Page 32 of TAINTED by TWINS

"Wow... what a day to meet Mr. Lian Deveroux." Khalid Deveroux is in absolute awe of his true bloodied son. The Lord of Maison du Rouge walked towards him.

"Don't you dare—!" Jade was about to hold Lian back if not for Jonah grabbing his hand. He hissed at Jonah, "You can't let him have Lian!"

"It's too late, Jade..." Jonah whispers, looking at Lian himself. "He deserves to know."

Khalid Deveroux laid his hands on either side of Lian's shoulders as the young man stood in shock.

"Haha! My son!" Khalid held his cheek, making Lian flinch away.

"I—I'm not..." he breathes deeply after holding if since seeing his own face on a grown man—Khalid may be tanner and more well built, but he has Lian's nose, his lips.

Those eyes that never matched his mother's.

They have the same jet black hair Lian tried so hard to dye just so he won't feel so different from his brunette mother.

"No, no I'm not—!" Lian backed away and bumped on Jonah, who solemnly gave him the paper that Sasha flaunted earlier. He deserves to know.

Khalid was smiling widely, "Ooh, what's that?"

Lian opened it, just for him to cover his mouth at the names involved at the positive results of what looked to be a DNA test. This is the most valuable information that the twins sold to Sasha so he will sabotage Lian's relationship.

It backfired horribly, but the fire came in full circle.

It is now in the hands of the one most deserving to read it.

"I'm sorry..." Jonah whispered.

Lian angrily turns to him. "YOU KNEW?! You knew who my father is, and fed me lies about my mother sleeping with other men?! Jade? Did you know too?! Did you both lie to me?!"

Jade couldn't even look at him. Khalid looked amused as the hotel guests fall concerned at the crying young man in the lobby.

"Oh wait, Jonah doesn't lie does he?!" He yells at the twins, "He just stays silent about the truth. He just stays silent about the fact that we're brothers?! You messed with me despite the fact we're brothers?!"

"We're not brothers, we just carry his name!" Jade snapped while Jonah kept silent.

Khalid laid his hands on Lian's arms to calm him down. "I'm sorry you've expected them to be your brothers, Lian. But they are Velomina's sons. With only my name."

"H-how..."

"But you," he turns a crying Lian around, proudly holding his face to examine his beauty. "You are my heir! A full blooded Deveroux, irrevocably my son! Wow, you are so beautiful... as expected of a true Deveroux. Come, you should be where you truly belong—"

"GET AWAY FROM HIM, HE'S MINE!" Lei Ann ran into the lobby barefoot had grabbed a hold of Lian, pushing Khalid away. The guards were alerted and pulled Lei Ann harshly, making Lian scream for her.

"Mom!" He tries wrestling her away from the guards. "Don't touch her, let go of her!"

Khalid simply fixed his suit commanding, "Jonah, be a dear and get Lian."

Much to Jade's disapproval, his twin did as Lord Deveroux said and pulled Lian to stop him from assaulting the guards. "Mom, no! Let go of me, Jonah! They're hurting my mother!"

"Lian..." the woman cried.

Khalid only wanted to look closer at the lovely lady in white, "Wow... an old flame that never seemed to dim." Lei Ann was crying heavily as he took her delicate, trembling hands... "Diamond bracelets, huh? I suppose Velomina already put her hands on you..."

"He's not your son," Lei Ann tore her hand away as she sank to the floor, still restrained by the guards. "He's mine... Lian is mine please, don't take him... please, he's all I have while you already have everything!"

"You're always the prettiest when you cry," Khalid stepped back, "But you're wrong; all I needed was an heir, so now you can say I have everything. Forgive me for leaving you with nothing, Dolcezza. But you should've known better than to hide him from me."

"NO!" Lei cried as she tried to attack Khalid, but was painfully held down by the guards. Even Lian is begging Jonah to stop them from hurting her, but the blonde twin only held him in place.

Khalid looks at her in disapproval. "You could've been my wife, Lei Ann. I would've left Velomina for you. But you just had to play dead."

Lei Ann immediately held onto her, begging, "Mina please, don't let him take my son... please, I already failed Lian, I don't want to lose him forever, please—!"

"Lose him?" Khalid scoffs, "My dear, you can simply live with us!

You can stay with your son as he trains to become the CEO of Maison du Rouge.

And Velomina... do not worry about your sons.

They have done a good job watching over my heir, and I will reward them with a comfortable life. If you cooperate."

Lian looks horrified in Jonah's hold, and so did his mother. Velomina knows she doesn't have the same power as her husband.

"Lei..." she whispers to the crying woman, "I think you should really live with us. It'll be best for Lian to be the heir."

"No, no no, no! You promised you'll protect him Mina!"

"And the only way I can, is to not go against Khalid," Velomina wipes her tears, as she looks to her sons, holding Lian between them. "Lian will be okay. My twins will take care of him."

Khalid proudly lifts his head. "Finally acting like a grown woman, Velomina. Just leave her if she continues to be stubborn. Jonah, get Lian in the car."

Jade protested by holding onto Lian, "The hell you will! Jonah, I know you've been our parents' dog your whole life, but you can't drag Lian into this—!"

"Jade," Jonah calmly scolds him, even though Lian very much wants to stay with Jade. The blonde whispers to his twin, "Watch over his mother. I'll take care of Lian."

"I let you give Lian to our mother, and now you want me to watch you give him to Genghis Khan?!"

"It's for his own good," Jonah twitched his head, but did not tilt it. "You trust me, don't you?"

"Jade... " Lian remembered what Jade said about Jonah. He whispers, "The train... right?"

If the train derails, he knows how to get it back on track. It came right out of Jade's mouth, and they need to practice it. We need to put faith in Jonah.

So his hand reluctantly releases Lian against his heart's desire. Lian chose the train to go with Jonah. "But wait! Can I... can I talk to my mom for a second? Lord Deveroux?"

Khalid sighed considerately, "You may. But I expect you to come with me immediately. I've already suffered enough humiliation from this place."

"I-I will..." Lian gets escorted by Jonah to go to his mother, where the woman threw herself onto her son while sobbing heavily.

"My love, please don't go..." she whispers to him in a language only they can understand. "He will destroy you, he will turn you into a character without shame. Maison du Rouge is a prison! Don't let him take you away from me, my love... please, you're all I have!"

"Mama..." Lian holds her hand tight, "You will not lose me. I don't know that man, he is barely a father. But you are my mother first, and forever more. I am yours, right from birth. And if you don't come with me, I will come back to you."

But Lei Ann doesn't want him to leave at all. "No, no no no, no... !"

"Lian!" Khalid calls, now in the entrance. Jonah gently tugs Lian away from his mother. She wanted hold him back, but Velomina held her close to avoid the wrath of Khalid Deveroux.

Jade and Velomina stayed by the hotel lobby as Jonah escorts Lian to his father's car. Velomina whispered an apology, "I'm so sorry I failed you, Lei. I tried my best, I tried everything. But you know Khalid... we just can't seem to escape him."

"But Lian—!" Lei cried hysterically.

"What we can do is take you to the mansion as well, so you'll be with him..." Velomina suggested.

"I don't want to go back there! You know what Khalid will do to me! You know what he will do to my son!" Lei Ann shakes her head, sinking to the floor as she begs Velomina on her knees, "Please! Help me, Mina! Bring my son back!"

Velomina embraced the hysterical woman as her son stood by the two of them.

Velomina knew exactly what being heir will mean for Lian.

He will live a life under Khalid's control, and that man will manipulate this sweet young boy into the same cold, calculated man he is.

Jonah's obedience is a perfect example of what it's like to be raised by Khalid.

She mutters, "Why couldn't you have kept him away, Jade?"

"I don't know, why did you have to throw Lian a party?" Jade bites back, "I don't know how father knew about this event... none of our employees knew of this."

"So how did he know?!" Velomina demanded.

Lian turns to glare at him, but Jonah grabbed a hold of his hand and squeezed it. Ever since childhood, Khalid has resented his mother so this is nothing new.

Khalid saw their hands seated between them.

"You've also done a good job watching over him, Jonah.

You are reliable. I shall keep you in Maison du Rouge as Lian's mentor, your work will be to ensure the company stays on top in his reign.

Take care of Lian, and your mother will be taken care of as well. "

"Thank you, father. You're considerate and generous as always." Jonah politely nods his head.

"At least Velomina raised one son right," Khalid scoffs, which Jonah chuckled in response. Lian had a sour look on his face the whole time; and he would've torn his hand away from Jonah if he didn't trust the man, but he does. For now.

The mansion looks a lot more dull than the first time he came here.

Maximalist, golden, and decorated with wooden antiques, every inch is a flaunt of their wealth.

It's like winning the lottery, isn't it?

Owning this home, a whole winery, million dollar real estate.

.. but why does it feel less like winning lottery numbers, and more of shackles?

"Why don't you bring him to his new room, Jonah? The room next to my office, he'll be spending more time there as you train him."

Lian could finally sigh a breath of relief now that he is alone with Jonah, walking up the massive steps of the Deveroux mansion. Probably the same steps his mother fell on...

"This'll be your new room, I'll get you Jade's old clothes while we get you new ones," Jonah escorted him to a massive bedroom with its own sitting area and an office desk, with the theme of dark oak and white sheets.

"You can decorate it to whatever you'd like, but I think your MCR posters would look out of character in this bedroom, yeah? "

"Don't make fun of my posters," Lian snaps at him, before he goes back to looking unhappy and miserable.

"I thought you'd be happier... finally knowing who your father is, and inheriting old money enough to never worry about your future anymore," Jonah leans against the doorway as Lian explores the bedroom by touching the bookshelves, scanning its contents. "Isn't this what everyone wishes?"

"All my life... I've wondered who I really am, where my face came from, and who I'm gonna be in the future..." Lian whispers to the books that were never opened. "But why do I dread finally knowing all of that? Why do I hate it when, like you said, everyone wants this?"

Jonah closes the door and walks toward him, hands in his pockets. "Maybe it's because the truth has been staring at you the whole time."

"The truth that you never told me," Lian finally looked at him with a scowl. "You lied to me about my mom. You kept the truth about my father from me."

"It was all so we could protect you from this life!

" Jonah argued, "You're too innocent, and your life is peaceful.

If you had known the truth, it wouldn't be long before father—Khalid finds out about you and does everything in his power to take you away from your mother.

To keep you clueless is to keep that man from knowing who you are.

It's to protect you from the life that has been making me suffer all my life. "

Lian looks up at him. "What... do you mean... ?"

"I was supposed to be the heir, Lian. Jade refused to cooperate, so to keep us from being thrown to the streets, I had to suck up to Lord Deveroux and be his perfect little heir.

I was never allowed to play outside just like Jade did—everything was tutoring, lessons, social networking events.

Any mistakes would be met with additional hours of home schooling and office labor.

I was never allowed friends. Cathy—my ex girlfriend, was a business relationship my father set up, we were betrothed, but she cut it off.

I had no friends except Jade, and I was so touch starved I paid to touch you! "

He continued, "While Jade is allowed to have his own business, my modelling was the only time I could feel human with a job.

It was the only thing I was allowed to do other than being a top student and a perfect heir, but that's not normal too, I never get to do anything normal.

Whenever I wanted to give up and just run away—I think of how Jade will be forced to replace me.

I think of how our mother will be disposed of for not birthing heirs.

So I had to stay, I had to suffer. I had to be the perfect puppet for my parents! "

"Jonah..." Lian saw for the first time, tears in Jonah's vulnerable eyes after only seeing him as the perfect Prince Charming he is.

He reached for Jonah's hands, holding them tight to calm down the trembling nerves.

"I'm... I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry that happened to you.

I wish... I wish I could take your pain away. .."

"You did take the pain away. Lian, you're the only one making me feel normal right now, and I can't lose you..." Jonah is holding back tears—last time he cried, he was forbidden to sleep until he finished an entire textbook. The Prince, after all, is human.

Lian stepped forward to hug him, pressing himself against Jonah's chest. "I—I'm scared, Jonah. I feel so lost, and I'll feel worst if you leave. I can't lose you and Jade. I'm scared of what's gonna happen to me, to my mom."

"Jade will take care of your mother..." Jonah says, taking a deep breath and holding his head up.

"You have to listen to me, Lian. You have to trust me so you won't be an imprisoned puppet like I was.

You need to take over Maison du Rouge.

After you inherit the company, you'll be set for life.

And I will take care of Khalid Deveroux. "

Lian doesn't like how he said that. He pulled away, "Are you... gonna kill him?"

"No. My mother might. So we need to keep him alive until you inherit the company."

"Sasha?" his uncle called out, brows furrowed as he stepped forward.

Sasha didn't answer. He just walked fast and desperate, crashing into his uncle's chest with a hug that was more like a plea. His fists clutched the fabric of the older man's coat, his voice muffled against it.

"I'm sorry," Sasha whispered, "I was just upset, I was angry! I was angry you left me with my father, and I hate him! I hate him, please take me with you—I don't want to be here anymore!"

His uncle rested a hand on the back of his neck, looking at his wife who pursed her lips knowing that his answer will be.

"I wish I could give you the life you deserve, Sasha," he tells the boy, his voice low. "But I'm not the one in charge."

A car stopped beside them, and Sasha flinched in alert at the familiar luxury car brand.

The car's window rolled down to reveal his father's face, the blonde and blue eyed man staring daggers into Sasha's uncle.

The car door opened for his exit, and three men came out of the vehicle behind them, with the intentions of protecting the boss.

"Dad?" Sasha sniffed, embarrassed to be caught looking like this.

The man didn't raise his voice when he spoke. "Why," he asked slowly, "Is my son covered in pigs' blood?"

Sasha turned toward him, shaking, lips parted to speak.

"I—" he began.

SLAP! A sharp crack that echoed off the walls. Sasha's head turned with the force, mouth splitting open on impact. He gasped, stumbling back a step, but he didn't fall.

"You embarrass me in front of everyone in this place, walking in public with an animal on you?!" his father said, infuriated. "You're not sorry, Sasha. You're just stupid."

His uncle stepped forward quickly. "Enough Mr Petrovna," he snapped. "He's just a boy—"

One of the bodyguards stepped between them, shoving the uncle back with a gloved hand. His wife called out sharply, catching her husband's arm to stop him from pushing further.

Sasha was crying now, soundless, one hand cradling the side of his face.

"Don't make a scene," his father hissed, gripping Sasha's arm. "You've made enough of a mess already."

The bodyguards dragged Sasha toward the car, ignoring his uncle's protests.

"I'm sorry," Sasha cried again, barely audible. "I'm so, so sorry..."

His father didn't even look at him. "You're not sorry. You're ungrateful."

I wasn't apologizing to you, Sasha glares at his own father, already planning to coat himself in blood, not from the pigs this time.