Chapter 122

**Acacia Point of View**

He is here.

He is really here!

Why? Why is he here? Why now?

My intuition was right. That jerk was really here. He was here for me and my son, or worse, he might be here only for my son.

Igses, I cannot let the jerk take Igses away from me.

The moment he stepped into the meeting hall, a sudden ominous feeling rose in my heart and it only grew worse when my eyes landed on him.

Not only was he here, he was also my dad's boss. This was like a trap he weaved for me to come and fall into it. He was making sure to close all my escape routes for me now, this time.

Why? Why the hell can't he let me take a breather?

Why the hell is he so adamant in making my life a living hell?

Why should I be a tool to be used by him over and over again and I was rendered helpless always. After all, he was a being above short lived human mortals with abilities that could challenge heavens.

Yet, his heart was vicious and ruthless.

"She's waking up." I heard a distant voice coming closer as I tried to open my eyes. My head felt heavy and dizzy, eyes were blurred and dry probably from crying so much and my body was light while heart is incomparably heavy.

After a long time of willing myself to will my eyes open, I finally flapped them open. For a second my eyes were so blurred that I couldn't see anything. Blinking several times, I found the blurred figures before me slowly become clear.

"Mamma, Mamma, I was so worried." Before I could notice where I was and who were around me, I felt a small body fall on me and hug me tightly, kissing me on my cheeks.

A wisp of relief came over me as I hugged back my son tightly. Kissing his head, I whispered in his ear that I was alright.

Raising my head, I found myself laying on the bed in an unfamiliar yet a warm and cozy bedroom. My eyes landed on Viva who was sitting on the bed beside me.

"Dawn," I only blinked at sad, worried and enraged Viva and turned my head finding my mom sitting on the bed on the other side.

What is she doing here? And that too in this disheveled state?

I looked at her in confusion and turned to my dad and Liam who were in the same disheveled and melancholic.

It was only after I saw the next person standing far away from us yet with a prominent dominant aura did I remember everything that happened before I fainted.

Tzalmon Saccius Ebernus, that jerk!

"Why are you here? Get out. Get the hel-" I shut myself up when I felt Igses moving in my arms. Looking at Viva, I blinked at her and she understood me. She picked Igses from my arms and took him out, far from the room I was currently in.

I could feel my nerves shivering under my skin. It was not because I was cold but because I was too anxious and - scared.

Scared of many things that happened in the past, scared of many things that might happen in future not that he is here.

"Were you so bored that you came here to torture me again? Go away, why don't you leave me and my son alone?" I was aggrieved; beyond aggrieved.

I cannot express how angry and helpless I'm feeling right now.

"I'm sorry." Sorry? He was sorry?

"For what?" Stream of tears fell as I scowled at him. "When did you and your battalion of heartless savages some to my world?"

Jerk looked at me silently without answering. "You were here from a very long time, were you not? You knew where I lived, you knew everything about me and my son so you were keeping an eye on us trying to find something to use against us so you can control us again."

"I am here to amend -"

"Amend? Amend what? Amend my personality according to your likes so you can reign over me as you like and use me as per your wish." I looked at my family from the corner of my eyes and their expressions are very strange.

As if... as if they know something.

I turned towards them and found my dad's face was blank which means he is beyond angry. He is piping hot in anger.

"Calm down, dear. Nothing will happen to you." My mom hugged me from the side and held my head to her chest.

I turned to look at her and blinked confusedly. Mom's behavior is truly bewildering.

"That's right. No one will lay their hands on you. No one can even touch a strand of your hair." Liam gritted, glaring at jerk murderously.

Jerk sighed and walked out, leaving only the four of us. I gulped and fell in thoughts for few minutes before I looked at my parents wanting to ask the most important question that is razing my mind now.

With pounding heart, I looked at my dad, "You know who I am." It was not a question, it was a statement.

They know of my identity, that I'm sure of. However, how and to what extent they know about me is still a question.

"You take rest first. We can talk when you eat something and rest well." I shook my head and caught my dad's hand before he could walk away.

"With the wolf in home, I cannot eat and sleep anymore. I want to know what exactly is happening here, Mr. Winters." Dad narrowed his eyes at me when I addressed him as Mr. Winters.

Right now, I'm overwhelmed by several emotions and the thing that my family might know something about me and my life and still cooperated with the wolf to prey on their daughter. I don't want to misunderstand them when I'm weak emotionally.

I need to know what happened before they entered my life again.

"We truly don't have any idea or memories of having a daughter." Dad said and occupied the other side of the bed. "However, we all do know who you are, what happened to you and who Tzalmon is."

"How?" I took a deep heavy breath and asked.

"He came to meet us in Charleston." Mom spoke softly. "He tried to get close to our family with different reason at first but when your dad confronted him, he revealed the truth."

"When did he come to Charleston? When the heck did he arrive to this -" I stopped suddenly not knowing if they know about the jerk full identity.

"To this world? It's been several months he came. But to Charleston, he came about four months ago. He told us everything, from his identity to what happened to you and what he did with you for his own selfish motives. He might've missed many things but your dad, I and Liam are not fools to not tell the whole story from the brief synopsis he gave."

What is the jerk playing at now? He surely cannot have righteous intentions at all. He is never was or will be an upright selfless person.

"He told you his side of the story, elevating him, his good deeds, how magnanimous he was and all?"

"Although we doubt he told us everything, he did tell us how bad he treated you what happened with you. The moment we realized that you are truly our daughter and that you have suffered for no reason, your dad was an inch away from killing him."

"I still want to kill him. But he deserves to live a life worse than death." A glint of redness passed through dad's eyes expressing how true his words mean.

"Cia, although we don't have any memories of you, I promise you, that this time, I will not let anything happen to you. Be it an ordinary human or immortal or the devil from the hell, I will make sure you don't go through anymore pain and sufferings." Cia, this was what dad always used to call me before.

"No. You don't know about him. If he wants something, he will do anything for that. Don't get involved in this. This is my fate and I will have to resolve this all by myself." I shook my head and took my hand away which he was holding.

"Acacia, it's not just you now. You still have Igses to think about. I know you are very capable seeing how you singlehandedly bought him up and started your life from very scratch but Tzalmon cannot do anything to you or anyone anymore."

"Dad, you don't know how dangerous he -"

"He is nothing but a normal human now. He has no powers." What Liam said caught me off guard.

No powers?

Normal human?

"After he came to this world, there were some kind of restrictions that caused them to lose their powers for undefined period of time. However it is temporary." Dad continued.

Restrictions? But Igses is able to use his powers well.

"You don't worry, Cia. This time, it's not us who invited wolf into our home; it is him who invited me into his territory. Acacia, we are the players now and he is the pawn." Dad looked straight into my eyes with a strong promise of retribution.

I sighed and shook my head at my family who are overestimating themselves.

"You cannot be as tricky and heartless as he was. He has always been the player. Please don't get involved in this dad; please. It is fine if you forget me but it is not fine for me to lose anyone of you."

With tears, I ran out of the room to take Igses back to our own place.

Now that the jerk is here, my life will never be peaceful again.

Jerk, what else do I owe you?

**~*~*~*~*~*~

Hello Sweeties,

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