Chapter 126: Inherited that darkness
"I didn’t expect you to return here, let alone to visit my daughter-in-law," Alekis said, his gaze steady as he watched Evelina across the room. He brought a cigar to his mouth, lighting it with a flick before taking a slow drag. Smoke curled around him as he continued, "What’s brewing in that mind of yours?"
Evelina’s expression was unreadable, but a glint of tension showed in her eyes. "You already know what concerns me, Alekis," she replied, crossing her arms. "You’ve given Lucius so much freedom that he’s become nearly unstoppable. I only wanted to warn Layla, hoping she might steer him clear of any... dangers he’s so eager to embrace."
Alekis looked at her with a piercing gaze as he exhaled another puff of smoke, letting it drift between them. "If you truly cared for Lucius, Evelina, then why did you leave him all those years ago?" he asked, his tone laced with a restrained bitterness. "Do you think he befriended a mafia heir and began unleashing his anger for no reason? You left him to find his own way, and he did. At least now he has a taste of happiness, and that’s all I care about. If his choices make him happy, then let him live as he chooses."
Evelina’s face tightened, but Alekis’s gaze remained firm. He took another draw from his cigar, then placed it down, his voice turning colder. "Don’t meddle in their lives. Leave them in peace and return to England. Your husband and your family are waiting for you there."
Evelina’s lips parted as if to protest, but she seemed to think better of it, instead casting her gaze downward.
"Why don’t you declare Lucius the next chairman of the De Salvo Group?" Evelina asked suddenly. "You’ve always loved your son from the first marriage too much to ever regard Lucius as truly yours."
Alekis’s gaze hardened, and he let out a slow exhale of smoke before placing the cigar down. "If I didn’t regard Lucius as anything, Evelina, I wouldn’t have looked after him all these years. He’s not my real son, after all," he said, revealing the truth, which was buried for a long time.
Evelina’s eyes widened, shock flickering across her face. She had always assumed her secret was safe, that Alekis never suspected the truth. "You... you knew?" she stammered, barely finding her voice.
Alekis’s gaze remained steady, almost pitying. "Did you truly think I wouldn’t find out?" he replied, his voice low and unyielding. "I married you because, at one time, I did love you. And when you announced you were carrying Lucius, I was happy... until I learned the truth." He leaned forward, his eyes piercing hers.
"Lucius’s father was a drunk, a man of no integrity, and a danger to you. You ran away from him, came to me, seduced me, and made me fall for your lies. I don’t blame my heart for loving you then, but I blame you for what Lucius has had to endure."
Evelina’s expression wavered as she swallowed back her shock and shame. "Did you ever... tell him?" she asked, barely able to form the question.