Chapter 125: Chapter 125 Blackmailing me RAPHAEL
Tears burnt my eyes. “To think that I’ve lived with someone like you for years is frightening.”
“Raphie...I just wanted....”
“Did you ever....you were never going to tell me the truth, were you?”
She shook her head. “I...I thought I would never see Allegra again.“
“How could you have been so selfish?“
She moved closer to me but I stood up.
“I’m so sorry but you know I love you, right? I would...I just....”
“I don’t know anything...I don’t even know you anymore.”
I just had to stare at our pictures frames on the table, pictures we had taken together over the year, tears dropped from my eyes.
It was unfair for someone to feel this kind of pain, this kind of heartbreak.
Dante swallowed on seeing Grandpa Andre walking into the house.
“Good day, sir.” He greeted with a bow.
“Where the hell is Lorenzo?”
“He...He...em...”
How on earth was he going to explain that the person they found happened to be Enzo’s twin brother whom no one knew about until now?
“Where’s Allegra? I think she has some explaining to do.”
Allegra had been in her bedroom for days now, she was wallowing in devastation from everything.
And he had been the one forcing her to eat.
“She...”
Grandpa Andre ignored him and headed upstairs.
. He came by Allegra’s door and knocked, loudly.
“Dante, please...I’m not hungry.”
“It’s me...” He announced his presence and the door opened immediately.
Andre walked into the room with Dante trailing behind him.
“I can’t believe you lied to me.”
“Ab...about what?” Allegra questioned.
“You told me Enzo had been found. But with how you look right now, I can tell he’s still missing. Allegra, I know you’re concerned about his position in the family business, you probably lied because you heard we had started voting in Manuel as the new CEO. You have to understand...we need a leader. And even if it pains me to do this, we....”
“Enzo has been found.” Dante cut in.
Allegra and Andre turned to face him, stunned.
“Then where is he? Don’t tell me he’s unaware that I’m dying of worry? Why hasn’t he come to see me yet?”
Dante gulped. “He...He’s at his home and right now, he’s avoiding people...when we got him home, he didn’t seem well mentally and we guessed it was as a result of the crash but he’s on medication right now and he’ll be on his feet before we know it.”
Andre nodded, seeming convinced. “Then I would have to put the voting on hold. Still, I want him in my house within the week. I’m his Grandfather. He should see me at least.”
Dante nodded.
He turned to face Allegra. “And you should stop looking so down. I get it that you’re worried about his mental health as we all are but then you have to take care of yourself, okay?”
Allegra grinned, uneasily. “Thank you for your concern.”
As soon as Dante saw Grandpa Andre off, Allegra raced up to him.
“What have you done? Even if I’m praying that he’ll be found soon, the police and media are out of the search. We’ve reduced our men so everyone wouldn’t think we lied about him being found. And you and I have no idea when he would be found. We can’t keep lying to everyone.”
“We didn’t technically lie. We found a man who looked like Enzo.”
Allegra eyed him.
“And I also think we found a temporary solution to this. You know how much Enzo cherishes his position in the family business. It would break him if that’s taken away from him. I refuse to believe that he might be dead. The Enzo I’ve know since I was a little boy is a fighter. We are going to find him but until then, we have to protect everything he stands for.”
“How on....”
“Raphael, we have to groom him to be just like his brother.”
Allegra gasped. “We just...we...You saw him, Dante. He was in shock...I’m sure he still is...I mean...I can’t imagine how he must feel right now...we can’t add to it.”
“It’s not exactly a punishment...He was a fisherman and now he has to act like a Billionaire...who would say no to that?”
“But...”
“I know he’s your son and you wouldn’t want to put him through so much but we really have no choice. Think about it, this might also be a good chance to make him close to you, you’ve been absent from his life for twenty-seven years. I’m sure you want to know everything about him.”
That seemed to diminish her resistance.
Her teeth clenched. “You’re right. He’s my son. And that Ellie would pay dearly for taking him away from me.“
RAPHAEL Nothing tastes right anymore. I’m sure I’ve lost a lot of weight. I’m barely out of my bedroom. I don’t want to run into her and at the same time, I’m hoping to wake up from all these. Still I’m not waking up. And it’s so heartbreaking that this isn’t a dream. Hearing loud voices and my mother’s pleading voice. I opened my door and hurried into the living room to find Allegra, Dante and about four men in black. The men were dragging my mother out of the house. “What do you think you’re doing?!” I thundered. “I have to deal with her in my own way before handing her over to the police.”Allegra replied. “Stop...” I murmured and pushed the men away from her. My mother hid behind me. “I know what she did was bad. I don’t even know how I’m going to forgive her but I can’t let you take her...” “Step away from her. I don’t want you getting hurt.” Allegra warned. “Please....” “I buried a baby that wasn’t mine!She went away with my son and you expect me to let this slide...” “Hurting her would not solve anything.” I cut in. “Oh...it will take away some of the anger and pain that I feel...she has to rot in jail.” I should be as angry as Allegra is. Ellie wasn’t my real mother...she kidnapped me...she lied to me. Still, I can’t think of her getting hurt.
RAPHAEL Nothing tastes right anymore. I’m sure I’ve lost a lot of weight. I’m barely out of my bedroom. I don’t want to run into her and at the same time, I’m hoping to wake up from all these. Still I’m not waking up. And it’s so heartbreaking that this isn’t a dream. Hearing loud voices and my mother’s pleading voice. I opened my door and hurried into the living room to find Allegra, Dante and about four men in black. The men were dragging my mother out of the house. “What do you think you’re doing?!” I thundered. “I have to deal with her in my own way before handing her over to the police.”Allegra replied. “Stop...” I murmured and pushed the men away from her. My mother hid behind me. “I know what she did was bad. I don’t even know how I’m going to forgive her but I can’t let you take her...” “Step away from her. I don’t want you getting hurt.” Allegra warned. “Please....” “I buried a baby that wasn’t mine!She went away with my son and you expect me to let this slide...” “Hurting her would not solve anything.” I cut in. “Oh...it will take away some of the anger and pain that I feel...she has to rot in jail.” I should be as angry as Allegra is. Ellie wasn’t my real mother...she kidnapped me...she lied to me. Still, I can’t think of her getting hurt.
“I’m begging you, please don’t hurt her...”
“Then you have to come with us, Raphael.” Dante announced.
“What?”
“We need you to pretend to be Enzo until he’s found.“ Dante explained.
I frowned. “That’s stupid.”
He shrugged. “We don’t really have the time to banter about this.”
“Can you even listen to yourself? You’re asking me to pretend to be someone I don’t even know?”
“I’ll be your guide...it won’t be that hard.”
“I can’t...finding out how twisted my life actually is...everything that has happened to me is a lot to take in and you asking me to do this is...”
“Then we have no choice but to take Ellie with us.”
The men moved closer to me.
“Are you blackmailing me?”