Whispers Of Chaos

| 31. 𝑫𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑫𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔

He hoped he was holding her right
In that moment, he realized
Dads and daughters, they go together
~ Dads and Daughter, MaRynn Taylor

[ not me getting emotional while listening to this song, also can we boost the comments?! ]

Chapter 31. Dads and Daughters

[somewhere unknown]

The midnight sky hung above like a black shroud, the stars obscured by a thick layer of smog. The alleyway, demented and twisted like a snake, was silent except for the haunting chirping of crickets.

Suddenly, a man appeared from the darkness, his form covered in a thick layer of blood, his face twisted in a feral snarl. He clutched a gun in one hand, its metal glinting ominously in the dim light.

A jagged scar traced across his face, a testament to the violence he had inflicted upon others. Tonight, he had killed again, and his bloodlust was far from sated. He had silenced the pitiful cries of his victims with cold efficiency, not a shred of mercy in his heart.

As he walked, the sound of his boots echoed in the stillness of the alleyway, a macabre symphony to his heinous deeds. He looked around him, taking in the scene of his carnage. Blood and gore splattered the walls, and the stench of death hung heavily in the air.

The man's eyes glinted with a mad gleam, reveling in the chaos he had wrought.

He scoffed at the memory of his victim's pleas for mercy. What right did they have to ask for something they had never given?

Liam walked down the alleyway- his lips stretched wide in a maniacal grin that revealed his bloodstained teeth. He rolled his tongue, humming a tune- it reverberated through his body, sending chills to other people.

His senses heightened as he felt invincible, like a god among men.

Suddenly, he spotted a beggar lying in the alleyway. The man jolted at the sound of Liam's tune, his eyes widening in fear as he turned to face the bloodied man. Liam paid him no attention, continuing his eerie humming as he strode past.

The beggar tried to hide behind a garbage bin, his body quaking with fear. Liam's presence was like that of a haunting ghost, striking fear into the hearts of those who crossed his path.

But then, Liam's hand went to his pocket, and he withdrew a wad of hundred-dollar bills, each stained with the blood of his enemies. He tossed them carelessly onto the ground, the money landing with a sickening squelch.

The beggar's eyes widened in disbelief as he scrambled to gather the money. "T-Thank y-you," he managed to stammer, his voice hoarse with fear.

Liam's smile did not falter as he disappeared into the night, his humming tune echoing through the alleyway long after he was gone. The beggar was left alone with the tainted money, a reminder of the darkness that lurked just beyond the city's edge.

"Five families. I am coming for you next."

----

Theodore Mariano.

Behind the polished desk, he was a commanding figure, a formidable chairman who had propelled his business empire to new heights. Yet, beneath the veneer of corporate mastery, there lurked an inner turmoil, a facet of his life that had become increasingly distant-his family.

The photographs on his desk told a story of a man torn between two worlds. A devoted leader and a passionate lover but a father haunted by the specter of loss.

The trauma of losing his daughter had erected emotional walls around him, barriers that kept even those closest to him at arm's length.

His affection for Liliana was carefully orchestrated for the public-a deliberate choice to shield her from potential threats. The fear of losing another family member had transformed him into a guarded sentinel, a man who had convinced himself that detachment was the only armor against the relentless onslaught of fate.

The weight of his decisions, the burden of a father's guilt, pressed upon him like a leaden cloak. The photographs on the desk seemed to stare accusingly at him, silent witnesses to the emotional chasm that had grown between him and his family.

The door burst open as Richard shot up from his chair-startled. "What is this behavior," the Clemonte hissed.

Theodore's steps were heavy-anger surged in him like a typhoon, reckless and destructive. He approached Richard with an intensity that matched the storm raging within. Both fists slammed onto the table.

Selena's words still rang in his ears.

"You are not my family and never will be."

"I hate you," she screamed, the words dripping with venom. "I hate you for not protecting me."

"Where were you?" Her cry echoed.

"Where were you when I got starved, crying for a piece of bread and water?"

"Where were you when they cut my skin, and I bled till I fainted?"

His eyes burned as he glared at Richard. His chest heaved up and down.

"Stay the fuck away from my daughter."

Theodore's words cut through the stillness, the vulgarity a stark departure from the eloquence that usually defined his speech. Richard's eyes widened, caught off guard by the choice of language.

The man before him, the epitome of a gentleman who never spoke crude words, had unleashed an unexpected torrent of anger.

Theodore leaned in, his tall figure casting a looming shadow over the table. Cold green eyes, usually sharp but distant, bore into Richard.

Richard Clemonte-for the first time, saw a side of Theodore that had remained hidden beneath the polished veneer-a man Richard fiercely protective, yet coldly distant.

"The marriage is off."

"You are bound by the contract. Under five families," Richard sneered.

"To hell with the five families," Theodore sneered, a hint of disgust coloring his tone. "I no longer care if it's five families or four."

"This is utterly-"

"SHUT UP!" Theodore's yell sliced through the room, a thunderous command that silenced any further protest.

"I am civil till now because I wanted my daughter to see the best of me, but to protect her, I could bring out the worst of me."

Richard's face turned grim, a mix of disbelief and realization. It was not how he had expected things to unravel. Theodore Mariano, the man known for his unwavering principles, was now breaking the very contract that bound them together.

"Don't mess with my daughter or my family, Richard," Theodore continued the ferocity in his voice giving way to a chilling calm. "You don't want your son to disappear while you are asleep, right?"

The threat, delivered with a calculated precision, hung in the air. Richard's eyes widened, the gravity of the situation sinking in. What had started as a negotiation had escalated into a confrontation

"You may be part of the five families, but let me make one thing clear," Theodore paused, his gaze penetrating. "I will dismantle everything, burn it to the ground if it means protecting my family. This empire, these alliances, they mean nothing when compared to my daughter."

"Liliana won't have the five families' protection anymore."

"I can protect my wife on my own," Theodore retorted, his voice unyielding. "All these years, I thought the contract protected my woman and my children. But it ruined everything we held dear."

"Bring on a fight, Clemonte, and I will start a war if you lay a mere finger on my child."

Richard, incensed by the audacity of Theodore's threats, couldn't contain his anger. "You will regret this, Mariano."

"So will you," Theodore shot back, his tone cutting through the air like a blade. "Don't bring back the man I became to marry my wife."

"Don't bring out the man I buried two decades ago," Theodore seethed, his words laced with a history neither of them could escape.

"When the Marianos were not called the mining moguls but the mining mafia with nothing but bloodshed."

Word count: 1264
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