Wide awake
NOLAN POV
Clay had informed me that Ben was awake, though she wanted to see what was left of Ambrose, and I didn’t want her to see him in such a discomposed state.
But of course, she was Benedykta Rebel; she was going to insist, even though she wasn’t physically fit to be here in the first place.
I sighed deeply.
The warehouse was surrounded by the police and medical personnel who were here to gather what was left of my father and Zane.
A few minutes later, a stretcher was brought outside, and on it lay what looked like a skeleton.
Uncle Matteo placed a hand on my shoulder and urged me to inspect the remains.
“They only found one body and a human skull… Nolan, if Zane was strapped to the bomb, then the explosion was huge enough to burn him to ashes, and through DNA testing, the results came out positive from the skull; it indeed belongs to Zane.”
I nodded quietly.
“It means that this body belongs to my father.”
The words felt bitter coming out of my mouth.
Ever since I found out about my father’s affair with Ben, I had always wished that he had died instead of my mother.
In a way, I wished that he was dead, but now he was really gone, and my selfish thoughts began to sink in.
I had killed my father.
It was a lot to take in.
“Don’t let her see him… she’ll lose it if she sees what is left of him.”
I didn’t even have to say her name.
He already knew whom I was talking about.
“I’ll make sure she stays in the hospital, even if it means strapping her to the bed.”
I pulled away, staring at the burned, black flesh of my father, and a wave of nausea hit.
He was burned beyond recognition.
I covered him, trying to regain my composure, as Uncle Matteo gave orders to the medical staff who were handling my father’s remains.
“What are you going to do about the mafia in Italy?” Matteo asked curiously.
It hadn’t even crossed my mind.
My father had businesses around the world, and now that he was gone, it was up to me to carry his legacy and make sure that nothing changed financially.
I still had that pending lawsuit against the Rebels.
But now everything had changed the moment I found out that Ben was carrying my father’s child.
This kid was going to be my sibling.
I sighed deeply.
“I’ll worry about the family business after my father gets a befitting funeral in Italy… and I still have to keep the promise I made him, and that was to protect Ben and the baby.”
He nodded in understanding and left.
Zane’s family felt ashamed.
Well, his only family was his mother, considering that he was an only child who had murdered his own father in cold blood before he came to the States to kidnap Ben.
No amount of apologies could ever bring back my father.
I stared at the burnt warehouse that was now in ruins.
This is really where it all ended.
I won’t let his death go in vain.
His body will be cremated, and his ashes will be spread into the lake on the farm.
But first, I had an old score to settle, and I was done playing nice.
I had agreed to meet Ben’s grandfather; apparently, he saw the news of my father’s death on TV, and now he was suddenly interested in the well-being of his outcast granddaughter.
We were meeting at his mansion.
It brought back memories of the day I saw a picture of Ben in her family’s photo album.
I was smitten.
It was love at first sight, and even still, after the betrayal, I still loved that woman.
Fuck, matters of the heart were truly complicated.
I stepped out of the vehicle, and he personally ushered me to his study while his butler served us a hot cup of tea.
“I am truly sorry about the untimely death of your father, Nolan… and I know that he only lost his life because he risked his own to save my granddaughter. I was angry at Benedykta, and I shouldn’t have known that making her an outcast was going to put her life in danger.”
He looked up, meeting my gaze.
For the first time, I saw remorse in his eyes.
“Many years ago, we adopted Benedykta, and even though she wasn’t our blood, we ensured that she got the best in life because her parents abandoned her when she was just a newborn. That little girl deserved to be loved, and I let her down,” he mumbled sadly.
“How is she doing?” he asked in a worried tone.
I took a sip of tea.
Our eyes locked in a frenzy.
“I came here to talk about business, but it’s refreshing to hear you atone for your sins.”
He lowered his gaze.
“She’s pregnant with my father’s child.”
He remained silent, but the shock was written all over his face.
That was exactly how I felt when I found out.
“Ben is connected to my family by blood now, Mr. Rebel, and frankly, for my father’s sake, I don’t want any bad blood between us, so I am willing to drop the lawsuit against your company in exchange for a fifty percent profit share of everything New Way Group earns.”
He nodded eagerly.
“Thank you so much, Nolan, and of course, you deserve to even own our company if you want,” he teased, and I laughed.
He offered me his hand.
“Business partners?” he urged.
I cocked a brow at him.
I was only doing this for the sake of Ben and the baby.
I grasped his hand, giving it a firm shake.
“Actually, that fifty percent of shares isn’t for me or my father’s company; it belongs to Ben.”
His eyes widened in shock.
“Even in death, my father deeply cared about her, and I know that he wouldn’t want the woman expecting his child to suffer.”
Ben’s grandfather looked baffled.
“He really loved her that much?”
It’s what I had come to realize as well.
My father deeply loved Ben; he was willing to lose his life so that she could be safe.
His actions will always haunt me, and the birth of this child will always remind me of their betrayal.
Mr. Rebel promised to send his lawyer to my office after the funeral so that he could officially transfer the shares to Ben’s name.
I had a feeling that she was going to be in Italy to attend the funeral as well.
I left the mansion and drove to the hospital to see her.
A few hours later, I was making my way toward her room, and I was stunned to find her extremely calm after turning her room upside down.
Everything in the room was broken.
I closed the door softly.
She was still staring out the window.
“Is this what you plan on doing to me? Keep me locked up like some animal, all because I want to see the man I love?”
Her words cut deep.
She still loved him.
“Ben.”
She spun around, her blue eyes filled with tears.
“Let me mourn the man I love… that’s all I’m asking for, Nolan,” she whispered softly.
Even in death she still loved him.