Chapter 35: Chapter 34 - Visiting the family

Raphael POV It’s been one week since I came to stay with my mum and I feel like a normal person again. I haven’t controlled anything and I haven’t worked. My phone is off and the only person that can contact me is Joseph and he is letting me have some rest and move over this.

I have been in a really bad mood and my mum is not taking it. She said we are going to sit down and talk today. I really don’t want to talk about Olivia with her, I know what she is going to say, she is going to tell me that Olivia should’ve decided if she wanted that life and not me, she is going to say that I lost the only woman that has actually liked me for me and not for my money. I know everything she is going to say and I just don’t want to hear it.

“I’m going out” – I say grabbing the keys.

“Where are you going?”

“For a walk” – I say closing the door behind me and walking out of the house. Once I get to the end of the front porch I stop, I don’t know where to go but that doesn’t stop me. I turn left once I get to the street and I start walking to the small town center.

I grab some coffee from the small coffee shop and I walk towards the beach, It’s been a while since I came to the beach. I just sit on the sand and I take in the cold weather.

It’s been uncharacteristically cold this week. I see the kids running around on the sand and making sandcastles. Their parents just sitting there watching them, just like my parents did with me.

I start to think about how my life would be if I had a kid. How my life would be if I actually had a family of my own.

I shake my head to stop thinking about it. It’s not gonna happen, the only woman I could see a future like that was Olivia and I pushed her away from me, I need her to be safe. I can’t imagine what I would’ve done if something happened to her when Julius took her.

That fucking bastard. It is all his fault. No-one ever tried to take me down. And he came to my city and took my woman.

He better keep his side of the agreement or I will put a bullet on his head.

I decide it is time to walk home and face my mother. It’s been a couple of hours and I need to do this so she can let me be.

As I walk towards the porch I can see her doing something in the garden.

“Hey, what are you doing?” - I ask “Gardening “

“You know I can pay someone to do that for you”

“I don’t want your money, Raphael, besides, I like to talk to my roses, and take care of them”

“You sound like one of those crazy women “

“You don’t give me that sassy attitude young men, I am still your mother”

“Sorry mum” - I say keeping my head down. Mum is the only person that can do this to me. I won’t allow anyone else. Maria sometimes gives me some shit but I don’t mind.

“Come, sit with me” - mum says walking towards the small sofa she has on the porch.

I walk with her and take my seat crossing my leg on my knee. I allow my arms to fall on me. I feel lifeless. I need to stop this immediately.

“Why are you really here Raph?”

“I came to get some rest mum, you know life in New York is fast and I needed some time off”

“Now tell me the truth”

“There’s nothing to tell mum”

“Raphael Lockwood, I know about the girl and you know that I know so cut it”

“I don’t want to talk about Olivia mum”

“She is pretty “

I nod my head. My heart skipped a beat when my mum said she was pretty. I miss her so much. I knew she would be my downfall.

“Why don’t you fix it?” - mum asks “There’s nothing to fix”

“I know you liked her. The last time I saw you like this you were in college “

“Not the same”

“Oh I know, this one really liked you, I could see from the way she looked at you on the photos, she saw you, the real you, not this facade you created “

“She knew about me mum, and she still wanted me”

“Go after her Raphael”

“I can’t mum, it was too dangerous “

“You can’t decide for her, she should’ve decided if it was too dangerous or not”

“You don’t understand” - I let out “Oh but I do, better than you, your father wanted out for me, and I said yes. He was afraid something would happen to me, and I said yes I wanted out, that wasn’t the life I wanted for me or for you, but that girl has a mind of her own, you need to let her decide if she wants you and everything that comes with you”

“No” - I say while I stand up - “She was kidnapped mum, my world stopped when that happened, I would’ve done anything to get her back, anything, I would’ve given them everything I worked hard to build, do you get that? I would’ve died to save her, I can’t have someone that has that kind of control on my life”

“Raphael. You have me, I will always be a liability to you and you don’t cut me off”

“Not the same mum, they know not to mess with you”

“Than show them not to mess with her, show them what would happen if one hair on her head was touched, you are the shark Raph”

I look at my mum not believing in what she is saying to me.

“I can’t do this right now” - I say opening the door to the house and walking towards my bedroom. Once I am inside I close the door and punch the wall leaving a dent on it. My hand starts throbbing but I don’t even flinch.

I grab my phone from my desk and turn it on. The first thing I do is call Michael.

“Where is she?” - I ask “Boss, She’s in the new flat in Brooklyn, it worked out as you thought, she rented it and she doesn’t know you are the owner”

“Good, is she working?”

“She’s working at Starbucks around the corner, Scott showed up yesterday to see her but she refused and he left, I had 2 men keeping an eye on her. I’ve been having 3 of our men coming in for coffee everyday and becoming regulars keeping an eye on her”

“Good, what about the job at Columbia?”

“She has the interview today”

“Make sure she gets the job, drop my name if needed, tell them I will donate 2 million a year if she gets the job but I don’t want her to know, no-one can know”

“Sure boss”

I hung up and call Joseph “Boss, how are you?”

“Joseph, how’s everything?”

“Great boss, we had shipments coming from Italy and everything was great. No problems. Julius sent the contract and I’ve got your attorney having a look at it”

“Good, keep it going, I am coming back tomorrow “

“Sure boss”

I hung up and I take a deep breath.

“Tim, sorry for disappearing “

“Oh Raph, I get it, been there, breakups are tough “

“Tell me about it, so, how’s everything?”

“Everything going smoothly, just had to schedule some meetings for you for next week, stuff I couldn’t handle, or stuff that they wanted to sort with you”

I let out a big sigh “Yeah, you can’t even take some time off “

“I will be back tomorrow and then you can take some time off as well, go somewhere with the wife and kids”

“Oh, it would actually be nice to take the kids to Disney World, they’ve been asking for a long time”

“Book it all on me, take two weeks and have fun mate”

“Thanks, Alice has been asking for you”

“Tell her I will see her when you come back from Disney”

“I will take care mate”

“Thanks, Tim”

We hung up and I open the photo gallery on my iPhone and I start scrolling through.

Alice is only 4, she is my goddaughter. She is a lovely little girl. She likes to play with animals. I got her a dog last summer, Tim wasn’t impressed but my job is to spoil her rotten.

I start packing my bag. I leave out the clothes I will be wearing tomorrow. I allow my body to fall on the bed.

I turn the tv on and I can see that there is breaking news.

“Fire at Scott enterprise”

I turn my attention to the tv and I can see the building on fire and a worried Scott being interviewed.

At least he can’t blame me for this. But I hope he loses everything. Just for trying to rape Olivia. That fucker needs to pay for it and Karma took care of it.

I turn the tv off and go downstairs.

“Hey mum, do you need help with dinner?”