Bound by Deceit to the Mafia's Heir.

The Past

Chapter Four

The Past

Shantex

It was like a thick fog that brooded in the air, waiting to suffocate, as I stood in the opulence of the Lucas mansion's foyer. When I told Alex the whole truth, he went quiet. His face was a strange mask, a convoluted mixture of confusion, disbelief, and something I could not quite put a name to. I am not sure what I was expecting from him; this...this wasn't it.

He was at sea; befuddled. He fumbled in the reality of what I was asking from him, but I could not permit him to back out. Definitely not. This was not a personal thing between him and me; never had been. I didn't want romance or affection. I was looking at survival.

I really thought I could take care of this by myself. The more I think about it, though, the clearer it became that I needed someone on my side, someone who could manage that financial security and protection I couldn't get for myself. Someone who had the power to rewrite the course of my life.

"Fine," Alex finally muttered, dragging me out of my thoughts. "We'll work this out."

It was flat, and I caught the tinge of uncertainty from Alex when he said those. It was almost like saying what he thought people like him were supposed to say rather than his real feeling. Still, it'll do. For now, it'll do.

Footsteps thudded down the stairwell with steady deliberation before I could say another word; I had found myself stiffening. It was not just anyone coming down the stairs. Alex's father, Estavon Lucas, named it just to make the air in the room colder and denser.

Estavon stepped into the foyer, his presence as commanding as his reputation. His eyes flicked from Alex to me, and the sharpness in his gaze made me feel like prey under the gaze of a predator. He didn’t smile. No, Estavon wasn’t the type for that. But the way his eyes narrowed, the way he sized me up, told me everything I needed to know: he recognized me.

“Quite the guest you’ve brought home, Alex,” Estavon said, his voice smooth and controlled, the tone laced with a kind of amusement that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Are introductions in order?”

My heart skipped a beat. I could feel my body tense, the years of fear and disdain for this man rushing back to the surface. Estavon Lucas was not someone you just casually interacted with. He was a titan of the criminal underworld, a ruthless figure who held more power than I could ever imagine.

And then I saw it—the flicker of recognition in his eyes. It was brief, but unmistakable. Estavon had realized who I was.

I could see his mind working, a cold calculation taking place behind his gaze as he took a slow step forward.

“Is there a reason you’ve decided to pay my son a visit?” he asked, his tone sharp, but controlled.

I swallowed hard, trying to maintain my composure. It wasn’t the time to get rattled. Not when I had so much at stake.

I didn’t answer right away, and Estavon’s gaze didn’t leave me. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “I know you.” He said it like a statement, not a question.

I stiffened.

"You're the daughter of Catherine," he pretended to grow an awareness that was sinking in him, "Catherine... a woman, she used to run the second biggest casino in town before she met her untimely death, cursing my luck. Always a thorn in my side. A competitor that I could never bury quite."

My world shifted under me as this ground made my whole being recoil in shock. Suddenly, the mention of my mother, Catherine, set the earth beneath me turning. For a moment, it was hard to breathe.

"Catherine's daughter," he repeated, as if lowly thoughtful now. "Well, this is unexpected."

I didn't need to see Alex to know that he had no idea what was going on here. But I wasn't going to concern myself with that, because I had Estavon and I had to deal with him quickly.

I lifted my chin trying to present the bravery I needed. "I am here to neither discuss my mother or about my past," I said, my voice steady and yet quite aware of the weight of Estavon`s stare on me. "I am here for my child."

His expression remained unreadable. His calculating eyes were roaming over me. It's like he is weighing the situation, pretty much figuring out whether I am some threat or an opportunity.

"Your child?" A faint twitch at the corner of Estavon's lips was going neither to smirk or sneer. He seemed to be toying with words and measuring their weights. "So... you're telling me that Alex here is the father of your child?"

I nodded; he'd never seen me look away. "Yes, Mr. Lucas; Alex is the father. And I need him to take responsibility."

At this point, Alex had been quiet, mainly trying to digest what was happening. I could see the flick of his vision between Estavon and myself, then back - shock still very evident on his face. But he remained silent; no remarks from him. I appreciated that.

“Responsibility?”This time, it was Estavon's voice that became low and dark. "You want my son to step into your own world of chaos, broken promises, and to give you what you need? Do you really think he is the answer to your problems?"

I felt the sting of his words; however, I did not flinch. "I'm not asking for his love, Mr. Lucas. I'm asking for protection-for the security of my child. And that's all."

That seemed to have brightened those eyes of Estevon with something darker such as a glimmer of amusement perhaps or maybe from the spitefulness that thrived in his gaze at this moment. "You think Alex has that kind of power?" he asked tight as his voice was almost mockery. "What you're asking can be more than what he is prepared to give. Much more."

I felt that tension rise once more with thick yet suffocatingly. But I would not allow myself to buckle under his words. "I'm not asking for charity. I'm asking for what's right. Your son's involvement in this-his responsibility-will ensure that my child and I aren't left to rot in this world you've built."

Estavon's lips curled into something close to a smile, but there was nothing kind in it. "You are playing a dangerous game, girl. You do not know the weight of what you are asking."

I held my breath, hoping for the moment to freeze. "Then you need to prove me wrong. If Alex is as powerful as you say, then he can give me the security I need."

Estavon's gaze flickered toward his son, still rooted in his pose while he tried to decide what to do. Waiting for something, it seemed-for me to break, for Alex to take charge.

But Alex was silent, his mind obviously grappling with something far deeper than he could admit.

The dagger-eyed gaze turned back to me. "You're making this hard on yourself," he murmured, thick as the answer was with a warning. "I'll let you know if there's any merit to your request."

Before I could respond, Estavon turned and walked toward the staircase. His presence loomed like a shadow as he disappeared back into the mansion, leaving me and Alex standing in the tension he had created.

I didn’t know what would happen next, but I knew one thing for sure: I wasn’t leaving without what I came for.