned and walked back toward his room, my footsteps heavy against the floor. As soon as I entered, my eyes slowly moved across the room. The damage was still there.

Actually, it seemed to get worse every day. All of this had started because of what happened four years ago.

The one time I let my guard down, my enemies decided to use my only weakness against me. My son. They kidnapped Ronn and held him captive for over two months.

I searched and searched for him. They they I found them, I made sure to wipe out their entire clan.

The Black claws? They were practically extinct now. But killing them hadn't erased what they had done to my son. The damage was already permanent. Ronn had once been lively, playful, and full of happiness. Now, he barely seemed like the same person.

It was as if he had locked himself away somewhere inside his own mind, leaving only his body behind. After I rescued him from captivity, I discovered what they had done to him. They had forced him to take illegal drugs that severely affected his mind and altered his behavior.

From that day onward, I felt like I had lost my son. I tried every treatment I could find. Doctors. Therapists. Specialists. Nothing worked. They told me I had arrived too late.

The drugs had already begun damaging his brain. Even now, especially at night, Ronn became destructive. Sometimes, he acted as if he wasn't even himself. As if something else had taken control of him. It was my fault. I admitted that.

But this time, I had made up my mind. My enemies could use him against me again at any moment. And I wasn't going to let that happen. Minutes passed as I remained lost in my thoughts.

I needed my phone. Right. I had destroyed it. I sighed and walked out of Ronn's room, heading toward mine. The moment I entered, my landline began ringing.

Who could be calling me? I walked over and picked it up.

“Hey, Roman.” Of course. I'd recognize that voice anywhere.

Kingsley. My best friend. I might be ruthless, but even I had someone I trusted enough to stand beside me as my right hand. Kingsley and I had been friends since childhood. Our parents had been close long before we were even born.

“What do I owe this unexpected call?” I asked. He had been gone for over six months. This was the first time I'd heard from him.

“I'm at your house... and I'm with a particular somebody.” My brows furrowed.

Who could that be? Could it be Ronn? The two of them had always had a special connection.

“Then come inside.”

“I already am.”I frowned.

“Where?” He was already messing around. When had he even arrived?

“The garden.” I didn't ask another question. I rushed to my closet, grabbed some clothes, and quickly got dressed before heading outside.

The moment I stepped into the garden, I spotted him standing beneath one of the large trees. Then I saw the person beside him. Someone was resting his head on Kingsley's lap.

Ronn. I stopped dead. His clothes were stained. His hair was disheveled. But he was alive. And he was okay. At least physically. I walked toward him.

“Ronn.” His head slowly lifted. I crouched in front of him.

“Where have you been?”

He didn't answer.

He simply stared at me and scrunched his nose making it obvious he did like my presence. But I didn't stop.

“Did you hurt Ava?” His gaze shifted away from mine. He looked angry. My jaw tightened. He couldn't even open up to me.

“Ronn.” Still nothing.

“Enough of this,” Kingsley suddenly said. He stood and pulled me into a hug.

“Long time, man.” He looked a little taller than I remembered.

“Yeah.” I hugged him back.

“I wanted to give you a surprise, but your little son had to spoil it." He really had to joke about everything. I shook my head.

“He hasn't said much." I glanced at Ronn.

“Where did you find him?”

“I found him here. He was just sitting by the lake, staring at the water.” That was strange. Considering what had just happened in his room, I couldn't understand why he had come all the way out here.

“Actually...” I paused. “I should tell you what happened.” Kingsley looked at me.

“He stabbed Ava.” His expression changed. “She's in a coma.”

“Which Ava?” Seriously? What kind of question was that? I knew they weren't exactly on good terms anymore, but they had once been close.

“Who else?”

“OH. That Ava?” He looked toward Ronn.

“Well, she deserved it.” My eyebrow rose. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. How could he say that? I knew they weren't on good terms, but they had once cared about each other. At the very least, I expected him to show some concern.

“What do you want me to say?” Kingsley shrugged. “She's a bitch and—” He stopped. Then he looked at me carefully.

“You're actually saying Ronn did this?” I nodded my head. His tone had changed.

“Yes.”

“There was proof right in his room. Blood everywhere. A trail leading straight to the door.” Kingsley slowly shook his head. He clearly didn't agree with me. Then he turned toward Ronn. He crouched beside him and whispered something into his ear.

I watched them silently. I had to admit, I envied their closeness. Before everything happened, Ronn and Kingsley had been extremely close. Sometimes, they looked more like father and son than Ronn and I did. And even after everything that happened to him...

Even after Ronn changed... He still remembered Kingsley. It had taken me months before my own son could even look at me without fear.

But with Kingsley? It was different. Ronn trusted him.

Then he began to walk away then sat on the bench beside the lake.