89 - The Beautiful Billionaire

LINDEN

“Open this fucking door, or I will tear this down, mio amico!” Terzo yelled, followed by banging on the door. “I swear to God, if you don’t open this, you will see bullet holes in it.”

Who would have thought my weakness was a woman? I’d rather die early with liver cirrhosis or liver cancer than live longer without my wife. Yeah, I fucking loved her, and I couldn’t imagine a life without her. And I would do anything for her, even leaving her so she could be happy. Well, at least I still got the chance to see a glimpse of her smile, even from a distance.

And here I was, drowning myself in alcohol every night, and even a mafia underboss like Terzo could not stop me.

“My man. Come on, open this door!” He kept banging. The doorknob rattled when he could tear it down. Thankfully, I was alone living in the villa.

“Get away! I’m still alive. Fuck off!” My voice roared, loud enough to wake the dead before I covered my head with the pillow. I could still hear him. Moments later, I heard heavy footsteps. He must have scared the caretaker and forced him to unlock the door.

“You stupid lovesick, get your ass up.” He grabbed the pillow I used to cover my ears.

I had no choice but to look at him. “What the fuck do you want, Siciliano?”

“You just missed your wife’s birthday.”

I stared at him and realized I had lost track of what day it was. What the fuck? Shit!

“Huh.” He snorted. “You don’t know her birthday, or you’re just a fucking idiot you forgot?”

“I know her birthday, asshole.” I glared at him, but he just smirked— the bad boy, playboy, evil smirk.

“Well, you’re doomed. Your wife will never forgive you anymore.”

“Well, thanks for stating the obvious. Why are you here, disturbing my sleep?”

I lay back down, realizing my situation was getting worse than fixing my marriage.

“Mr. Braddson called. He looked for you.”

“What did you say?”

“You know I can’t lie to him.”

Pissed off, I groaned. “Do you know why I am here? I wanted to get away from someone like Moses lecturing me, preaching about my mistakes in life.”

“Maybe you should just face it once and for all. You’re the bravest man I know, but when it’s personal, like marriage and relationship, you’re a coward.”

“What the fuck did you just say?” I was already on my feet, facing Terzo with my hands formed into fists.

“What are you going to do? Punch me? If it makes you better, by all means.” He gestured. “I may not be Sax or Kye or the new guy, Lynx, but I care for you, man. You’re a good person. I want you to be okay, but I can’t help if you stay here longer. You need to go back and apologize, beg, and do it even if you have to grovel. She’s a beautiful woman just to let go.”

I got back to bed. “Get out. I have a headache, and I need to sleep.”

“Up to you. Don’t say I didn’t tell you. You know you’re going to be a father, right?” I didn’t have to ask how did he know everything about me. “You have to be there, be a responsible adult. You should be shopping for a nice crib, helping your wife choose pretty bibs, cute mittens, and a table for cleaning shit, not here ruining yourself. And your wife is beautiful and rich. A football superstar would be interested in her even if she has a kid.”

“Shut. The. Fuck. Up.” I growled. My inner demon switched on, a killer mode took over, and Terzo saw that.

“I’m leaving now.” With a smirk, he raised his hands and stepped back. Once he reached the door, he said, “Moses is on the way with Greer.”

“Fuck you!” I picked up the lampshade and threw it to the door, ending with a loud crash. That thing scattered to pieces. I could still hear him laughing as he ran away to the hallway.

I had no choice but to get up. I took painkillers and showered. The headache may be gone, but the heartache remained, maybe would be forever.

I put on clean and decent jeans and a shirt and went downstairs. My stomach kept growling, reminding me that I had missed dinner, breakfast, and now past lunch. Great. I got out of hand in killing myself and ruining my life.

Before I could pull the door open, someone already opened it from outside.

“Good to know the alcohol in Sicily is treating you well.” Moses shook his head. Disappointment crossed his face.

“Good to see you, boss.”

“Let’s go,” he ordered his men before he turned to me. “And you are coming with me.”

“Do I have a choice?” I looked at his six men and probably a few more watching him from a distance.

“Our talk is overdue, son.”

“About what?”

“Stop being stupid. Go home and fix your marriage.”

“Apparently, lately, I didn’t have to go and see a therapist or a marriage counselor. That saves money, time, and talk.” I followed him and joined him in the black Tahoe.

“Your sarcasm would have amused me if you didn’t leave your pregnant wife and your company behind. You might have a marriage issue or heartbreak, but we signed a contract. I trusted you with the two hundred million dollar deal. I know what you’re dealing with right now, but instead of walking away, wasting your time, solve it, face it, and waste your time in your company because it won’t run by itself. Osmium needs you before it falls apart and your son or daughter ends up without a future. Do you want that?”

I swallowed hard. Everything just faded to black and white around me when I walked out of Estelle that day. I forgot that I still have other responsibilities with other people around me.

“I’m sorry if I disappoint you.”

“I care about you, Gabe. You’re like a son to me, but we should not forget our role, our job, that hundreds and thousands of people depend on us. And your problem with Estelle wouldn’t solve it by itself. You need to work on that aspect. You’re going to be a father. Be the man who made vows in front of his family and friends.”

“I, Gabriel Rembrandt, pledge to honor you, respect you, love you and cherish you every day for the rest of my life. I promise to be honest and faithful, and today, I give you my heart, myself, and my life to be your comfort in times of your struggles, to be your laugh in your tears, to be your safeguard, your best friend, and your armor. I love you and always.”

I found myself speechless for the first time. My wife needed space, but I didn’t. I used alcohol over the solution. I left her unprotected. I left her in tears. I left her in her struggles when I should have been there by her side.

I blinked off the tears, but it was too late. Even if I looked away, Moses saw them on my face. I wasn’t ashamed if someone saw me cry. I felt ashamed of myself.

Terzo was right. I was a coward. I ran away instead of fixing my marital problem. Time and space wouldn’t work for me. What I needed was effort, hard work, and resilience.

I wiped away the tears on my cheeks. “When are we leaving?”

“Right away if you want.”

“I need to talk to Terzo first.”

“He will be at the airport. Jasper is there waiting.”

“I even forgot about his deal. I lost focus on things.”

“I understand pain, son. I understand loss, but don’t be like me, leaving a wife and a kid. Don’t wait for twenty years to make amends. I was lucky Striker gave me that chance, but I am still making it up for those years. I’m still living with guilt. You might not get yours. That’s what I’m trying to tell you, and sometimes we only need a little or hard nudge to make us realize what’s important, what we missed, and what needs to be done or improved, but it won’t take us there unless you work hard for it.”

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. Regarding your issue with Vasilyev.”

“Fuck. When would this problem end?”

“You better learn not to use that word. You’re going to have a mini you or mini Estelle.”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know the gender, boss.”

He laughed. “I’ll pretend I’m surprised.”

I smiled. That was the first time I smiled since I left Estelle in her home. It felt good. It really felt good.

“Go back to Vasilyev. I took care of it already. You owe me.”

“Of course. I owe you my life.” I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t be dramatic. I gave them the incentive to stop coming after you and Jasper.”

“What did you do?” My stomach knotted with dread.

“Nothing fancy, just a little scary.”

“I’m lost.”

“I met the Don.”

“What the—!” My eyes grew wide in shock. “Boss, you could have gotten killed.”

“You worry too much about other people. That’s your problem, son. Try to be selfish sometimes, maybe most of the time, but think about your family for once.”

“You are one, boss.”

“I’m talking about your wife and your unborn child. I’m capable of taking care of myself. And you depended too much on her bodyguard without backup. What if Gustav comes after her while you are here, doing God knows what? I took care of that, too, and you’re welcome.”

I leaned back as I felt like I was losing my strength. I blew a breath. I didn’t know I’d failed a lot of things lately, including my wife’s protection. “Jesus Christ.”

“Yeah. Now you know why I am here.”

“Thank you.”

“I don’t need your thank you. I told you, Gabe. I need you to stay with your wife.”

“I swear I will, even if she kicks me out a million times.”

“She might just do. You missed her birthday. Everyone was there. Even Beck and his wife sent their greetings. While you, her husband, went AWOL. What worse could have happened, right, Gabriel?”

“Keep doing that. It helps me choke on my own guilt. What did you do with Vasilyev?”

“I showed them what could happen to their compound, family, and their empire if they even consider coming after you. Many may fear him, but I am rich and powerful and have tons of connections and weapons at my disposal.”

“You showed them your UAV?”

“And among other things.”

I grinned. “You sneaky—”

“If Gustav won’t stop harassing your wife—”

“I think I can handle him. Thanks.”

“For once, end it now, Gabriel.”

“Yes, boss.”

We arrived at the private airport. Terzo and Jasper were already there waiting.

“Go home, mio amico. I don’t want you here until next year.”

“Thank you for your generosity and hospitality.” I rolled my eyes.

“Bro, are you ready to go home?” Jasper asked.

“Yeah, I think so.” Before I could ask for my things, my bag was already loaded onto the jet.