THE BILLIONAIRE'S CRYBABY
Chapter 230: THE EPIPHANY

Chapter 230: THE EPIPHANY

The matriarch picked up the painting, and brought it closer to her face.

She inspected it carefully, scanning every inch of it.

Amazing how it wasn’t complete, but she could absolutely tell it was Fay. A pretty young Fay.

She was definitely around the age Ace would have met her for the first time.

"How long have you been painting this?" She moved her eyes away from the painting long enough to ask.

"Over ten years. Even longer than that. I could never complete it. It was just a face that haunted my memories, but I never saw it clearly. I thought if I painted my thoughts, it would form a face. But the more I paint, the further I get from my goal," he said, his face contorted in confusion.

"I’m no therapist of any kind, but I think you started to paint this picture after your father died," she said confidently.

"Why would you think that?" He asked, still confused.

"Did I lie though?" She flexed her brow.

"Not exactly but how did you know that?"

"Quite simple actually," she turned the painting to him. "That’s Fay as a kid. You met her, but surprisingly never had any memory of her. I wouldn’t blame you for that. After all, you were kids when you two met. You couldn’t have known what she’d look like as an adult. But—" she paused to gather her thoughts.

"What?" He asked desperately, feeling like his world was closing in on him.

"The hair color suggests it’s definitely Fay, so part of you recognized her. I think you don’t remember meeting her because you’ve successfully pushed away a lot of things that happened before your father’s death. Call it a trauma response of some sort. You two were pretty close, you know?"

Despite his clogging heart, he couldn’t help but scoff at her theory.

"I didn’t know you were a psychologist now," he said.

"I don’t have to be one, Ace. It’s simple. Tell me, do you remember the twins’ biological parents?"

His nose wiggled in annoyance, and confusion.

"How am I supposed to know their biological parents? Mum always said they were adopted."

"Well, wrong. It is what we tell people that don’t know how to mind their business. The real truth is that the twins were children of your dad’s really close friend too. You met the man quite a lot of times when you were a kid. Your father would always take you to his house to visit. The twins didn’t exist then though, but you were aware of where they came from, because you were told."

He grew more distraught with every new info she provided. As much as he tried to search into his brain, he couldn’t remember anything at all.

"Are you sure?" He questioned in frustration.

"Quite sure, Ace. You’ve repressed your memories, but that’s not the point. Fay is your mother’s best friend’s daughter. Over twenty years ago, she was in a car accident which took her parents lives. They had already arrived in the states, and were driving to her mother’s sister’s house when the accident occurred . She survived. Her nanny did too. But her parents didn’t."

Ace’s breath came out sharp and uneven. He couldn’t wrap his head around everything he was being told.

All this while, he had thought his actions against Fay were justified, because they were righteous, and borne from a need to protect his family.

"H–how do you know all of this?" He stuttered, as he held onto the table for balance.

"Like I said, Ace, she was your mother’s best friend’s child. You see, I wanted her mother to be the face of Glam. She was just simply the most stunning creature I had ever seen. She refused to move to the states, but when she planned a holiday here, she accepted to work with me. Then the accident happened."

The matriarch’s eyes narrowed into a faraway expression, as the memories rushed into her head, like they just happened yesterday.

"You’re not telling me who killed them."

"That was the big question, Ace. Your mother wouldn’t talk to me for months, because she believed I was protecting my last son who at that time, was obsessed with her best friend. He bragged about killing them because she simply wouldn’t give in to his advances. I did cover him to an extent. But when he became uncontrollable, I was ready for him to face the law. Celine intervened, of course."

"Celine? What did she do this time? Why is she always at the scene of every crime?" he asked bitterly.

"It doesn’t matter what she did then. He didn’t kill Fay’s parents. He was just a stupid boy that thought bragging about killing would earn him cool points from his equally silly friends."

"How– how do you know he didn’t?" He quizzed in disbelief.

"Because Fay’s aunt did. Remember her? The one who claimed to be Fay’s mother, and you easily believed her? She planned and executed her evil plans alongside her husband. Unfortunately for her, he snaked her when it was time to reap the fruit of her rewards."

Ace couldn’t bear to hear one more word. It was all overwhelming for him.

Everything he had just heard made him hate himself even more.

Fay had gone through so much. She told him a little of how much shit she endured in her aunt’s hands. He even saw for himself how vile she was.

However, in a bid to not answer his feelings towards her, he had given in to propaganda.

She might have gone through hell losing her parents, and having that woman for an aunt, but he had been the one to put the final nail in her coffin.

That was unforgivable.

He dropped to his knees, and buried his head on his grandmother’s lap.

"She’s never going to forgive me, is she?" He said, fighting back tears.

"My sweet, little, idiotic boy," she dropped the painting, and stroked his head. "She can’t help that she loves you. I can see it in her eyes. But you hurt her deeply, Ace. You have to earn her forgiveness. First, by helping her get the long awaited justice she deserves. I’ve done my part by making sure your uncle would never hurt anyone close to her again. It’s your turn, Ace."

He let the tears drop on the matriarch’s lap. It was tears of repentance. An admission that he had made the biggest mistake of his life four years ago.

He couldn’t understand how she had slept with him despite what he did.

But when he remembered how much she didn’t want him close to Dream, he realized lust was not love.

There was a difference, and what had happened in the rain was just lust.

"Don’t cry anymore, my sweet boy. We all make mistakes. But as long as we’re ready to put in the work to gain forgiveness, we’re on the right path."

She bent her head down, and placed a kiss on the back of his head.

They stayed in that position for over half an hour.

By the time the matriarch left, and Ace was alone in his room, his thoughts ran crazy.

He knew sleep wasn’t an option for him that night, and so he made a decision.

His pain, and regrets had turned into anger.

Walking out of his room way past midnight, he strolled into Reign’s room..

He paused at the door, and his eyes roamed around.

Funny how he never noticed she had tried to replicate Fay’s room.

Her obsession with him had caused him a lot. It was time to end it all.

He raged fully into the room, and began to toss all of her things to the center of the room.

He didn’t care he was making a noise so late into the night. It was his house after all. He could do whatever the fuck he wanted.

He grabbed every product on her dressing table, and smashed them to the ground.

Her closet was next. One after the other, he threw her clothes to the ground.

"You stupid, lying bitch!" He screamed, and walked to her bed.

He dragged the covers down, and threw them next to the pillow.

"Sir Ace!" Alice suddenly screamed from behind.

Marilyn appeared next to her seconds after.

"Leave," he warned, and continued his destruction.

"Sir Ace, you’re scaring us!" Marilyn screamed.

"I said leave!" He thundered, his veins popping all over.

They shuddered in fear, having never seen him lose it this way before.

However, they couldn’t leave him. He needed them the most, and he knew it.

"Reign? Celine? Even foolish me?!" He scoffed, and shook his head. "We all deserve to suffer. The three of us? We deserve it. Me especially, for being so foolish, and hurting the woman who I loved four years ago, and a lifetime after!" He punched the wall, cracking his knuckles in the process.

It stung like a bitch, but he didn’t flinch. He knew he deserved it.

Marilyn, and Alice cried as they watched him crash out.

"I hate myself so much. I hate—"

He moved to punch the wall again with his bleeding knuckle, when both women embraced him from behind.

"Please stop it, sir Ace," Marilyn said in tears.

"Please," Alice echoed.

He had fought back fresh tears until that moment. But as they held him, he couldn’t stop his weakness from pouring out.