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"Who are you calling old, kid?" My grandfather chuckles.
"He must rest soon, so don't stay too long," Liam instructs.
I nod and watch him walk out the door. I catch the nurse glaring at my uncle's back before he sees me looking at him. Hopefully, I now know who I can go to and get at least a few questions answered. I just need to wait a day or two, maybe earn his trust, and then I can try talking to him. All I know is that these walls have many secrets, and I need to uncover as many as I can.
I come downstairs the next morning, and as I walk to the kitchen to grab something to eat, I hear a noise coming from the forbidden basement door. Looking around, I walk over and put my ear to it. Muffled cries and moans can be heard. It sounds like someone is having sex, but the cries don't sound like they are from pleasure. Before I can try cracking the door, footsteps come down the stairs and I move quickly, entering the first room I come to, which is a library.
There is no time to close the door, so I stare at the shelves and act like I'm looking for a book. The footsteps falter outside the door, and my uncle's henchman from yesterday pops his head in. I turn and pretend he startled me, bringing my hand to my chest.
"Jesus fuck, don't sneak up on a guy like that!" I say it in a cocky tone.
"What are you doing in here?" he demands.
"Uh, what does one do when they enter a library?" I ask sarcastically.
"This is Mr. Huntley's private library…"
"Yeah, so…" I cock my brow. "My uncle told me to make myself at home. The only room I can't go in is the basement," I scoff and mumble, "Like I would want to go into a creepy basement anyway."
The henchman studies me briefly. "Breakfast is in five minutes. Mr. Huntley hates it when anyone is late to the table. If you're going to be late, then don't come at all."
I watch him leave and breathe a sigh of relief. I thought it would be easier than this. I was surprised to find others living in the house. However, out of everyone who resides under this roof, there is only one female. It would be interesting to see what she has to say about living here. I wonder if I will ever catch her alone because I doubt Liam will allow me to talk to her.
I head for the kitchen to grab some grub but stop when I hear the sound of a click. Turning to my left, I see Liam coming from the basement door as he straightens his belt. Maybe the basement is where he keeps his playroom, and that's the only reason he doesn't want me going down there. Like I don't know what a fucking playroom is. There are two at the Manor, for Christ's sake.
"Ah, Beau! I trust you slept well," my uncle says when he spots me.
"Like a baby.” I grin.
"Good, good! Let's have some breakfast. Then maybe we can talk shop," Liam says.
"Talk shop?" I ask.
"Yes, shop. Find a way to boot your dad out of Bellini Formal, and then we can run it together."
That fucking prick. There is no way I will kick my father out of the CEO seat. He rebuilt that company from the ground up, and I may not be happy with him, but I will never strip him of power unless he's abusing it, and I don't feel that he is. Of course, I can't say any of this to my uncle, so I just grin.
"Sounds interesting…"
Six
"So, tell me, Beau. What's been happening in your life? I figured you would be working for the company by now," Liam says as he sits at the head of the table.
His henchman, whose name I've learned is Lyle, sits across from me, eating his breakfast quietly. Even though his eyes aren't on me, he still watches my every move. I will have to watch out for this one and be mindful that he can be anywhere in the house.
"Yeah, my father started training me for it my junior year of high school, but then he sent me away to the Marines right after graduation."
I debate how much of the truth I should tell him, but I worry that he still has connections even though he's supposed to be a ghost. I decide to tell him some truth but leave the whole story out just in case he checks it. I'm learning really fast that Uncle Liam is a sneaky little bastard. Hell, he's gotten away all these years with making people believe that he's dead. Maybe it's just my dad that thinks he's dead, though. Liam could still very much be alive to everyone else. Another plausible idea is that my father lied to me once again.
"Oh? So, you didn't want to be a Marine, then?" Liam shovels another mouthful of food into his mouth.
"I wanted to be one, yes, but he sent me for selfish reasons," I tell him and take another bite.
I play out in my head how I will answer my uncle's next question, which I already know he will ask. The words I know I'm about to say sound so wrong, but I need Liam to think I'm as perverse and depraved as he is. God, I really hate this, but I need him to trust me enough to tell me his story.
"Ah, I can see him doing something like that; he's always been selfish. Tell me, what made him send his only son into the military?"
Our eyes meet as a wicked smirk forms on my face. "I started fucking his new wife's slut of a daughter. He didn't like that I was doing the dirty with my stepsister. You know, he has to keep a certain image for the business." I shrug. "It's not like she was all that great, kind of a dead fuck, if you ask me, but I knew it pissed him off, so I kept doing her."
