"You're staring at him again," Valentina sighs.
"Hm?" I responded, not catching on to what Valentina was inferring. She tugs on my arm and shakes her head, chuckling.
"You were staring at Mateo." She takes a sip of her coffee, looking up at me.
"I'm...
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"Igor's my father." I read over my fact file over and over again trying to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me because I wish they were, I really wished they were.
I had never met my real father, it was just me and my mother living together and I never really used to question her about it till someone in primary school asked me why my dad never came to pick me up from school and that was the night when I asked my mother the same question, but she always said he was a bad man and I should never ask of him again, and I didn't.
"Your lying, let me see," Valentina took the fact file from my hands and I tried to make sense of how I possibly didn't see before, and why would he be out to kill his own daughter; I mean yes, he is a bad person but it still doesn't make sense on what exactly he wants the money for.
"Wait, I thought you already have a dad?" Sebastian asked and I nodded.
"I do, but he's not my biological father, he just adopted me," I reply.
"I don't understand, why would Igor want to kill his own daughter, it doesn't make sense and why is he only appearing now?" Mateo asks.
"He's out for the money, obviously he wants to kill Mal and get his hands on it," Diego responds while the others agree.
"But I'm not twenty-five yet, legally he can't get the money till I reach of age, so why did he attempt to kill me earlier?"
"When's your birthday?" Mateo asks and everyone now turns to me waiting for an answer.
"In about a week?" Val's eyes widen and a couple of gasps are let out and I just know Val is about to give me a great speech on how I didn't tell her my birthday, which is a conversation I'd rather not have.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?! how the hell am I meant to get a party-ready for you now? That shit takes time and money Maliyah!" Val says as we get out of the car, finally arriving at the house waiting for Luca to unlock the house with the keys but I can feel Mateo just staring into the back of my skull.
I tune out everything Val is saying and I turn around to face him and his eyes immediately meet mine, showing an emotion that I couldn't really tell but whatever it was I really wanted to look into those same chocolate eyes forever, it held such power and it made me feel like I was at peace with him like home was where he was. This is crazy because I've never been able to call anywhere home that was permanent, and I really wished he was. I want to call him home.
Val tugged on my arm and pulled my stare away from Mateo and dragged me in the house toward the counter where I placed the file and I was sure she was talking about dressing me up like a barbie doll but I could only remember only a week ago where Val made me realize that I loved Mateo, where I said I couldn't love him but yet trying to do seems like such an impossible task. The only thing I want to do is to wrap my arms around him and stay in his comfort forever not ever having the fear of thinking that I'll lose him. I love Mateo, and I don't think it'll take me much longer before I end up slipping it up.
