Chapter 12 Matteo
MATTEO
Istared at Klaus as he drank deeply from his glass. He seemed different. I’d known him nearly my entire life, and yet I’d never seen him the way he was as he sat at the bar in my office.
His blue eyes sparkled. He smiled. He kept looking down at his phone, that little smile he’d been wearing, dancing on his lips.
Something was going on with him. He was never this way.
My phone rang before I could ask him. I answered without bothering to look at the name.
“Matteo,” Carmine’s deep voice greeted me.
I stiffened.
“Father,” I answered.
“Have you any information for me in regard to the underground fire?”
“None,” I replied, my words quick and tight. “No one talks.”
The old bastard scoffed at that. “Everyone talks if you know how to communicate. Clearly, you lack those skills even after all this time.”
I ground my teeth. Santino had been his golden boy, not me. I wasn’t a fool. I knew my father hated me and was disappointed when Santino fled, leaving me to be his heir.
I also knew he wanted Dominic to take over, but because of his mere existence, I would rather suffer in my role than hand it over.
Of course, a lot of that was changing. I knew Dominic would own the role. He’d been bred and raised for it. I would even go so far as to say he wanted it.
The truth of the matter was, I wanted out. I never wanted it to begin with. No one had killed me yet, but perhaps I survived out of spite.
I knew I planned on taking my father and mother out with me before I went, though. I would not budge on that. It’s likely why I’ve lived so long. To piss them off and to make sure they went with me.
The issue was getting to them.
“I will continue to work on the matter,” I said tightly, knowing damn well I wouldn’t. I’d go through the motions, but that was it.
“Perhaps you ask Dominic for his assistance. I am certain he could get the job done.”
“Or die trying. We wouldn’t want that,” I said.
“I would not,” he replied, “But I am sure it would be a wish on your end, no?”
I chuckled softly at that. “If that is all, I need to get back to work—”
“I am delaying my visit for now. I have matters here that need to be addressed. This nonsense with the underground crumbling has created… issues.”
Dining issues.
“The Palace is always open,” I said, knowing damn well he wasn’t interested in it.
“It does not hold my interest, nor your mother’s.”
“Then I will work faster to ensure the matter is taken care of,” I said.
I wasn’t a liar unless it was to him. I hated him.
Loathed him. If he dropped dead at my feet, I wouldn’t waste the energy to step over his body.
I’d turn and walk away as if he never existed.
The same held true for my mother. If my father were a monster, then my mother was the devil.
Both of them could rot in hell. After I killed him, I’d go for her throat.
“See to it that you do,” he said gruffly. “You are certainly the worst of my children. Despicable and useless, as you always were. Dominic, at his young, tender age, would work miracles in your position.”
“Perhaps some day he will get the chance to please you,” I said softly, catching Alessio’s eye. He shook his head at me to let me know to relax before I dug a hole we’d all get buried in.
“I do hope for it soon, as you’ve been a disappointment to me your entire life. Have you not found a new wife? Created more children?”
“You know the answer to that,” I said.
“Yes, still hung up on the whore you bred all those years ago, I’m sure.”
I ground my teeth and looked away from Alessio, who took a step forward. Even Klaus narrowed his eyes in my direction, that smile he’d been wearing all day falling away.
“Are we done?” I kept my voice even.
He let out a wicked laugh. “Never, Matteo. But we can continue this later. I must feed.”
Of course, the vampire needed to eat. Probably some innocent human who happened along his path.
“Of course you do.”
“Find a wife, or I’ll find one for you,” he snapped at me. “I’ll fuck that whore as well and put a baby in her belly since you can’t even do that right.”
“Goodbye, Father,” I said calmly.
He didn’t reply. He simply disconnected the call.
I let out a long breath and stared out my window at my estate. I hated that man with every ounce of me there was.
“Teo?” Klaus asked.
“I’m fine,” I muttered. “He was only doing what he does best.”
“Antagonizing,” Alessio said. “You did well, brother.”
I grunted at that. I would hardly call that well. My patience had worn thin. Turning back to my friends, I saw Klaus was staring at his phone again. Alessio didn’t seem to notice as he cleaned his gun.
It was just as well. I’d let Klaus have his happiness for today. I would be inquiring about it soon, though.
Alessandro left that evening, looking sad and not wanting to talk. I didn’t like that he was hurting, but he closed himself off. His mother was like that, too. She would shut down on me and go silent when she was hurting.
I would try everything to make her smile, and sometimes she would. With Alessandro, he was no longer a small boy. Tickling him or telling him silly stories didn’t work like it used to. Instead, I stepped aside and let him go, citing that he could talk to me if he needed to.
Of course, I was not making matters better as I stood outside his fiancée’s door that night.
I hated that I was this way.
Breathing out, I pushed open Bianca’s door and stepped into the room. I expected to find her in bed since it was late, but instead she was sitting in the window seat, staring out at the night.
“Can’t stay away, huh?” she murmured, not bothering to turn to look at me.
I approached her slowly.
“I seem to be a glutton for punishment,” I replied softly, stopping next to her to look out at the dark gardens far below.
She didn’t respond to that. Instead, she continued to stare out the window.
I cleared my throat. “Are you hungry?”
She finally turned to look at me. “I could eat.”
“Come.” I nodded for her to follow me.
Quickly, she scrambled off the window seat and followed me downstairs in silence. I wasn’t sure what to say to her. I felt tongue-tied most of the time these days whenever I was around her.
“What would you like to eat?” I asked as we went into the kitchen. I glanced back at her to see her frowning and holding her stomach.
“What is it?” I immediately went back to her as she winced and leaned against the kitchen island.
“They’re kicking,” she said breathlessly. “My ribs.”
Instinctively, I reached out and placed my hand over her stomach just in time to feel a hard kick.
Despite my feelings for Dominic, I could not keep the smile from teasing my lips.
“They’re like their father. Strong,” I said. “Dominic was much the same when Anna was pregnant with him.”
“Really?” She breathed out.
I felt the babies move beneath my hand again.
“Yes.“ I nodded. “Of course, he didn’t have a Russian trying to hog all the space.”
She placed her hand over mine. I looked up from our hands to her pretty face, my heart catching.
“You cared when Anna was pregnant with Dominic?”
I pulled my hand away, went to the fridge, and pulled out a few varieties of jam before grabbing peanut butter and some bread.
She sat at the kitchen island, her blue eyes on me.
“Matteo?” she called out as I made us sandwiches. “Why are you so afraid of feeling anything?”
I slid a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to her.
“Feelings lead to danger, little princess. It’s best to ignore them.”
“By ignoring them, you miss out on a lot of good things in life,” she replied.
I said nothing and bit into my sandwich as she watched me. The girl was unnerving. I expected Dominic and the kings had their hands full with her. I assumed she had moments where she was one hell of an adversary when she wanted something.
She finally gave up and bit into her sandwich, chewing slowly and rubbing her swollen belly.
I hated that she was so damn sweet and seemingly innocent. She was a monster like me, though. She knew how to lure her prey in. She did it with her pretty face and probing questions.
“I cared when Anna was pregnant,” I said softly.
She looked at me with wide eyes.
“I cared,” I repeated. “I feared that he would be my father’s child, though.” I paused before continuing. “What’s worse is that I feared he’d be mine.”
“Why?”
I sighed. “Many reasons. For one, I was afraid of what it meant if he were mine. My old life, with a family already, would be over. Delilah would not want me. She’d never said as much to me, but I could only imagine the pain she’d have been in if she knew I had another child.
I didn’t want that for her. I didn’t want her to live in fear because of my family.
In a way, I was glad she disappeared and was safe.
The other reason was because of how Dominic was conceived. ”
“How was he conceived?” She bit into her sandwich once more and chewed again.
I swallowed hard before I spoke.
“I raped her.”
Her eyes widened as she stared back at me, her sandwich falling back onto her plate.
“What?” she rasped.
“You’re familiar with the family tradition.
” I scoffed. “The father gets to fuck the bride before the groom does. So he did. He forced me to watch. And I did. She cried out for me. Begged me to help her. You see, Anna was a sweet girl. She was quiet. Caring. Compassionate. This life was never meant for her. She should have married a banker or an insurance agent, had a nuclear family, and lived on a tree-lined street with a white picket fence. Instead, she got me and nothing but hell.”
“Why did you do it?” she whispered, her voice shaking.
“I didn’t want to. I was forced to. A gun to my head, literally.
She cried and clung to me. He’d already defiled her.
I finished the job while he watched. I told her I was so sorry.
She only repeated my name over and over.
” I rubbed my eyes as they burned from the memory of that night.
The last thing I wanted was to cry in front of her.
It had been twenty years, but the pain was still there.
“Dominic was born nine months later. We had a paternity test. He came back as my father’s.
My father gloated over it. Rubbed my face in it.
Then he forced me to raise my brother to be my heir.
In reality, Dominic would eventually take over.
He was in the position to because it didn’t matter who his father was.
If it were me, my heir. If I died, he would be next in line as my brother.
My father knew what he was doing. I hated him before all of this, but that?
” I shook my head, the disgust rolling through me.
“He took away the love of my life. My children. And years later, I know he had something to do with Del and Gianna’s deaths. ”
I stared down at my sandwich, my appetite gone.
I didn’t even realize she’d gotten to her feet, but I felt her near me. I turned to look at her.
“I am sorry,” I said, my voice soft. “For all of this.”
“I believe you are,” she said, staring up at me.
I looked away, but was surprised when she reached out and cradled my face, drawing my attention back to her.
“I hate your father, too,” she said. “ For all the pain we have endured.”
“And me?” I asked, resting my hand over hers as she continued to cradle my face.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “And that is really starting to scare me.”
I gave her a sad smile.
“Me too, sweet princess. Me too.”