Page 15 of Quiet Confessions: Part Two

Richard James: There’s an envelope on the front seat of your car. Time is running out to find my granddaughter, Kian. Get to work.

Son of a bitch! I want to scream as I walk quickly to my car, finding a thick envelope on the passenger seat. Deciding to press my luck, I decide to ask Richard another question.

Me: Have you seen my father lately? I wanted to check in with him.

Richard James: Calm down, Tae is in Italy currently. Stop worrying so much and go find Patience. You’ve been wanting this information so badly. Don’t make me think love has made you stupid. Here’s a photo to prove he’s fine. I’m sure he’ll call you if he wants to speak to you.

A photo pops up of my father eating dinner with Patience’s mom. They’re laughing at something, but it makes a rock form in my stomach. The photo was taken by a surveillance camera and was sent to me as a black and white photo. Richard is watching my father, reminding me of the stranglehold that he has on our family.

Getting into the car, I don’t bother opening the package. No more secrets. I’ll open it with Cal and Nate. We can work through the contents together to find Patience. My family is Pay and the guys; my father has made his bed.

It’s time to bring Pay home. Nothing is the same without her.

Chapter Six

I need to finally confront my dad about what’s going on. It should be Cal because he’s getting married to her, but I hate that I don’t remember the time I passed out.

The only time that I can confront Dad is at his office. The man is constantly at the office, or working in some way. In fact, the secretary tells me that he’s finishing a phone call when I arrive. I have my piercings in because they’re my security blanket in a sense. They’re the only way that people can usually tell Cal and I apart. I need individuality right now.

I want to be me.

I’m secretly hoping it’ll piss my dad off, and maybe make him more likely to say things he wouldn’t normally.

“Nate, your father will see you now,” Georgina, my father’s secretary, says.

“Thank you,” I murmur, standing to follow her. I force myself to be polite, even as she walks incredibly slowly through the hallway. My mother taught me to be polite to others without fault, even when I want to strangle them.

Finally, she knocks on my father’s door, opening it when he yells for me to come in. Shaking out my hands, I force myself to look calmer than I am. After everything that I’ve found out about him, I’m seeing him in a brand new light. Every word, hug, and conversation I’ve ever had with him is being called into question. My father was nicer to me than Cal, but I never understood why.

Maybe it’s because I’m the throwaway heir. Dad didn’t throw a fit when I went to the UK for school, instead he acted proud of me. I’m having a hard time meshing who I thought that he was with who he really is.

“Hello, son,” Dad says with a wide smile as I walk in. I always took this smile at face value, but now I’m questioning everything.

This smile is a tad predatory if I really force myself to evaluate it, and it makes me mourn my innocence for a moment. I can’t allow myself to take any more than this, because the girl I love is gone.

“Hi, Dad. I figured I'd come and see how you were. Maybe also take an interest in the family business,” I say as I sit down in front of him.

“Oh? I’m glad to hear that,” he murmurs as he returns to his seat. “Simon’s daughter, Silvia, is still really wanting you to take her on a date. This would be a big step in helping the company.”

“How?” I ask, brow furrowing. “I know you want me to marry her, but I don’t understand how that helps you or the company."

“Every alliance made between families means that it is harder to walk away if we are bound together. It’s why Patience and Cal are bound by contract to get married,” Dad explains.

It makes me sick to my stomach that he’s moving people on a chessboard the way that he is.

He doesn’t seem to care that he’s taking away our free will, so long as he’s solidifying bonds for the mafia. God, things are starting to make so much sense now.

“Speaking of Patience,” I begin, seeing my opportunity. “Do you know where she is? I haven’t seen her in weeks. I think even Cal is starting to get worried. I’m a little concerned for my friend.”

Dad rolls his eyes. “Do you really think that I haven’t noticed you panting over that girl? She belongs to Cal and you need to grow up. Take the date with Silvia. May I suggest a vegan, or whatever she is, restaurant? Be an asset and help me solidify our position in this company,” he demands.

“Doesn’t Patience’s disappearance hurt the company?” I ask, changing gears. There is no way in hell that I am taking that wretched woman on a date.

Leaning his head on his fist, he stares at me. “Maybe you are just worried on your brother’s behalf, but he’s perfectly capable of asking for himself,” Dad scoffs. “Stop doing your brother’s dirty work to keep the peace. You’ve always done this. It makes you the weaker twin, Nathaniel.” I wince at that name.

Staring at him, I force myself to ignore his biting comment. Cal was right to keep me from this world, though I wish that I could have helped him. Now I’m going to step into my place. I’m done running. And so I sit in silence, waiting him out.

My father hates sitting in silence. It’s the reason he’s the loudest voice in the room. He thinks it makes him powerful.

---