Butterfly Effect

24. Wash Your Sins

"I want him out. You said you would do anything, Julian, and I want him out!"

Her tears were uncontrollable, cascading down her face as she sobbed loudly. The man paused in the midst of his conversation with a group of serious-looking individuals.

The room fell completely silent as all eyes turned to the distraught woman who had burst into the room?

Without a word, the concerned King commanded everyone to leave the room.

The suited men quickly filed out, leaving Julian and the weeping woman alone.

"What wrong?" Julian rushed to her side in a matter of seconds, worry etched across his face. "Jana, baby, breathe. What's happened? Tell me everything," he pleaded, his voice filled with both worry and tenderness.

This was not the usual sight of tears he had witnessed from her.

In all the years they had been together, he had never seen her so broken.

She trembled in his arms, her cries muffled against his chest. He held her tightly, offering what comfort he could. "My angel, please tell me what happened. I can't stand to see you like this. Who hurt you?"

"It's... it's Keenan," she managed to say between sobs, her voice choked with pain.

Keenan?

The mention of his brother's name made Julian's face darken, his grip on Jana tightening protectively. "He's back? I wasn't informed of his return. When did you see him?"

"Just now. He ran into me in the kitchen," she lied, unable to meet his gaze as she revealed the source of her turmoil. "Julian, you promised you would do anything I asked of you. Please, you have to get him out."

"Sweetheart, I know I did. And I will. But you have to explain what happened first, is it something about your father because I can assure you he's alive. We are still trying to find who would do such a thing to him..."

"No, Julian! It's about him."

His brow furrowed in confusion and concern. He gently pulled her away, holding her shoulders firmly as he sought answers.

His heart ached at the sight of her, her eyes swollen, her nose red, and her makeup smudged beneath her eyes. "You're this upset because of Keenan?" he asked, his voice filled with a mixture of disbelief and concern.

When she could do nothing more but nod furiously, his eyes flashed with a growing rage.

"Explain."

She was well aware that the man embracing her would never fully unleash his fury in her presence, as he had always shielded her from that side of him. However, the intensity of his anger became increasingly apparent.

It was his younger brother who had the uncanny ability to provoke the composed gentleman into a state of wrath.

"There's not even one singular cause. Babe, he's a vile, disgusting man. He makes me feel..." the words jammed on her tongue and she sniffled through a blubber of tears. "wretched. He speaks such hatred to me, I don't know what I've done to deserve such violence."

"Violence." Julian echoed, "he hurt you again? Is that what you are telling me, that he touched you? He fucking touched you after I ordered him not to?"

"I told you... he's full of malice."

Shaking his head, he couldn't listen to the rest as he was already on his way out of the room.

An air of tumult radiated off him.

—

Keenan maintained a stoic expression as the forceful blow connected with his face, causing him to grunt and his head to jerk backwards.