Page 34 of Because I Need You
Gio’s jaw worked. “Fine, but I will be present for these conversations.”
“That’s fine.” I shrugged. “You can trust me, though.”
At that, both Giovanni and Nadia laughed, as if I’d just told the best joke they’d heard in days. It didn’t make me feel uncomfortable, though, because it reminded me that there were people out there who were just as jaded as I was, or worse.
14
GIO
Of course, my father chose the most inopportune time to call me. I’d just taken Isabel’s phone out of the drawer to hand it to her. Because I knew he’d continue to call until I answered, I held a finger up for her to wait. My father and I had that in common. It was kind of like a nervous tick. A tell we couldn’t hide from those closest to us, since they were the only ones we did this to. My sisters hated that I called too much when I was worried and they didn’t answer. My exes hated that I never called at all. I shot Isabel a look to make sure she wouldn’t move. She sank down in the chair across from me and nodded.
“Yeah,” I said, by way of greeting. Dad hated that more than he hated when I called him by his name, which was why I did both. With men like him, you had to take whatever sliver of annoyances they’d allow.
“What the fuck is going on over there?” he roared into my ear. “You haven’t answered my calls in days, and I’m left in the fucking dark.”
I set the phone away for a moment and let him continue screaming. He was on the third “you’re a fucking idiot, I knew you would fuck this up, you’re going to burn our legacy to the ground” when I chanced a glance at Isabel, who was now looking at the wall, probably trying to give me some privacy. I didn’t really give a shit. My father screaming at me and calling me names in front of people was the norm. He did it to everyone, but he liked to hit me the hardest with it. I’d learned long ago that men who needed to shout and
“Are you going to let me talk or are you going to keep screaming about things you don’t know?” I asked, finally.
He huffed, sucked in a breath. “Tell me.”
“Charles is dead,” I said first, knowing he already knew that, but feeling like I needed to tell him myself.
“Killed?” he asked.
I locked eyes with Isabel, who shook her head, clearly listening. “Natural causes.”
“What the fuck,” Dad said on an exhale. I knew the loss hurt him, so I gave him a second. They’d known each other since they were born. I knew from experience that losing a friend like that tore you up inside.
“You married me off to his daughter,” I said after a long moment.
Isabel’s eyes widened slightly, and I knew she finally believed me when I said I had nothing to do with it. Since this was my first time speaking to my father about this, I was going to get a lot more personal in front of her. I should’ve told her to leave and give me space, but this was necessary if I wanted her to genuinely trust me since I couldn’t use sex as a way to get it.
“I did,” my father said, no remorse in his voice.
“To secure the seat for me?”
“He owed me.”
Charles owed him. I didn’t need to know for what, nor did I care, but I needed to know the motive behind this ridiculous marriage plan. My father was a calculated man. Two family members couldn’t have seats, so none of this made much sense. Unless he’d found a loophole around it back then. It would have to be a loophole that would secure two positions for him — the one he had now and Charles’ seat, where he’d plant me, someone he thought he could use as a puppet. Two years ago, I might’ve gone for it without second thought, because it would have meant prestige. I wouldn’t have cared if I’d gotten it this way, but I was tired of my father doing me half-assed favors that only benefited him. I was tired of him dictating my life in every single aspect. I was tired of him. I stood up and turned my back to Isabel.
I lowered my voice. “I shouldn’t be surprised that you’d do this, after you whored me out all those years, but somehow, you managed to catch me off guard.”
“Whored you out. This guy.” Dad scoffed. “They weren’t paying you for sex.”
“Weren’t they? They were paying you with secrets that you used against them.”
“What’s your point?” he asked. What the hell was my point? I didn’t even know anymore.
“Did it ever occur to you to stop and think about his daughter? Why drag her into all of this?”
