British Exchange Agent

Chapter 40

Kayla's P.O.V.

A door was being opened. The light desperately clambered into the room, scolding my eyes. I forced myself to keep them open, my curiosity overwhelming.

A black, polished shoe stepped into the room, followed by a leg. Another. A suited man.

Wait.

"Dereck?" I whispered aloud, my voice croaky and strained. His eyes flashed with excitement.

"Hello, Kayla." His voice purred, ominously threading its way into my mind like silk. "I've been waiting to meet you for some time now."

I swallowed, my dry throat screaming in protest.

"Have you now?" My voice was meant to be intimidating. Strong. It came out weak and raspy. I winced.

Dereck let out a chuckle, holding none of the humour Cyrus's voice possessed. This man's laugh was sinister. Chilling.

"Yes, I have indeed. I'm sure you've been dying to meet me too, hmm?" He let out another laugh, an unsettling glint shining in his eyes. "Maybe not under these circumstances, though."

I stayed silent, trying to ignore the pounding in my head as I drank in his words. What did he want? Why was I here?

"I don't do small talk, Kayla, so let's get straight to it."

He snapped his fingers, and suddenly his dark features were illuminated by stark, white lights on the ceiling. They crashed on one by one, nearly blinding me. I cowered away from them, squeezing my eyes shut for a second.

"For flip sake." I hissed, teeth ground together. I heard a bark of laughter and forced myself to meet his eyes once more. We were in a bright white room, clinically barren. There were no windows, only a trail of holes along the walls which I could only assume were the blasted air conditioning.

A screeching, scraping sound caught my attention, and my eyes snapped back to Dereck. He was dragging a wooden chair along the floor, until it stopped opposite me. He sat down slowly, being careful not to crease his suit.

I rolled my aching eyes.

"Get on with it then." I croaked. His eyes flashed, before they simmered down slightly. He cleared his throat.

"Kayla, Cyrus is not biologically my son."

I blinked. Once. Twice.

"What?" I whispered to myself, the breath being knocked out of my body.

"His mother had him with another man - who I killed, naturally." He shrugged, screwing up his face in disgust at the former. "I adopted Cyrus and legally became his father when he was two years old. She wasn't 'coping'." Dereck raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes void of emotion.

My head span, pounding harder as I struggled to digest all the information which was colliding with me like a truck.

"Why did you adopt him?" I asked cautiously, my raspy voice curious. His eyebrow fell down.

"It will be no secret to you that I have a successful business." Dereck stated, slightly arrogantly in my opinion. "I needed someone to take over my position one day. Someone who will continue my legacy."

I snorted, and his eyes sharpened, his face turning sour.

"I ensured Cyrus would have the best future - I sent him to the best trainers in the world." Dereck continued in a tight voice, fire flickering in his eyes. Bitter resentment. "I'm not one for displaying emotion but I took care of him adequately. Gave him a place to stay."