Page 60 of Obsession of the Egoist
“I’m not. It’s Mio. You better start worrying about what he will do with this money and the information he got from me.”
“Information?”
Tobias approached the sofa, grabbed the remote, and the image on one of the screens on the wall changed. On the black and white footage, from the back, Mio’s flaxen hair glowed white as he furiously typed something on the PC. Tobias fiddled with the remote and the part of the screen, right above Mio’s ear zoomed, showing part of the display; the copying process running full force.
“I don’t know exactly what he copied, but judging by the time it took, I’d say everything.”
“Whatever he does, do not interfere. Let him believe you don’t know anything.”
“You want him to think I’m fucking gullible and keep disrespecting me like this under my fucking roof? No way.”
“For the first time, he’s trying to accomplish something. I want to see what he is capable of and his potential. You can always punish him later, but now I want to see him in action.” Tobias squinted, so Yugo added, “Why do you hate him so much anyway? When Mio was a baby, you adored him.”
“Because back then, I thought he was mine!” Tobias said in a low voice, as his eyes peered through Yugo.
“What?” The merriment drained, Yugo sobered up, processing the information. His thoughts spiraled out of control as he remembered how they first met.Milana brought him in…Despite having no connection to the family, Tobias was a frequent visitor in their house. Feeling like an idiot, Yugo breathed, “My fucking god…”
“Milana and I were an item until your father decided to marry her off to make peace with the Scarsi family. We kept seeing each other even after she got married. She said she was using protection with her husband, so the chances of him being mine were high.”
“When were you going to tell me?” Yugo asked, fishing a cigarette pack out of his chest pocket.
“Never? What’s the point anyway? She’s dead, and he isn’t mine. Please, don’t smoke in my house.”
Cheek flinching, Yugo crumpled the pack in his fist. “How do you know he isn’t yours?”
“When Mio was ten, I couldn’t help thinking that there was very little of her in him and nothing from me, so I ran a DNA test.”
“So you hate Mio ‘cause he isn’t yours?”
“No. I hate him because he has bad blood.”
“Watch what you say,” Yugo warned. “He is a Santelli.”
“No.” Tobias held his gaze, unblinkingly. “He is a Scarsi. A lying, backstabbing little shit with no code. No matter how you try to groom a scavenger into a predator, he will remain a scavenger.”
“He is still my nephew and Milana’s son,” Yugo said through gritted teeth; Tobias’ upper lip twisted. “Anyway, why opening your cards now?”
“It’s not a secret anymore, so I figured I’d better tell you before Mio spoils all the fun, and I miss that expression on your face.” Despite a wry smile and challenging look, Yugo noticed how Tobias hid his palms in his sweatpants’ pockets.
“What’s on the hard drive?” Yugo asked. When Tobias didn’t reply, he pressed again, “What’s on the damn hard drive, Tobias?”
“Why don’t you ask your nephew?”
“I will,” Yugo promised, his head buzzing with thoughts.Why the hell did Mio never say anything?Yugo’s mind trailed back to their last encounter.He acted odd.Was it because he got the hard drive? And I brushed him off…He remembered the pale face, and how Mio had asked him for a talk.Fuck my life. What’s on the damn drive that got him this agitated? Why did he steal from Tobias? Where is he now? Does he intend to give me the damn drive?“But I don’t have time for this. Why don’t you just cooperate for once? If Mio has it, I need to know.”
Tobias’ expression didn’t change, but his lips paled. “It’s my privacy, Yugo.”
“Not anymore. Is there anything I need to know about? Anything work-related?” When the blond didn’t reply, Yugo added all the warning he could muster into his voice, “Tick-tock, Tobias!”
The colorless eyes shot a weird look at Greg, then back at Yugo. He sighed, “Maybe.”
“Give me a copy.” When Tobias said nothing, Yugo threw a glance at the watch.Fuck…“Listen, sooner or later I’ll have it anyway. Why don’t you spare us all from the excessive work?”
“Fine…” The emotionless word left Tobias’ lips. His gaze bored into Yugo’s pupils. “But not for free. I’ll give you the hard drive, but in exchange, I get to use your intelligence team whenever I need it. Greg included. Your team operates from your house, right? It means I will come and go as I please.”
“You’re delusional if you think I’ll let you do that.” Yugo snorted. “Mio will give it to me for free. I just have to ask him.”
“Ask.” Tobias grinned. “But you’re the delusional one. Mio will trade it for a place in your bed.” He raised his hand in the air and waved it. “Bye-bye puppy! I’m only asking for the assistance of your intelligence network. The choice is yours.”
