"It’s just for a period of ti 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 deanor sparked a flicker of worry within , though I couldn’t quite pinpoint why.
"If this is all you had to tell , then let’s not waste any more of each other’s ti," I said, reaching for my phone to end the tir, my gesture a clear indication that our eting was at an end.
But before I could stop the tir, his hands shot out in a calm, yet urgent gesture, covering mine.
"Hear out," he said, his voice low and asured. A pause, and then he added, "Please."
I studied him for a mont, 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 deanor scread 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 so people. A child ran up to , and I thought she was trying to beg for food or sothing. My guards weren’t with at the ti. I tried to dismiss the child, but she wouldn’t budge. So, I gave her the cupcake Celia had given to hand over to... Maya. You rember Maya, don’t you?" He asked, looking at for acknowledgnt.
I nodded, familiar with Maya, their forr cook, who had worked here during my ti within these walls.
What puzzled , 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 .
The news was new to , 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 assud it was a progressing relationship.
I glanced stylishly at the tir, my gaze a subtle reminder that ti 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 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 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 n, 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 an to tell when you went there, it was solely to get the ring and not to check on the child?"
"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 n 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. Soone of his stature and ans 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 ," 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 take her." He ruffled his neatly combed hair in exasperation, a gesture that caught off guard.
Okay, sothing 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 , and now that it looks like the little girl won’t make it... they’ve set their sights on taking 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 ti to take legal action."
But my words only seed 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 exclaid, 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 , they’re threatening our entire legacy."
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