The Dark Side Of Fate by Karima Sa'ad Usman

53 In The Mix Of Things

~Sylvester~

When Theodore interrupted my speech at the northern council conference, I knew something serious had happened.

I politely excused myself. I went to him.

I could hear people murmuring, but soon, Marcel took over, and they were silent.

That was why it was best I wrote my speeches. He just picked up from where I left off.

Theodore stood when I approached him.

"They are back," He said, and I smiled, glad that Tamia had returned.

I was worried she might see Leo or Devin, and they would convince her to leave with them.

The painful part of that fear was that I wouldn't have gone after her if she had willingly followed. Otherwise, I would have given my mother, Dominic and the entire council the war they had longed for and burned the south or east to the ground.

"Tamia is ill. Linda asked that I send a doctor, which I did, but then she insisted I tell you. I think it is serious," He said, and images of her being poisoned by Jake Brighton just to get at me flooded my mind.

I was out the door before Theodore could finish the sentence.

People were looking at me weirdly.

The moment I stepped out, I hopped into the first car I saw. It wasn't mine, but I was lord, and the driver was already behind the wheel.

"Volkov estate now!" I ordered him, and he started his vehicle.

I did not know who he worked for; I will have to apologise later.

We arrived at the estate, and I rushed into the building and went straight to my room.

Avery and Linda were with her. She looked pale and sweaty but seemed a bit calm. The doctor was examining her, and I went to hold her hands. Knight was afraid, so I had to try and control myself.

When the doctor congratulated me that she was pregnant, I was shocked. Knowing that Linda did not feel the same way made me still worried that Jake did something.

"Linda is pregnant, and she isn't ill?" I asked the doctor.

"People experience pregnancy differently, but I will still take her blood sample to test for other things. If there is anything, she is already recovering from it. I will give her a mild sedative to help her relax and sleep it off, but there is no cause for alarm here. She will be alright when she wakes up; she just needs to rest," he said, administered the sedative, and packed his things to leave.

I watched Tamia's eyes close gradually until she fell asleep.

Linda and Avery excused themselves, and I stayed with her.

There was a knock on my door thirty minutes later, and I rushed to open it so the person did not bang too hard and wake Tamia up. I knew it was my mother. She was the only one that dared to do that.

I opened the door, and she frowned at me. Not wanting her in my room, I stepped outside.

"What is wrong with her?" She asked, and I knew she must have heard.

"What do you care?" I said, and she sighed and bowed her head.

"I know I misbehaved the last time, and I am sorry. It was just that treason is a serious crime, and I knew they would want to kill Dominic. Tamia threatened to deal with Dominic if he caused you trouble. You are a fool for her. I was angry, but I don't hate her. I just went to my family home to calm down and think things through." She said, and I knew she was being honest, but Tamia wasn't comfortable with her anymore, and that was a relationship she would have to fix alone.

"Your words and actions hurt her, mother. Even though she didn't say it, I could see it. You called her a whore, among other things; words like that don't get forgotten," I said, and she bowed.

"Do you know she was the only one that believed Dominic didn't do it? She was the one that urged me to dig instead of passing judgment. Dominic has been a problem for me, so it was easy to think he would pull off that stunt. It was Tamia that made me question the enforcer. She was the one that made me look at other factors, yet you were busy antagonising her and making her feel inadequate. I am disappointed in you, mother. Anyone looking from the outside would say you didn't birth me with how you acted. You always side with him over me; you never have my back," I said, tears streaming down her face.

"Do not say that, Sylvester. I gave birth to both of you. I threatened to disown him if he went for the hearing. That was why he stayed. I also say hurtful things to Dominic, but I have to feel sorry for him. He is the older of you two, yet he has nothing, no position, no charge and respect. Things like that get to people. You have it all, Sylvester; he has nothing. He has to live in your shadow for the rest of his life. It is not your fault, but I know it gets to him, so he is always eager to prove that you are flawed so he can feel better. Larry has worked on his insecurities and used them. I was happy you locked the douchebag up. I gave birth to both of you. Do not ever think otherwise," She said and bowed her head.

"I am sorry about Tamia, but I am really concerned for her. I knew she went to the west because of you. It was a brave thing to do on her part, and I commend her, but I am concerned. Jake isn't vindictive, but I can't say the same for Donald Brighton. He is the next alpha, and he has a grudge

against this family. Just like Devin, his mother was taken by your father," she said and looked around us.

I realised she wanted to tell me other things people weren't supposed to hear, so I opened the door to my room and let her in.

I signalled her to keep it down, and she looked at Tamia, where she was sleeping.

"She is pale," She said with concern, and I nodded.

"Doctor said she will be fine," I said, and she looked at me.

"Do you mind if I examine her?" She asked, and I did not know how Tamia would feel about it, but since I was there, I decided it wouldn't be any harm.

She touched Tamia's forehead and palm and checked her nails; Tamia stirred in her sleep but did not wake up.

"Did the doctor take a blood sample?" She asked, and I nodded.

"I think she ingested a small amount of poison, and I also think she is pregnant," she said, and I was panicked because she could be right.

"No need for alarm; her system is fighting whatever was introduced into it," She said and patted her hair gently.

"She is pregnant," I confirmed, and she gasped. A wide grin spread across her face.

"Congratulations," she said softly and looked at Tamia lovingly.

"I hope she will give me another chance." She said, and I doubted Tamia would be that nice again, but I kept it to myself.

"You were going to tell me something about Donald Brighton, mother," I said, and she nodded. We moved to the couch area, and she sat.

"Yes, Ava Brighton. A bitch ..." she said scornfully.

"She and Gretchen were brought as trophies. Gretchen was Jake's younger sister. She was stunning and a looker. Your father eagerly drafted her to join his harem and reluctantly drafted Ava. He favoured Gretchen of all his bedmates, and Ava got jealous. Gretchen thought she was being nice when she pleaded with Maurice to send her sister In-law back to her husband, and Maurice considered it. I hated that bitch because she almost took my husband from me. Ava did not see it as an act of kindness on her part. She saw it as a way of reducing her competition. The bitch thought Maurice liked her too, and Gretchen was only trying to get rid of her. So she pleaded with Maurice to remain in his service and continue to warm his bed," She said and wiped away her tears.

It was clear that my mother's selective memory was her coping mechanism.

Sometimes she would say he had to sleep with those women to learn their husband's secrets and be ahead of them, but here she was admitting that his method was fucked up, but I held my tongue.

"Ava murdered Gretchen in cold blood, driving a silver blade through her heart in this room," she said, looking around.

"She had come to plead with Maurice to let her say, and instead of finding Maurice, she found Gretchen in his bed naked, looking freshly fucked, and she snapped. You see, Maurice had stopped touching Ava, and it bothered her," she said and bowed her head.

"Maurice had her locked up in the dungeon, and one drunken night, he went to her cell and took her life," she said, and I was stunned.

"What he did was against the law. Ava was supposed to stand trial for her crime, slave or not. But he acted on impulse, and we swept it under the carpet. No one knew this, but Donald hates the Volkovs because of it. He thinks his mother was brought here as a slave and killed unjustly. I doubt Jake knows the truth," She said, and I looked at Tamia.

"Our family has many enemies, hence why the rest of the Volkov bloodline are quiet and not bearing our last name. It was wrong to send her to Brighton. I am sure they wanted to kill her. She just didn't ingest enough," she said, and I hoped for Jake's sake there was nothing in Tamia's blood or I would destroy Brighton.

"Is there a record of this?" I asked her, and she nodded.

" The recordkeeper kept a record," She told me, and I nodded, hoping to use it when the time comes.

"The council have sent enforcers for Dominic's hearing. They want to move him and Bryce to the council prison," Theodore said through the mind link, and I got up immediately.

"What is the matter, son?" My mother asked, and I shook my head. I dared not tell her what was happening.

"Council matters," I said, and she nodded.

"I will take my leave. Tamia likes yoghurt and fruits. She also likes smoked salmon in her salad. I will have the kitchen staff prepare her favourite so she can eat when she wakes up; she has lost some weight." My mother said, and I thanked her.

We both left the room. Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

Although I knew she meant no harm, I did not want her to be the first person Tamia would see when she woke up.

I linked Avery and Linda to go to my room and be with Tamia, then headed to the dungeons where the enforcers were waiting.

Marcel was there, and Dominic stood in chains with fear in his eyes.

"What is the meaning of this?" I asked, and the leader bowed his head.

"Your Eminence, Councilwoman Pamela asked us to transfer the suspects to the council prison so they can stand trial tomorrow," He said, and I nodded.

"They will stand trial tomorrow; tell her I will be presiding over the case, and the prisoners will remain in my custody until then. Now leave," I said. I knew it wasn't my place, but I was going to bend the rules for Dominic's sake. Someone wanted him to be the fall guy, and I wasn't going to allow it.

"With all due respect, my lord, the council decides on criminal matters," he said, and I nodded.

"Then tell them I am overriding the decision this time. If they have an issue, they should face me directly on the matter," I said, and the man nodded, saluted me with respect and left.

"What is with the council? Why are they quick and eager to convict Dominic," Marcel said, and I looked at my brother.

"Someone is desperate to cover their tracks by making him the fall guy," I said, and there was hope in Dominic's eyes.

"What?" Marcel said.

"Tamia and I have been digging, and we found some really troubling things. They were hoping I wouldn't investigate because of the friction between Dominic and me. They were right, had Tamia

not insisted, I would have let them deal with him," I said and looked at Dominic, who looked ashamed of himself.

"You did this to yourself, big brother. Always working against me and trying to prove that I am incompetent. You would have been the fall guy for nothing." I said, and he remained ashamed.

"Double Bryce and Dominic's security. I do not want a mishap," I linked Marcel and Theodore, and they nodded.

I returned to my room to be with Tamia.