"I think you're overreacting," Nathanial said as we sat down on a couch in his mother's backyard. "Oliver is a good guy. I've tested him and had enough time to see if he's decent or not," I took a sip of whiskey as I watched the sun slowly setting in the far.
"I don't know. The entire timeline is very strange," I suggested. "I mean, three years ago, he leaves Marion and then comes here even though the merge hadn't happened yet."
"Nicolas, you'll drive yourself mad if you keep getting paranoid like this," he told me. "Brielle is fine and so is Eva. And if something does occur, you're now together. You're more than capable of taking care of her," he assured me, making something in my stomach turn. I didn't like the sound of that no matter how much he was trying to reassure me.
"I just got them back. I don't want to lose them," I took another sip.
"You won't. Just get whatever is going on with Eduardo under control. That is the one thing that can indefinitely hurt all three of you."
I had to go back to Italy as quickly as I could and after a few days in the States, Vittoria along with Gio left for Sydney where they would spend some time together. The last thing they needed was to wind up in another family disruption. Mattia was also gone, back with his wife in Milan. My mother stayed behind and it was for the best.
After all, Natalia was more than welcoming towards my mother and was delighted to have her stay in her home. I felt much more at ease, knowing she was happy and not under the wrath of my father. Especially when he can get furious with anything that I do without his permission.
"Can I use one of your offices tonight?" I glanced at Nate, who looked at me with a frown.
"Sure, but why would you want to spend an evening there when you can be with your fiancé and daughter?"
"It's not that I don't want to be with them, I have to finish up the draft for the documents, Nate. I want them ready for when I go back," I explained. "I won't take long."
"Fine. Your office is always ready," I thanked him and downed the rest of my drink. I did have an office at the Matrix because I used to visit Nathanial relatively often. Now, I had other things on my mind and thus couldn't be here so much.
Twenty minutes later, I found myself in that office, looking over the beautiful city skyline. I'd missed New York for its skyscrapers but other than that, my home across the ocean was far better.
I was completely alone apart from a few other night owls here and two security guards by the elevator. The place was engulfed in darkness, except for the desk lamp on my desk. My office was right next to Nate's but wasn't occupied very often. It reminded me of my space back in my office in Italy but was slightly smaller and definitely had the best nighttime view.
Sitting down on the desk chair, I powered up the computer and logged in, going through multiple security walls to access my documents. I pulled up my copy of Eduardo's terms and conditions for the succession and read through it carefully a millionth time.
I edited a few lines with my own remarks and changed a few of the terms to fit my own situation. Allegra was ready to lie to my father and tell him whatever I need him to believe. I was fooling her in the process but she should've known better. Yes, she was a pawn in my game but not from the beginning. I'm just delighted I won't actually need to have children with her.
Brielle apparently took care of that.
"How convenient to find you here," I almost flinched but somewhere in my stomach I felt something bad approaching. I just didn't expect to see my father in the doorframe.
"What are you doing here?" He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.
"Allegra told me," he said, making me slightly nervous. What if she had told him the truth, not what she promised me she'd do? "Congratulations," he showed a small smile. "I didn't think you were that serious about your life."
"Having children is not the end of the world, you know?" He sat down on one of the armchairs in front of my desk. Because of the dim light, I couldn't see much of him, only the shadows that the light cast on his countenance which was carved with many wrinkles by now. "I can't sit here and wait for years until you're dead, can I?" He chuckled. "After all, you also didn't have them because of love, did you?"
"I love your mother, Nicolas. There's no discussion about that."
"Then where the hell is that love?"
"I love her. I tell her that every damn day, Nico. You just don't understand how the underworld works," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I devoted myself to the job. You will do the same eventually and it will strain your relationship," I tried not to let his words get to me. "I never wanted to be mean to your mother and I try my best to be the man she married, not the one she ended up with. But the responsibilities will make you do things you may not necessarily want to do," he glanced around the room, eventually setting his eyes on the window behind me. "I could not imagine losing her, Nico. That's why I pulled myself away. Not because I hate her or resent her for God knows what reason but because I can't let myself get lost in her so much that it would mean she could be stolen from me any second." I gripped a pen I was holding so hard, it snapped in half. Eduardo looked down at my hands but said nothing about it.
"Why are you telling me this?" I said, trying my best to keep my anger at a decent level.
"I'm warning you. I know that Allegra isn't someone you like so much but if you one day do, then be prepared for this," he said.
I wasn't really sure if he was being genuine at that moment but it did make me wonder if I could ever turn out like my father. I was his blood. The result of his parenting and actions. But for the life of me, I could not fathom the idea of treating Brielle the way he treated my mother. None of them were forced to live in such circumstances and none of them really knew what they were getting into.
"But I am happy for you, Nico," he looked down at his hands, now resting on his lap. "I hope you'll understand why I wanted you to be perfect when you'll have your own," he met my eyes, making me feel nothing but stunned beyond words.
"You're not serious, are you? Are you trying to tell me that you hope I abuse my child for the sake of making her a better leader? Is that what you think I'm going to do? Ruin my child's childhood beyond repair and then begin hurting my wife in the process?"
"Her?" He asked, beginning to frown when I realised that that pronoun must've slipped past my lips. I had to be careful not to mention my daughter to him but his words enraged me so much, I began thinking about ways to just murder him right here and now.
I could never raise a hand against Evara. How could any parent take their anger and frustration on their own child I would never understand even if I was the victim of it. He might say he did it out of love or out of commitment to his duties but ultimately, a parent's obligation was to raise their kids with the best possible intentions. Not to abuse them and hence ruin their future owing to it.
"Allegra thinks it'll be a girl. It must've slipped out," Eduardo's lips twitched. "But seriously, what got into you?"
"Oh, sorry," I looked behind him, thinking some intern accidentally entered the office by mistake but I frowned at the sight of Brielle. She was about to close the door until my father spoke.
"Brielle, please come in," I looked back at my father and was about to interject when he smiled at me and looked back at the door. Bri was looking at me for any kind of signal but at this moment, I didn't know what else to do apart from nod and tell her to come in.
She didn't even look at Eduardo as she closed the door and watched my face for any clue that I might give her.
Gods, she was beautiful.
"Did you forget something here?" I asked, trying to seem like I had not a single emotion towards her.
"N-No, well, yes. I just mistook your office for Nate's. He asked me to get something," she flashed her beautiful smile towards me before looking down at my father. "I don't want to interrupt your... whatever."
"No, stay," my father said.
"Let her go, papa," he met my eyes. "She came here by incident," I said as I began to print the documents with the final revision. "And now that you are here," I moved in the chair towards the printer which was a few feet away from the computer. I waited for ten pages of our deal to be printed before I took the warm paper fresh with ink and slid them into a white folder I had on hand. "Here," I passed the folder onto him and placed a black pen with The Matrix engraved on it beside the papers. "Sign it," I ordered him.
Eduardo looked down and hesitated to even take as simple a thing as a pen but then grabbed the folder and flipped through the contents inside.
"I delivered my end of the bargain, Eduardo. Sign the paper." His eyes skimmed down the words and I managed to use this moment to glance at my fiancé, standing by the door. She hid her left hand behind her as she rested her back against the wall and watched what was happening here.
I return my eyes to my father who now grabbed the pen and set the folder on the desk. He flipped to the final page and set the tip of the pen onto the dotted line where his and my signatures must go. I felt like I would feel relief fill me after so long but he smiled and looked at me, the pen still touching the paper but not moving an inch.
"You made her lie, didn't you?"
"Sign the document, Eduardo." He leaned back in the chair, dropping the pen onto the table.
"You are a fucking liar, you know that, right?" I smiled and was about to tell him how much he had lied to me over the years when Brielle pulled away from the wall with her phone in her right hand.
"Bri, stay out of this," I warned but she looked more certain than ever to do whatever she had in mind.
"I'd suggest you sign the papers, Eduardo," the man looked back to look at her and frowned. "It's not that difficult to scribble a signature and finally retire." I stood up from my chair and rested my hands on the table.
"Fiore, please. You don't need to get caught in this-"
"Careful how you speak, little girl. I think you're forgetting that everything is still in my hands," Eduardo said and a sly smile appeared on my girl's face which made my skin crawl.
What the hell is she thinking?
"I know that I might have used you but I feel like it's fair after the way you've treated my fiancé," my eyes widened at the word before my father looked between the both of us, flabbergasted. I watched Brielle as she tapped on her phone and a recording began to play.
"You're hiding something, Brielle. I know that," I heard Eduardo's voice say as a frown appeared on my face.
"Just like you are hiding things from everyone else," Brielle said and I noticed the way my father's muscles tensed as he tried his best to remain in his seat. "Do you know me from before?" She asked.
"Why should I tell you anything? You still have feelings for my son," Brielle chuckled as an override of feelings washed over me.
"You're blind, right? I have a man back home. I don't need Nicolas and any of your mafia bull crap, Eduardo. I moved on long ago. Maybe you should too and explain to your family what you've done with that poor woman," I couldn't hide the surprise her boldness brought me. Other than that, her ability to lie straight to his face astounded me. "You have an opportunity to clear your image before Nicolas finds out and yet you're hung up in some deluded world where you're the boss of the world. News flash, you're not." I would've smiled if I hadn't known what would come from this eventually.
I could not believe that it would actually happen.
"It is because I don't want him to find out that I'm keeping it all a secret," Eduardo said.
"You're afraid that he'll find out you helped some girl to steal from your own family for what?"
"It is because she reminded me of you that I did that!" My father shouted and stood from his chair in the present to reach Brielle's phone. Like a reflex, I grabbed my gun from the holster attached to my body and aimed it right at his temple, turning the safety as I did.
"Don't even think about touching her," I warned before the recording continued playing.
"Greta was a struggling girl with a fucked-up father that cared about money and wealth. Nothing more. She and I met unexpectedly and I felt bad for her, alright? Is that what you want me to tell you? Greta was a sad woman that had no love from her father. What else was she supposed to do?"
"You couldn't manage to love and provide for your own children?"
"They were fine-" I heard Brielle scoff, making that familiar warm feeling spread in my chest.
"Imagine what Nicolas would've become if he let you get the best of him-"
"For a woman who claims to have moved on, you sure seem to be infatuated with him."
"I have lots of respect for the man that I once had feelings for. You would know something if you had a fucking heart but you don't."
"It's not very ladylike to curse."
"Bite my fucking ass," I couldn't stop myself from releasing an amused breath. I could tell Brielle was looking at me while I stared at the man that so easily revealed so much to a woman, he disliked more than myself. "Why did you help her if you knew she could've used your old ass?"
"She didn't."
"Was she-she loved you?" My entire heart dropped down to my stomach. "You cheated on your wife, didn't you?" I saw the way Eduardo's jaw clenched as he stared at Brielle while the truth continued to spread. "You fell in love with a woman far damn younger than you and you let her fuck you over? Oh, my gods," Brielle breathed out in the recording.
"You don't know anything. You do not know ANYTHING!" Eduardo shouted in the recording before he hit something close to the microphone and a scream tore out of Brielle's throat, making my eyes burn with fire. In an instant, I glanced at Brielle who shook her head lightly, reassuring me she wasn't harmed.
"You helped her because you felt bad about Nicolas, didn't you? That's what you told me you messed up many years ago, right? You thought you could help another young soul and thus save yourself from the guilt that had trapped you because of all that you did to your own son." I felt my heart racing inside my chest as her words registered to me. "You thought that it would make you feel better yet you failed to comprehend that by doing so, your son would never get better. It wouldn't mean anything to him and yet you cared about your own pain."
"Stop this," Eduardo said so quietly, I thought for once in my life I could see him so helpless. I just never thought that it would be in front of Brielle.
"What about the family that you value so much? Shouldn't have you thought about them before letting some stranger waltz into your family's business?"
"Brielle, stop this-"
"Have you spoken to her? Eduardo. have you spoken to Greta?"
"Yes. I have. Now get the hell out of my office before I hurt you," my blood began to boil.
He should be fucking glad he warned her and let her leave because if he had laid a single fucking finger on her, I would've let hell break loose.
Consequences be damned.
"When?" Brielle asked. "When, Eduardo?"
"Get. Out!" Eduardo shouted.
"If you really feel guilty about everything that you've done to Nicolas, then maybe you should let him take over once and for all. Leave his life and give him the piece he deserves. Don't try to shape him into someone he isn't," Brielle said before the recording ended and silence overruled the room, we were in.
"Sign the papers, Eduardo," Bri said as I continued comprehending what I had just found out.
"Fuck you," he spat out. "You fucking cunt! You're just like your pathetic mother and father," he shouted before I fired right at his shoulder, a groan erupting from his mouth. I walked sound the desk and gripped the man's throat with my hand before I looked him right in the eyes and saw the sliver of pain hidden behind them.
"Take back the words you just said about my future wife, who you will bow down to so low, you'll be able to feel the heat of hell touch your face," I said almost through clenched teeth and saw him force a smile.
"You think it's so fucking easy, don't you? The protection you have from Angelo will evaporate the moment you file for divorce," he said before I pressed his fresh wound with my hand, making him scream.
"Keep talking and you'll end up dead," I lowered my voice before I pushed him onto the ground and couldn't help myself from unleashing all of the anger, I've felt towards him. My fist collided with his face over and over as I felt wetness coat my cheeks.
All of this time he was using me for his own advantage. He saw nothing but the crown in his eyes. Nothing but the wealth and benefits that came with being on the top.
He tried to ruin me and shape me into some doll he could later utilise and manipulate. He thought he could do that.
"Apologise to my fucking wife, you piece of shit!" I shouted in Italian as I delivered another punch to his face that now dripped with blood and probably had a few broken bones at this point. "Brielle, bring me the papers and pen," I ordered before punching him again. I grabbed what I needed from her and placed the folder down on the floor, my bloody fingers leaving behind crimson prints on the white sheets. I put the pen in his hand and scribbled his signature that I had practically memorised by this point. It was ugly and looked like an old man, who had lost all ability to lift a pen but needed to sign his will, and had managed to scribble with the help of a doctor.
"You are a disgrace," he managed to mutter before I smiled at him and stabbed the damn pen into his other shoulder, another scream piercing the air.
"Tell that to the fucking devil," I said in Italian before I stood up, my hand covered in blood. I walked back to the desk and dialled Nate's home number with the phone on the desk.
"This better be fucking good," he answered, sounding annoyed.
"Save the sex for later and come to the office unless you want Eduardo to bleed out to death," I said and hung up, knowing he would get the message. I turned to the side where Brielle stood and stared at Eduardo struggling to breathe. I wiped my hands against my pants before I approached her and placed my hands on her waist. "It's okay, fiore," I placed my lips against her forehead before she looked up at me.
I hadn't seen her in such a state since the hell of our siblings' wedding. She looked as though she had lost every damn spark in her eyes and nothing could bring it back.
"Amore, what's wrong?" I hoped I hadn't taken this too far in front of her but I knew she was stronger than that. I tried to run back the memories of the entire evening until I came to the words my father said to her before I unleashed my anger against him.
You fucking cunt! You're just like your pathetic mother and father.
You're just like your pathetic mother and father.
Eduardo knew them.
He was fully aware of their existence and apparently was well acquainted with them if he thought of them as 'pathetic'.
An idea crossed my mind but I didn't dare to mention it to her. I just pulled her closer to my chest and felt her shoulders drop before a sob escaped her mouth. I wrapped my arms around her, feeling guilty about everything she had to go through and witness.
Brielle did not deserve to be under Eduardo's wrath and there was no way that I would ever let him hurt her in any way he could. I made a mental note to speak to Natalia the moment she would calm down and end this madness once and for all when the door burst open and Nate appeared in the room with the two guards from the elevator.
"What the actual fuck?" I didn't bother looking down at the man on the floor. Nate ordered the two men to take Eduardo out of the room and escort him to the hospital as soon as possible. His eyes were set on Brielle before he even looked at me. "What the fuck?"
"She taped his confession," I said, seeing Nathanial's eyes widen.
"Wh-Brielle, you alright?" she tightened her arms around me before shaking her head. I kissed her head and gently caressed her head with my hand.
"I'll tell you later," I whispered. "I apologise for the mess," I said as Nate grabbed the documents off the floor and looked through them. "But as the newest don of the Salucci famiglia, I'll cover all costs," he looked at me in disbelief. "There was no way he could've defended himself for the things he did with Greta." I looked down at Brielle who was pressed against my body as she cried. "I'll take her back to her place," I said. Olessia had come from work and decided to spend the evening at Brielle's with Evara. I knew that I would have to explain this entire situation further to another person but I couldn't be more grateful to Nate's sister for her kindness.
And further that, I couldn't be fucking prouder of Brielle. How she managed to make him speak, I didn't know and frankly, I didn't need to. The job was done, the debts were almost paid and we had only a few things left in between us until we got our happy ending.
I picked Brielle up before she rested her face against my chest and I carried her out of the room.
"Make as many copies, real and digital as you can while I go fix this," Nate nodded.
"I'll go to the hospital later. We don't want any discrepancies," I nodded before heading towards the elevator. I placed a kiss on her head as I held her in my arms and felt my heart sting in every way. I despised seeing her like this. It made my heart wrench at the sight of her in so much pain even if it wasn't physical.
"I love you, Bri. AndI'm so fucking proud of you," I placed another kiss on her head as we waitedfor the elevator to reach the garage. "So damn proud of you."