Page 66 of King Of Order

The one who never bothered to show up unless there was something in it for him.

I’d read enough in my brief intel to know that he wasn’t the grieving type.

She sat beside me on the couch, her laptop perched on her knees.

She’d been scrolling through an endless list of funeral arrangements.

Her face was pale and tight with exhaustion, but she kept going, determined to tick off every detail.

I sensed she was barely holding it together.

I’d settled beside her for a few hours, watching her fingers move fast over the keys.

On occasion, I glanced at her face to see the flash of raw pain in her eyes and winced with guilt.

When we returned home, I’d put her to bed, where she’d fitfully napped.

At her insistence, I’d stayed in her house, catching a short nap on her couch.

She’d awakened me with a cup of coffee and red, strained eyes.

Not speaking about her grief or loss.

I wasn’t going to bring it up until she did.

So I kept my mouth fuckin’ shut, even now.

This wasn’t my world. I was here to keep her safe, not meddle in her family affairs.

Even though I was the cause of the recent upheaval.

But hell, if I wasn’t starting to care more than I intended.

We heard loud, aggressive shouting, followed by banging on the front door.

Chiara flinched, her hands freezing on the keyboard.

She stood up, closing the laptop as she crossed the room.

I followed her to the door, keeping a few paces behind. Trust wasn’t in my nature, and I didn’t like the sound of his hammering on the door.

Claudio, not even bothering with a greeting, launched into a verbal tirade.

‘Why didn’t you call me first? What the fuck, Chiara! I had to hear about Dad from the lawyer, not my sister!’

His voice was booming and saturated with self-righteous anger. How he glared at her made my blood boil.

Chiara raised her hands, striving to calm him. ‘Claudio, I called you, but you didn’t pick up as usual. I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t leave a message. I was in shock—’

‘Bullshit! You’re always full of excuses!’

‘Hey -!’

He cut her off, his hiss dripping with venom. ‘You’re always trying to make me look like the asshole. This is our father, and you couldn’t even—’

I stepped forward to her side, letting him see me for the first time.

He reared his head, and his eyes flicked to me, narrowing in suspicion.

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