Chapter 221: Grandmother Knows Best [2] "Don’t worry, Grandmother’s here, and I’ll make it all better." She sipped her tea. "What is the word used when a granddaughter murders her granny...?" Athena asked out of the blue, amidst the pressure tightening the room. "Anyone?" "Such childish behaviour at your age..." Athena shrugged. "I do also look forward to seeing that bastard son, if he’s real, of course. After all, he is a King." She eyed Agatha briefly before setting them back on me. "And Kings stick together." Breakfast didn’t last up to a minute, being boxed in a dining room where the rest of us were teething at each other made the place smaller. I was asked to stay behind. Athena fixed me with a look before she left. "There... the long-awaited family moment has been fulfilled..." She began in that cheerful tone. "I always wanted to be present in both your lives. When Nina died, it was like the light she brought in turned dark. She wasn’t like the rest of us; she was good. Death was truly a mercy for her. Her image remained pure." Stillness followed... so heavy it seemed as if the entire place would compress from the pressure, until the sharp scrape of the chair legs screeched as I pushed to my feet. I buttoned my suit jacket and walked towards the door. "Ares..." I halted. "I gave you that name. Do you know why?" I threw a look over my shoulder. "Because you were a god the moment I heard your cries when you were pushed out of your mother’s womb. I knew then you would be the worst of your father but acceptable. But now there is a change... a weakness. How long will you keep chasing after a woman who clearly doesn’t want to be found?" I turned to her, burying my hands in my pockets. And then, I walked, my footsteps echoing as I neared her. "I could mistake you for a clairvoyant... Grandmother. You thrive in these eyes you have." "Eyes you’re curious about... There is no need to bother yourself with something like that. I’m not your enemy." I tilted my head to the side slowly. "I get to kill my enemies. The label is needed." "Just like you killed your father?" She questioned. "I get it. You had so many unhealed wounds, and I knew my son was a terrible father; anything that was worse than the worst was him. Nina may have loved him, but she was scared of him too... which is why she tried to run away many times, but there was no escaping your father. He was obsessed with her to the point that it polluted his mind after he lost her, and changed him completely." Grandmother pushed to her feet and then cupped my cheek, the feel of wrinkled, cold hands made me shiver run down my spine. "After she gave birth to both of you, Nina never recovered. There were complications. She fought for four years before it finally took her. Because of that, your father could never love his children; every day he blamed you both for taking her away." I have wondered why Elias was always like that. I had assumed it may have been because of my mother, but hearing this now, it was more. A twisted part of me understood him, his obsession. She finally gave me a look that didn’t hold abhorrence but pity. "And now history has repeated itself, except this time your wife succeeded in running away. Don’t take it to heart, it’s no new thing that the women in the Kings don’t last. Your mother and Agatha.... even though her days are numbered, it almost feels like I can sniff the bloodlust radiating from you. You want her life, but complications must have arrived after your father’s death, which you didn’t see coming... he must have really fancied that whore after all, even though she was your mother’s replacement." She sighed and walked close to the window, taking a deep breath. "You’re still alive..." She chuckled. "Yes, I am...maybe the curse following the women in this family was kind to me." I blinked. "Why are you really here, Grandmother...?" She doesn’t reply, and her silence is even more fitting for this situation. She already strikes me as the kind of person who won’t reveal all her cards. Grandmother gripped her cane tightly, chin up in power. "Haven’t you guessed? To reunite with my family and ensure the rest of the Kings don’t die out like cattle with disease. You’ll have to stop this obsessive chase of yours and remarry. I’ll not lose another son to some pesky obsession." "I’m not Elias." "But you are his son, and his blood runs through your veins even if you slit your arm and drain yourself. I’ll give the word that Ares King is in search of a wife, trust me, the chicks will be here faster than eagles lashing on prey, and then we proceed to making heirs. I know the last thing you want is for that son of Agatha to claim what is yours." For the very first time in a long while, a ghostly smile touched my lips. I must have appeared unhinged because of the uneasiness reflected in her eyes. "An arranged marriage..." "Yes, prominent families who respect the Kings and your position as Don will be happy to come forward. You need a woman by your side." "Take your arrangement somewhere else." I turned to leave. "I have found a suitable suitor for your sister. I could have her wed by the end of the month. Which will it be, my boy? You or her? Do you want your sister to be tangled in marriage? Have you forgotten the first?" This fucking hag. I didn’t say a word, but I’m certain she knew she struck a nerve. I walked out of the room, not stopping until I got out of the building, and it was as if pure air had found my lungs again. "Drive..." I practically growled the word out the moment I got in the car. I glared at the building as it became further away, shrouded by the tall trees. I shoved my hand inside my suit pocket and pulled out a small black box, and opened it to reveal Catherine’s ring. I shut the box and took my head backwards, and closed my eyes, picturing her face.