The night was surreally quiet, and I stood by the sleek black car, its polished surface dancing in reflected city light.
"Who are you?" I took a step behind; I did not want another adventure that day.
"Hi Alice…. I am William Davis." He drew out his hand from his pocket and held it straight for a shake.
"How do you know my name? What do you want?" Why the hell he is behind me? Is he the danger mother feared?
"You have so many questions beautiful. Have a seat in the car and I will answer." I hesitated, my hand hovered over the door handle. Something deep inside urged me to get in, even though my instincts screamed to turn back.
But the curiosity-the need to understand what had led me to this moment-was too strong.
I nodded, more to myself than to William, and slipped into the passenger seat. The door closed with a soft thud.
Sophia's car trailed us like a silent sentinel, its headlights a steady glow in the rearview mirror.
William said nothing, peeling off from the curb as the motor purred to life beneath us. The inside of the car was luxurious, the leather cool against my skin, but the mood was anything but comfortable; his Auroa was cold as ice.
Constantly, my thoughts were drifting back to my father… I asked my mother so many times but got none and now finally, I know who is my father; he is dead.
Finally, William broke the silence and his voice sliced through like a knife. "Who are you Alice?" his tone was low, but an edge to the words brooked no nonsense.
"You named my name and asked who am I?" He burst out laughing and looked into me coldly.
"You tell me, how do you know my name?" I was losing my control. The day was exhausting.
"That's not important, why did Michael's lawyers go on a spree to find you?"
His words were like hammer blows, each word packed with a mystery that slowly unraveled in my head.
I turned to face him, my eyes tracing his profile—the square angle of his jaw, the set of his mouth, the focussed tightness in his gaze as he stared at the road straight ahead.
Cynthia
"I—" I began, then stopped. What was I supposed to say? That I didn't quite know why I was here myself? That I was just as much in the dark as he was?
"I don't know," I finally admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't even know Michael had lawyers looking for me until they showed up at the Airport as soon as I landed."
Spopulate
William's eyes flicked towards me, his gaze piercing. "And you never questioned why? Never wondered what it is they want from you?
"I did," I said promptly-angrily, suddenly. "But they wouldn't tell me anything. Just that I needed to be here, now, with you."
His hands constricted on the steering wheel, and I could see the tension in the lines of his shoulders.
It was no accident, Alice. Michael was a cautious man. He did things for a reason. If he wanted you found, there's something you have that he wanted."
His words sent a chill through me. Michael-what little I knew of him-had always seemed distant, almost unreachable. Why would someone like him care about me?
"What could I possibly have that Michael would want?" I asked, my voice tinged with disbelief.
William turned the car down a quiet street, slowing as we neared my mother's house.
Sutton: That is what I intend to find out.
I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words settle in my chest. "And if I don't have the answers you're looking for?"
He pulled to a stop in front of the house, shifting in his seat to face me fully. His eyes locked onto mine, dark and unreadable.
SOMETHING'S COMING
"Then you'd better start finding them, because this isn't going away, Alice. Whether you like it or not, you're involved now. And whatever Michael set in motion, it's far from over.
I held his gaze, feeling the intensity of his presence like a storm about to break. There was no escaping the truth in his words—I was in deeper, deeper than I ever could have imagined.
"What do you want from me, William?" I asked, my voice trembling despite trying to hold it steady.
He paused, and in an instant, the hardness of his features softened; in the next, the mask of control had slipped back into place.
"I want the truth, Alice. And I think you do too. Unless and until you are true to me, you will have no harm."
His words just hung there, challenging and reassuring at the same time, leaving my head spinning. I was so uncertain whether to be terrified or relieved. Perhaps a little bit of both.
As I reached for the door handle, William's voice stopped me. "Alice," he said, his tone softer, almost gentle now. "Be careful. There's more at stake here than you realize." He stared into me with something unknown lingering in my green eyes, with something knowing.
"You knew him?" He nodded, placing his hands back in the pocket.
"One of my acceptances." I lied, I could see. He knew my father was more than that. Those eyes of his failed him.
I nodded, not finding the words. A last look at him, and I stepped out of the car. The cool night air whirled around me as I started towards the house. But something made me turn around. William was still looking at me, his gaze unyielding.
"I'll be in touch," he said as his voice travelled through the quiet of the night.
Wait." He turned back, holding the car door in his hand. Again, I nodded-not trusting myself to speak.
How did my father die?" His eyes dilated and his face went stoic.
Because of Cardiac Arrest" His car drew away, swallowed in the darkness and, with it my heart, I stood at the same place having the taste of the event just experienced. Whatever came next was beside the point, but one thing I knew for sure—nothing would ever be the same again.
He left me standing in the driveway, watching his car vanish into the night. The ground beneath me began to shift, the world as I knew it started to crumble.
I took a deep breath, trying to sink all the emotions in. Everything was too much to take. I just wanna sleep and forget that everything happened.
My eyes snapped open with the sound of footsteps and all blood from my body drained.
"Jace??"
"Yes… Its me. Where is my daughter?" Jace walked out of the dark striding long steps towards me.