Page 34 of Forgive Me For I Have Sinned

Turning the door knob, I enter my grandfather's opulent office. The smell of wood, whiskey, and fine cigars permeate the room's ambiance. "You wanted to see me?" my grandfather says, sitting in his leather chair like a throne.

"Yes, I have something to discuss with you that I trust you have the answers to," I reply, unbuttoning my suit jacket and taking a seat.

My grandfather stepped down as an active member of the Order but still holds power; yet, only a few know he can overrule along with Mr. Bedford, but they rarely bother themselves with Kenyan matters. Mr. Bedford and my father vote on issues involving world leaders.

"I trust this has nothing to do with business matters. Because the hotels and all investments are making billions in profit. You're having an excellent year, so I trust you are here in a personal capacity."

"You know me too well, Grandfather."

"I know you better than most because you think and are ruthless like me, and that is what makes a great leader."

"I want to ask you about Mr. Devlin's daughter, Veronica."

He gets up, walks to the bar, and pours three fingers of whiskey into two glasses with two ice cubes. Giving me his back, he asks, "What about Devlin's daughter?"

"She is my intern for the week before she graduates."

He chuckles and hands me the glass. "You always had a thing for the girl."

I take the glass, but he has a glint in his eyes that tells me there is more. "Thank you. It's not a thing. We both know Mr. Devlin is not our favorite."

He takes a seat. "There are no favorites, my boy. Only players. Mr. Devlin is an atheist at heart. He always hated the religious aspect and history that the Order was founded on, dating back to the eighteen hundreds. His vows on marriage are a lie. Everything he stands for" –– he takes a sip and swallows –– "is a lie."

"What are you saying?"

"Miss Devlin is not his daughter, Alaric." I almost drop the glass but grip it tightly, almost breaking it in my hand. My chest tightens because that can't be true. "I can tell you are shocked, dumbfounded, but really, did you think a man would let his daughter be what she is?"

I stare at the painting behind him, trying to piece things together in her behavior. "But I thought, er…I don't know––"

"I know you are very fond of the girl, but most of them are."

I frown, placing the glass on his desk with a thud. "What are you saying? Who's Them?"

"I'm not supposed to discuss this, but since you have graduated for some time now and have chosen to remain without a wife, I can discuss matters like this, and you are allowed to explore Miss Devlin, but I feel they won't approve, given her affection for you." I tilt my head to the side, placing my finger over my mouth. My mind is muddled with unanswered questions. "Dating back centuries when the Order was established, they believed in adopting a religion acceptable to conduct meetings inside the church. Rules in those days were adopted under the pretext of religion and the use of the Bible. In the library, there is a book about the history of Kenyan. It briefly discusses what I'm about to say, but Alaric, it can't leave this room."

"I understand." But I don't. What does Veronica have anything to do with any of this? "Members before us for generations still adopt these ancient rules and still manage to abide by them in modern society, claiming that they are also God's way. Like an eye for an eye and that sort of thing." He takes another sip, but that is the last thing I want, a glass of whiskey. "Are you familiar with the term sex slave or woman used to serve men in higher order just like Hebrew soldiers."

"I've heard of it, but in our case, that is human trafficking and illegal."

He places the glass on his desk with a thud. "That's not what I'm referring to in any way. There were debates in Deuteronomy in modern times, but it was adopted by the Order and still can be used before the Catholic church since it was never voted off because it didn't favor men that had to marry a chosen. It isn't a secret Mrs. Devlin, Veronica's mother, committed adultery with Mr. Bedford."

"Yeah, so. I'm not aware of the details, but they dealt with it. It wasn't like people didn't sleep with each other in college before graduation, so it didn't matter to them." Veronica was born before that, and Mr. Bedford claims his children, so I know she isn't his. She looks nothing like them. The only thing Veronica inherited from her mother were her eyes.

"That is where you are wrong, my boy. It did matter because it wasn't the first time…she is guilty of being promiscuous and a pill popper that lives in guilt with what her husband has done with her daughter."

I slide on the edge of my seat. A wave of blazing fury slides inside my veins, waking up the demon inside me. "What has he done?"

"I'm afraid, with the look in your eye, that I would need to send you to the library where you can conduct research. Brush up on your history and that sort of thing."

"Tell me," I demand.

"I can't tell you, my boy. I've said enough. You need to find this out independently because now she is under your supervision for the week. Make the most of it how you see fit and remember there are consequences for her and what she is allowed and not allowed to do."

"What does that mean?"

He downs the glass of whiskey in one go and stands. "In a few months, she will marry. Everyone else attended the vote; I recall you and everyone else didn't object. I'm sure Dorian Black feels he won something over you since you denied his business proposal when in all honesty, you could care less about the girl."

"What do you mean?” I ask. "He knows how I feel about her."

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