INSANELY FALLEN

MILLER’S POINT OF VIEW “I don’t feel this meeting is a good idea, Shawn.” With a worried expression on his face, the slender guy next to me mumbled while staring at the passing buildings. Nathan has been unsure and full of negative conclusions since the day I met him. He always finds a hundred excuses to justify his “not to dos,” and he chickens out on almost everything at the last minute. How in the world did he become my best friend? I avoided him for the rest of the drive, which I was getting pretty good at by this point. Our destination was a half dilapidated house with a spooky exterior. It appeared to be right out of a serial killer film, which oddly met my expectations. Dragging a hesitant Nathan to the front door, I rang the doorbell. We waited for almost three minutes, but there was no sound coming from inside. I double-checked my e-mail and confirmed the street address. Is it possible that I am in the wrong house? I rang the calling bell twice and received the same silence each time. “Maybe this is a sign. We should head back.” Nathan spoke with a hopeful tone in his voice. Avoiding him, I dialled the number given in the mail. “Stapleton here. Who is it?” A young man’s sound was heard from the other side. “Shawn Miller. I have arrived at your location, but no one is here.” Before he spoke, there was silence, followed by some rustling in the background. “Yup, I saw your car, but that’s the wrong house. We are on the opposite side.” I whirled around in my shoes and stared at a.....normal house? That’s weird. We didn’t bother taking the car because the distance between the two buildings was little, with only a narrow road between them. “You are sure about this, right?” Nathan, being Nathan, enquired for the umpteenth time today. “Dude, you know me well. I have never made a decision without thinking it through at least a million times.” I mumbled back, groaning. That seemed to have sealed him off, at least for now. A teenager, or perhaps a young man, smiled as he opened the door after the first bell. “Hello. I am Jacob Stapleton. Dad’s waiting for you. Please come inside.” We walked into the front room, and for the first time, despite what I told Nathan, I was sceptical about the entire deal. I was looking for a plain, unkempt apartment that would be convenient or typical for a Mafia g**g. This one, though, was peculiar. It shouted nice, and gentle colours, picturesque sceneries, and paintings were being used to cover the whole space. When I discovered toys occupied in an adjacent cabinet, my suspicions deepened. Was it for the purpose of k********g children or a day care centre? The first option appeals to me more. I realise it’s horrible, but such people could only carry out my mission. Nathan, on the other hand, seems to be at ease. When he saw ‘Woody the Cowboy’ sprawled on the floor, he even grinned. How do I know? Well, blame it on my sister’s toddler. The entrance foyer was redirected to a larger space with a plasma television on the right wall and a home theatre system on both sides. The interior was made more elegant by the couch and tables. The beige walls made me feel like I was at my parents’ house for Thanksgiving. To the left of the hall was an open kitchen with a well-kept kitchen counter and six chairs positioned around it. On the large couch sat a middle-aged, yet powerful-looking man. His face was plastered with a warm smile, and he appeared rather amused at me while my questioning thoughts mirrored my expression. “Good day, Mr. Miller. I can see you are apprehensive about our arrangement. Don’t worry, I get this every time a client walks in the door. Please take a seat? And you as well, young man.” Nathan was the first to take a seat on the sofa, and I slowly took the seat beside him. I have entered almost a hundred deals during my twenty-five years of this lifetime, but this was a new one. So, without knowing where to start, I drank the surroundings once again. “You are not a talkative person, are you, Mr. Miller?” The middle-aged man’s attention was focused on me, as if he was attempting to decipher my thoughts. And he was correct in his assessment. I am not a good speaker and only participate in activities that benefit my business. “I talk when it’s necessary, Mr. Stapleton.” I returned the same look, minus the welcoming element, so it may well be called a glare. Still, he kept a smile on his face, and Jacob, the younger guy, offered us some tea. He placed it on the table and went into the next room, providing us with privacy. “Mr. Miller, I prefer to be called David over Stapleton. It makes me feel slightly younger.” He said with a light chuckle and took the teacup. We followed him and took our respective beverages. “So about the deal. Do you have any pictures of your rival?” I placed the file that Nathan had been carrying all along on the round mahogany table. David balanced the cup in one hand and began reading the file with ease. As if he had been punched, his smile disappeared from his face. David closed his eyes for a few seconds before reopening them in distress. A sudden shift in their behaviour? That’s not good at all. He slid the file back onto the table, revealing Redfield’s crooked photograph, and glanced at me with displeasure. Before proceeding, he took a few shaky breaths. “Lucas Redfield is someone with a powerful criminal background. In the past, I had a few encounters with him, and let’s just say it didn’t go well. In fact, it caused far more havoc than expected. I do not want to repeat it. So, I believe I am not a viable option for you. Please accept my apologies.” His words struck me like a dagger. Except for a few business crooks like Redfield, the Stapletons were the most powerful mafia clan in the whole state. I was certain that if the Stapletons refused to assist me, I would lose this fight. That means I will lose my company forever to that monster. My hard work, dreams, family, everything will be gone. I didn’t allow my desperation to surface as I spoke. “But I heard you are better than them.” David sighed again, not meeting my eyes. “We were Mr. Miller. We were.” His voice was hardly audible, and his tormented expression reaffirmed my suspicions that Redfield had done something dreadful to David. But I persisted in trying to push my luck. “I am sure you can beat them.” “No. We will not take this deal.” This time it was Jacob. Concern clouded the young man’s formerly playful features as he stood next to the now-open door. What did Lucas actually do to them? I wanted to question David about it, but I didn’t want to intrude on his privacy. Knowing that this conversation was no longer going to get me anywhere, I stood up from my seat, followed by Nathan, and was preparing to leave when the main door opened and in walked a well-built man and a tender-looking boy. When they saw us, both of them stopped moving, and I noticed that the short lad wore a cap which covered half of his face. “Who are they, father?” The body builder demanded with irritation. Looks like his day was not going well either. “Someone important. How was your job, children?” David queried, smiling at the younger one. But I could feel his gaze on me the entire time. He was studying me, just like his father. Unlike David, I felt quite uneasy in his presence. It was as if this petite boy was stripping my inner soul n***d, and I didn’t like it in the least. The older guy pointed at the boy next to him and muttered, annoyingly. “Seb killed him.” Wow. So the petite figure does action. Interesting. David was doing everything he could to keep a smile from surfacing on his face. “Really, Seb?” The stated ‘Seb’ shrugged sassily, and despite the cap covering his eyes, I could feel his piercing gaze on me. Am I n***d here, little boy? “Dad! Are you supporting this i***t? That man was killed brutally. His genitals were destroyed by your innocent child here.” Now that’s what I call brutal, but only if it was Lucas. Except for that guy, no one seemed to be bothered that two strangers were present at their cheerful family reunion. And him viciously murdering someone made me reconsider his small stature. Jacob was the one who responded to his brother’s indignation. “Come on Ben, you know exactly why father sent Seb for the assignment. He wanted this. After all, that man you are talking about is a pedophile. He r***d almost eight little kids. I really wish he had suffered more.” Ben guy snorted humourlessly. “You should have seen his body. It’s barely recognizable. Seb made an art of him.” “Seb?” David called his son lovingly, and he had an unfamiliar emotion while looking at him. I am damn sure this Seb is his favorite son. Taking his eyes from me and my friend for the first time, Seb removed his cap, and I heard a shocked gasp from Nathan. Even I was taken aback as the empty cap gave way to gorgeous brown curls that reached his, no, HER shoulder. “Mr. Miller, please meet my only daughter, Isabelle Stapleton.” ......………………… ISABELLE’S POINT OF VIEW “Is he someone that important for me to meet?” Sassiness has never been in my dictionary, but this person in front of me desperately needed some of it. He has an imposing appearance and exudes authority. His pale face and neatly trimmed beard gave him an attractive image. Not that I care, but with his physique, he could easily pass for a model. However, based on his suit and tie, I deduced that he was a business man, and a successful one at that. I never cared about money or their egoistic dramas, so he clearly needs someone to help him get over his ‘I am on top of the world’ mentality. He looked at me as if I were a child the moment I walked in. He was clearly underestimating me. After all, it is what these privileged idiots think of others: ‘always beneath them.’ Despite the fact that my eyes were hidden behind the long cap and he could not see me looking at him, I am confident he sensed my gaze. I have made sure he can, just in case he misses. He may be a wonderful actor, seeming unfazed and all, but his constant yet faint tapping of feet didn’t go ignored by my vulture eyes. “Yes, he is, and I thought I asked you to warn and not kill him, Seb.” I shifted my attention from him for a single second to glance at my father. There goes him and his dramas again. I know dad appreciated what I did, but he was still lecturing me to calm Ben, who takes our father’s instructions ‘very’ seriously. I simply went a step further. “That child r****g monster was really not meant to live. Assaulting was in his blood and even if we warned him and handed him over to the police, as you advised, he would have done it again. Just inform your deputy friend that he was murdered unintentionally. I am sure he will be grateful for it.” This is why I love Jacob, not that I don’t love my other brothers. But it’s as if he has access to my thinking, which is uncommon. Everyone knows that when outsiders are around, I am not a chatty person; therefore, it is Jaco’s responsibility to express my opinions. One look at me and he will read me just like that. I remained silent while the other man who was standing close to Mr. Miller smiled at me politely. I returned a half smile, half smirk to him. He seems like a nice guy. Not at all intimidating like his friend, but a softie, like a boy next door. But not my next door, as it is occupied by a haunted spirit. At least that’s what Bry thinks about it. Mentioning of him, where’s he? “Bry?” I questioned Jaco, who was attempting, emphasis on the word attempting, to calm Ben. I ignored him, well aware that he should be my younger brother rather than my elder. “Bry went with Charlie to the toy store. He should be back by now.” Jaco said in the middle of rambling random things to Ben. I nodded while the two outsiders directed their glances at each other, silently communicating through their eyes. Shouldn’t they have left by now? It’s not like something entertaining is happening here. “We will keep going then.” Said the softie one with a smile on his face, and I liked him more, unlike someone else. The intimidating guy shook dad’s hand and the other one bent down to take some random file from our table. One glance at the photo and my world went still. “Wait.” I didn’t even recognize my own voice, as it was so hoarse and angry. My body started trembling without its own consent, and my heart leapt to my throat. “What’s he doing here?” I asked, pointing at Redfield’s photograph. I couldn’t even look straight at the photo without mentally squirming. Dad went a little pale, looking at me. s**t, I am sure even I look paler than usual right now. “It’s nothing dear. I think you should rest.” Dad said, trying to ease the situation. I didn’t bat an eyelid as I continued staring at dad. He knew how much I hated lying. I avoided the sudden silence around me and the two curious looks. Dad sighed heavily and looked at me with his usual painful expression while we discussed this topic. “Mr. Miller here wanted help from us regarding Lucas.” Ben wrapped my shoulders with his toned arms. He, too, was slightly shaking from anger and fear. I am aware that he is trying to hide it, but I know him too much to believe that. “That’s so not happening.” His protective voice was a little waved because of his inner turmoil. “Of course. I told him the same, and he was leaving.” Dad responded, trying to lighten the atmosphere again but failing miserably. “What deal?” I demanded, with venom in my voice. Ben was about to cut in again, but I sent him an icy glare. And it shut him down immediately. “End of Redfield.” His voice was as sharp as his looks. Miller’s eyes were brazen when he looked at me. Was he daring me to accept the offer that my father had refused? If it had been about anything or anyone else , I would have ordered him to ‘Get the heck out,’ or perhaps kicked him out myself. But we are talking about Lucas here. I have never ever gone against my father’s words, but I think it’s time for a change. In fact, there was never an occasion where our conclusions would be different. We always opted for or drew the same one. Even when the entire world goes against us, my Dad and I always had similar solutions. But this case was rare. “I am in.” The surprise was obvious in his face. What did he take me for? A coward? What surprised them was a nasty shock to my family. “You are not Seb.” Neb (reverse for Ben) growled beside me while dad started shaking his head vigorously. Jaco was silent, knowing very well that I wouldn’t go back on my word. “I have made my decision.” I shot a dead-panned look at Neb once more, who was cursing out loud. “Why?” Dad asked with a slight tremor. I hate to see dad like this, weak and helpless. But I have made my choice. “Because I want to, dad. I can’t always hide.” And because I needed to kill that son of a b***h very very brutally, just like how he killed me. Terrible memories flashed through my eyes, making me break a little. But my composure was back to stone when I heard my name being called by my younger brother. ............................................................................................................................................................