POV: Victoria
“He was here to remind me that he knows where to find my family if I dare to defy him. He gave me this phone, I’m guessing he wants to be able to call me anytime.” I responded. Now that I’ve told him the truth, it’s not so difficult to respond to his questions anymore.
“Where is it?” He inquired, his voice still form and hoarse. I handed him the phone and he connected a USB cable to it and plugged it into his laptop. He tapped on his keyboard endlessly, cursing too loudly when he encountered anything that he wasn’t expecting to see on it. He handed me the phone when he was done with it,
“Call him now. Call him and tell him you are not interested in his deal anymore. I want to hear you end your business deal with him. Do it now!” he ordered me.
“What about the video of us that he has?
He said he had my nude pictures and videos of us in the hotel room. What am I going to do if he leaks out those pictures and videos?
What are you going to do?” I asked him.
“I don’t give a damn what he does with them. I’m only concerned about your loyalty and commitment. Pick up the damn phone and call him right now!” he ordered. I felt so scared and confused. I didn’t want Nathan to release the picture, at the same time I didn’t want to lose Raphael’s trust.
I picked up the phone and I dialed the only number stored on it. He kept his eyes on me, watching my reaction. My hands were shaking as the phone rang in my ears, but I knew in my heart that Ralph wouldn’t put me through such an ordeal. If he lets me call his brother, it means he has a way of making the pictures and videos go away.
I have this strong belief that he would not let me be humiliated. So I let the phone keep ringing. It rang for a while before he picked it up and I heard his voice in the receiver. But before I could respond, Raphael snatched the phone from my hand and ended the call. Then he put the phone on flight mode so he wouldn’t call me back immediately.
“Good girl,” he commented excitedly.
“What do want me to do when he calls?” I asked him.
“Take his calls and tell him anything he wants to know. I want you to answer his question the way you would if I didn’t know about your arrangement with him.” He told me.
“You want me to snitch on you?” I asked him in surprise.
“You were going to do it anyway, so what’s the big deal?” he scoffed. I want to tell him how sorry I am, but he seems uninterested in my apologies. He told me I should act normal and never let Nathan know that he was aware of our deal.
“You are now a part of my life, Vee. My enemies would try to get to me through you. They may want to hurt you just to get to me. I need to know that you are on my side. I need to know that I can trust you with my life.” He confided.
“The next time you lie to me again will be your last. I must warn you, if you are with me, you must keep to my rules, you must never try to double-cross me. It’s going to be difficult for Nathan, but with me by your side, you will pull through. This is your chance to pull out if you cannot do it, once we begin this journey, you will be mine and there is no backing down.” He told me sternly.
“Are you in?” he repeated. I nodded to affirm my resolve to do this with him. I wish I could say that I was doing it for him. He may think that he is using me, but the truth is that in going to be using him too.
“If I say I’m in, will you trust me again?” I begged.
“You will have to work hard to earn it,” he responded.
“Sure, I’m in. What about my father, what is going to happen to him?” I asked nervously. I cannot let him find out that I want to use him to get my father out of the way. That will be my little secret. Once I get him to fall in love with me, I’ll be able to use his resources and connection to get my father out of the way and out of our lives.
“The cops have him now. He’ll be released when he makes bail and also settle the bill for the things he destroyed in the hospital. He told me.
“You know, you shouldn’t let him or his family treat you like garbage. You are with me now, that is enough leverage to use. I suggest you use it wisely,” he told me proudly. I smiled warmly. I wonder if I can use his influence to keep Dad locked up for a while. I would prefer he stays incarcerated until mom regains her strength and reclaims her company.
“Get your bags ready, I’ll pick you up in the morning and we will be gone for the whole weekend.” He told me.
“Oh no!
I totally forgot about our plans for the weekend. What about my mom and my sister?
I can’t leave them alone for the whole weekend, my dad is going to come back to hurt them, he will hurt Mom and he will…”
“You think I would leave your family unprotected after the stunt he pulled today?” he asked angrily, his gaze stern.
“While we are away, Carl would have your mom moved to another hospital that has better facilities and security. Your mom would be fine until we get back, I’ll make sure of that,” he assured.
“This is your chance to make a request from me. If there is something you need from me, ask now!” he advised. At first, I shook my head, then I recalled that this was my chance to know the truth about my paternity. Dad had insisted that I’m not his daughter, maybe it’s time to find out the truth.
“This is not a request, it’s a huge favor I need from you, Raphael. I need you to use your resources to do a secret DNA for my dad and me?”