The Deceiver's Dawn

Adam felt his heartbeat quicken as he stood outside the Corporate HQ of his family. The bag felt unbearably heavy in his pocket. He had finally begun his revenge and he was loving it. 

Even the giggling of Arachne echoing in his mind felt pleasing to his ears right now. 

'Time for you to be a Grand Deceiver~! Place the blame for your own actions upon your own flesh and blood! A good show is about to unfold~!'

'Do you ever shut up? I need to focus. If they figure me out, I am as good as dead.'

'Very well Little Snake~! Do be a dear and entertain me~!'

Arachne fell silent after that and while he still felt it's presence nestled in the corner of his mind, there was now an eerie silence. The silence made him feel more isolated, as though the world around him had frozen in time. 

He shifted his weight nervously, eyes scanning the towering glass structure before him. He couldn't help but recall every conversation, every scheming plot, and every slight that had brought him to this moment.

In the pit of his stomach, he felt the familiar burn of hatred rise once more, but this time it was mixed with a twisted sense of satisfaction. This was what he wanted. 

He took a deep breath to steady himself before he opened the door, striding across the lobby with relaxed and steady steps. He walked past the reception desk heading towards the elevators. 

"Excuse me Sir. Do you have an appointment with someone here? You need to sign in."

Adam's feet came to a stop as he turned to the voice that called out to him. Sitting there was someone he didn't recognize. 

'Someone new huh? Last one didn't even last a month…' 

He flashed her a charming smile as he approached the desk. 

"Sorry Sweetheart..You must be new here. Otherwise how else could I have possibly missed something as sweet as you~?"

His eyes scanned her body, doing his best to act like a total sleazeball in order to irritate her. 

The receptionist's face tightened as she tried her best to remain professional. Even still, Adam could tell she was both disgusted and annoyed. 

"I'm sorry Sir. I have a boyfriend so I am not available for what you seek."

The receptionist took a deep breath to steady herself before continuing. 

Also if you were scheduled to have a meeting, I must apologize but the Senior Executives have been in an emergency meeting since this morning." 

"My siblings called a meeting without me~? How cold! What's your name..Bianca? I will remember that~! Ciao!"

Adam slapped the table lightly before he resumed walking to the elevator, leaving the Receptionist speechless…and terrified. 

"W-What? Your siblings?! A-are you….."

Without looking back Adam called out

"My name is Adam Samael~". 

The receptionist felt cold sweat dripping down her back. She had dared to stop a Samael and had even been slightly rude to him. There was no way she could survive here as a receptionist. She would need to find a new job for sure. 

Adam stepped into the elevator. The elevator doors closed behind him with a soft chime, and for a moment, the entire world outside seemed to melt away. 

The elevator's smooth, metallic walls reflected his sharp eyes, and the hum of the machinery seemed louder in the silence that surrounded him. He barely noticed the subtle scent of polished metal and cleaning solution—it was all too insignificant now.

'Now why did you do that, Little Snake?'

Arachne began to speak inside the elevator, unable to stomach its curiosity about why Adam had acted that way when he could have simply ignored her.

'I wanted to give her a way out before everything comes crashing down. She seemed like a nice lady, and I don't want her to suffer at the hands of my more… licentious siblings.'

'Child… You are far too soft. You will suffer as a result one day…'

'When the dust settles, I don't plan to be left standing. I will answer for my sins then.'

With a soft ding, the doors opened, and Adam stepped out. He was now on the top floor, where Anthony's office and the conference room resided. The thick carpet muffled his footsteps as he walked toward the heavy double doors of the conference room. The atmosphere here was colder, more tense. 

The air in the hallway seemed thicker, as though the walls themselves were suffocating under the weight of secrets.

The heavy doors to the conference room swung open with a sharp clang, and the noise in the room died instantly. The fluorescent lights above flickered once, casting long shadows over the long, gleaming conference table. 

All eyes turned to Adam, who stood in the doorway, his casual stance almost mocking the tense atmosphere that filled the space.

For a moment, no one spoke. The half-siblings exchanged uncertain glances, their irritation palpable in the air like a storm ready to break. Adam's presence alone seemed to send an uncomfortable ripple through the room. 

The sterile, glass-walled conference room felt more suffocating than ever, its cold, impersonal design accentuating the hostility.

Jeremy, the 6th oldest, was the first to break the silence. His tone was dripping with disdain, a smirk curling at the edges of his lips as he sneered.

"Oh, look who finally showed up. The family's resident troublemaker. What, did you get bored doing whatever hooligans like you do?" He waved a dismissive hand. "This isn't your playground, Adam."

"Is that how you talk to the brother who you begged with teary eyes to help you when you got arrested for rape?"

Jeremy's face twisted in displeasure at that being brought up. His face was quickly turning red from anger when Kyle, the 4th child, cut in with a mocking chuckle. The smooth, white walls of the room seemed to grow colder as Kyle's words echoed through the space.

"Damn, Jeremy, you really don't know when to shut up, do you?"

Kyle's eyes glinted with amusement, though his words had an edge to them.

 "But honestly, Adam, what are you even doing here? Don't you know we've got important things to discuss? This is not the place for brats to play. Unless you've suddenly become an expert in corporate affairs."

Melanie, the 3rd eldest, shot Kyle a look of irritation before glancing back at Adam. The overhead lights above her head cast sharp shadows on her face, intensifying her stern expression.

"We don't have time for your little games, Adam. This meeting is about the whistleblower, not your pathetic attempts to make us squirm."

"Oh but Dear sister. I am here to help with that~"

Adam flashed her a fearless smile, his body language still relaxed, and he gave off the impression that nothing they could say would affect him. The reality was that Adam could feel his heart hammering inside his chest, he was utterly terrified!

'Please don't let them figure it out…'.

"Hmmm? Do tell how you are going to help us?"

Blair, the 2nd oldest and the most violent member of the family, leaned back in his chair, looking somewhat amused at the thought that the bastard child was trying to fit in now. His chair creaked ominously under his weight, adding to the tension in the room.

Adam didn't flinch and instead glared back at Blair before he pulled out the bag from his pocket and tossed it onto the table. The bag hit the surface with a dull thud, and a sickly smell of iron seemed to hang in the air.

"What? Did you bring us lunch or something?"

Blair laughed coldly, thinking Adam was messing around again, but his laughter was cut short.

"Well, instead of wasting my time with meaningless bickering with siblings who hate each other, I went out and tracked down our little squealer."

Anthony's eyes widened as he looked at the bag. His gaze flickered toward the dark, reddish liquid leaking from the bag. The sterile lights in the room seemed to flicker as the smell of blood subtly crept into the air.

'I-Is that blood..?!'

"Elise was spilling all of our secrets. I noticed when none of her dark secrets were exposed…"

Paul was horrified as he stared at Adam, who was acting too casual and relaxed as he strode further into the room. His voice was trembling slightly.

"Adam… what did you do?"

Adam pulled out the chair reserved for Elise and sat in it before leaning back, placing his feet on the table. The sharp click of his shoes on the table's edge seemed to cause everyone to flinch slightly. They were starting to fear him. 

"I took care of the issue. The rat won't be spilling any more secrets."

"Stop fucking around, man! What is in the bag?!"

The savage smile that spread on Adam's face sent a chill down everyone's spines as he growled.

"It's the tongue of a rat."