Damage Control

Chapter 18

It's been three days since that night with Nathaniel, and I've been avoiding him ever since. Only leaving my room when necessary. As much as Nathaniel wants to deny it, we both know the only reason he pummeled Piero was out of jealousy.

"Save me," I groaned into my phone as I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. It was 9:00 AM, and I've been talking with Stella since 6:00 AM. I couldn't sleep, and I desperately needed someone to vent to.

"It can't be that bad," Stella giggled.

"That bad? Stella, he broke the man's nose."

"Well, maybe he likes you," she whispered so quietly I almost didn't hear her, or maybe my brain just didn't want to.

"Uh, connection must be pretty bad out here; what the fuck did you say?" I asked, sitting up in my bed, fully awake now.

"Maybe he likes you," she repeated, slowly this time.

"You know we're talking about Nathaniel Creed, right? Your cousin? The man that is incapable of showing any feelings?"

Stella giggled again, and I imagined her swatting her phone in an attempt to nudge my shoulder if I were sitting next to her. "I know, silly, but that's the only reason he would react that way."

"Or he's just a controlling asshole," I muttered, running my hand through my bed hair.

"And what about Jason?" Stella asked. "You said Nate didn't go through with the deal; how do you explain that?"

"Ugh, I don't know, but I promise you Nathaniel has nothing but pure hatred inside his heart towards me so we can rule that delusional idea out," I assured her. Especially after the night, I handcuffed him to his own bed and gave him a mind-blowing hand job that ended with him angrily cumming on my body, but she doesn't need to know all of that.

"Stazi, you're the first female he's ever brought into our family home. Do you hear me? The first female."

"Rosetta?"

"We don't count that desperate bitch."

I laughed, wishing I could hug her petite body right now. "Either way, I'm his secretary, and this is a business trip, so of course he would bring me whether I was a female or not."

Stella scoffed. "Well, clearly, you don't know my cousin as well as you think."

I rolled my eyes and sighed, flipping around to gaze out the wide window outlooking the massive acres of land. "Anyway, I'm tired of talking about him, what about you? How are things with Theo?"

"Oh. My. Gosh. Soooo amazing," Stella gushed. We spent two more hours talking, or instead, Stella spent the two hours talking nonstop about Theo and how great he is while I occasionally answered with "Wow," "Mhm," or "That's crazy."

Afterward, I took a quick shower, threw on a simple navy blue floral mini dress with slip-on navy blue vans, and headed downstairs for breakfast. Nathaniel rarely came out of his office, which is why I've been able to avoid him for so long. As usual, breakfast consisting of muffins, biscuits, eggs, pancakes, waffles, and fruits were laid out on the kitchen counter, thanks to their very own personal chef.

As soon as I stuffed my plate with food and began to head back upstairs to my room, the doorbell rang. Is Nathaniel expecting guests? What if Piero found where he lived and came back for revenge? Or could it be Nonna back from her trip already? Choosing the latter, I placed my dish on the dining room table and shuffled towards the front door.

"My bags are in the car," an older man around his 40s announced as he pushed past me the moment I opened the front door. His features strangely reminded me of Nathaniel's from his height, jet black hair, sharp jawline, straight nose, and a very commanding presence. Unlike Nathaniel, he had a full-grown beard with peppered grey streaks, highlighting it while his deep brown eyes penetrated my soul as he waited for me to retrieve his items.