West nodded and sat. "Thank you."

All Darius wanted to do now, was throw him off the building but he didn’t have any choice but to sit.

Dinner began and the table was filled with perfectly cooked dishes ranging from steaming seafood to grilled meats to fresh fruit.

Glass walls reflected the sunset over Misty High as a soft breeze moved through the rooftop.

To anyone looking, this was paradise but to Darius, it felt like psychological torture because across the table West was smiling, talking, laughing and playing with his children like he belonged there.

Mia had moved her chair closer to West, Benjamin was showing him things on his tablet and West actually paid attention.

He asked questions, pretended to show interest and to make things worse, the children loved it.

Darius stared and in his mind, different scenes of West dying brutally played out.

He thought of snapping his neck, crushing his skull, throwing him off the rooftop, ripping his arms off... again and again... and again...

Meanwhile, West picked up one of Benjamin’s fries. "You know, when I was your age, I also hated vegetables."

Benjamin gasped. "No way."

West nodded seriously. "True story."

Yelena laughed. "You still probably do."

West shrugged. "I have matured greatly. And Ben, if you want to be as strong as your father some day, you need to eat them too."

Benjamin looked impressed while Darius wanted to flip the table but something Yelena said made him pause.

"You know..." she smiled. "It’s funny this is finally happening."

Darius eyebrows furrowed. "...What?"

Yelena added. "The resort."

She laughed before elaborating; "You were planning this so seriously."

Darius stared. "What?"

Yelena smiled. "Oh come on."

She turned to look at West. "You can tell him."

West looked embarrassed. "Well..."

Benjamin jumped in. "Dad! West helped me with school!"

Darius slowly turned. "...What?"

Benjamin nodded. "We met him before!"

Mia smiled too. "He came to school!"

Darius’ face slowly changed while West smiled casually.

Benjamin continued excitedly. "One time those older kids kept bothering me and West scared them away."

Darius slowly looked toward West who smiled politely at him.

Yelena laughed. "And apparently he wanted ideas for the vacation."

Darius stared in disbelief while Yelena continued.

"He came to my workplace too."

West nodded. "She accidentally mentioned wanting this place."

Yelena laughed. "And then he said you were planning something."

West shrugged. "I didn’t reveal anything."

Yelena smiled. "He just wanted to surprise me."

The children laughed as Darius came to the realisation that West had already been speaking to all of them, building familiarity and telling them that they had history.

And because he could use awakened abilities, they believed him.

Darius felt a cold chill crawl up his spin as his hands tightened.

Suddenly, all those moments where he felt like he was being watched, returned.

That shadow he thought he imagined wasn’t actually a shadow... he had been right this whole time.

West had already been keeping tabs on them and gotten his family to trust him.

Which meant, West could have done something long ago but didn’t....

’Why? What exactly is his end game here?’ Darius wondered while looking up.

West made eye contact and winked.

That tiny gesture made Darius’ blood pressure rise instantly.

Dinner continued and West kept talking, playing games and even helped Mia cut food. Everything played out naturally...

Eventually, the children got excited again.

"Can we go see the pool?"

"Please!"

West smiled. "I know a better place."

He stood while looking at Darius. "I’ll keep them entertained."

Darius was about to refuse but before he could, Yelena cut in. "Go on."

West nodded. "Come on."

The children followed immediately and Darius watched them leave while clenching his fists tightly.

He jumped to his feet wanting to follow but Yelena grabbed his hand with a soft smile.

"Spend some time with me," she leaned against him. "You never find time to do things like this... so let’s not waste the moment."

The sunset painted everything gold, setting a romantic mood as Yelena kissed his cheek.

She proceeded to kiss him again while Darius stood completely still, lost at what decision to take at the moment.

His children were with West so his mind refused to rest.

Yelena smiled. "Relax."

She kissed him again, rubbing his chest and slowly lowering her fingers to his crotch but at the moment, Darius felt absolutely nothing.

Darius looked down with a serious expression before raising his hand and pressing it gently against the side of her neck.

Her expression softened as her eyes fluttered and she quietly went unconscious.

Darius caught her immediately before she could slip to the ground and carried her princess style.

He looked around, observing the vicinity before stepping toward the ledge.

BOOM!

He jumped off and landed against the side of the building on the opposite end.

He slid for a bit before leaping towards the side of the resort building again.

He Zig-zagged downward across the glass exteriors of both building, jumping to and fro and descending terrifyingly fast.

As soon as he landed on the ground, one of Eagles Print’s hidden members immediately stepped out.

"Boss—"

Darius handed Yelena over. "Keep her safe."

The subordinate froze. "...Understood."

Without any explanation, Darius leapt back upwards immediately.

BOOM!

His expression was no longer confused.

No more pretending... no more dinner... no more games.

He reached the rooftop in a few seconds and landed atop it silently.

The dining area was empty and now, only one figure remained.

West stood there with his hands in pockets, smiling like he had expected this.

West slowly turned and spread his arms slightly. "Welcome back."

Darius stared at him intensely with pressure leaking from every fibre of his being.

The ground cracked as he spoke with a low but dangerous tone. "Where are my children?"

West smiled. "Oh it is quite interesting how much you seem to care about your children... but the children of others are just..."

West took a step forward before completing his sentence. "...Collateral damage."