Our Lies

Chapter 2

It was late in the evening. Everyone in the office had left, and so was his personal secretary, Amaria. Gia took out the envelope he had kept in his right-hand drawer. The monthly report he requested from an agency he hired. Ten years. He had been receiving the same document every month for the past ten years. He unsealed the thick paper envelope and pulled out a brown folder. There were a few sheets of paper inside. He flipped through them, nodding his head lightly a few times as he read the content. When he was done, he walked to the coffee table in front of his desk, lighted up a small fire above the ashtray and burned the paper. Not yet. He muttered softly as he watched the fire burning all the paper until there was no more.

Gia was about to leave his office when his phone suddenly rang. One look at the caller ID, and he knew his grandfather was looking for him. He tapped on the screen to receive the call.

"Mr. Serogia." The familiar voice of Leo Dignita's private secretary came through.

"Good evening." Gia answered.

"Mr. Dignita wants to see you. Please come to the main house for dinner today." The secretary did not wait for Gia's reply and hung up.

Gia checked his watch. He had to leave now or he would be late. His grandfather always had his dinner around this hour. He gave the ashtray one last look. After making sure he had left nothing behind, he walked out and closed the door.

***

"Arranged marriage? But grandpa..." Gia could not hide his shock. He put down his cutlery.

Leo shot him a cold look. He gave a signal to everyone in the room to leave the two of them alone. He turned his gaze back to the meal and continued talking.

"You should think of starting your own family, Serogia. She is the daughter of Minister Lassham. I've arranged for the two of you to meet this weekend. Make yourself presentable."

"But..." Gia fell silent.

Leo raised his eyebrow. "Is there something?" His tone was intimidating. In fact, everything about Leo Dignita was intimidating.

Gia looked down. "I just don't think it's a good idea..."

"Serogia Dignita, just do whatever I ask you to," Leo took a sip of wine from his glass calmly.

Gia stood up abruptly. "Grandpa, if this is why you suddenly named me your heir..."

"Sit down, young man. We are having dinner." Leo only needed to stare into the other man's eyes to make him comply. Gia returned to his seat and waited for the older Dignita to continue.

"I'm sure you have heard everything you need to hear about this family," Leo began. "My late wife and I only had one child. I always thought she would be the one to inherit all these." His eyes traveled around the dining room before they stopped at the bejeweled chandelier above him. He furrowed his eyebrows and turned his attention back to the man sitting in front of him. "After my daughter went missing, I thought I have nobody to pass this family to," he paused. "And then, you arrived. Almost miraculously. The only thing my daughter left me."

Gia continued to listen to his grandfather silently.

"A pity you are the only choice I have." Leo smiled at himself.

Gia was used to Leo's way of speaking to him. An outsider.

Leo wiped his mouth with a napkin and was ready to leave his seat before he paused and turned to his grandson.

"Please don't embarrass me in front of Miss Lassham. Treat it as a way to thank me for the life I have provided for you in the last 18 years. Marry her and everything in this family will be yours." He shook his head and left the room.

Gia returned his gaze to his unfinished meal. Gently, he pushed the plate aside and sat there quietly, void of emotion.

"Why did you take me in back then...?"

It was a question Gia had been asking, but never in front of his grandfather.

He recalled the article Amaria had showed him. Everyone said Serogia Dignita was on his way to become the next most powerful person in the country – but deep down, Gia knew he was not and would never be.

18 years ago, a few days after the accident

"You don't remember your name?" The doctor asked. He was sitting beside a bed, talking a boy. The boy who still had a few visible wounds on his face did not answer. The doctor looked at the clipboard he carried on his hand.

"Serogia, or Gia as you have told the police before. That's your name. We found a notebook with your name in the car. Does that remind you of something?" The doctor tried again.

Gia kept his silence. He did not even turn his head to look at the speaker. He just sat there twisting his fingers.

The doctor turned to the man standing behind him and shook his head. "Let's give him more time, Sir."

Leo groaned. "Do whatever you can. I need him to talk."

The doctor nodded. He gathered his stuff and left the room, leaving Leo and Gia alone.

Leo walked toward the bed and stopped right beside it. His towering figure cast a dark shadow on the little boy.

"Gia Dignita, you said?" He asked, half laughing. "So you are my grandson?"

Gia had to turn his little head way up just to see Leo's face. The old man looked down, staring at him. Gia thought he looked tired, like someone who had not slept for days.

Leo's hand suddenly grabbed the boy's whole face and pushed him down to the bed. Gia flinched as the back of his head touched the pillow.

"Sleep," Leo had said but it came out like an order. Gia blinked his eyes.

"I'll need you to tell me everything when you recover." Leo added before he left the room.

But that day never came – because a few days after that, the doctor declared that Serogia had amnesia.