Devin's Point of View
The hardest part of being in charge was having to be under the charge of another person.
It was quite horrible that my men had to watch the person who was their boss as he got bossed around like he was just a more refined one of them.
I couldn't help but to wonder what could have made him call for me at such a time as that. He rarely ever did that without any prior warnings and that was simply insane.
The car ride to his place was quiet as everyone in the car seemed to be holding their breath for reasons that I couldn't explain. They all had a strange fear for him that no one ever spoke of as they knew that he could be even more ruthless than I was.
"I guess the pain in your gut is gone…" Jordan finally broke the ice in the car as he seemed to have been really uncomfortable with the silence.
"Yeah…" I wasn't in the mood to say anything as my body was yet to recover from all that had happened that evening.
The memory of her scent was still haunting my nostrils as it was unlike anything I had ever perceived.
It was more like an unnaturally good combination of honeysuckle with a touch of vanilla, making her seem somewhat edible.
"Ugh…" I was unaware when I was sighing out loud in frustration. I was simply annoyed by how my mind wouldn't think of anything else that wasn't her.
"What's the matter? Are you still thinking about that little wretch?" Jordan asked as he seemed to know what could be on my mind at every single point in time. "We will still find her if you want us to."
"It's not it…" I tried to deny it even though I knew I was lying terribly. Every single detail of her stayed on my mind like I had just seen her a few moments ago.
"We're here…" the man at the wheels announced as we pulled over in front of my so-called father's mansion which was dimly lit as usual.
The man had sounded like he had wanted to say something extra after he had said those words. I was sure all my men had volumes of unsaid words which they wouldn't dare to voice out for the fear of consequences.
"Let's head out…" I also didn't want to show just how displeased I was to be there, as I was walking out of the car and made for the gate.
Oddly enough, my father didn't permit any cars driving into his mansion. Not even mine. He still hadn't gotten over the insecurities that he possessed ever since he had taken me in as his son.
He had his guard up for years and he still hadn't put it down for anyone or anything at all. I didn't dare question his awkward decisions. No one ever did for the fear of what his reactions could be.
I waited a few seconds after pushing the button on the gate before the gate opened to us. I and my men walked through the gate quickly as it would shut ten seconds after it had opened to an authorized guest.
There are just too many protocols. It was quite annoying that he wasn't putting any of that away for me. It couldn't get any more annoying than that.
The place was quiet except for the sound of a grand piano that was being played.
"Poor guy…" I said as I recalled that he had hired a popular pianist just for the fun of it and made him play from evening till whenever he would fall asleep at night.
He had his guards whip the pianist anytime he would dare show signs of tiredness. It was a really hard way of living for the poor guy.
"Doesn't he get tired of tormenting this poor guy…?" Jordan asked with a whisper as he followed me from behind through the dimly lit hallway that led to the living room.
"You had better keep your voice down. I don't want to be caught having this conversation with you." I warned in a like manner as the sound of the piano was getting more audible. The melodies were more than enough to communicate the poor guy's pain and grief.
"Yes sir…" he said as he was rushing after me. "What the…?"
We all stopped in shock, as we saw Marcus right there with him, sharing a scotch. I was burning with anger and a vague sense of betrayal.
"What are you doing here?" I inquired angrily with a readiness to tear something or someone apart. What was my father sharing a drink with the very person that had disrespected me in the worst possible way?
"Calm yourself down, Devin …" my father's deep voice resonated all through the room. The room was so full of his authoritative aura that had every single person reeling. "Have a seat."
I felt like my ego was now in the mud with the way I was being ordered around in front of my men. The feeling was simply terrible as I had no option but to comply or face terrible consequences.
"It's been hard enough cleaning your mess. Don't create another one by not agreeing to be a part of our meeting."
"Yes sir…" With that, I hesitantly walked over to the table and pulled out a seat.
"Your men can leave us now…" he really enjoyed having everything go exactly as he wanted it to.
"Yes sir…" I motioned for Jordan and the rest to leave and we were soon all alone.
"Good…" he said with a smile then he took a breath. "I heard that there has been a lot of friction between you and these men. Is that true, Devin ?"
"Well… I still don't know why he would choose to disrespect me in this manner." I said, eyeing Marcus like I was sizing him up.
"Have a glass…" he said as he pushed one to me with ice cubes and the thick brown scotch that was in it. "You were late for a meeting and you didn't care to find out what the reason for the meeting was."
I was silenced with that, as I was the guilty party in that aspect.
"Well, I'll tell you what the reason for that meeting was," my father said as he raised his glass to his mouth. "Some vampires have returned to my city."