321 Turn yourself in(2)
Slumping onto the couch next to Zaria, she broke down. “He overheard my phone call with Nathaniel. At least that’s what he said. I’m starting to think he didn’t really hear much and by telling him everything, I gave him all the information he could use. I trusted him, Zaria. I nearly got everyone killed because I was stupid enough to trust him.”
“Hey, it’s alright.” Zaria hugged her. “You didn’t trust him on your own. You only thought he was a good man because I trusted him with my entire life.”
And she had to give it to Norman. He had that kind smile that lured everyone to think he was an angel. For years, she thought he would make a loving father if she didn’t have one already. Of course, he also knew she was his niece for a long time and didn’t reveal it. That should have been the first red flag. Only, she didn’t see it until now when it was too late.
“To be honest, I would be able to take it if anyone else betrayed us. But Norm…we are his family. How could he do that?”
“Desmond’s brother tried to kill him. Just saying.” Ximena remarked, finally getting out of her shock. “Blood means nothing.”
“I know that now.” She blinked her tears away before they could fall. She was not going to cry over a man who feigned friendship only to stab people in the back. But damn hell, it hurt.
“What do we do next?” Natalie asked then immediately thought of something. “I say I lure Norman into Aunt Lucy’s plan. There’s a reason why she didn’t let us know what she was thinking. Maybe she thought the backstabber is one of us and wanted them to fall into the trap.” She wouldn’t be surprised if she was the culprit in Lucy’s eyes. Now that she thought about it, during their meeting the day before, all Lucy had talked about was Dawn.
“I don’t know…you haven’t known him for long. It would be more convincing if I went to him.” Zaria suggested.
Natalie thought about it and nodded. She wasn’t one to talk about her feelings with people she wasn’t quite close to. Once might have been believable since she was overwhelmed and all, but Zaria was right. The second time might be suspicious.
.....
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That evening, Zaria went to find Norman when she knew he was about to close. Seeing him again, she was surprised at the extent this man would go to seek revenge. She guessed it was because of Lucy’s retaliation against Ava but it still didn’t make much sense. How was he able to hide his intentions so perfectly that they went unnoticed?
What was more surprising was his expression when he saw her. He looked excited to see her and worried when he got close enough to see the tears on her face.
“Zaria? What happened to you?” Concern was written all over his face as he pulled a chair and sat opposite her.
“What happened to you? Did Desmond do something stupid? Because if he did, I’ll kick his butt so hard he will cry for his mommy.”
She would have smiled before but now, she was just shocked. How well could someone hold an act?
She sniffled. “It’s not Desmond. It’s a man but…”
“A man?” He frowned at her in disapproval.
“Yes. My brother.”
“Oh.” He looked relieved. Whether he was actually relieved or feigning it, she had no damn clue.
She took a deep breath. “Where do I start?”
“From the beginning?” He offered. “We are closed. I have nothing but time.”
“Okay.” She ignored his reassuring words that would have been meaningful a day ago but now sounded creepy. It was a good thing that she wasn’t on her own. If Norman tried anything, Desmond would barge in—not that they thought he needed to be nearby. Norman wouldn’t try to hurt her as long as he thought no one knew what he did.
“Well?” He prompted.
“It’s just…you know about what Nathaniel did to my family, right? How he made a living hell out of dad’s life and sent mom away with threats of hurting me, ruined their marriage and all?”
“Yes.” He nodded.
She had to stop herself from frowning. He didn’t know any of that. Lucy had told no one but her and Theodore the exact reason why she left. It was easy to assume they didn’t think the drama was worth it anymore. Besides, Norman hated social media and called it a waste of time so there was no way he heard Lucy’s confession and saw netizens’ speculations.
Still, he was pretending to know everything so she would open up. She finally realized why Natalie told him everything.
And when it came to things they both knew he was aware of, he acted shocked out of his wits.
“You did what? Zaria, you could have gotten yourself killed! Why didn’t you involve the police?”
“The police only work if the person at hand is your everyday criminal. Men like Nathaniel have the police in their pockets. You couldn’t lock them in for more than a day even if a police officer was on the crime scene and witnessed it themselves.”
“Okay, but that was still dangerous. Anything is possible. Ciara could have turned on you.”
She held back her gasp. “Actually, she did. She caused a chaotic massacre. I’m glad she died for it but Liam was almost killed. If Natalie didn’t see her in time, he would be shot right through the heart. Ximena is still traumatized from seeing her boyfriend out cold. Nathaniel nearly killed me and probably would have if Des didn’t come on time and…”
“Natalie,” he was stuck on her name. “Forgive me but seeing someone just as they take their gun out is horribly convenient. How can you be certain that this is not misdirection?”
That was exactly the reaction she had hoped for, for Norman to accuse someone else to cover himself up. To think he would accuse his own niece.
“Natalie would never hurt me.” She sucked in a breath. “My brother, on the other hand…”
“Zeus? What did he do?” He looked anxious.
“He left the bridal chamber to let Nathaniel get to me. To think we didn’t discover it sooner. I don’t even know how to confront him. He’s my brother, you know. I didn’t think he would ever betray me.” She wiped away her tears, but they had nothing to do with Zeus. She didn’t think Norman would ever betray or hurt her yet here he was.
“I always had a bad feeling about Zeus.” He huffed and stood up. “Do you want anything to drink? Decaf?”
“I would like to go to bed soon so no drinks. A muffin will be fine.” She reluctantly asked for one. If she rejected his food after years of accepting it every time, he would be suspicious.
But as soon as she was far enough, she ditched it in the bin. Who knew what he could have prinkled on the muffin.
Desmond finally caught up with her when they were far enough for Norman to not see them. “What did he say?”
“He speculated Ciara might turn against me.”
His eyes darkened. “Except, you didn’t tell him her name was Caira?”
She nodded, planting herself against his chest in exhaustion. “And when I said I was glad Ciara died, you should have seen his expression, He nearly went ballistic. I think Liam was right when he guessed Ciara could be my cousin. She was. She was Norman’s daughter.”
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AN
I promise, there will be no more surprises. Not in this arc, anyway. Norman is the culprit. Who got it right?
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