Page 2 of Memories of the Dark
The cute intern working for Hawthorne & Associates, the damned law office representing the wimp, went above and beyond for him, searching through tons of papers until he found the document that changed his perspectives from bleak to bright pink. According to its stipulations, if no one saw or heard from Fergus Trevellyan for forty days, his will would be read in the presence of his lawyers.
The most beautiful part was that the appointed heirs could take possession of the fortune right after the will was read. Greenwood rubbed his hands in anticipation because there was no one else who could claim their rights to the immense fortune. The Trevellyan’s belonged to nobility, and the law was as clear as day: everything went to the descendants, next of kin, or in the absence of the first two categories, to the surviving spouse.
The little whiner, Fergus, was the last of his name, and Greenwood had made sure it stayed that way by forcing him to take sterility-inducing pills. To his immense surprise, the pathetic excuse of a human being hadn’t opposed, although a few months earlier, he babbled some nonsense about having children and raising them together. Fortunately, a good beating put a stop to it before it became a dangerous obsession.
Turning his phone on, Greenwood quickly typed a message. Once he finished, the man read it aloud, the same evil grin on his face.This will do it,he thought.The trap is set, and it won’t be long until the stupid, oblivious prey fell into it headfirst,the man continued his train of thought, sending the message.
CHAPTER 2
“Good morning, Father. I trust you are well,” Ardan spoke in a low, respectful voice, head slightly bowed.
“I’m as strong as ever; good health is one of the MacNamara family traits. Your mother also came from a family of healthy people. I don’t know where you got that goddamn fragility from. You should have told me about it before I put you in charge of my organization.” Godfrey MacNamara examined his son with a critical eye. “You look better, though.”
“Thank you, Father, and I’m terribly sorry for disappointing you like that. I should have done better. There is no excuse for how I failed you.” His father’s harsh words cut deep through Ardan’s soul, but he didn’t let anything show on the surface, keeping the tone of his voice low and even.
“On top of that, you defied and disobeyed me multiple times, but a father’s heart is large and generous. I called you here today to forgive all your past mistakes and start afresh.” Godfrey fell silent, waiting for his son’s reaction.
“Nothing would make me happier... except one thing. Please, reconsider your relationship with my brothers too. They are also your sons and, unlike me, did nothing wrong. Since when is being happy a crime?” Raising his head, Ardan spoke in a lively, passionate voice.
“That’s exactly why I summoned you. I’ve thought a lot about it, and I’ve decided it’s time to embrace Fergus’s imperfections, as none of us, except the Creator, is flawless. First, I want your honest answer to one question: this personality disorder your twin suffers from, how bad is it?” Godfrey’s voice softened a bit, but the look in his eyes made his son uneasy.
“Everly only emerges when Fergus is the victim of a physical aggression, when he is distressed or in danger. Also, he takes care of business matters and stays in touch with the family’s lawyers. Basically, he is my brother’s guardian with the role of keeping him out of potentially stressful situations. Mister Bloom, and more recently Alasdair and I, created a relaxed environment for Fergus, so Everly is mostly asleep.”
“Good to know. Well, I’ll pay you a visit one of these days to talk to your twin in person, but I don’t think there will be any problems. Marriage is considered a bliss by most of the people engaged in this type of relationship, you included.”
“Unlike mine, my brother’s marriage was a living nightmare he barely made it out alive from. I don’t know how it could be considered bliss. The divorce will be an excruciatingly painful experience I want to spare him from, but unfortunately, it’s impossible.” Ardan’s turquoise eyes clouded with sorrow, his voice pained.
“Oh, you’re right. I completely forgot Fergus was married to that Greenwood guy.” Godfrey waved his hand dismissively, his voice carefree. “I’m sure I can find a way to convince him to terminate the marriage so your brother can start afresh. I intend to marry him off to Seamus MacAtee. I think you’ve heard of him.”
With colossal effort, Ardan managed to school his facial expression so it couldn’t give away the horror he felt hearing his father’s words. The name sounded very familiar to him as it belonged to a mobster who originated from Edinburgh, well-known for his brutality. He came to New York City about two decades before, establishing one of the most powerful Scottish Mafia-like structures.
According to the information Ardan had on the man, most of those who worked for him were soulless bastards, just like their boss, while others followed him out of fear for their families’ safety. The slightest opposition was crushed mercilessly and genuine loyalty was not appreciated, MacAtee preferring to be surrounded by sweet-talkers and ass-kissers.
As he stood in his father’s office, the realization hit Ardan like thunder: the marriage between the Scottish mobster and Fergus had been discussed years before. That explained his father’s obsession about finding his long-lost son better than his need to bring all his children close. Suddenly, Ardan started to wonder what else Godfrey MacNamara was hiding when the man’s voice brought him back to immediate reality.
“Why are you so quiet? I take it you’re not going to oppose to your brother’s happiness?” There was something in his father’s voice and sly smile that sent chills down The Base’s boss’s spine.
“Seeing my brothers happy is one of the most important goals of my life, which is why I will strongly oppose a marriage between Seamus MacAtee and Fergus. That man is not what Fergus needs. He hasn’t an ounce of understanding and compassion in him. The two of them are totally incompatible.” Ardan’s low voice had an edge of firmness that surprised Godfrey in an unpleasant way.
“Think about the benefits a union between your twin and MacAtee would bring to my organization. As you know very well, in our world, marriage is an effective instrument when it comes to forging alliances with powerful people. As I see, you continue to persist in your disobedient ways.”
Ardan detected the veiled threat in his father’s voice, but it didn’t influence his decision. “Yes, if opposing Fergus’s soul being shattered by a butcher like Seamus MacAtee makes me disobedient, then I will gladly accept being punished for it. However, I’ll put the lawyers between you and my brother, making sure you never get to him, not even over my dead body.”
“You defiant, disobedient trash!” Chocking on his anger, Godfrey undid his belt. “It’s about time to learn your place the hard way.” The belt cracked with a sickening noise, the first blow landing on Ardan’s arm, followed by another across his chest.
His son’s lack of reaction infuriated Godfrey, who continued to hit him, each time harder than before, hoping to break the younger man, to make him beg for forgiveness, but it didn’t happen. Back straight, mind emptied of any thought, eyes staring blankly, Ardan accepted his punishment without complaining, like a man of integrity and honour.
Instead of being proud of his son and stopping to hit him, Godfrey was irritated by his stubbornness that would cost him a lot in terms of money, influence and reputation.Three years of negotiations flushed down the drain because of this disobedient little shit’s perception of happiness,the man bitterly thought, putting even more force into the hits.
Ardan didn’t flinch, not even a little, but his soul wailed in pain and his heart bled while he prayed that everything was just a bad dream he was going to wake up from. However, no matter how hard he tried to deny it, the man had to admit the cruel reality of his father punishing him for wanting to keep his brother safe from harm.
Underneath his shirt, the skin broke, blood soaking into the fabric, but neither of the two men seemed to care. Godfrey continued to hit his son harder, faster, putting more force and hate in every hit, while Ardan maintained the same dignified posture, not even the faintest sigh or hiss escaping from his lips.
“What in the name of gods do you think you are doing, Godfrey MacNamara? Stop it, man. Are you crazy? Can’t you see the boy is bleeding? You’re killing him!” Connelly whispered-shouted from the doorway, horrified at the sight before him.
“I’m punishing this despicable, disobedient brat for defying me and opposing my plans. Because of him, all the negotiations you took part in, all your efforts over the past three years are in vain.” Godfrey’s poisoned words stung more than the hits landing on Ardan’s body, hurting his soul.
“If you think beating your son to death will solve your problem, think again. Let the kid go. Loving his brothers and wanting what’s best for them are the only things he’s guilty of.” Connolly’s voice had a certain edge to it that made Godfrey step back.