POV: Raphael
“That’s your woman’s car over there, would you like to stop by and find out if she is doing okay?” Dominic asked me, pointing to Victoria’s car which is parked in front of a restaurant a few miles from his house. It’s on the same road as the restaurant where we had met Dominic earlier today. I wonder if she went back there to meet with that guy. Is she planning to have an affair with him?
“Wait, how do you know she came here, how did you know where I’ll find her?” I asked him curiously. I know he didn’t just point it out of the blue. He looked as if he knew exactly where she was before we even got to that spot.
“Of course I had her followed, what the hell is wrong with you?
Do you think I would let her walk away without a guard?
That’s stupid!
And you need to do better, Ralph, you need to take better care of your woman and treat her special!” He warned me sternly, trying to keep a straight face but failing at it.
“Really?
Are you really going to give me a speech on morals when you just bullied me into funding your revenge mission?” I asked him in surprise. Before we left the house he made it clear to me that if Victoria and I ever hoped to see Claire ever again, I had to fund his revenge mission and see to it that he gets back everything he lost because of me. He didn’t even let me speak with her again because I was going to tell her that he had lied to her about her sister.
Victoria and I do not know anything about their paternity. If anyone should be angry, it’s Victoria who has been kept in the dark all this while. At least Dominic told her the truth the first chance he got, but I didn’t. I left her in the fucking dark and now she is so confused and angry. I hope I have the chance to make it right.
“Drive on, let’s go and handle the important issues at hand. I’ll speak with Victoria when she gets home. She needs her alone time, so I’ll give her the space she desires. For now,” I let out firmly.
“You are so dramatic and crazy, Ralph. That’s one thing I love about you!” he laughed out loudly, rubbing my head roughly like he used to do when we were best of friends. I miss him, I never would have found someone to replace him. Our kind of friendship is one of a kind, I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to the way we used to be.
He is punishing me for what I did to him and his family. I just hope it ends here, I hope he doesn’t decide to take the life of someone I care about just to hurt me. He is nice and cool, but trust me, he can be petty when he decides to and his pettiness always comes at a great price to anyone who dares to offend him.
We were going over to Austin Kendall’s house to have a meeting with Vera Kendall, his wife. Initially, we planned to bring both girls on the same page and get them to visit Eloise to find out the truth about their real parents. But I recalled how Eloise, Victoria’s mom was willing to let me be with her because I know her secrets. She had her reservations about me, she didn’t want Victoria to be with me.
But when I threatened her with the truth, she decided to let me have her as long as I kept her secret. She didn’t care to find out if I was a serial killer or a violent person. She let me have her daughter just to keep her secret. She is a hard-hearted woman and she is willing to do anything to keep her secrets. Even if it means selling off her daughters or hurting them.
The same thing goes with Austin Kendall. When we all thought Claire was in danger in Dominic’s house, he didn’t care about her life. He only wanted his share of the money and he kept pushing for it until I warned him to stay the fuck away from her. He is an asshole, and all he cares about is the money. I guess that is why he could marry a hard-hearted woman like Eloise. They are both crazy in different ways, in fact, they suit each other.
Since both their father and mother are greedy and hard-hearted, we decided to try speaking with Vera, their stepmom. She may be rude and even wicked, but the fact remains that she hates the girls and their mom and she is willing to do whatever it takes to see them unhappy. If she finds out that the girls are searching for their real parents, she may be tempted to help them just to infuriate their mother and remind her just how much she hates her.
‘You should have told me you had a friend as handsome as this guy!” Cindy purred excitedly as we entered their house. She is the one person I didn’t put in mind when I was making these plans. And I wish to hell that I didn’t need this information rely badly. The last thing I need now is a whiny bitch that irritates me like a virus. I pushed her off, giving her a warning look.
“Of course, Raphael. I know you are taken already. But how about this dashing prince charming, is he taken as well?” she asked, moving over to Dominic’s side and caressing his chest.
“Get your filthy hands off me before I cut them off!” he threatens fiercely, earning a smirk from her as she eyes him longingly.
“Rough and tough, huh?
I like, that’s how I like my men.” She purred excitedly, irritating me even more.
“I thought you had a thing for my brother, Nathan. Did you get tired of him already?
Oh wait, let me guess. He finally realized that you are crazy and he kicked you out of his life, huh?” I mocked, earning a growl and a hiss.
“Don’t speak to my daughter that way!” his mom chirped in, sounding a bit offended by my words.
“If you are not going to be polite, I suggest you leave my house right now!” she warned.
“Well technically, it’s not your house if the girls decide to come over and claim their possession, right?” I asked her teasingly, pulling her legs.
“I know what you are doing, you are trying to get me to talk before an agreement is signed. But I won’t fall for your tricks. Like I told you on the phone when you called to ask me about the paternity of those brats. I won’t talk unless an agreement is reached. I’m willing to talk, only if you are willing to pay. So tell me what I’ll get in return,” she asked me sternly.
“State what you want, and while you do, I need you to think hard about it and pick something you deserve. Don’t forget that you did nothing to keep your husband out of the house while we were here, we achieved that part on our own.” I reminded her. She was supposed to get him out of the house but she couldn’t. So I had Carl call him over with an offer from my company. That’s why he is out.
“I want you to get my daughter engaged to your brother.” She lets out firmly, her face looking so serious. To be honest, I wanted to laugh out loud, but when I saw the seriousness of her face, I knew she was serious about her demands. I could only stare at her in shock because I don’t know how she think I would get Nathan to be with Cindy if he doesn’t want to.
“How the hell do you think I can get him to do that, why the hell will I ever want to do it?” I asked in shock.
“It’s a simple trade actually. I tell you how you can find the family of both girls and you get your stupid girlfriend to sign over the comp to my daughter next week. You do know that it’s her birthday next week, don’t you?” she asked me, smiling evilly.