13. Tuomo
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Tuomo
S wopping the birth control pills out was easy.
I did it the night of her birthday before she got home. If she had said yes to my proposal of marriage, I would have swapped them back, but she said no - and now she will have to deal with the consequences of breaking that promise.
I have been watching her over the past few weeks since her birthday.
I have been waiting for her to change her mind about saying no - about calling me a monster - about her poor choices.
But she hasn’t. In fact, very little has changed, and she seems to go on about her daily life as before.
The only thing that is different is that she often looks around herself now. A little more aware. A little more alert.
She senses I’m watching her. But she can’t prove it. I am too good at what I do. I have been following her for years without her knowing. She won’t suddenly see me now.
My obsession with her is mixed with a new anger. A need for revenge against her harsh rejection. She didn’t realize it then - but saying no to me doesn’t change a fucking thing. I will have her. She will be mine. I will get what I want because I always do - it will just take a little longer and she might not appreciate the methods I choose to make it happen.
She had a chance though. I gave her that.
And now we are doing it my way.
I have been watching the calendar and keeping track of her cycles. Our date falls exactly when I need it to.
It is going to be perfect.
I see her glancing over her shoulder as she steps out onto the street in front of her apartment. She looks nervous. Then she turns her face forward and walks with determination towards the little cafe down the road. I guess she ran out of something.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I sigh, pulling it out to see which of my annoying brothers is calling me.
Rufino.
I clench my jaw as I answer.
“What.” I snap.
“Where the fuck are you?” He snaps back at me.
“Out.”
“Well, stop fucking around and get back to the house before father sends someone out to drag you back here. He wants to meet with all of us.”
I sigh.
Even after I moved into an apartment in the city. Even though I don’t work for my father anymore and I have my own branch of the business - even though I am doing everything in my power to distance myself from him - he still has control over me and my brothers.
We all just bow down to him as though he is the king and ruler of the universe.
He’s a fucking monster. She was right.
I am nothing like him.
“I’ll be there soon.” I sigh into the phone.
“Good.” Rufino says, then hangs up on me. I slip the phone back into my pocket, watching her walk further down the road. I want to follow, but family duties are calling. I will only make it harder for myself, more complicated, if I don’t do as my father asks and go to whatever urgent meeting he has set up.
Soon, I won’t have to watch her from a distance. Soon she will be in my arms, and I will have the rest of my life to show her how much I love her.
I start the engine of my car only when she is out of sight.
Revving I push it into gear and pull out onto the road, heading towards my father’s mansion.
It’s strange to hate someone so much, but I do. I hate him to the point where just a photograph of his face turns my stomach.
I take twenty minutes to get to the house. There wasn’t any traffic even though at this time of the day it should have been gridlocked. I would have preferred traffic. To delay arriving here.
Anything to avoid being close to my father.
I climb out of the car and walk up the stone steps of his mansion.
I grew up here - and in all my time in this house - the only thing I enjoyed was her.
“You took your fucking time.” Masaccio snaps when I walk in.
“Whatever, I’m here.” I wave my hand in the air to dismiss him. The golden boy.
Rufino walks through carrying a cup of coffee.
“Another one?” Celso quips, rolling his eyes. “You don’t think you’ve had enough caffeine to power the city yet?”
“Hey, this asshole was taking forever and I’m hungry.” Rufino huffs, sipping the coffee.
“Will you all just shut up.” Masaccio complains, rubbing his head.
“Where the fuck are your manners bro?” Celso laughs.
“Where the fuck is your mother, bro?” Masaccio snarls back, moody and dark.
Celso falls deathly silent with rage lines furrowing his face.
His mother is not my mother.
In fact, he doesn’t share the same mother as any of us. Our father had a brief fling, and his mother dumped him here and disappeared. He is bitter about it - and even though I don’t get on with any of my brothers - that was a low blow for Mas to use against him.
I sit down on the sofa in the living room and chuckle. “If anyone was going to be accused of having a different mother, you’d think it would be red-haired Rufino. The soulless ginger.” I taunt to take the pressure off Celso and Mas’s nasty comment.
But it wasn’t a good choice because Rufino isn’t just hungry - he’s hangry. He’s the biggest of all of us and when he gets hungry - he gets fucking moody.
He spins towards me with a snarl on his face. His dark red hair is like flames as though he has risen from hell to rain scorn upon my soul.
I hold my hands up.
“Dude, I’m kidding. Can someone give him a snickers bar or something?”
“Finally.” My father’s voice booms into the living room, and we all jump to attention.
He walks in and sits down on the far sofa. His usual spot.
“Sit, for fuck sakes I haven’t got all day.” He snaps at my brothers.
My father drones on about the new product we are incorporating into our shipments, and I feel my insides roll over. We’ve already had this meeting. We’ve had it twice. We have prepared for the new product until our eyeballs were floating in information about it.
Yes, it ships tomorrow. Yes, we are ready. Why the fuck are we wasting our time talking about it still.
“Tuomo?” His deep voice snaps me to attention.
I look towards him. His eyes are right on me. I didn’t fucking hear what he said.
“Are we interfering with your busy schedule? Do you have somewhere better to be?” his sarcasm is rich.
“No, why?” I say, holding back any attitude I want to throw in his direction.
“Do you want to take part or at least pay attention then?” he snaps.
I nod. Clenching my jaw shut to stay silent. There is rarely any point in disagreeing with my father. It never goes well. So, when you do it - you better have a fucking reason.
For the rest of the meeting, I sit forward in my seat, resting my elbows on my knees with my hands folded in front of me. I focus.
Not because I want to. But because I want this to go smoothly so I can get back out there and see what Nerissa is up to.
The meeting ends. As pointless as I thought it would be.
Rufino heads straight to the kitchen, Masaccio flicks the television on, and I walk straight out of the door.
“See you guys later.” I say, not waiting for their response.
I need to get back to Nerissa.
The morning of our date arrives, and I wake up eager. But I am impatient, checking the time throughout the day and wanting it to move faster - to be eight o’clock.
After I’ve shown my face at work and got everything, I need to do done I head over to Nerissa’s apartment.
She inside, standing by the mirror on her closet. She is holding dresses up against her body, trying to decide which one to wear.
I watch her with fascination - wondering what she is thinking.
She is trying to look pretty for our date.
She wants to grab my attention.
I guess she has come around and perhaps remembered just how close we used to be.
Well, even if she hasn’t remembered, she will soon. She will have no choice because I am going to manipulate her world to the point of no return. She will have no choice but to be with me.
Especially when she falls pregnant with my baby.
She will be trapped without a choice.
She will be mine.
I smile. Not wanting to drive away, but I need to go home and shower and get ready as well.
Tonight, everything will fall into place.