Nik's POV

Blood trickled down my forehead but I remained still, more was yet to come.

"You bastard! " Adam raged and rose up from his seat with a jerk, grabbed a golf club from its bag leaning against the wall opposite his desk.

He approached me while removing the headcover and brought it down on the side of my arm.

"Do you know what you have just done !"

The second hit was on my back but aside from a quick intake of breath, my expression was neutral.

"All because of a woman! " he took out his anger on me.

This time Adam hit me on the back of my leg forcing me to my knees but it seems my silence aggravated him further.

"Say something you fool! " He yelled and hit me, this time the impact sent me sprawling to the floor.

I groaned out " What do you want me to say? "

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, I looked up at him. "I did wrong and came to take my punishment, what more do you want to hear from me? "

There was anger in his eyes and he made sure to show it. Adam tossed the club to a side of the room carelessly, breaking some pictures hung on the wall showing him accepting one award or the other in the process.

He began to walk to and fro the room exasperatedly while I pushed myself off the ground with a pained groan and assumed a kneeling position, my body was aching all over.

He suddenly stopped right in front of me, glaring down at me before he asked " Where is Maya? "

I wiped away the trail of blood about to drop into my eyes, answering

"You don't need to worry about her anymore, she's gone as you wanted. So just let her be "

Adam scoffed in disbelief "Let her be? I should let her be?! "

My face whipped to the side while blood was drawn from my lips as he backhanded me.

"You took away Gerald's ledger and handed it over to our enemy just for her sake? Do you know the gravity of what you just did?

"You betrayed your own clan for a woman! You jeopardized the future of the Spencer clan for the sake of a woman that isn't worth an inch of you "

"She's worth everything, you are just too blind to see it " I defended Maya.

"Say that again and I make sure she doesn't see the limelight tomorrow "

I looked away, there were still words unsaid but it was unsafe to push my father's button now.

Of course, I knew the intensity of what I did, but I had no choice and I wouldn't mind doing it over again if I'm given the chance.

I watched Kay die with my both eyes, there was no way on earth I would have let the same thing happen to Maya. I would not live with that amount of guilt for the rest of my life.

After the death of Kay, I had managed to dull the guilt and pain by distracting myself with women and work. Sure it worked fine but late at night when I'm all alone, I battle the demons inside.

Until Maya came, she showed me the light even when I was afraid of tainting her with my darkness.

She was one of a kind, a softhearted angel who wouldn't mind putting herself in danger if it meant saving the people that mattered to her.

Maya took my shit and everything, even when I hadn't shown her all of my messy sides. Letting her go was the best, she deserves more than me.

"Niklaus, what has come over you! Do you know you sound like someone who is bewitched! "

I choked a laugh, bewitched? Maybe I was. Maya truly might have bewitched me else I wouldn't be behaving this way.

Adam lowered himself to my level and said to me sternly "I never brought you up this way Niklaus, what did that woman do to you "

There was a spasmodic silence the moment our eyes met but I froze, coming to a startling realization.

I croaked," Did you not even have this much of a feeling for mom? "

Adam froze too, then his gaze hardened and he warned me "Do not bring your mother into this! "

"At least these strong emotions I have for Maya, did you never experience it with mom or were you just a cold, astute, emotionless bastard who deceived the woman he claimed to love till she… "

A crackling sound was heard as a slap sounded on my cheek. Twice.

"Don't make me regret ever grooming you to be who you are today " he said through gritted teeth but the threat was apparent.

He stood to his feet, hands on his hips, face scrunched tight in concentration.

"Just when we had Gerald wrapped around our finger " he mumbled under his breath but I heard it clearly.

He turned back around " From now on, you're engaged to Tina "

My head jerked up "You gotta be kidding me "

"Oh, I'm deadly serious "

I shut my eyes tight and blinked away the blood "Don't do this to me father "

"She is what I need exactly, that girl from the slums has infected and manipulated your senses, Tina would help reset that," he said without taking my opinion into account.

My fists clenched at my sides and I threw back my head, laughing so much that tears slipped from my eyes mingling with the blood at the tip of my eyelids.

"You think I would take this lying down? " I challenged his authority boldly.

"I believe you don't want to wake up the next morning to discover Maya's body floating down the bridge"

My eyes darkened as I got angry and shot to my feet ignoring the lightheadedness that made me unsteady as I stood.

"I can take your beatings and scoldings but don't you dare threaten me with Maya's life ….!" I faltered, lowering my voice to a growl as I told him

"Don't force my hand father. Don't make me become what I'm afraid of becoming "

His eyes went wide " You've really gone insane " he raised his hand, about to hit me when a voice came from behind.

" Isn't that enough grandfather? "

Isabella who stood in the doorway strolled into his study without passing a glance at me.

"There is a degree to punishing a child unless you really want to kill him. Moreover, even if I desire his position, I'm too young to clean up his mess and still need to consummate my teenhood "

"Go back to your room Isabella! " he barked at her but the young girl in question remained unfazed.

She went on " You know deep down that this is all your fault if only you gave him what he wanted. I love you grandfather but I must speak out on this one cause I'm really angry too! "

Adam began to laugh, hysterically "Even you Isabella, she bewitched you too "

Suddenly his laugh came to an abrupt stop and his gaze hardened "You there! " he commanded his men stationed outside his room.

"Take her and lock her up, make sure she doesn't leave her room until I say so " He ordered and his men bowed and went ahead to fulfill his task.

"Don't you dare! " She boomed at the both of them but her threat was powerless.

"He just wanted a little happiness, don't you see you're making him miserable! " Isabella struggled as one of the men tossed her effortlessly over his shoulder.

"Let me down, gosh! This is so humiliating " Izzy complained since she was carried with her face down while her bottom was pointing up.

"And you! " She focused on me this time as she was being carried away

"I warned you but you took it for granted. Now you have me to face for the rest of your life! " her voice drifted off the passage.

Silence ensured until I asked, "Are you done? "

Adam glanced up, annoyed " Get out of my sight "

"My pleasure " I gloated at him before staggering out of the room. I winced with every step I took, my body aching all over.

"Here " Judy made me lean against his body, resting most of my weight on him.

He helped me into the car before asking "Should we head to the hospital? "

" No " I groaned and lay across my leather seat " Let's go home "

Home? Was it still a home? Maya who made it lively was no longer there.

When we got home, Amanda screamed her lungs out immediately she set her eyes on me.

"Oh my God! " She cried shockingly while circling me " What in the world happened to you? "

"It's nothing " I replied to her and gestured her out of my way.

"Where are you going? That's not the direction to your room… ."

I ignored her and walked into Maya's vacant room. The room was almost the same, she didn't take most of the stuff I bought for her.

The once warm room was oddly cold and lonely. My gaze fell on the white linen-covered bed as memories of the time we spent together there flooded my head.

With my bloodied body and clothes, I climbed into the bed and lay down quietly.

I was missing her already.