Chapter 37
I burped out loud, then coughed at its intensity.
“Sweet baby Jesus, Myles,” Taron muttered as he hid his nose behind his shirt.
Paul simply grimaced as he continued to play Angry Birds on his phone.
I burped again, and then pointed an accusatory finger at Greg as I sat on the floor in the storeroom. “This is all your fault.”
Greg clicked his tongue. “Seriously? I only took you hooligans out for lunch as a treat. I didn’t ask you to store six months’ worth of food in your body like a damn camel or something. So no, Myles, your reeking acidity is not my fault, but yours, and yours alone.”
Greg had offered to take us all out for lunch, and because Rina was at the shop and we had no plans of meeting during our respective break times, I’d said yes to his offer. Little had I known, I’d turn into an unashamed hog after entering Eduardo’s Enoteca.
Italian food was brilliant, and I simply couldn’t resist a good Diavola pizza.
I took a big gulp from the soda bottle – one of the many we’d gotten from the grocery store after leaving the restaurant – before rolling my eyes at Greg. “It’s still your fault,” I told him, and when I burped again, Taron scowled and glared at me.
“You’re disgusting, Myles,” he said.
“Am I, though?” I finished my soda and placed the empty bottle on the floor.
“If I’d called you that when you farted right in my face not twenty minutes ago, you’d have thrown a fit and prolly scratched your own beard out in rage.
” I stretched my legs out in front of me. “So, deal with it, brother.”
But Taron was right; my burps smelled…toxic, to say the least. I was so glad Rina wasn’t here, because if she was and we’d kissed, she’d most definitely have passed out on me. God, my bathroom was going to hate me in the morning.
Taron walked over to me with his hands fisted at his sides. “You little–” He stopped when three consecutive taps sounded on the door.
I looked towards it, and immediately got to my feet when I saw Mr. Ribeiro standing at the threshold.
It’s weird, but it’s the first time I actually noticed his cane. The head of it was a typical J, the shaft was mostly void of polish, and the ferrule was chipped – so much so that its ends were curved towards the sides.
“Myles?” Mr. Ribeiro’s voice made me stop my inspection and look at him.
“Yeah?”
He jerked his head to the side. “Take a walk with me.” He didn’t wait to see if I’d follow.
Of course I would. I may be an idiot, but I sure as shit wasn’t a halfwit.
I signaled for the crew to continue working, and all but ran after Mr. Ribeiro. On the way out of the house, I quickly grabbed my coat and beanie from the coatrack, and then hastily put them on whilst also shutting the front door.
He stopped halfway down the street to button up his winter coat, and as I caught up to him, he glanced at me from over his shoulder before continuing down the road.
The weather was actually quite lovely, with soft, icy wind blowing in every other direction, and snow falling gently as it drifted sideways against the chilly breezes.
I took a couple of long strides, and then Mr. Ribeiro and I were walking side-by-side.
“Carina told me about the budget problem yesterday,” he began. “I’d have thought that you’d manage the money I gave you, with care. Using it carelessly on failed installations is not very wise, Myles.”
I guess I deserved that, but still, ouch.
I cleared my throat and slid my hands into my jeans pockets.
“I do realize that, and I’d like to apologize profusely.
I thought I could do everything within the budget and on time.
I was wrong, clearly. I put in the extra hours and cash because I wanted everything to be authentic and custom-made for Ri–” I stopped myself and bit my tongue.
“For Carina, I mean.” I swallowed and avoided Mr. Ribeiro’s gaze when he turned to look at me.
We were silent for a while as we turned down the next street, and I watched as he smiled and waved at a few passersby.
“I take it you’re still dating my granddaughter, Myles?” he said after a while.
I looked at him. “Yes.”
“Hmm.” He nodded, his gaze on the bustling street instead of me. “So, how much will it take for you to break up with her, then?” he questioned so casually that it took me a second to realize he’d even asked something like that to me.
I stopped walking as I stared at him. “Excuse me?” I didn’t know what he was insinuating through that question, but I had a bit of an idea as to where this conversation was going, and why he wanted to talk to me alone.
Realizing that I wasn’t following him, Mr. Ribeiro stopped, too, and turned to face me. I was so glad there was an ample amount of space between us, otherwise he’d have very easily heard the pounding of my heart as I waited for him to answer me.
“Money, Myles,” he finally said what I already knew he was going to say.
“How much of it will it take for you to break up with my granddaughter?” He faintly tilted his head to the side, and something like sorrow marred his features.
“She’s all I’ve got left; all that’s left of my family.
I simply cannot lose her. So, if sacrificing an ounce of her happiness, along with some cash, is what it’ll take for me to keep her close to me – to keep her safe – then I’m willing to play the hand.
” He swallowed. “I’m going to give you some money for the library anyway, so why not add to it and shoot two birds with a single bullet?
” He tapped his cane on the snow-covered ground once.
“Carina will obviously not know how much I’m giving you, so I was thinking of taking advantage of that by seeing if you and I could have ourselves a deal. ”
A deal…
I knew he was a man of strange morals, but this – this was absolutely repulsive. It was a slap against my feelings for Rina; against everything we have and share.
And yes, I understood the reason behind his cruel selfishness, but that didn’t mean I was going to stand there like a damn moron and let him insult my ideals.
“Is this how you got rid of her previous boyfriends?” I asked. It is then that I realized that my hands were clenched inside my pockets. “Did you pay those two to break up with her? Is that why you met them once you learned about them from Rina?”
He had the audacity to look surprised. “Of course not.” He relaxed his stance.
“Those idiots bailed on her right after I had regular, civil conversations with them. I asked them a few questions, and they failed to answer them. I told them just who I thought they were, and they came to their senses. But you, Myles…” He gave me a once over.
“You are way past those questions. Given how Carina behaves when you’re around, and how you look at her, I’d like to think that asking you those questions would just be a trivial formality at this point.
Words won’t work in swaying you, I can tell, but perhaps money will. ” He raised his brows at me.
I could not believe him. Even if he was offering me money as a bait to see if I’d take it, he was wrong. I didn’t give seven shits about his cash. What Rina and I had was so much more than a cheap bargain. It was sickening that Mr. Ribeiro didn’t see or understand that.
“I can’t even begin to comprehend the fact that you’re honestly willing to buy a breakup for your own granddaughter because you think she’s not safe with anyone but you,” I stated incredulously.
“Are you really going to stoop this low and steal Rina’s happiness from her?
Because I seriously thought you loved her and cared for her.
But what you just said to me goes against everything Rina and I stand for, so I don’t know if I even judged you the right way to begin with.
” All the respect I had for him was dwindling by the second.
I was shocked and hurt, but most of all, I felt revolted by his offer.
“Oh, do get off your high horse, Myles,” he said. “We both know you’re simply toying with my Carina, and once you’re done, you’ll leave her heartbroken and move on like nothing ever happened between the two of you.”
Oh, he did not just say that.
Christ, I wanted to punch him in his too-old face, but my manners and basic humanity stopped me from doing so.
I ran a hand over my jaw and scoffed, and when Mr. Ribeiro looked coolly at me, I took a step towards him.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but with everything you’ve just said to me, I think you deserve it.
” I leaned in a little. “Fuck you, Miguel. Fuck you so fucking much. Fuck you for your dissent towards Rina and I’s relationship; fuck you for not seeing how happy she is when she’s with me.
Fuck you for treating me like I don’t deserve an inkling of your time or energy, and fuck you even more for trying to bribe me into breaking Rina’s heart.
” I straightened and twisted around, but then turned and looked at him again.
“Also, I don’t need your money – for the renovation or for the absurd offer.
I’m not going to quit this project, because this library is Rina’s dream room, and me and the crew will bring it to life for her no matter what.
I know you won’t fire me, because I know you’re scared you’ll push Rina away if you do so.
So, listen up, asshole: I will invest my own money into making my girlfriend’s library, and when I’m done, I’ll continue to date her and make her happy because it’s something that brings me joy and makes me feel alive.
So, take your cash, shove it up your rigid ass, and never, ever undermine or underestimate my feelings for your granddaughter.
” And with that, I finally pivoted on my feet and walked away from him.