Vinter's POV
Cynthia Lee, an old friend of mine is going to visit me today and I happen to be waiting for her here in a private meeting room of my favorite restaurant.
I was not expecting that they would arrange a private meeting room for me, but I guess being a celebrity has its perks. The manager of the restaurant told me I will not get enough privacy if I book a booth, and since the topic, I want to discuss with Cynthia is pretty confidential a room is better than a booth.
"Vinter! It's so good to see you after such a long time, dear!" I heard Cynthia say. Cynthia is a middle-aged woman; she was a cop and then a supervisor at a juvenile center. I have heard she was quite an impressive cop during her young age. I met her at one of my father's big events. I got along with her almost immediately, I always have gotten along with people who are older than me better.
"It's good to see you too, Cynthia," I said with a smile as I hugged her. Later, I pulled a chair for her and helped her sit.
"How are you, Vinter?" She asked.
"I am all good..." I said. "It's been a while since we last met. How are Teresa and Luke doing?" I asked. Teresa is her daughter and Luke is her son. Cynthia's husband passed away 2 years ago and after that, she took retirement from her job.
"They are fine. You should visit my place someday Vin. Teresa especially misses you. She just began her sophomore year and Luke is in freshman year now," she stated.
"Kids grow up so fast these days," I said with a smile as I shook my head. "What would you like to eat?"
"I am craving some beef stew and red wine," she said. I nodded as I pressed the buzzer to call for the waiter.
"How is your brother doing?" Cynthia asked. I smiled at the thought of Twilight probably working at his tattoo studio or eating food, which he loves.
"He is being a trouble younger brother, but I love him either way," I said chuckling. Cynthia smiled.
The waiter walked in with a notepad in his hand.
"What would you like to order? Ma'am? Sir?" The waiter asked.
I gave the waiter our order and he noted it down. After repeating our order once, he told us our food will be delivered soon and walked away.
"Vin, I saw on the news, that you are dating Nina Robbins. Is it true?" Cynthia asked.
"Yeah, it is," I replied.
"But you have a soulmate, don't you?" She asked. "What about your soulmate?"
"My soulmate is a criminal," I said. Cynthia's eyes widened in shock.
"What?" She asked.
"You were a supervisor in the Juvenile center, right? I guess she was there during the same duration," I said. "Have you heard of Dove Stanley?"
She thought for a moment and chuckled.
"Who can forget her? She is one of a kind!" Cynthia said chuckling. I raised my eyebrows at her.
"What?" I asked.
"Dove Stanley. She is one of a kind. You should be glad someone like her is your soulmate!" Cynthia stated.
"What are you saying? She is a criminal! She tried to kill my girlfriend back then!" I argued.
"Dove was framed by your girlfriend my dear. If Dove was anywhere near on the path of crime, Lucifer would have never agreed to let her in their group," Cynthia explained.
"What? Lucifer who?" I asked.
"Lucifer, the leader of the sins," she replied.
The sins? As in the criminal organization that works on assassinating the aristocrats of the society who have committed crimes against the state. Dove is a part of such a dangerous organization?
"She is a part of the sins?" I asked.
"Official member, no. But unofficial member, yes. Lucifer takes a liking to Dove and her sense of justice. Lucifer never lets anyone close to the other sins, but Dove was the first person who he allowed to be near all of them," she said. "Can you believe it? That girl refused to get out of juvenile center just cause she found out that her father used wrong means to help her get out from there."
"But the only thing is, her sense of justice has no boundaries. She is incapable of figuring out the difference between right and wrong. In other words, she'll choose any path to bring justice, so maybe that's why she was never considered the official member of the sins," Cynthia explained.
Does that mean what Nina told me was all a lie? And that Twilight's trust in Dove was true. Could it be that it was me all along who couldn't understand my soulmate? But my brother who has no soul bond with her could understand her perfectly.
"How do you know she was framed? And if you knew she was framed, why was she in the center for 2 years?" I asked.
"The investigation was done by some men of Lucifer's and it was unofficial. I have always been on good terms with Lucifer and that is why I was aware of Dove's innocence. Through the investigation, it was all clear that Dove was framed by Nina Robbins," she said.
I rubbed my face in frustration. The woman I thought was the perfect one turned out to be fake and the woman I constantly doubted was as innocent as a white dove.
"How could I make such a big mistake Cynthia?" I mumbled. "I trusted another woman over my soulmate. I'm so dumb."
"Vinter it's okay. It isn't your fault. Dove is a twisted person and it is hard to trust her because she is hard to understand, only a handful of people can understand her," Cynthia said empathizing with me.
"And my brother is one of that handful of people," I said.
Cynthia sighed before she could say anything the waiter walked in with our food. He placed two plates filled with our food and two wine glasses with wine in it in front of us.
We thanked him and he walked away with a smile and told us to enjoy our food.
"So Vin you said you have something important to talk about. What is it?" Cynthia asked as she took a bite of her stew.
I took in a deep breath and then sighed.
"It seems like my father is going to make an illegal deal with the Yakuza members. I will need your help in this and let me on all information you can on current Yakuza members," I said.
"Yakuza members? Are you sure it's them?" She asked.
"I am a hundred percent sure," I said.
"Why would your father go to that extent?" She asked.
"Money and fame are getting in his head. Cynthia, I beg you! I need help in stopping him!" I begged.
"Vinter I cannot help you with this as neither of us has evidence. But I do know someone who will help you in stopping your father," Cynthia said.
"Who?"
"The sins."
The sins again, now I am curious to meet these vigilantes of this generation. They are starting to give me batman vibes.
"How do I meet them?" I asked.
"It would be hard to meet Lucifer but I am sure if I try contacting them, Lucifer might send one of the sins to meet you," Cynthia stated. "But Vin are you sure you want to take their help?"
"Yes! I am sure!" I said. "Before my father betrays this country by any means I want to stop him."
I don't want my father to commit treason. Twilight is already suffering with the tag of an illegitimate child on him, I don't want him to suffer more with another tag of the 'son of a traitor'. I cannot see him suffer more; he has been through enough hell.
When we were done eating Cynthia was adamant about paying the bills but I refused. I paid the bills and reminded her again to help me meet the sins. Cause that is the only way to stop my father now.
I dropped Cynthia at her place and later went back to Hope records as I still didn't want to go home. There were a lot of things I still have to process. Dove being innocent, Nina being a lair and a real cause of the entire problem.
I went to my studio and picked up my violin from there. The building was almost empty as everyone went home including Dylan and Tristan.
I needed fresh air and smoke, so I went to the terrace to play the violin and smoke. I also don't want Dove breaking into my studio cause of the smoke.
I adjusted the tuning pegs of my violin as I lit my cigarette and placed it between my lips I took in a deep breath and placed the violin on my shoulder.
I started playing the tune and got lost in the rhythm and harmony of it. The tune was supposed to be for our new song, I still haven't given Dove the music sample of the new song, it will be hard for her to write the song without the music sample.
Why am I like this? The first time we talked alone she called me a man-child; I can see now why she called me that.
When the song ended, I opened my eyes and saw an angel disguised as the devil sitting on the parapet of the terrace. She was writing something in her notebook, she was so focused and silent like a deep ocean. But I know inside her head there is a tsunami of thoughts.
"The song is still incomplete," Dove commented. I pulled my cigarette out and blew the smoke.
"It's complete," I replied. She jumped down the parapet, it almost made my heart jump. I thought she was going to fall.
"Your songs don't feel the same. It lacks the emotion of fulfilment," Dove said. She walked closer to me as she took the cigarette from my hand.
I thought she would throw it away but she placed it in between her lips and she sucked the smoke. She removed the cigarette from her lips and blew out the smoke.
She chuckled.
"This is bad," she said staring at the burning cigarette. Before I could react, she placed the burning tip on the nape of her neck till it completely stopped burning.
My eyes widened at her reckless behavior as I rushed up to her to take away the cigarette from her hand.
"What the actual f*ck, Dove?" I said as I tossed the cigarette away and pulled Dove closer to examine her neck.
I was left in horror to see the state of the skin behind her neck. Along with the newly formed cigarette mark, there were many old cigarette marks and scars. As if someone carved on her skin for a very long time.
Is she abused at home? Does she self-harm? What the hell happened to her?
"Stay away," she said pushing me away.
"What happened to you?" I said holding her shoulders as I looked into her eyes. Her eyes held no emotions in them as she smirked.
"I told you I have lived a painful life," she said. "When I was in the juvenile center the senior offenders, abused us newbies and it's not your normal bullying. It's worse than that, we were abused with weapons and burning cigarettes like this."
"Wh-what?" I stuttered.
The hell I thought she went through; this is worse than that. I would have never assumed juvenile offenders could carry weapons.
"But... aren't weapons forbidden in Juvenile centers," I asked.
"Illegal works are done everywhere, Mr. Harris," she laughed. "Wake up to reality and you will see what the real world is exactly like. Not everything is perfect like your dream world. A perfect girlfriend. A perfect celebrity life."
"Anyways I am almost done writing the song. Now I won't be needing sample music. Thanks for playing the violin, it was very— sexy," she winked at me as she was about to walk away but I held her wrist.
I pulled her back and hugged her from behind as I buried my face in her shoulder.
"I am so sorry, Dove," I apologized. "For not trusting you."
Her body was stiff under my touch, I know she wants to relax but she is stopping herself.
"What are you saying? Are you drunk?" She asked.
"Cynthia Lee, your former juvenile supervisor told me everything. I know Nina lied and you were right all along," I said.
"Whatever it's not like you believing me or not would change anything Vinter," she said as she tried to wiggle out of my grip.
"Please just listen to me once. I promise I will break up with Nina and I will try my best to seek your forgiveness, Dove," I begged. "Please let me fix this."
"Vinter please let go of me," she said. I let her go as she turned around. She reached out for my face as she hesitated to hold my cheeks. I know the first time she tried doing that I pushed her hand away. So I took her hand and placed it on my cheek.
"Now listen, I like your brother a lot and I have made up my mind to give that relationship a chance," she said. "Twilight believed me when he isn't even my soulmate while you questioned me into everything."
"Good thing you realized that Nina is no good, but I'm sorry..." she apologized. "I want it to be Twilight whether he is my soulmate or not, I will always want it to be him, I want to be with him."
Saying that she walked away like she always does leaves me with incomplete thoughts. Of course, it would be Twilight at the end, who am I kidding? Twilight is kind and never doubted Dove. Because he trusted my soul and it made it easier for him to trust Dove. But I... I never trusted myself and that's why I couldn't trust Dove.
For once today Dove didn't seem like a complete maniac to me even though she self-harmed herself like it was the most normal thing ever. But I didn't find that move of hers insane. Is this how Twilight has always looked at Dove? Like she is the most normal girl yet the most beautiful girl that he has ever seen? Is this how Twilight has always felt when he looked at Dove?