A false narrative

'Do you still come here a lot?'

'Less so now that I have more of a social life, but yes. Mainly later at night, before I go to sleep.'

'I came here a few times when I was homeless. It actually gave me something to do. You'd be surprised by how boring it could get.'

'No, it doesn't really surprise me, actually.'

'So imagine people's shock when they were beaten by a dirty, smelly homeless man.'

'Haha, nice! We should have a game.'

'Why not, it's been a while. The kids have no interest in such games. There's no screen.'

'Christ, I sound like an old man.'

'Aww. Zaryn'll humour me with the odd game of chess, but I know it's not her favourite thing in the world.'

'Honestly, I don't get a lot of time for hobbies in general. Hobbies that don't involve crawling around in the dirt to find beetles anyway.'

'Oh God. As much as I like Vincent, going bug hunting with him was definitely more fun for him than it was for me.'

'Mmm. He loves it so much, though. It's worth it for that.'

'Aww, yes. It is cute when he gets all enthusiastic and eager about something he's found.'

'Absolutely.'

'...I had an encounter with Hazel the other day. She came to my office.'

'Oh fucking hell. What did she want?'

'She wanted to apologise.'

'...Oh. Wow. That's unexpected.'

'Very. I was afraid she'd be aggressive with me again, but... she was completely different. She seemed genuinely remorseful.'

'Bloody hell. Was it just for what she said to you, or anything else?'

'...She apologised for her father's actions too.'

'Oh wow... How do you feel about this all...?'

'I don't know. She said she's changed. I presume she's done this completely of her own free will. I can't imagine he'd approve...'

'I've got to say, I'm kind of impressed. I mean, none of that shit should ever have fucking happened, but... Owning your mistakes takes balls. But God, I can't imagine how this must feel for you.'

'A literal demon has more of a conscience than he does. How bad is that? Much as this has made me feel uneasy, I am glad she's done it. I can feel a little more secure about her being around. Unless she's just lulling me into a false sense of security, but... surely not?'

'Well, Tony trusts her. And you trust Tony's judgement, right?'

'Yes, I do. He said he'd seen that same side of her.'

'Good. And... I really hate to be so blasé about something that I know has affected you so deeply, but... from his point of view, what would be the point in lulling you into a false sense of security? He knows now who Tate is and isn't willing to look out for. Presumably the only reason he'd come back now would be for a twisted sense of fun, and then he'd fucking have me to deal with.'

'I did almost kill him. And he doesn't know about you.'

'True, true. Sorry, I don't mean to imply you're a damsel in distress, I'm just used to throwing myself face first into other peoples' dangerous situations.'

'Well, don't you go getting yourself involved with him. The thought of that bastard doing anything to you is too much to bear.'

'Believe me, I don't plan to. Presumably now that the only person Tate gives a shit about has fled, he'd only be interested in making a few house calls, and quite frankly if I got an emergency call along the lines of "police help there's a knife wielding psycho in my house" I'd be tempted to take a sick day.'

'Oh, that's awful. Anyway... let's move on. You said something about grandchildren the last time we met...?'

'I am awful. And oh yes, that's right. I've been contemplating the idea of maybe getting in touch with one of them.'

'Who would that be?'

'Torin, his name is. I have four grandkids, actually. Torin, Zara, Oleander and Nosferatu. ...But the other three are being raised by my son's widow.'

'Oh dear... I can certainly see why that would complicate things.'

'Indeed. But I can't imagine Torin's mother would be happy to see me, either. "Hello, remember the most terrifying moments of your life? The mother of asshole responsible just popped by to say hi!" Sounds like a quick way to get the door slammed in my face. Or a black eye.'

'Well, if she knew you're just as disgusted by his behaviour as anyone else, she may not have an issue with it?'

'It's possible. But obviously I'd bring the association of him with me. I think I'll probably look online, see if I can find a PlumbBook profile or something. Then that way she can tell me to fuck off in a safe environment if that's how it goes.'

'I think that's the best option. Obviously nobody wants to bring back horrible memories for the poor woman, but it would be lovely if she could come to see you as an ally and let you see your grandson.'

'Absolutely. Well, I think I'll do that then. Wish me luck!'

'Good luck!'

'I'm home!'

'Hey, babe. How was work?'

'The usual. I had late running meetings today, which explains why it's taken me so long to come home. Are the twins in bed?'

'Yeah. They weren't bad. I think they tired themselves out at daycare.'

'That's good, then.'

'...One of your daughters came over today.'

'...Ah. Which one?'

'Saraya.'

'And what did she want?'

'She wanted to warn me away from you. She thinks you'll be bad for the twins because you abused her and her siblings, and you'll do the same to them.'

'Oh dear God... I'm afraid those allegations are nothing new. Saraya has been telling people for years about how cruel I supposedly was to her. The only difference between her and her sister is that she isn't violent.'

'…So were you?'

'Of course not! I tried my hardest to be a good father. It wasn't easy, Brianne. Aria's behavioural issues took their toll on the entire family. And after the triplets came along, it was even more difficult to divide my attention between them all. But I was certainly never abusive.'

'Why would she lie about something like that?'

'I don't know. A combination of being overly sensitive and needing to find someone to blame for her own problems, I suppose. Listen... you know I only have those twins' best interests at heart. They'll have everything they ever need here. I'm thrilled to be able to provide for my daughters.'

'I thought the main reason I moved in was to get back at Roxxi.'

'It achieves both. The fact that we can give the middle finger to the lying bitch is just a bonus. It benefits us all to have you and the girls living here. I get to be a proper father to them instead of just giving you money.'

'Yeah... that's true. But Saraya also mentioned something about Carmella. She said you sold her into marriage...'

'Oh God, is that what she told you? I didn't sell Carmella. I simply offered her the opportunity to marry my friend's son.'

'Saraya said it was one of the reasons Roxxi ran away. To get away from this forced marriage.'

'It wasn't forced. That marriage could have set Carmella up for life. They're a very nice family. The thing is, the poor girl still believes in the concept of true love. That's why she was opposed to it. Did Roxxi mention it to you at all when she called you?'

'No...'

'So clearly it can't have been as bad as they're suggesting. You know what Roxxi is like. She would have used it as another reason to complain about how horrible I supposedly am. And I mean really, can she object to arranged marriages? The woman agreed to be in one herself.'

'Yeah, I see your point.'

'Listen, Brianne. I'm sorry Saraya harassed you today and told you a load of lies. But you know me. The two of us can always be open and honest with each other. Thank you for telling me about today.'

'It's okay. It would've just bothered me if I hadn't.'

'Now I would very much like something to eat. It's been a very long day.'