19 Dominic's trump card
I wasn't paranoid when I felt someone was in the walk-in closet yesterday. Damon was there. He was there to take my backpack.
Without my permission!
How dare he!
"Damon, can you please show us what is that you are holding?" Dominic asked him.
Damon didn't move a single muscle at Dominic's command. He was just looking at me with.. an eager face? That made me frown. Moreover, Dominic's unnecessary politeness was making me irritate. And what was there in my backpack that he was making a scene? I don't remember having anything that could help them in any way..
"After I caught Nancy, I found out that Grace had a present for Damon. And I asked him to get it himself. Because I know he would love it so much." Dominic explained when he saw his younger brother was too occupied in his thoughts to pay heed to his command.
Present? I have a present for Damon?
Was he on weed?
What is going on here? I looked at Damon from the floor I was sitting on. He was still looking at me. His expressions changed into guilt. He was looking at me like he was in some unbearable pain and wanted me to cure him.
"What.. what is there in my backpack?" I asked Dylan with a frown to clear my confusion.
"You will see, doll." He said while giving me a small peck on my forehead.
Doll.. doll.. Wait, he called by doll.. And he was calling me that since morning and I was stupid enough to not notice this.
FLASHBACK
"And you, Dylan." Dominic turned toward Dylan and pointed a finger at him. "No calling her doll till I say, got it?"
FLASHBACK ENDS
What did I miss?
"Damon, explain what that is." Dominic ordered.
At Dominic's voice I looked at the thing that Damon was holding. My eyes were blurry due to all the crying. I had to squint my eyes to see clearly.
That's.. my birth name tag..?
"It's a name tag." Damon started to talk. "But not some ordinary name tag." He paused to look at me
I looked at him in pure confusion.
Not some ordinary name tag?
"It's the name tag where my sister's name is written and it was written by.." He again stopped to take a glance at me. "Me... It's my handwriting. I wrote 'Grace' with my unsteady handwriting with so much proudness that I was the lucky brother to name our princess." He said looking at me with teary eyes.
"No! You are lying! It's not your handwriting!" I shouted.
"It's my handwriting.. Grace." He said my name slowly as if tasting it in his mouth.
It's the first time he called me by my name.
I was glaring at him angrily while he was looking at me sadly. Suddenly, all the bad things he said to me started ringing in my head.
"Now, that doesn't prove anything, right? But still I would like to know what that is, Nancy?" Dominic broke our staring contest and said while turning toward Nay Nay.
"That.. that was with her from the time I stole her from the hospital. Her brother named her Grace and I continued calling her Grace. That was with me all the time till.. till I left her on the street, I sent it with her." She said looking at me. She was looking guilty, defeated, sad and what not.
She is lying.. I know it.
"You are lying! I know it. Do they threaten you? I know they are threatening you. They were hell bent on proving that I was their sister from the start." I yelled at her while crying badly.
"You are our sister!" Damon exclaimed.
"I am not!" I hissed instantly.
All the family members were standing there and watching the drama unfold. It seems they trust Dominic's decisions a lot to interrupt him.
It's getting really unbearable. They are getting on my last nerve. I will burst anytime now. I am telling you.
"Where are you going with that, Dominic?" One of these cousins asked. Finally.
"Let's see. Though it isn't anything we don't know. But still, Nancy tell us, do you know her?" Dominic asked Nay Nay.
"Cut the crap! Will you?" I yelled at him.
All the people totally ignored me and glared at Nay Nay. She looked at me for a moment before answering.
"Yes, I know her." She said slowly.
"How do you know her?" Brother Dominic asked again.
She closed her eyes and took deep breaths. When she opened her eyes, she looked directly at me in the eyes.
"About 15 years ago, I.. I stole her.." she pointed at me. "The day she was born, I stole her from the hospital. I raised her till she was five but when I heard that they got to know that she was alive and was with me, then I left her on the street on her fifth birthday and asked one of my friends to take her to an orphanage. I left her with a backpack that consists of the name tag, a letter her mother wrote and a photo of mine." She said clearly, not stuttering even for once. It proves that she wasn't lying.
Who found out about me being alive?
And..
The letter was from my.. mother..
I looked at her emotionlessly. My tears stopped a long time ago. I wasn't crying anymore.
"Damon, did you find everything she mentioned?" Dominic asked.
"Yes." Damon replied showing all the things.
If only I knew, I wouldn't have carried all those things for 10 years.
"Dominic, that still doe-.." One of the uncle tired to say something.
But Dominic didn't let him complete his sentence.
"That still doesn't prove anything, right? I know. But I hope this will clear everything for everyone." Saying that he pulled something out of his pocket.
"Dominic's trump card." Grey and Dylan said at the same time with a smirk.
They knew.. they were aware of everything and what was his trump card that they were so confident about?
"What's that, Dominic?" The grandfather asked.
Dominic looked at me shortly before answering.
"DNA test report." He stated loudly and clearly for everyone to hear.
Wait, what?
"What.. What did you just say? What that thing is?" I asked in disbelief.
How dare he!
"DNA test report, princess." He said again in a confident tone, looking straight into my eyes.
And at that moment, I burst.
"HOW DARE YOU MR DOMINIC! How dare you do that without my permission? I don't believe that report or any of the bullshit you are saying! You hear me?!" I yelled furiously.
I was going to get up but Grey and Dylan were preventing me from lunging toward him.
"When did you do that?!" I asked him angrily.
"Don't you remember anything unusual happening recently, Grace? Anything that wasn't something you pictured about me on your head." He asked me with a smirk.
I looked at him, confused. I tried to remember anything unusual that happened around him. Then I understood.
FLASHBACK
"Grace, I am going to the office. Come and give your Dominic brother a hug."
We three looked at Dominic weirdly. What has gotten into him!
"I am waiting, Grace." He said impatiently. I was unable to read his face. So, I quickly nodded and got up from my seat to give him a hug.
I slowly wrapped my hands around his waist. He is around 6 feet and 3 inch. I feel tiny while hugging him. He kept his hands on my head. I felt a little pinch on my head. Before I could react, I heard someone's camera go off.
FLASHBACK ENDS
I thought he was hugging me. But he pretended to hug me to pluck my hair for the DNA test!
Realization hit me like a truck. When all this time I was happy finding it cute, but it meant nothing to him. He hugged me for his own benefit.
How sick!
I looked at him with hatred. He moved his eyes away from me, unable to see hatred for him in my eyes. But that is what you all will get from now on..
"What does it say?" The grandfather asked with eagerness.
No.. no.. don't say that it's posi-..
"It's positive." He said looking at me.
And at that moment, my heartbeat started to go crazy. All eyes were on me even the guards were looking at me.... Happiness?
"Give it to me." Saying that uncle Steven snatched that from him.
He read it again and again. Then he looked at me with tears in his eyes. Everyone who read the report, looked at me with the same expressions.
I was blank. My heartbeat increased. My breathing started to get uneven. My head was spinning and buzzing with noise. I couldn't concentrate on the world anymore and I lost my consciousness. Before the darkness completely engulfed me I heard a lot of voices shout.
"PRINCESS!"
