Excuse me ? What. The. Actual. Fuck.

"What did you just say ?" I asked, wanting to know if my ears deceived me.

"You're my daughter." Elijah said with a smile, as if he was proud of it.

"Huh ?" Was all I could say.

This man had to be lying to me. Or maybe not. Anyway, I should at least hear him out.

Seeing that I wasn't going to speak anytime soon, he pulled the chair that was opposite me; on the other side of the table and sat on it.

Clasping his hands together in front him, he rested them on the table. "You're probably very confused, so I'll explain it to you." He started.

"You're my biological daughter. Your real mother's name is Camilla Perez." Elijah states. "She was the most beautiful person I have ever met; from the inside and the outside."

"Was ?" I question.

"She passed away in the hospital after someone shot her, just after she gave birth to you." He sighed.

"Since I knew that I wouldn't be able to take care of you, I gave you up for adoption to two of the most trusted people associated with the American mafia."

"Andrew and Anastasia." I completed his sentence.

He hummed in response. "They were married to each other but unfortunately, Anastasia couldn't have a child. So, when I asked them, they were more than happy to take you in.

A few years ago, I heard that they had passed away and I'm so sorry for your loss. That's when I knew that I wanted to find you.

I wanted to meet my only daughter. But I could not find you anywhere." He said, resting on the chair.

"I know that they taught you well because you are very difficult to track down. I knew that you were in New Orleans. I just didn't know where." He added.

"Camilla had always wanted me to be strong, no matter what. But I failed her, my own wife. I didn't keep my promise and I'm sorry for that Azalea." Elijah apologized.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't the father that your mother wanted me to be, I'm sorry that it wasn't me who wished you every birthday and every Christmas." He said, his voice cracking in between.

For some reason, I can't help but feel that he is telling the truth. I can see it in his eyes. All the pain and suffering that he has gone through.

I know that he isn't supposed to be trusted; but my mind wont let me think otherwise.

"What about Nikolai ? Is he my brother ? Is he your son ?" I asked, thinking about my lost lost brother.

"You mean Zane ? He is mine and Camilla's son too. Biologically, he's your real brother. On papers, he is Dmitri's. I have met him and have been in his life ever since he was born but he thinks that I am just his father's friend." He said, composing himself.

"Where is Zane ?" I asked, feeling weird saying his actual name and not Nikolai.

"He's gone MIA. Ever since we started planning for this day, he's been distant and a few days back, he just left.

We haven't been able to find him. My guess is that he heard our conversation and maybe now he is searching for you."

Elijah then continued to explain further. "Anyway, when I lost Camilla, all I could think about was revenge. Revenge to kill the person that ended my wife's life.

I was so blinded by it, that I realized that I couldn't take care of Zane, as in, Nikolai."

"At the time, Dmitri and I were good allies and friends. I gave him up for adoption when he was just a year old and Dmitri accepted it.

He changed his name to Nikolai but never changed his ethnicity to Russian; something that I had asked for."

"A few months back when I had visited Dmitri, especially to see Zane, I saw him making plans to kill your friend, Dante.

At first I didn't really care about what he was doing but then later I saw pictures of you both together and I instantly knew you were my daughter. Like I said, you look exactly like Camilla."

"From then on, we started trailing you both. My motive was to meet you and Dmitri's was to kill Dante for revenge. All the threats that were sent were just to spook Dante; not you.

From the pictures that were left at his doorstep, to the note left in your office. That last line just was another way of saying 'have a nice day.' to you."

"Back when Dante's parents were alive, they tortured and killed Dmitri's parents for a chip or something. So he just wanted revenge."

"Wasn't killing them enough revenge ?" I asked.

"That's where you're wrong. He never killed them." Elijah paused. "I did."

That's when I realized. When Dmitri said, 'When I am done with you, you will burn and die. You will become a black rose, just like your mother' back when he attacked at the house that day, he meant that Elijah killed them; not himself.

"You're the one that created that fire. You killed Dante's parents." I said, narrowing my eyes.

"Did Rose ever work for you ?" I asked.

"Yes, she did. I expected her to be the one who killed Camilla but I was wrong. Now I know who it is." He sighed.

I furrowed my eyebrows, confused. "Who ?"

"Dmitri." He said, his face expressionless.

"Back when Dmitri's parents were alive, he had already started to plot his revenge on their son.

He had always wanted a chip that Dante's parents had. It contained the names of the most deadliest assassins on earth. That's what he didn't get.

He always thought that taking something away from someone would make them vulnerable. He thought that I would give up on everything and hand it over to him."

At this point. I didn't know what to feel anymore. My parents weren't my real parents, my actual father is the Don of the American mafia, basically the one who killed Dante's parents.

The life that I knew a few months ago changed. This wasn't even my own life anymore. I wasn't even in control of it.

Right now, all I wanted was to be in Dante's arms. Him hugging me and telling me that everything was going to be fine.

Tell me that all of this was just some twisted dream. And he'd never slip away from my arms.

Speaking of him....where is he ?

Just then I heard the sound of someone yelling and shouting continuously, like they were in pain. Without a second thought, I asked, "Where's Dante ?"

Elijah looked a little hesitant to tell me. "Where is he ?" I asked again, but a little slowly now, accentuating my words.

"We managed to get to him, too." He answered back.

Oh, hell no !

"Uncuff me." I said, looking straight into his eyes.

"Heh ?" He asked. "Did I just hear correctly ? You want me to uncuff you, really ?"

I looked at him blankly.

"You want me to uncuff a crazy woman who was just told that her friend is being held and tortured ? Yeah, No." Elijah said.

"I promise won't hurt you." I said without thinking.

He raised his eyebrows, taken aback. "You promise that you wont hurt someone who has caused nothing but fear in you for the last few weeks.

Someone who gave you up because they were scared. And finally someone who killed your boyfriend's parents ?" he listed, one after the other.

"Yes." I stated. Although I did feel anger and maybe just a tiny bit of hatred towards him, I would have to deal with it later.

Right now, I need to save Dante."I will forever be thankfull to you. If you want to show how sorry you really are, help me."

"Alright." He said, taking out a small set of keys from his pocket. I smiled in victory.

"Don't hurt me, little one. I'm trusting you." Elijah said, taking off my handcuffs. I rubbed my now bruised wrists.

"Knife." I said, holding out my hand. He looked at me like I was crazy. "Dante is tied up. Isn't he ? I have to get him out."

"Here." He said, giving me a knife. "You walk in front of me, though."

"Okay...." I said, taking a step in front of him. "Let's go save Dante. Shall we ?"

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