"We are here sir." The driver announced.

Although I had closed my eyes during the drive to my father's mansion, I wasn't sleeping but the driver alerted me of our arrival nonetheless.

We both exit the car and head to the main entrance door, my father's men patrolling the area turn their heads in our direction, and one man standing by the -enormously large door for no apparent reason whatsoever- opens the door for us.

The driver walks in first and I'm right behind him, he walks me to the living room, "please have a seat first sir, I'll notify Don Rosario of your arrival, meanwhile, make yourself comfortable."

The driver exits the room and I can't find it in me to bring myself comfortable as he said, instead I look around me, the living room layout Is pretty much the same, and the furniture is new however from what my mom had decorated first with an antique style, the furniture now looks modernized with a few antiques here and there. 

I walk to the glass patio doors, hands in my pockets I watch over my mother's garden, she loved that garden, I used to help her with it, it's one of the reasons why I bought the house I'm living in currently, to have a garden of my own.

From the window I can see my mother's tree, I planted that tree after her death, it has grown significantly in the past nine years.

I wonder if I can stop by and visit her.

"Elia," someone calling my name gets my attention, I turn around to face them, I roll my eyes when I see Rosario and behind him was the driver, he steps forward and sits on the sofa crossing his legs he motions for the driver to come closer, "bring me a glass of whisky, and something for him to drink."

The driver who was bending down to Rosario's level straightens up, "what would you like to drink sir?" He asks me.

"Nothing, thank you," I answered him as I took a seat as well.

"...Alright" he hesitates but takes his leave.

I watch his back until he left to get Rosario his drink, then I turn to look at the bane of my existence at the moment.

"Are you gonna keep staring like an idiot, or are you gonna tell me why I'm here?" I asked folding my arms and crossing my legs.

His left eye twitched and I smiled innocently, "I don't take kindly to being called an idiot." He states.

"Bite me," his eye twitches again, "you seem to be forgetting something, just because I'm marrying you doesn't mean you can tell me what to do," the driver comes back with Rosario's whisky, "Why am I here?" I ask, getting to the point because he seems like he wants to waste my time.

He takes the whisky from the driver then the driver leaves right away, he ignores my question, "don't you have more to lose? Or have you forgotten about your friend Farah?" He asks instead.

This makes me chuckle, I did anticipate this, pulling the "Farah Card" to get me to do things that I wouldn't normally agree to do.

"Yeah that's not how it's gonna work," I shake my head, "You've used your Farah Card when you asked me to marry you, if you're gonna keep bringing it up then we don't have a deal." During this moment my phone rings but I turn the volume off.

He looks intrigued, "hmm," He hums while observing me again.

I was about to open my mouth again to ask why he decided to send his driver to bring me here, but I was interrupted.

"Elia," called my father, "it's great to have you back, son."

I scoff, it is certainly not, "I don't know what kind of bullshit you've fed yourself lately, but I'm not here to be back." I say as I stood up.

I honestly did anticipate seeing my father today, still, it doesn't make me feel better about it.

He looks at me, all of me, from the top of my head to my shoes, and then back up again, "you've grown" he says.

"No shit." I deadpan, I look him up and down, he doesn't look sick to me but the IV drip he's dragging with him would probably make people think otherwise.

"What happened to your eye?" He asks, probably noticing the scar above my eyelid.

"December 2016, two of your men broke into my apartment, I broke one's arm and one's leg, such a jolly memory," I reminisce, "Anyway, why won't you adopt that scum?" I ask him instead.

"Why would I? The only son I have from your mother is you" he looks shocked that I would even suggest this.

I snort at this, "that's just some bullshit excuse you came up with, I told you nine years ago I want nothing to do with you or your organization, you have  the perfect willing person here," I said pointing at Rosario, "yet, you still want to drag me into this on a fucking last name technicalities, hey you!" I pointed my finger again at Rosario, "change your fucking name." This is something that I thought of when I couldn't sleep last night.

"Your father has rejected that idea too." Just like last night, Rosario knocks down this idea as well.

I roll my eyes, "It must be within the family" my father says.

"Oh really?! Then why don't you marry him then? Huh?" They both look at each other and frown, "I mean it doesn't have to be me does it? And as far as I'm concerned we're not a fucking family".

"We are a family!" My father yells, "like it or not, you are my fucking son" He sneers.

"Would a father send people to kill his son for four fucking years?" I sneered back.

"I was trying to bring you back!" He argued.

"At whose fucking expense?!" I yelled, he looked taken aback, before I left I never argued back with my father or the punishment would be severe, "just because we share the same fucking blood, doesn't mean we're a fucking family."

I sigh, "now since we figured that you can get married, I'm out of here" I was walking past my dad when a hand on my wrist stops me and pulls me back.

I tried to pull my hand back from Rosario's hand, but his grip on my wrist tightens and he pulls me closer instead, "I'm not marrying Don Basilio, I'm marrying you," He says and lets my wrist go, causing me to stumble back. We glare at each other for a few seconds before he opens his mouth again, "I wasn't kidding yesterday, the wedding will be in a week from now, and that's final." His statement about the wedding makes my eyes boggle.

"A wedding?! A simple visit to the courthouse would suffice" I felt exasperated at the moment.

"It's for the sake of formalities and the relationships we have with other organizations" my father explains as he takes a seat on the armchair.

"Wow!" I rub my forehead, the lack of sleep isn't helping the incoming headache, suddenly my phone rings, I retrieve it out of my pocket and check the caller ID.

<<Incoming Call: Teegan>>

Fuck! I forgot that I had plans with Teegan, sighing, "I'm taking my leave, I'll see you in a week," they both frown, it's not like I can change their minds anymore, maybe if I think of something else but right now all I can think of is that I can get a divorce later, just as I was about to exit the living room, I pause and turn around, "hey dad," I call out to him.

"Yes?" He asks.

"Does it hurt?" He looks confused at first, but then he understands what I meant.

He nods his head, "sometimes."

"Good," I couldn't help the smile that broke on my face, but I didn't care, he deserves it, "Bye," I say over my shoulder as I left that god damned place.