By Chance In Oxford

14. Lorenzo

Coming back from an intimate moment back to the reality of who I am, one of my workers came to me saying, "Sir, everything is all ready for tonight, the boat is set at the dock and everything inside is prepared. We have also set out to send out security. Is there anything else you think you might need?" "Yes, that is fine. Thank you. I just need to make sure business is going according to plan, you are aware that I am not doing business this week. My business is not a thing to me this week, so keep it out of my sight, I'm only here to prepare for tonight. Go home, Gabriel, go see your wife, embrace her, and worship those kids. I don't want you here another second.", it almost felt good to be nice for once. Maybe it was the apathy and the significance the day brought with it but I just didn't have the energy to be who I really am at least not this week, I owed it to my mom, to honor her. "One last thing before you go, can you get the helicopter out here for later?" "yes, sir, right away. Thank you for your time", he scurried away like he was scared of me. "Lorenzo, is that you! You look way better in person. Lara. Nice to meet you, I'm your dad's new wife!" This was a joke right, she was kidding, I was dreaming. "Who the hell are you and why the fuck were you let in?" I opened the door and the entire office complex went silent. "Can someone useful explain to me who the hell let this monster into my office. If I don't get a report back of why, you are all replaced." Part of me said that I needed to be more compassionate, I never even met her anymore but if she was with my dad, she wasn't any good either. "Your father and I just got married, about a month ago. He is having the ball remember, yeah we need you to come. I happened to be in town so I figured I would come down and tell you we needed you. Start getting used to us being more a part of your life, he may have been gone for long but that is ending. That lovely mother of yours, if you don't show up to that ball, we will have no choice but to take her gravesite and move it to a pretty little plot in Italy, you'll never be able to see it though.", I couldn't believe it, my dad had sent this woman out to mess with me, to do his dirty work for him because he was too much of a coward to do it himself. "Cazzate! You can't do that! You were never around, my father was never here, he has no say in where she goes, he wasn't involved in the first place." She snapped, "Oh but we do. Your father is under law in charge of everything that was mother including her and her gravesite. They were legally married so after she died everything automatically goes to the control of your father and she never created a will for herself so nowhere does it say we have to give you control. You have Ophelia to thank you for that. Put a women at gunpoint and she'll tell it all." I yelled, "What did you do to her!? You didn't touch her! I'll kill both of you before you can even have the chance at moving her! It isn't happening!" I felt myself slowly drifting into a blackness, all I wanted right now was to be with Athena again, where I had finally found peace for myself. I wanted nothing but that. What had seemed like a one night date felt like it needed to be more. More than just a Friday night thing, a Sunday morning thing, a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Monday thing. This felt like withdrawal from the strongest of drugs, like I could not physically or mentally live if I didn't see her again. "Just go to the ball, support your father, support us, and most importantly support your mother, you have no other choice. If you really loved your mother you would make it a point to come to this ball to save her. It's a few hours, some costume and then you go home and you will never have to see me or your father ever again.", she looked desperate at this point, like if she didn't succeed at her mission she would be banished or killed. At the same time though I felt no remorse, she would probably kill me before giving up a life of luxury and "happiness" with that man. "Right, Lara I believe that! What happens when you need something else from me, when there is another ball or another place you need me, or another favor you need me to do for you! What is going to happen next, you're going to ship my dog to Italy, demolish my office!?", or worse, kill someone I think I might love. "You know Lorenzo, I don't know. I can't promise anything. But I love your father deeply and I really think he wants nothing but this right now. It would mean so much if you came, to me it would. I will try to keep him off your back after this. But if you dont come I have given myself no choice but to come after you." I sighed, could I give her the liberty to take over me and my life, but I wanted to put an end to these games that have recently sprouted up. I needed to let him know I wasn't dealing with his shit. Any longer. "Fine, I'll go. But under a few of my own conditions. I bring a date with me, if she is willing to come. And that man stays as far away from me as possible.", I thought I was better than this, I thought I could fight urges better than this but I had just done it, the damage was done. I owed it to my mother to never engage with him, to fight the urge to ever see him again after his neglect towards her. But I had just done everything she would not have wanted. Or maybe she had brought this ball to us as an opportunity for us to get along, which is maybe what she wanted, for once though I didn't care what she wanted. I would never get along with him, ever. "Then it's done. Thank you." I replied, "Now get the hell out of my sight." She walked away without saying another word, probably too shocked at what she had actually gotten me to agree to and plotting the best way to tell him. I had to tell Athena right? I mean I wanted her to be there with me, help me calm myself down when I knew I would want to throw myself at that man and kill him on the spot. Couldn't be now though, I needed to enjoy the night and make sure it went perfectly. Pulling next to her loft, I asserted myself to go up there myself. She stood there in beauty wearing a matching set. A short brown skirt and a small brown top with giant statement sleeves that she could probably fit her entire body into. She grabbed her things and blew out a candle she had lit, I offered her my arm and she linked it through hers, "shall we?" She replied, "We shall. Thank you for last night by the way. You put me down neatly after I had fallen asleep and you didn't take advantage and made sure I was protected." "Ah, don't mention it.", I opened the car door as she climbed in. Walking around the car to my side it all started to feel real. Like it was sinking in that we were actually doing this, I was actually going to ask her.