"If you wanted a shirt, you could've asked for mine, not his!" Damian erupted once I closed his bedroom door, leaving us completely alone.

My eyes focus on the ground, avoiding his burning stare. Really? All because of a shirt?

"I have plenty of shirts. Hell, I could buy you a factory if you wanted!" He challenged, pointing a finger at me.

His eyes focused on my hand, and I realized that I was still  holding Tim's shirt.

"And you're attached with that god forsaken shirt." He mutters, looking back at me. I quickly threw the shirt away.

"Why are you so furious over a shirt? There's people out there wanting to murder me, Damian."

"I know, Vanderbilt. Why do you think I brought you here?"

I wince at his sharp tone.

"You aren't leaving this house until this matter is closed." He states. "You are not keeping me in here! I've already spent years hidden in that cursed castle, I'm not going to spend anymore time hiding! I've had enough!"

"Well, I'm not changing my decision."

"You're really going to let me suffer like this?"

"You're not going to suffer." He breathes out, opening the door.

"Alina, if you die, I'm the one that's going to suffer." He looks at me, eyes softening for a bit, before walking out, locking the door behind him.

"Damian Wayne! Open this door right now!" I rattle the handle hopelessly, but he doesn't answer. Instead, he walks away.

"That devil spawn!" I mumble, giving up.

~

[ t a l i a n a ]

The sound of heels clacking against the marble floor resonated throughout the throne room, as I spot Nathan, drunken, sitting on the throne.

"Nate, tell them to leave, I need to talk to you." I raise my voice, mentioning the guards.

Nathan raise a hand, and they leave, closing the door behind. I walk towards the windows, admiring their grandeur, as I close each curtains, blocking out the light, except for the chandelier hanging above the throne.

A shiver runs down my spine, and I feel my hands shaking. This place isn't my favorite.

This is where Alina's parents got murdered, and where Ariana's mother took her own life.

"Is my sister okay?" Nathan slurs, a bottle of beer in between his grasp. "She is. She's in good hands, for now."

"Good. That's all I want for her." His glassy brown eyes calculating me. He strides towards me, steps slow yet dangerous.

"And what do you want, Taliana?" He murmurs, eyes darting towards me.

"I.. don't know." I place a hand onto his chest, slightly pushing him away.

"Your task is done here. Why are you still lingering? Why don't you want to leave?"

"Because of you." I mutter, not able to look into his eyes. "You can't tell her, Liana. She'll hate me."

"God damn it, Nathan! Not everything is about her! Why don't you think about me for a second? Are you too terrified to admit that you love me?" I yell, running a hand through my hair.

"Stop being selfish! What would she think? Huh? Knowing that you're not related to any of us? That you're not her family? That her whole life has been a lie?"

Before I could answer, the door banged open, and Marcus, along with Gabriel, walked in, a fearful expression on their faces.

"Sorry for the intrusion, Your Grace. We have urgent news." Marcus bows, along with a distressed looking Gabriel. He mustn't be coping well with Ariana's departure.

Nathan raises an eyebrow, keeping his distance from me. I could only stay quiet. He's right. No one can know about us.

"It's Alina. She's in danger." Gabriel spoke, and I mentally curse. When will this end?

~

2 Days Later

[ a l i n a ]

I stare blankly at the wall, reminiscing old memories; playing in my head for a while now.

Do I miss my Mother? No, not really. Do I miss my father? Yes, terribly. And let's not forget the constant aching for losing Michael. He was sinless.

Something's going to happen, I can sense it. It's been quiet for far too long.

Alfred the Cat meows, rolling around, as he sat on my lap. We've been friends the past few days, he's a friendly cat.

Damian had been sleeping on the couch, and I couldn't understand as to why I couldn't just sleep in the guest bedroom.

All he said was: "For your safety".

As for his father, Bruce Wayne, the former Batman; he is apparently on a trip. To stay away from this whole madness. He does need a break, though.

It's just the fact that the whole weight is now imposed on Damian, who now holds the position of Batman and having to take care of the business.

My leg has healed up by now, thanks to my 'genes'. Although Damian's still looking for the antidote, and his mother; I could feel my body getting better by the hour.

A light knock brought me back to reality. "Enter." I mumble loudly enough, and the cat jumps from my lap, hiding under the bed.

Tim walks in, a tablet in his grasp, along with Jason; who I had the 'pleasure' of meeting him a few days ago. In other words, Jason Todd tried to kill me, thinking I was an intruder. It earned him a slap. A painful one, at that.

"What is it?" I ask, frowning. This looked bad.

"Calm down, birdie, don't look so scared." Jason teases, taking a seat on the couch, across of the bed. He only made things worse. Jason Todd is not good at this. Tim takes a seat next to me, breathing in.

"It's the Joker. He's sending out threats, looking for you."

I hold my gasp, anger cursing through my body. What did he want now? Didn't he already get what he wants?

"Let him. He won't get to me. Not this time." I mutter shakily.

"That's not all. He has your brother Michael."

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Before leaving, would you please comment your thoughts about this book? Negative or Positive, I'll take it! If you have questions too (about me or the book), feel free to ask anything!

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Thank you for reading, ILY GUYS! And we're almost 10k!! This is amazing! And I'm sorry for the bomb in this chapter! 😭

-Sophia