Sufferable Acceptance

Fifty-Seven

Theo

We were quick to follow Amelia to Barboza's company. I started to get nervous when my men had trouble getting through the back gate security, but once we pushed through the rest of the plan went smoothly. There were hundreds of trainees eager to join the fight. The trainers and Barboza's men didn't stand a chance. We took over Barboza's security command center. Gio gave Marcus and me the go ahead to go find Amelia. I didn't need to be there for the rest of the attack; they would be fine without us.

We sprinted to Barboza's office and forced the guards down in the lobby to tell us where we would find Amelia. We made it to the top floor and ran as fast as we could. We heard yelling as we approached the office. We slowly opened the door and found Amelia cornered. As soon as I laid eyes on Barboza my blood boiled. I would have taken him out right then and there, but Amelia deserved to finish this on her own.

"Take another step and I'll blow your fucking brains out." I said watching Barboza turn around surprised to see me. He was angry to see me, but Amelia stepped in front of him before I had the chance to do anything.

I stayed out of Amelia's way as she dealt with her dad. I watched her fill a syringe and inject it into his arm. That was it. At the most he only had a few minutes to live. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Marcus and I waited for Amelia right outside the office. Eventually Amelia came out, and started walking out of the building. She didn't hesitate to leave. I was now waiting for her in the car. I didn't know where she went.

Looking up I saw Amelia walking back towards me. Without saying a word she slid into the car next to me. When we made it home Dad was waiting for us. Amelia ignored his congratulations and walked up to our room. I followed behind her.

I stood next to Amelia on the balcony, and watched Amelia pull out a small photo. She unfolded it and handed it to me.

"That's my mom." She said.

I held the photo and smiled, "She's beautiful."

"I know you think that I might spiral, or that I'm not ok, but I promise I am. The world is a better place now that he's gone, and my family can finally start to heal."

I put my arm around her and watched her lean her head on my shoulder, "I'm free Theo."

*****

Amelia kept to herself the past few days. I was giving her space to process losing her dad. She spent most of the day with Mom. They had a connection with each other. Mom understood everything Amelia had been through. I was working in my office when Dad let himself in.

"We need to talk." He said sitting down. "It's time Theo. I'm stepping down."

"Dad, we barely finished up our business with the Petrovs. Don't rush into this." I said.

"I'm not rushing into anything. The way you ran the attack on Barboza proves to me you're ready. Our family is in good hands. Forty years ago I was forced to take over for my father. Because of that I was never able to give the life I promised to your mother. She has sacrificed more than she ever should have. One day I woke up and saw that my family had grown up, and they didn't need me anymore. I want to spend the time I have left on this Earth taking care of what matters most to me." He said.

"As soon as you're ready, this family is yours to run." He said standing up. "And word of advice, don't make the same mistakes I did. There is a girl out there that, for some crazy reason, loves you more than anything in the world. Don't let your life pass you by without you appreciating all that she's worth." He said leaving my office.

For the rest of the day I thought a lot about what Dad had said. Amelia was the best thing to ever happen to me. If I was going to take over for my dad I wanted her by my side.