Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 74547 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74547 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“I didn’t expect you to go behind my back.”
“I didn’t go behind your back. She has my niece.” He was still in his suit because he went straight to Siena’s at the end of the workday. “She’s still family. And I have to make sure you don’t fuck up the greatest thing that ever happened to you.”
“Well, too late,” I said bitterly.
“Too late?” he asked. “It’s definitely not too late.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and stared my brother down in the entryway. I was livid with him for talking to Siena, but since I didn’t confide in him myself, I couldn’t be too angry with him.
“She’s miserable without you.”
And I was miserable without her.
“Why are you doing this? Just give her what she wants. It’s not like her request is unfounded. Her family was wiped out because of the shit we do on a daily basis. She wants her life to be different.” He slid his hands into his pockets and kept several feet in between us. “If you’re worried about me, don’t be. I’ll be fine, Cato. And you even told me how bored you are. We did that deal with the Chinese, made millions, and you looked out the window and said you were bored. You’re definitely not bored with Siena. So giving up your stake in the company shouldn’t be difficult.”
I didn’t expect anyone to understand how I felt. No matter how many times I explained it, it seemed like all I cared about was money. “My entire adult life has been about that company. It aged me, hardened me. It turned me from a boy into a man. It was the first time I stood on my own two feet and proved I didn’t need anyone else. I didn’t need Mother to take care of me—I took care of her. I proved to our father that I turned out fine without him to raise me. I proved to the world, to my friends as well as my enemies, that I was the most powerful man in this country.”
Bates listened but looked slightly confused, as if he didn’t understand why I was saying all of this.
“That’s the man Siena met. The powerful, dominating, wealthy man who could make anything happen. Without that company…I’m just a man. I’m not special. I’m not different. Siena is a strong woman who needs a strong man. What am I without that company?”
“Cato…you’re the exact same man you were before. You don’t need it as a crutch anymore. Maybe it was your identity in the beginning, but it’s not anymore. She loves you for you, the man in sweatpants, not the man in the suit. Just walk away from it.”
I bowed my head as I considered it. “She gave me an ultimatum. I asked her to marry me, and she gave me a fucking ultimatum.”
“Because she knows what kind of life she wants. You have to agree on that before you spend your lives together.”
“I don’t appreciate being told what to do,” I snapped. “I don’t appreciate her calling the shots and deciding what happens with us. I’m the one in control. I’m the provider. I’m the man.”
He shook his head slightly. “That might work with other women, but it won’t work with Siena—and that’s why you love her. You’re sharing the power with her. That’s what a marriage is. You’re going to have to accept that if you want to keep her. She’s not trying to emasculate you. She’s just trying to protect her kids. You need to drop your ego and realize you’re going to have to compromise every single day for the rest of your life.”
I never compromised. I always got what I wanted. I was always the one in charge—because that guaranteed that everything would go my way. Now this woman had made me fall in love with her, and she’d asked me to turn my back on my entire way of life. She asked me to give up my company and turn to a quiet existence. Maybe it was just a job to her, but it was my entire identity. I was the richest and more fearsome man in Italy. Now I would just be… a man.
“All that matters is this—you love her. You can’t live without her. The three of you are a family. So just give her what she wants. You can either cave and be happy…or be stubborn and be miserable for the rest of your life.”
24
Siena
Martina hadn’t calmed down since we started living alone.
She missed her father all the time.
It was incredibly sweet, but also heartbreaking.
I missed our old home. I missed Cato. I missed the life we used to have…as a family.
But Cato continued to refuse me.
After breakfast that morning, I hurried upstairs when I heard Martina crying. I barely made it to her crib before I had to take a detour and rush to the bathroom. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach, and just as I reached the toilet, I threw up.