Awakening From Ashes

Chapter 6: A Rollercoaster of Emotions

Soon enough, Lucas followed close behind Tobias as he showed him around the mansion, not that it mattered since Lucas already knew this house inside out. After all, it was his once upon a lifetime. The tour was over within an hour, as Tobias obviously didn’t show him every inch of the house. Just the parts he would be allowed to enter since he now worked for the family.

“So, tell me, where did you learn how to do that?” Tobias asked Lucas as they walked out of the mansion and towards the cars lined up in front of the house. 

Lucas shrugged to show that it was no big deal, but his mind was racing to come up with an answer. Well, an answer that wouldn’t be too far off from what he wrote down in his application. It was one thing to lie, and then it was another to go completely off script.

“I used to train a lot with my mother. Well, not training per se. She used to teach me how to use my gift and my father taught me how to refine them in case I got into trouble at school.” He somewhat lied through his teeth. 

It was true that his mother did teach him a few things, but not directly. She had only mentioned it in passing because she always thought he had the gift of fire. Unknowingly to her, Lucas had picked all her teachings. As for Lucas including his father in his answer, there was a hint of truth to that. Of course, the man never taught him how to harness his gifts since he wasn’t even in his life, but the man had taught him one valuable thing that Lucas didn’t think he would use until recently. His father, Mark Graham, had taught him to be ruthless.

“So, that isn’t the only thing you can do. Good to know. It'll come in handy when you're protecting me.” Tobias mused as he led Lucas to one car in particular. A black Lamborghini. 

"If I may ask, sir. Do you really need so much protection? I mean you already have a lot of men here. What's the need for hiring more men?" Lucas asked, wondering why Tobias would need so many men to protect just three members of the family. What was he trying to be safe from?

"Like my father always says. You can never be too careful, especially when you're someone high up in society like me," Tobias replied without any hesitation.

Tobias stopped in front of the car, allowing one of the valets to open up the door for him. 

“Since you’re working for me now, it would only be fair for me to see where you live. I make it a point to get to know my workers. Is that going to be a problem?” Tobias said as he gestured to the car, going around to stand next to the driver's seat and watching Lucas to take note of his answer.

Lucas eyed the vehicle. He wasn’t taken aback by the opulence of the car like Tobias thought, but he was wary of being at close quarters with this man. Irrespective of how Tobias had been calm and collected, Lucas still couldn’t shake the feeling that he was as bad as his mother, but he couldn’t refuse. It would  be too suspicious.

“It’s fine.” He answered shortly. 

Tobias grinned and entered the car, his hands gripping onto the steering wheel.

“Get in.” He said to Lucas with a head nod and faced the road in front of him. 

Lucas did as he was asked and got into the car. With no time to waste and a purr of the engine, the car took off and left the mansion grounds, going towards the shabby apartment that Lucas called a house. 

In no time, the duo arrived in front of the Big Apple Stay, the tourist spot where Lucas resided at the moment. People stared at the car as they walked by, wondering what a car like that was doing in such a neighborhood. It wasn't a bad neighborhood per se, but this wasn't the good side of Wall Street where all the investors constantly frequent.

Tobias looked up at the building from his tinted windows and grimaced with a frown.

“This is where you live?” He questioned Lucas, disgust written on his face.

“For now, yes. Like it said in my application form, I lost both my parents and home to a fire recently. I’m just staying here so that I can rebuild.” He answered in a genuine tone, not moved by the fact that Tobias disliked his living arrangements.

Tobias turned back to him, his face showing that he was deep in thought.

“Why don’t you come stay at the mansion then?” Tobias offered.

“What?” Lucas said in confusion. Was the bastard son of his late father inviting him to live in the same house he threw him out of?

“Isn’t it a good offer?” Tobias asked with a cocked head.

“Uh, no, it’s not that. I don’t want to intrude into your personal space.” Lucas argued, his mouth turned down at the offer.

“You won’t be. The mansion has more rooms than I need and, since you are my new bodyguard, I always need to be close to me,” Tobias explained.

“But sir…” Lucas began, but Tobias wasn’t having any of it. He raised his hand to stop Lucas from speaking before he continued, his eyes steely and his voice stern like he was not taking no for an answer.

“It’s not a request, Damien. It’s part of the job or do you not need it anymore?” Tobias mentioned, his demeanor off.

Lucas watched him cautiously, already able to tell how much Tobias was like their father. Cutthroat and demanding.

“I’ll be at the house whenever you want sir.” Lucas replied, not wanting to get on his bad side so early on.

Tobias smiled.

“Great. I’ll have my men pick you up tomorrow morning and take you to the mansion. Be ready.” 

Lucas gave Tobias a nod before he opened the passenger door, got out of the car and walked towards the building. He was close to the door when he heard Tobias’ voice call out to him with a questioning tone.

“Damien. Do you know my mother?” Tobias shouted out, causing Lucas to stop in his tracks. That wasn’t good. He turned back and faced Tobias with a confused and shocked look.

“I don’t. Is there a reason you would ask that sir?” Lucas asked back. He needed to know why Tobias would ask him such a random question.

“Nothing much. She just looked like she knew who you were earlier today.” He said with a face of disbelief.

“Oh,” That was the only thing Lucas could say to that. Tobias’ eyes went dead, and his voice was threatening when he spoke again.

“Don’t get too close to my mother, Damien, because if I ever found out about it, I would kill you. Do you understand?”

Lucas frowned. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

“I understand sir.” Lucas answered, regardless of the list of questions he now had piling up in his head due to that little outburst. 

Tobias turned his attention back to the steering wheel and spoke to Lucas one last time in a playful tone.

“All right. I’ll see you tomorrow. Bring your A game Damien.” He said before the window of his car went back up and the car sped off into the road, calling the attention of passers-by. 

Lucas just stood there and watched the car blend in with the others before he glanced around. Several curious eyes were on him, all of them wondering what someone like Lucas was doing with none other than billionaire mogul Tobias Graham.

Lucas rolled his eyes and sighed when two of the women started to approach him, no doubt to ask for Tobias’ contact information. He turned around and went into the building, ignoring the women and avoiding their questions.

“Who was that?” Grace’s voice reached out to him as he entered the modest lobby.

Lucas looked up at her and answered, expecting her to drool over Tobias like the others.

“Tobias Graham. My new boss.”

“Working for a hot shot then. Congratulations on the job.” Grace said with a small smile before she turned her attention to other things.

“Thanks Grace.” Lucas appreciated it with relief before he went up the stairs and towards his room. 

Once Lucas entered his room and dropped his briefcase onto his bed, he plopped down on the bed and thought about the events of the day and how his emotions had been flipped around constantly. From seeing Emilia to being brought into the family and then being threatened by his new boss. It was all a little bit too much. Nothing that Lucas didn’t expect it to be. 

Regardless of how the day ended and the fact that he had to start packing up what little things he had to go over to the mansion, Lucas was glad about one thing. He was going to be staying in the same house as the people who thought he was dead. He was going to be privy to the secrets that the home held, and he was going to make sure that all of them were exposed to the public. Emilia; and if her son was involved, Tobias, would pay for all that they had done to him and his mother.