Shackled (The Lord Series) by Carlos
330. Tyson - Revelations VIII

After I finish telling Ansel and Stefan what we found out, Rueben finally calms down enough for me to continue with the questions. Ansel is still on the line, and Rueben gives me his phone. "Let me guess this: Jon and Khloe asked for their last embryo to be disposed of, but Azael, who wanted to see all his hard work bear fruit, chose Hannah as a surrogate since she was related to Olivia." Maddox doesn't reply, but I take that as a yes. "And Jason?"

"He is Senator Deymar's biological son. But you are wrong about Hannah. Azael didn't choose her, not wanting to risk Jon and Khloe discovering his plans."

Despite Senator Deymar claiming that Khloe had been a pornai, he couldn't be farther from the truth. Khloe came from a wealthy family, but they were very influential not only among the Dukes but also within the city as well. Jon comes from a long line of Duke Patriarchs.

On one occasion, Jon told me it took him a while to understand who Azael really was. That's when he started distancing himself from the Dukes. Some followed him. But I don't understand why Azael wouldn't have wanted Jon to know about Olivia. Maybe he thought that Jon would try to take Olivia away from Hannah?

Maddox keeps speaking. "Twenty-three years ago, the facility was disguised as a fertility clinic, but they also offered other services to future mothers. In reality, they were looking for hellstars. Women went there looking for assistance with different reproductive health problems and willingly gave their blood to be tested, only they weren't told the entire truth.

"Azael chose another woman to be the surrogate, but something happened that day, and there was a big mix-up of names and persons. Three women visited the clinic that day. One was Hannah, another one was Francesca, and the last one was a pornai." The name Francesca pops out because my stepmom had the same name. Also, it can be a coincidence, but something tells me it's not. "The pornai was supposed to be the surrogate because Azael wanted Olivia to have the worst life possible so he could become her savior. He wanted her to love him and only him." Azael must be the biggest case of narcissism that I've ever seen.

"The doctor who took care of implanting the embryo mixed not only the women but their names as well, and why they were there from what I learned, it was not his first day but the other staff was dealing with a fire that started in another part of the facility. One was there for her annual check-up, one to become a surrogate, and the other was to check up on her baby. It so happens that all three of them were pregnant, but only one knew. When Hannah entered the clinic, she was pregnant with only one child; when she drove back home, unbeknownst to her, she was carrying 'twins.' Jason and Olivia. The other two women returned to their normal routines. When Azael, who was out of town with important Dukes' matters, went to see if everything went according to plan, he became enraged when he was told that the transfer was successfully implanted into Francesca Carr."

This is worse than I thought.

"What!?" Rueben growls. Ansel is silent.

"For years, Azael believed Camila was his Anti-Christ. He would meet up with her, and he would fill her head with all sorts of things. If he couldn't break her, he would become her mentor."

I can see why Azael would have mistaken Camila for Olivia. The two of them looked very alike. They even had similar hair color, the same height and even the same smile.

"How the fuck did Azael get close to Camila without anyone realizing it?" Rin snarls.

Rueben glances at me, and I know what he's thinking. "Camila's kindergarten teacher."

I have never met Mr. Orton, but I've heard a lot about him. Camila was very attached to him, and he even visited her several times. She kept in touch with him until she died. The next question comes. Again, from Rin. "How come no one knew the teacher was Azael?"

The perfect disguise to get close to Camila.

Maddox replies. "As an Archangel, he is stronger than many think. He can change vessels whenever he wants."

"But how come he was still an angel when he was Lucifer's right hand?" Yan huffs.

"Azael tricked even Lucifer. He never gave up on being an angel," Ansel says. His reply takes me by surprise because I almost forgot he was on the phone.

What Maddox says makes sense. "Tell us more about Azael and Camila," Rueben demands.

"He gave her tasks she had to complete, like finding answers to complicated questions he had for her, all sorts of puzzles, or would make her look for things around the city. He also taught her about Pandora but a twisted version of what really happened back then." When did Camila have time to do all of this? While she went to dancing classes, she was, in reality, learning something else entirely. "I assume that he told her about the daggers and that she needed to find them. His plan would have worked if not for Olivia. The friendship between Olivia and Camila had been crucial." Maddox frowns. "One thing I never understood is how Camila had so many similarities with Olivia."

"She could mirror Olivia's powers," Ansel says. "She even tricked the demons in the Catacombs."

Maddox nods. "Now it makes sense."

"What happened to the woman who was supposed to be the surrogate?" Rin asks.

"She returned to doing what she did best, fucking men, and Azael forgot about her."