The Ghost of You

Chapter 14 - Cai's POV

You know that one person who always has their phone notifications on no matter what? Yeah, that was me.

It was a habit I had gained from my mother. I used to hate how her loud ringtones would wake me up early on weekends, however, I admired how reliable she was because of it. So, I wanted to be as reliable as she was.

However, no one hated it more than Rio did. Especially on days I slept over at his. The morning after I had saved Isa from her mother, the loud vibrations of my phone had woken us up before noon. Since I was used to it, I could react to it much slower than Rio. However, the thing I wasn't used to was Rio's hairy legs violently kicking my thighs.

"Turn it off or you'll die young!" He threatened. To annoy him, I laid perfectly still. However, he grabbed the pillow from under him and slammed it on my head.

"Rio!" I yelled.

"If I can't sleep, neither will you".

"It's not even that loud".

"It's drilling through my skull".

"You're skulls thick enough, no?".

"Tio, please!!".

I stretched to pick up my phone on the bedside table. While I expected that I put an alarm on by mistake, it turned out to be an incoming call from Bruja.

"Answer it." Said Rio.

"There's no point, she'd just gonna ask me to bring Isa back".

"Well then tell her you're not. Maybe you can negotiate".

"Huh, do you think Isa gets her kindness from her?" I scoffed.

"Just try it" he repeated, "Or at least just turn the noise off, I beg you".

I lifted the heavy duvet off before getting out of the bed. As I made my way to the balcony door, I accepted the call.

"I've called you over 100 times, I was starting to think you stole my daughter then had the nerve to change your number" she complained, "If you think I'm letting this slide, Cairo, you have lost your mind".

"Not as much as you have it seems".

"This is kidnapping!".

"I'm her brother, and I'm not holding her hostage like you try to do. Plus, what you're doing is child abuse".

"Bring back my daughter right now or...".

"You'll go to the police?" I mocked, "Yes you tell them your stepson, who you bought over from Spain because your husband, who is currently in a coma, gave him authority over a company you want to take over, kidnapped your daughter because you're trying to marry her off without her consent. I just outlined two crimes; blackmail and forced marriage".

The call when silent as she processed my words. She had no ground to stand on considering what I had against her was worse than what she had against me.

"Just let me speak to her at least" she begged.

"If Isa wanted to speak to you-".

"Oh don't mock me, Cairo. I know you took her phone away" she barked, "If you really care about what Isabella wants, let me speak to her and find out what that is"

I turned to see Isa's phone lying on the bedside table on the side of Rio's bed I slept on. I couldn't trust Isa to not call her mother during the night - no matter what her mother did, she couldn't hate her as much as I did. If I had left her phone with her, she would've been back with her mother the moment I took my eyes off her.