Kitten

Chapter 29: Heart to heart

Alexander's POV:

I wanted to leave. I wanted to get the hell out of here and question Liam on what the hell he was playing at. He was a sadistic man, that was why I once thought he was a great addition, but now that I made it clear that this deal involving Lily was over he was worse than I had ever seen.

I wanted to show him who was boss, who is in charge but I simply couldn't leave Lily's parents in the state they were in. I hardly knew them, but I had to stay. Lily was now apart of my dark and dangerous life and that ultimately meant her parents were too, yet they had no idea. How would they react to us being together? Would they not approve? How would they feel if they knew who I really was.

James and I had sat together over a bottle of whiskey discussing ways of stopping kitten from going to jail. I knew Liam and I knew he would make sure that all evidence pointed to her. James even suggested turning himself on and saying that he had a good chance of being convicted after Matthew reported him for GBH.

As for Isabella, there was something off about her. Lily had mentioned that her mum suffered from borderline personality disorder due to something in her past but I had spent enough time with her to notice when something was up with her. She was obviously upset that her daughter was arrested before her eyes, but she just seemed off, like something was really bothering her.

"J-James?" Isabella's soft voice called out from the bathroom door.

"Yes baby?".

"I, I'm going to go to bed. Just feel a bit rough".

James frowned at his wife and pushed his chair back.

"Do you want me to come with you?".

"No no, I'm ok. Just tired".

James looked very conflicted. Working in the world of business, you hear a lot about people and the one thing that I always heard about James Richardson was how much he loved his wife. Anyone with eyes could tell how madly in love he was with her. Infatuated perhaps.

James hesitated for a moment before nodding towards his wife.

"Only if you're sure my love. I'm here if you need me baby".

It's crazy how a man so feared and so powerful turns so gentle and soft when with his wife. It felt so unreal sitting with the same man who was once the most powerful mafia man in the world talking to his wife like she was made of the finest china. 

"Ok honey" she whispered softly before disappearing into their bedroom.

I watched silently as James turned around with a nervous expression. He was madly in love with her that he knew when something was wrong, but we had to discuss how the hell we were going to get kitten out of police custody. She'd been through enough hell with Matthew. I made a promise to myself that I wasn't going to let Matthew haunt her anymore, and yet here she was being accused of his murder.

"If Lily gets convicted then I'm going to hand myself in and convince them it was me".

James' head whipped over to me, his face full of shock and confusion.

"That's admirable, but why would you do that for her? You, you're a young man with so much potential, I can't allow it. She's my daughter, I cannot let her go to jail. It is my responsibility to protect her. Besides, the police are aware that I attacked Matthew not long ago, they could simply see it as a father's rage against the man who abused his daughter".

To think that the feared James Richardson had a wife and children he was deathly protective over was almost laughable. Growing up, all I heard was how much of a mean brute he was. Yet this was a man who was scared of his wife, especially when he ate her chocolate at Christmas. 

"What about your wife?. She'll be devastated".

James stared towards the bedroom door where his wife lay and let out a deep sigh.

"She will, but there is no way I'm letting my little girl go to prison for a crime she had no involvement in. Leave Isabella to me. It'll break her, but something tells me she's breaking already. Something's not right with her at the moment".

No. I refused to let this man leave his wife of many years. I didn't know much about Isabella, but I knew she suffered from some sort of mental illness and losing James could throw her off the edge. I once wanted this family to break apart, but spending time with them I came to realise how dependent both James and Isabella were on each other. 

I had to tell him the truth about Lily and I. Even though Lily said to wait, I had to tell him that as her boyfriend I was going to hand myself in. Besides, I deserved it after all the things I had done.

"James, I need to come clean with you".

James turned his body to face me with a stern expression.

"You killed Matthew didn't you" he yelled louder than I expected.

"No, no. It's about Lily and I".

James angry expression dissipated, but had turned into a face of uncertainty and unease.

"You two are dating, aren't you?".

I nodded slowly weary of how he would take the news. His fear and uncertainty was justified by Matthew's actions not so long ago. James let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through his hair. 

"How long for?".

"6 hours, 35 minutes to be exact".

"What?". He probably thought that I had started dating his daughter almost immediately after she was hurt by Matthew. 

"Sir, I found your daughter in a very bad place. In all honesty, I have never actually been in a relationship with another woman and since spending so much time with Lily, I realised how much I loved being with her and wanted the feeling of being lov- cared for. As you know, the world of business can be cruel and stressful, but the thought of seeing her at the end of the work day makes it all the better".

James let out a light chuckle and shook his head with a small smile.

"Love" he muttered under his breath with a smile still on his face. 

"I can completely understand why you might not approve of the idea of me dating your daughter not long after she got her heart broken, but I can assure you that I'd never hurt your daughter".

Suddenly his smile disappeared and turned to face me with a face full of disappointment.

"Matthew once said the exact same thing. How can I be sure that you won't do the same? How do I know that you wouldn't hurt my baby girl?".

Time to reveal something nobody knows about me. I never thought I'd be sharing this with a man I once wanted dead.

"I lost my mum when I was 3. She was the light of my life. She worked endlessly as a dancer for a group of rich men just to provide food for me. My father was out of the picture for many years and I liked it that way. But life is a bitch and took her away from me. She'd come home with red marks over her body, and when questioned she'd say she fell, but now I know the truth. I loved my mother so much and I could never inflict pain on a woman. I made that promise to my mother a day before she disappeared".

I could feel my throat start to sting as I thought back to the happiest memories in my miserable life. I would sell my soul to the devil himself just to see her smile one last time. 

"I'm so sorry Alexander".

Suddenly both of our heads whipped over to the hallway as the front door slammed shut.

"Who the hell is that?" James whispered to himself.

Both James and I pushed our chairs back simultaneously and slowly trod to the door of the kitchen.

"Oh my god!" James yelled out in confusion.

"Hi Daddy. Alexander, hey".

Who loved James and Alexander's little moment together?

Will James approve of their relationship?

Will Isabella confide in anyone about what she's discovered?