Our Lies

Chapter 28

"This has come from the agency, Sir." Amaria said as she delivered a folder to Gia.

Gia took it with a serious expression on his face.

"It has been a while. I thought you have stopped using their service." Amaria did not know what it was all about. She knew the sealed documents came from a private investigator office – Gia told her that much but nothing about the content of his inquiries. She guessed they had something to do with his forgotten past and missing parents.

"Can you clear my schedule for today?" Gia asked.

Amaria nodded and left the room without asking further.

After he was left alone, Gia unsealed the folder he just received and pulled out an investigation report. He scanned the first page.

Just as he thought. Elega Laggiri. The familiar name was printed on top in bold. Gia's hands were shaking as he read the full report.

Elega Laggiri. Man. 68 years old. Registered as a resident of Tilrara without a fixed address. Married with a son but nobody had seen his wife nor his son for years. Just arrived at the capital recently and currently living on the streets in Santerra. Heavy drinker. Have numerous criminal records in the past for stealing, physical assault, including the recent one, an attempt to harass celebrity Agnes Lassham.

There were pictures of the said man sleeping on a park bench in broad daylight, of him scaring passers-by away with jagged glass, to fighting with his fellow homeless people for who knew what. There was also his mugshot from the police station. The large scar on his cheek was there as he remembered. It really was him.

Gia tore the paper to pieces and burned them all in anger. His father. The man written in the report was his biological father. He tried to recall what Agnes told him the other day. He knew his son was alive and had come to look for him.

What should he do...? Gia leaned back and closed his eyes. His thought went back to the times when he was younger, constantly being beaten by his father for no reason. Finding no definite answer, he got up and walked to the cabinet to pour himself a drink. He needed to calm down.

The room was so quiet that a knock on the door startled him.

"Amaria...?" Gia stopped as he saw the figure who just walked in. "Agata? What are you doing here?" He got up from his seat. "How did you get in?"

"Your secretary let me in."

"Amaria did? But..." How did his secretary know about Agata? Never mind that now, he walked closer and noticed the suspecting look in her eyes. "Let's sit..." He showed her the sofa but Agata did not move from where she was standing. "Agata? What happened?"

"Have you been lying to me all this time?" Agata looked up and glared at Gia.

"What..."

She moved closer and narrowed the space between them.

"I asked if you have been lying to me from the beginning??!!" Agata grabbed the lapels of his suit angrily.

Gia tried to look unmoved by her sudden outburst. He removed her hands from his body and calmly spoke. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Agata pushed him. "You know about me, don't you?! You remember who I am! Why are you lying to me?!"

Gia rubbed his forehead. He needed some time to think how to handle this. How much did she know? "I am sure this is all just misunderstanding. Look, I am a little busy now, can we talk..."

She pushed him down to the sofa and held him by the shoulders. "I am not leaving until you tell me everything!"

He wanted to push her away but her red watery eyes stopped him. "Let go, Agata."