14. Celso
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Celso
I never intended for her father to die.
But it turns out it is exactly what needed to happen for things to start falling into place for us.
Yesterday Neve and I spent the day together and I have never felt so intensely and beautifully connected to another person in my entire life.
She is even more perfect that I could ever have imagined.
It was the perfect day with the perfect girl. The girl who already belongs to me. The one I will marry .
Unfortunately, after I said goodbye and arrived back home - I messaged her - and she seemed cold and distant again. It’s frustrating how I’m getting closer to my goals, but then they drift a little further away again. One step forward, two steps back.
My phone rings and I rush to answer it, hoping it’s her.
“Hello?” I say, not seeing her number.
“This is Luke Greco, I was hoping we could meet at some point today to discuss the campaign.” He is sharp, polite and tense.
My heart flips and a nervous current of energy bolts through me like sharp knives.
“Luke, good to hear from you. I am free this afternoon. I can come over in the next hour.”
He swallows. “Good.” He says. “I’ll see you later. Thank you.”
“Thank you .” I smile, and hang up.
Well, will you look at that? Perhaps things aren’t two steps back after all. Perhaps her father’s death happened for more than one reason. Luke knows what I demanded of Franco in order to fund the campaign. Surely he would not be calling a meeting with me if it wasn’t to accept that deal?
I can barely contain myself. I can’t think straight I’m so flooded with excitement. Is it happening? Pacing up and down my penthouse I try to calm myself down but it’s not working. I’m so happy that I’m agitated. My skin is crawling, burning - I’m uncomfortable in my body.
I have to move.
Grabbing my keys I know if I leave now I’ll get there too early. But I can take the long way around the city. A drive will be good for me. I want to arrive in control of myself, not like this.
Outside there is a light drizzle falling from the pale grey sky. It’s still warm, and the rain makes the air smell fresh, washed clean of the past. It’s a new beginning.
I climb into the car and start the engine, wondering what our wedding will be like, quickly stopping those thoughts because I have to stay neutral until I find out what he really wants. For all I know he might be trying another bargain. Another option. He does not know how much is at stake for me here - how badly I want his sister and how absolutely no other thing he might offer me will be considered.
I drive like a grandma crawling along to kill time, making my way through busy streets as people run around beneath black umbrellas with long coats covering their bodies. I’m smiling the entire way.
My fingers strumming in time to the music, beating out the tunes onto my steering wheel.
The wipers move in slow motion over the windshield and I take a deep breath now and then to maintain the calm demeanor I’ve found.
Patience always pays off, Celso. And you always get what you want.
It’s an hour after our phone call when I park outside his father’s house. His house.
Luke, unlike his father, comes downstairs to greet me himself. Perhaps he didn’t have a choice. Perhaps his campaign team has abandoned him, and he doesn’t have any little minions running around taking care of his needs.
“Luke.” I greet him, shaking his hand with a tight grip.
“Celso.” He replies stiff and tense.
He gestures for me to follow him into the living room. We sit. He pours me a whisky from the bottle on the coffee table.
“I wanted to discuss the campaign with you - and uh - how we might get the funding going again. I plan to run it differently to how my father did, but the same principles will apply.”
I take the whisky and sip it, savoring the flavor and leaning back in the sofa.
Eyeing Luke I stare right at him, letting him feel the intensity of my eyes on him. “You know my terms, Luke. They haven’t changed.”
He sighs, his elbows resting on his knees as he swirls the whisky in the glass. It’s not the first drinks he’s had today. His eyes are rimmed with a red tint and the lids are drooping .
“I was hoping there was something else you might be interested in. You know, we’ve gotten rid of the reporters that have been parked outside the house for days at a time. We don’t want more media coverage with another wedding. There has to be something else?—”
“There isn’t.” I say, making my point more than clear.
He nods.
“So, this is the price of your support. There is no other way around it?”
I stand up, getting ready to leave.
“Luke, I didn’t drive out here for you to waste my time. I made myself clear when I met with your father and I’ve made myself clear again. I am not interested in any other deals, there is nothing else I want from you at this point in time. I’ve stated my terms. Take them or leave them.”
He stares at the ground, his fingers tight around the glass in his hands.
I shake my head. He’s fucking with me. “Thank you for the drink. I’ll show myself out.” I snarl, disappointed and angry .
“I’ll do it.” He mutters.
I pause, standing frozen in place.
“Excuse me?”
“I’ll agree to your terms. I’ll do it. But you have to sit down at tell me exactly what you are going to be providing for the campaign. I want a guarantee that this will work - whatever your PR team has planned or whatever—” he stammers, looking up at me with heavy regret painted across his face.
“Alright.” I say, sitting down again. “I can’t tell you how the PR team will recover your campaign - that will be up to them. But what I can tell you is that we have used them in the past when we had media issues and they proved to be beyond capable of solving even the most complicated situations.
He clenches his jaw. “What if it doesn’t work?”
“It will work. But apart from that - it’s your risk to take. Now do we have a deal or not?” I am tired of sitting here treating him like a child, pandering to his worries, reassuring him - I want an answer and I want it now .
“We have a deal.” He nods. “You can marry my sister in exchange for your help in recovering my campaign and getting me back in the runnings.”
“Excellent.” I say, grinning from ear to ear, not even trying to hide how fucking happy I am right now. I am going to marry Neve. I am getting the exact and only thing that I want in this world. Her.
“Excuse me what ?” She shouts from the doorway. “What the fuck did you say?”
She’s looking at her brother, ignoring me.
“Neve calm down.” He sighs.
“I will not fucking calm down did you sell me to the fucking mafia for money?” she screams.
“Neve!” he shouts, standing up and glaring at her with his fists clenched. I don’t like how he’s talking to her. No one talks to my future wife like that.
“Sit down, Luke.” I growl.
He glances at me and his body shifts from anger to nervousness. “Yeah. Ah. We need to talk calmly, Neve.” He mutters, sitting down again.
I turn towards Neve. “This is the best way to help your family. ”
“Shut up.” She snaps. “I’m not speaking to you - I’m speaking to my brother.”
She marches straight towards him and stands glaring down at him. His weakness becomes apparent in this moment, the way he moves inward, away from her anger.
“Did you sell me to the mafia for money? ” She asks, tears springing to her eyes. I can’t see her face, but I can hear them in her voice. Her throat is tight, and her words are coming out jagged and distorted.
“Neve, it’s the only way we can get out of this mess. If we don’t do this, we lose everything. Literally everything. We will be living on the streets in a month. You’ve already lost your apartment and had to move back in here - how do you think this is going to get any better? You said you wanted to help. You said you would do whatever you could to help?—”
I would never have let that happen. Perhaps her brother would have been living on the streets - but not her. She would have been living with me. I didn’t know the situation was that bad though. It seems I was going to win either way .
“This isn’t what I meant , Luke. Not this . I didn’t want—” she can’t speak anymore. She turns and flops down into the sofa next to her brother and puts her hands over her face, hiding the heavy flow of tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Neve, I assure you, you will be happy.” I say.
“I will be happy?” she laughs. “Happy?” She shakes her head in disbelief. “You don’t even know what makes me happy. You don’t have a clue what I want for my life. What I dream of and what I hope for. You don’t know anything about me.” She shouts.
I stand up and walk over to her, crouching in front of her I place my hand beneath her chin. “I know a lot more about you than you think. And what I don’t know I will learn.”
I stand up again.
It’s best that I give her space to process this now. She can come to terms with it in her own time, but the wedding is happening. It’s agreed. Nothing is going to stop it now.
Turning towards Luke I say, “I’ll cover everything for the wedding as well. You won’t need to do a thing. Just make sure your sister shows up. As soon as the wedding is over, I will ensure you have everything you need.”
“Well, best we get things moving quickly then.” He says, standing up to see me out.
“Don’t get up. I’ll see myself out.”
He nods, unsure what to do with himself. I think he is scared to be alone with his sister after betraying her so deeply. She might be furious now, but this is the best thing that could happen. Soon she will see how incredible we are together. That we were always meant to be.
“I’ll see you soon.” I say to Neve, smiling, my eyes tracing over my future wife. She stares at me in bitter silence. Salty tears staining her skin.
Tilting my head to say goodbye I turn to leave them in their shock and anger.
I have things to do. Things to arrange. I have a wedding to plan.
The lights on my car flash as I unlock it. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy in my life. Everything I have ever wanted - and it’s about to come true .
Neve will have the most beautiful wedding in the world. I will make sure of it. It will be perfect.