Page 6 of Until It Ends

I take a step forward, my jaw clenched tightly. "It's now mine, father. You can't just rise from your sick bed and expect to pick up right where you left off. You don't know what's been going on. You haven't been filled in. Giorgio has been out of the loop. He knows nothing."

He frowns. "That's what you think."

"No, father...that's what you didn't know, but now you know."

His anger flares, and he slams a file down on the desk, his voice thundering through the room. “You went to see her, didn’t you? After what she’s done to me…to you…you still want to keep her hidden.”

I meet his gaze, searching for any sign of guilt or involvement in Valeria's disappearance, but find none. This realization sets in, extinguishing a flicker of suspicion. I thought it might have been him who did this shit, who stole Valeria, but maybe I'm wrong. My father may be flawed, but he's not responsible for this act. If he were, he would have admitted to it by now.

I don't want him to know anymore than he has to about Valeria and my plans for her, so I change the subject.

"Look at you, father. You're sick," I say.

"I'm not sick, not anymore!" he exclaims, the force of his words reverberating in the air.

"You can lie to everyone else." I point at the door. "But not me."

He jerks up the cane and rears back as if he's going to hit me. I stand my ground even knowing that he's one second away from striking me.

"Lay a hand on me, father, and I swear you'll be in your grave tonight," I bit out.

The cane lowers slowly and he blinks. A look of realization passes over his face as if he wasn't expecting my response.

"I'm not the boy I once was," I added.

I've had years without my father. I'm a changed man now and he ought to see that.

He backs away. Maybe he is a changed man too. Maybe the coma has changed him. But I doubt it.

"I'm not going to fight you, son. But she—Valeria—should pay for what she did to me. Don't you understand, son? She was sent as a ploy to keep us away from what they've wanted all this time." His voice was laced with bitterness.

I shake my head, refusing to accept his claims. "You're wrong in this. Valeria is not who you think she is. She's innocent, caught in the crossfire of our world."

His laughter fills the room, a sound that grates against my resolve. "She has you fooled, son. She's cunning, manipulative. Once she has a taste of power, you can only guess what she'll try to do with it."

My voice rises, matching his intensity. "She's not like that. I know her, father. She's different."

His gaze narrows, a coldness settling in his eyes. "If you're no fool, you'll quickly assess where your allegiances lie. Your loyalty should be to our family, to our legacy."

I take a deep breath, the weight of his words pressing against me. My mind races, torn between my love for Valeria and my duty to protect our empire. It's a battle of emotions, a clash of allegiances, threatening to consume me.

But in that moment, I make a choice—a choice to stand by the woman I love, to trust my own judgment and convictions. My voice, steady and resolute, fills the room. "My allegiances are clear, father. I won't let anyone harm her. Not even you."

His expression hardens, and he meets my gaze with a mix of disappointment and anger. "Then you're a bigger fool than I thought."

As the words hang in the air, the tension between us thickens, the chasm widening. My father and I may be at odds, our visions of the future diverging, but one thing remains certain—I will stop at nothing to find Valeria, to protect her, and to ensure our love triumphs over the shadows that threaten to engulf us all.

My father snatches up the file he's been reading, gripping it tightly in his hand, and grabs his cane, using it to steady himself as he starts walking towards the door. I don't even know what file he's taken; I don't even care. I watch him, a mixture of frustration and determination welling up inside me. I can't let him jeopardize everything I've built.

"I was here when you were not, father," I call out, my voice filled with a mix of defiance and urgency. "I'm handling my business the way I want to handle it. Don't do anything that will mess this up for all of us."

He doesn't stop walking, his back turned to me, and I can sense the indifference in his every step. It's as if he believes his return automatically grants him authority over the empire.

With a final warning, he speaks, his voice laced with a hint of warning, "You remember what I taught you about too many dogs and not enough bones?"

His words linger in the air, hanging heavily between us. It's a subtle reminder of the ruthlessness of our world, the constant battle for power and survival. But I refuse to be swayed by fear. I won't allow his warnings to deter me from protecting what's mine, from fighting for Valeria and the future we deserve.

He doesn't wait for my response, the sound of his footsteps fading as he leaves the room, taking the file with him. In that moment, I'm left standing alone, the weight of his presence still lingering. But I'm resolute in my determination.

---