Balotelli Bale Series Book #7: My Father's Daughter

Chapter 12: Bills

Naftali's POV
Vince is relocating to London. It seems it will be permanent. He says he will keep paying the lease of the apartment so that I can have somewhere to live. All I have to do is keep up with the bills. The bills are quite costly. Without a steady job, I can't manage.

While I miss him, I'm grateful that he is being generous even in his absence.

It's times like this that I want to crawl back to my father and beg him to take me back. If not for his influence, I would have gotten a proper job by now. I never anticipated that I'll end up at a construction site.

My days are long and I nod off like a log only to press repeat. I don't earn much. What I earn is exactly what I use to pay bills. I'm only grateful for the roof over my head that in a way helps me keep up appearances. Vince is discreet. He doesn't tell anyone what I'm going through. My old friends don't know how low I've fallen. Even Maddie doesn't know.

She's coming over today. The weekend has finally come around. I took on extra shifts to make enough for a fancy bottle of wine and a fancy meal. I've spent all day cooking, trying not to mess up. I bought exactly what I need.

She will be here any moment now.

"Maybe you should just apologize." Gaia told me.

She is the one who calls me often. She thinks I should apologize to our father so that he lets me back into the fold. I'm holding out for good reason. The old man will only make fun of me and still keep me out.

"I won't."

"Ares, you are working in construction. Your soft hands were not built for that! You are a Pallis! That is not your calling!"

"I'm not a Pallis."

"Don't be silly! He can't take your name from you! Come home, I'll pleas for you."

Gaia is his favorite daughter. He adores her.

"No. I have to go. Maddie is coming over."

"Does she know about you being disinherited or how her father had your hand smashed and how he ordered that you get shot? Does she know you are penniless and working construction? Does she know all that?"

Only that her father smashed my hand. I don't want her to see me in the light cast on me by my circumstances. I'm embarrassed.

"Gaia, it's my life. I understand why you want me to come home but he is the one who kicked me out."

"You gave him no choice -"

"I love Madeline. I am in love with her. I can't betray that for anything, not even money. I have to go Gaia. Bye."

As soon as I hanged up, the doorbell rang. She keeps time to the tee.

"Hello lover!" She smiled brilliantly.

My eyes dropped down to her feet. The thing about Maddie, is that if she wears red heels, she's feeling wild. It's infectious.

As soon as I let her in, she dropped the knee length coat, revealing nothing but her naked body. She grabbed a handful of my shirt and dragged me after her.

With her, I'm like a bull to the slaughter.

Madeline's POV
He is worth every rule I can break. Every damn stroke from him is worth it. I hold onto them like my next breath will depend on it. I think I'm addicted to Naftali and I'll never be sober.

"When did your hands get so rough?" I asked him as I laced my fingers with his, my palm pressed against his.

"I'm not sure." He pulled away.