Page 70 of Obsessive Love

"Dad forced Jericho to come down for dinner, he said it'd make him feel better," I say, continuing the story for my brother. "When we were all sat there, my father decided to start talking about the situation. He said that it was a blessing in disguise that Aria was gone because all she was to Jericho was a distraction. Told us that if we ever found ourselves having genuine feelings for any woman, it was best to get rid of them so we could focus on building our empire."

Jericho scoffs at my words and shakes his head.

"He spoke about Aria as if she was dead. Everything he said was past tense. After that day, I started thinking about everything over the last few years and I started putting pieces together," Jericho says, standing from his chair and pacing back and forth. "I grew suspicious of my father when I realised he never seemed to question my mother's illness or her death, he never seemed upset by it or bothered about it, not unless youdirectly asked him a question about it anyway. Then, he'd lose his shit."

"That was when Jericho warned me about my father," I say, finally taking the drink from Sophia's hand. "Because of Jericho's suspicions and all the secrecy and lack of police presence around both deaths, we grew paranoid and I knew that I had to stay away from you and keep my distance."

Her saddened gaze turns to me and a crease forms between her brows as she sees my expression.

"We had no proof of anything until last year when those videos came out. Learning that he was behind our mother's death confirmed to us that he must've had a hand in what happened to Aria as well. Stupidly, we expected some form of justice, but once they got rid of the feed on the billboards, it was all swept under the rug. Our father made a speech about how the videos had been altered and it was all false information and that was that, nothing else was done about it."

"How is that possible?" she asks, leaning back against me and subconsciously rubbing her hand along my thigh.

"You know the pull that both of our families have over this city,dolcezza. All my father had to do was threaten and blackmail some higher-ups and it all went away."

She shakes her head in disgust.

"Once we realised nothing was going to be done about it, we decided to take matters into our own hands. We pretended with our father that the information didn't bother us and because he believes we're cold-hearted monsters like he is, it was easy to convince him that we were okay with it. Realistically, we've been tracking down everyone that we believe was involved with helping him with our mother's death and also Aria's," I tell her.

"As much as I'd love to continue telling this story and filling in all the blanks, we all need to get a move on," Jericho says in his usual gruff tone, retaking his seat behind his desk. "Sophia,speak to your father and brother, please. Tell them I will meet them at your father's house in a few hours. Be sure to tell them to keep it discreet. We can't have anyone knowing about this."

She nods her head, standing from my lap and immediately taking her phone from her pocket.

"Kaleb, maybe you should contact Leo. You two both have similar psychotic thoughts, but he's more logical than you are. You can work together with a plan for after this weekend."

I chuckle and shake my head as if I disagree with what he's said, even though I don't.

"Sophia, I'll arrange for you to go shopping tomorrow to get a dress for the auction. Jaylen and Kaleb will be with you, just in case I can't reach Brody Garcia before then. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to have my office to myself so I can try to resolve all of our issues."

Chapter Forty-Two

Sophia

Kaleb and I walk out of Jericho's office and back out to the foyer of the house. His hand is still on the small of my back, guiding me along as I stare at the floor, still processing all the information they've just dumped on me.

I feel terrible for them both, having to deal with a father like that for all of their lives, learning that he was behind the downfall of their mother, and then when proof of that is released, nothing is done about it. No justice for the woman that birthed them, raised them and loved them.

My heart hurts for Jericho, having not only his mother taken from him but also the love of his life.

When we reach the foyer, Kaleb's hand drops from my back and he presses a light kiss against my cheek before heading for the front door.

"Wait!" I shout, grabbing his arm. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find Leo so that he can help me come up with a plan," he says, frowning at me. "Are you okay?"

I hesitantly nod and let go of his hand.

"Yeah, of course. I'm fine. I guess I'll go ring Jaylen and see if he's still with Dominic."

He steps forward, cupping my face in his big palms and tilting my head to look at him.

"What's wrong?" he asks, his imploring green eyes staring down into mine.

"After listening to all of that, I just don't really want to be alone at the moment," I admit.

He pulls me into his chest, wrapping his muscular arms around me and resting his head atop mine.

"There's no need for you to be worried. I'll be back in no time,dolcezza. You're safe here, I can promise you that. Go call your family, make sure they can meet with Jericho and then take a relaxing bath and get into bed. As soon as I'm finished with Leo, I'll come join you, okay?"

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