Chapter 8: The Grandfather at the Gate
Damien Carter walked into the house like he owned every room, every person, and every secret inside it.
Maybe he did.
That was the terrifying part.
He didn’t rush.
He didn’t threaten.
He didn’t need to.
A man like him didn’t have to raise his voice because the world had spent decades learning to listen when he spoke.
He was older than I expected.
His hair was silver.
His posture was straight.
His dark coat was perfectly pressed.
But it was his eyes that made me understand why everyone feared him.
They weren’t angry.
They were calm.
Cold.
Like he had already decided how everything would end.
He stopped in the center of the room.
His eyes moved over Victor.
Then Marcus.
Then finally me.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Damien smiled.
“Jaylen.””
Hearing my name from him made my skin crawl.
I stepped back.
“Don’t say my name.””
His expression didn’t change.
“Why?””
“Because you don’t know me.””
A small smile appeared.
“Oh, I know you better than you think.””
Victor stepped forward.
“You need to leave.””
Damien looked at him.
“Still pretending to be the protector.””
Victor’s face hardened.
“You’re not welcome here.””
Damien glanced around.
“Interesting.””
He looked at the expensive furniture.
The photographs.
The security system.
“You built a beautiful life.””
Then his eyes returned to Victor.
“Too bad you couldn’t protect the people who mattered.””
The room went silent.
I watched Victor’s hands tighten.
He was angry.
But underneath that anger was something else.
Pain.
Damien turned toward Marcus.
“My son.””
Marcus laughed bitterly.
“You don’t get to call me that.””
Damien looked almost disappointed.
“After all these years, you still carry that anger.””
“You erased me.””
Damien sighed.
“I protected the family.””
Marcus stepped forward.
“No.””
His voice shook.
“You protected yourself.””
For the first time, Damien’s expression changed.
Only slightly.
But I saw it.
A crack.
A flash of irritation.
Then he looked at me.
“You see?””
He pointed toward Marcus.
“This is what happens when people let emotion control them.””
I stared at him.
“You’re talking like you’re the victim.””
Damien studied me.
“You have your mother’s courage.””
The mention of her name made my chest tighten.
“Don’t talk about her.””
His eyes softened.
A strange thing.
Almost human.
“You loved her.””
“Yes.””
“So did I.””
I laughed quietly.
“No.””
Everyone looked at me.
“You don’t get to say that.””
Damien tilted his head.
“Why?””
“Because people who love someone don’t destroy them.””
The silence afterward was heavy.
For a second, I thought I had finally made him angry.
Instead, he smiled.
“You really are Angela’s son.””
I hated that.
Because part of me wanted to hear that.
I wanted proof that I came from her.
But I didn’t want it from him.
Damien walked closer.
Victor immediately moved between us.
“Stay away from him.””
Damien stopped.
“You think I came here to hurt him?””
“You came here to control him.””
“No.””
Damien looked at me.
“I came here because he deserves the truth.””
Marcus laughed.
“From you?””
“Yes.””
His answer was immediate.
“Because everyone else has been lying.””
My eyes moved between them.
“Then tell me.””
Victor looked at me.
“Jaylen—”
“No.””
I looked at him.
“I need to know.””
Damien nodded.
“Good.””
He walked toward the table and placed the necklace down.
My mother’s necklace.
The sight of it made my throat tighten.
“She was wearing this the last night I saw her.””
I stared.
“You saw her?””
Damien nodded.
“Yes.””
“When?””
“The night she disappeared.””
The room became silent.
My heartbeat grew louder.
“What happened?””
Damien looked at the necklace.
“Your mother came to me.””
Marcus immediately shook his head.
“That’s a lie.””
Damien ignored him.
“She wanted a deal.””
“A deal?””
“Yes.””
I looked confused.
“What kind of deal?””
Damien looked at me.
“She wanted you safe.””
The words sounded exactly like something everyone had been saying.
But coming from him, they felt wrong.
“She offered to disappear.””
I stared.
“No.””
Damien continued.
“She knew I had power. She knew she couldn’t defeat me.””
Victor’s voice was low.
“Don’t rewrite history.””
Damien looked at him.
“You weren’t there.””
“I know enough.””
“No.””
Damien smiled.
“You know what she told you.””
That sentence hit harder than I expected.
Because it was true.
Everyone had their version.
Victor.
Marcus.
Principal Harris.
My mother.
And now Damien.
Everyone had pieces.
Nobody had the whole story.
I looked at Damien.
“What was the deal?””
He looked at me.
“Angela would disappear.””
A pause.
“In exchange, I would never come after you.””
My stomach dropped.
“And you agreed?””
“Yes.””
“Then why did she have to leave?””
Damien’s face became unreadable.
“Because she broke the agreement.””
Marcus stepped forward.
“Stop lying.””
Damien looked at him.
“Ask him.””
He pointed toward Victor.
“Ask your father what Angela discovered.””
I turned.
Victor looked uncomfortable.
“What?””
He didn’t answer.
My anger returned.
“Not again.””
Victor closed his eyes.
“Jaylen…”
“No.””
I stepped closer.
“You all keep doing this.””
I looked around the room.
“Every single one of you knows something.””
My voice cracked.
“And I’m always the last person to find out.””
Nobody spoke.
Finally, Marcus said:
“Your mother found evidence that Damien wasn’t acting alone.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
Damien’s face darkened.
“Enough.””
Marcus ignored him.
“She found someone inside Victor’s company helping him.””
Victor looked stunned.
“Who?””
Marcus looked at him.
“You still don’t know?””
The room froze.
Even Damien looked surprised.
Marcus continued.
“The person who changed Jaylen’s records.””
Principal Harris stepped forward.
“Who was it?””
Marcus looked at me.
“Someone your mother trusted.””
My stomach tightened.
“Who?””
Before Marcus could answer, the lights flickered.
Again.
Everyone turned.
The security screens turned on.
A live video appeared.
A woman sat in a room.
Her face was hidden.
But her voice was clear.
“Enough.””
Everyone froze.
Victor stared at the screen.
“No…”
Damien looked genuinely shocked for the first time.
The woman continued.
“You all keep telling Jaylen half-truths.””
My hands went cold.
Because I recognized the voice.
I had heard it before.
Not recently.
Years ago.
A voice from my childhood.
A voice from a memory I couldn’t reach.
My breathing changed.
“No…”
Victor looked at me.
“What?””
I stared at the screen.
“I know that voice.””
The woman slowly leaned closer to the camera.
And when her face became visible, my entire world stopped.
Older.
Tired.
But alive.
My knees almost gave out.
“Mom?””
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Angela Carter looked directly at me.
Tears filled her eyes.
“Jaylen.””
I couldn’t breathe.
My mother.
Alive.
After eight years.
She whispered:
“I’m sorry.””
I took a step toward the screen.
“Where are you?””
Her expression changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
“Listen to me carefully.””
The room became silent.
“Do not trust Victor.””
Everyone turned toward him.
My father froze.
“What?””
My mother looked at me.
“The man who raised you was protecting you.””
A pause.
“But the man who claims to be your father…”
Her voice broke.
“He is the reason I had to disappear.””
I stared at Victor.
Everything inside me shattered.
My mother continued.
“Jaylen, I need you to run.””
The screen flickered.
Her face distorted.
Then one final sentence came through.
“The person standing beside you is not who you think he is.””
The screen went black.
And suddenly, the only sound in the room was my own heartbeat.
Because Victor Hayes was standing right next to me.
May you like
And for the first time…
I was afraid of my father.
