CHAPTER 75: THE REVELATION
James' Revelation
"My mother, on her deathbed, defied my father. Before she died, she told me that I didn't have to keep letting people walk over me just because I was different. She said my father was dead wrong. According to her, My difference, she insisted, was a source of strength, not something to be ashamed of. She told me I wasn't a monster to be controlled, but someone different, someone powerful".
I clung to her words and held her hands tears blurring my vision, until the world went silent around me".
"Grief choked me. Lost in my sorrow, I didn't hear the flatline of the machine. My father, entering the room, heard the machine and saw my tearful embrace. He concluded that I had killed her with my 'devilry.'"
"Nothing I said could convince him of my innocence. Only my grandmother and Jared, who'd always stood by me alongside my mother, believed my story. They had always been my champions and fought for me at home".
At fifteen, my world shattered again. My father, consumed by his twisted perception, shipped me off to a foreign country. Alone, with only my abilities, I clawed my way to survival. I did a lot of things to survive Diana, using my abilities while keeping it and my true nature a secret and well hidden. Eventually i made it".
"I built and secured a network of contacts and connections around the world both good and bad; Allies and Adversaries. Through it all, my grandmother, Jared, and my friends remained my lifeline".
"After five years, I returned to London. Over the next eight to nine years, I used my connections to build Stone Group from the ground up and made it into the empire it is today. But the scars of my past remained".
"One fateful day, Jared presented a document to me. It contained a deal our parents had made to marry you off to me. In truth, I only agreed to marry you because my mother's signature was on that paper".
"My entire life was a battle against my father's cruelty to prove myself to him that i was not useless, a relentless pursuit that finally saw me surpass him by a significant margin of at least 20%". James said proudly.
A hint of a smile played on Diana's lips at that piece of news.
"But they came to the wedding," she questioned.
"The wedding was a facade. It was a performance to show people that the Higgins has a reputation for always keeping to the end of bargains, no matter the cost".
"The two weeks I was away weren't for leisure Diana. Since I was fifteen, I'd been consumed by a singular purpose – uncovering the truth about my origins. Twenty years later, I had a huge breakthrough".
"My research revealed a horrifying truth. I discovered that an experiment had been done on my birth mother when she was pregnant with me, altering me before i was even born resulting in my unique abilities".
"According to the research, she didn't survive the experiment and died while giving birth to me. The man who conducted the operation however, remained at large. I've been chasing him for eight years".
"Three weeks ago, when we were in the car, the call I received was from my guys who had been tracking his whereabouts. They found a lead in Rome. So, I flew to Rome with Jared. We chased him through deserts, but the man found a way to escape from our grasp. That's what I spent two weeks doing."
"And how about Antonio? He has the same abilities," Diana asked.
"Not exactly the same, although similar. He was experimented on at the tender age of five. These men, they believe themselves to be architects of a new world order, wielding twisted science as their weapon. They felt they could play God with people's life".
"I found Antonio in the U.S., confused, battered, lost in the U.S and took him under my wing. He's under my protection now. So far, we've found three others like us out there, and I'm sure there are still more".
"They called the experiment 'Operation Super Soldier.'"
"And the infertility diagnosis? A cruel twist of fate. After extensive tests run by various hospitals, I was told I would never be able to have children, that I should give up hope of ever conceiving in my life."
"Hence why you reacted so badly," Diana asked.
"Yeah," James responded.