Vows of Deception: Bound to My Ex's Step-Father

Chapter 12

Rydell twisted the man's wrist before he tossed him aside like a worthless garbage in the damp brick wall of the alley. The man grovels in the dirt, holding his broken wrist, he’s about to scream but as he looks up and sees Rydell, his arrogant expression fades.

“K-Keirston…” the man instantly dragged himself into his knees, and he pressed his own forehead on the ground. I was stung with that action. “M-Mercy, Don Keirston! I didn’t know! I swear to God, I didn’t know she was yours! Please, spare me!”

Now he can speak English? Wah, I keep guessing earlier what he’s saying and now in the brick of death he’s speaking english. I rolled my eyes before looking at Rydell who’s now looking at the guy with no interest at all. He just raised his hand and said,

“Run,” Rydell commanded. “And if I ever see your face in this area again, I will make sure you don’t have legs to run with. Go.”

Looks like the guy didn’t need to be told twice. He scrambles to his feet, slipping on the damp stones and bolting out of our sight, as if Rydell will change his mind and decide to end him. Well, Rydell is a Mafia Don. That’s how terrifying he is in the eyes of people who don’t know him well.

“What the hell are you thinking?” Rydell hissed that didn’t even that loud but enough to shake my whole system. I notice his chest heaving because he’s controlling his rage. He stepped closer to me before holding my shoulders. “You sneaked out of the hotel that took me days to secure and ran straight into the slums of Paris alone. Do you have any idea what could have happened to you now if I didn’t come?!” his voice snapped with fury, it scares me because of all people, Rydell always treats me well and never once shouts at me, but I’m no longer young.

“How did you find me?” I demanded, I tried to pull away from him but he didn’t let me go. “How did you even know where I was?”

“It doesn’t matter how,” Rydell replied. His eyes flashing with a dangerous protective rage. “What matters is that you put yourself in danger! You are my wife, Hazel! You have a target on your back, and you walk out into the street like you’re untouchable. Do you want to die? Who will avenge your people if you die?”

Hypocrite. I think. He already did what he wanted to them without even letting me do it and now he’s saying that? What a joke. That completely snapped the fury that I’ve been holding back too.

“I am not your prisoner, Rydell!” I fought back. “I escaped because I couldn’t breathe in that hotel. You take my life, you take my past, you even take my revenge, and then you expect me to sit quietly in a hotel room while you show off and run the world?!”

“I am keep you-”

“I went outside because I needed to feel like a human being again! I went out to church to pray for the dead because you wouldn’t let me face the living! If I’m going to die anyway, I would rather do it on myself rather than stay with you!”

“Hazel!” Rydell shouted. That one powerful scream is enough to shut me up and make my knees weak. I just find my eyes crying because finally I told him what I’ve been feeling this whole time and also the fact that he screamed at me.

Rydell froze. I don’t know if it’s because of what I said or the fact that he saw me crying. The rage in his eyes suddenly fractured, replaced by a sudden wave of self-loathing. His jaw relaxes, and his hand softens on my shoulders, then he takes a very deep and slow breath.

“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be angry like that and shout at you, Hazel,” he said quietly, his voice dropping into a low murmur that was entirely an opposite of his usual tone as Don.

“You think Paris is a sanctuary just because it's the city of love, but it’s not for the people like me, like us. The factions here are vicious, fragmented, and they are actively looking for any weakness in the Kierston line. Walking alone….I almost lost my mind when Kane told me you were gone.” he added. He can’t even look at me now, maybe because he can’t stand seeing me like this. But he didn’t hesitate to pull out his handkerchief and wipe my face.

Then I realize, he’s still the Rydell who deeply cares for me. The only man who didn’t listen when the whole Keirston clan told me I was just a disgrace and penniless. When Randall announced me as his only woman. The whole Kierston clan talked behind me, even the maids. They mocked me from dreaming of being part of the family. The moment Rydell heard them, he fired them immediately and comforted me. When I needed to fly to the Philippines to do my thesis, it’s also Rydell who helped me. When I got sick, Rydell dropped his important work for four days and took care of me while Randall was nowhere to be found.

All along it’s Rydell who really loves me.

“About the news,” Rydell started. “About what happened to Silvano and your ex’ boyfriend. Do you want to talk about it? Calmly.”

I swallow the bitterness inside me, I’m still mad at him, but the realization and exhaustion of fighting him made me want to just surrender.

“Fine,” I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest and looking away. “But not here.”

Miraculously I saw him smiling before he grabbed my arm softly. “Come, I know a place.”

*****

The crashing of the waves against the stone barrier below filled the heavy sil;ence between us. The salty sea breeze whipped through my hair, but the heart of my anger still burned beneath my skin.

Rydell sat beside me, his long legs surprisingly stretching out, his hands resting loosely on his knees. He didn’t look like a mafia boss at all right now; he just looked like a child waiting for his mother to give him candy.

“You said earlier that the factions here in Paris are vicious. Then why are we here with no one in your army?” I asked, my eyes scanning the area because I couldn’t believe that Rydell would go out in public alone.

“I can handle the danger myself,” he murmured proudly. “I’m the danger.”

What’s wrong with Rydell? His mood now is extremely weird.

“Ask me,” he whispered. His gray eyes are fixed on the sea. “Ask me anything you want now, Hazel. No lies. Just ask.”

I clutched the fabric of my trench coat tightly in my lap, my jaw is finally voiced out the question that had been bothering my mind since the flight.

“Did you know?” I whispered, my voice cutting through the sound of the wind so I think Rydell didn’t hear it properly. “Did you know that Ariston’s father was the one behind the orphanage incident? Did you know it before I came to you? Before I stripped off my clothes and offered myself to you in exchange for your help?”

I expected him to uncomfy with my questions since I know he already did and he will do anything just to dodge it, but then Rydell didn’t hesitate. He turned his head slowly to me.

“No,” he answered steadily, not a single trace of lies. “I didn’t.”

I froze. I stare at him while catching my breath. For days, I had convinced myself of the worst- that he had held all the cards from the very beginning , that he had known exactly who my enemies were and chose to keep it from me just to watch me beg or to enjoy the show and just force me into his bed under false pretenses. But now, hearing his answer made my doubts shatter.

“You…you didn’t know?” I stammered.

“I knew Ariston was a spineless coward, I investigated him after that day you asked for my help. He got married because of his parents arrangement, there are rumors that the child wasn’t his. He didn’t love the woman, but I heard after the test, he was indeed the father of that child. It just puzzled me why he was eager to marry you even when he’s already married.” Rydell explained.

I didn’t say anything about that, because just like him I’m confused too.

“The night I left you alone. I already asked Jake to track the mask man's whereabouts. That’s where we found out that it’s all Ariston’s father's arrangement because he wanted to punish you for shaming his son in public, he wanted to teach you a lesson.” Rydell added, his voice devoid of any ego. “If I had known before you walked into me, Hazel. The Alejandros would have been ashes before you ever had the chance to kneel in front of me.”

I looked away. I watched the sea as my mind scrambled to process the truth. The realization that he hadn’t manipulated me into the marriage softened the sharp edges of my fury, but the lingering resentment about his execution of the revenge remained.

“Then why?” I asked with confusion. “Why did you destroy his empire, his wife, his life…but leave Alejandro alive? You took his man’s life. Why spare the monster who started it. Why take that satisfaction from me?”

Rydell let out a low , rough breath before he leaned forward and looked at me. “Because of what you said to me,” he answered. What did I say? “You told me you wanted your own wrath. After we landed, I spent hours thinking about it. Countless times, I went over every word you threw at me.”

He turned his full attention back to me, the sheer intensity of his gaze looking me in place. “ I didn’t kill Alejandor because I realized locking you in my arms and protection would only make you weaker than you already are. “ he said, his voice dropping into a deep and serious register. “So I decided to change the terms of our agreement. “

Is he going to end our marriage? “W-What do you mean?” I asked, my heart began to throb and it’s echoing in my whole body.

“I’m going to train you,” Rydell stated. That short sentence is enough to make my whole body freeze and shock. “Not just to be a wife who sits behind me. I am going to teach you how to be me. How will you command my army, hidden in the shadows. I left Alejandro alive so that when you are ready, you can be the one to finish him. I am going to build you into a true matriarch of the Kierston clan, Hazel. If you want to walk though the fire, I will make sure you are the one holding the match. Are you ready?”

I watch him smiling as if what he said is just a usual proposal or statement. He didn’t even notice how surprised I am or how my body shaken just by the thought of me becoming a mafia like him. But the last question registered in my mind. Can I really kill that evil man who ended those innocent lives?

Am I ready?