Twisting Faith

Chapter 12 - Eros

Eros

Juliet's revelation had hit me like a sucker punch, shattering the carefully constructed facade I had built around myself. The revelation that Stephan, her supposed fiance, was none other than my own brother, Lance, sent shock waves of betrayal coursing through my veins.

Anger, raw and unbridled, simmered just beneath the surface as I grappled with the weight of her words. How could Lance deceive me like this? And what of Juliet? Was she truly oblivious to the web of lies that had ensnared her, or was she playing a dangerous game of her own?

I paced the length of my office, the plush carpet around my sofa muffling the sound of my footsteps as I wrestled with my thoughts. If Juliet was telling the truth, then she was in grave danger, and by extension, so was I. But if she was lying...

The mere thought sent a shiver down my spine, a cold realization settling over me like a thick fog. If Juliet was working with Lance, then I was well and truly alone in this battle, with very little option available.

But as much as I wanted to dismiss Juliet's claims as falsehoods, a nagging voice in the back of my mind urged caution. There was something about the way she had looked at me, the vulnerability in her eyes, that tugged at my heartstrings in a way I couldn't ignore.

I shook my head, banishing the doubts from my mind as I forced myself to focus on the task at hand. I needed answers, and I needed them now. With a determined set to my jaw, I reached for my phone, my fingers flying over the screen as I dialed Lance's number.

The phone rang once, twice, before a voice answered on the other end. "Eros?" Lance's voice was tinged with surprise, but there was an undercurrent of tension that sent a chill down my spine.

"Lance," I replied, my voice tight with barely contained fury. "We need to talk. Now. I've run out of patience. I'm still at the penthouse. You have 15 minutes to get your ass over here before you have to make the two hour drive to my warehouse, consider " and I hang up the phone.

The seconds ticked by with agonizing slowness as I waited for Lance to arrive, each passing moment only amplifying the knot of tension coiled tightly in my chest. I paced the length of the penthouse, my steps echoing off the polished marble floors with a hollow, rhythmic cadence.

My mind raced with a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, each vying for dominance in the chaos of my mind. Anger simmered just beneath the surface, a seething inferno threatening to consume me whole. How dare Lance disrupt the fragile balance I had worked so hard to maintain? How dare he threaten the one thing that had managed to crack my armor? How dare he damage her first for so long all for a personal gain.

But beneath the anger lurked a deeper, more insidious fear—a fear born of uncertainty and doubt. What if Juliet was telling the truth? What if Lance truly had designs on her, using her as nothing more than a pawn in his twisted game? "The mere thought sent a shiver down my spine, cold tendrils of dread creeping insidiously through my veins. If that were somehow true, I could only imagine the torture she has endured."

I clenched my fists at my sides, the muscles in my jaw taut with tension as I struggled to rein in my emotions. I couldn't afford to let anger cloud my judgment, not now. I needed to confront Lance head-on, to demand answers and put an end to whatever machinations he had set into motion.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the sound of footsteps echoed through the silent penthouse, signaling Lance's arrival. I turned to face him, my gaze cold and unyielding as he stepped through the doorway, his expression unreadable.

"What the hell is this about, Eros?" Lance demanded, his voice laced with thinly veiled hostility. "You call me out of the blue and demand that I come running to your penthouse like some lapdog, because you have some girl that belongs to me. I called all my pimps, all my woman are accounted for. I have better things to do than indulge your petty games."