Chapter 16 - One Man's Sanctuary

A question to my fellow readers.

Do you want me to stop the Reality Checks?

If you want me to just comment on it and I will stop doing it.

Oh. Also the nane of the chapter is like this because it's a two part.

I would appreciate it if you guys could spare one minute of your time to write a review for the story, helping it reach more people.

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Now the second thing that happened to me.

I became Homeless.

I was out for food.

I was begging for a warm place in the lonely night.

Your thinking something similar to this right.

Wrong! I was having fun. Going to the Circus and to the night club but they didn't let me in for I was still under aged (But that didn't stop him from gawking through the window), going to different fancy restaurants and eating I don't know what... most of the things were unpronounceable and a quite pricey for so little.

Okay, Now what happened back than was that Leopold found a way to finally kick me out. Now I know why in these few months he hasn't been harassing me. He was finding ways to kick me out legally. First he tried to find any kind of dirt that could be used to blackmail me. He bribed the Butlers, Maids and other household staffs but they wouldn't give him anything as they were already under my pay.

So he tried to find any faults that could put me in trouble. Like telling the family members with some social powers of my pathetic potentials, making false accusations behind me back, telling that I do indecent things with the household staff members (even though Leopold's the one that generally does it).

But that did not bulge my father or maybe he didn't care enough about me to listen to him.

But what finally did the trick was that thing. Hmm, that one.

I remember it like it was yesterday (Because it happened yesterday).

[Flashback]

The time was 10'o clock in the morning, the skies were cloudy without any rays of sunlight.

I was in my room practicing the breathing technique and I was close to a breakthrough. I was sure in some time I would be able to completely master the dual breathing skill.

A knocking sound came through the door. I opened my eyes and said "Yes?"

Emily came in with a frowning face as she said "Young Master, the Master wants to talk to you?"

"Jack wants to talk to me" Jack was the family head of this branch house. He wasn't rude to me but he also doesn't talk to me. But he doesn't do anything to trouble me, He just does his thing and lets me do my thing. So overall he's a good guy, well... good-ish.

Emily shook her head "No, the Main house master want to speak with you" I look back surprised "My father's here!" Emily nodded her head. "Yes he's waiting for you in the meeting room"

The words only made it much stranger for me because in all these years he never came to see me and only saw me from afar and just nodded his head. But today he want's to talk to me and not only that but also in the meeting room.

The meeting room is the place where family members go to have conversations about decisions regarding the family and business etc. and me being a bastard am not allowed to be anywhere close to the family meeting room. So you can see why I would be surprised and the look of Emily's face also did not hinder the strange thing I was feeling in my gut.

I walk until I see a large door approximately 8 Feet Tall. The door was made from old designer wood with red color and a banner was painted with the symbolic ensnaring wolf of the Halbert House with the background in black and the wolf in yellow.

I open the door with considerable strength and look inside. Inside normally the meeting room was in a circular fashioned room with large glass windows in the back and the round like table in the center and a chandelier lighting up the place. But today there was no round table nor was there any light coming from the chandelier. The whole place was dark and the only light was coming from behind me through the hallway and the occasional lighting flashes from the clouds behind the glass windows.

There was one throne like chair in the back of the room with someone sitting on it and two persons were there on the sides of the chair.

I slowly walked in and stopped after 6 six steps when I could at least see the faces of the three individuals.

The one sitting on the throne like chair was my father. He had a scowl on his face and you could clearly feel the anger radiating from him. On his left side was Leopold with a smirk face like he had finally won the war. On his right side was my sister Diana who didn't have her smile and excited eyes whenever she was around but today her eyes were dark and there was a absurd curiosity in them.

Looking at her face shocked me as this was not the person who was always cheerful around me or who always helped me with anything that I ever needed.

I knew immediately that something was wrong, so I asked with a low voice "It's good to see you father, ah did you call me?"

Ervin with clear disdain in his tone asked me slowly "Tell me, William... have I not fed you?"

I became confused "Ahh, Yes you do"

"Didn't I give you clothes and a place to stay?"

"Yes, you did"

"Haven't I given you my house name?"

"Ye-Yes you have father but why are you asking me this?"

"Then tell me why have you defiled MY family name?"

"I-I don't understand what your talking about?"

Leopold said in a accusing tone "Hah he doesn't understand what he did, what insurmountable amount of shame he brought us"

"What do you mean, brother"

"Look at him lying so well, it's like seeing a professional actor on stage. Father can we show it now?" Leopold looked at his father and asked with adoration.

Ervin swiped his left hand as Leopold took that as the signal to get a leather bag out from his pants pocket and throw it at him.

The leather bag fell on his right leg and as it opened up a few gold coins fell from it. Looking at it my mind went on a frenzy as I stuttered "I-I-I don't know them, they aren't min-"

Ervin's voice boomed as he said "SILENCE, no more lies"

I begin to think about who could have told them. Leopold certainly didn't figure that out all by himself and I didn't even tell anyone except Emily. But could it truly be Emily? No... She's too loyal to betray me... then who could it be?

After a minute later I finally calmed down, my eyes looking serious as I said "Alright It is mine"

Hearing my words Leopold almost couldn't stop the laughter he was holding in. My father only had a deep look about him and Diana finally cracked and her eyes were full of disdain for me as if I was beneath her.

"But before anything else, can you at least tell who was it that told you"

"It was me who figured out your schem-" Leopold started to say but was interrupted by me "Not you, I want to know who was it that really told you.

Leopold angry at being interrupted was about to spew out some curses but Ervin said "Alright... you at least have THAT right to know." He lifted his right hand and waved "You can come out, now"

From behind Ervin's right side under the window curtains a woman slowly walked out.

Because of the darkness and how far she was I couldn't really see her face. Then a flash of lighting appeared and her face was momentarily shown.

But in that moment I was able to see her face and recognize her.

My face changed from confused to shock to unimaginable pain.

The person that betrayed me.

The only person I truly trusted.

It was my Mother.