"I’m pretty sure I’d be aware if I was getting married," I told Mr. Laforteza, still trying to wrap my head around his words.
A beat later, a disturbing thought occurred to me. "Unless you’re planning to marry me off, and you’re not, are you?"
"It’s just for a period of time until I’m able to sort things out," he said, scratching his forehead with both his index and middle fingers as if struggling to maintain his composure.
His visibly unsettled demeanor sparked a flicker of worry within me, though I couldn’t quite pinpoint why.
"If this is all you had to tell me, then let’s not waste any more of each other’s time," I said, reaching for my phone to end the timer, my gesture a clear indication that our meeting was at an end.
But before I could stop the timer, his hands shot out in a calm, yet urgent gesture, covering mine.
"Hear me out," he said, his voice low and measured. A pause, and then he added, "Please."
I studied him for a moment, and what I saw made my curiosity deepen. Mr. Laforteza was acting out of sheer terror. His eyes held a haunted look, and his entire demeanor screamed of desperation. But what was driving this fear, I had no idea.
I withdrew my hand and leaned back on the seat.
He sighed and rubbed his temples again. "I got into a situation with some people. A child ran up to me, and I thought she was trying to beg for food or something. My guards weren’t with me at the time. I tried to dismiss the child, but she wouldn’t budge. So, I gave her the cupcake Celia had given me to hand over to... Maya. You remember Maya, don’t you?" He asked, looking at me for acknowledgment.
I nodded, familiar with Maya, their former cook, who had worked here during my time within these walls.
What puzzled me, though, was why Celia wanted Mr. Laforteza to hand over a cupcake to her in the first place. As if sensing my confusion, he continued to clarify.
"I’ve been courting Maya," he said, pausing again as if expecting a reaction from me.
The news was new to me, but I remained expressionless.
He was a grown man, free to make his own choices. And since his legitimate daughter, Celia, was aware of the situation, I assumed it was a progressing relationship.
I glanced stylishly at the timer, my gaze a subtle reminder that time was ticking, and he needed to get to the point.
"I’d been planning on how to propose to Maya and I asked Celia for inspiration. She sent me a cupcake... and I didn’t think it had anything to do with our discussion about the proposal. It was when I got inside my car, Celia called to ask me if I had gotten the ring. I told her no, that I only got a cupcake…"
Oh my goodness, I hated that I already knew how the story was going to end.
"I rushed out, desperate to find the child, and that’s when I saw her: pale and trembling on the floor, surrounded by three men, the half-eaten cupcake still clutched in her hand. I rushed over to check the cupcake, and my heart sank when I found the ring was gone..."
"Hold on a second," I tried to hold back an amused chuckle. "You mean to tell me when you went there, it was solely to get the ring and not to check on the child?"
This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.
"Well, I offered to take the child to the hospital when I saw the state she was in... hoping they could also extract the ring. Not that I’d want Maya to wear it again," he said, his tone eerily nonchalant.
’Oh my goodness Is he serious right now?’ I wondered to myself.
He continued. "The men refused. To cut the long story short... the child is not doing well. She’s barely hanging onto life."
The news was devastating but then again, he is a Laforteza, a man born into old money, with a family legacy of wealth and influence that spanned generations. Someone of his stature and means shouldn’t have been facing this kind of problem. He had the resources, the connections, and the power to make things happen. And yet, here he was, looking worried and helpless.
This stark contrast between his situation and his usual aura of confidence and control only piqued my curiosity. I sensed that there was more to the story, so I decided to hit the nail on the head.
"I don’t see how this concerns me," I said, shrugging. "You’re loaded with money; you can take her to a top-notch hospital and ensure she receives the best care. Besides, I’ve heard that with modern surgery, they can fix just about anything these days."
"That’s the thing... it’s not just a matter of fixing it. They won’t even let me take her." He ruffled his neatly combed hair in exasperation, a gesture that caught me off guard.
Okay, something was definitely wrong. He never played with his hair; he was always impeccably composed.
"The silver stone burnt her in ways I still can’t explain," he said, his voice laced with frustration. "And that’s impossible... silver can’t do that. But they keep threatening me, and now that it looks like the little girl won’t make it... they’ve set their sights on taking me down, and everything my ancestors have built."
I was taken aback. Huh? That didn’t make sense. It wasn’t his fault, technically. So they can’t do that by law.
"Take them to court, then," I suggested, trying to offer a logical solution. "Since they’re not accepting your help and have started posing a threat to your life, it’s time to take legal action."
But my words only seemed to infuriate him. "You think if I hadn’t tried it my way, I would be reaching out to you?" he yelled, his face reddening with anger. There he was - the Mr. Laforteza I was used to: powerful, commanding, and intimidating.
"These people are dangerous!" he exclaimed, his voice dripping with conviction. "I’ve seen it with my own eyes. They won’t hesitate to destroy everything I’ve built, everything my family has worked for. They’re not just threatening me, they’re threatening our entire legacy."
It all clicked into place now. I understood his frustration, his desperation. And I realized why he’d mentioned me getting married.
He’d been willing to offer me up to them, to sacrifice me, in exchange for what they were threatening to take from him. Because to him, I was worthless.
I was expendable, a pawn to be used and discarded. I meant nothing to him.
Mr Laforteza’s eyes zeroed in on me, assessing as if reading my thoughts. "I had no choice. It was a condition for them, a way of settlement from... wherever they came from." He let out a deep exhale before he continued. "Look, it’s just temporary. There’s supposed to be an agreement. As long as the girl recovers, you can return. But if she doesn’t... you’ll become theirs. But I’m doing my best to make sure—"
"Then why didn’t you think to offer Celia?" I asked, the ache in my chest a surprise. I thought I’d long stopped caring.
Mr. Laforteza’s silence was all the answer I needed. I laughed, the sound bitter and hollow. "Of course," I spat out, the words tangled in my laughter.
"I will pay you whatever you want." he offered.
This is—God. This is funny.
"No," I say to him. To myself.
"I’m sure Celia wouldn’t mind filling in, though. After all, you’re her father, and it’s your mess. You can’t have strangers cleaning up after you, now can you?" I met his eyes squarely as I asked him this.
I’d thrown his own words back at him, referencing the countless times he’d made it clear that I was nothing more than a stranger to him, an unwelcome guest in his life.
When he didn’t respond I slid my phone into my pocket with determination. "I have a life and I am going back to it."
"Do you?"
I stopped halfway through turning around. "Excuse me?"
"Do you have a life, Nadia?"
I scoffed. To think he can’t fathom to hide his disdain towards me even when he needs my help.
"I’m leaving. Good luck finding someone else." I took a few steps backward, cheerfully waving my hand.
"Wait," he stopped me again, a pleading edge creeping into his tone, which was almost entertaining.
"My ten minutes aren’t up yet."
My phone chose that very moment to beep. "Exquisite timing." I let out with a smile. "It would displease you to know that no amount of time will change the outcome of this conversation."
I reached for the doorknobs and opened it.
"Goodbye, Mr Laforteza. See you when I see you."
"You’d walk away even if this involves getting to know about your real birth parents?"
I paused from walking out of the room and slowly turned to him.
Did he just say parents?
He straightens from his desk full of something that could be hope.