phere bec

e I hadn't encountered in years-but one I could never erase from memory. His gaze blazed w

o sign of apprehension. His cool blue eyes remained steady as

ecent time I encountered him, I vowed to myself that I would never be around him again. Still, he sto

ther hissed, his ton

ailed to reach his eyes. "I don't follow commands, espe

darting to me for just an instant before shifting back to

om-anger, fear, or the sheer absurdity of the situation. "She doesn

. My father's eyes softened, a calculated display of remorse. "Dysis," he sa

htmare you created?" I shot back, my an

hen his façade of composure returned

betrayed me to protect yourself." "You've been

n the atmosphere, we

seat, his imposing stature dominating the space. "If you want to talk, put down the gun." If you're

a brief instant, I believed he could genuinely squeeze the

in," he stated, his tone sof

d an eyebrow. "

his gaze shifting between us. "And

ne laced with disdain. "You're alrea

hake in his hands. "There's a thing you aren't aware of," he sta

d. Even Alexander, as poised as h

o?" Alexander insisted, h

't know what he was about to mention. "Not in this

ured to his troops. "Bring him to the

t fight back, yet his eyes remained fixed on me while he was pulled out of t

im, leaving me once aga

arding?" I inquire

stance rigid. For the first time, he appeared less like a man in

pressed, step

ze me in my place. It wasn't irritation or frustration-it w

ou believe you're the only one with specters, Dysis?" he spoke softly, his tone nearly resentful

glimpsed beyond the icy, heartless surface to a deeper vulnerability. Ho

more severe. "And you will adhere to my guidelines." "Anythin

azed at me caused me to hesitate. There was angu

life, determining the pace of my days, the air I inhaled, and the boundaries of my liberty. Compassion would only cloud the b

soft but resolute. "Yet, do not think for a

enses one layer at a time. For a brief instant, I believed I noticed something glimmer w

comprehend, Dysis." In some manner, you will ac

nable to discern, and that doubt made me feel more exposed than I wanted to acknowledge. He turned abruptly and made h

solitary in the expansive area. The following silence was suffocating, st

er had been seated before, his complexion ashen and tight, his gaze flickering anxiously while Alexander loomed over him. A surge o

pot, gazing at the vacant chair, a

st about money. It wasn't possible. Alexander Levi didn't seem to be a person who acted only based on financial ob

t, something more sinister, something muc

it had caught me in a web I didn't fully grasp-a web that reached past my fa

d to fi

For whatever this was, it exceeded me, surpassed my father's sel