Chapter 18 ~ Alexander
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I had good intentions when I woke up this morning. I was going to play nice today. Trying a different approach might have a better outcome than how things have been playing out between us.
I shower and put on my best black Armani suit.
I check my tie in the mirror; grab my wallet and head out my bedroom door to cross the hall, thinking I’d be a gentleman for once, and escort her to breakfast. knocking, she doesn’t answer.
So I open the door and say her name, but the room is dark. She must have already left.
So, I head down the first set of stairs, reach the second landing, and look down to see Carlos and Isabella smiling and chatting away. Jealousy rears its head at the way they smile and get along so well. Isabella is comfortable with Carlos and it pisses me off that all we do is argue.
Overhearing that she slept like a log. I can't help myself, smiling I chuckle as my voice carries over the foyer.
“That’s what happens when you finally trap a bunny and give them nowhere to go.”
They both swing their heads up and look at me. Carlos pinches his eyebrows together in disapproval, and Isabella’s face turns red as she turns and looks at the floor.
I’m so used to taunting her, but I made a conscious effort to try to play nice today.
I make my way down the stairs and with no thought; I cup her head and kiss her temple and tell her good morning.
It feels natural like it's something I do every day; the shocker is it's something I’d enjoy doing every morning.
Her green eyes look at me in stunned silence, and I feel the same. I have no idea why I did that and even more; it annoys me that I liked it too much.
Pulling back from that thoughts, moving past them both, avoiding Carlos’ scrutiny. I turn the corner and head to the dining room, not waiting for her.
I take my seat, and Rose has made a full breakfast. I wasn’t sure what she eats in the morning, so I requested a bit of everything, making sure she has something to eat. It’s our first breakfast, so I’m trying to learn as I go.
She comes over and sheepishly takes her seat. So far, all our meals together, Isabella has run from the room, so I’ll try to be nice this morning. She looks nervous, so I tell her to eat. I even pour her coffee and mix it for her. That’s what normal husbands do, don’t they?
She’s blowing on her coffee cup with both hands, with her long braid hanging off her shoulder. She looks cute like she snuggled up with her sweater by a fire.
So, I ask her how her tit is. I might have gotten overzealous last night and with her struggling, I expect there might be more bruising than I had intended.
She coughs and spits spilling her coffee all over. Her hands are shaking and she is spilling coffee all over the table.
For fuck sakes! Really?
One question sends her into a coughing fit. I am so done with this “be the nice guy” bullshit.
Once she recovers, she wants to grab a coffee from the kitchen and meet me in the foyer. I toss my napkin down, heading for the door when she tells me Carlos is in the office.
I glare at him as I pass by his stunned face and head to my desk and yank out my chair, dropping into it.
“That was fast. Did you even eat?”
“Yes, no.” I wave my hand at him to sit. “I had a bit, but she didn’t eat. She choked on her coffee and spit it everywhere ruining her plate of food.”
I finally look up at him. “Why can’t she just be normal? Just eat one fucken meal without issue?”
Carlos looks at the open office door and then switches to Italian.
“She is normal, Alex. She’s just shy and you need to back off with comments. You’ll only make it worse if you keep picking and pushing at the wounds you already created.”
I can feel my insides shake. I go from annoyed to pissed.
“Are you kidding me right now? Wounds? What fuck’en wounds? I brought her into my home, fed her, and gave her a place to put her art shit. I take her to and from work. Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do?”
Carlos shakes his head as he sits down.
“You don’t understand women at all, do you?”
“What's to understand? Marry, feed, clothe, and protect? That is my job as a husband, isn’t it? That’s what my father does.”
“No, that’s not all your father does for your mother.” He breathes.
“Well enlighten me, Casanova, since you seem to have all the answers.” I look at him, eyebrows raised in question.
“Maybe you should speak to your father on this trip to get a better understanding of their relationship. Watch them, think about how they are together.”
“Fuck you, like you know any more than I do. Triss has you holding your dick in your hands for months, yet you still run back to her every chance you get. I will not cater to her every little need. She needs to toughen up if she plans on taking on the duties of the Organization.”
I look back at my computer and quickly send off a few emails to my office. I plan on spending the day there till I have to pick Isabella up from work. I shouldn’t have pushed the Triss issue, but fuck that; he’s no better running after her every night.
Carlos sighs and stands up.
“Don’t push her to the point of breaking Alex. She’s scared, but she’s a fighter. I can see it, but everyone has his or her limits. Just be careful how far you want to push.”
I stand up and yell in his face, “If you think for one minute I’m falling for this girl, think again, Carlos.
This is a business arrangement, nothing more.
And her fathers made damn sure it follows through, so don’t lecture me on women.
Once the wedding is over, I’ll make sure she’s taken care of, but don’t let the innocent eyes fool you. There’s something more going on here.”
Carlos raises his voice and points at the folder on my desk. “I’m only saying don’t let that folder influence your perspective.”
He gets up and shuts the door.
“If you don’t believe me, ask your father.” He comes over to the chair and leans over the back of it, glaring at me.
“Do you honestly think he’d put her in your path to fuck you over? Like this is some sort of test he’s playing?” His hands grip the back of the chair, turning white.
“I love you like a brother, but you can be a real dick. She’s innocent in all this and you’re too goddamn stubborn to see it because you might actually like her.”
He backs up and points at me. “And that, my friend, freaks you out.”
I rise and lean over my desk, switching back to English, “Fuck you, Carlos, you have no idea how I feel about shit. I’m done with this conversation. Let’s drop her ass off at work and take me to the office.”
I march past him and swing open the door.
She’s standing by the front entrance, purse slung over her shoulder and coffee mug gripped tight in her hand.
She turns away from us and waits for Carlos to pull the door open for her.
I reach out my hand to put it on the small of her back to guide her, but she sidesteps my touch and practically runs down the stairs to wait by the passenger door.
The ride to work is silent; she’s huddling by the window again so I know she’s upset.
Maybe she heard us talking. I look over at her, studying her face, but we were speaking in Italian, and I don’t think she speaks the language.
Robert never uses it and it is not something families do much anymore.
Unless you’re a Russo, that’s all we speak at home.
We drop her off at the back of the building and she just jumps out, dropping her cup on the seat in her rush to get away from me.
Picking up her cup I quickly open my door to catch her and step out, holding her empty cup and yelling out her name, but she doesn’t turn, just waves in the air behind her back and escapes through the door.
Carlos has his hand on the top of the car and looks over at me across the hood.
“Keep pushing, and you won’t have to worry about a wedding.”
Carlos gets back in the driver’s seat, leaving me looking over at the closed steel door. Stepping back into the car. I keep turning her cup in my hand.
Harry Rules.
I look at Carlos in the rear-view mirror holding up her cup.
“Who the fuck is Harry?”
Carlos laughs. “If you’d get your head out of pussy long enough, you’d know. It’s Harry Potter, it’s got a pretty big fandom. Started off as children’s books.”
He moves his eyes back to the road.
“Children’s books. Why should she be into children’s books?”
“It’s a pretty big deal. Major following, they made them into movies. You should ask Sebastian. He is a major Potter freak.”
Is that what his powder bullshit was about? Great, now they have even more in common. I look at her cup again, squeezing it in my hand.
“What time is her lunch?”
“Anywhere from 11:30 to 12:00, depending on if she remembers to eat. They usually take an hour for lunch. Why?”
“No reason." I mumble.”
We get to the office; jump on the elevator and head to the 25th floor. We own the entire building, but the top is ours. Family only up here.
Carlos heads over to his office. As I walk down the hall, I see Sebastian at his mega desk typing away. His eyes are bloodshot like he hasn’t slept. He’s got about eight monitors like a wall in front of him and there is so much going on, all the screens flip and blink.
Gives me a headache just from the few minutes I’m watching.
“Morning brother. You've been here all night again.”
He pokes his hand up in the air, never taking his eye off the screen typing with one hand momentarily. “No, yeah… sort of. Got here at about 4:30. I had an idea.”
Okayyy. “You need anything? Coffee? Muffin? Breakfast?”
He shakes his head no and keeps on working; I tap his door with my knuckles, and he looks up, “You need anything, just shout or email, you need food soon.”
I look him up and down. “And possibly a nap.”
I smile and walk off to my office. Settling in, turning on my computer, and bringing up my emails. I print off the ones I sent this morning and go back to my desk.