Jason pov
After leaving Helen’s room at dawn, I made my way to my presidential suit, annoyed.
Dante has been calling my phone nonstop throughout the night. I at some point contemplated switching off the phone but decided against it. After realizing that I wasn’t gonna answer jis damn call, he left a message that he is waiting for me in my room.
At first, I didn’t want to leave Helen alone. I mean, what will she think of me if she wakes up to find me gone? After what happened between us? But I know Dante, he is more stubborn than a mule and he won’t leave until I see him.
Pushing the door to my room, my eyes scan the living room and spot him, staring at me with an annoying smirk.
” I swear I am going to kill you if you have nothing important to say.” I bark at him while making my way to my mini bar and pour myself a glass of bourbon.
” Why are you so worked up this morning? ” He asks, smiling. I swear this man knows how to press the right buttons to annoy me. Sometimes, I can’t help but think that he is the weapon formed against me.
Dante is my best friend and confidant. We have been through alot together.
” Try being woken up with a thousand calls and tell me if you will be in a mood to laugh.” I retort, glaring at him.
” Well if you were decent enough to answer my first call, I wouldn’t have called you repeatedly. ” He counters, making me sigh.
” So what do you want? ” I ask him.
” Have you checked your mailbox?” He asks, his tone serious.
” No, why? Is there something I should know about? ” I ask him, my eyes never leaving him. I haven’t checked my emails since that day.
Dante nods.
” I found her.” He adds and my heart sinks.
” You did?” I ask.
” I found her, Jason.” He says, confirming my question. I don’t know how to feel about Dante’s revelation.
” You don’t look happy. ” Dante comments and I look away, unable to meet his gaze. If this news came a day before, I would be thrilled. Fourteen years of searching for her without any success and now she suddenly reappears?
“I am happy. I am just afraid I won’t be able to fulfill my promise to her. ” I reply with a crestfallen expression.
” Why? Is there something you are not telling me?” Dante asks, a confused look on his face.
” There’s a woman…” I start, only to trail off not knowing how to explain to Dante about Helen. As much as she said that there won’t be anything between us after her vacation ends, things changed when I took her virginity. Call me traditional but I am not the type of man to take something so precious from a woman and then treat it as nothing.
I know that my decision will bring dissatisfaction to Helen but that won’t stop me from pursuing her.
” You found another woman?” Dante asks with an accusatory tone.
” Did you forget why you are here in the first place? You trusted a woman and she ended up betraying you. How could you allow another woman into your life when you haven’t gotten over the previous one? ” Dante continues, his tone hard and accusing.
” Don’t fucking act like you understand what I am going through, Dante. That is the difference between you and me. ” I bite out, angry.
” And what difference is that, Jason? Please enlighten me. ” Dante says, a mocking smile on his face.
” The fact that you only see the bad in women. You don’t have any faith in them.” I answer.
” I didn’t say all of them are bad. Only those who come in contact with you. ” He spats, making me glare at him.
” In case you are forgetting, she is also a woman who came into contact with me at some point.” I called him out.
” She is different. She risked her life to save yours and you promised her. Don’t forget, she took care of us both when everyone else deserted us. She is family, Jason. ” Dante reminds me.
Aria, that brave young girl who stood up for us when everyone at the orphanage bullied us. She would hide food from the kitchen just to make sure we had something to eat whenever we lacked.
To get us out of that horrible orphanage, she begged the couple that wanted to adopt her to adopt us instead because my immunity was weak. If I had continued staying in that horrible place, I wouldn’t have lasted a month.
She is the reason why we are here today.
” I know she is. ” I say to Dante, looking down.
” Then why are you doing this, Jason? Why are you trying to replace her when she isn’t even gone yet?” Dante asks and I shake my head.
” I am not replacing her. It is just… I can’t explain it, Dante.” I say to him, a pained look on my face.
” You are acting like a teenager who has just discovered pussy. This is not the time to indulge in a meaningless relationship, Jason. I don’t care who she is, that woman is not worth your time . ” Dante spats, making me glare at him.
” I took her innocence, damn it. Do you want me to be those scumbags who use women and discard them? I did promise Aria that I will take care of her after growing up. I didn’t promise to marry her.” I snap at Dante who just stares at me without any words to refute.
Dante knows that if there’s something I hate is a man who uses women and discards them. He knows why I resent that type of man.
” I am not going to be like him. I won’t make the choices he made in life. I am not going to ruin someone’s life.” I say, my mind remembering my biological father and his choices in life.
He is the reason why I am here today.
” This is so fucked up!” Dante mutters, pulling his short hair in frustration.
” I am going to find Aria and take care of her. Anything she wants, I’ll give it to her. That’s the most I can do. As for Helen, I am going to convince her to be with me. I will take responsibility for her.” I tell Dante and he scoffs.
” Just don’t come crying to me when shit hits the fan.” Dante says, turning around and walks out of my room.
As for me, I pour myself another drink, downing it in one go and closing my eyes.
Why do I have a feeling that things will only get complicated from here.