COMMENT 🧍🏽‍♀️

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"The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies,"- Xxxtentacion

Perilous (Adj.)- Full of danger or risk

Ares' POV:

It was a sullen winter morning. Snowflakes froze in the wild blizzard, swaying to and fro with the gust. Everything was white.

White as in the color of paper. I remember white, it is more void than the darkness I reside in. White room torture is a very common psychological torture technic that ensues sensory deprivation. I learnt it in the military.

Mother forbade me to go outside, the wind was too strong. She was worried that I would get sick, but I couldn't bring myself to stay in the house and hear her anguished cries.

My baby brother was coming.

Wrapping the oversized woolen scarf tighter, I sat on the heap of snow I had made and started fidgeting with my gloved fingers. I couldn't say I was excited, but it wasn't like I didn't feel anything either.

Big brother was always busy, so, maybe it wouldn't be too bad to have a younger brother to play with. I can show him the nintendos I bought.

The manor stood in front of me like a lifeless statue, amongst the silence small cries of agony could be heard. My fists clenched, did she go through this when she had me too?

She was in pain and the worst thing was I couldn't do anything to help her with it.

"Ares!" I turned upon hearing Liam's voice. He was waving at me from a distance, wearing the same matching scarf. Mom always bought two of everything, so that we could match.

I thought it was a very stupid idea.

"Big brother," My voice shook, maybe from the cold that seemed to chill my bones, "Is mom okay?"

"She isn't, not yet," His voice was getting rougher. Mom said it was because he was growing up into a big boy, "But she will be."

He was a bit taller than me, but I think I would be able to surpass his height when I became his age. I was only ten.

"Whatcha' got there?" He peeked from above my shoulder, "A failed snowman?"

"No actually-"

He shoved me aside and pranced to the heap of snow I had gathered.

"We can build it together!" He exclaimed cheerfully as he knelt, collecting the snow.

I had no intention of building one but since he wanted to....

"Do you think mom will be okay?" I was sad for mom, I wanted her to be alright. She would usually scold us and chase us with a slipper by now for staying in the snow for so long. I kind of miss it.

"She will be," His voice affirmed.

He didn't sound convincing at all. It was as if he was trying to believe in his own words.

"You are lying," I whispered, "How is she really?"

"The doctor says she has lost a lot of blood," He sighed, rolling the snow, "Help me with this."

I nodded and gave him a hand, both of us unsure what the future may entail, yet trying our best to ignore it.

"Ares you know," His voice was firm, "This baby isn't causing much pain compared to you."

I faltered, looking up at him. My heart twisted with guilt.

"The doctor said you had a bigger head compared to the other newborns," He chuckled dryly, "I hated you for causing her so much pain. Now you know how it feels."

I shrunk, focusing on the snow. He never forgot to remind me of his dislike towards me.

"But she survived you," He shrugged, "She will survive him too."

"Do you still hate me?"

His head whipped toward me as he eyed me for a while, a strange gleam in them, "No I don't."

Relief washed over me. Maybe he didn't love me, but he didn't hate me either. It was a good thing.

"But right now I hate that small baby."

"Don't say that," I sighed, "He isn't even born yet."

"I don't care," He huffed, his cheeks turning red.

"It's not his fault," I tried to reason again.

"Whatever," He waved dismissively, "He doesn't matter anyway. One day I am going to take over everything," His finger pointed around, a proud smile glinting on his face, "E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G and both of you are going to be my slave." He tried to laugh evilly, but burst into a fit of coughs.

I sighed. He always liked to enact Dr. Octavious from Spider-man.

The wind got stronger, the cold blast of it making me shiver.

"We should go in-"

A ball of snow hit my stomach, making an 'oomph' escape me.

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!!!"

An evil smirk lit up my face as I bent down and began collecting the snow, making it into a ball and throwing it square in his face.

"You little brat!"

Soon, our laughter drowned the howl of the wind and the anguished cries of our mother. We rolled into the snow, fought with it and tried to bury each other into it.

We didn't realize that our mother's cries had long stopped.

A cry died down to bring a wail that pierced through the hauntingly white winter, resonating through the statuesque manor.

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"Did you miss me?" I imagined a wolfish smirk being plastered to his lips, an expression I had been familiar with my whole life.

Like petals unraveling the core of a flower, emotions unfurled within me. Shock, agony, fear, rage, sense of betrayal- raw, undulated numbness.

Liam.

My older brother was alive.

He had been for the past 13 years.

How many times did I wake up to his anguished face as he took his last breaths?

How many times did I blame myself for killing him and my father?

How many times did I wish that I could go back and trade my life for theirs?

How many hours did I sit against their tombs, numb and anguished?

A breath escaped me. Of course it was Liam. The only person that could play a better game than me. Liam Estevan, the supposedly dead heir of the throne.

"Why?" Was the first word that had escaped me. The temperature of the room seemed to have dropped by a couple of degrees. Archer had gone awfully quiet beside me.

"Why not, Ares?" He paused, "Oh look, it's the person who killed our mom. Hello, Archer."

"Liam," I warned, "Don't you fucking dare."

"What?" A whisper escaped Archer.

We had agreed to never let Archer know how our mom died. Never.

"I guess the blindy had been a goody two shoes and didn't tell," His laugh vibrated through the house, "He has always been the one to live by books."

"Why the fuck are you here?"

"We have an old score to settle, brother. A very old one."

"Why drag Adrianna into all this?" Blood roared through my veins. I wanted to shoot him square between his eyes.

"Your little miss lover?" He tsked, "She needs to die to preserve my secret. There's no fun in killing her in secrecy. Although, I must say, you have a good taste in women. I would have loved to have her once. A shame that you can't see her."

My feet moved, but I was stopped by Archer. I could feel his anger too, but he knew they had the upper hand.

"Touch her," I smirked, "I dare you."

"Geez," He whined, "Mood killer. That's not the only thing you killed by the way."  The hollow resting in my chest got deeper.

"What do you want?" Archer's voice sounded for the very first time.

"What do I want? A very tough question. What are you willing to give up?"

"Come to the fucking point," His voice was tense.

"You know I was of your age when I was supposed to take over our company," Liam's voice suggested that he wasn't too happy with Archer, "You remind me so much of my naive young self. It's sickening."

"I am glad that I sicken you," Archer's voice was that of mockery, "Boo-fucking-hoo. Cry me a river."

"Don't use that tone with me," He rattled, "It makes me dislike you more."

"Why did you do this Liam?" I turned on the recorder that was attached to the head of my stick, "What was your purpose?"

"Money," He said simply, "And power."

"Why?" I was baffled. He was the heir of our fortune, he would have more money and power than he could ever imagine.

"Well, it's a complicated story. Dad sort of found out that I was the one behind the money laundering. He had decided to remove me as a potential CEO."

I froze. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on me.

"Y-You were the one who was supplying our information to Brittney?"

"Yeah, we thought at the time it would be lucrative for both of our companies. Dad somehow found out and I overheard him speak to his manager one day. He apparently wanted to remove me and appoint you."

"So the accident was planned," The realization dawned upon me. I had known it all along, but the confirmation sounded bitter.

It wasn't my fault.

He huffed, "Of course it was, you dimwit. I had to kill both of you. How else was I supposed to get what was mine all along?"

"You could have told me," I whispered, "You could have discussed it with me. I never wanted the title." Rage bubbled inside me, threatening to burst, "It was as easy as letting me know! "Hey Ares, I did this and I think dad's going to make you CEO. I don't want you to have it." See?! It wasn't hard!"

"You say that now, brother," Liam spat, "But you wouldn't have agreed to leave the company to a criminal. I know you."

I seethed, my fists clenched as I felt a drop of cold sweat travelling down the valley of my neck.

"You could have tried."

"I didn't want the risk," He uttered nonchalantly, "Anyway, I had to kill both of you, but you were too much of a stubborn bitch to die."

"What does Adrianna have to do with any of these? Why drag her here?"

"Adrianna's dad, Thomas Campbell. You met him right? Nice old philosophical man, died in a car crash three days before ours..."

"I am aware of it."

"Well, he heard me planning. Had to get rid of him."

"What?" Archer spoke up after a very long time, "What is the correlation of any of this? Are you crazy?"

"Um, no, shrimp boy. Don't interrupt me," He shunned him, "So what happened was, he brought his car to John Miller's garage. I was planning out the accident and he was spying. I found out later when I checked the CC camera. I thought why not have some practice before the real event? Two birds in one stone."

My throat felt like sandpaper, "Let me get this straight," I hissed, "You killed Adrianna's dad because you thought you should practice the accident?"

"Pretty much sums it up."

"You ruined a life," Archer articulated, frost coating his words, "You ruined her life. You ruined Ares' life."

"The plan was to kill Ares', so I am sorry because I never meant to make you live blind. As for Adrianna, she was never in the equation."

"Don't say her name from your filthy mouth," My ears rang. All I wanted to do was to rip this bastard's heart out.

"It's not like she is someone of value. I know things about her. Alex has been keeping me pretty well informed."

"She is more precious than your lowly, pathetic life could ever be," I barked.

"Actually the funny thing is, I have been keeping an eye upon her for a decade and some years. She seems to have suffered from a memory loss though, she doesn't know that she is the only witness of the Thomas Campbell case. Mind is a perilous place, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Adrianna knows who was behind the wheel. She knows because she was with her father that night. The news of her father's death was shocking to her. Poor girl."

"Wait," Archer cut us off, "The accident involved John Miller and you. Alex is your underdog and Brittney was also involved in the money laundering crime. John Miller wasn't present that night. Who was it? Brittney or Alexander?"

"Wrong options but right direction," Liam's voice was light, "You know what? I like you. Want to work for me?"

Archer perhaps had shot him a murderous glare, because he uttered next, "Maybe not."

"Anyway what was I saying? Oh the person behind the wheel. She was with me that night. In John Miller's garage. A day before Thomas Campbell's accident. Miss wannabe doctor has to die because I can't risk her remembering shit and testifying. She has lived enough of her pathetic life.

"Who is the driver?" I was going to kill both of them. My fingers travelled to the gun tucked in my pocket.
"Oh you know her," Liam chuckled, "My wife. The one that works as your maid under disguise. Bethany."

To be continued....

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Early update!
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hat do you think?

Thoughts on Liam?

Archer

The flashback?

Small Ares?🥺🥺

Thank you for showing so much love guys! The book will probably hit 400k soon as it is on 399k, I just wanted to say I thank all of you that has been supporting me relentlessly :))