Chapter 68 Chapter Sixty Eight - The Prodigal Son And His Sugar Daddy

Chapter 68 Chapter Sixty Eight - The Prodigal Son And His Sugar Daddy
Chapter 68

Cedric's POV

Linda's eyes lifted past her son's shoulder and saw who was standing behind him.

Cedric felt her go stiff with fear. Then she pulled him closer to her, positioning herself between Gianni and him like a human shield.

"Whatever my son has done," she said, her voice steady despite the way her hands trembled on his shoulders, "I'm sure we can work something out. There's no need for anyone to get hurt here."

Cedric blinked at her. "Mom, what are you talking about?"

She whispered loud enough that Gianni definitely heard. "Cedric, look at him. He's built like a tank and dressed like he owns half the city. This is clearly some kind of shakedown."

Her grip tightened on him. "Why do you keep getting mixed up with these people? First the loan sharks, now this?"

"Mom, no, you don't understand..."

"Hush now, let me handle this." She turned back to Gianni, lifting her chin with more courage than sense.

"I don't have much money, but I can make payments. Monthly installments. So whatever he owes you, we'll figure it out. Just don't hurt us."

Gianni stood perfectly still, his hands at his sides, and Cedric watched him do the unexpected.

The hard edges of his face softened. His eyes crinkled at the corners and the corner of his mouth twitched upward, fighting what looked suspiciously like a laugh.

Cedric stared, unable to believe his own eyes.

He'd seen Gianni smile before, he usually had a sadistic grin on his face right before he hurt someone really badly, or murdered them in cold blood, depending on how unlucky they were, but this time was different.

His mother noticed too and her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I know my son can be difficult," she continued. "Lord knows he's given me enough grey hairs to prove it. But whatever trouble he's gotten himself into this time, he's sorry. Aren't you, Cedric?"

"Oh my God," Cedric muttered, covering his face with his good hand. "Mom, please stop. You're embarrassing me."

She ignored him entirely. "We'll pay for whatever damages he caused. Or work out some kind of arrangement. Just please don't..."

Her voice wavered for just a second. "Please don't hurt my boy."

When Gianni finally spoke, his voice was perfectly gentle.

"Mrs. Santos, I believe you've misunderstood the situation."

He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Your son does owe me a debt, yes. And you're absolutely correct that he's a considerable amount of trouble."

His accusing eyes found Cedric's for a second before returning to Linda.

"But he belongs with me now. He is under my protection. And you won't have to worry about him getting into any more trouble—I'll make certain of that myself."

Linda's mouth fell open. She turned to look at her son, scandalised.

"Cedric Santos, what exactly did you do this time?"

"I told you... I didn't do anything—" Cedric stuttered.

She held up one hand. "Actually, you know what? I don't want to know."

"Mom, if you'd just let me explain—"

"Explain what? That you've apparently signed yourself over to the mafia? Because that's what this sounds like!"

"It's not..." Cedric stopped, realising he had no good way to finish that sentence. "Just... let me introduce you properly. Mom, this is Gianni. Gianni, this is my mother, Linda."

Gianni stepped forward. He reached up, moving past Linda without seeming threatening somehow, and plucked the salt shaker from the top shelf with ease.

Then he handed it to her with a slight smile.

She took it automatically, looking between them with understanding finally dawning on her face.

"Oh," she said slowly, then she exclaimed excitedly, "Oh! So you two are actually together? Like, together together?"

Her whole face lit up.

"Well, why didn't you just say so! This is wonderful news! Cedric never brings any of his many, many partners home to meet me. You must be very special to him."

"Please," Cedric said to no one in particular, "just let the earth open up and swallow me whole right now."

Gianni frowned, his faint smile growing strained and flat. "Many, many partners you said?"

He was a very jealous man who clearly hated it when anyone brought up the fact that Cedric had known any other men before him.

Lily chose that exact moment to peek around the kitchen doorway.

She took one look at Gianni, this enormous stranger taking up space in her home, and immediately scurried over to hide behind Cedric's leg, her small hands gripping his jeans while she stared at him with wide, wary eyes.

Linda, completely unfazed by her son's embarrassment, crossed the kitchen and pulled Gianni into a big hug.

Gianni never saw it coming.

He went rigid, his arms hovering uncertainly in the air, but soon his body language changed.

The tension in his shoulders loosened and he awkwardly patted her back twice, the gesture mechanical and weirdly endearing.

They're so cute, Cedric thought to himself.

"Thank you, son," Linda said warmly, pulling back but keeping her hands on Gianni's forearms.

"Thank you for bringing my boy home after all this time. No calls, no messages—I was worried sick! I called everyone, even his old high school buddy at the police station. But you've been taking care of him, haven't you? I can tell."

Gianni's eyes found Cedric's over her shoulder, dark and gleaming with mischief. "Don't worry. He's in safe hands."

Cedric groaned, rolling his eyes in response. This was absolutely not how he'd imagined this going.

"Now then," Linda said, releasing Gianni and smoothing down her apron with a smile. "What did you say your name was again, dear?"

Just then, the apartment door slammed open.

Ray stumbled through, already mid-laugh at something, a beer bottle dangling from one hand.

He looked up, saw Cedric, and his expression went sour.

"Well, well, well," he slurred. "Look who decided to finally crawl back home. The prodigal fag returns."

He took a swig from his bottle. "What, finally run out of cocks to suck for rent money?"

"Ray," Linda said sharply. "That's enough."

"Enough?" He laughed harshly. "Kid disappears for weeks, no word, nothing, and now he shows up with his..."

He gestured vaguely at Gianni with the bottle, beer sloshing. "With his sugar daddy or whatever the hell this is. You think that's normal, Linda?"

Cedric felt Lily press closer against his leg, trembling in fear.

"Still the same old shit, Ray? Talking to my mother like she's some..." Cedric muttered, and it took a lot of effort to keep calm. "Gianni was just leaving. We were just leaving. Right, Gianni?"

But Gianni hadn't moved. He stood perfectly still, watching Ray with a sharp gaze of pure evil.

"You must be Raymond," Gianni growled. "Finally, we meet."

And something in his tone made the hair on the back of Cedric's neck stand on end.

Ray squinted at him, swaying slightly. "Yeah? Well, Cedric talks too fucking much. He always has. Just like his deadbeat father. And now he's brought one of his faggot friends to my..."

Ray cut himself off, seeming to finally recognise something... then he froze mid-sentence.

The colour drained from his face so fast Cedric thought he might pass out.

The beer bottle slipped from his fingers, hitting the floor with a crash of breaking glass.

He stumbled backwards, hitting the door hard enough to rattle it in its frame.

"Oh fuck," Ray breathed. "Oh, Jesus! Shit, you're—you're him. You're Gianni Falcone."

Linda looked confused. "Who?"

But Ray wasn't listening.

His hands scrabbled desperately at the door locks, his fingers slipping on the old door handle that had always been stubborn.

His breathing was fast and shallow, his eyes locked dead on Gianni, full of terror.

"Going away so soon, Ray?" Cedric asked mockingly, watching him yank at the door and grow more desperate with every passing second.

But Ray wasn't listening. His whole body pressed flush against the door as if it might somehow save him, as if that would somehow undo the fact that he'd just run his mouth off to the most dangerous man in New York.

Cedric sighed heavily, watching Gianni take a slow, deliberate step toward his stepfather, towering over him.

"Shit," Cedric murmured, staring at the ceiling. "Here we go again."