Chapter 123

• 'Oh mother, it's too late. I already know your true colors,' Dean thought. The conversation in the room continued. "We will hear him when he's here," David replied. The voice of another woman was heard by Dean. "Will Dera speak out? She knows everything." "Come on, Celine. Our daughter is relying on us to avenge her. She's not going to incriminate herself when we are the only ones who can take care of Frank," David said to his wife. "What if Frank gets to know the truth?" Celine asked again. "He's a dying man anyway, what can he do?" It was Celeste who answered this time and the whole place echoed with laughter. Dean felt sick, his stomach churning. He wanted to burst in and make inquiries but his legs were made of lead. "We have to move fast. I need to invest in the Lanka group since the share price keeps going down. I'm sure that when Frank finds out that I own the majority of the shares, he will die of a heart attack. I think that would be a mercy killing. better than death by agony," David said in a mocking manner. Dean could not listen any further. He stepped back, his mind reeling with emotions—anger, betrayal, confusion. He had always looked up to his mother, and to learn she was this evil was really disappointing. He said nothing and turned and departed the VIP room, without revealing himself. In his way, he bumped into his sister, Isabella Lanka, as she stepped out of the elevator. "Bro, where are you going?" Isabella asked, looking behind Dean to check if the others were following him. "Is the meeting over already? That was quick." "I have an emergency. Tell Mother I'll meet her later," Dean replied before stepping into the elevator, not even giving Isabella a look. He was now pretty sure that she was his mother's accomplice and that made him feel even worse. Isabella pouted as the elevator doors closed. Dean would not even look at her and he looked distraught. What was wrong? She pushed those thoughts aside a few seconds later and made her way to the VIP room. "Where's your brother?" Celeste asked the moment she saw Isabella come in without him. Isabella shrugged and replied, "He said he has an emergency and he will see you later." Celeste clenched her fists. She thought she had Dean under control but lately, he had been doing things contrary to their plans. "Will there be a problem?" David asked, having seen the change in Celeste's mood. Celeste composed herself and smiled, saying, "Not at all. I'll brief him later. Let's proceed."
• Meanwhile, Dean was sitting in his car, his fists tightening on the steering wheel as anger surged through him. His mother's words were echoing in his mind like a broken record. "It's your fault for letting Frank live." "You should have made sure he died when we got him kidnapped years ago." Dean still couldn't believe his ears. How could his own mother be involved in something so heinous? Was she greedy and desperate enough to be a killer? Dean's heart clenched in pain. He never considered his mother to be the culprit of it all. And here he was, taking a page from her book to take everything from Frank. In what way was he different from her?
• Dean sighed. He was about to start his car and go when his phone rang. Dean's heart skipped a beat as he noticed that the caller was Frank. He frowned and answered, saying, "Hello?" "Hello, Dean," Frank said on the phone. "Can we meet? There is something we need to talk about and it's important."