Page 37 of Angels of the Night

CHAPTER 28

“Please, son, do sit down. I'm happy you could come, although I would have been happier if the circumstances were a little bit more favorable.” The older man, in his early seventies, gestured to a leather armchair on the other side of the desk.

“Thank you, Father, and yes, I also would have preferred this meeting to take place in better circumstances. I deeply apologize for the stupidity and incompetence some of our collaborators have shown.” The younger man, in his early forties, elegantly sat on the armchair, careful to not wrinkle his dress pants and pristine white shirt.

“Oh, son, you are not to blame for them being stupid. We need them that way. Think about how hard it would be to manipulate them if they showed signs of intelligence. However, you shouldn't have let them think they are in charge. Look what big of a mess they caused, especially that insignificant being who calls himself Professor Winters.”

The older man's huff of contempt made his son let out a discreet sigh of frustration, because he secretly appreciated Phillip Winters and his work. “Father, if you are talking about the incident at the lab, the professor's act was perfectly justified. I would have done the same thing. Avenging his father's death was...”

“No one avenges anyone unless I say so, and I don't remember giving an order in that direction. All those men, especially the father and his two sons, are kept alive for a purpose, which is not to serve as moving targets for that psycho.”

“May I ask why you decided to do that, especially considering what they know about us? I think the three of them could hinder our plans in more than one way, and we can't afford that. Professor Winters, on the other hand...”

“Did nothing else than stir trouble and point in our direction.” The older man cut his son short in a harsh voice, his patience running thinner by the moment. “You must not forget that it was his father, Conroy, who started the scandal twenty-five years ago. If it wasn't for his greed and stupidity, I would have been the King of England by now, and you, the Prince of Wales.”

“I'm sorry. I should have known better than to upset you so badly.” The son's voice was meek and apologetic as he was aware that Phillip's life depended on his father's whims. “What should I do to make things right again? You know my loyalty belongs only to you and our family.”

“Now that's my boy, my own flesh and blood, who always made me proud!” A smile of satisfaction spread across the old man's face, much to his son's relief. “Keep those three alive at all costs, or at least the two who are at large and remind your pet scientist who is in charge. That would be all for now. I would love to spend more time with you, but alas...” The older man left his seat, the younger one imitating him.

“I know, you are a very busy man, and I should get myself busy, too. One more thing before I go. You said I should remind Phillip who is in control, but he is under arrest, at least as far as I know.” The younger man abruptly stopped, intrigued by the amused look in his father's eyes.

“In their great naivety, our opponents sent Winters to England, to be charged for stealing that substance. I will get your freak friend out but not before leaving him some time to reflect on his situation.” The cold smile on his father's lips turned the younger man's blood into ice, but he knew better than expressing his feelings.

“Thank you, Father. I don't deserve your kindness! Now I'm going to make myself useful and bring my humble contribution to restoring our family's reputation and glory.”

With those words, the younger man left the room, leaving his father deep in thought as every time after the two of them met. The subject of said thoughts was none other than the man's son, who, until then completely devoted to their great cause, had started to show subtle signs of disobedience. The father suspected he broke their number one rule, to never get emotionally attached to anyone, no matter who that person was.

The obsession for that Ardan boy, with his perfectly shaped body and mysterious, turquoise eyes, sentenced Alexander Kane to an early death at the hands of his former toy-boy turned deadly weapon. Plus, the then-terrified kid became the most formidable opponent the man had met in the three decades since he started The Great Game—how he liked to call his efforts to get his hands on the Sandrigham estate.

From the outside, his claims looked legitimate as he was the only son of the last Duke's older brother. However, the man's father was secretly disowned, something only he and his younger brother Sylvester knew. From the position of Duke of Sandrigham, he married the young, vulnerable Alastair Stark, who proved a tough nut to crack.

When the moment arrived, the man in the room, George Warthon by his name, poisoned his detested uncle who usurped his rights. Sylvester's illegitimate daughter, Julianna; Alexander Kane, the Blooms' best kept secret; Conroy Winters, who had his reasons to seek revenge against the Stark clan—all of them became pawns in the Great Game, having no idea they were being manipulated from behind the curtain.

Kane met his demise at the hands of Ardan, who became the bane of George's existence, an ever-present danger to his schemes, and Conroy Winters fell under the man's younger brother's knife. To make things even worse, said younger brother got romantically involved with one of the three men who could expose George and his son Nigel as frauds, reducing all their efforts to zero.

The Base. That was the name of the evil that had to be destroyed before it was too late, before everything he built turned to dust. Leaving the chair, Warthon started to pace the room up and down, his brain working feverishly. He had to find a way to wipe out that place from the face of the Earth and end its creator's life at the same time.

****

“Good morning, older brother! You look amazing, so fresh, relaxed and well-rested! And that smile of yours could make all the glaciers in the world melt in an instant.” Caleb stepped into Ardan's office and hugged the man, who left his chair to greet him.

“Good morning to you, too, kiddo! And look who's talking, Mister Charming in person! There must be something very special about Saint and Zachary. You’ve blossomed over the last couple of days, since the three of you got back together.” Ardan's eyes shone with affection at the sight of his younger brother.

“Yes, they are...I don't think I have enough words to describe them and the feelings between us. All I know is that we are built to last, especially after spending all night talking about our future together, making plans...it was wonderful.”

“Take a seat and tell me everything about it. I'm so happy for you, little brother! Wait, you are a man now, I should stop calling you that.” Ardan gazed over Caleb, his eyes warm and gentle.

“Well, we have decided to live in Zachary's house. It has plenty of rooms, even if most of them need to be renovated. I thought of asking the guys for a little help, when and if they have time. Avery and Erling already volunteered, and Saint will ask Gunnar to join us, too, but it would be great if...” Caleb stopped, unsure if he should continue.

“Of course, they will help you. Some of them can't wait for you to ask. Jericho, for instance, would be thrilled, giving his camaraderie with Lance. I have to say Zachary's paternity came as a huge surprise, and so was Fabian's chauffeur's real identity. Sometimes, Fates have some pretty twisted ways of setting things on their right course.” Ardan ran a hand over his face, smiling mysteriously.

“What do you mean by that? I'm not entirely familiar with the past you and Fabian share, but I know it was marked by bloodshed and a reconciliation is impossible. All I hope is that Zachary's father won't be affected very much by the adversity between the two of you.” Caleb fell silent, waiting for his brother's answer.

“Whatever happened or will happen between me and Fabian Bloom won't have any negative impact on your relationship with Zachary, you have my word. I know better than to ruin my brother's chance to happiness.” In spite of his solemn voice, Ardan's eyes were shining with affection, making Caleb's tense nerves instantly relax.

“Thank you for being such an amazing, understanding, supportive older brother, it means so much to me! I better go. Jericho asked me to cover his sector, too, as he is going to visit Zachary's dad at the hospital in the afternoon. See you around!”

Sporting a huge, happy grin, Caleb waved and stepped out of the room, leaving Ardan in the company of his thoughts, centered around his youngest brother's newfound happiness. The relationship between him, Saint and Zachary had a rough, bumpy start and evolved at such high speed, Ardan barely had time to register and process things.

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